Government Notes: Schools ask voters to consider capital project fund in special election Tuesday

Eastern Iowa school districts are asking voters to consider approving a capital project fund in a special election March 5, that would create revenue for the purchase and improvements of grounds, construction and remodeling of buildings and major equipment purchases.

The fund — called the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) — is funded by property taxes levied and collected by the school district.

Linn-Mar, Marion Independent and Benton school districts are asking voters Tuesday to consider approving PPEL, which school leaders say is integral to maintaining facilities and purchasing vehicles and technology.

Polls are open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday. Polling places can be found online at iowaauditors.org/elections/voter_information. Because this is a special election, polling places may be different from a general election.

A voted PPEL must be approved by a community’s voters every 10 years.

Linn-Mar and Marion school districts have had the funds in place for more than a decade. If the measures are approved, PPEL would be extended through 2035 at the existing rate of $1.34 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

Benton’s previous voter-approved PPEL for the district expired in 2010.

“Our school district at the time was being fiscally responsible to taxpayers, and we didn’t have any major projects planned at the time, so they let it expire,” said Benton Superintendent James Biescke.

C.R. Council advances rezoning for Hawkeye Downs

  Buy Photo

The Cedar Rapids City Council last week unanimously advanced a request from local auto salvage company Sunline to rezone 43 acres at 4400 Sixth St. SW from General Industrial to Light Industrial with a Planned Unit Development Overlay, which would accommodate multiple uses — including possible commercial uses — as Hawkeye Downs looks to build a new expo center.

This allows a car racing center, convention hall, outdoor storage, contractors’ shops, indoor and outdoor amusement and a fuel station for the racetrack. Potential future uses include a hotel or motel.

“It’s really nice to see someone step up and take care of that property,” council member Ann Poe said. “It can be and I think it has a vision to be a real asset to our community.”

Last fall, Sunline cleaned out its property on Sixth Street SW to make way for the property’s sale to Copart, an insurance auto auction. Roger Cassill, owner of Hawkeye Downs and Sunline, previously told The Gazette that Copart bought the land to use it as one of its major locations in the Midwest. Copart currently has Iowa locations in Des Moines and Davenport.

The council last year approved rezoning Hawkeye Downs from light industrial to general industrial district to allow for a salvage yard to store the cars from the old Sunline property. A conditional use allowed for a modified proposal to locate the salvage yard and related operations on the western portion of the site, behind existing structures, instead of its initially proposed location on the east end of the property along Sixth Street SW.

C.R. Parks and Recreation opens registration for summer programs

  Buy Photo

Registration is now open for Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation summer programs and camps.

The department’s summer program guide, Play CR, is available online at www.crrec.org and will be mailed to residents beginning Monday inside the city’s Our CR magazine. Play CR includes approximately 600 programs that run from April through August, as well as pool schedules, golf information and lessons, summer camps, park information and more.

Summer programs include activities for all ages at Northwest Recreation Center, Old MacDonald’s Farm and Ushers Ferry Historic Village; sports; swim lessons; and lifeguard certification classes.

New offerings include camps at Ushers Ferry, Master Gardener Mini Camps, ISU Extension Mini Camps, Snapology STEAM Summer Camps, dance classes with Faythe Kubik and pickleball leagues and clinics. There also are events such as special days at the pools, Summer Movie Free-for-All, Bubble Mania at Old MacDonald’s Farm and Freedom Festival Family Tour Day at Ushers Ferry.

To register, go online; in person at Northwest Recreation Center, 1340 11th St. NW, or City Services Center, 500 15th Ave. SW; or by phone at 319-286-5566. Operating hours at the Northwest Recreation Center are weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the City Services Center.

New summer season pool passes are available this year to grant admission to any water exercise class, or age-appropriate open, family, lap or adult swim. Early bird discounts are available for passes purchased on or before May 18. New season passes and punch passes can be purchased, and 2023 passes can be renewed online.

Passes also may also be purchased at the Parks & Recreation Office at City Services Center, the Northwest Recreation Center, or at the outdoor pools when they open. Pool schedules and more information are available at www.crrec.org.

A low-income assistance program, RecAssist, is available for those with financial need. The program offers a discount on swim passes and recreation programs to those who qualify. Learn more and apply at CityofCR.com/RecAssist.

Linn County earns budget award for 28th consecutive year

Linn County has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its fiscal year 2024 budget presentation spanning the budget year that ends June 30.

This is the 28th year in a row that Linn County has received the award that reflects the county’s commitment to exceeding the highest principles of governmental budgeting through responsible financial management, according to a news release.

Award recipients had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines assess how well a government’s budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and a communications device.

Members of the association’s professional staff and outside reviewers with experience in public sector budgeting review budget documents submitted to the awards program. A document must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

According to the association, award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

Each year, Linn County holds more than 20 public meetings when developing its budget. The Linn County Board of Supervisors adopts the final budget. Linn County’s budget documents are available at LinnCountyIowa.gov.

Iowa City school board approves potential makeup snow day

The Iowa City school board last week approved adjusting the 2023-24 school calendar to make April 19 an in-person school makeup day if needed.

As of now, April 19 is a no-school day. Currently, the district’s last day of school is June 5.

Last month, the school board in a 5-1 vote gave school administrators the authority to schedule up to five virtual learning days, as allowed by Iowa law when in-person learning is not possible. School board member Mitch Lingo voted no; board member Molly Abraham was not at the meeting.

School board members said virtual learning should be a “last resort.”

The district’s calendar builds in about 6.5 days to provide days to make up snow days. As of Friday there were only 2.5 hours remained of that built-in time.

The state requires Iowa school districts to provide 180 school days, or 1,080 hours of instruction, each year.

Iowa City announces retirement of animal services coordinator

Iowa City Animal Services Coordinator Chris Whitmore retired from her position Friday, after more than 30 years with the City. Whitmore was hired as an animal service officer in 1993, and promoted to coordinator in 2018.

In a news release about her retirement, the city said Whitmore has been “highly regarded for her work ethic, professionalism and passion for providing high quality and humane animal care and enforcement.”

With the announcement about Whitmore’s retirement, the city also announced Animal Service Officer Devon Strief's promotion to animal services coordinator. Strief will oversee the city's animal services enforcement staff, as well as daily operations for the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, 3910 Napoleon Lane. Strief was hired as a kennel assistant in March 2020 and as an animal service officer in April 2021.

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