At the Nov. 3 meeting, the Galva City Council was presented with the city’s annual audit by Kim Hoffman, CPA of Hoffman and Tranel, PC, a Rock Island firm, that provided some good news.
Hoffman noted that the city’s IMRF is solvent and in a good position for employees who eventually retire. She noted that no material weaknesses were found and that the city does a very good job of budgeting. Hoffman gave kudos to city clerk Deb VanWassenhove and secretary/chief treasurer Melissa Halsall for the financial reports they create using the LOCUS software.
Noting that smaller municipalities have more of a problem with segregation of duties, she told the council, “Galva is doing a great job with this.” No specific areas of concern were expressed.
Mayor Rich Volkert thanked Hoffman and said, “For a town our size and age, the audit shows we’re in good shape.”
Lauren Berry, vice-president of Sustainability and External Affairs for Lapis, introduced David Zimmerman, CEO of Big River Resources and Eric Leigh, chief commercial officer of Lapis, who spoke on the carbon capture project underway at the Galva ethanol plant. Zimmerman, who has been with Big River for 14 years, explained the need to capture and store carbon emissions to meet federal and state guidelines.
Leigh outlined the process of separating CO2 from other gases during processing, compressing it and injecting it into sandstone rock formations thousands of feet below the surface.
“EPA and industry standards guide all of this,” he said. “The site is monitored 24/7 throughout operations and for decades before any permanent site closure.”
Sebastian Saaverda, a Lapis geologist, entered into the discussion to explain why the type of bedrock at the plant is suitable for the CO2 capture.
“The shale in the well is thick and impermeable, preventing the carbon from moving through to the surface, or to the side,” he said.
“Below that is the sandstone, a highly porous rock with tiny gaps between sand grains. These gaps are filled with salty water, where the carbon gas will be stored and ultimately dissolve over time.”
Of the four River Valley ethanol plants, Galva’s location is the one considered suitable for carbon capture. Zimmerman spoke about the possibility of transporting the carbon emissions captured at the West Burlington plant and injecting them into the Galva well site.
“We are looking at both rail and truck transport at the moment,” he said. “But we are sometime away from that.”
According to Berry, everyone involved is trying to be as transparent as possible. “We want the Galva community to understand all phases of the operation, and plan to broaden our outreach by holding frequent meetings with residents and business owners.”
She also noted that, as part of their commitment to the community, they plan to invest in areas such as emergency response, local economic development and education.
The council unanimously voted to dissolve the TIF-2 district.
“Although it expires naturally at the end of this year, the original ordinance requires that it be brought to a vote,” said City Administrator David Dyer.
Two bids were presented to the city for the purchase of the 2011 Crown Victoria, which is being retired by the police department. Sean Byers submitted the winning bid of $650.
Street Superintendent Richard Plummer announced that the last free yard waste pickup is set for Monday, Nov. 17.
“Waste must be placed in the required paper bags, and only yard waste can be inserted,” Plummer cautioned. “After Nov. 17, residents must call city hall to request a pickup. However, the paper bags will still be required, and they must display a purchased sticker.”
Alderman Doug Anderson recalled his time on the council when the ethanol plant was first considered.
“I think that the CO2 well will be a good deal for the plant,” he said. “We are all pro-business.”
Alderman John Wirth thanked the council for the new basketball court at Washington Park. “More improvements are in the works,” he said. “We hope to add more trees next year.”
Dyer shared that the city is looking into the purchase of a new street sweeper to replace the current, aging machine.
“It takes four to six hours of labor to get the equipment running to do fewer hours of sweeping.”
Mayor Volkert announced that the annual Veterans Day program will be held on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in Veterans Park.
“I would really like to see a big turnout this year,” said Volkert. “We have a lot of veterans in the Galva area, and this is a great opportunity to show them our support and give them our thanks.”
The next council meeting will be on Monday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. in the council chambers. The public is encouraged to attend.
