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City Council approves one-year downtown services deal with Downtown Davenport Partnership, directs RFQ for future work
Summary
After public comment and council debate, Davenport’s City Council approved a one-year downtown services agreement with the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP) and directed staff to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for future procurement.
The Davenport City Council on May 27 approved a one-year downtown services agreement with the Downtown Davenport Partnership, changing the originally proposed three-year contract and directing staff to issue an RFQ for future procurement.
The agreement covers downtown garbage pickup, parking-ramp cleaning, pocket-park maintenance, skybridge cleaning up to 8 feet, and curbline snow removal. Council discussion focused on contract structure and costs after public commenter Dale Gilmore (Sixth Ward) read line-item figures from the 16-page contract and urged the city to split the work into separate bids and limit any interim agreement to six months.
Director Nicole Gleason told the council the dollar figures in the proposed agreement are ceilings — "up to" maximum values — and that over the six years of the partnership the city historically has not reached the contract ceilings. She said DDP uses flexible staffing through a temp agency (employees paid $16–$18 per hour) and that offering the services in-house would carry significant turnover and equipment costs: staff estimated part-time in-house delivery at about $160,000 per year and a full-time modeled cost at about $280,000 per year.
Council members split on procurement strategy. Alderwoman Burkeholder moved — and the council approved on a 6–3 roll call — an amendment to shorten the contract term to one year and direct staff to put together an RFQ. After that amendment passed, the council voted unanimously to approve the resolution as amended.
DDP Executive Director Kyle Carter invited council members to the partnership’s annual meeting on June 24, saying the event would review DDP’s scope of work and downtown services. The council also removed two Pride-parade consent items from that consent agenda for separate consideration and later voted to postpone them indefinitely.
The council’s action empowers staff to advertise a competitive process; the adopted one-year arrangement preserves an immediate operational relationship while creating a path to test the market.
Votes at a glance: the amendment to reduce the contract term to one year passed on a 6–3 roll call; the amended resolution then passed unanimously (9–0).
