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Moline mayor highlights roads, broadband, housing and grants in State of the City address
Summary
Mayor Rai Pudi used the State of the City speech at the Carnegie Library to outline completed infrastructure projects, broadband expansion, housing goals and $14.9 million in committed grant funding while describing ongoing plans for flood resilience, a potential downtown redevelopment zone and an agrivoltaic pilot.
Moline Mayor Rai Pudi delivered a State of the City address at the Carnegie Library on Monday, outlining infrastructure projects finished in 2024, steps planned for 2025 and the city’s approach to housing and economic growth.
The mayor said the administration focused on “practical progress” and called for “positive growth” that balances new investment and resident needs.
The speech summarized last year’s accomplishments in public works, utilities and economic development and explained several programs the city plans to continue or expand in 2025.
Mayor Rai Pudi said the city completed more than 11 miles of street paving or reconstruction in 2024 and made improvements at several critical intersections to improve safety. City staff also carried out multiple utility projects that the mayor said advanced maintenance of water and sewer systems and set the stage for a program to replace lead service lines as repairs are needed, with a full program launch expected in 2025.
The mayor described the completion of a metro broadband project in October 2024 that the city characterized as a private investment of about $19,000,000 and said the work included 125 miles of buried fiber and 60 miles of fiber added to telephone poles. She said an application for railroad quiet zones downtown is awaiting Federal Railroad Administration approval.
On pedestrian access, the city completed a sidewalk replacement program that repaired roughly 2.4 miles of sidewalks and is creating a sidewalk condition index to prioritize future work. The mayor also noted a new volunteer “Snow Angel” program to assist residents who cannot clear sidewalks themselves.
Parks and recreation received attention: the mayor said Riverside Park’s upgraded aquatic center drew 56,587 guests in 2024, up from 18,844 in 2022, and that new equipment was installed at other parks.
On public safety and staffing, the mayor said the police department is fully staffed at 84 of 84 authorized positions and the community and economic development department is fully staffed after hiring an economic development manager in 2024. The fire department received new vehicles and staffing adjustments meant to better meet calls for service, she said.
The mayor reviewed housing and development work, saying city staff and the council had passed an accessory dwelling unit ordinance last year to add housing supply, and that current development deals under discussion would add an estimated 239 units. A council presentation cited a baseline need for about 1,100 new housing units under status-quo economic assumptions; the mayor said a higher projection was mentioned during the presentation but the specific figure was not clearly stated in the address.
Economic tools and grant work were highlighted: the city purchased a building (the Bethany Building at 6th Avenue and 19th Street) to consolidate permitting and Parks and Recreation offices and the mayor credited the city’s grant specialist with securing approximately $14,900,000 in committed grant funds in 2024. She also described the Level Up program, funded by cannabis tax revenue and implemented with Project NOW Inc., as a renewed effort to address systemic poverty and help families maintain housing stability.
The mayor described Moline’s application to participate in a U.S. Department of Energy clean energy peer-learning cohort for an agrivoltaic project called Shine On Moline and said the city was continuing to pursue remaining state funding for the project (the mayor referred to roughly $450,000 left from state sources). She called continued work on the project an example of pursuing “practical progress” and balancing conservatism in budgeting with investments in community infrastructure.
On fiscal policy the mayor said the council has reduced the tax levy rate in recent years to keep rates lower than they might have been and described that approach as “restraint and resilience” while noting the council continues to weigh development and funding options for major projects.
“We are working for positive growth with very practical yet innovative approaches,” Mayor Rai Pudi said. “Practicality doesn't have to mean status quo.”
The mayor closed by urging residents and partners to remain engaged as the city pursues construction projects, housing initiatives and climate- and flood-resilience work in 2025.
Ending: Several items the mayor described—quiet-zone approvals from the Federal Railroad Administration, the lead service-line replacement program rollout, and final design and funding decisions for River’s Edge downtown redevelopment—remain contingent on outside approvals or future council decisions and timelines were not set in the address.
