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Council approves RAGBRAI sponsorship/MOU, authorizes CDBG RFQs and site hearings, and discusses hotel-motel eligibility
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Summary
Council authorized an agreement and funding arrangement with the Boone County Convention & Visitors Bureau for RAGBRAI, authorized requests for qualifications for CDBG grant administration and technical services, appointed the council as the selection committee, and discussed state guidance disallowing certain hotel-motel grant uses.
The council approved a memorandum of understanding and funding arrangement with the Boone County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CBB) for RAGBRAI. Staff described the agreement as a $50,000 package with $20,000 treated as a sponsorship and $30,000 to be repaid; mobile food license provisions and insurance coverage were included. Council moved and approved execution of the agreement and an MOU extension for events "on the green."
Staff also requested authority to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a grant administrator and for grant technical services to pursue Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds (including a roof replacement program). Staff recommended the full council serve as the selection committee; the council agreed and authorized issuing RFQs and appointing the council to review proposals.
Separately, staff reported the state has flagged several prior hotel-motel grant awards (to Boone County Historical Society, Boone Community Theater and 7 Oaks) as ineligible because the funds would be used for facilities the city does not own or for structural work that does not comply with the state's rules. The city attorney reviewed the matter and staff will notify the affected applicants and retain $7,500 in the account for other uses.
Why it matters: the RAGBRAI sponsorship and MOU extend event partnerships and potential revenue for city events; the CDBG RFQs and appointment of a selection committee begin the technical and administrative work to pursue federal block-grant funding. The hotel-motel eligibility discussion affects nonprofit recipients and how the city awards tourism-related grants.
Council also authorized a no-cost Trojan Technologies monitoring agreement for the wastewater plant UV disinfection system, and approved staff requests to give in-house latitude to process alcohol licenses for 'Nights on the Green' events rather than bringing each license to council.
Next steps: staff will issue RFQs, notify organizations deemed ineligible for hotel-motel grants, finalize the MOU with the CBB, and proceed with required public notices and the May 4, 2026 public hearings.
