City Government
Government
Council Members
Gordon Aistrope Email
Shannon Addison Email
Keith Caviness Email
Bob Meyers Email
Mitch Niner Email
The Role of the Mayor and the City Council
The Mayor and City Council members are the duly elected representatives of the citizens of Ottumwa and act as the political head of the City. They are responsible for setting policy, approving the budget, determining the tax rate, and formulating broad long-term policies that outline the City's public function. The City Administrator is appointed by Council to carry out policy and oversees the day-to-day operations of the City on behalf of the City Council. The City Administrator is bound by the actions of the Council.
City Council Meetings
The Ottumwa City Council Regular Meetings begin at 6:30 PM on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Special Meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 4:30 PM or other dates as called.
Ottumwa City Council Agendas are posted a minimum of 24 hours prior to the meeting on the main bulletin board on the first floor of City Hall, 105 E. Main Street.
City Council meetings are open public meetings in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 21. The Council can go into a closed session only under very specific circumstances as allowed by law.
Citizen Input
Citizen input is an important part of the democratic process. To address the City Council about an item on their Regular Meeting Agenda, the speaker should identify him or herself by raising their hand, and when called on by the Mayor, state their name, address and topic they wish to speak about. Citizens wishing to address the Council during a Public Hearing do not need to identify themselves prior to the hearing.
There is also time allowed at the end of each Regular Meeting for Public Comments when Citizens may speak to the City Council about items not on the Council Agenda. There is a time limit of 5 minutes per speaker (3 minutes if there are too many to be heard in a reasonable time). Due to the Open Meetings Law (Iowa Code Chapter 21), the City Council may not take action on any item not on the Agenda.
Broadcast of City Council Meetings
City Council Meetings are televised live on GOTV, Government Ottumwa TeleVision, Cable Channel 6. The meetings are re-broadcast the two days following the meeting at 1:30 PM.