[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6070940,"mediaKeyId","3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e","parentId",3048900,"title","Economic development department seeks staff for TIF oversight as housing and Central Avenue projects advance","audioSeconds",1661,"startMs",5472000,"endMs",7133000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e&start=5472&end=7133","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e/thumbnail_5472000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6070940/Dubuque-City/Dubuque-County/Iowa/Economic-development-department-seeks-staff-for-TIF-oversight-as-housing-and-Central-Avenue-projects-advance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6070940-ad7fe9799ee616d5f58493ba8bc30abf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195573&Signature=ZG9ntTim~xeHG8D87XEBep4fGWIprMGFiaNGBhBkrK8CXLVbYD5ygoXQzfViyRa0TZbupuIzLXFp7-51gtiLu7wFB8VuTxVyG~K08YZun65kkgwo3idiLwujasvmFKnPFPHqsc-LFVmBOqipkYV6RbOV1dCVyTtuE7hjQNif0dIuJZ3OaZ15xGXSPFrAYWhYpk-6JNCz-VHBrhlLsm4fwbZ9A2Klo7xK6stHB2-J5fRIq0ecae0HLTEZOWxjjblXRPXhod84gifX90eo2y--vPBhPdj2kcucwcicCAUNhVpv823i2kX1dXy57hc66G1Knqn9UnT7EtRZ~K5i3FYUtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Dubuque Government","date","2025-04-09T00:00:00Z","article","Jill Grover (presenting as economic development director) and Ian Hatch summarized the Economic Development Department’s FY26 work, highlighting housing production, small business grant programs, childcare initiatives and downtown revitalization efforts.

Grover explained the city uses tax increment financing (TIF) extensively to leverage private investment and cited figures showing $154 million in public investment generating roughly $1.1 billion in private investment over 30 years of TIF projects. She described recent development agreements that produced 158 new rental units and that the department had entered 15 development agreements and one grant agreement in the past year.

Staff highlighted a number of priorities: continuing downtown housing creation through the Greater Downtown Housing Creation Grant; a Central Avenue corridor revitalization focusing on housing and storefront rehabilitation with coordinated stakeholder support (public improvements, beautification, security and communications); and support for childcare capacity and workforce development, including the Bright Minds learning campus expansion (phase 2 beginning soon). Greater Dubuque Development Corporation and Dubuque Initiatives were described as prominent local partners for financing and loans for small business and childcare projects.

Grover and Ian Hatch proposed a new full‑time “financial project specialist” position to provide day‑to‑day oversight of TIF agreements, ensure compliance, produce financial projections, and coordinate among economic development, finance and planning. City CFO Jennifer Larson told council she supports the position and noted much of TIF accounting work currently falls to financial staff. Council members asked about legislative risk to the TIF tool (pending state proposals discussed in session); City Manager Mike Van Milligen said the council would have certainty about any legislative change before July 1 and that, if state law changed significantly, the city would return with budget amendments and options.

Other items: staff reported about 2,400 housing units in some stage of development across the city, summarized a small‑business support grant program and a new follow‑up program for past grantees, and described a proposed alley‑lighting CIP for Central Avenue. Council discussion included requests for clarity about financing sources for alley lighting and concerns about ensuring private partners and businesses share responsibility for corridor marketing and beautification.

No formal votes were taken on the TIF oversight position during the hearing; councilmembers discussed the proposal and asked staff to return with details as the FY26 budget is finalized.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Dubuque FY 2026 Budget Meeting #3 | April 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Economic development staff told the council they are pursuing housing creation, childcare expansion and downtown revitalization and recommended adding a full‑time position to manage an expanding portfolio of TIF agreements.","taxTitle","Dubuque City, Dubuque County, Iowa","taxId",4967,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6070945,"Planning staff outline Unified Development Code rewrite and new historic preservation authority",1410,3768000,5178000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e&start=3768&end=5178","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e/thumbnail_3768000.jpg","/articles/6070945/Dubuque-City/Dubuque-County/Iowa/Planning-staff-outline-Unified-Development-Code-rewrite-and-new-historic-preservation-authority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6070945-ce893cbfabb85220ef8193b682cb5f1a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195573&Signature=dcleZnaorpWdZYm-6NTtxA2EUMwMzmTM-EdGOUqFbIJo9Vxp1mA9igQb-Zgzh-Sh3Deit3Q7yU7nAAA1plp6jQnyUPnUIumbqILlldeiz7HoZYoAG~Kde2SH~h00N6UniJu~aL6XjuwUG3ZGl8a7cTe~JbkBwtvdADuloecNe2QZlhW6xkpSMuxiNwv2mRBBBV2AjD52lKMqbdo-MrWa--WePDWOuY38NJW8uOfB2ftk9ggSgPAPPuEtcQfVFbm5NO9POH3DxbHngn6cKyMuisb7qRdqOM4OLOBoQ73SuMHhHavSHk1JRml6n4i08vl-EdLa8phjNhllwacll7~whw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Wally Wehrmacht, planning services manager, presented the Planning Department’s FY26 budget and a summary of ongoing work on the city’s comprehensive plan, development review, zoning and historic preservation.

