Why did you decide to become a Firefighter?

I became a firefighter for a few reasons.  First, I love the challenge that this job brings.  We have to think quickly and react confidently.  We cover a wide range of high risk areas including the interstate, railway, farmer's co-op, assisted living facilities, and various commercial businesses.  All requiring different tactical approaches.  And that makes each call unique even if it's routine.  Second, and most important, is the satisfaction that comes with being able to help people. Sometimes it’s simple. Sometimes it’s the worst day of their life. Both carry their own sense of accomplishment. Being able to do that for the community that I grew up in alongside the team we have makes it a great part time job. 

What’s the best part about serving on the Fire Department?
The best part about serving on this fire department is first and foremost, the men that make up our department. We have some very dedicated guys who constantly think about ways to grow this department.  It’s a great feeling to get a phone call from one of them after an incident with an idea on how we could have done that differently.  It means they’re thinking about the incident after the incident.  Second would be the relationship that we have with the city council and administration.  There has been a long history of teamwork between the city and the fire department and we’re very fortunate to have their support.  Being a part of a growing department in a growing community is what makes everyone better. 

What’s the one thing you would like the public top know about the Fire Department?
One thing I would want the public to know about our fire department is that we’re constantly learning and growing.  I think back to how far we’ve come since I joined 14 years ago and every aspect of our department has gotten better. As a public service, most people don’t think about the fire department in their community until they need them. Our job is to make sure we’re ready for whatever that might be. Even though we’re a volunteer department, most situations are no different than in big cities with career departments. And the Story City/Lafayette township fire department has some of the best guys in the county that are ready to answer the bell. 

What is something unique about you (a fun fact) that only a few people are aware of?
Something people might not know about me is I am the fourth generation to live in this community. My great grandpa and grandma Matson built a lot of houses in Story City and my grandpa and grandma Whipple owned a chicken farm on the west side of town.  My parents moved from Roland to Story City in 2010. That makes my kids the fifth generation to be a part of this community!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy hanging out with my wife and three very busy kids.  I also enjoy playing golf, hunting, and working in my wood shop. 
 

 
In previous Briefings, we have provided information with regards to the requirement and need for a new wastewater treatment plant. In this Briefing, we would like to provide information on the proposed financing of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant. The estimated cost for the new plant is $25 million. This is a very daunting cost to say the least.
 
Typically, wastewater and water improvement costs are paid from user fees. However, paying the cost for a new wastewater treatment plant solely from user fees would be exorbitant. Rather than relying on one funding source (user fees) to finance the cost of the project, a better alternative would be to diversify and finance the cost of the project over three funding sources: Sewer User Fees, Tax Increment Financing, and Property Taxes.
 
Sewer User Fees are being proposed to finance 55 percent of the cost of the project. The sewer user fee bond will be for 30 years. Sewer User Fees are based on: 1) A base rate, and 2) Usage charge. 1) The base rate is currently $22.15 regardless of meter size. After exploring the base rate charge in other cities, it is being proposed that the base rate charge be based on meter size. The larger the meter, the larger the base rate charge. The typical residential home has a 5/8 meter. The projected increase on a 5/8 meter would be $15. This base rate increase would be implemented over a three-year period starting in May of this year. 2) The usage charge rate would be increased over a three-year period from the current $4.20 per 100 cubic feet to $8.82 (100 cubic feet is 748 gallons). Overall (the base rate plus the usage charge), the current monthly wastewater bill, with 500 cubic feet of usage, is $43.15. This is projected to be $81.25 by May 2026; an increase of $38.10 per month.
 
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is being proposed to finance 35 percent of the cost of the project. The TIF bond will be for 20 years. For nearly 35 years, TIF has been utilized to finance many of the economic development projects that have taken place in the community. Wastewater Treatment is a key component of those economic development efforts. Over the next three fiscal years, the city will be paying off three TIF related bonds with an average annual payment of $512,515. The estimated annual new payment will pay $785,000. The only current, planned project in the future to be financed by TIF is the reconstruction of Broad Street from Lafayette to Park.
 
