Fort Madison Working On Goals

Fort Madison, IA – City leaders in Fort Madison hope to accomplish some big goals over the next two years.

City Manager Byron Smith says the goal-setting process came about as a way for him to get a better feel of the priorities of the Fort Madison City Council. He says a consultant from the University of Iowa was brought in to meet with city staff and city leaders.

The result of the meetings was a list of four priorities.

Smith says one is the development of a study on the annexation of land, outside city limits, near the Highway 61 bypass around Fort Madison. "We have to decide what to do and how we will address that issue because it will affect the city of Fort Madison," says Smith.

Smith says the city has received 5 responses from consultants interested in developing the study. He hopes to select one within the next few weeks to get the process started.

Smith says one option for the city is to try to annex the land between the bypass and city limits. "That is one of the ideas," says Smith, "though the problem is how does the city get there. Annexation laws are very particular and property owners have very strong opinions about annexation."

Another priority is the re-examination of a part-time or volunteer fire department. "I am going to look at what has been done in the past and I will contact other cities who have had successful combined departments to see what is missing here in Fort Madison," says Smith.

Smith says a future step would be another recruiting effort for volunteer firefighters.

The other top priorities are the development of an employee handbook and an update of nuisance ordinances. Smith says the nuisance discussion will look, in part, at whether additional staff is needed.

Smith says the Fort Madison City Council will receive progress reports on a quarterly basis.

Medium Priorities
- Actively Participate in Downtown Revitalization including the Main Street Program
- Implement a Salary Study
- Examine the Implementation of a Wind Power Project

Ongoing Priorities
- Work Through Compliance with the EPA Combined Sewer Consent Decree
- Continue to Monitor Highway 61 Bypass Progress
- Study and Evaluate Consolidated Dispatch Center
- Finalize and Adopt Parks and Recreation Master Plan
- Assist in the Completion of the Southeast Iowa Emergency Training Facility
- Complete New Water Treatment Plant Facility with all necessary Water Line Connections
- Provide City Services to new Prison
- Continue to Actively Pursue Economic Development Projects using Incentives appropriately
- Restore Santa Fe Depot
- Pursue Flood Mitigation of the Marina Area including Dredging by the Corps of Engineers