[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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],{"_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",6040067,"mediaKeyId","3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce","parentId",3765603,"title","City staff outlines proposed sign‑code changes; council debates enforcement priorities and digital signage","audioSeconds",2327,"startMs",3330000,"endMs",5657000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce&start=3330&end=5657","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce/thumbnail_3330000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6040067/Des-Moines/Polk-County/Iowa/City-staff-outlines-proposed-signcode-changes-council-debates-enforcement-priorities-and-digital-signage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6040067-1731b4cb835bd24b3181ef7612809138/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195040&Signature=QQ8GqhIfVLuqh2LFfdlut2fXXlZ1UsVAnQfvu8spgLHXk-wB8-sgma~-gt0Ekkn5DZZqa9eC9TS-FcDzT10gPJbNA9HOKgOLjHtaqf5tsTe5oFp60Mf0Mr9zdVlWPWaTpJQ0Uw68B09Dg-CqlqAb7HtrZcqlXoJyHS1zaGCmyb5OBjCPGBy8qs3Y5l6tWYUzaQO4Eduvvdd0dfi9lhPFHqT3J1eOf4AgsTjZCjO~XSFjy5Ok~o1p-pxXjOeSNWGomKa8tpPPk-uoHhpRyw7blWNNAC-p~IS5-6izeUG19r6tC7HacINZzRIYTFq1IygYfMiLjps~YcDUf9euTzCtIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Des Moines ","date","2025-04-21T00:00:00Z","article","City zoning staff presented proposed clarifications and amendments to the sign code during the April 21 Des Moines work session, and council members questioned enforcement priorities and the proposed treatment of electronic and window signage.

Eric Lundy, who led the presentation, told the council the proposed changes are intended to clarify enforcement, respond to market trends, and address ambiguity that has hampered consistent application of the ordinance. \"Part of that is the sign regulations that I'm gonna be talking about here,\" Lundy said. He noted the city’s current sign rules sit in two places: the zoning allowances in chapter 134 (what signage a property may earn) and permitting and structural requirements in chapter 26 (the building‑code permitting process). That split, he explained, has led to enforcement confusion.

Major elements Lundy described included:

- Permit clarity: Amend language so that a \"prohibited sign\" is one that requires a permit under chapter 26 but does not have one, rather than defining prohibited signs by whether they are allowed in the zoning allowances. Lundy said the previous wording created different interpretations among enforcement staff.

- Public‑interest signs: Add a flexible clause to the zoning code to allow certain informational or educational signage (for example, kiosks or trail wayfinding) that serves a public interest without being treated as commercial signage. Lundy gave an example of informational kiosks for Icon Trails used to warn pedestrians and cyclists.

- Electronic and illuminated signs: The update would clarify how electronic video displays and illuminated canopy/awning signs are treated. Lundy said the Board of Adjustment has routinely granted variances for illuminated canopy signs and that permitting language should reflect that practical market use.

- Variance standard and appeal process: Replace the very restrictive \"unnecessary hardship\" variance test for many sign appeals with a practical‑difficulty (type‑2) standard so the Board of Adjustment can evaluate character and proportionality without requiring a showing that strict hardship exists. Lundy said the change would not eliminate public hearings where controversy exists but would allow more practical relief when appropriate.

- Murals and window signs: The proposal would exclude artistic murals from being treated as signage while clarifying when painted or worded wall art crosses into commercial signage. Staff also recommended follow‑up work on window signage (bright LED displays, vaping‑shop neon) and on measurable limits for brightness and flashing.

Council members raised several topics during discussion: the frequency and prioritization of enforcement sweeps (some members urged shifting enforcement resources from corridor sign sweeps toward neighborhood issues such as parking, junk/debris, and front‑yard violations), whether large public event centers (the Iowa Events Center was discussed) should get administrative relief for digital displays versus a Board of Adjustment review, and how to deal with long‑standing nonconforming signs (whether existing pole signs would require replacement as monument signs if damaged).