The final 10 percent financing piece is proposed to be from property taxes. This general obligation bond will be for a period of 20 years. A number of our commercial and industrial properties are not necessarily high wastewater users, but have significant valuation. The City will be paying off a bond paid from property taxes in Fiscal Year 2024-25 with an average annual payment of $143,780. The estimated annual new payment will be $175,000. It is projected that the first bond payment will be in Fiscal Year 2026-27. The only current, planned project in the future to be financed by property taxes is the new Fareway Grocery Store. We would point out that the average property tax levy rate in the State for FY 2023-24 is $13.66; Story City is at $10.66. In addition, of the 14 cities in Story County, Story City has the fourth lowest tax levy rate and of the 11 cities we bench mark against we have the third lowest tax levy rate.
 
Finally, this is only a projection at this point. We will have a clearer picture once bids have been received and the project is under construction. It could be more or it could be less and we may tweak the percentages of the funding sources. There are multiple future variables that may impact the final 2026 step increase required such as: final project costs, interest rates, and the performance of the sewer fund.   
 
In closing, this is hard and this project is something we wish we didn’t have to do. An aging plant coupled with unfunded federal and state regulatory burdens have mandated this new wastewater treatment plant. However, the City has placed itself in a financial position that although the payment is a burden, we hope is not a strain financially as it has been in many cities.      

 
“Some see things as they are and say “why,”
I dream of things that never were, and say “why not.”

 
George Bernard Shaw
 
The above quote, which Robert F. Kennedy often used, is a call to assess the status quo and to dream of a better future. It’s encouraging us, be it an individual, community, organization, or business to imagine, strive toward, and create a better world, community, and life.
 
Dreams are like our children
As children, our dreaming and creativity came in that world of make believe. Where we dressed up and pretended that exciting world we wished to live in and what we wanted to be as we grew up. When my children were younger, one would dress up and pretend to be a character from Harry Potter and the other would dress up and pretend to be a queen in a fairy-tale.
 
It’s sad when we grow up and leave that world of make believe, for it is in that world of dreaming, imagining, and pretending that we envision and then endeavor to create a better way.
 
There is fun in pretending and making up a story in the real world. Who knows where it leads and what it creates. A number of years ago, a friend gave me a sideline pass to a Western Michigan University football game. There I stood, attired from head-to-toe in WMU attire and standing next to the WMU team, when  there was a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, there was a father and behind him a group of recruits and their parents. The father asked me, “When did you play for Western?” Without missing a beat, I told him I was a kicker in the 1980’s, who I played for, my success as a kicker, and what a great program we have. Some may remember the 1960’s television show Mission: Impossible and the character Rollin Hand, “The World’s Greatest Impersonator.” Sometimes you need to be a member of the Impossible Missions Force. Why not a kicker?
 
Dolly (aka Elizabeth Joy) recently moved back when she accepted a position with the Iowa State University Foundation raising money for the College of Engineering. Dolly gave me an ISU 1/4 zip with the ISU logo on it including the College of Engineering. Inevitably, when wearing, some people will ask, “what kind of engineer are you?”  Hmm, am I going to be a civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, or perhaps a biomedical engineer? Nope, none of these. Elizabeth and I discussed this one morning and I decided to be an aerospace engineer. Most of the classes I taught at Iowa State were in Howe Hall, the aerospace building. As a Star Trek fan, it seemed to be the most logical and a fun engineering role to play.
 
A community, organization, business, and individuals that dreamed, envisioned, imagined, and been creative over the years?
Who could have dreamed when the community purchased the Carousel in 1938 that it would lead to visitors coming from all 50 states and numerous countries to take a spin.
 
Who could have envisioned all the economic development that would take place east of Interstate 35 once Pella came in 1997. It was members of the Story City EDC and City that had a vision for future economic development once Pella arrived and have worked together to achieve it.
 
Who could have imagined the former mall becoming a thriving manufacturing facility. It was when Brett Dose, Dose Steelworks, stepped into the building and imagined his business being there and all that was possible.
 
Who could have the creativity of seeing vacant downtown buildings in need of restoration. It was when Rob and Crystal Burns and their creativity that led to their renovation.    
 
Why Not - as we start the year
It’s a good time to assess, think about, and question how things are going. The success of a community, organization, or business rests with dreaming the impossible and pretending and playing in that world of what could be.
 
And asking the question – “Why Not?”
 
It’s like what Captain Jean-Luc Picard once said, “Things are only impossible until they’re not.”
 
Why not an aerospace engineer?!
 
Mark A. Jackson
City Administrator