2004-r1-04543-0007-1

The Panora City Council met in regular session Monday.

The meeting began with a presentation from Chris Whitaker of Region XII Council of Governments on a housing needs assessment he completed for the City. He mentioned that Panora’s population remains relatively stable, with the median age being 40.9 years old, an average household size of 2.31, and average family size of 2.96. Whitaker said while there is no one-size-fits-all solution to rural housing, he said the City would need to build 3-8 new houses annually to meet population growth. He also said one challenge of rural housing development is that developers are few and far between that are interested in building in smaller communities. The Council agreed to discuss what steps to take on housing at their next meeting.

After that, the Council approved a minimum 15% match at $3,260.25 for a hazard mitigation grant application of $21,735 for the total project cost to purchase new emergency sirens. The Council then tabled action regarding a skid loader and snow plow truck. Finally, they approved an insurance premium renewal with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, which for the second year in a row showed a rate decrease of 1.96%.