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 stair tower, elevator and skywalk (estimated $6.4 million). Under the agreement the developer would purchase the city-owned parking area for $1; the city retained parking access terms so the lot would remain available to mall customers and employees per the original long-term maintenance and access agreement.

Jeff Rogers, identifying himself as CEO of Mudgal Lighting, told the council the developer has committed substantial investment downtown and said, “We will add about 200 jobs to the downtown area with the completion of the projects we’re talking about.” The council approved the resolution after a public hearing.

The council also authorized a resolution vacating a north-south alley adjacent to 1011 North Third Street. Staff told the council the alley is 16 feet by about 480 feet; planning staff expanded the public hearing area to the full alley length, surveyed 14 neighboring property owners and received four responses (all unopposed). The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended vacating the entire alley 6–0; staff noted a utility provider has infrastructure in the alley and that an access easement would be required if the alley is sold.

Other formal actions and directions approved Monday included:

- Insurance and benefits package: the council adopted a resolution authorizing property, liability, automobile, equipment, deductible buy-down and workers compensation insurance for fiscal year 2026 at a total cost presented to the council ($546,157). Staff presented coverage details and recommended the package.

- Capital improvements levy: the council directed staff to proceed with determining the need for a capital improvements reserve levy and to draft the documents necessary to submit a capital improvements levy (per Iowa Code section 33.84.7) to voters at the Nov. 4, 2025 city-school election. Staff said a 0.675-cent-per-$1,000 levy in FY2026 would have generated approximately $270,677 in additional revenue and that the city faces reduced property-tax capacity under House File 718 and rising costs that have strained capital funding.

- Special election scheduling: council approved the administrative steps to call a special election if the petition meets Chapter 372 of the Code of Iowa requirements; the city clerk will coordinate with the Mahaska County Auditor.

- Kioma Village fire protection invoice: staff recommended and the council approved writing off a $10,158 invoice from the city for fire protection service for the July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025 period, after Kioma Village notified the city it intended to change providers and told staff it did not intend to pay the bill. Staff said there were no calls for service during the billed period and recommended backdating the termination date to July 1, 2024 as the pragmatic option.

- School resource officer (SRO) request and COPS grant: the council approved a motion directing staff to work with the Oskaloosa Community School District on a possible agreement to add a second full-time school resource officer, and separately approved submission of an application to the U.S. Department of Justice COPS Hiring Program (CHP) to seek federal support. Staff explained CHP grants can cover 75% of entry-level salary and benefits for up to three years with a minimum 25% local cash match; staff estimated the additional SRO cost at roughly $48,000 per year, or about $31,000 annually if a federal grant is secured. City Manager Sean (name on the record) described the request as coming from the district and said a grant could materially reduce the local cost.

- Joint law enforcement center discussion: council members spent significant time discussing options to update or replace the existing 28E joint law enforcement center agreement with Mahaska County. Staff presented three options: do nothing; update the 28E agreement to clarify operations, maintenance and capital contributions; or convert to a lease/rental agreement (city as tenant, county as landlord). City staff reported county officials favored a five-year lease tied to CPI adjustments and proposed a flat annual rent the county estimated around $50,000; council members expressed interest in a simpler rental approach to reduce future disputes. No final contract was executed; staff was directed to draft a lease form and return with a specific proposal for council approval.

What happened in public comment and discussion: in addition to Nick Ryan’s remarks urging a special election, residents and business representatives spoke at public hearings on the alley vacation and the mall-parking development. Mary Vasco identified herself as an adjacent property owner in the alley item; Jody DeYoung is the applicant seeking purchase of the adjacent portion of the alley. The council debated whether to vacate the entire alley now or only portions for which purchase applications exist; staff said an alternate resolution to vacate only portions with applicants was included in the packet.

The meeting concluded with routine staff reports and a council discussion of a revised draft strategic plan, which councilmembers asked staff to simplify and return for a formal resolution at a future meeting.

Ending note: most items passed by roll call vote; council members recorded affirmative votes on the listed measures and authorized staff to proceed with the administrative steps described above.