CITY OF PRIMGHAR

JANUARY Monthly Newsletter

January 2008 Newsletter

2007 City Accomplishments

Street Dept -

Purchased used street sweeper ~ retired 1997 $290,000 street general obligation bond debt ~ removal of dangerous trees and tree trimming

Park Dept -

Pool house rehab ~ pool leak found/repaired and new pool furniture/equipment

Water Dept -

1st Street SE new main and water tower lettering

Golf Course -

20th anniversary celebrated!

Sewer Dept -

Concrete patched 5th Street SE project

Electric Dept -

Load management implemented ~ new poles placed in alleys of 3rd and 4th Streets NW ~ converted 1st Street NW overhead to underground ~ 500 KVA service installed at elevator and placed order for new bucket truck

Cemetery -

Cemetery software implemented

City Council -

Initiated residential and commercial tax abatement programs ~ city property taxes fell below $20/$1,000 of property valuation for the first time since 2002 and TIF#1 District was restated and amended (town square)

City Hall -

New roof installed

PAC -

More new housing ~ new water/sewer/storm sewer infrastructures and paving project

CITY HALL CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS

City Hall will close December 24th at 10:00am All day the 25th, also January 1st for the Holidays. If you have an emergency, please call City Hall (957-2435) and an on-call city employee will answer your call .

CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP

City employees will pick up Christmas trees on Monday January 7th. Please place your tree curbside by 9:00 AM.

GARBAGE SCHEDULE

There IS a change in the garbage collection this Holiday Season. Commercial garbage pickup dates will be December 26th and the 31st. Recycling will remain the same. Recycling dates are January 2nd and 16th.

CHAMBER STORE

There are new Primghar coffee mugs and glasses available for purchase.

Check them out on the website at www.primghar.com scroll down and click on Cobblestone store.

WELCOME!

Welcome Robert Schall to the City Council.

HUGE THANK YOU!!

To Daniel Wittrock for his 24 years of service on the City Council.

Tracy Bahrenfuss ~ 10 Years and

Reitzell Wright ~ 8 Years of Service

Another "Thanks" goes out to All of you who dropped off goodies through out the year. They were very much appreciated by us all.

Once again, "Thank You!!!!!"

Wishing you and your family joy and happiness this holiday season and throughout the New Year.

POWER COST ADJUSTMENT (PCA)

PCA (Ordinance No 2004-15) will go into effect starting January 2008. This rate is to recover the wholesale power rate increases through out the year. It will however only be assessed if the average power cost per kWh is above the base during that month. This is for both residential and commercial customers. Should you have questions please stop by City Hall.

Business hours: Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm

After-hour emergencies: call 957-2435 for an on-call employee

Email us at primghar@tcaexpress.net

FEBRUARY Monthly Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2008 NEWSLETTER

2008 SHELTER HOUSE RESERVATIONS

The City of Primghar accepts reservations up to 12-months in advance upon paid deposit. So make your summer reservations now to ensure your dates.

SNOW REMOVAL

A kindly reminder of no parking on city streets from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM, to allow our employees to remove snow. Your cooperation is much appreciated.

CITY OF PRIMGHAR SIDEWALK ORDINANCE

Please remove snow and ice from your sidewalks within 24-hours to ensure safe passage of walking residents and school children. If the City receives a complaint the City will clear the sidewalks and assess your property.

RECYCLING SCHEDULE

Recycling will be picked up on Wednesday, February 6th and 20th. Remember to set out your containers by 7:00AM.

REMINDER TO ALL THE CHILDREN

The skating rink is open on Saturday's in the afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30pm and again from 7:30 to 9:30pm in the evening. Admittance fee is $2.00 per child. If they go both times on Saturday the evening price is discounted. Need a party idea? Have a skating party at the Rec. Call Don Steffens for more information.

AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS

Tired of writing checks and paying late fees, tired of rushing to drop off utility payments on time? Then consider making payments with automatic bank withdrawals. Three payment dates are available, the 3rd,10th or 25th of the month. We NOW except any bank, any where.

TCA also offers automatic bank withdrawals on the 15th. Please stop by City Hall for authorization forms - it's quick and easy.

SEWER ASSESSMENT RATE INCREASE GOES INTO EFFECT

With this utility billing the new sewer assessment rate increase is now in effect. The new rate is $3.15/1,000 gallons of water usage for both residential and commercial customers.

