City Council Joint Work Session with Cedar Falls Utilities Board of Trustees

Joint Meeting of Cedar Falls City Council & Cedar Falls Utilities Boards of Trustees Monday, October 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM Cedar Falls Public Works 2200 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 The City Council met in Joint Session with the Cedar Falls Utilities Boards of Trustees pursuant to law, the rules of said Council and prior notice given each member thereof at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, October 27, 2025. Mayor Danny Laudick and City Council members present: Gil Schultz, Chris Latta, Daryl Kruse, Dustin Ganfield, Hannah Crisman, and Kelly Dunn. Absent: Aaron Hawbaker. Cedar Falls Utilities Boards of Trustees present: MaraBeth Soneson, Debra Iehl, Richard McAlister, Jeffrey Engel, Nick Evens (via Zoom). City staff members present: Finance and Business Operations Director Jennifer Rodenbeck, Public Works Director Chase Schrage, Public Safety Director Craig Berte, and Community Development Director Stephanie Sheetz; City Attorney Kevin Rogers; Water Reclamation Manager Tyler Griffin; Cable TV Supervisor Denny Bowman; Policy and Administration Specialist Grayson Rowlet; Information Systems Manager Julie Sorenson; Administrative Supervisor Katie Terhune. CFU staff members present: General Manager Susan Abernathy, Director of Energy Resources Bill Skubal, Director of Customer Service and Business Development Kent Halder, Director of Operations Lane Peters, Director of Employee and Legal Services Missy Timmermans, Director of Finance and Organizational Services Wynette Froehner, Executive Assistant Renee Weber, and Director of Technology Charles Dostale. Members of the public in attendance: Bob Manning. Mayor Laudick called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Mayor asked for any agenda revisions; there were no agenda revisions noted. Councilmember Crisman moved to approve the agenda; Councilmember Ganfield seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Laudick introduced Director of Public Works for the City, Chase Schrage. Schrage presented information on background and planned upgrades to the water reclamation facility to meet DNR regulations and reduce negative impact on the downtown area. Mayor Laudick introduced Director of Community Development for the City, Stephanie Sheetz. Sheetz presented information on the recently formed Cedar Falls Developer Task Force including voting members, task force members, and staff involvement. Sheetz relayed the topics discussed/to be discussed and presentation of a report with recommendations to Council in March 2026. Mayor Laudick introduced General Manager of Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU), Susan Abernathy. Abernathy provided an update on the proposed Viking Energy Center facility. General discussion followed. Abernathy provided an update on CFU’s discontinuation of Cable Television services in October 2026 and the impact on citizens and the City’s Channel 15 programming. General discussion including potential options for Channel 15 followed. Abernathy gave an overview of the water quality in Cedar Falls and reports sent to residents regarding additives, nitrates, and “forever chemicals”. General discussion followed including resident concerns presented. Abernathy provided a timeline and maps of the proposed program to move electrical wiring as appropriate from overhead to underground to mitigate outages. General discussion followed and group consensus was reached to schedule the next meeting on October 26, 2026 at CFU. Mayor Laudick requested a motion to adjourn; Councilmember Crisman so moved and Trustee Engel seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Minutes by Katie Terhune, Administrative Supervisor for the City of Cedar Falls