At their meeting on Monday evening the Stratford City Council held a public hearing to amend the budget for the 2023 fiscal year. The reason for the hearing was because of two interest payments made for the 2022 Avon/Dryden Watermain Project. The council went on to approve the payments received and to amend the city budget with the fiscal year ending next Friday on June 30.
Keith Leeds of the Stratford Community Development Corporation spoke to the city council on preparations for “Stratford on the Loose” set for July 8th. The corporation would like to close Goldsmith Street from Shakespeare Avenue to the alley between Shakespeare Avenue and Burns Street to let the Stratford Fire Department have a kid train ride and a kid water hose event. The Stratford city council approved the request.
Council members approved a donation request from the Stratford Community Development Corporation totaling $3000 for the 2024 fiscal year for the purpose of using the money to replace the flooring in the kitchen of the Stratford Food Center. The work will begin soon at the store.
A donation request from the Stratford Community Development Corporation was approved by the city council for a season family pool pass to be used during a silent auction at Stratford on the Loose set for July 8.
The Stratford City Council approved a request from Hamilton County Sheriff’s office to place a speed sign in the Stratford city limits. There was also the approval of a noise permit application from the Copperhead Saloon for a July 1st celebration.
There was a lenthy discussion on finding a new public works supervisor for the city of Stratford. After June 30,2023, the city of Stratford will be without a public works supervisor.Stratford city council members agreed to call other cities to see if they could help out temporarily and to use Stratford mayor Larry Runyan to read water and sewer reads until a replacement is found. The city of Stratford will also have to find a certified pool operator to handle the operation of the pool for the rest of the season. After looking at the overall public works jobs the council agreed to post a full time public works maintenance supervisor position and a part time public work maintenance position working roughly 20 to 25 hours per week. After much discussion the Stratford city council voted to table the public works maintenance job description.
The Hamilton County Freedom Rock was approved as an Iowa Great Place destination with the Stratford city council. The Freedom Rock is a tribute to the servicmen and women who have proudly served Hamilton County in the Armed Forces.