*Remember Your Valentine on Thursday, February 14, 2008.

For the happenings of Primghar, check out www.primghar.com Email us at primghar@tcaexpress.net

Business hours: Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm. Open through the lunch hour unless posted. After-hour emergencies: call 957-2435 for an on-call employee to assist.

MARCH Monthly Newsletter

City of Primghar

March 2008 Newsletter

xCITY SIDEWALK ORDINANCE

Please remove snow and ice from your sidewalks within 24-hours to ensure safe passage of walking residents and school children. If a complaint is received, the City will clear the sidewalks and bill/assess your property.

NOTE-Property owners on the Square PLEASE maintain your sidewalks even after the snowfall. We've had several complaints about the blowing snow afterwards not being cleared and with residents/ customers walking around the square this needs to be taken care of.

Thank you for your cooperation.

RURAL MAIL DELIVERY IN TOWN

Just a reminder that is the rural mailbox recipients responsibility to clear away any snow.

2008 PART-TIME SUMMER OPENINGS

Now accepting applications for Head / Assistant Pool Manager, Lifeguards, Golf Course and City Workers until positions are filled. Some age restrictions may apply. EOE

LITTLE LEAGUE REGISTRATION

More information will be coming soon. Anyone interested in volunteering/helping out this season please call City Hall as soon as possible.

RECYCLING SCHEDULE

Recycling will be picked up on Wednesday, March 5th and 19th.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

Remember to spring ahead an hour on March 9, 2008.

The phrase -"Spring forward, Fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving time affects their clocks.

2008 SHELTER HOUSE RESERVATIONS

Reservations for the Shelter House are now being taken. Reservations can be made up to one year in advance with a paid deposit. Any questions, please call City Hall.

AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS-ANY BANK-ANY WHERE

Tired of writing checks and paying late fees, tired of rushing to drop off utility payments on time? Then consider making payments with automatic bank withdrawals. Three payment date choices are available now, the 3rd, 10th or 25th of the month. TCA also offers automatic bank withdrawals on the 15th. Please stop by City Hall for authorization forms - it's quick and easy.

Dates to Remember :

First Day of Spring is March 21st.

Easter Sunday this year is March 23rd.

Spring Clean-up May 2nd at curbside.

More information next month.

HELP REDUCE PRIMGHAR'S POWER COSTS

If you haven't done so, it is not to late to still sign up for Load Management and save money on your monthly utility bill. Stop by city hall for more information and an application.

Business hours: Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm.

Open through the lunch hour unless posted. After-hour emergencies: call 957-2435 for an on-call employee to assist.

For the happenings on Primghar, check out www.primghar.com

Email us at primghar@tcaexpress.net

APRIL Monthly Newsletter

MAY Monthly Newsletter

Reminders...

SPRING CLEAN-UP DAY

Curbside Spring Clean-up Day is scheduled for Friday, May 2nd. Appliance charge is $15.00 (per item) and must be prepaid at City Hall by April 30th. No appliances pickups without prepayment. Non-acceptable items: tires, batteries, car parts or wet paint. The City of Primghar and Town & Country Disposal reserve the right to refuse all or partial pickups. Since this is also a normal garbage pickup day, please kept your regular garbage separated from your clean-up items. Please call City Hall if you have questions.

NW IA Area Household Hazardous Material (HHM) Facility

HHM is located at the landfill or 4540 360th St, Sheldon, is excited to announce it's opening. The facility will accept HHM items from Primghar residents at no charge (excluding unusable latex paint which will be assessed a $1 per gallon fee). Residents must schedule drop off appointments for their HHM items. For more information, stop by City Hall for a free brochure or call the landfill at 712-324-4026.

PROJECT SHARE

This is a great time to do projects that will make your house more energy efficient during those hot summer months. Your less fortunate neighbor would like to be able to make those improvements, too.

You can help through Project Share. Project Share (PS) is a plan created by your utility to assist needy households in making important, energy-saving improvements to their homes. You can add a regular PS contribution to your monthly utility payments or make a direct donation to PS. Your contribution is voluntary, flexible, and tax deductible. To participate, fill out the insert and return it to the City of Primghar, P.O. Box 39, Primghar, IA 51245 or drop off at City Hall.

