With two aldermen voting against, the Waterloo City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance levying slightly more  taxes for the current fiscal year than the year prior.

A total of $1,405,500 in taxes will be levied by the city for the fiscal year running May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2020.

This represents an increase of $58,405 from the past fiscal year, or 4.3 percent.

Of the more than $1.4 million to be levied for the city, $250,000 is for the corporate fund, $55,000 for road and bridge, $23,000 for the municipal band, $140,000 for IMRF and FICA, $500,000 for the police pension fund, $51,500 for a special library fund and another $386,000 for the library.

Aldermen Steve Notheisen and Jim Hopkins voted against the tax levy ordinance.

“I’m against levying more money than last year,” Notheisen said prior to his vote. “It doesn’t seem to me to be necessary.”

“I agree,” Hopkins said.

Voting in favor were aldermen Russ Thomas, Jim Trantham, Stan Darter, Kyle Buettner, Russ Row and Clyde Heller.

Also at the meeting, a Medal of Valor was presented to Waterloo Police Department Sgt. Trin Daws for his heroic efforts following a small plane crash on his property back in March. His wife Cathy was also applauded for her efforts.

On March 12, a 1976 Piper PA-32 Cherokee Lance flying with two adult occupants and a 4-year-old child from Alabama to Cahokia crashed.

“Daws (who was off-duty) used a fire extinguisher to break out a window and he and another individual removed a 4-year-old boy that was still strapped in his car seat,” Waterloo Police Chief Jeff Prosise said.

After placing the child in his wife’s arms, he returned to check on the two adults, who were severely injured. He was able to cut away the seat belt from one of the passengers and spoke with both adults while awaiting EMS arrival.

All occupants survived the crash.

“Sergeant Daws placed the life and safety of the plane crash victims above his own and selflessly ignored the imminent risk of danger to himself created by leaking aviation fuel and an unstable crash site,” Prosise said.