At a Waterloo City Council Finance Committee meeting, members approved travel requests for city staff, a slate of preauthorizations for equipment and repairs, two project budget amendments using hotel-motel funds and received bills for forwarding to the full council.

The approvals included travel for building, public works and fire personnel to conferences and training across Iowa, California and Wisconsin; preauthorizations ranged from elevator and roof repairs to audio upgrades at Young Arena and replacement refuse carts; and two $15,000 project budget amendments were approved to use hotel-motel funds to advertise the Cedar Valley Sportsplex and city golf courses.

Committee members led by Councilmember Foyce voted unanimously to approve the agenda and minutes, then approved the travel requests and the preauthorizations. Councilmember Nichols made the motions and Councilmember Charles seconded on several items, and all votes recorded in the meeting were in the affirmative.

Among the travel requests approved were:
- Scott Strader, chief plumbing inspector, to attend the IAPMO conference in Palm Springs, Calif., in September 2025, amount not to exceed $2,214.40.
- Sheila Stefan, public works coordinator, and Amber Chase, WMS administrative secretary, to attend the Iowa League of Cities annual conference in Des Moines in September 2025, amounts not to exceed $1,165 each.
- JD Van Dyke, lieutenant fire inspector, to attend the HSFSA Fire and Building Safety Conference in Des Moines in November 2025, amount not to exceed $575.
- Greg Allhelm, building official, and Brad Baldwin, property safety inspector, to attend the Fire Safety Association 2025 fall conference in Des Moines in November 2025, amounts not to exceed $628.98 and $556.58 respectively.
- Two fire personnel for first-responder peer support and chaplain training in Hiawatha, Iowa, on Sept. 10, 2025, amount not to exceed $302.96.
- Five fire personnel for a Pierce Fire Apparatus plant tour in Appleton, Wis., in September 2025, amount not to exceed $11.10 per person.
- Chris Youngblood, technology services director, to attend the Iowa League of Cities annual conference in Des Moines in September 2025, amount not to exceed $870.

The committee approved preauthorizations and purchases including:
- $9,230 for repair of the East Fifth Street parking ramp elevator (building maintenance).
- $6,300 for emergency repair to the Hazardous Materials Region trainer training center roof (building maintenance).
- $3,547 for emergency repair to a leaking window at City Hall.
- $3,277 for floor tile repair at the City Center for the Arts (building maintenance).
- $13,075 to replace a transmission (central garage, unit 410301).
- $6,215.52 for parts and labor to replace a damaged floor for unit 151815 (central garage).
- $18,119 for annual renewal of League of Cities memberships (clerk’s office).
- $9,975 for one year of Planet Capital Planning Software (finance department software renewal).
- $5,305 for mayor’s fun run shirts (leisure services).
- $15,000 for a TV advertising package and commercial for the golf courses with On Media using hotel-motel funds.
- $15,000 for a TV advertising package and commercial production for Cedar Valley Sportsplex with On Media using hotel-motel funds.
- $109,586.50 for audio controls, additional speakers and microphone upgrades at Young Arena.
- $37,359 for multipurpose room seamless flooring at the Cedar Valley Sportsplex.
- $3,450 for Cedar Valley Coalition dues (mayor’s office).
- $4,548.96 plus $5 premium handling for an HPE Aruba switch (MIS).
- $15,774.95 for police patrol car laptops.
- $41,236 for 793 95-gallon refuse carts, including $2,500 shipping and handling (sanitation).
- $8,972.24 plus $700 shipping and handling for a department grapple bucket.

Committee members also approved a budget amendment to increase miscellaneous revenue and computer software expense by $6,945 for planning department software renewals and purchases, as submitted by the planning department.

On bills, the committee received and filed payments for forwarding to the full council: $5,618,970.78 for Aug. 25, 2025, and $3,026,386.30 for Sept. 2, 2025; the committee voted to forward those bills to the full council for action.

The meeting contained little substantive debate on the items: motions were made, seconded and passed by voice vote with no recorded dissents. Members moved to adjourn once the listed business was complete.

Note: The article reports only what was included in the committee record and the meeting discussion. Where the meeting listed titles and amounts in motions, those are reported verbatim from the meeting record.