The Panora City Council met in regular session Monday.

The Council rejected the first reading on increases to water and sewer rates. Council Members Rachel Vogel and Ryan Ketelsen voiced concerns over the increases, particularly the gradual increases to water rates in future fiscal budgets. Both Vogel and Ketelsen voted against the ordinance. As Curt Thornberry was absent, the vote was spit and the motion failed. The Council will continue its discussion on ways to relieve losses in revenue and debt servicing for utilities at the next meeting.

The Council then set a public hearing for an amendment to the budget for the current fiscal year, for Tuesday, May 29th at 6:30pm. The next meeting was moved due to Memorial Day. Other action items approved include: a housing assessment through Region XII, restructuring Certificate of Deposit rates and investing $250,000 into those accounts, and changes to standard operating procedures in regards to body cameras for the police department.

The Council concluded the meeting by passing the first reading of an ordinance amending sidewalk requirements in regards to new construction. The ordinance removes the deposit policy and one-year time frame for property owners to construct sidewalks to City Code. The new requirement states that an occupant will not be given a building permit until public sidewalks are properly constructed, if one doesn’t currently exist already.