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Independence City Council approves handbook updates, DOT maintenance agreement, strategic plan and 10-year CIP
Summary
The Independence City Council on Feb. 23 approved employee handbook changes clarifying HIPAA and leave rules, authorized a maintenance agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation covering 3.46 lane miles of Iowa 150, and adopted the 2025 strategic plan and a 10-year capital improvement plan; motions passed unanimously, 7-0.
The Independence City Council on Feb. 23, 2026 approved several governance and planning items, including an employee handbook update, a maintenance agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation and long-range planning documents.
The council authorized the mayor to sign a resolution amending the employee handbook to add and clarify a HIPAA policy for personnel handling of protected health information, renumber voluntary payroll deductions, and align the social media policy with the new handbook section. A staff member explained the change clarifies that leaves listed under family medical leave are not ordered by requirement and that employees may use available leave in the order they choose. The resolution passed on a roll-call vote, 7–0.
The council then authorized the city manager to sign a maintenance agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) covering Iowa 150 from 8th Street Southeast to 16th Street Northeast, a distance the council noted as 3.46 lane miles. Staff said the city received $8,321.30 per year under the prior five-year agreement; the new agreement text did not specify a revised annual payment, and staff said the payment is expected to remain similar. Councilmembers asked staff to press Iowa DOT for clearer advance notice of lane-painting and other maintenance work after recent local traffic disruption.
On planning and strategy, the council approved the 2025 strategic plan — a document the city described as a working baseline developed beginning April 2025 and discussed at a Jan. 5, 2026 work session. Councilmembers characterized the plan as a guide for future priority-setting and funding applications and voted 7–0 to adopt it.
The council also approved a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan covering fiscal years 2027–2037. Staff reiterated that the CIP is a living planning document intended to guide future projects and external funding requests; the motion passed 7–0.
During public comment, Pedro Calderon, who identified himself as a district representative for Congresswoman Ashley Henson, said his office can assist constituents and city staff with federal matters including IRS issues, passport questions and veterans’ affairs concerns and provided contact cards for follow-up.
In council reports, members congratulated Independence High School speech and improv teams on statewide recognition and noted a top finish for the school’s improv team. One councilmember raised concerns about a Planning and Zoning Commission approval that passed 3–2 and warned that multiple driveways proposed onto Enterprise Drive could harm the roadway; the council agreed to discuss the development further at a work session.
The meeting concluded after routine business and a motion to adjourn, which carried by voice vote.
