Decorah City Council, city staff hold long range planning meeting

Some 15 to 20 people, including all seven Decorah City Council members, spent time Thursday evening discussing the long range goals of city government.

a consultant from the University of Iowa's Institute of Public Affairs told the group that Decorah is doing better than many other communities in Iowa, but like every community, it has its strengths and its challenges.

The hiring of the consultant for the long range planning session had been somewhat controversial when it was first proposed at a city council meeting.  But city council member Paul Wanless on Thursday night noted that for city government, "it's time to assess where we are."