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Le Mars schedules Jan. 30 town hall; council discusses budget priorities, hotel-motel tax and Willow Creek venue
Summary
City announced a Jan. 30 town hall to gather public input during budget season; councilmembers discussed placing a hotel-motel tax increase on the ballot and prioritizing the Willow Creek area and golf course for venue expansion. Staff said FEMA reimbursement work is ongoing with invoices still being submitted.
Le Mars officials announced a public town hall meeting for Jan. 30 and discussed priorities to surface during the budget process, including a possible hotel-motel tax increase and expansion of Willow Creek facilities to attract weddings and events.
City staff said they will kick off the budget process with department heads next Tuesday and will schedule follow-up meetings for council review. The proposed town hall is set for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 30; staff said the gathering will be an open public meeting for information and discussion and that no actionable agenda will be published in advance.
Councilmember Clark said he supports discussing a hotel-motel tax increase; he noted that rates in Des Moines and Dubuque are higher and suggested the city consider putting an increase on the ballot. Other councilmembers discussed whether the city should adjust rental policies or expand facilities to compete with private venues, and staff said expanding Municipal Park’s Willow Creek site is already on the parks plan and is a high priority for attracting weddings.
On flood recovery financing, staff said the city has not yet received FEMA reimbursement dollars and continues to submit invoices and documentation; staff expect finalization soon but provided no firm payment dates.
The town hall and upcoming budget meetings are intended to gather public input on priorities before formal budget decisions are made; no binding decisions were made at this meeting.
