The Dumont City Council Wednesday reviewed health insurance renewal quotes for the new year. After discussion, the council agreed to stay with the same plan as the current year with city employees paying 5% of premiums.
In other business, the council received an update on Barkema Grant funds. The fire department will receive $18,000 for the purchase of grass fire and vehicle extraction bunker gear and the library will receive $3,500 for security cameras and movie license fees.
The meeting then shifted to organizational matters, including the swearing in of newly elected leaders. Mayor-elect Carson Freese was given the oath of office along with elected council members Mike Day and Lukas Smith.
The 23-year-old Freese recently spoke with RadioOnTheGo News on why he ran for mayor in November as current Mayor Edwin Mouw did not seek reelection.
“I’m working at Dumont Telephone, wanted to get my face out in the community. So I decided to run for mayor and now I’m here. So I just recently moved into Dumont. Like I said, I grew up and raised right outside of it, but I wanted a way to give back to my community, you know, a way to kind of volunteer, get myself out there. A big thing though is fighting for fairness of that town. Cause it seems like a little bit of here and there for what gets done. Parts of town gets done, some don’t. So kind of fighting for a little bit of fairness there.”
Reflecting on the momentum volunteers with Revitalize Dumont have built over the past year, Freese affirmed his support for the non-profit organization.
“It’s just a great opportunity to get more people interested in the town. You know, maybe not so much with the school right away because of how much effort it’s going to take us, which we’re making great strides there, but eventually it’s going to bring in a lot more people, more chances for more businesses to come in. And then after we get the school done, you know, they purchase other properties like that, keep renovating, keep up to date on some properties. More people are going to want to come to Dumont.”
The council will next meet in January as Dumont begins the new year with new leadership and ongoing community initiatives.
