Mahaska County, Iowa

Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa, located in the heart of Mahaska County in Southeastern, Iowa, is a progressive, diversified city whose economy is made up largely from retail, industry and agriculture. Oskaloosa is a great place to live, visit, or just drive through. There is something for everyone... from the Nelson Historic Farm to the Southern Iowa Fair, the George Daily Community Auditorium, to our historic city square. Don't miss what we have to offer!

http://www.oskaloosaiowa.org

(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Summary File 1)

Housing Units

Labor Force (Source: http://www.iowaworkforce.org)
Mahaska County - June 2002

(Note: Labor Force Statistics are only available county-wide through IWD)

Location and Map

Type of Government
The City of Oskaloosa is governed by a Mayor-Council-Appointed City Manager form of government under a Home Rule Charter. The City Council Members are elected officials who make and change Oskaloosa laws. The City Council is comprised of seven members. Four members are elected from the wards and three are elected citywide (at large).

Contact Information
Mayor: Dave Dixon (Term expires 2009)
307 North 10th Street
Home: 641-673-5797
Work:  641-673-9481
ddixon@heslingalaw.com

City Manager: Brian James
220 South Market Street
Phone: 641-673-9431
brian.james@mahaska.org

City Clerk: Marilyn Miller
220 South Market Street
Phone: 641-673-9431
marilyn.miller@mahaska.org

Council Members

Pictured from left to right: Tom Jimenez, Lori Smith, Aaron Ver Steeg,
Janet VanDerBeek, Mayor Dixon, Pamela Blomgren, Jimmy Carter, and Wesley Wills.

Aaron Ver Steeg, 1st Ward (Term expires Dec. 2009)
412 North C Street
Home: 641-672-2132
aaronstoys@mchsi.com

Tom Jimenez, 2nd Ward (Term expires Dec. 2011)
1903 Edmundson Drive
Home: 641-676-1753
Work:  641-673-4151
oskrent@hotmail.com

Wesley Wills, 3rd Ward (Term expires Dec. 2009)
901 South 6th Street
Home: 641-673-5667
Work:  641-673-9037
wescafe@mahaska.org

Pamela Blomgren, 4th Ward (Term expires Dec. 2011)
305 North 10th Street
Home: 641-673-3802
Work:  641-673-7533
Fax:    641-673-7533
pam.blomgren@thewritedesign.biz

Lori Smith, At Large (Term expires Dec. 2011)
1406 15th Ave. West
641-673-9903
jltsmith1@mahaska.org

Janet VanDerBeek, At Large (Term expires Dec. 2009)
603 North 11th Street
Home: 641-673-0119
ssfans@mchsi.com

Jimmy Carter, At Large (Term expires Dec. 2009)
316 Glendale Road
Home: 641-673-6687
Work:  641-673-4781
Fax:    641-673-8494
cartersintl@lisco.com

City Council Meetings
City Council meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 220 South Market Street. However, should a Monday date be an observed holiday, the council meeting is moved to Tuesday. City council meetings may be viewed live on Mahaska Communication Group cable access Channel 12 and are rebroadcast at 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., the day after the meeting, and on cable access Channel 17, the following Saturday at 5:00 p.m. The complete City Council Agenda packet is available for viewing at the library and at the City Manager's Office, or at www.oskaloosaiowa.org by clicking on the current council agenda PDF link near the bottom of the "Notices" box, located on the right hand side of the page. Other committee meetings are posted on the City Calendar in the same area on the home page.

City Council Committees
There are four city council committees. Each committee is comprised of a chair and three other council members. Following are the committees and the city council members who serve on them:

• Finance Committee: Carter (Chair), Wills, Blomgren.
• Public Safety Committee: VanDerBeek (Chair), Ver Steeg, Smith.
• Planning Committee: Blomgren (Chair), VanDerBeek, Wills.
• Public Projects Committee: Ver Steeg (Chair), Jimenez, Carter.

Mayor Pro Tem
The current Mayor Pro Tem is City Council Member Jimmy Carter.

Calendar of Events for Mahaska County

Who to Call

The Oskaloosa Area Chamber & Development Group has new resident pamphlets which have all of the information needed to connect with area utilities as well as phone books and tons of information to help visitors and new residents. Give them a call, 641-672-2591, or stop by their office, 124 North Market Street.

License & Permits

The Building and Housing Safety Department handles all permits necessary for construction on private property, building inspection, planning and zoning activities, subdivision development, and nuisance complaints. The Building Inspector is Dan Kalbach. It is the hope of the Building and Housing Safety Department to provide information and direction for the public in all of the following areas of construction and code enforcement. This includes:

• Inspect new and existing buildings for compliance with building, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical codes
• Administrate the zoning, nuisance, and dilapidated buildings ordinances
• Review building plans and applications for building permits
• Review site plans and subdivision plats
• Review rezoning requests, variance requests, and alley vacation requests
• Prepare agenda for Planning and Zoning Commission
• Prepare agenda for Board of Adjustment meetings

If you have any questions, comments, or complaints feel free to e-mail us at oskypw@oskaloosaiowa.org or call us at 641-673-7472 (Engineering) or 641-673-6885 (Public Works).

Ordinance Synopsis

Oskaloosa's ordinance prohibits animals from running at large, which includes dogs and cats. "At large" means not in the control of the owner, so the animal does not have to be on a leash if they are obedient to their owner. Oskaloosa also has a "pooper scooper" ordinance requiring owners to clean up after their pets.
 
Oskaloosa's mowing ordinance states that any lot or parcel in the city must be mowed, and cannot have grass or weeds higher than 12" on May 15, June 15, July 15, August 15, or September 15, or the city can mow the property and assess the costs.
 
For more information, visit the main web site of Oskaloosa or contact the City Manager's office.

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