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.
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. There is currently one (1) opening on the Board of Adjustment. Interested residents may submit an interest form using the link to the right.
Meeting Agendas
Meeting Minutes
Board of Adjustment
The Board of Appeals meets on an as-needed basis.
Board Members
Library Board of Trustees
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
Board Members
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. Meeting agendas and Minutes of the commission meetings are available at City Hall and on this website.
The Commission meets the first Saturday of every month at the Visitor’s Center 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.
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.
Meeting Agendas
Meeting Minutes
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
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
V & K Engineering
Building Inspector
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.
Meeting Agendas
Meeting Minutes
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, Conditional Use and Variance 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.
Commission Members
Planning & Zoning Commission is comprised of seven (7) Mount Vernon residents, appointed by the Mayor and City Council for five-year terms.
There is one (1) vacancy on the Planning & Zoning Commission at this time. Interested residents may submit an interest form using the link to the right.
Next Meeting:
March 13, 2024 6:30 PM
City Hall, 213 First St., Mount Vernon
Meeting Agendas
Meeting Minutes
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
