Council set to vote on contract for new City Administrator
by City of Muscatine
July 08, 2020

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine City Council will vote on approving the contract for Carol Webb to become the City Administrator for Muscatine during the Council’s In-Depth Session Thursday, July 9, 2020.

The Muscatine City Council will meet in a virtual session at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9. Details on attending the virtual meeting are listed below.

A short agenda is on tap for the Council highlighted by the resolution to approve the contract for Webb to serve as the City Administrator. Council will also hear a report from the Planning and Zoning Commission regarding the backyard chicken ordinance, and hear a request from Water and Resource Recovery Facility director Jon Koch regarding and EPA Digester Grant application.

Carol Webb 2018 (portrait) (JPG)A New City Administrator

Council directed City Attorney Matt Brick to draft the contract between the City of Muscatine and Carol Webb for the position of Muscatine City Administrator during their July 2, 2020, regular meeting. Webb was the Deputy Utilities Director for the City of Fort Collins, Colo., before accepting the tentative offer from Council at the end of June.

“I am honored to serve as the City Administrator in Muscatine,” Webb said. “I’m anxious to get started and learn more about all the good things that are happening in the community and the City organization. I’m really impressed with what I have learned so far and I am confident that together, as a team, we can build on the City’s many strengths and create some new opportunities that leverage all of the great assets the community offers.”

The Muscatine City Council interviewed over a dozen candidates through video conference calls during the week of June 17 and selected three finalists to visit Muscatine June 25-26. Webb was subsequently offered the position and tentatively accepted the position the last weekend in June.

Webb is expected to begin her new role on August 24, 2020.

Digester Rehabilitation Project

Koch is asking the Council to support a Request for Application (RFA) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Supporting Anaerobic Digestion in Communities (SADIC) grant. The City will be requesting the maximum grant amount ($300,000) for completion of the Digester Rehabilitation Project.

The goals of the SADIC program are similar to the goals of the Digester Rehabilitation Project; accelerate the development of new or enhance/increase existing anaerobic digestion capacity and infrastructure, and increase use of anaerobic digestion to manage food waste.

“We are in a good position to qualify and receive grant funding for the remaining portion of the project,” Koch said.

A total of $800,000 was approved and bonded for the project with a $715,000 contract awarded to DVO, Inc., of Chilton, Wis., for all equipment, installation, and warranty and performance agreements. Remaining HSW Project funds, remaining bonded funds, and plant reserve funds will be used to cover the $250,000 cost of engineering and connection of the new digester to existing facility processes.

The Digester Rehabilitation Project (Phase II of the High Strength Waste Project) is intended to design and install additional digester capacity at the treatment plant located at the Water and Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF).

Phase I of the High Strength Waste (HSW) constructed the facilities to receive high strength waste such as fats, oils and grease from restaurant grease interceptors. The project was expanded to include solid food waste from grocery stores, cafeterias, restaurants, industries and residents through the use of a food waste depackaging machine.

The new Muscatine Organics Recycling Center (MORC) located at the Muscatine Transfer Station will be a regional hub for removing food waste from landfills and could grow to processing more than 50 tons a day. The processed food waste is brought from MORC by City tanker trucks to the WRRF. The material is then added to existing anaerobic digesters used for municipal waste treatment.

The capacity of the existing digesters will rapidly be exceeded based on anticipated waste coming from the eastern Iowa and western Illinois region according to Koch. Phase II will install a new digester system in an old digester complex with the ability to expand. This will allow the WRRF to receive larger amounts of material and generate significant revenue for the City.

All the digesters will produce methane that can then be sold as compressed natural gas creating an additional revenue stream for the City.

A discussion on the face mask mandate by the Mayor and an update from the Planning and Zoning Commission regarding backyards chickens are also on the agenda.

Click AGENDA to download the July 9, 2020, City Council agenda and/or attachments.

How to attend, speak at virtual meeting –

Meetings of the Muscatine City Council have been held by conference call since Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds proclaimed a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency on March 19, 2020. To join the conference call by computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone click on the following link

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/741911861. Citizens can also listen to the meeting with their phone by dialing +1 (571) 317-3122  and use the access code 741-911-861.

Please mute your computer or phone while listening to the proceedings (press *6 when using phone or mute button on computer). A chat window is available when you use your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Those wishing to speak or to ask a question are asked to use the chat box to post a message that will be seen by the Mayor who will address the questions or call on the speaker in turn. Those using their phones must wait until the Mayor asks for additional comments. The Mayor will recognize you prior to you addressing the Council.

 Muscatine City Council In-Depth Meeting

Thu, Jul 9, 2020 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (CDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. 

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/741911861 

You can also dial in using your phone. 

United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 

Access Code: 741-911-861

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:

https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/741911861

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