Dave Casotti, Boone Mayor, September 8, 2026

Yes done our program today visiting with Mayor Dave Cassotti. Good to have you here good to be here Jim. Thank you And yes, he did apologize to everybody for a Labor Day meeting It was one of those things. I think probably your public hearings had been set. So yeah, we had to get that done We didn't really want to do it last night, but we have another Commitment this evening and didn't want to push it all the way to Wednesday. So yeah, well fortunately it Got things to do. Yeah. Yeah, well anyway did last night the Boone City Council did meet You had public hearings held and really the the the primary ones were the public hearings to go ahead with the applications that you have for the state revolving loan fund and These are pretty substantial because by the time you get done with all these projects and now we're talking about doing projects that are To enhance the capacity right to be able to help daisy. I mean to handle having Daisy here, right? You know the downside is they pick Boone and now you got to do some things to be able to get them To provide what they need so it'll be it'll be worth it in the long run You know a lot of people look at the what it's costing us now and all the headaches We're dealing with as far as trying to get infrastructure caught up But once that's all done there online, it's gonna be good for Boone So it's it's definitely a good thing. It's just growing pains I know a lot of people and they keep talking about all the property taxes Well, there are abatements tied in with this and the state did the substantial tax Things with again the money that they made available the city has some But the one thing that they had agreed is that they are gonna pay their water and sewer. Yes, so You get to plan on that income anyway. We do. Yep Yeah, and that's pretty pretty substantial because this is where the infrastructure. Yeah, it'll be very substantial on Yeah, and then like I said once down the road once all the abatements are gone And it's I mean you do have to look forward and down the road a ways and it's it's gonna be a good thing I mean, I don't want anybody to think daisy's a burden on the city because it's not it'll you know It might be a burden on it up front infrastructure and so forth But once we get going, it's I think it's a great thing. So Oh, but we've got a lot of lot to go through under and people keep thinking. Oh, you know with all the things that are in there well most Commercial properties and stuff in the legislature and they did this a long time ago back in the 90s Where you don't get to tax on the stuff inside, right? It's the building outside, which is you know, yeah You're gonna get some some income off that property tax wise. Yeah And we did have a most of the discussion I guess on the for the meeting last night were the Request to find out why you hadn't planned for nitrates dealing with nitrates and why that was not a higher priority Right. Yeah, and it's just it wasn't in the CIP yet It's it's been on our radar just not in the CIP which it it will be after this fall, but It's not that we're not not working on it. We're working on it through the well blending Looking into other options for long term, which that's and that's not that's a whole nother project I'll hold another project and it's definitely not cheap But we're not it's not something that we're we don't just not worry about we're worrying about it And it's it's just something it's not a quick fix. It's easy way to put it But which there was well in part of it is too You don't know exactly what you're going to be working right because first of all you yes To add additional capacity for blending and and I know they went around on the well But you had your engineer there said the reason this area was selected is the well the previous or the well That's closest to it. It is a there's low nitrate levels in there correct that's Anticipated this will be the same and then of course well, what if it isn't? Well, that's then we go from there. Yeah, we can't we can't tell the future So we'll figure it out at that point But we're doing what we think is best and and doing what we can to get by until we can get the long term Long-term expensive fix. So I think if most people take a look at What's the way it's handled across the state majority of the majority of the public systems blend water Yep to deal with nitrate levels. There's a few that have mechanical reverse osmosis. Yeah, there are Some that do some acid treatment in biological is a newer newer one that's coming in Which is one that your you've had engineers already take a look at yeah And that's we're kind of leaning towards that. We'll see but that's it seems to be one of the most effective cost-effective Ways to go so that's again that first we got to get by Getting these immediate needs taken care of so yep That's why really wasn't included in a lot of the plans at this point I know that yeah, I know 30 years ago. They looked at reverse osmosis and The cost of the installation at that time was just not it was it would have really been a substantial increase in water bills Right and it still will be and it this is one quick thing to that I learned when I I took a tour of the water plant water treatment plant here not too long ago with a few others and With the discussion that we had with us water and everyone I Don't think anyone's pinpointed exactly where the nitrates are coming from Everybody points to the farmers and the chemicals coming off the runoff But there's no data shown 100 percent certain that that's it either so You know, we haven't been looking at nitrates Relatively speaking for all that long. I mean So it's yeah. Yeah, I mean, you know We've done blending for a lot of years and boon and I mean more than just the 30 years since this plant was here They were blending even before that and something that has gone on your