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Boards & Commissions

Board of Adjustment

Current Board Members

The Board of Adjustment is a five (5) member board, appointed by the Mayor with Council approval.  Each member serves a five-year term. 

  • Roch Player (09/26)  – Chairperson
  • Johnathon Brinson (09/25)  – Vice Chair
  • Terry Elam (09/25)
  • Rachel Mosier (09/27)

NOTICE:  City Council is currently seeking applicants for the Board of Adjustment.  Interested citizens should submit an interest form (see below) at City Hall, 213 First Street NW.  (12/24)

City Planner I

Leigh Bradbury

Board of Adjustment

The Board of Adjustment provides administrative review of zoning determinations upon appeal.  It reviews applications for Conditional Use Permits, and may grant variances given exceptional situations and undue hardship.  The Board meets on an as-needed basis.

Next Meeting:

No meeting is scheduled at this time.

Meeting notices will be posted at City Hall, on this website and in The Sun newspaper for Lisbon / Mount Vernon.

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Board of Adjustment

Board of Appeals

The Board of Appeals meets on an as-needed basis. 

Board Members

Terms are for five-year staggered terms and expire on September 1 of each year. Alternates are appointed every year.

John Barnes

Joel Wolfe (12/22)

Ed Sauter

Loren Conley

Nor Meyer (alternate) (12/22)

(Alternate)

Cole Library Board

Library Board of Trustees

Anyone interested in serving on the Library Board may submit an interest form to city hall.

Cole Library Board of Trustees are ambassadors for the library in the community, as well as visionaries for the growth and development of the library. Appointed by the Mayor and City Council, the Board consists of four (4) Mount Vernon residents and one (1) Linn County resident, of which one member is an employee of Cornell College. The Board meets at Cole Library on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 8:30am.

Diana Corcoran (President)

Jackie Wallace (Vice President)

Tracey Louwagie  (Secretary)

Julia Andrews

Brandi Shanata (Cornell College representative)

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Fire Department Advisory Board

Board Members

Christopher Nosbisch

(Chair)

319-895-8742 or 319-359-8613

Mike Pint

Craig Smith

Bob Huffman

Scott Rose

(Council Liaison)

Historic Preservation Commission

Historic Preservation Commission

The Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission was formed in 1985 for the purpose of promoting and protecting the City’s architectural heritage. The Commission’s responsibilities are creating historical and architectural awareness, designating historical districts around the community, and advising those who are rebuilding or adding on to their home.

The Commission has conducted seminars on such areas as house painting, porch restoration, and Mount Vernon history.

The Commission meets the first Saturday of every month at City Hall, 213 First Street NW at 8:30 a.m. for its regular meeting. The Commission also meets mid-month on a Wednesday at 7:00 pm during the months of March through November. There are no mid-month meetings December-February.  Meeting agendas and Minutes of the commission meetings are available at City Hall and on this website.

For additional information on Historic Preservation, visit the Commission’s website at:

Commission Members

The Commission consists of no more than twelve (12) persons, who are appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council.  Commission members serve a three-year term.  Interested persons may submit an interest form using the link below.

Edith Dawson (Friend of the Commission)

Sherry Brayton (11/22)

Matt Ruff (11/22)

Guy Booth (12/22)

(Secretary)

Wade Squiers (12/22)

Mike Guerber (12/22)

Suzette Astley

(Chair)

Donald Moore (12/22)

Randy Brown (12/23)

Mary Evans (12/23)

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Housing Commission

The Mount Vernon Housing Commission was organized to address current housing needs in the community. The housing commission represents a broad base of private and public interests with a priority to develop appropriate housing types for a wide range of income levels, ages and needs.

The commission — appointed by City Council and made up of qualified, local stakeholders — will act as a conduit for channeling local and external funding and other assistance to promote the private development of appropriate housing types. Other duties of the commission may include developing programs to assist with qualified home buyers and homeowners, both for rehabilitation or first-time purchasing. These programs should be designed to lower the costs of monthly payments, ultimately making housing more affordable. Funding for these projects and programs could come from federal and state grants along with the regional housing fund.