Legal constraints framed some of the discussion: staff cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Reed v. Town of Gilbert when explaining that Washington‑area decisions require the city to regulate signs by physical characteristics rather than content; Lundy said the public‑interest clause aims to preserve flexibility without opening content‑based regulation.

Council members also raised concerns about LED brightness standards (the code currently references 75 lumens, which staff said may be too high), the practical difficulty of measuring lumen/brightness reliably for enforcement, and how to treat window displays that may be essentially advertising but are located inside storefront glass. Jim Hoff (council member) pointed to experience with window «glass tower» signage and suggested staff consider definitions that capture attention‑getting displays visible from the public right of way while preserving small, noncommercial window art.

Ending: Lundy said the revisions are part of a set hearing item (Item 31) on the zoning and design amendments; staff will return with draft ordinance language, technical measurements for lighting/brightness, and recommended enforcement procedures for council consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Des Moines Council Work Session 4-21-25","oneSentenceSummary","City zoning staff presented a package of proposed sign‑code clarifications at the April 21 work session; the changes would clarify permit thresholds, add a public‑interest allowance for informational kiosks and similar devices, adjust the variance standard, and address illuminated canopies and electronic displays.","taxTitle","Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa","taxId",4694,"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},6040072,"City audit: auditors expect unmodified opinion; ARPA and city hall purchase shape results",1092,2165000,3257000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce&start=2165&end=3257","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce/thumbnail_2165000.jpg","/articles/6040072/Des-Moines/Polk-County/Iowa/City-audit-auditors-expect-unmodified-opinion-ARPA-and-city-hall-purchase-shape-results","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6040072-68f1f5e4c5745cdfeb4107d7561ed7f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195040&Signature=d4RdQ-8Hs5g2ZTckFXFQdlVfvduUTLO9SK3O9h9hWS1S9-ZmjoWUFoscMFvhzs3~OBoFHS6ZmGzbBrTWLbIsTAVf~cyS5EBssEfspFXtd6L~u6hpGaq5Nid1r~dOplv~z3mhAn7R53e5OM6T-ep-IROgIwfMhGypRVrp5V0gmsfBpN9ieXZMCqNIpVvo18M8lo4tEzGe89otwQaz5iGTVBGpOU8pyALQpwBmBI5Dy2jnZ8xWCooVfZpWGgBcWXZ5bg0l8Qk3U5nGlyKPHECJYLJ0IoP1i9uHyOBdn1FaBjYM56V8MNz-oasB-jKS-JHQcfDcsJTFzIZn6GrGFw1a6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Aaron Calderon, audit manager with RSM, presented preliminary results of the City of Des Moines’ fiscal 2024 annual financial statement audit during the April 21 work session. The audit was not yet officially issued at the time of the presentation; Calderon said the firm expected to finalize and issue the report at the end of the week or early the next week.

Calderon told council members RSM expects to issue an unmodified opinion — commonly called a clean opinion — indicating the audited financial statements are, in his view, materially correct. \"At this time, we expect to issue what is called an unmodified opinion. That's another term for a clean opinion,\" Calderon said.

Key audit highlights Calderon shared included:

- No audit adjustments: RSM recorded no audit adjustments to the financial statements and said the numbers management provided were consistent with what the auditors tested.

- Revenues: Total governmental fund revenues decreased by about $30 million year‑over‑year (roughly a 6% decline). Calderon said the largest intergovernmental decrease — approximately $20 million — reflected the spend‑down of pandemic relief funds (ARPA). Tax collections also were down about $7.5 million.

- Expenditures: Total expenditures increased roughly $47 million (about 10%). The largest driver was a $27 million increase in capital outlay tied to the city's purchase of the new city hall; without that purchase, overall expenditures would have slightly decreased year over year.

