OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Final Meeting of 2025 – December 11, 2025 (Called Dec 10)

City Council — Thursday, December 11, 2025
BodyDavenport, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, December 11, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 59:42

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Okay, good evening and welcome everybody.

0:03

I call the city council meeting for Wednesday, uh, December 10th, 2025, to order.

0:09

At this time, we'll have a moment of silence for you to think about whatever it is you'd like to think about during this holiday season.

0:22

Thank you.

0:23

If you'd all please stand and join Alderwoman Newton in leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please.

0:44

Thank you.

0:45

And Mr.

0:45

Krupp, if you'd be kind enough to call the room.

0:48

Run.

0:50

Kelly.

0:51

McGinnis.

0:52

Here.

0:53

Bryn Ernst.

0:54

Here.

0:54

Grip.

0:56

Newton.

0:57

Here.

0:58

Lynch.

0:59

Here.

0:59

Ton here.

1:00

Job Jen.

1:02

And Burkholder.

1:03

Here.

1:04

Hey, President, Your Honor.

1:05

Thank you, sir.

1:06

So again, good evening and welcome everybody as we begin the meeting of the city council.

1:09

Last one for the year.

1:10

I'd like to welcome everybody in attendance and any also those who are viewing this on your any computer.

1:19

We respectfully welcome your comments and opinions.

1:21

So please keep in mind that as you share your thoughts with the council, you're sharing them with your fellow Dan porters and anybody throughout the region.

1:32

Please reflect the common desire we all share to make Dan Port a better place.

1:37

For anybody in here, if you'd be kind enough to put your cell phones on silent, um simply they don't get in the way of anybody talking tonight.

1:45

This time if you want to talk to the council, please come to the podium.

1:55

If you're not from here, we'd love to know where you're from.

1:57

Please address the council as a body and not to any one individual.

2:01

We'll be respectful of you.

2:02

And please be respectful of us.

2:05

Thank you very much.

2:07

All right.

2:18

Second.

2:18

Motion is second.

2:19

All in favor?

2:20

Aye.

2:22

Any opposed.

2:24

Very good.

2:25

Mr.

2:25

City Administrator, Mr.

2:26

Gleason.

2:28

Um, is there anything tonight?

2:30

I do, Mayor.

2:31

Uh thank you.

2:32

And uh for the council for the community, uh, I promise I'm not gonna be quick tonight.

2:37

I've got three things.

2:39

Uh the first one is uh this is our last meeting as Mayor shared before we resume uh business of the city in the form of council meetings with the newly seated council, not till January 7th.

2:51

So in between, we have two holidays, and uh just wanted to wish the uh Davenport community happy holidays and uh safe travels if you're on the road, and then for all those uh that uh actually have to work, uh you know, blessings and safety to you, and we've got a fair amount in the city side that will be uh you know providing those city services to the community.

3:13

Next item.

3:15

Uh the last two are about elected officials.

3:17

Uh wanted to share with the community.

3:19

This council already knows this, but uh the past two days we had uh onboarding for the uh newly elected officials.

3:27

It was a fair amount of uh training that they sat through, excited uh when we do this for uh an upcoming newly seated council, and then also for those that uh our current council members that were re-elected, uh there was training in the afternoon.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Racial Equity█████████████13%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Community Engagement█████5%
Leadership Development█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Historic Preservation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting – December 11, 2025 (Called to Order December 10)

The meeting was called to order by the Mayor on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, per the mayor's statement, but the transcript is dated December 11, 2025. This was the final council meeting of the year, and the last for several outgoing council members. The meeting included farewell speeches from the mayor and several council members, approval of a committee report, a second consideration of an ordinance (ORD 25-03) to allow wholesale establishments in C3 zoning, a failed resolution regarding an estate agreement, and public comments addressing race, respect, and community issues.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the report of the Committee of the Whole from December 3, 2025, was moved and seconded, passed unanimously.
  • The consent agenda (items not discussed individually) was approved with 9 yes votes; Alderwoman Newton abstained on item 15, citing discomfort.

