City approves CUP for night club, police K9
The Tea City Council met Dec. 18 and held a public hearing where they approved a conditional use permit for a night club.
Planning and zoning administrator Kevin Nissen said they did a conditional use permit for the business at 205 S.Main Ave., the old Boss’ Pizzeria and Tea Steakhouse, because while the new business will remain a bar, they will not offer food. El Effecto plans to open by mid-January.
They also held a public hearing on preliminary engineering plans for storage condos in the Tempo Addition. The property is currently zone agricultural but the future land use indicates light industrial. The property was planned to be soccer fields. The goal of the storage condos is that they will be aesthetically pleasing and will be marketed first to the homeowners in the Nine Mile Creek Addition.Â
The council approved the plans.
 Police chief Jessica Quigley presented an agreement to purchase an untrained single purpose K9. She noted the department responded to 5,214 calls for service so far this year. That is up more than a thousand from last year. She also noted that 40 percent of the narcotics offenses in the county are in Tea. She has located a dog from a reputable police training facility in Alabama with the dog coming from Belgium. They should received the dog by late January and will then bond with handler Officer Taylor White before they go to dog camp for six weeks. Quigley expects they will be ready for service by April. The council approved the agreement for $8,500.
City administrator Justin Weiland said the last time an assessment was done on the museum was 2016. While some of the issues that were found, others were not. The council approved $1,800 for a structural assessment from RISE Structural Associates Inc.
The council approved moving forward with a 2024 comprehensive plan from Confluence. Weiland said the intent is for a fully new comprehensive plan, not just an update. Codified law says a city needs to have a comprehensive plan on file. Mayor Casey Voelker said the city accomplished what was set out in the 2018 update.
They approved the renewal of the 2024 plan review services agreement from Lookout Plan + Code Consulting. They also approved the 2024 HDR on call services agreement.
The council recommended approval to Lincoln County for the site plan for storage units on Tract 12, Southwest Industrial Park, pending a pre-annexation agreement. The plans call for high-end storage facilities with heat, plumbing, bathroom and access to a clubhouse with a big screen TV, pool table and more for tenants to use.
They approved an amendment to the personnel policy on health insurance. The amendment shows 100 percent of the monthly insurance premium for single coverage for full-time employees and 60 percent of the monthly insurance premium for family coverage.
The council approved a resolution supporting higher release of water from Lewis & Clark.
Park and rec director Jake Kerr gave a recap on park and rec activities for the year. He noted they received a grants for updating baseball and softball equipment, lines on the tennis courts for pickleball lines and a coaches appreciation night at the pool.
Tyler Tordsen, the new executive director for Sioux Metro Growth Alliance, introduced himself to the council.
The council went into executive session at 8:21 p.m.