by Matt Marquardt –
MASON CITY – At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Council once again unanimously approved every item on the agenda with a 6-0 vote.
Several agenda items were pulled and there was some brief discussion on those items, but no council members took any real action other than to agree with each other and ask a few questions.
On agenda item 11, pertaining to the hiring of Perry Buffington as Human Resources Manager, City Administrator Brent Trout said he negotiated a higher rate of pay in order to get Buffington into the job. Hiring him “was my goal in the beginning,” he said. Trout added that Buffington was the lean coordinator at IMI Cornelious and will help with that initiative at City Hall. Council member Scott Tornquist liked the hire and said he knew Buffington from “Boy Scouts.”
On agenda item 13, pertaining to an annual program for contracting services from private companies to paint streets and parking lots, Council member Alex Kuhn asked City Engineer Mark Rahm if the work could be done by city employees. “No,” Rahm said. “We would need a special truck.” The work, which used to be done by city employees using a paint sprayer and stencils as late as the 1990’s, would have an estimated cost of over $108,ooo. As a cost example, it will cost the city $67.oo to paint one rail road crossing set; the city needs 72 of them done, for a cost of $4824.00.
On agenda item 16, pertaining to the possible hiring of three new firefighters, there was concern expressed about the overtime costs at the Mason City Fire Department. The City will be applying for grant funds to cover the cost of the new personnel. Hiring the new firefighters would alleviate “overtime over the next two years and an increase in staffing would provide better service and response to the citizens,” Trout said in a City Hall memo. The council will continue to research shift changes that would lower the amount of overtime paid to fire department employees. Currently, firefighters work 24-hour shifts.
On agenda item 19, pertaining to an expansion at Cargill Kitchen Solutions, a company representative was in attendance and accepted many thanks from the council on adding 20 jobs to their payroll. The jobs pay an average of $13.65 per hour. Cargill is receiving tax abatements (TIF) for 10 years in return for adding the jobs. Kuhn asked if there was flexibility in the deal, for example if Cargill came up a job short, the city would not necessarily have to find them in default. Trout said it would be up to the council to make that determination if that circumstance arose.
Read meeting agenda and packet here.
Watch entire City Council meeting:
Oh bullshit. National enquier? Not even close. Like Matt determines all the idiots’s thinking and the way they vote. NO! NIT writes it exactly the way it’s happening. You want no national enquierer headlines then get rid of your council dummies. They are pure rag news the way they operate. Stick with the topic also!
Matt, just a question… Why “No Comments” for the Ford Arrests story!
I have been a proud factory worker for most of my life. My family has prospered and been able to send my kids to college. NIT picker you are the lowest form of bottom feeder for your worthless comment.
Was just a short time ago the Globes trained monkey told us in an editorial since the council is asking question it’s not a white wash. I’ll base my opinion on the all yes votes.
Good one Matt! Only an A teamer thinks like that! STUPID on all counts! hahahaaa.
Wouldn’t be surprised NIT if that is Todd(Nitpicker) he is soooo mad over being exposed he needs to get it out some place. I’d put money on it. The country is built on factories. Maybe no field trips or “how it’s made” ever hit his stubborn ass. Who ever get lost. This council should to. Terms end that’s the best news.
I find it amusing that the owner of this site actually tries to defend himself and stoops to name calling of other bloggers. What a freaking twit. An ex factory / Globe Gazette worker with a huge chip on his shoulder.
“Rubber Stamp”
I would have thought Perry Buffington could have taken a little less money so he could stop the commute every day to Rochester. Yes folks, I understand he was doing it everyday!! P.S. did he lean IMI Cornelious right out of Mason City?? Ask all those workers how good he is.
Trouts reasoning for paying the HR guy more money then the job was advertised for should be reason enough for our council to fire him. All jobs in Rochester Minnesota pay more then the city does. I just looked up pay for employees in Rochester Trout needs to go back to the council and give everyone here a raise LOL sickening.
Hey is that an oreo cookie staring at trout in that picture? bawhahahaha
Spend the city hall remodel money for the signs or any other stupid thing they have up their sleeves. So ridiculous this group of fat. So obvious don’t they see it? That’s how truly dumb they are!
What a mess you guys have. Local elected leaders think the Federal Government is the answer.
Our Federal Government is broke and local elected and hired beggars are going to Washington on your tax dollars to solicit money from a broken system.
Just think every local government with their hand out for more, more, more. Raise taxes at the local level, raise taxes at the state level, and our goofy President wants another 1.2 trillion dollars of borrowed money to spend.
The people have lost their minds allowing this group to go off and beg for money on your money.
I was never going to share this but I just have to.
I live in Coffee City, Texas where there are NO property taxes and I don’t have to pay any State Taxes.
I am from Mason City but left there but 20 years ago.
I love the info on this site and read about the idiots you guys elect so I can give my friends living in my former city crap about.
I really wish you all the best in spite of your out of control, leaders.
To Matt. How about some real reporting. Can you give real dollar figures on what the trips have cost the city? Instead of using generalities like thousands of dollars. Maybe I should say actual instead of factual. Thank you
Matt… welcome to the 21st Century! This is how business is done in DC and what PROGRESSIVE cities have to do in order to get a piece of Federal Pork. Our DC elected representatives encourage these visits by hosting meetings for the locals bringing their staff to mingle face-to-face with those who make the trip. It’s easy to take pot shots at local officials who go to DC, but in the real world this is considered the cost of doing business. As a taxpayer, I don’t like it either, but if you want to change it, change the culture in DC. I would recommend that you take such a trip with the Mason City contingent so you can give your readers a better perspective how the federal government works especially when it involves local issues.
Something smells real real bad here, all these rubber stampers. Iheard they all took a trip to washington and blew a lot of money, is that true? Who paid for that??
a speacil truck to paint roads? would about the junker dick bridgeford used. oh, i know a $500 is way to much to spend. as for the fire dept why hire 3 more? we don’t them or a fire truck either. after all if mason city got those drunkmeyer would have that money to spend on some stupid ass stuff like street light in a part of town no one goes to. ( seeing as his little venture ( ok $58 is not little) and drove out the ones who were there.
too bad the mayor is too drunk to relize mason city CAN AFFORT a civic center. (seeing as 42 of 47 already open are underwater)
but the i suppose, the drinkin mayor will never wake up to the fact that mason city IS NOT waterloo, cedar falls des monies, cedar rapids.
if i may suggest that our mayor get in to a 12 step program. the first 1 is to leave, the next 10 to get in his car, the 12th to drive off in the sunset.
oh wait, never mind the driving part (he is too drunk to drive) better get someone to do that.
It’s exactly what we were concerned about. All rubber stamped and probably agreed on long before the council meeting. No one questions the fire department personel increases and they use overtime as a excuse. Bull Puckey. It cost a hell of a lot more to add a fireman than it does to pay a little overtime when you figure in their benefit package. They need to be treated just like other workers. Yes, they do a dangerous job but they do it by their own choice and I for one am tired of hearing how they are hero’s just for doing their job. They are paid very well for the risk and unless they are at a fire which is rare they have it made.
Do these people have a single thought they generated on their own?
Cargill Kitchen Solutions Deal – why make a deal if you’re NOT going to follow it? Just hand out or money with NO strings attached – Great Logic !!!