Wehrmacht described the city’s role in administering Imagine Dubuque (the comprehensive plan) and noted the planning department supports 28 appointed volunteers across boards and commissions. He outlined development review activity (34 site plans in FY24) and large projects in the pipeline, including mixed‑use and multifamily developments. He said the city maintains a register of roughly 6,000 inventoried properties in historic and downtown neighborhoods and reported about $10.4 million of investment in those neighborhoods in FY24.

Wehrmacht described a multi‑phase Unified Development Code (UDC) rewrite being carried out with consultant Camiros. He said outreach included a public survey (264 responses), a technical survey and stakeholder meetings, and that the process will culminate in a technical report to the Zoning Advisory Commission and city council; the overall contract is scheduled to conclude around March 2026. Councilmembers were told there will be multiple opportunities for public input and at least one future council work session on the UDC.

On historic preservation, Wehrmacht announced the city had obtained a programmatic agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office that allows qualified city staff to conduct Section 106 reviews on behalf of HUD and other federal programs. He said the agreement recognizes city staff qualifications and is intended to reduce review time for federally supported projects (for example housing rehabilitation and infrastructure projects that trigger Section 106 review).

Council members praised the department’s customer service scores and volunteer engagement and thanked staff for managing a wide array of land‑use and preservation tasks with a relatively small staff. Wehrmacht also requested minor fee adjustments and listed a small requested capital item (helmets/locks for the Safe Routes to School program). The council had no public input on the planning budget and no formal action was taken at the hearing.","Planning Services presented the department’s FY26 budget, described a year‑long unified development code update with public outreach and announced a programmatic agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office to streamline Section 106 reviews for federally funded projects.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6070950,"Council hears overview of purchase‑of‑services grants; no budget change proposed",686,3129000,3815000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e&start=3129&end=3815","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e/thumbnail_3129000.jpg","/articles/6070950/Dubuque-City/Dubuque-County/Iowa/Council-hears-overview-of-purchaseofservices-grants-no-budget-change-proposed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6070950-323d439e95348a67003256b9d2ee0f61/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195573&Signature=FXlrRUI-aim1k1rnmc~j2vkxlkYCOcsDE-pIsx9vzdGd8JsStAM-ysAtGqRQEQtqtB6nMeStqup09wIL442mqG3QClVGOlRtL5jpeoNR3g6iNoReL9yquoltt65u0B5a3t2-8Nv1CEz~3T6Jf70qi-dZY8T2Or8-3u6pIU~WNk-laxL3SyBXqyp2RiUNLAxXjeCogTltfr9Qj1roZmvY9WDn~lbXd7sx0RqlXPZvJWz6ZfTOKIVWzrM~8VI6Cg~upEwsNGJMQ8fRxl4UnJW0ljqWrowmAdpzPZ49A3cT48HsEwJWU1iZTT~~-z8DLutJaZIDxfI0zMWOIXrhvhvB9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Corey Burback, assistant city manager, presented the city’s purchase‑of‑services program, explaining the program’s role as one of three funding streams the city uses to support nonprofits. He said purchase‑of‑services grants are intended to pay for work nonprofits do that the city does not normally provide and that services must be delivered within Dubuque city limits and primarily benefit low‑ and moderate‑income households.

Burback told the council the FY26 manager’s recommendation includes no change to the $100,000 general‑fund allocation for purchase‑of‑services grants. He said some past years used Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for similar awards but recommended no CDBG dollars be redirected into the purchase‑of‑services pot for FY26 because CDBG funds are needed for other projects and small CDBG awards can trigger complex federal reporting requirements that can be challenging for small nonprofits.

Burback reviewed the typical competition process: the city allocates the total bucket in the budget; nonprofits apply in a spring competition; the Community Development Advisory Commission reviews applications and sends recommendations to council for final approval; and awarded organizations submit quarterly reports to the Housing and Community Development Department. He emphasized that faith‑based groups are eligible provided their proposals align with city priorities and that funds must be used inside city boundaries.

