Daily Freeman-Journal, Webster City, IA

19/03/2025

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07/03/2025

The Lynx will play in District 1 in Northwest Iowa for the next 2 years. Full schedules will be released at a later date.

05/03/2025

Due to the snowstorm, The Daily Freeman-Journal has lifted our website paywall for your convenience.

04/03/2025

The City Council of Webster City heard a proposal Monday from Utility Service Partners, Inc., of Norwalk, Connecticut, more commonly known by its brand name HomeServe, to begin selling utility warranty insurance policies in Webster City.

The company and its policies are endorsed by the National League of Cities and its Iowa affiliate, the Iowa League of Cities. Eight hundred and fifty cities in Iowa, including Webster City, are members.

To date, 138 Iowa cities and towns have authorized sale of the HomeServe insurance plans, including Iowa Falls, Hampton, Eldora, Stratford and Des Moines. The company says it has 69,000 customers in Iowa. If a marketing agreement with HomeServe is eventually approved by the local City Council, the City of Webster City would receive 10% of the monthly premium payments in exchange for giving HomeServe access to the Webster City market.

A network of water and sewer lines are buried under the streets and lawns of Webster City.

Those in the city’s older, central neighborhoods can be 75 years old or older. They do their jobs so well, we barely think about them until a problem arises.

When a problem does occur, they aren’t just an inconvenience; they can be a water main leak under your lawn or a sewer line backup that floods your basement. Those can cost homeowners thousands of dollars to repair.

In a PowerPoint presentation, Ashley Shiwarski, representing HomeServe, cited several reasons the policies might appeal to homeowners. First, a leaking water line can waste thousands of gallons of water in a year. Homeowners pay for all that water, and it puts an unnecessary burden on a city’s water treatment plant by processing water that goes to waste.

She then pointed out that many homeowners mistakenly believe cities are responsible for maintenance of water and sewer lines on their property, or that it’s covered in homeowners’ insurance policies.

In reality, property owners are responsible for all water and sewer lines on their property up to the point it connects with the main trunk lines. Only a few, expensive insurance plans provide coverage for utility line malfunctions.

Bottom line: You’re on the hook when your water or sewer lines fail.

Finally, in a reference to how the policies could be important to many people experiencing a failure of water or sewer lines on their property, Shiwarski noted that 56% of Americans don’t have enough savings to pay for a $1,000 emergency expense. By having a policy, homeowners reduce the risk of having to come up with potentially thousands of dollars to pay for a utility line failure.

Three policies would be offered for sale to Webster City residents. A water line plan, paying up to $8,500 per incident, covers repair or replacement of broken, cracked or clogged pipes. The premium is $7.99 per month.

A second policy provides similar coverage for sewer lines and costs $12.99 a month.

Finally, a plan covering failures of water, sewer and drains inside the home is offered at $12.99/month.

Shiwarski pointed out that “all these plans are 100% optional; no resident will be required to buy them.”

The proposed contract allows HomeServe to make up to three direct mail solicitations to Webster Citians per calendar year. The city retains the right to approve content before the mailings are sent. HomeServe said the main purpose of the mailings is to educate homeowners about the risks they face by not having insurance.

For now, the city staff will study the proposed contract from HomeServe and put it on the agenda for a future City Council meeting. It would then be discussed and voted on in the form of a council resolution.

The City Council of Webster City heard a proposal Monday from Utility Service Partners, Inc., of Norwalk, Connecticut, more commonly known by its brand name HomeServe, to begin selling utility warranty insurance policies in Webster City. The company and its policies are endorsed by the National Leag...

04/03/2025

Van Diest Medical Center has welcomed Dr. Sydney Brehany, a medical oncologist with Mission Cancer + Blood. She is the newest addition to the hospital’s team of visiting specialists.

Dr. Brehany earned her biochemistry degree from Wartburg College and completed medical school at Creighton University. She completed extensive training which included an Internal Medicine residency and a Hematology/Medical Oncology fellowship at the University of Colorado.

A native of Algona, she said she is excited to return to Iowa to practice. She specializes in breast and gynecological cancers, as well as hereditary cancer syndromes.

Dr. Brehany joined Mission Cancer + Blood in January and will be providing oncology services at VDMC. She will see patients in the specialty clinic at the hospital the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

Van Diest Medical Center has welcomed Dr. Sydney Brehany, a medical oncologist with Mission Cancer + Blood. She is the newest addition to the hospital’s team of visiting specialists. Dr. Brehany earned her biochemistry degree from Wartburg College and completed medical school at Creighton Universi...

