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Record of Proceedings

Cedar Rapids City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 16, 2025

BodyCedar Rapids, Iowa

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, December 16, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 43:11

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0:00

This meeting, the Cedar Rapids City Council will come to order.

0:03

Welcome everybody to the Cedar Rapids City Council meeting for Tuesday, December 16th, 2025.

0:09

Councilmember Marty Hager is absent today.

0:12

I'd like to welcome our city manager, our city clerk, and our city attorney, and thank you as always to city staff for being here and willing to answer questions after the meeting today.

0:20

A reminder to those of you here to turn off any cell phones or electronic devices that might distract us from our proceedings.

0:26

And note that all of our city council meeting minutes, agendas, videos are always available on our city's website.

0:32

And you can also uh watch our regular sessions live and on replay via Facebook.

0:39

We'll begin now with an invocation by Mayor Pro Tem and Poe, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:47

Thank you, Mayor.

0:50

Dear God, grant us gratitude for your gift of this day, as we look forward to celebrating this holiday season together with family, friends, colleagues, and community.

1:01

God, please continue to bless the people of our community with hope, peace, joy, and love.

1:08

Guide this council as servant leaders to do your people's work with open hearts and hands now and in the new year.

1:17

During this holiday season, God, you we ask that you remind us to let compassion, kindness, patience, and understanding lift us all in our hearts with mercy and grace.

1:31

We pray God that you keep our police and fire personnel and first responders safely in the palm of your hand and carry with them the shield of blessings from a grateful community for their service.

1:42

We ask God that you bless and keep our city employees and their families.

1:47

It's just not the big things they do for our city, but the everyday little things that may not even be noticed, but have a large impact for the citizens of Cedar Rapids.

1:58

It's with a grateful heart we ask these blessings in your heavenly name.

2:02

Amen.

2:04

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

2:22

Our first presentation will be on the variable cart program.

2:26

Roy Hessman and Patricia Hall are here with props with a big prop.

2:31

I'll recognize you both.

2:36

Thank you, Mayor.

2:37

Good afternoon, Council.

2:39

Uh Roy Hessman and Patricia all with Utilities Department.

2:43

So this afternoon, both presentations are really going to be presenting on items that have been long coming.

2:52

I don't want to steal Mike Slender here, but some items that the community has really been asking for and that we feel is a service to the community.

3:05

Patricia's going to do the main presentation, but we feel that this is really something that's long been overdue and uh will be great for both our citizens as well as our employees.

3:18

So, Patricia, go ahead.

3:20

Thank you.

3:21

I'm very excited to talk about this variable cart program.

3:24

As Roy said, is a long time coming.

3:26

So this program stems from trying to meet the diverse waste needs of our residents.

3:31

Obviously, we know that the 35-gallon cart works for some, but not all.

3:34

If you live in a multi-generational household or you have a large family, that 35-gallon cart is probably not meeting your needs.

3:40

So we wanted to make something else more convenient for our residents that they wouldn't have to worry about going to a store to buy tags or having to worry if they had enough for that week that they could just not think about it anymore.

3:51

We also want to reduce the contamination in our diversion programs.

3:55

Some people, instead of buying the tags, have alluded to putting the trash in those other programs, which contaminates those programs.

4:04

Also reducing our work-related injuries, reducing litter in our neighborhoods.

4:09

Obviously, the bags can get torn open by animals, and that produces litter and it doesn't make our neighborhoods look as nice.

4:15

Predictable revenue source, and then reducing financial burden on our residents, and we'll talk about that a little bit later.

4:21

So the rates that for the carts, the standard 35-gallon cart is no additional charge.

4:26

That's a standard billing.

4:28

If you want a 65-gallon cart, it'll be about $6 per month, and that is the size of our current Kirby cart, the blue cart.

4:34

Uh, the 95-gallon cart, which is the size of our yard waste cart, will be an additional $9 per month.

4:42

This cart right here.

4:45

And so when we talked about reducing financial burden, currently, if a family is purchasing three tags a week, it's about $6.75.

4:52

The 65-gallon cart would fit that waste need at only $1.50 per week.

5:00

And if a resident was buying six bags uh tags per week, it'd be $13.50.

5:03

The 95-gallon cart here would fit that waste need at $2.25 per week.

5:10

So our project timeline right now, we are gonna open the MyCR request portal on January 5th.

5:15

So residents can go online and start to request what size cart they would like.

5:19

We're gonna close that portal on February 27th.

5:22

After that, we're gonna bill the $25 cart exchange fee in March.

5:27

We anticipate delivery of carts to begin in April and go through June.

5:31

And billing for those carts will start in July.

5:33

So the this is the first round, the second round.

5:36

If residents don't get in and registered by February 27th, we are gonna open that portal back up, but the delivery won't be till the fall of 2026.

