The Atlantic City Council will meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall. During their regular session, the Council will consider an exception to the ordinance banning chickens inside the City Limits. Atlantic resident Paul Fischer had contended at a meeting last month, that he was given verbal permission to keep his three chickens and coop last year, by City Administrator John Lund.

During a meeting with the Community Protection Committee June 14th, City Administrator Lund acknowledged that over the past six-years or so, less than a handful of individuals were told they could keep chickens on their property as pets, as long as they were not for commercial use. The Committee agreed that the City was at fault for providing incorrect information, and that Fischer should at least be given consideration for an exception. Fischer has submitted a letter of support from his neighbors, who have no problem with the chickens. Lund will recommend to the Council that they grant Fischer permission to keep his birds.

In other business, the Council will act on appointing Gene Fischer and Greg Williams to the Library Board, and awarding an electrical upgrade project for City offices, to Brown Electric for $72,975. Funds to pay for the project will come from a bond that was approved in the Spring of 2015, originally designed for the design and engineering costs of a City Hall elevator. Because a referendum for $990,000 failed to pass that would have allowed additional renovations at City Hall, the bond funds can only be used for certain aspects, one of which is an electrical upgrade.

The Atlantic City Council will also act on an order entering into an agreement with SWIPCO for their SWITA Bus Service for FY 2018 (the fee for which is $8,000), a Resolution authorizing and approving a CAT grant amounting to $175,000 for improvements at the Schildberg Rec Area. The resolution is needed before the City proceeds with the improvements.

Another resolution to be considered by the Council, Wednesday, is with regard to Public Access to Official City Records. City Administrator John Lund says the problem is with online companies or out-of-state real estate businesses who produce online forms and are very demanding of the City to provide at no cost, the labor to research information that ultimately ends up being paid for by City taxpayers. Iowa Code, he says allows cities to establish their own policies a fee structures to govern requests for public records.

And, the Council is expected to recognize during their meeting, Atlantic Police Sgt. Dustin Pieken, on his 10-year work anniversary. Pieken was promoted from Officer to Sergeant late last year.