The presentation also summarized contracted services — a separate and larger pool of funding administered within individual departments — that together with purchase‑of‑services and other grants make up the city’s nonprofit investments. Burback gave a consolidated contracted‑services total of $3,567,460 (FY26 recommendation) covering partners such as the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Dubuque Main Street and others; those contracts are managed in the departments that receive the services.

Council asked clarifying questions. Mayor Cavanagh asked why no CDBG funds were included this year; Burback repeated that competing priorities and CDBG administrative requirements led to the recommendation. Councilmember Jill Farber asked about a $26,500 item listed as “True North” in the packet; staff explained “True North” is an older program name and the contract funds are being used for strategic initiatives such as housing and childcare through the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation (formerly using the True North brand). City staff said contract details will be brought forward with the department contracts in July.","City staff described the purchase‑of‑services grant program and related contracted services that total roughly $3.567 million; the FY26 recommendation holds purchase‑of‑services funding at $100,000 and does not add CDBG funds for these awards.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6070954,"Dubuque council holds $10,000 airport advertising request for targeted review",1040,120000,1160000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e&start=120&end=1160","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e/thumbnail_120000.jpg","/articles/6070954/Dubuque-City/Dubuque-County/Iowa/Dubuque-council-holds-10000-airport-advertising-request-for-targeted-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6070954-fe9c98ae0df562f68b2980cc59d0fd2e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195573&Signature=BcpEkXzeZ3qYaPPej8QF89RKXfkpy8tzeBIgpxCvM~SYpPxQf9IUmGc0SMftXFAf2nRopaeFg~t6ar5is5jkbK93QTscEyT0kzHXU83mmllkSuakljJP~lOs-LDzKwuCQkVQ68gPwmfj-1cnxmEJFrTpE4mg1MVdgQ~hT-V2gmN9twYjOMhkcWOKUejvkW3BRSjUdAmctVTH8RsO5h75wsb7LsW-B860ISAuCrs0ErYI7gCN1hNBS4WWifdHfkIJPJ3lSGm5I7A0tJ-JKiiWHfsCzJDZ3OjSYWhWsEy~wMNFBBSJyJy8g-Ln0Jl3yHqDYqHZn54Qbj92btIHYNi0sQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Todd Dalsing, director of Dubuque Regional Airport, presented the airport’s fiscal year 2026 budget and capital plan on April 8, describing federal relief and grant funding, runway and apron projects, and recent progress restoring daily scheduled commercial service.

Dalsing said federal relief awards totaling “just over $3,300,000” have supported debt service and operations and that a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant added “just over $1,400,000.” He reviewed a multi‑year master plan adopted by the council in 2021 and described FY26 projects that include continuation of Taxiway Alpha reconstruction, a general aviation apron rehabilitation and terminal security work. He also highlighted enrollment growth at the University of Dubuque aviation program and the airport’s ongoing partnership with Dubuque Air to restore and expand commercial air service.

During the council discussion, councilmembers focused on a recommended FY26 improvement package that included an additional $10,000 for non‑airline advertising. Mayor Brad Cavanagh led the exchange by noting the city’s top priority of restoring and sustaining commercial air service and by asking whether the additional $10,000 could be redirected to commercial advertising. Dalsing and Randy Gale, the city’s public information officer, explained the airport already expects a $60,000 advertising budget for commercial air service comprised of a state air service development grant ($48,000) plus a local match. Gale said the city, DBQ Air and other partners have adjusted advertising weekly since service began in fall 2024, and that combined local and partner spending for FY25 “will have spent nearly a hundred and $60,000 total in marketing for air service this fiscal year.”

Councilmembers asked for clearer detail on how a supplemental $10,000 would be spent and for a plan showing measurable outcomes. Councilmember Ryan Resnick asked the airport to provide options (for example, digital geofencing around competing airports, billboard placement, or ticket incentives) and to include metrics for tracking effectiveness. Jennifer Larson, chief financial officer, cautioned that airport staff had purchased some equipment using FY26 funds already and that any reallocation of savings would require accounting for actual purchase costs.

Following discussion, Mayor Cavanagh proposed holding the $10,000 request for separate consideration and directing staff to return with a proposed spending plan that would prioritize commercial air service advertising and include measurement metrics. Councilmembers expressed support for the hold and the request for a detailed plan; the mayor reported a count of four members in support and the item was set aside for the next meeting so staff and the communications office could prepare that plan.

