Mayor Andersen 2014Jamestown (CSi) Jamestown’s Mayor Katie Andersen says, the city will step up its search for a new city engineer, starting with committee meetings this month.

On Monday’s Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2, the mayor said, in the interim, the city is working on any issues concerning city engineering with consultants including Interstate Engineering and others on call, plus some issues can be handled by the city administrator.

The city will do a nationwide search to find the new city engineer.

On December 14, 2015, the Jamestown City Council accepted the resignation of City Engineer, Reed Schwartzkopf who announced his resignation, immediately.

Mayor Andersen said the resignation came after city officials performed an annual job performance review.

Mayor Andersen also pointed out that the 1-percent city sales tax increase to support the construction of the Two Rivers Activity Center, will start on April 1, 2016, instead of Januray 1st, due to Communications with the Tax Department revealing that no one at the Tax Department recalled receiving the letter and enclosed ordinance mailed by the City to the tax department on September 22, 2015. The state tax department’s deadline for increasing or lowering a local sales tax effective January 1, 2016 was September 30, 2015.

She added that the city has a joint powers agreement with Jamestown Parks and Recreation, and will work together on any funding issues stemming from the later than planned implementation of the 1 percent city sales tax.

She added that another mis-communication between the city and the State Tax Department kept the 1-pecent city sales tax collections going from January 1, 2015, to April 1, 2015, when the tax that supported construction of the new Jamestown High School was still in effect, that was set to expire on January 1, 2015.

Mayor Andersen said the extra $100,000 in those sales tax collections have still not been earmarked for spending by the city.

She added that the June 2016 city election will have city council seats up for election currently held by Charlie Kourajian, Dan Buchanan, and Steve Brubakken. All four year terms.

 

Other seats up for election during the city elections are those of:

Park Board Commissioners Mark Ukestad, and Ron Olson. Four year terms.

On the Stutsman County Commission: Mark Klose, and Dave Schwartz.  Four year terms.

The primary election for those nominations is during the April 2016 elections, and the general election in November of 2016.

Also on the April 2016 election ballot is Jamestown Public School Board seats, currently held by rural member Terry Anderson, and city members Roger Haut, Diane Hanson and Gail Martin.  All four year terms.