The Iowa City Council is moving forward with plans to put a 1 percent local-option sales tax on the general election ballot this fall. If a majority of voters give their approval, the tax could raise as much as $8-10 million each year.
District 1 is one of five Cedar Rapids City Council seats up for election this fall. The window for candidates to file to run for office opens Aug. 25 and closes Sept. 18.
Also in Government Notes, the Hawkeye Area Labor Council announced it is endorsing the Cedar Rapids school bond that will go to voters in November.
Iowa City’s Burlington Street Bridge is crossed by nearly 19,000 vehicles each day. But it is deteriorating. A 2021 report described the structure as being in “poor” condition and “structurally deficient.” City leaders are working with the University of Iowa and Iowa DOT to plan for replacement of the structure, work that could begin by 2028 or 2029.
The City of Coralville is pausing a project that would have added two new baseball diamonds to the Coralville Youth Sports Park after construction bids came in higher than expected.
The action plan builds on findings from a recent survey of area music industry professionals.
Summer in the Square, a new community program, will offer weekly programming at downtown Cedar Rapids’ Greene Square. The schedule includes a mostly free mix of concerts, fitness classes, hands-on kids activities and more.
Also in this week’s Government Notes, I-380 ramps in Cedar Rapids will be closed overnight this week for work.
City staff say the proposal would address ongoing maintenance concerns and increase driver comprehension.
Thousands took to the streets in 2020 to push for racial justice and equity, but area activists say the work didn’t stop there.
Johnson County filed an injunction against Hawkeye Waste Systems to stop operating the business and its affiliated companies because none of the companies have workers’ comp insurance. The owner and managers were charged last month in the case following an investigation of an employee being crushed by a skid loader in 2024.
Board chair Brandy Z. Meisheid presented the annual State of the County address Thursday to highlight past success and future projects.
The Urbana City Council held a special meeting Monday to vote on whether to terminate the contract of Police Chief Josh Baker, who has been on paid leave for more than a year and has sued the city.
As summer weather is starting to arrive, the city of Cedar Rapids has brought back rental electric bikes and scooters to downtown streets for the seventh year in a row.
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