Carroll City Councilman, Clay Haley, made a special request at Monday’s meeting. He says a project was initiated in 2013 by the Carroll Rotary Club and the city contributed $56,000 for the installation of public restrooms in the Westgate Mall. The long-range plan had ongoing operations funded by downtown businesses.
Haley proposed the city pay the daily cleaning contract, which is between the mall owner and First Impression Janitorial Services of Wall Lake, and set at $300 per month. He also asked for inclusion of the monthly water bill, which is generally about $40 per month. However, there were issues on a couple of occasions that resulted in bills over $200. Haley says this is due to the fact that the restrooms have residential instead of industrial-style toilets and he would solicit funding from local businesses for replacement. The cleaning and water bills would come from Local Option Sales Tax (L.O.S.T.) funds. LaVern Dirkx says he is fine with using L.O.S.T. dollars to pay for utilities and cleaning, but not for maintenance. He feels that should be the responsibility of the mall owner. Councilman, Mike Kots, has a completely different perspective on this issue.
Kots voiced concerns about using tax dollars for private business and says if a property owner is having a tough time with $300 per month, something is not being managed properly. Kots had predicted this issue seven years ago.
Haley says he believes a vibrant downtown equals a vibrant Carroll while Councilman, Jerry Fleshner, adds he doesn’t want Carroll to be known as the town without a public restroom. Misty Boes proposed a one-year commitment to pay for the cleaning at $300 per month and the water bill. Dirkx suggested a $50 monthly cap on that bill. This motion passed on a vote of five in favor and one, Kots, against.
