Waterloo finance committee approves travel requests, pre-authorizations and multiple budget amendments

The Waterloo City Council Finance Committee approved staff travel requests, a series of pre-authorizations for equipment and programs, and multiple budget amendments at a finance committee meeting. Committee members voted by voice to carry the motions and forwarded the bills and payments to the full council for final action.

The committee approved a project budget for an EPA Brownfields multipurpose grant in the amount of $1,000,000 to fund testing and abatement at multiple sites, as submitted by planning and zoning. The committee also approved a budget amendment to increase revenue transfers and cash-on-hand revenue lines and corresponding engineering and backbone expense lines by $20,000,000 to cover additional ARPA dollars for the backbone fiber project, as submitted by the finance department. In related financing decisions, the committee approved increasing the sale-of-bonds revenue line and engineering/backbone expense lines by $5,500,000 for sewer revenue bonds sold in August to support the fiber project, and approved a budget amendment to increase sale-of-bonds revenue and economic development expense lines by $32,198,102 for TIP projects, per the finance department.

Police department budget adjustments cleared the committee as well: an increase of $60,000 to Tri County revenue and expense lines; an increase of $30,000 to the Waterloo Police Department forfeitures revenue and expense lines; a combined $174,000 increase across several police projects; and a $40,000 increase to the refund revenue line and firearms expense line, all as submitted by the police department.

The committee approved numerous staff travel requests and training enrollments. Notable approvals included travel for several public works and sewer staff to Iowa Water Environment Association collection-systems conferences in Ames, Iowa; representatives to the American North Snow Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan; a group to the Iowa NAHRO Conference in West Des Moines (listed cost $30,704.46); and various police training and certifications including a high-threat canine patrol tactics course, crime scene investigator certification and a drone purchase ($12,451 listed for a new drone for the WPD drone unit). The committee approved these travel items as part of one motion and voice vote.

The committee also approved pre-authorizations (equipment and program purchases) including: central garage radio installations totaling $3,614.40; fire vehicle upfit and snow-plow blade purchases (one blade listed at $11,040.18 plus $800 shipping); leisure services uniform orders for the Optimist baseball and softball program (shirts $4,995; pants $2,720.25; hats/visors $9,204.21); approximately 200 trees for the Plant Waterloo program ($23,524.60) funded by the Young Family Foundation; a city newsletter mass mailer ($6,941.66); annual Metro Coalition membership dues ($6,058.26); police frontline software renewal ($21,000); leased patrol motorcycles ($4,800); sewer equipment including flow meters and UV wiper seals (amounts listed in committee materials); and a traffic department blanket pre-authorization not to exceed $40,000 for sign stock and sheeting replacement.

Committee members moved to receive, file and forward bills payments for the periods listed: payments on 02/10/2025 totaling $3,137,437.24 and on 02/17/2025 totaling $4,550,711.09 (amounts as read to the committee). Those motions were carried and the items were forwarded to the full council.

All listed motions were adopted by voice vote with committee members saying “Aye” and the chair noting the motion carries; no opposing votes were recorded on the meeting transcript. The committee adjourned following the votes.

The full council will receive the committee’s approved budget amendments, pre-authorizations, travel requests and bills payment items for final action or additional review as required.