- Fund balance: The city's unrestricted general fund balance equated to about 161 days of operations at year end, a decline from the prior year but a material improvement relative to earlier years and an indicator of operational resilience.

- Business‑type funds: Operating income for enterprise funds rose by about $7 million (near 20%), with sewer and stormwater funds contributing materially to the increase, driven mainly by higher usage.

Calderon also identified a small number of uncorrected misstatements RSM reported to the council: an accounts payable cutoff issue related to the MHA (about $10,000 recorded, projected to $45,000 in RSM’s sample projection) and an item the auditor described as an excess interest liability related to bond proceeds (approximately $1.7 million) that had been disclosed in the financial statements and requires return to the federal government under applicable rules. Calderon emphasized these items had been disclosed and that the audit engagement had yielded no disagreements with management or reportable audit difficulties.

On compliance work tied to federal funds, Calderon said RSM performed required single‑audit procedures on three major programs — COVID‑related programs, highway planning grants, and Community Development Block Grants — which together represented about 83% of federal funding the city received during the year. The auditors reported no compliance findings and no material weaknesses in internal control under government auditing standards.

Calderon also described recent accounting standard developments and key estimates in the financials that auditors scrutinize, including investment fair‑value measurements, allowance for doubtful accounts, useful lives of capital assets, self‑insurance liabilities, and pension/OPEB actuarial valuations.

Ending: Calderon said the audit would be finalized soon and that if anything changed in the final issued report the firm would notify the council in writing; RSM’s preliminary view was a clean set of financial statements with no reportable internal control deficiencies.","Aaron Calderon, audit manager with RSM, told the Des Moines City Council at its April 21 work session that auditors expect to issue an unmodified (clean) opinion on the city's fiscal 2024 financial statements, noting no audit adjustments and no material control weaknesses.",{"_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},6040077,"Invest DSM reports record 2024 activity, expands to two more special investment districts",2043,106000,2149000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce&start=106&end=2149","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3765603-d4bc33007df6ff2ce0e4bf3d4cb8abce/thumbnail_106000.jpg","/articles/6040077/Des-Moines/Polk-County/Iowa/Invest-DSM-reports-record-2024-activity-expands-to-two-more-special-investment-districts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6040077-6faa3f673f63c88676f45b196566f5e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195040&Signature=kXJPQv5F2z8m~a0nDAkozVxH65ka9fFCbKC425eM2CcL9UP0XMTl7yNbj24yN1-YeuJ4bHGHRalZ3KZk9HRnm9ZvKt5NiKWZPgkQfULDDI3~VfGfXiFkqGUXn-ozskG6zg1TSJk0J4jFE~GLqPQCVgo1hlDTB-cTbX0BOuEVTXbnNBX5gKxdf6PLmQlU3cQYMDEryCQ6j08qyMHrHgePubb6YxJzAHty64t6uGOyESSfGo0ouAJzKa9uJnVT8ua2Z8RXs4V857m9JiXV5SMXb5DTsXn14huUmMGotTXzV7hHrAU-2iP4TnglfcOwzOb8mZXMhA1rc0WsABwV~fy2sA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Amber Lynch, executive director of Invest DSM, updated the Des Moines City Council and Polk County representatives at the April 21 work session on the nonprofit’s 2024 activity and near-term plans.

\"2024 was maybe our, I think definitely our biggest year yet,\" Lynch said as she summarized grant and redevelopment work across Invest DSM’s neighborhoods. Lynch reminded the council that Invest DSM was formed in 2019 by a joint resolution of the Des Moines City Council and the Polk County Board of Supervisors to focus on “middle market” neighborhood stabilization.

The organization has grown to a staff of eight and added a part‑time chief financial officer to manage rising transactional complexity, Lynch said. Invest DSM reported it completed 338 grant‑funded projects in 2024 and said those projects catalyzed roughly $30 million of private and public investment during the year. Since the program began in 2020, Invest DSM said it has completed more than 1,300 projects across its original four districts, prompting about $76 million in assessed‑value investment.