Commission Members

Chris Carlson

Denise Brannaman

Meridith Hoffman

Matthew Nelson

Lance Dickson

Deb Herrmann (Council Liason)

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Lisbon-Mt Vernon Community Development Group

The Planning and Zoning Commission is comprised of seven Mount Vernon residents appointed by the Mayor and City Council. The Commission meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

The Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on various land development issues that include revisions to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, requests for rezoning of land, site development plans, conditional use requests, and subdivision applications. Meeting agendas and minutes of the commission meetings are available at City Hall and on this website. When vacancies become available, interested persons may submit an interest form to City Hall.

Members

Joe Jennison, CDG Director

Lisa White, President

Brenda Langenberg, Vice President

Ashley Dunford, Treasurer

Casey Krall, Secretary

Deb Herrmann, Bookeeper

Andrzej Blacharski

Brittney Edwards

Courtney Frye Speed

Dennis Jordan

Casey O’Connor

Stephanie West, MV Liaison

John Bardsley, Lisbon Liaison

Building Code Building Official

(Appointed by Council for a one-year term)

V & K Engineering

Building Inspector

Linn County Planning and Development
319-892-5130
Parks & Recreation Board

The Parks and Recreation Board meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at the Lester Buresh Cente, 855 Palisades Road in Mount Vernon. 

Visitors are always welcome and the board encourages any suggestions and new ideas. Anyone wishing to serve on a sub-committee is encouraged to attend a regular meeting and volunteer.   

Current Board Members

The Parks & Recreation Board  consists of five (5) members appointed by the Mayor with City Council approval.  Terms are for two (2) years for up to three (3) consecutive terms.  At least four of the five members must reside within Mount Vernon’s City limits. 

While there are no current openings on the board, an interest form may be completed at City Hall or on this website and returned to City Hall for future consideration.

Graham Carl (09/24)

(Vice Chair)

Bob Campagna (09/25 – 2nd)

(Chair)

Greg Papin (09/25)

Emily Reddish (09/24)

Michael Joseph (09/26)

Parks and Recreation Director

Matt Siders

319-895-9513
Assistant Director

Sarah Boots

319-895-9513
Pool Manager

Katey Forest

Pool Phone: 319-895-9191

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Planning & Zoning Commission

Planning & Zoning Commission

The Planning and Zoning Commission meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. to make recommendations to the City Council on various land development issues.  This includes revisions to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, requests for rezoning of land, approval of site development plans, annexation and subdivision applications.

Agendas and minutes are available below.  Citizens interested in serving on the commission may submit an interest form to City Hall.  All appointments are made by the Mayor, with Council approval.

Next Meeting:

December 11, 2024  – CANCELLED

January 2, 2025  6:30 PM

City Hall, 213 First St.,  Mount Vernon   

Commission Members

The Planning & Zoning Commission is comprised of seven (7) Mount Vernon residents, appointed by the Mayor and City Council.

  • Truman Jordan – Chairperson  (09/25)
  • Jay Willems – Vice Chair  (09/28)  
  • Jake Buster  (09/26)
  • Jacob Lindauer  (09/27)
  • Cathy George  (03/29)
  • Mary Horst (08/29)

Notice:  City Council is currently seeking applications for seats on the Planning & Zoning Commission.  Interested citizens should complete the interest form (below) and bring it to City Hall, 213 First Street NW in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

City Planner I

Leigh Bradbury

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee is an ad hoc committee of community volunteers to study local sustainability issues. While the original charge was to study stormwater retention systems, the group has evolved into studying other areas.

Areas that are ongoing now include earning Bee City USA status, a monarch butterfly project, watching pesticide application levels, discussing different mowing levels in parks, and a rain barrel rebate program. Open items the group are working on include looking to install an electric car charging station, solar energy (for either residential or commercial), a compost site, and water quality of our streams.

If you have information to share with this group, please contact Mayor Tom Wieseler at 319-361-5261 or at twieseler@cityofmtvernon-ia.gov.

Committee Members

Tom Wieseler

Michelle Mouton

Kent Rector

Laura Krouse

Alice Ganzel

Andy Mccollum

Marie DeVries

Gary Scott

Floyd Pelkey

Gretchen Reeh-Robinson

David Osterberg

Darrow Center

Martin St. Clair