Decorah City Council members are being urged to document their reasons for the upcoming vote on Menard's

Decorah City Administrator Chad Bird and Decorah City Attorney John Anderson Monday night urged members of the Decorah City council to write down their reasoning for whatever way they vote on the Menard's application.

When questioned by one of the city council members about the need to take a step which is not normally taken for zoning matters, Bird replied, "This is a bigger issue--it has a lot more gravity."  Anderson added, "We have to show the council's decision is not arbitrary."

Bird has created a list of 16 factors to consider when arriving at their vote on the Menard's application.  He says some of those factors will be more important than other factors and council members should "review, comment and discuss the relevant points of each factor and how they may or may not apply to the application for rezoning."

City council members say they will hold two public hearings on the Menard's application--September 4th and September 17th.  The city council will then decide when it wants to vote on the application.