The Stuart City Council met in regular session Monday night.

The Council approved an application for residential tax abatement at 502 South Fremont Street, tabled a decision on an employment attorney to gather more information and try to find a firm that can cover all aspects of city needs, then reviewed cemetery committee bylaws. They also approved redefining use of recruitment services on a case by case basis for department head/director level positions or higher, such as the city administrator position.

The Council then approved naming Councilmember Craig Russell as mayor pro tem, Daniel Kuhl to the Planning and Zoning Commission, and Laura Kuhl to the Historic Preservation Commission. They also approved the hire of a police officer per Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha’s recommendation, amended part-time officer pay rates to be more competitive with surrounding departments, and discussed sanitation issues at South Summit Apartments.

The Council also discussed starting to implement direct deposit for city employees, and City Clerk Sarah Stouffer shared that the current software will be updated at the end of the 2026 calendar year, and be able to handle such transactions. They approved to once again contribute $5,200 for the manager of the Depot, and beginning work to implement a Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for the Stuart Fire Department.

The final items on the agenda included approval of the second and final disbursement of funds from the Iowa Economic Development Authority Catalyst Community Building Remediation Grant for the property at 100 Northwest 2nd Street, the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and tabled a decision on a citywide transition to a stuartia.gov email domain.