Hello again from Mayor Kim Johnson.

The fall leaves are so beautiful. We were driving to spend time with family and some of the hill sides were breathtaking. Let’s all take time to take a leisurely drive around our community, county and state and take in the breathtaking fall colors in the next few weeks.

So, in my September column I said I would add some legislative updates after I got some clarifications. Well now my problem is I received the clarifications but didn’t sit down to write this article until a few weeks later. I will try to do my best but may need to follow up with additional clarifications!

The first minor update is that all governing bodies, boards and commissions need to offer an electronic means to join a meeting. I highlight this update to assure you that if you know there is a city council meeting and you might not see all vehicles present, that there may be a good reason why the council member needed to join electronically. Our goal continues to be in-person attendance, but this is an acceptable option. As your mayor there are several different committees I attend for both Kossuth and Palo Alto counties. In the past the only way to attend was in-person. This year I have attended many of these meetings via electronic access which reduces the need to reimburse travel expenses. There are a few exceptions to this rule that do require in-person attendance.

The next update expanded the definition of ‘pedestrian’ with increased protection for pedestrian right of way. ‘Pedestrian’ now includes those on foot but also those using a pedestrian conveyance. A pedestrian conveyance is defined as any human powered device that a person may move or use to move another person. This update now includes strollers, wheelchairs, scooters, skateboards, and bicyclists.

The last legislative update I would like to attempt to clarify is Senate File 2442 – Property Tax Changes which was enacted in May 2024. The combined general fund level is now recalculated, trying to get all cities to the same level. The result of that was less money for our city, which we all know affects various line-item budget allotments. The date for the city to mail taxpayer statements has also been changed to a few weeks later and you will see additional information listed on this statement.
Your city council is required to hold two public hearings to adopt the city budget. The first public hearing is held after the property tax statements are mailed out to allow for citizen input. The second hearing is prior to the budget adoption. Budget deadlines for cities were also extended to April 30. I really hope I summarized this correctly.

I wonder what the craze is for child costumes this year? If you are driving around October 31, please be cautious. As always, if there is anything you would like me to be doing as your mayor, please reach out. Be assured that there is no cost for this column. We are very fortunate to still have an actual newspaper that serves our community. Feel free to contact me at any time at my email (kjkimtalk2@gmail.com) or you can reach me by phone at 320-241-4770.