City Council Study Session and Regular Meeting - March 9, 2026
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City Council Study Session and Regular Meeting - March 9, 2026
The Council Bluffs City Council met on March 9, 2026, for a study session followed by a regular meeting. The study session included presentations on the general obligation bond process and the state of the Midlands Humane Society, as well as discussions on the golf course budget and management agreement, a donor recognition plaza, and potential scooter sharing. The regular meeting featured public hearings, resolutions, and votes on multiple items, including a contentious proposal to sell riverfront land to the school district for a STEM high school.
Consent Calendar
- Consent Agenda (Items A-E, G): Approved via roll call after breaking out items C and F for separate votes. Item E (Arbor Creek development agreement) included a required 44.7% LMI set-aside from TIF proceeds for low-to-moderate income housing elsewhere. Councilmember Gorman abstained from this item, expressing concern that LMI housing was never part of earlier discussions. Item C (final plat for Iowa Western Community College) was approved with one abstention. Item F (another consent item) was approved on a separate roll call.
- Permits and Licenses: Retail tobacco renewals and liquor license renewals (except Dodge Riverside) were approved en masse.
Public Comments & Testimony
- STEM High School – Public Hearing: The hearing attracted extensive public comment. Supporters included school board president Jared Tripp, principal Michael Nottin, chief of schools Melissa Colmine, teacher Ryan Higgins, students Matthew Oxner and King, former school board member Troy Arthur, former board member John Nelson, Trivium Life Services representatives, and a letter from Shane Haas. They argued the riverfront location is essential for visibility, philanthropy, workforce development, and regional partnerships. Opponents included Tally Washburn and Beth Watkins, who cited loss of potential tax revenue from commercial development, traffic concerns, strain on school resources with declining enrollment, and the question of why a school cannot be sited elsewhere (e.g., Thomas Jefferson). One citizen, Paul Dinker, opposed citing district priorities like teacher pay and basic needs. The motion to approve the property sale was made but died for lack of a second.
Discussion Items
- GO Bond Process Overview: Finance Director Danielle presented the city’s nine-step general obligation bond process, including CIP approval, bond purpose hearings, reimbursement and pre-levy resolutions, Moody’s rating, sale, and federal arbitrage rules. Council discussed the ability to reallocate bond proceeds to other eligible projects.
- Midlands Humane Society Presentation: Executive Director Nikki presented shelter data for 2025: 2,500 animals served (1,000 dogs, 1,500 cats), 88% live release rate, 1,618 in-house surgeries. Challenges include capacity, high stray cat intake, and longer stays for pit bulls due to the breed ban. She proposed exploring a community cat ordinance (TNR) and repealing the breed ban, and noted the need to update the 2010 shelter contract.
- Golf Course Management Agreement: Council discussed the Dodge Riverside Golf Course FY27 proposed budget and management contract. The contract auto-renews and includes a 3% annual management fee increase. Council directed city legal to begin renegotiating contract terms (especially the March 15 budget approval deadline) by spring 2026, with the option to issue an RFP if negotiations fail.
- Donor Plaza for River’s Edge: Discussion centered on proposed $730,000 donor plaza ($600,000 city funds, $130,000 from Sync). Existing donor boards have been replaced, and major donors are already recognized on individual amenities (e.g., Mid-American Adventure Tower, Charles E. Lakin Pier). The mayor recommended not proceeding and instead using the $600,000 for a new park on the east end. No formal vote was taken.
- Scooter Sharing (Lime): City staff briefed council on revisiting the interlocal agreement with Omaha to allow dockless scooters, requested by Heartland Bike Share to generate revenue. Council expressed concerns about enforcement, geofencing, and administrative burden. Staff proposed starting with 20 scooters on the riverfront. Council requested data on existing Heartland Bike Share usage and invited Lime to a future meeting before deciding.
- Sign Ordinance Conflict: City attorney Tony Clow reported two conflicting ordinances in the sign code and West Broadway overlay regarding non-conforming sign refacing. Further research and a corrective code amendment are forthcoming.
Key Outcomes
- STEM School Land Sale – Motion Died: The motion to approve the sale of riverfront property to Council Bluffs Community School District for a STEM high school failed for lack of a second after the public hearing. The land transfer will not proceed.
