Falls City approves downtown revitalization loans

FALLS CITY - The Falls City City Council met Tuesday on an agenda that included pay scales for Prichard Auditorium, loan agreements for downtown revitalization and appointment of Kristen Poppe to the housing board.
The city council was also set to discuss allowing street legal UTVs and golf carts on city streets between dusk to dawn. City Administrator Anthony Nussbaum was authorized to take the next steps to amend the city ordinance to allow UTV uses after dark.
Loan agreements for the downtown revitalization program were approved.
The agreement includes:
- $17,500 for Heller Martial Arts, 1522 Stone St.
- $40,000 for Miller Monroe at 1608 Stone St.
- $23,635 for Rachel Witt and Ryan Schutte at 1715 Stone St.
- $25,000 for John Roland at 1817 Harlan St.
- $93,972 for The Fresh Place at 1819-1821 Stone St.
Although seasonal jobs like lifeguards do not fall under the state’s minimum wage, Parks Director Briar Burr advises a competitive pay scale as the minimum wage increases to $15 an hour in 2026.
The building attendant at Prichard Auditorium would start at the entry level on the city’s salary table.
The Falls City Police end-of-year report includes 36 felony and 366 misdemeanor arrests, 601 traffic citations and 104 parking citations.
There were 320 animal calls, 195 nuisance calls, 108 suspicious vehicles and 134 welfare checks. There were also 293 911 hangups and misdials, about 24 per month.
Police report four sexual assault cases, six burglaries, 116 shoplifting and four auto thefts were cleared in 2024.