Dubuque County conservation director outlines FY27 budget, seeks land‑acquisition and infrastructure funding

Dubuque County Conservation Director Brian Preston presented the department’s FY27 budget request at the Board of Supervisors’ Feb. 3 budget session, describing a largely status‑quo operating proposal and several capital and grant‑funded projects aimed at maintaining parks, improving habitat and completing trail work.

Preston said the conservation department manages 25 areas covering about 2,800 acres, operates eight campgrounds and maintains roughly 50 miles of trails. “We currently manage 25 different areas, about 2,800 acres, 8 campgrounds, 50 miles of trails,” he said, and highlighted recent in‑house work including a Bridge 11 rehabilitation that he said saved about $70,000 compared with contracting the job.

The director reported last year’s revenue at roughly $811,000, including FEMA reimbursements and a $41,000 timber harvest. For FY27, Preston proposed small operating increases — for example, restoring telephone costs from IT to the department (+$10,920) and adding about $8,000 for miscellaneous repairs tied to storm debris and bridge work — while keeping the overall operating request near status quo.

Preston outlined capital requests and grant opportunities: a replacement Kubota mower (est. $30,000), a replacement UTV, playground replacement at Swiss Valley (he asked supervisors to hold a $50,000 placeholder to support grant applications that could cover up to 50%), and a $500,000 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant for a western trail extension. He said the City of Dyersville is contributing $67,000 and asked to use $91,000 from the department’s Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) fund as the local match for the TAP project, noting the item would not impact local tax dollars.

On a separate federal/state grant, Preston said the department was awarded an Iowa Forest Resiliency Partnership Program grant totaling $161,072; the county’s 20% share would be about $32,000 and Preston said timber‑sale revenue should help cover that match. He also flagged maintenance dredging at Mud Lake (permit expires in 2027), a plan to replace uncovered slips at Finley’s Landing with covered slips (payback typically about four years), and bank stabilization work at a newly proposed Loker Recreation Area acquisition.

When a supervisor asked what would happen if anticipated grants did not materialize, Preston said the county‑funded portions would not proceed and those funds would return to the general fund. County staff provided a land‑purchase account update during the discussion: “I believe that has about half $1,000,000 in it today. We will be closing on that Loker Lake in the next couple of weeks, which is about 200,000. And so we'll have about 300, I think, left in that, but I'll verify,” the staff member said.

Why it matters: conservation projects affect public recreation access, habitat and tourism assets that county residents and out‑of‑town visitors use year‑round. Several projects rely on outside grant awards; supervisors pressed presenters on contingency plans if grant revenue is not received.

The presentation closed after supervisors asked follow‑up questions about RAGBRAI overnight stays, Heritage Trail marketing and the ongoing operation of Fillmore Golf Course. Preston said he would investigate Trail visitation anomalies identified in the Placer AI data and continue pursuing grant funding and other non‑tax revenue sources.