Farewell Remarks from Outgoing Council Members

  • Alderman Kelly: Thanked the city, stated he never lied in his position, and noted racial tension and divide in Davenport that was never addressed. He asserted his honesty and that he stayed through his terms.
  • Alderwoman Lynch: Delivered a speech about learning from service, the challenges of the job (being yelled at, blamed), and called for a climate where good leaders can survive. She emphasized that disagreement is not disrespect and that the city must pay its bills. Thanked staff, colleagues, and the 7th ward.
  • Alderwoman McGinnis: Brief remarks, noted her third ward meeting upcoming, thanked colleagues and staff, and reflected on challenges (COVID, flooding, Canadian Pacific) that led to positive outcomes like ARPA funds, flood plan, and improvements. Encouraged citizen engagement.
  • Alderman Reinhardt: Thanked residents, colleagues, staff, and constituents. Stated he made decisions in the best interest of the city's fiscal future while measuring social impact.
  • Mayor: Extended thanks to city staff, council members, and various departments. Highlighted achievements: record street funding, job creation (Fair Oaks, Amazon, etc.), GVI program, flood protection, inclusive playgrounds, parks, and public safety. Thanked his family and outgoing council members. Emphasized continuous improvement and collaboration.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dale Gilmore (6th Ward): Thanked all council members (leaving and staying) for their service and bravery.
  • Don May (4th Ward): Thanked outgoing members and criticized those who do not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, stating that veterans should take care of homeless veterans.
  • Citizen (speaker not named, referenced as 'my sister'): Defended not standing for the pledge, citing America's history of slavery and lack of freedom for all. Criticized a council member's remarks about not standing. Expressed pride in being from a family of slaves and called for respect.
  • Tim (7th Ward): Thanked council for service, criticized outgoing council members for not acknowledging the 3-2-1 Main Street tragedy. Defended not standing for pledge due to heavy heart for black and brown Americans. Stated his grandfather was a veteran but unhappy about military service.
  • Citizen (letter U): Used alphabet to make points: 'Understand' – urged council to listen to understand; 'Virtue' – called for high moral standards; 'Wisdom' – apply good judgment; 'Zebra' – envision a Davenport where all feel safe. Thanked outgoing members and urged focusing on settlements rather than judgments.

Discussion Items

  • Second Consideration of Ordinance ORD 25-03 (Leverage Holdings): Request to amend Chapter 17.08 to allow wholesale establishments as a permitted use in C3 zoning district with principal use standards. The petitioner (Tom Castrodon, attorney) argued it would help development as retail declines, and truck traffic would be comparable to current retail. Staff report was favorable, and Planning & Zoning approved unanimously. Council discussion: none. The second consideration passed unanimously (9-0), moving to third consideration.
  • Resolution regarding agreement and release from estate of James W. Victor: No public comment except a citizen (Judith Lee, 2nd ward) who had not received FOIA response and cautioned against violating laws. The resolution failed 2-7 (yes: T Dunn, McGinnis? Actually: According to roll call: T Dunn? Yes; Reinhardt? No; McGuinness? Yes; Burkholder? No; Lynch? No; Newton? No; Run? No; Kelly? No; Grip? Yes. So 2 yes, 7 no). The resolution did not pass.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance ORD 25-03 passed second consideration unanimously (9-0) and moved to third consideration.
  • Resolution (Victor estate) failed (2-7).
  • Consent agenda approved (9-0, with one abstention on item 15).
  • Meeting adjourned after public comments and final remarks.

Note: The date discrepancy: The mayor called the meeting to order on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, but the transcript is dated December 11, 2025. The summary uses the date from the instruction.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, good evening and welcome everybody. I call the city council meeting for Wednesday, uh, December 10th, 2025, to order. At this time, we'll have a moment of silence for you to think about whatever it is you'd like to think about during this holiday season. Thank you. If you'd all please stand and join Alderwoman Newton in leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please. Thank you. And Mr. Krupp, if you'd be kind enough to call the room. Run. Kelly. McGinnis. Here. Bryn Ernst. Here. Grip. Newton. Here. Lynch. Here. Ton here. Job Jen. And Burkholder. Here. Hey, President, Your Honor. Thank you, sir. So again, good evening and welcome everybody as we begin the meeting of the city council. Last one for the year. I'd like to welcome everybody in attendance and any also those who are viewing this on your any computer. We respectfully welcome your comments and opinions. So please keep in mind that as you share your thoughts with the council, you're sharing them with your fellow Dan porters and anybody throughout the region. Please reflect the common desire we all share to make Dan Port a better place. For anybody in here, if you'd be kind enough to put your cell phones on silent, um simply they don't get in the way of anybody talking tonight. This time if you want to talk to the council, please come to the podium. If you're not from here, we'd love to know where you're from. Please address the council as a body and not to any one individual. We'll be respectful of you. And please be respectful of us. Thank you very much. All right. Second. Motion is second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed. Very good. Mr. City Administrator, Mr. Gleason. Um, is there anything tonight? I do, Mayor.

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