5:43

So we're really gonna do our communications that if you really want the cart right away to get in on the portal as soon as you can when it opens up.

5:51

So the $25 exchange fee for the larger cart, that's for the delivery fee and to remove the old garbage cart from the resident's household as a minimum term of 12 months.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████████████31%

Procedural██████████████████████22%

Public Safety███████████████████19%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████18%

Technology and Innovation█████5%

Fiscal Sustainability██2%

Economic Development██2%

Community Engagement█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Cedar Rapids City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

On December 16, 2025, the Cedar Rapids City Council convened for its final meeting of the year, presided over by the Mayor (with Mayor Pro Tem Poe leading the invocation). The meeting featured a Variable Cart Program presentation aimed at reducing waste contamination and worker injuries, followed by the unveiling of a new public-facing snow removal tracking dashboard. The council adopted resolutions of necessity for sewer replacements and passed multiple ordinances related to urban renewal areas. The meeting concluded with public testimony regarding a dispute over fire access signage and fines.

Consent Calendar

Approved the consent agenda unanimously, including routine administrative items.
Councilmember Poe recused himself from Item 16C (ID numbers 45, 301, and 302) due to a conflict of interest.

Public Comments & Testimony

Tom Pape (Resident of NW 1624 Row Avenue): Expressed strong opposition to the enforcement of seven-foot fire access signs and associated fines ($2,250 for him, $1,500 for neighbors). He argued that the city's application of the code is inconsistent, citing that the city's own infrastructure (road width and radius) at the location violates fire code (1922 construction issues). He requested that the fire marshal and city attorney acknowledge these inconsistencies and that he was not informed of the requirement until the final moment. He stated that residents had agreed not to park on the private access road and questioned why action was taken 31 years after the road was established.
Abby Ferenzi (Resident of NE 3618 Wenig Road): Representing her parents (the recipients of the fines), she expressed distress over the situation. She emphasized that her parents are responsible citizens concerned with safety and stated that residents will not park on the private lane. She argued that the seven-foot signs are unreasonable for their private property and requested a reasonable resolution that does not involve installing the signs, citing the negative impact on home value and pride. She offered to continue dialog with the city to find a mutually agreeable solution.

Discussion Items

Variable Cart Program (Utilities Dept - Roy Hessman, Patricia Hall):
- Position: Patricia Hall presented a long-overdue program offering 65-gallon ($6/month) and 95-gallon ($9/month) carts to residents who need more capacity than the standard 35-gallon cart. She stated the program aims to reduce the financial burden on families buying tags (e.g., a 65-gallon cart is more cost-effective than buying 3 tags/week), reduce litter from torn bags, and significantly reduce worker injuries caused by lifting overloaded bags over shoulder height.
- Councilmember Olsen: Expressed curiosity about the projected demand, confirming the city budgeted for 22,000 residents and will not order more than requested.
- Councilmember Van Orney: Expressed support for the empathy shown but raised concerns about cost-sharing for landfill use, noting that the program might inadvertently reward those who do not recycle properly while punishing those who diligently separate waste. She requested long-term tracking to ensure costs are distributed fairly and to monitor landfill impacts.
- Councilmember Poe: Expressed concern that larger garbage carts might lead to a reduction in recycling participation (i.e., people throwing recyclables in the garbage rather than cleaning and sorting them). Staff confirmed the department would monitor contamination rates and recycling tonnage to prevent a drop in recycling levels.
Snow Removal Route Map (Public Works - Mike Duffy, Dane Atkins):
- Position: Staff presented a new dashboard allowing the public to visualize where plows have been and their current status. They stated the tool features a 20-minute delay for data processing, tracks pre-treatment and main arterial routes, and differentiates between off, pre-treatment, and all-plow stages. Staff emphasized the tool tracks historical paths to show residents coverage.
- Councilmember Todd: Expressed interest in future iterations including a percentage of cleared streets dashboard similar to incident command screens used recently.
- Councilmember Van Orney: Expressed full support for the tool, noting it answers the common public question of whether a specific street has been plowed, and commended the team's performance during recent severe weather.
Resolutions of Necessity (Public Works - Doug Wilson):
- Position: Doug Wilson proposed combining two sewer replacement projects (34th Street SE and Richard Drive NE) to maximize street life, noting that about two-thirds of property owners typically fix services themselves. Staff stated the projects would be integrated with upcoming curb and gutter milling.
- Councilmember Wilson: Expressed satisfaction that the sewer work aligns with the road construction schedule, noting the neighborhood's patience.

