Oskaloosa council schedules special election, approves downtown parking deal and several measures

Oskaloosa City Council members on Monday, June 16, 2025, voted to call a special election to fill a recently vacated council seat, approved a development agreement that would transfer city-owned mall parking to Industrial Development LLC in exchange for major repairs and a proposed new 153,000-square-foot parking structure, and approved a package of other routine and policy items including an alley vacation, insurance renewals and direction to prepare a capital improvements levy proposal for the November ballot.

The council approved a resolution directing the city clerk to contact the Mahaska County Auditor to schedule a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Charlie Comfort, following receipt of a valid petition. The clerk’s steps will proceed contingent on the petition meeting statutory requirements; the city estimates the special election cost at about $10,000.

Why it matters: the special election will let voters decide who completes the council term that ends Dec. 31, 2025, and marks the next formal step after the council’s interim appointment of Andy Holmberg earlier in June. Resident Nick Ryan urged the council in public comment for an election, saying, “If you think giving the people their voice is too expensive, that may be part of the problem ... we should get to decide.”

Among larger development actions, the council approved a resolution to move forward with a proposed purchase-sale and development agreement with Industrial Development LLC covering the city-owned parking and access drives near Penn Central Mall. The proposal would have Industrial Development reconstruct the parking area (estimated $1.2 million), realign and rebuild Second Avenue West (about $1 million), and construct a 153,000-square-foot parking structure with…