04/03/2025

The Enhance Hamilton County Foundation is asking local nonprofits, organizations, and committees to participate in a brief survey aimed at improving its grant program.

The survey is open to all 501c3, government entities, educational institutions, faith-based organizations and volunteer committees in Hamilton County and can be accessed by going to EHCF website (enhancehamiltoncounty.org) and is open through the end of March.

“This survey will help us understand where there are needs and how we can make changes to ensure our grants are as impactful as possible,” said Darcy Swon, development director of the Enhance Hamilton County Foundation.

The Enhance Hamilton County Foundation is asking local nonprofits, organizations, and committees to participate in a brief survey aimed at improving its grant program. The survey is open to all 501c3, government entities, educational institutions, faith-based organizations and volunteer committees i...

04/03/2025

Linda McFarland will celebrate her 80th birthday with open house on Saturday, March 8, at Faith United Methodist Church, 2020 Superior Street, Webster City.

04/03/2025

In an agenda statement to the City Council of Webster City, City Manager John Harrenstein, Finance Director Dodie Wolfgram and Elizabeth Ann Smith and Sherry Simmons, both deputy city clerks, recommended Monday the adoption of higher property tax levies versus those of the previous fiscal year.

The levy for residential property would rise by 8.3% and the levy for commercial property by 9.72% under the plan.

The increases were blamed on inflationary pressure and higher costs for insurance plans for city employees. If approved by the Council following the public hearing, the new levies will go into effect on the first day of the city’s 2025/26 fiscal year, July 1, 2025.

Readers should keep in mind that a levy is not the same thing as the final rate taxpayers will pay. It is, in reality, the maximum amount of funds the city can raise in taxes for the fiscal year.

The agenda statement noted, “changes to the levy include inflationary increases in the general and employee benefit funds. In addition, the debt service levy is proposed to fund a portion of debt service needed for the Fairmeadow 1 & 2 street reconstruction projects.”

Although not specifically called out in the agenda statement, Harrenstein confirmed the HVAC renewal project at City Hall will also be included in the debt service requirements.

The agenda statement reminded the Council, “this (the levy) may be adjusted downward by Council during budget work sessions, but not upward, following the public hearing. Any funding toward reducing the proposed levy will come from the Road Use Tax Fund or Sales Tax Fund that can be used to support debt payments related to road projects.”

Road improvements have indeed been among the largest expenditures in the city’s budget in recent years. In early 2022, city staff went through extensive strategic planning exercises conducted by Callahan Muni Consultants LLC of Anamosa. One of the top recommendations arising from those sessions was for the city to set aside $1 million each year for street improvements.

The condition of the city’s streets, which have been degraded from increasing traffic and lack of maintenance over many years, has steadily improved since funding for annual street improvement projects have come into effect.

In other action, Council:

— Resolved to hold a public hearing on plans to rebuild Beach Street between First and Ohio streets, a distance of 0.7 miles. Due to heavy traffic, the patching will be full-depth plain cement concrete. Hot melt asphalt is the usual material used by the city on less busy streets. The project will also include sidewalk replacement, ADA ramp improvements (curb cuts) and storm sewer intake improvements. Bids will be opened April 7, and construction could begin as early as May 5, 2025. Completion is scheduled for the end of October.

— Approved use of an on-call paving specialist from Snyder & Associates, Ankeny, for 2025 hot melt asphalt (HMA) street improvements. Passage of the resolution allows professional engineers and other Snyder staff to manage administration and construction of the projects. The city has employed Snyder for this purpose since February 2017. Snyder has also been hired to manage certification of the city’s greatly expanded industrial park.

— Agreed to hire Snyder & Associates technical staff to inspect seven bridges in Webster City. The city is required to perform routine bridge inspections every 24 months. The actual inspections will be done in August; a report to the Iowa Department of Transportation will be filed in November, and a meeting held with city staff in December. From that meeting, city staff will plan and budget for any bridge repairs or improvements required by the inspections

— Voted to pay Peerless Well & Pump, Dubuque, $84,725 to repair the city’s well No. 6, which was last repaired nine years ago, in 2016. The well is one of three that provide water to the city’s treatment plant. It was drilled in 1979. The figure above includes $39,950 feet of 10-inch epoxy-coated column pipe.

