City manager reports: landing groundbreaking set; Moody's MIG1 rating retained; updates on Fetterson building and feral cats

During the Aug. 25 meeting the City Manager gave several updates: a groundbreaking for the Landing waterfront project will be held Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m. behind the Cedar Point Sports Center; Moody’s maintained a MIG-1 rating for the city's notes and the city awarded $11,806,000 in various-purpose notes to Piper Sandler at a net interest rate of 2.67%. The City Manager also reported the request for proposals for the recreation center design-build project has been advertised and that the consolidated annual performance and evaluation report (CAPER) for program year 2024 will be available for public comment through Sept. 5 with a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. On building safety and code enforcement, staff told commissioners that the owner of the old Fetterson building has an issued permit with work to be completed by approximately November; the city has been communicating with the owner and the neighboring property owner and will take further action if the required work does not proceed before the permit expiration. On feral cats, staff said enforcement focuses on addressing residents who feed feral animals: feeding is not permitted and code compliance officers investigate complaints. Staff said the city does not operate a trap-and-release program, so enforcement is the primary tool. Why it matters: the financial transaction affects the city’s short-term borrowing costs and the Landing project kickoff is a notable public event; building permits and animal-control enforcement are practical public-safety and neighborhood quality-of-life issues. What’s next: staff will proceed with the advertised RFQ selection process for the rec center, staff will host the Landing groundbreaking on Sept. 3, and code compliance will continue to enforce prohibitions against feeding feral cats and monitor the Fetterson building permit status.