City advances school safety with COPS grant application

With all members present, the Lennox City Council approved several measures during its July 13 meeting, including applying for a federal grant to help fund a School Resource Officer, approving a partnership agreement with the Lennox School District, adopting a transportation safety plan and settling a wastewater dispute with Albers Painting.

City Administrator, Nate Vander Plaats requested the council consider the 2026 Department of Justice COPS hiring grant application. 

“We’ve talked through at length what this grant can be used for our Lennox School District. This will fund up to $125,000 over the next three years. We’ll have a memorandum of understanding between the city and the school district, they are passing that memorandum tonight, and we are also required to commit to a final fourth year of full funding sustainability,” Vander Plaats said. 

Council President Chad Swier asked Vander Plaats what he thought the likelihood of receiving the grant would be. 

“I don’t think it’s a shoe-in. Do I think we have a really good shot? Yes, but this is one of those grants that requires a certain portion, I think it’s 40% to go to rural districts, which we would qualify for under most circumstances,” he responded. 

Motion was made to authorize Mayor and staff to sign and submit the 2026 COPS Hiring Grant by Bill Daugherty, seconded by Billy Welch, motion carried. 

Vander Plaats requested the council consider a memorandum of understanding with the Lennox School District. 

“This MOU establishes a baseline agreement between the school and city with respect to the SRO position. We did need to make a few modifications to the one that we had previously drafted and had discussions on just so we’re meeting the requirements of the grant. Under this agreement, the city is responsible for hiring and supervising the SRO and supplying 40% of the funding for the position via code supplies and equipment. The school is responsible for providing a secure working space for the SRO and 60% of the funding for the position via code supplies and equipment,” Vander Plaats said. 

Motion to approve was made by Lauren Van Driel, seconded by Swier, motion carried.

The City of Lennox, as a participant in the Safe Streets for All Program, has been asked to pass a resolution approving the Safety Plan presented to the City Council.

“At the last council meeting, the safety action plan was presented by CCOG’s consulting engineers on this project. The plan is presented here tonight for your formal approval. Accepting this plan will make the city eligible for external funding for transportation projects in the future,” Vander Plaats said. 

Motion to approve by Daugherty, seconded by Van Driel, motion carried. 

The City of Lennox sought legal remedies with Albers Painting with regard to alleged dumping significant amounts of paint into the City’s wastewater sewer system causing extensive blockages and damage to the City’s wastewater treatment plant. 

“This settlement agreement requires Albers Painting to pay the sum of $8,000 to the City of Lennox, Tyson has already received the first of those. As well as permit the City of Lennox to inspect up to six times per year for two years with reasonable notice,” said Vander Plaats.

Motion to approve by Van Driel, seconded by Welch, motion carried. 

The council was asked to consider Resolution 2026-07-13-03 Schedule of salaries and wages as the current pay structure for the City Council is overly complicated and does not incorporate the attendance of members at multiple committee meetings and other events. 

“This is on the agenda after discussion with the Mayor and Council president. We don’t really have much of a take on this as staff other than we’d like to see it a little bit easier to track. Right now it is not based on attendance whereas many cases a monthly stipend or salary would be preferred by us in tracking attendance,” Vander Plaats said. 

“Following state legislation, there’s a lot more than just the two meetings that go into this. This isn’t a complaint and a certainly don’t expect compensation to fully reflect the time we invest, I choose to serve because I care about Lennox. At the same time, I do not think that it’s unreasonable that our compensation recognizes at least a portion of that commitment and responsibility,” Mayor Fergen said. 

“I think the idea of going to a monthly stipend makes sense. If you do miss a meeting, you’re still putting in a lot of work, you’re still keeping up to date, you’re not less involved in what’s going on. Plus, if it makes administration easier, I think it’s a win-win,” said President Swier asking Mayor Fergen if he had a proposal in mind. 

“I don’t. I really wanted to get feedback,” Mayor Fergen responded. 

“My initial thought is I don’t sit on this committee to make money. It’s a different kind of reward that we get and if we raised it by $100 a month, it’s not going to change anything in my life. So, I guess from my point of view, why get the negative annotation from the city for that,” Swier continued. 

A motion to approve the resolution was made by Daugherty, seconded by Van Driel, motion carried.