well-feel and people may not realize it But it's they it doesn't take water directly from the river correct But it is influenced by the river. Yeah, and that's why you have a dam out there Correct and again that holds that water back so that it percolates into the groundwater And that's why your wells are along the along the river area. That's correct. Yeah. Well, we'll go ahead with that complicated stuff it is while we know on the expansion part here way Obviously the big one is going to be a new main coming into town and that's part of it part of what was talked about last It's not so much into the well, but you are expanding all your capacities down there. Yeah, the other party is again doing the The wastewater again the expansion there and we're going to start to see some more work That'll be done within your process at the at the wastewater treatment plant, right? Big part of that is going to be the force main project, which you did sign off on the contracts last night It was two million dollars above estimate But and that hurt kind of puts yeah crunch in there. Well, part of this is all your Applications had been done early on on projections. So I mean you've been working with the state finance on this all along, right? People probably don't realize that but yeah, you just don't throw it together overnight and hand it to them It's a price the money, right? So it's a long process So I got that the other part was the another part of the water infrastructure water tower on Hancock and again, that's

Well, we found out the cost of that's gone up substantially and in a short amount of time Right and part of that is and we weren't real happy with them But part of that is when we got the original estimate. It was the water tower. It wasn't it did they didn't include everything that goes into and out of the water tower the the To make it a simple terms the plumbing parts of it and that was yeah, that was a little bit disconcerting But we had to have it so it just wasn't you know the earlier that way Yeah, early projection was four and a half million. Now you're talking seven and a half, right? Everything Seven million here seven million there. Yeah, that's and people need to remember Again, a lot of this is being done that timing to coincide when a lot of these bills are coming due to you have Daisy coming online at that time, right? So thus the the struggle for Andrea trying to do finances and be the city administrator and everything that's a That's that's a real balancing. She's got her work cut out right now So anyway, that's some of the stuff that went on last night for there Did you learn enough about infrastructure and I mean now you've been to the out to the water plant to see what they're doing out there and Again, you got local people Josh. She talked working with us water and he's the he's the lead out there now Yeah, you're a chief operator. So Again, they Doing a pretty good job keeping it all together. They are it's the knowledge that those guys from us water have and Josh as well being there so long It's you know, I go out there and listen and it's just a lot of it just it blows my mind It goes over my head because that's not my it's not my expertise, but they You know, they're not just down there turning knobs and pumping water through there. They're doing a lot. Well Well cleaning, I mean, you know, they do they have a rotation for cleaning wells doing wells and keeping them up to up to date So you have that capacity, right stuff like that. So it is it's yeah It's not as easy as a lot of people think they do a good job down there And then on the other end of it, you got to treat it all too. So yep You get get to go out see two of those plants and both of them. They actually probably Have aged, you know, people keep saying the new plants, but they are 30 years, right? Yeah, it doesn't seem like it. But yeah, they're they're getting up there. So well, we got that part done You also did have as part of your meeting You know, again, a lot of questions were raised about the About nitrates and the questions about that But did you feel comfortable with what staff was able to answer and stuff again? Because I know those are things that they ask you and you know, you're relatively new to it, right? Yeah, I I think staff answered it The best we can I mean again, we don't we don't know even exactly what the source of the nitrates are everybody has their their theories But again, listen to the US water and everyone else in that meeting that I went to We don't have enough information. It's it's just we don't we have a good idea we think but but yeah, the exact source It's It's relatively unknown. I if we knew exactly where it was and could stop it immediately. We would but yeah But yeah, I you know, I feel comfortable with staff and with our engineer there be able to answer questions and Yeah, I know you had said it one time. I'd be nice to get rid of mall right all the time which But again, there's a cost to that there is and yeah, and you don't want to put you know health in front of cost but Yeah, they're trying to try to balance trying to balance somewhere, right? Yes. Yeah, and yeah, so we don't want our water bills to be $1,000 a month so Yeah, that's an exaggeration but Well, you that's a part of it to you plan plan to yeah We're we're are you know, what are your mo your cost benefits? Yeah How many people are getting getting what they need and you try to keep it at the best quality as healthy as you can Yeah, we did have the public safety transportation committee did forward on a recommendation to do some signage This is something that Downtown Boone came up with and they went back and did a little work got a number of businesses to sign off on it I don't know. I'm going with guerrilla wave finding and I'm just gonna go these are fancy signs for each of the businesses Yeah, and but Counsel did go ahead and approve that they will be available downtown. Yeah, you'll see these you'll you'll see them there I think they want to get them up before puffer billies. Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty sure they will be I think they may already have the signs. I'm not sure but oh, I know I guess they wouldn't have them yet But they have them ready to get into production and they're they're kind of that corrugated plastic type of sign So they're they're simpler to make and they'll make them quick and get them up So yeah, I'm pretty sure certain they'll be up before the puffer billies and that allows Businesses to update and make adjustments to them and things like that too. Yeah, we also know that you did get but besides that one and Have not talked about it public safety did I think you were you were there at that meeting But it didn't come up last night, but it's the e-bikes and I know there's an ordinance that You guys kind of took a look at Well the committee did anyway, right and and it's an issue and showing up as an issue in a lot of communities It is Looks like you're gonna work off the Ankeny ordinance and try to modify it to fit boon Yep, we've pulled a couple of ordinances to look at them and and right now that's the one we're keying on the Ankeny one And then we will put our own Touches to it to make it boons, but yeah, that's on the agenda. I believe next meeting We'll be looking at that a little harder and trying to get something in place ASAP Yeah, yeah, I was at that meeting and yeah, that's something that we're concerned about We don't want to be reactionary want to be proactive and get something in place before something really bad happens I know we've had a few somewhat minor incidents, so We want it to be no worse than that. That's for sure. So and I know that some people with Blame the parents or and do you and who's responsible? The chief I think chief we both emphasize the big thing is Public safety. Yes, we want people to be safe. Yeah, and we don't want to blame the parents But it kind of has to start at home if you're gonna get them Scooter let's make sure that they're educated on the rules of the road and how to be safe So but yeah, well, you know, and we even talked about possibly having like the the SRO at the schools You know have a sit, you know an assembly and and talk to all the kids at each school and each age So good safety is the main concern. I was wondering if you were gonna put some of the department on them We had them on bicycles for a while. We did. Yeah, I Don't think that's in the plans. Okay, who knows I would just And I'm not going to be running around. Well, I have a hard enough time just on a regular never mind Trying to just walk walk down the sidewalk to interesting Survey information Linda Williamson may able to pass along because she's handling a lot of the arts related things through the Economic Development Committee and and again People was going well, what happened to your arts board Yards Council and some of the issues came up were It was difficult to fund And yep, if you can't fund it, then how do you you know, how can you go forward with it? So looking at some options some alternatives on how to do this, but they did a survey Yeah murals sound like they're the big thing it does murals and One of the things I think I heard Mention was like the like if you're in Ames often and I know everybody out There's not a cyclone fan, but when you're in Ames you can't help to see those Psy statues that are all over the place For Iowa State and uh, you get the hawk or yeah, Psyhaw. Yeah, or I mean the Hawkeye, but yeah, or What they have pigs that was it pigs down at the state fair They've had those in the past that could be I didn't go this year So I don't know but and I mean those are those kinds of things Yeah, something like that and it's but those are a little pricey and Of course everything comes with a cost, but they're there if they're going to do these they'll go out and do their fundraising and get the Money for it. So Again, not all city funded. So it's going to involve a public-private partnership did suggest doing more um You know more local artists doing some things like that as well but and again The typical kind of response as you get uh, it doesn't matter what you do. It's going to be vandalized and doesn't uh, You know, it'll never succeed and some But then again, you got a lot of people who say they're excited about an opportunity, right? Yeah, there's always some naysayers, but yeah, I think overall it'll be they'll come up with something good So they're going to be working on that that'll be something that'll coming up Let's talk a little bit about the finance officer thing because this is something Andrea Elmquist has brought up a couple of different times. Obviously. She's doing basically At least Dual roles for the city right now. She's handling a lot of the finance officer and then plus her administrative responsibilities as well Uh Not an easy position to fill as we found And several other cities have found out as well. That's what I was just going to say We are not the only one in the same boat and there's um, Yeah, there's a lot of communities that are cities that are looking for for the same thing we are And it is not easy to fill you it's It's not you can't just pop in and have a just a basic finance degree and pop in and get it done There's government financing is a little bit different than most private or Other entities that have finance officers. So it's very complicated and and Yeah, we need to take we need to find something quickly Hope what our hope is that we can we're going to go through another company probably and find Um, find the right candidate And in the meantime, hopefully be able to find someone temporary that can at least take some of the load off of Andrea so that she can Concentrate more on the city administrator side of things instead of finance So try to find