RECYCLING & GARBAGE INFORMATION

Recycling will be picked up on Wednesday, May 7th and May 21st. Please have your containers set out by 7:00 AM.

FYI ~

*The yellow Recycling containers are to be used for recycling ONLY. Should you use it for regular garbage pickup your garbage maybe left.

*Contents being too heavy for one container or bag (more than 75 pounds) must be divided into additional containers. Anything over your 2-32 gallon container must have a tag purchased from City Hall for $1 before the garbage will be taken. *To help prevent garbage from "flying" around town please use garbage bags. Thanks.

YARD WASTE

With the weather warming up and yard clean ups going on, just remember that only branches, leaves and grass clippings are allowed at the City dump site!!

The City will pick up branches broken off during bad storms on Fridays. Please call City Hall by 3:00pm on Thursday to request pickup. Sawed off branches are prohibited.

Utility Bills

Utility bill due date is the 10th of every month. If the 10th falls on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday cut off date is the following business morning BY 8:00am for the drop box and 9:00am for the mailbox.

If the 10th falls on a Friday, Saturday or a Sunday, the cut off date is Monday morning BY 8:00am for the drop box and 9:00am for the mailbox. Any questions concerning this policy please call City Hall.

PRIMGHAR JAYCEES SCHOLARSHIP

Scholarship applications are conveniently available at City Hall. All SOHS seniors are eligible to apply. Application deadline date is May 15th. The form is also available and can be downloaded from the school web site. You click on the Academics tab, and then select Guidance. On the Guidance page, scroll down to - scholarships - local scholarships are listed first. Jaycee scholarship can be printed in Word form or as a pdf document.

Mother's Day is May 11th.

FREE-TREE-PROGRAM

The City is again sponsoring the Free-Tree-Program. Residents may sign up to have 1 or 2 trees planted in their parking right-a-way sections. Call City Hall for more information. Deadline is May 23, 2008.

Business hours:

Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm.

Open through the lunch hour unless posted.

After-hour emergencies: call 957-2435

for an on-call employee to assist.

JUNE Monthly Newsletter

WELCOME SUMMER EMPLOYEES

We are pleased to introduce the following part-time employees working in our golf, pool & cemetery/park departments for the 2008 summer season. The City is very appreciative to have these dedicated employees.

Golf Course - Jason Van Engen and Larie Paulsen,

Pool - Manager Jill Kruse ,Assistant-manager Jill Paulsen

Lifeguards - Jessie Appeldorn, Abby DeRidder, Morgan Ebel, Reagan Ebel, Amber Hain, Luke Halverson, Cassie Kruse, Trevor Lansink & Cheslie Rohrs

City - Katie Riordan & Thomas Wubben

CITY HALL CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL HOLIDAY

City Hall will be closed Monday May 26th for the Memorial Holiday. If you have an emergency, please call City Hall (957-2435) and an on-call city employee will answer your call.

2008 DAILY POOL ADMISSIONS & SEASON PASSES PRICES

**Punch cards and all season passes can be purchased at the pool. They are subject to 7% sales tax and must be added to those amounts**

**A form must be completed for passes, please do not send a check with your child without filling out the appropriate form first**

The Pool telephone number is 957-8863. Opening day is to be announced.

Primghar Jaycee's Annual Sandbox fill will be held on June 3rd starting at 7:00pm.

Please call city hall @ 957-2435 by Monday June 2nd to be added to the list.

O'Brien County Board of Supervisor's Candidates Forum

Meet the candidates and participate in this open forum May 27, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. Sheldon Community Services Building.

DUMP SITE REMINDER

Only branches, leaves and grass clippings allowed at the City dump!!

GRASS CLIPPINGS

Please refrain from allowing any grass clippings or debris into the streets.

FIGURE 8 RACES

The Jaycee's Figure 8 Races begin June 7th at 7:00.

A complete race schedule is available on the City's

website, www.primghar.com!

ECO@Home

Last month you all should have

received a little pamphlet called ECO@Home from the city. We would appreciate feed back on this.

Business hours:

Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm.

Open through the lunch hour unless posted.

After-hour emergencies: call 957-2435

for an on-call employee to assist.

June 2008 Newsletter

CONNECT FOR SUCCESS

Are you a small business owner or considering starting your own business?