Most work, Lynch said, serves existing homeowners: she reported that about 93% of the organization’s grant projects since 2020 have been homeowner renovations rather than developer‑led work. Invest DSM said its homeowner programs typically cost‑share projects on an approximately 1:2 ratio (Invest DSM : owner), while commercial and single‑family developer programs involve larger owner investments and smaller Invest DSM subsidies.

Lynch described development and rehab projects underway or planned in multiple neighborhoods: completion of several substantial rehabs in the Drake neighborhood, a sold rehab in Franklin, infill new‑construction parcels in Columbus Park, and a planned 24‑unit condominium project at 125 Kingman Boulevard being advanced with Home Inc. and the Cutlers. Lynch said Invest DSM bought a half‑block east of Drake Park that contains 11 residential structures; staff plan to start rehabilitation on at least three of those homes this spring. The organization also purchased the former Northwestern Hospital site at 40 Eighth and Franklin from NDC in late 2024 and plans renewed neighborhood visioning for that site.

Lynch said Invest DSM has broadened its footprint: \"we've now gone from our original 4 areas up to 6 neighborhoods that we will be serving.\" She said the organization completed planning for two additional special investment districts and will open homeowner grant programs in those districts on May 1; other non‑homeowner grant lines are likely to open later (Lynch indicated the staff expectation of a January opening in the next calendar year).

On pipeline and demand, Lynch told the council Invest DSM ran roughly 730 grants through its process last year when counting projects in application, under construction, or completed, and that at the time of the presentation there were about 150 homeowner projects signed and under construction plus another 250 names on a waiting list. Lynch said Invest DSM had already completed another 60 homeowner renovation projects so far in the current year.

Lynch also described Invest DSM’s redevelopment strategy for sites that require acquisition and holding until financing or market conditions allow redevelopment. Examples cited included the Kingman Boulevard condo project, the half‑block near Drake Park, and design work on historic commercial buildings in Columbus Park. She said the Highland Park Flats, a two‑story, 12‑unit project, had a developer agreement recently approved by council and that the developer would exercise an option to purchase later in the spring.

On measurable outcomes, Lynch shared preliminary assessment data showing that average assessed values in Invest DSM’s four original special investment districts had outperformed comparable city neighborhoods in dollar change and percent change between 2019 and 2025, with Franklin as an exception in percent change because its starting assessment base was higher. Lynch emphasized the results as an early, limited indicator and cautioned against treating assessment changes as the only measure of impact.

Council members who spoke during the discussion praised the program’s focus on homeowners and neighborhoods while urging continued communication about the mix of low‑cost homeowner grants and the fewer, higher‑cost infill projects. One council member noted that homeowner renovation grants averaged about $12,000 while single‑family developer subsidies could approach $90,000 on a per‑project basis, and encouraged clearer public messaging about scale and beneficiaries.

Lynch closed by describing administrative improvements: Invest DSM has begun implementing a custom database to manage thousands of project records, earned two awards from the Iowa chapter of the American Planning Association, and completed an audit cycle with no outstanding issues.

Invest DSM plans neighborhood launch projects for the two new special districts, to open homeowner programs there starting May 1, and to phase other grant lines later to allow staff capacity for homeowner demand.

Ending: Lynch said staff will continue to refine program roll‑out, provide the council with updated slides (she offered to share one revised slide with the city clerk), and return with further implementation details as projects move from design into construction.

","Amber Lynch, executive director of Invest DSM, told the Des Moines City Council at its April 21 work session that the nonprofit completed its largest year of grant activity in 2024, expanded service areas from four to six special investment districts, and is moving dozens of rehab and infill projects toward construction in 2025.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff outlines proposed sign‑code changes; council debates enforcement priorities and digital signage

City audit: auditors expect unmodified opinion; ARPA and city hall purchase shape results

Invest DSM reports record 2024 activity, expands to two more special investment districts