Iowa City-area officials reinforce support for local money going to passenger rail

IOWA CITY – Elected officials in Iowa City, Coralville and Johnson County say they are willing to spend local tax dollars to help support Iowa City-to-Chicago passenger rail service.

The communities had recently indicated they'd be willing to put local funds toward Amtrak service in Iowa City, but they formalized that in a March 11 letter to Nancy Richardson, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

In the letter, released Thursday, Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, Coralville Mayor Jim Fausett and Johnson County Board of Supervisors Chairman Pat Harney listed a variety of potential sources for the local money. Those include tax increment financing, parking fee surcharges, local-option sales tax funds and possibly hotel/motel tax money.

“The local governments in Johnson County have provided many letters of support over the past year for this project as it will have a great impact on the Iowa City/Johnson County area and, we believe, the State,” they wrote in the letter.

The federal government has awarded $230 million to establish Iowa City-Chicago passenger rail service in 2015. It would pass through the Quad Cities, and there's talk of eventually extending it to Des Moines and having a route to Dubuque.

Gov. Terry Branstad has said he does not support picking up Iowa's share of operating costs, estimated at $3 million annually.

City officials met last month to discuss a plan with officials from the Iowa Department of Transportation, Amtrak and Illinois on the possibility of local governments picking up part of that tab.

A plan being circulated calls for local governments to contribute $1.5 million annually, with the Iowa City area down for $354,690. Linn County's share is $190,103, Scott County $447,757 and Polk County $387,576.

Another meeting is expected to be held later this month to hammer out more of the details.