THIS IS FOR YOU ~EntreBash!

Date: June 6, 2008

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Place: Primghar Community Building

Enjoy live music, great food, door prizes, a motivational speaker, and stories from local entrepreneurs! Exchange ideas and receive on-the-spot referrals for business assistance.

Take the first step toward getting the resources you need to start your own business or help your existing business grow!

For more information contact O'Brien County Economic Development at 712-957-1313 or ocedc@tcaexpress.net

CEMETERY FLOWERS

All flowers not in permanent planters at the cemetery will be picked up June 13th.

JULY Monthly Newsletter

July 2008 Newsletter

City of Primghar ~ PO BOX 39 ~ 160 South Hayes Ave ~ Primghar, Iowa 51245 ~ 957-2435

RED CROSS SWIMMING LESSONS

Pre-school lessons will be held July 14-18th from 5:30-6:00pm.

Public swimming lessons are scheduled for July 7 - 18th, (Mon-Fri), from 10-11:00am. Cost - $20.00 per child for either session, please call the Pool at 957-8863, to sign up for one of the different levels. If unsure of your child's swimming level please ask a lifeguard. When signing up for Red Cross Swimming Lessons you are required to bring your child BOTH weeks for their best benefit to help your child receive the best experience possible.

Private lessons are also available please call the pool and talk to a life guard for more information.

Garbage and RECYCLING SCHEDULE

Recycling will be picked up on Wednesday, July 2nd and 16th.

PUBLIC POWER COMMUNITY NIGHT

Saturday, July 19, 2008 is Public Power Community Night at the Sioux Falls Canaries baseball stadium. Pre-game events start at 5:30pm, with the opening pitch at 7:05p.m. The Canaries will host the Lincoln Salt Dogs. Tickets for City of Primghar utility customers are $3.00 each. More information, including order forms are available at City Hall.

FIGURE 8 RACES

The Jaycee's Figure 8 Race schedule for July is Saturday the 12th and 19th at 7:00 p.m. and Wednesday the 23rd (Fair Week) at 7:30 p.m. A complete race schedule is available on the City's website, www.primghar.com!

CITY HALL CLOSED

City of Primghar Office will be closed on Friday, July 4th to celebrate the holiday with their families. If you should have an emergency, please call City Hall (957-2435) and an on-call employee will assist you.

REMINDERS

Utility bill due date is the 10th of every month. If the 10th falls on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday cut off date is the following business morning BY 8:00am for the drop box and 9:00am for the mailbox. If the 10th falls on a Friday, Saturday or a Sunday cut off date is Monday morning BY 8:00am for the drop box and 9:00am for the mailbox. Any questions concerning this policy please call city hall.

48-Hour Posting on past due accounts - A $30.00 posting fee to apply if not paid 2 days prior to the disconnect date indicated on the disconnect notice. An additional $30.00 administrative fee will also be charged if Electric and/or Water services are scheduled to be shut off after 48-hour time limit but before actual disconnect occurs. This is to ensure ALL utility bills are paid before the disconnect date.

Summer Residential Electric rates (June-Sept) are now in effect. If you have any questions or concerns please call city Hall.

As a reminder, the babysitter age is 12 to bring younger children to the pool w/out an adult and any unsupervised child must pass the board test before they can be left alone at the pool. Please follow the rules and regulations set forth by the pool board. In turn, our lifeguards can do their jobs of keeping our children safe.

THANK YOU!!!!

The City of Primghar would like to THANK Roger D. Smith for donating his labor to make

4 picnic tables for the park.

Unexplained High Usage

Sometimes you may have a leak and not even know it. The best indicator will be a high water and/or wastewater bill compared to past usage. Two most common reasons for unexplained high usage are a leaking toilet or a leak between the meter and the house. The first step is to determine whether you actually have a leak, or are just using more water and/or wastewater than you expected.

It's only a small drip, right?

Slow drips of water can add up quickly. A toilet that "keeps running" after you flush or a sink that drips after it is turned off can waste thousands of gallons of water per year. If the drip is hot water, you are paying for wasted energy, too. Fix leaks as soon as you find them. They won't go away on their own.