— Approved purchase of the single-family residence at 208 Division Street for $5,000. The Council memorandum noted the property has violated the city’s nuisance ordinance since 2013, and was identified as abandoned in 2021. The home is the latest in a series of derelict commercial and residential properties the city has acquired and now must either demolish or refurbish at taxpayer expense.

In an agenda statement to the City Council of Webster City, City Manager John Harrenstein, Finance Director Dodie Wolfgram and Elizabeth Ann Smith and Sherry Simmons, both deputy city clerks, recommended Monday the adoption of higher property tax levies versus those of the previous fiscal year. The....

04/03/2025

Cole Youngdale, 28, is Webster City Fire’s Firefighter of the Year.

That honor was celebrated Saturday evening at the Ed Prince Building on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds during the department’s annual Awards Night.

“Youngdale is about to hit 10 years with the department and has been a big impact on our department,” WC Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield said in a media release.

“He has been an important part of our fleet management, always helping to repair or maintain our apparatus. He is a very dedicated member and can be counted on when on scene to do what is needed to get the job done.

“He is one of our best firefighters and is always trying to gain knowledge and skill.

“This last year he was awarded two commendations, one for Meritorious effort in a swift water rescue and one for life saving efforts.

“He is what we hope for in our firefighters,” Stansfield added. “Congrats to Cole Youngdale on this award; it is much deserved.”

Other awards given for their work in 2024 included three swift water rescues, Stansfield said.

The firefighters that made the rescues were Capt. Brandon Hayes, Capt. Andy Sowle, Lt. Don Wills, Lt. Todd Madsen, and Firefighters Hunter Hayes, Harrison Hayes, and Cole Youngdale. They each received a Commendation of Merit award for their courage and quick actions in each of the rescues.

“We also had a train versus vehicle accident where members made strong life-saving decisions to keep the patients alive,” Stansfield said.

“For their quick and life-saving work that day they received the Life-saving Commendation. These firefighters were Jeffrey Fox, Andy Sowle, Zach Williams, Paul Tolle, Cole Youngdale, Todd Madsen, Conner Hanson, Harrison Hayes and Kenric Weinschenk.

WC Fire also celebrated several members who had achieved years of service awards.

Firefighter Kendall Doolittle has 30 years, Lt. Don Zehner has 50 years, Lt. Paul Tolle has 25 years, Firefighter Mark Ferguson has 25 years, Phil Jessen has 20 years, and Firefighter Jeffrey Fox has 10 years.

Cole Youngdale, 28, is Webster City Fire’s Firefighter of the Year. That honor was celebrated Saturday evening at the Ed Prince Building on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds during the department’s annual Awards Night. “Youngdale is about to hit 10 years with the department and has been a big im...

03/03/2025

Legislative Forum co-hosted by the Daily Freeman-Journal in partnership with the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce and Iowa Central Community College. Pa...

03/03/2025

Legislative Forum co-hosted by the Daily Freeman-Journal in partnership with the Webster City Area Chamber of Commerce and Iowa Central Community College. Pa...

03/03/2025

https://www.freemanjournal.net/opinion/local-columns/2025/03/good-people/

I was reminded not too long ago that good people voted for our current president and his standards. The message came from a social media acquaintance who called me out for my morality. The irony of this is that anyone who has known me long enough knows very well that I am far from perfect. […]

03/03/2025

The City Council of Webster City will meet this evening in the council chambers of City Hall, 400 Second Street, Webster City.

This meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Preceding the official meeting, a 5 p.m. Work Session will hear a presentation by Andy Hejlik on The DUB, which is a proposed indoor sports complex.

The general agenda will include a presentation by Ashley Shiwarski, Home Serve USA, on a proposed Service Line Program. This is a virtual presentation.

This meeting will be open to the public and can be viewed live on the City page.

The City Council of Webster City will meet this evening in the council chambers of City Hall, 400 Second Street, Webster City. This meeting begins at 6 p.m. Preceding the official meeting, a 5 p.m. Work Session will hear a presentation by Andy Hejlik on The DUB, which is a proposed indoor sports com...

03/03/2025

New officers are, from left, Ashlee Nydegger, president; Jack Barner, vice president; Brooklyn Neddermeyer, secretary; and Janey Putney and Ben Youngdale, co-treasurers.

01/03/2025