The Knoxville City Council passed a new ordinance relating to parking on or near the square during late-night hours. Interim City Manager Heather Ussery says the intent is to make parking more available for residents who live in the area.
“Currently, from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. there’s no parking allowed on the city square. So for residents who live above the commercial district, it can be difficult for them to park. Police Chief Aaron Fuller presented an ordinance to the council to allow residents of the downtown district to be able to park during those times. There will be a permit they’ll have to apply for annually to verify their residence and things like that for $25, and they’ll be allowed to park on the square during those times.”
The Knoxville City Council approved entering into a $5,000 retainer contract with 571 Polson Developments at its meeting Monday evening. The purpose is to receive consulting assistance and advice as redevelopment work continues at the VA campus. Interim City Manager Heather Ussery says that they will continue working with Glenn Lyons, who has been the primary consultant for the project since the start.
“He’s started negotiations with General Services Administration, and produced the Land Use Strategy for the VA campus. He’s been highly involved through the whole process. As we get to the stages where we demolish the buildings, we’re working on a 28E agreement with the county, and establishing our roles going forward in planning and developing the property. We think it’s beneficial to have Glenn continue to work with the city on our behalf.”
The Knoxville City Council recently approved Iowa Inspections LLC to perform inspections as part of the rental housing inspection program offered by the city. Interim City Manager Heather Ussery explains how the decision was made to pick that company.
“I found out that there are not a lot of companies in Iowa around us that do rental inspections for programs such as ours, but I was able to reach out to a couple companies, and they gave us proposals. Iowa Inspections was highly recommended by other cities, and their fees were the lowest of the three we received. Staff has worked with Iowa Inspections throughout the process of implementing the program, and we recommended to the council that they approve that contract, and it was approved.”