Government Notes: How to attend Cedar Rapids school bond information sessions

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is hosting several bond information sessions for the community leading up to Election Day on Nov. 7. There will be both in-person forums and an online webinar offered. At each meeting, district officials will provide an overview of the bond, the projects included and the financial impact to residents.

Projects under the plan include:

The forums this week are:

Cedar Rapids police chief search consultant narrowing candidates

Now that the Cedar Rapids police chief job posting expired Oct. 15, the search consultant, International Association of Chiefs of Police, will narrow down a pool of qualified applicants.

According to a weekly memo from City Manager Jeff Pomeranz to the Cedar Rapids City Council, the consultant will make recommendations based upon the minimum qualifications outlined in the job description. The Civil Service Commission will score and determine which applications are viable. As of Oct. 13, the city had received 11 applications, according to the memo.

Linn County supervisors award Legacy & Community Attraction grants

The Linn County Board of Supervisors last week awarded $50,000 in grants from its Legacy & Community Attraction Fund to two local nonprofit organizations through its yearly competitive grant process.

The History Center received $31,250 and the Linn County Fair Association was awarded $18,750. This fund was established to foster and support long-standing, new and diverse community events and groups in Linn County that promote Linn County history or culture and attract residents and visitors.

The supervisors received grant requests totaling $200,000 with only $50,000 available. The three-member board reduced funding for the grant program from $150,000 to $50,000 for fiscal 2024 — the budget year ending June 30, 2024 — because of cuts to proposed spending.

Marion seeks input in drafting reforestation plan

The city of Marion is working with Jeffrey L. Bruce & Co. to develop a community reforestation plan, with upcoming opportunities for public input to guide this effort.

A public open house is planned for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Lowe Park Arts and Environment Center, 4500 N. 10th St. There is no formal presentation, so attendees can come and go as they please. An online survey will launch Wednesday and will be available through Nov. 30.

According to a weekly memo from City Manager Ryan Waller, the consultant is looking at existing conditions and community needs to draft a reforestation action plan, expected to be completed next spring.

How to view Marion City Council, area school board candidate forums

The Marion Chamber of Commerce and Marion Economic Development Corp. hosted city and school board candidate forums last week, the recordings of which are now available online.

Marion City Council and Marion Independent School Board candidates all are running uncontested and participated in a town hall-style conversation. Linn-Mar School Board candidates participated in a forum. Recordings are available on MEDCO’s Candid Community Leadership Podcast at medcoiowa.org.

Trick-or-treating in Marion

Marion trick-or-treaters are invited to stop at Marion City Hall for Halloween on Tuesday. The city will host a trick-or-treat event at City Hall, 1225 Sixth Avenue, from 3-5 p.m. Tuesday. Children may dress up in their Halloween costumes and get candy and other treats from staff on both floors of City Hall. Marion firefighters and police officers also will stop by.

As for communitywide trick-or-treating in Marion, that takes place Tuesday as well. There is no set start time, but it should wrap up by 8 p.m. Participating residents should turn on their porch lights to signal they are open to trick-or-treaters and turn them off when finished.

Iowa City adds solar array to public works building

A new solar array on the top of Iowa City’s Public Works building is designed to meet the facility’s energy needs, and provides city employees and the public with real-time data about how much energy is being generated.

The array, installed on the roof at 3810 Napoleon Lane, has a capacity of 40 kilowatts of peak power production. An online dashboard provides real-time data, as well as information about daily, weekly and monthly output since Oct. 11. It also shares information about the equivalent pounds of carbon dioxide emissions saved. It can be accessed at https://bit.ly/46O1SCj.

According to a news release from the city, during the first weeks of operation, the solar panels produced more than 1 megawatt.

The 99,294 square-foot Public Works building was built to LEED standards and features many energy efficient design elements, including 40 skylights, translucent polycarbonate walls, LED lighting, and a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) cooling system, the city release states.

The building’s construction was completed in 2019. Since then, it has received awards from the American Public Works Association, the American Institute of Architects and MidAmerican Energy for its innovative, sustainability-focused design.

Mount Vernon Schools’ superintendent search

The Mount Vernon School Board has approved a timeline for its superintendent search with plans to interview finalists Jan. 29.

In January 2024, the district’s consultants for the superintendent search — Ray & Associates — will develop and finalize interview questions and procedures with the school board.

The school board held community forums last week to gather input from the community about what qualities are desired in a new superintendent.

Those unable to attend the meetings last week can contribute to the superintendent search by responding to a survey online at surveymonkey.com/r/RYV5H8Y.

Superintendent Greg Batenhorst is retiring at the end of the school year, ending his contract with the district a year early after almost 40 years in education.

Under Batenhorst’s leadership, the district began a 20-year vision in 2017. Residents approved a $12.8 million general obligation bond referendum to build a new performing arts center — which opened in spring 2020 — added a two-classroom addition and secure entry to the middle school and two-classroom addition to Washington Elementary School.

Last month, the district also opened a new activities complex that gives the Mustangs — the school’s mascot — a place to call home after years of hosting games at Cornell College and practicing on non-regulation fields.

Public invited to tour construction progress at North Liberty’s new city hall

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The city of North Liberty will celebrate its 110th birthday with cake, ice cream and a sneak peek of the new city hall that’s under construction. The building has been in the plans for more than a decade and will “create efficiencies by bringing together staff from different buildings,” according to a news release from the city.

The event will be held Friday, Nov. 10, from 4-6 p.m. It will start at the North Liberty Police Station, 340 Main St. Visitors will begin by checking in at the police station for cake, ice cream and tours. Small tour groups will leave every five to 10 minutes to tour the future city hall.

The tour will take place in a building that’s still under construction. Guests will be asked to move through incomplete rooms, walk up and down stairs and navigate potential hazards of a construction site. Guests are asked to wear close-toed shoes.

Tours of the police station, which opened with a virtual ribbon cutting in 2020, also will be available.

Iowa City Office of Equity and Human Rights receives impact award

The Community Foundation of Johnson County selected Iowa City’s Office of Equity and Human Rights as one of its inaugural 2023 Community Impact Award recipients — Community Convener. The Office was selected as an honoree for its “exceptional work sponsoring community events and educational opportunities supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” according to a news release from the city.

The city council established the Human Rights Commission 60 years go, and soon after that, the Human Rights Office was created to assist the city in eliminating unlawful discrimination. Today, the office takes complaints of discrimination and also undertakes projects and programming work that includes an equity-centered approach.

The award was presented on Oct. 17 at the Coralville Center for Performing Arts. Equity Director Stefanie Bowers accepted the award on behalf of the Office, which includes Human Rights Investigator Kristin Watson and Communications Assistant Madison Bartlett.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Grace King contribute.