Dalsing’s presentation also reviewed airport operations and partnerships: the airport’s tenant businesses, recent events and outreach, the airport commission membership, and the DBQ Air coalition’s work to restore daily service with Denver Air Connection (service resumed November 4, 2024). Dalsing said Denver Air initially provided afternoon service into Chicago with interline agreements and was exploring direct Denver flights. He also reviewed FY25 performance measures for fuel sales, based aircraft (92) and operations (just over 80,000 per year), and described planned terminal and airfield projects with federal/state cost shares.

The council did not take a final funding vote on the $10,000 during the session; instead it held the request pending a targeted plan from airport staff and the communications office.","Council members agreed to hold a $10,000 budget request from Dubuque Regional Airport for a separate discussion and asked staff for a targeted marketing plan focused on commercial air service. Airport staff outlined federal grants, capital projects and improvements tied to restoring daily scheduled service.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6070935,"Finance department outlines ERP transition, utility billing improvements and risk management initiatives",3048,7569000,10617000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e&start=7569&end=10617","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3048900-9b26fd6e9fc4bc033450fd69e75b433e/thumbnail_7569000.jpg","/articles/6070935/Dubuque-City/Dubuque-County/Iowa/Finance-department-outlines-ERP-transition-utility-billing-improvements-and-risk-management-initiatives","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6070935-20b2a0f706176039382738b8b9e60d17/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195573&Signature=amLxGm7yOvh7xSA4t6xNEE3aLpRS5MPCO87-usfib7SZ8kMMkgpBGL2BEARMHCGqnWQnPB40QSSE2pHBeH6BQFcUBJOCxYQZshKD559naRY7WtVLnOlAyg4NsAGe7Iu4JJPmT53QxoQNGpWymdSi5Wj0rXJWBZihIFbaZGfzt5oh2JVGRNdgm8hnyf5PcMIGYGus4NCQq6Jn3G2qDCAWzS0Dx-4dyULxxMqGqo9zjfJ3A2ETGpQXXvgPUQQk0n9~qSAtAYHyphi48v41wdAsAY4Xpg6laPxafK41Mac2AHyJjtvsoKkfRyrxaaHrhhUkODO9aRkL0zv8EDehAKbQQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jennifer Larson, chief financial officer, presented the Finance Department’s FY26 budget and highlighted recent accomplishments including completion of a city‑wide rollout of an enterprise payroll and time collection system, progress on implementing Tyler Munis budget and accounting modules, and completion of the FY24 audit engagement.

Larson said the department has added and reorganized several positions to support ERP go‑live, payroll processing and budget planning, and described a multi‑year effort to migrate salary budget preparation into the Tyler system. She reported that pooled investment earnings to date totaled about $4.8 million and that Moody’s affirmed the city’s AA2 general obligation rating in January 2025.

On utility billing, supervisor Chris Valle reported increased customer adoption of online services: more than half of customers now use the portal and autopay enrollment rose to about 40%. Valle described the new Community Impact Service program (launched January) that has helped pay more than $4,500 in past‑due utility balances and noted the department’s interest in expanded outreach and an on‑site or off‑site bilingual payment kiosk for after‑hours cash payments.

Purchasing and risk manager Tony Breitbach reviewed procurement automation, an automated vendor setup to reduce fraud risk, planned e‑procurement implementation and safety committee work. He said the city has instituted incident review and safety audit teams and is moving to an electronic safety audit process to make follow‑up faster. Breitbach described a recent comprehensive review of safety policies and said future work will explore risk‑management software to better track property and certificate‑of‑insurance data.

Council members praised staff for the ERP implementation and audit turnaround. Larson said FY26 budget requests include a recommended bilingual self‑service payment kiosk (one‑time $40,000; recurring software maintenance $8,000, funded by enterprise funds). Council asked several technical questions about earned interest, staffing changes and how the kiosk would be deployed and maintained; staff said details would be provided as the FY26 budget process proceeds.","Finance staff described completion of an ERP (Tyler) rollout, steps to improve payroll and budget processes, a proposed bilingual self‑service payment kiosk and ongoing safety and risk management work; staff noted strong reserve levels and affirmed recent audit completion.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Economic development department seeks staff for TIF oversight as housing and Central Avenue projects advance

Planning staff outline Unified Development Code rewrite and new historic preservation authority

Council hears overview of purchase‑of‑services grants; no budget change proposed

Dubuque council holds $10,000 airport advertising request for targeted review

Finance department outlines ERP transition, utility billing improvements and risk management initiatives