The new slate of Traer Municipal Utilities (TMU) Board trustees takes the oath of office on Thursday, Aug. 7 in Traer Municipal Hall. From left, Meghan Renslow, Brady Pearson, Taylor Howard, Anita Dostal, and Pat Stief. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARRI HOLST

TRAER – It’s lights on again so to speak at the Traer Municipal Utilities (TMU) Board following the Traer City Council’s removal of the remaining two trustees and the appointment of a new five-member slate.

During the Monday, Aug. 4 monthly council meeting, a public hearing was held to remove TMU Chairman Nick Podhajsky and Trustee Dave Barnes from the board. The two were the only remaining trustees following the June resignations of Trustees Sara O’Brien, Anita Dostal, and Eric McEwen. O’Brien and Dostal, both women, abruptly resigned from the board citing mistreatment, while McEwen resigned after being hired as the new TMU general manager. Mayor Pete Holden initiated the removal process during the July regular meeting.

“It was an ongoing disrespect of the board members,” Holden said, in part, during the July meeting. “Just incredibly disappointed with (their) behavior. People expected more professional behavior from [Podhajsky and Barnes].”

“Being on the TMU board was a privilege. I enjoyed being a part of the community. I treated my fellow board members with respect, and I expected the same in return,” O’Brien said in a written statement to the newspaper regarding her decision to resign. “Any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions Anita (Dostal) and I brought to the table were viewed as irrelevant and were met with sarcasm and eye rolling. This is unacceptable behavior for any person serving on a board. Traer is a wonderful community and deserves only the best citizens leading it.”

During the Aug. 4 public hearing, neither Podhajsky nor Barnes were in attendance after both submitted letters informing the mayor they would not be present. The hearing lasted just over a minute with no public comments.

In a vote of 3-0, councilors Carri Holst, Aaron Mennenga, and Brad Rund approved the motion to remove both members; councilors Trish Kennedy and Jamie Erhardt were absent.

The mayor then moved on to the appointment of the new trustees. A total of 10 applications were received for the vacancies including five following the initial three resignations and another five following the July 7 meeting. Mayor Holden presented his five choices to the council, listing off Pat Stief, Meghan Renslow, Taylor Howard, Brady Pearson, and Anita Dostal.

During discussion, Rund indicated he would like to see Joe White appointed as a trustee, to which the mayor said if Pearson was hired for the current public works opening (a position he recently applied for), his seat could be filled by appointing White during the September council meeting.

Holst then asked that Stief, who retired effective July 1 as TMU general manager, be moved from Seat 1 with a term expiration date of 2026 to either Seat 2 or Seat 3 which expire in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

“I don’t think it’s beneficial to put the person with the most experience on in the shortest term. I think we need his experience around longer to make sure that we are continuing to do the good work with the utilities that we’re doing, and to have that experience passed down to others,” she explained.

Stief was thus moved to Seat 3 and Howard to Seat 1 before the council unanimously approved the new slate of trustees.

The new TMU trustees and their terms are as follows:

Seat 1: Taylor Howard; term ends 2026

Seat 2: Meghan Renslow; term ends 2027

Seat 3: Pat Stief; term ends 2028

Seat 4: Brady Pearson; term ends 2030

Seat 5: Anita Dostal; term ends 2031

During the TMU meeting held on Thursday, Aug. 7, all five trustees took the oath of office. Stief was elected chairman and Dostal elected vice chair.

As of press time and according to Holst who was contacted by the newspaper on Monday, Aug. 11, Pearson was subsequently hired to the Traer Public Works position but had not yet tendered his resignation from the TMU Board.

The newspaper also reached out to Trustee Renslow for comment regarding her decision to apply. She said the idea to throw her hat in the TMU ring was sparked in the grocery aisle of Hometown Foods where she works as an assistant store manager. She and her family have lived in Traer for the past seven years

“I decided to apply for the TMU board after (city clerk) Haley Blaine mentioned it in conversation while she was in the grocery store getting lunch,” Renslow explained. “[A]fter talking it over with my husband, I decided to give it a shot. I made it clear I have no knowledge in utilities, and that I have a lot to learn. I figured the worst they could say was no. I enjoy being involved in the community, and have no problem working hard for this town that I’ve grown to love!”

Other business

Dahn Kennedy with the “Hometown Hearts” Project was the only public comment on Aug. 4; she spoke regarding the military banners that usually hang from the downtown light poles, telling the council she was having new in-ground brackets made for the banners. She asked for permission to place the banners around the Taylor Park Military Memorial during Military Appreciation Month in May and also during the first half of November ahead of Veterans Day.

“I see no problem putting them up,” Mayor Holden replied.

On Aug, 7, Kennedy posted on The “Hometown Hearts” Project Facebook page, “I took an idea for a ground bracket to hold our banners to Pat Williams of Williams Welding [and Fabrication] and he knew exactly the plan I wanted and was willing to donate his labor to complete the project. After completing 35 ground brackets and prioritizing getting them done, Pat has not only donated a significant amount of his time but also about half the materials expenses as well!”

As part of the Tama County Sheriff’s Department’s monthly report, Sheriff Casey Schmidt indicated there was ‘nothing too noteworthy’ taking place in Traer in July, but that deputies continue to respond to a lot of “spam/scam calls.”

“(It) just seems like (we) can never get ahead of those,” he said. “They just keep adapting and evolving.”

Also during the meeting, the council approved 3-0 La Terraza Too’s annual beer and liquor permit.

The next Traer City Council meeting is set for Monday, Sept. 8 beginning at 7 p.m. at Traer Municipal Hall. Due to the Labor Day holiday on Sept, 1, the meeting has been pushed back a week.