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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Government Notes: Iowa gaming regulators pursue Linn County casino market study
Also, Johnson STEAM Academy meal program ends after serving more than 1,348 free meals
Sep. 2, 2024 5:30 am
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission last week selected Innovation Group and Marquette to conduct a market study assessing how a Linn County casino would affect Iowa’s gaming industry and nearby gambling facilities.
The five-member panel is slated to decide the fate of a Cedar Rapids gaming license Feb. 6, 2025. The state regulators are taking applications until Sept. 16.
The Linn County Gaming Association and the city’s preferred potential casino operator, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, are jointly applying for a gaming license for a Cedar Rapids casino.
The city has had a long-standing deal with the Cedar Rapids Development Group — an entity of mostly local investors — guaranteeing its exclusive support in the licensing process.
That, however, doesn’t preclude others from seeking a license. It’s unknown if other developers plan to apply.
The casino development team last year secured a deal with the Cedar Rapids City Council to earmark city-owned property between F and I avenues NW and First and Fifth streets NW for Cedar Crossing Casino, a gaming and entertainment complex estimated to cost more than $250 million.
The land was formerly the home of Cooper’s Mill, a motel and restaurant destroyed in the 2008 flood and later demolished.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim Pang, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment’s vice president of development, said Iowa gaming operators have reported revenues have increased from $1.5 billion to $2 billion.
Cedar Rapids casino backers commissioned their own market study and found a potential Linn County casino would increase Iowa’s net gaming revenues, Pang said. The Gazette won’t report the number until more information about the study is shared. Information about the vendor used to conduct the study, methodology and cost likely would not be shared until the Oct. 3 presentation to the gaming commission.
In 2022, the commission released market studies from Spectrum Gaming Group and Innovation Group showing Nebraska’s gaming facility growth along Iowa’s western border would eat into industry revenue in Iowa.
The Innovation Group study showed a Cedar Rapids casino would take $61 million from existing casinos in the same market, but would increase Iowa’s net commercial gaming revenue by $51 million.
“The market is expanding and that’s opportunity,” Pang said. “ … This is a huge hole that we’re going to try and fill with (gaming) revenue leaving the state for neighboring states.”
After the Sept. 16 deadline for casino applications, Linn County Gaming Association President Anne Parmley said the Cedar Rapids casino backers would begin to release more information about their proposal.
“It will be an entertainment complex more than just a casino,” Pang said.
State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, has told news outlets he plans to introduce a moratorium that would block new gaming licenses when lawmakers convene again in January. Pang said the development team continues to be “focused” on the commission’s timeline and economic impacts to Linn County and the state of Iowa.
“We’ve been focused on the opportunity for Cedar Rapids, Linn County, the nonprofits, building up the community’s vitality and vibrancy,” Parmley said.
Johnson STEAM Academy summer food program ends
The Cedar Rapids Community School District served more than 1,348 free meals to kids and adults at Johnson STEAM Academy, an elementary school, in just under six weeks this summer.
The district began providing free breakfast and lunch to community members, regardless of age, Monday through Friday from July 18 to Aug. 16, to help those facing food insecurity following the closure of Hy-Vee on First Avenue.
The closure of the Hy-Vee on June 30 left no grocery store in the area within a mile and a half, creating a food desert.
The meal site was in collaboration between area state and local government officials, the Cedar Rapids Community School District and the Linn County Board of Supervisors, which allocated $10,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars toward the meal program.
The Cedar Rapids district and the USDA summer food service program partnered with the City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County to launch the free community meal program.
Linn County Recorder’s Office using new land records software
Effective Tuesday, the Linn County Recorder’s Office will begin using a new land recording software. Recording and searching will be done using the new system operated by Fidlar Technologies.
The office suspended recording documents at noon Friday to prepare for the new software so there were no documents pending during the conversion to the new system. Documents were accepted for recording, but ones received after noon Friday will not be recorded until the new system is operational Tuesday.
“We are excited to bring this technology to Linn County. It will improve our entire recording process,” Linn County Recorder Carolyn Siebrecht said in a statement. “The real estate industry has modernized and is using more digital processes. This new software will be more efficient for us and our customers, and it will save money by reducing our use of paper and postage.”
The online property search also is part of the software change.
“We want our customers to know that when they visit the Recorder’s Office website and search property records, the website will look different than the last time they visited,” Siebrecht said.
Software improvements include:
- Land record recordings will be available and can be viewed immediately.
- Property owners can leave the Recorder’s Office with their original deed and don’t have wait to receive it in the mail.
- Property fraud alert: Linn County residents may sign up to be notified by phone or email if a document is recorded in Linn County under their name. Linn County property owners who were registered with Property Check to monitor for fraud alerts under the previous system will automatically transition to Property Fraud Alert as part of this change. These property owners will receive an email from Fidlar Technologies confirming the transfer.
Contact the Linn County Recorder’s Office by calling 319-892-5420 or email Recorder@LinnCountyIowa.gov with questions about the new land records software or property fraud alert.
Hills Elementary School to be demolished
The Iowa City school board approved the demolition of Hills Elementary School without discussion at its regular board meeting Tuesday.
The cost to demolish the school is $41,850 with a possible start date of Aug. 28, and completion date of Nov. 30, according to board documents.
The school closed to students at the end of the 2023-24 school year in a decision by the Iowa City school board that was opposed by residents. It will save the district $1.66 million annually and preserve educational programs and staff as Iowa schools continue to face budget shortfalls.
Dubuque Street reopens after reconstruction project
Iowa City’s Dubuque Street has fully reopened to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic following months of construction that diverted traffic and impacted businesses. Iowa City began the project on the downtown street between Iowa Avenue and Washington Street in early March.
The project replaced sidewalks and the street on Dubuque Street, between Iowa Avenue and Washington Street. It also replaced the alley between Dubuque and Linn streets.
Public and private utility lines also were upgraded, including water mains and sanitary and storm sewers. The remainder of the project will include adding bike racks, planters, wayfinding kiosks and other elements.
Johnson County Auditor’s office announces early voting hours
Early voting will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Oct. 16 through Nov. 4. In Johnson County, voting will take place in the lobby of the Administration Building, 913 S Dubuque St., Iowa City. Drive-thru voting will take place in the Health and Human Services parking ramp, located at 855 S Dubuque St., Iowa City.
Evening and weekend early voting hours also will be available. They are as follows:
- Monday, Oct. 28 through Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27: Noon to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 2: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 3: Noon to 5 p.m.
Satellite voting location petitions are due Sept. 19. An official schedule will be announced later.
Iowa City, Coralville change taxi cab regulations
Iowa City is in the process of removing its color scheme requirement for taxi cab companies.
Under the current ordinance, each taxicab company is required to have its cars painted the same color. The amended ordinance would remove this requirement for the lone licensed taxicab company, Big Ten Taxicab, in Iowa City.
The change was requested by Dave Metzler, a longtime taxi driver and owner of Big Ten Taxicab. He told the city council earlier this summer that with only one taxicab company, the rule doesn’t make sense, and it’s costly for his business. The cost to repaint a vehicle would be about $2,000, Metzler said at the city council’s June 18 meeting.
Coralville recently reduced its number of required taxi cabdrivers per company from four to two. Big Ten Taxicab has two drivers.
Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Megan Woolard contributed.
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