- Council Rules Amended: Adopted Resolution 26-96 allowing a single council member to place items on the agenda, replacing the previous two-member requirement.
- Immigration Enforcement Declaration: Adopted Resolution 26-99 (a non-binding statement) affirming municipal values regarding safety and coordination with federal immigration enforcement. Councilmember Button abstained (works at ICE detention center), Councilmember Rue voted no.
- Public Works Pay Grade Adjustments: Approved Resolution 26-100 reclassifying three technician positions from grade 20 to 22 to address recruitment difficulties. Budget impact is minimal.
- GO Bond Authorizations: Approved resolutions declaring intent to reimburse (26-101) and authorizing $9.9 million in GO bonds (26-102) for FY27 CIP projects.
- Appointment of Community Development Director: Approved Resolution 26-103 confirming Christopher Gibbons as permanent director.
- Golf Course Direction: Council directed legal to start negotiating contract changes with the golf course management company, with a target to have a revised agreement or RFP before the December 2027 contract expiration.
- Next Steps: Staff will provide Heartland Bike Share usage data and arrange a Lime presentation. Legal will work on sign ordinance correction and golf course contract renegotiation.
Meeting Transcript
Get going. Um, before we jump into uh the presentation with Danielle, we do have one proclamate proclamation. Um where in the city of Consulbless, Iowa, in the Office of the Mayor proclamation, whereas problem gambling has a high societal and economic cost for individuals, families, businesses, and the community, and whereas problem gambling is treatable and the treatment is effective in minimizing this harm to both individuals and society as a whole, and whereas numerous individuals, professionals, and organizations have dedicated their efforts to the education of public about problem gambling and the availability and effectiveness of the treatment. And whereas the National Council, uh problem gambling and Heartland Family Services, invite all residents of Council BLUSS to participate in problem gambling awareness awareness month. Therefore, I, Jill Shudak, Mayor of Council BLUSS, Iowa do hereby proclaim March 2026 as probably gambling awareness month in the city of Council Blus, Iowa, and encourages all citizens to support the National Council of Problem Gambling and their efforts to reduce gambling related harm nationwide. And we do have Ron here from Heartland Family Services. I'm gonna come on down. I don't debate it, but you can say anything you would like. I don't want to say more. Yes, absolutely. I have some for you. Thank you. That's all the information needs. Can I give this to these ones or is that and would you like to take a picture with the proclamation in the council? Well, she she's the face of the place. All right, would you like to come up and have a picture of it? I work by I work behind the scenes, so I believe it's on. You see all these people here then you go. I think I'll reverse you. I'm always doing that. Why is a manager? Fantastic. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you very much so much. Thank you. Jack and Roger. Thank you. All right. Up next, then we have a presentation from Danielle on the Geobond Process Oview. Do I need the clicker, Amanda? It's it's in the oh, perfect. Perfect. Okay, so we thought it would be beneficial uh to come in front of you guys today to talk about the city's general obligation or geo bond process at a very high level, just kind of what our process is, um, why we do it, how we do it, and the end goal. So, what I just passed out to you guys is the roadmap of our specific city process, which will follow along uh relatively closely to the slides. Uh the agenda is to review the timeline, which is set forth in front of you, the statutory authority under the Iowa code, um, the issuance steps that we go through and is presented to you as city council, um, and then finally arbitrage. So this is the planning timeline that goes from the start, which is at CIP, when the five-year CIP comes in front of um planning commission, and then ultimately comes to City Council for approval. That is what really sets off the entire general obligation bond process. We utilize that as our plan for the current upcoming fiscal year to issue debt. We issue debt one year at a time for the upcoming uh fiscal years project as outlined in CIP and those projects align with or should align with the current 2030 comprehensive plan. So, what is a general obligation bond? Uh bonds are municipal debt that is used to fund qualifying projects outlined in the annual CIP. Um, it is authorized under Iowa Code 384.24. Um, it's backed by the city's full faith uh and credit. So we levy the taxpayers to fund these capital projects. I just cited the different Iowa code sections. So this is a nine-step process. Again, this is specific to City of Council Bluffs on how we do our issuance of geo bonds. At each step or at most of these steps, we come to you as city council to approve these different things within the process or within the whole issuance of the bonds. So again, step one, it starts with approving the CIP.
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