(Atlantic, Iowa) – During their meeting Wednesday evening, the City Council in Atlantic passed two resolutions calling for Public Hearings on the Dissolution of the Community Promotion and Cable TV Commissions. City Administrator John Lund noted in his agenda notes, that the Personnel and Finance Committee reviewed the issues on January 27 and recommended the CPC be dissolved. The committee cited issues with attendance and engagement with the Community Promotion Commission. The Committee’s meetings require posting agendas and minutes, Lund said, while another issue is that amount of red tape for a body that distributes funds for important, annual community events planned and executed by the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber Executive Director Bailey Smith, and Brian Ruge Chamber Board President, said they were caught off-guard when they first learned of the plan to dissolve the Commission.

The dissolution means the Chamber of Commerce will receive $45,000 under the new L.O.S.T. progress budget, and Produce in the Park will receive $8,500. The remaining funds will be under the City Council’s discretion to allocate annually, depending on need and resource availability. Atlantic City Clerk Barb Barrick explained the procedure of dissolving commissions or boards approved by the City Council.

The Council set April 19 as the date for that public hearing. During the April 19th meeting also, there will be a Public Hearing on the dissolution of the Cable Television Commission.

City Administrator John Lund has said well before COVID-19 pretty much ended in-person meetings for a while, the Commission was informally dissolved for similar reasons as the Community Promotion Commission. He added “There were rarely any issues to discuss…”and the Commission members “…had no objections to the termination of the Commission.”