Government Notes: NewBo expansion receives state grant

Earlier this month, NewBo City Market was awarded a Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board.

The CAT program provides financial assistance to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa.

The $500,000 award will be used to enhance the nearly 21,000-square-foot existing market and add nearly 9,000 square feet of new construction. The $2.5 million project will add a second floor, indoor stage, processing kitchen and recording studio, among other design updates.

The market, which marked its 12th anniversary this year, is a business incubator and a community gathering space, hosting cultural festivals such as Juneteenth and AsianFest. The market hosts about 300 events each year and draws approximately 500,000 visitors to the neighborhood. According to IEDA, the market expects to see a 20 percent increase in visitors per year.

In September, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley announced NewBo City Market had received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Those funds are part of a $6 million Next Level Local capital campaign that was announced earlier this year. Learn more about the campaign and the expansion at newbocitymarket.org/nextlevel.

The expansion is expected to open in the summer of 2025.

Linn County budget forum is Monday

The public is invited to the Linn County Board of Supervisors’ annual public budget forum on Monday at 5 p.m. The forum is an opportunity for residents to provide input as the county begins planning for its Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The forum will be held at the Linn County Public Service Center, 935 Second St. SW, in Cedar Rapids. It also will be streamed live and archived on Linn County's website.

Linn County’s budget will be developed over the next two and a half months during more than 20 public meetings between the Linn County Board of Supervisors, other Linn County elected officials, and department heads. Those meetings also are open to the public.

Each year, Linn County develops its budget according to the County’s financial policies and in alignment with Linn County’s strategic plan. The Board of Supervisors works to maintain a consistent levy rate to minimize any impact on taxpayers while addressing budget priorities and maintaining essential public services. Linn County officials, in a news release, said they are starting this year’s budget planning with no increases in operations other than contractual increases.

New state legislation, known as House File 718 and Senate File 2442, could affect the County’s budget again this coming year. The new legislation created four tiers for property valuation growth and corresponding reduction factors:

These growth percentages will be known in late December when property valuation becomes available.

Finance & Budget staff will present Linn County’s proposed FY26 budget to the Board of Supervisors following the budget meetings in November, December, and January. The Board of Supervisors will then consider the proposed budget and the public will have opportunities to comment during two public hearings in March and April before the final budget is certified in April.

A budget meeting calendar (PDF) for the entire FY26 budget process is available on Linn County’s website. The dates are subject to change. Fiscal year 2026 begins July 1, 2025, and ends June 30, 2026.

Cedar Rapids moves toward improvements to 42nd Street NE

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The Cedar Rapids City Council will hold a public hearing next month on improvements to a portion of 42nd Street NE.

The project includes the rehabilitation of 42nd Street, from Edgewood Road on the west, to Pine View Drive. The project also includes replacement of sidewalks, and a new sidewalk along Twin Pines Golf Course. Storm sewer and sanitary sewer improvements are included in the project, as are water main replacement.

The estimated cost of the project, which is part of the city’s Paving for Progress plan, is $5.1 million.

Construction is tentatively scheduled for 2025 and, according to council documents, would likely extend into 2026.

The replacement of another portion of 42nd Street — from Pine View Drive to Wenig Road — is a separate project that is scheduled to be bid in late 2025, with construction slated for 2026-27.

The public hearing will be held Dec. 3. Bids will be announced Dec. 18.

Marion residents invited to give feedback on city plan

Marion residents are invited to attend a public open house next month to learn more about the city’s comprehensive planning.

The City of Marion and RDG Planning and Design will host a public open house on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 4-5 p.m. at Marion City Hall, 1225 Sixth Ave., Marion. There will be no formal presentation, but information about the city’s comprehensive plan, “Marion 2025: A Plan to Reach New Heights” will be available.

Attendees will have an opportunity to share feedback about the plan. The public comment period will run through Jan. 31.

Find more information about the plan and opportunities to provide feedback at cityofmarion.org/CompPlan.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa City receive top scores in equality index

New Municipal Equality Index ratings were released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation this month. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City were among 130 cities in the U.S. that received perfect scores this year. Last year, five Iowa cities received scores of 100.

The Municipal Equality Index, produced by the Human Rights Campaign, examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

Nine Iowa cities were included in the index, which rates 506 municipalities of varying sizes drawn from every state. The average score of all cities in the index this year was 72, an increase of one point from last year. The Iowa cities’ average score this year was 93, which represented a decrease of 1 point from last year’s average Iowa score.

Last year, Davenport, Dubuque and West Des Moines also achieved scores of 100, but those cities’ scores slipped to 95, 92 and 97, respectively. Other cities rated in Iowa include Ames, Sioux City, Des Moines and Waterloo.

The report notes that despite the passage of “anti-equality legislation” in 2024, and legislators taking “a particular interest in undermining and preempting municipal efforts to support the LGBTQ+ community,” cities have built connections and supportive communities “regardless of the deep divisions that strain our state legislatures.”

The MEI provides a public snapshot of how committed a given city or town is to LGBTQ+ equality along with a comprehensive framework for mayors, councilors, and administrators nationwide, to safeguard the rights and well-being of LGBTQ+ residents and staff.

The full MEI scorecard can be found at hrc.org/resources/municipal-equality-index.

Iowa City fare free transit schedule/free parking for small biz Saturday

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This week, Iowa City will offer free parking on select days at downtown ramps and meters to promote traffic to small businesses in the downtown area. Additionally, due to the Thanksgiving holiday some transit service will be impacted.

The schedule is as follows:

Cedar Rapids schools hosts career fair

The Cedar Rapids Community School District last week held a career fair for current student teachers interested in starting their careers with the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

This was the first time the district hosted this event to “engage early with our student teachers” ahead of the next school year, Superintendent Tawana Grover said at a school board meeting last week.

The district hires up to 150 teachers each year.

The event is a strategy tied to the district’s three-year strategic plan approved in September 2023. The plan includes a goal of “energizing the staff,” and increasing staff retention by 10 percent by June 2027, and a 20 percent increase in the hiring of educators of color by June 2026.

Hiring more teachers of color will get the district closer to their goal of reflecting the diversity of the student body. About 40 percent of students in the district are students of color, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Grover said currently there are 31 student teachers in the district, but the career fair was open to any student teacher interested in learning more about Cedar Rapids schools. This included:

Last spring, the district held a similar event and seven teachers were hired on the spot, Grover said.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. The Gazette’s Megan Woolard, Grace King and Sara Konrad Baranowski contributed, as did Correspondent Dick Hogan.