The Marshalltown City Council has moved forward on the issue of what is called a Self Supporting Municipal Improvement District by setting a date and a time for a public hearing on the issue for Monday October 9th at 5:30 at Marshalltown City Hall. Those for and against the idea have three weeks to prepare to speak their cause. The SSMID as it is known for short would impose an additional tax on downtown commercial property owners for the purpose of development and promotion of downtown Marshalltown. Other highlights: Marshalltown Fire Chief David Rierson spoke about the anniversary of 9-11 and asked for a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives. Kristin Allman for the local Sister Cities program asked council for two thousand dollars to facilitate a friendship based program between Marshalltown and a Japanese City.