something to do an interim type position. Maybe somebody that's uh, retired from that position Right. Just just a stop a stop gap just to get us through so Uh, and we do know that you had done and done a basically a statewide with local Finance officers from different companies and stuff involved with it. Uh, they had a recommendation, but uh, Again, uh, a young young individual that has only been in a very small community. Yep. So Council a little apprehensive about going too far there, right? Yeah, we don't yeah And you know to be fair to the applicants We don't want to bring someone in and then they find out they can't Handle it and they've uprooted and moved here and then it doesn't work out. So It's that's another tricky process. So part of this would be a council is going to be committing to spending some more money on a search Yeah Working with a head hunter group a company. Yep, which Again having them look for finance officers. Not something that's pretty that's not a typical thing It's not and then they're the company that we talked to are currently working with another city and We're hoping that through that maybe they have found a couple of good candidates and we can piggyback on them for one of those But we'll see it's we've got to get something done. That's for sure And uh, obviously busy time of the year because you're starting to again, it's going to be Literally a couple of weeks down the road. You're going to be doing your capital improvement plot projects taking a look at Different projects that are coming up. I know that Well, got budget and everything else coming in so everything's coming up. It's uh, a busy time Very busy You did ask about the first street project how it was progressing You want to make sure the engineers are keeping up to speed on that. Yes. Evan says. Yes, we are Yep, that's I was assured of that so we'll we'll hold their feet to the fire on that one Make sure this uh, this allows it get the project done So it gets into the dot this fall basically for uh bids over the winter time correct So once the weather hits good again next spring we can Get to rolling on that. I know that uh at the same time. I know, uh Yeah, because you've alternated or the city has done like every other year for this So you missed a year in here with this first street part. Yeah, but uh, then we'd be looking at potentially another one right after that too And I know the Priority seems to be like north or linds street to the north. Yeah from 11th north So I can't tell you today for sure that yes, we will back to back But yeah, that would be the hope at least since we missed a word does another street come to mind, right? You know, right? There's those. I know there's plenty of them. So yeah And people wonder why don't you just do them all? Yeah, well if you thought uh Yeah, if you thought bond issues It's not it. It's not Not an easy process doing this and uh, you're talking a million dollars at least a million dollars of projects Yeah, yeah, it's If you did that, I think your Tax asking would be substantially higher. We don't even want to know what that would be. Yeah Some of the other things last night did did go ahead and adopt these ordinances that in Kind of thought these were going to go quickly one over by where you live there that West 5th street jefferson area. That's where an individual with some Site disabilities had made a request and council quickly did agree that this was something that might be done that would help Uh, they waived the third consideration and adopt went to adopt it Get that done and the other would be handicap parking downtown switching it from the North side on 7th right down here by keeler 7th and keeler to the south side right in front of the livery Yep, exactly. Yep. Those those were kind of no braiders and they went they went right through so Did have some residents come in and uh, again brought some nuisance abatement type issues uh to you and I know they've been working with the city, but they wanted the council to be aware They still have a great deal of concern. Yep, and they are working on it between the uh

The service officer and the police department are involved as well So they're they're working on that and I you know We I can sit here and ask all day everyone out there to make sure you take care of your yard and Keep the junk out of your yard and mow and pull your weeds, but you know, we can't control everyone's property now We do have you know rules to live by but Um, so yeah, and it's and hopefully they can all be taken care of Before it comes to any sort of action. So we have the nuisance abatement parts. Yes It's we keep keep going along with those. Yeah, but who would have thought in august we Be mowing twice a week instead of once every other week. Yeah, that's I'm still working on now Yeah, there we go, and uh, and hopefully not Too many other issues super nationals going on. I know they ran late, but uh once again, uh Struggle with the weather I'm guessing right and had farm progress show last week and Uh struggled with the heat for that one. Yeah, it's one thing after another which again, it's great It's great for the city and the economic development part of it and Um, right after super nationals is done. We've got pufferbillie days coming. So before your next meeting actually Yeah, in a slide pufferbilly in here. So you'll do your community awards and things like that as well So folks come out for that. I know you did have a closed session on selling property No announcements on that not yet not yet. No, okay, so still looking to uh Move forward with that. Let's see what can be done. Yeah Otherwise, I think that's about it outside of a couple of committee meetings coming up Again utility before the next or before the next council meeting, but that's going to be on the 21st. Yep Stay safe right stay safe and stay cool Yeah, thanks for joining us today. Well, thanks jim