Urbandale City Council Approves Annexation

Here's a quick rundown of the decisions the Urbandale City Council made at its meeting Tuesday night:

• Approved the voluntary annexation of 60 acres of Dallas County farmland for further development east of the Bent Creek Estates development. The new development will add 39 homes in    

• Hired the consulting firm Fox Lawson to review the salaries of the city's non-union employees. City Manager A.J .Johnson said the study will examine whether the salaries of about 100 of the city's 248 workers are comparable to other cities in the area. Last year was the first year the city council gave non-union employees a smaller raise than it gave its union employees. Johnson said it's been about 20 years since the city looked at nonunion wages to see if they are competitive.

• Accepted the low bid of $57,398 from ABC Electric Company to purchase back-up generators for the and the Johnson said the generators will power the city's phone system and computer system in case of a power outage.

• Approved an ordinance that would make rules of the road for bicyclists consistent throughout the metro area.

• Approved Jerry Holt's request to upgrade the city's storm warning sirens to meet new requirements by the Federal Communications Commission. Urbandale's cost would be $33,578.

• Approved an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation to study Interstate 80/35 between Douglas Avenue and 86th Street. The total cost is estimated at just under $150,000 and the DOT will pay half. Johnson said the goal will be to improve the traffic flow, the safety of the Iowa Highway 141 interchange, and access to Urbandale.