Key Outcomes

Resolutions of Necessity: Adopted without amendment for the replacement of sanitary sewer services on 34th Street SE (Beaver Ave to Cottage Grove Ave) with assessments totaling $30,200 for five parcels, and for Richard Drive NE (Evergreen St to Nancy Jane Lane). Assessments can be paid via property tax over 10 years.
Ordinances Adopted:
- Ordinance 23: Adopted (Third Reading) regarding tax increments in the Tractor Supply Urban Renewal Area.
- Ordinance regarding Major Streets Map and Sidewalk Responsibilities: Adopted (Second Reading, then Third Reading via suspension of rules) requiring three readings.
- Ordinance 25: Adopted (Third Reading) regarding tax increments in the Big Cedar East Number One Urban Renewal Area.
- Ordinance 26: Adopted (Third Reading) regarding tax increments in the Big Cedar East Number Two Urban Renewal Area.
- Ordinance 27: Adopted (Third Reading) regarding tax increments in the Big Cedar East Number Three Urban Renewal Area.
- Ordinance 29: Adopted (First Reading) repealing previous ordinances (041-03, 078-14, 047-16, 033-20) regarding the Council Street Urban Renewal Area.
Variable Cart Program Timeline: The MyCR request portal opens January 5, 2026, and closes February 27, 2026. A $25 exchange fee applies for the first round; billing begins July 2026. Cart delivery is anticipated April–June 2026.
Meeting Adjourned: The meeting concluded with holiday wishes and a reference to two Iowa National Guard members lost.

Discrepancy Note: The City Manager noted a budget correction for Item 14A, changing the estimated cost from $4,560,000 to $4,600,000 on the agenda.

Meeting Transcript

This meeting, the Cedar Rapids City Council will come to order. Welcome everybody to the Cedar Rapids City Council meeting for Tuesday, December 16th, 2025. Councilmember Marty Hager is absent today. I'd like to welcome our city manager, our city clerk, and our city attorney, and thank you as always to city staff for being here and willing to answer questions after the meeting today. A reminder to those of you here to turn off any cell phones or electronic devices that might distract us from our proceedings. And note that all of our city council meeting minutes, agendas, videos are always available on our city's website. And you can also uh watch our regular sessions live and on replay via Facebook. We'll begin now with an invocation by Mayor Pro Tem and Poe, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Mayor. Dear God, grant us gratitude for your gift of this day, as we look forward to celebrating this holiday season together with family, friends, colleagues, and community. God, please continue to bless the people of our community with hope, peace, joy, and love. Guide this council as servant leaders to do your people's work with open hearts and hands now and in the new year. During this holiday season, God, you we ask that you remind us to let compassion, kindness, patience, and understanding lift us all in our hearts with mercy and grace. We pray God that you keep our police and fire personnel and first responders safely in the palm of your hand and carry with them the shield of blessings from a grateful community for their service. We ask God that you bless and keep our city employees and their families. It's just not the big things they do for our city, but the everyday little things that may not even be noticed, but have a large impact for the citizens of Cedar Rapids. It's with a grateful heart we ask these blessings in your heavenly name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. Our first presentation will be on the variable cart program. Roy Hessman and Patricia Hall are here with props with a big prop. I'll recognize you both. Thank you, Mayor. Good afternoon, Council. Uh Roy Hessman and Patricia all with Utilities Department. So this afternoon, both presentations are really going to be presenting on items that have been long coming. I don't want to steal Mike Slender here, but some items that the community has really been asking for and that we feel is a service to the community. Patricia's going to do the main presentation, but we feel that this is really something that's long been overdue and uh will be great for both our citizens as well as our employees. So, Patricia, go ahead. Thank you. I'm very excited to talk about this variable cart program. As Roy said, is a long time coming. So this program stems from trying to meet the diverse waste needs of our residents. Obviously, we know that the 35-gallon cart works for some, but not all. If you live in a multi-generational household or you have a large family, that 35-gallon cart is probably not meeting your needs. So we wanted to make something else more convenient for our residents that they wouldn't have to worry about going to a store to buy tags or having to worry if they had enough for that week that they could just not think about it anymore. We also want to reduce the contamination in our diversion programs. Some people, instead of buying the tags, have alluded to putting the trash in those other programs, which contaminates those programs. Also reducing our work-related injuries, reducing litter in our neighborhoods. Obviously, the bags can get torn open by animals, and that produces litter and it doesn't make our neighborhoods look as nice. Predictable revenue source, and then reducing financial burden on our residents, and we'll talk about that a little bit later. So the rates that for the carts, the standard 35-gallon cart is no additional charge. That's a standard billing. If you want a 65-gallon cart, it'll be about $6 per month, and that is the size of our current Kirby cart, the blue cart. Uh, the 95-gallon cart, which is the size of our yard waste cart, will be an additional $9 per month. This cart right here. And so when we talked about reducing financial burden, currently, if a family is purchasing three tags a week, it's about $6.75. The 65-gallon cart would fit that waste need at only $1.50 per week. And if a resident was buying six bags uh tags per week, it'd be $13.50. The 95-gallon cart here would fit that waste need at $2.25 per week.

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