By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
The Panora City Council met in regular session on Feb. 26. Chris Arganbright, representing Bryton Insurance, addressed the council about insurance changes regarding the various coverages the city maintains.
“Insurance is distressed climate in Iowa right now,” Arganbright said. “Since the derecho of 2020 kicked off all kinds of wind and hail events that we’ve had since then, we are now in the same category as Florida and California.”
She went on to explain that because of this, wind/hail damage deductibles are rising. In general, deductible on buildings are going to 1% of valuation, although there is the option, in some cases, of “buying down” coverage to essentially obtain a lower deductible.
The good news, according to Arganbright, is that because the city had relatively few claims, the city is seeing a 4.5% overall increase in premiums rather than the 10% to 15% that had been expected.
The council approved Resolution 24-06, setting a public hearing on April 8 at 5:30 p.m. at Panora City Hall to hear comments regarding the proposed FY 2024-2025 property tax levy.
There was discussion about Resolution 24-07 regarding proposed pay changes for city employees. The resolution states that city employees (other than some exceptions noted) will receive a 5% pay increase effective July 1, 2024. The council approved the resolution.
The council held a first reading and discussion of proposed Ordinance 352, which would increase water service charges. The proposed ordinance would result in a monthly bill increase of $2.80 for a typical household using 3,000 gallons of water monthly. No action was taken at this time.
The council approved a Special (5-day) Class C Alcohol License for Lucky Wife Wine Slushies T9, effective April 24-28, for the planned craft show at the Community Center to be hosted by Julie Maddox. The council also approved an annual Class C Alcohol license for outdoor services for Pedal-In.
The next regular meeting will be March 11 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Interested persons may attend in person or electronically by visiting the website https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or by phone 1-312-757-3121 (Access Code 295-099-701, Audio PIN 220#).