La Porte City Urban Enterprise Association approves $10,000 business grant and $10,000 one‑time code‑enforcement funding

The La Porte City Urban Enterprise Association on Aug. 20 approved a $10,000 business grant for a Dunkin' Donuts remodel and voted to provide a separate $10,000 one‑time payment to restore a downtown code‑enforcement position, actions the board said would keep a key downtown function staffed while the city addresses longer‑term budget fixes.

Board members also approved routine items including minutes, a claims docket and the financial report, and discussed encumbered funds for the YMCA, the city’s dumpster program budget and a partially funded mural project.

The grant for Dunkin' Donuts was described in the meeting packet as support for the business to finish an interior remodel; the packet states the request is for $10,000. A board member moved to approve the grant, another seconded, and the motion passed. Meeting discussion noted the business is using a single approved contractor for the remodel and that windows at the location are currently blocked during construction.

Board discussion of the financial packet focused on the dumpster program and several line‑item clarifications. The association’s materials list $95,000 for code enforcement/dumpster programming for the year, described at the meeting as $85,000 for dumpster service and $10,000 for a part‑time monitor. Board members asked staff to confirm that front‑ and back‑page balances and formulas in the packet matched before finalizing budget line items.

The board reviewed an encumbrance for a YMCA special grant identified in packet materials as $26,000 total, with $11,000 paid in May and roughly $14,000 remaining in encumbrances; staff said the payment ledger may not have been updated, and the YMCA balance showed zero on the current statements. Board members asked staff to reconcile the ledger entries.

A separate item came from a request by Jeff Batcher, identified in the meeting as La Porte City’s code enforcement director. Batcher had asked the association to provide $10,000 to cover a downtown code‑enforcement position after zone funds ran short. Meeting remarks said the city council had transferred some demolition funds into code enforcement at a recent council meeting but that Batcher still needed $10,000 to bridge the remainder of the year. Board members said the association should avoid repeatedly funding ongoing personnel costs; one board member said the allocation was acceptable as a one‑time measure. A motion to provide the $10,000 one‑time payment carried with one abstention.

Other business: the board heard that a mural the association partially funded, in conjunction with a local health foundation, has been completed and that a community event with presentations and giveaways is scheduled for Friday at noon; staff encouraged attendance. The packet also included an updated listing of board members with contact information and an impact report from Farmed and Forged on the farmers market to inform future budget discussions.

The board took routine votes to approve minutes, the claims docket and financial statements during the meeting, and the chair indicated staff would handle a vendor payment for a Lowe’s Point project via electronic vote once the contract is received.

The association did not reference any statutes or ordinances during discussion. No additional conditions or follow‑up deadlines were specified for the Dunkin' Donuts grant or the one‑time code‑enforcement allocation in the meeting record provided.