A "Running" Toilet Leak

Toilet leaks can range from small to large, constant or random. Many are even silent. Even a small, silent leak can easily waste thousands of gallons per month. Large leaks can waste much more. Fortunately, most toilet leaks are relatively easy to fix. In a properly functioning toilet, no water should move from the tank to the bowl, unless the toilet is being flushed. A leaking toilet loses water from the tank to the bowl without being flushed.

Checking for a leaky toilet:

1. Remove the tank lid. Don't worry, this water is clean until it enters the bowl.

2. Add some food coloring or a dye tablet to turn the water a different color. Put the tank lid back on.

3. After about 30 minutes, look in the bowl. If you see colored water, you have a leak. If the water is clear, water is not leaking from the tank to the bowl at that time.

If you do have a leak, there are a number of possible causes. If you remove the tank lid and can easily identify the cause, correct the problem and then try your leak test again. Consider that "fixes" such as bend the float back to shape, or adjusting how the rubber flap falls, often end up failing soon afterward. In most cases, you will simply want to replace the toilet flapper (the rubber thing at the bottom of the tank that keeps water in the tank) and/or the filling mechanism. These are available at hardware stores and home centers.

Leaking faucets

A leaking faucet is frequently the result of a bad rubber washer. The washer on a sink is typically located under the handle. A washer is relatively easy to replace, if you have the proper tools. It does require shutting off the water under the faucet, and removing the handle. Check local home centers or the Internet ("repairing leaky faucets") for instructions on how to repair faucet leaks. If you don't feel comfortable doing the repair yourself, a plumber may be your best option. Remember, even if you have to pay a plumber to fix the leak, you will end up saving money in the long run.

How to Conserve Water

Install a 1.6 gallon toilet Buy a water-efficient washing machine Repair leaks Reduce water use in the yard and garden Wash full loads Minimize shower time Reduce faucet water use Don't waste water outdoors

Business hours: Monday-Friday 8-4:30pm

After-hour emergencies: call 957-2435 for an on-call employee

For the happenings of Primghar, check out www.primghar.com

Email us at primghar@tcaexpress.net

AUGUST Monthly Newsletter

Pay Your Utility Bills with Even Pay

Pay the same amount every month, no matter what the weather is like!

How does this work?

Even Pay averages out the seasonal variations of your utility costs. We'll calculate your Even Pay amount based on your previous utility costs. Twice a year, any difference between your actual charges and your Even Pay charges will be averaged into your new payment amount for the following year.

What else?

Even Pay works most efficiently when combined with Easy Pay, which allows you to deduct payments automatically from your checking or savings account from any bank any where. This is the easiest and most cost-effective way to pay your bill on time, and it's free. That's all there is to it! Even Pay is designed for residential customers with at least 12-months of good history with the City. Participants may not be delinquent with utility payments.

To sign up, please stop by or call City Hall at (712) 957-2435 for more information.

Recycle & Garbage Information

RECYCLE & GARBAGE DAYS

Recycling will be picked up on Wednesday, August 6th and 20th.

Waste Connections requests that you set out your containers by 7:00 A.M. the morning of pick up.

**Garbage Pickup is every Friday for residential customers. There is a limit of two 32 gallon containers per household. Tags may be purchased from City Hall for each additional container at a cost of $1.00 per tag.** So if some of your garbage has been left this could be why.

2008 O'BRIEN COUNTY FAIR SCHEDULE

Our apologies for not getting the fair schedule in the newsletter this year. With the way the billing dates fell it just didn't work out. How ever don't miss the Mud Volley Ball Tournament in the afternoon and Primghar JC's Figure Eight Race on Wednesday night, July 23 with Hot laps starting at 7:00pm. Then on Thursday is the Livestock sale and ending with a teen dance.

MOWING

Please keep your properties mowed. Please do not blow the clippings into the streets or onto the sidewalks.

Thank you!

POOL CLOSING

To be announced. Watch the TCA channel for further details. Thank you for your patronage this summer.

LOAD MANAGEMENT

The City has approximately 90 load management systems up and running and we need more customers to sign up to be able to shave off that peak demand. If you have an electric water heater you save $1.00 every month all year long and if you have central air you save $3.00 during the summer billing months. So please if you have not done so stop by city hall and fill out a form to have your name added to the list.

SEPTEMBER Monthly Newsletter

OCTOBER Monthly Newsletter

NOVEMBER Monthly Newsletter

DECEMBER Monthly Newsletter