OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting - January 15, 2026

City Council — Thursday, January 15, 2026
BodyDavenport, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, January 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:48:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Well, good evening.

0:01

Good evening, everyone.

0:02

Welcome to this city council meeting of Wednesday, January 14th.

0:06

At this time, we'll have a moment of silence.

0:13

Thank you.

0:14

Please join as Alderman Vasquez will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:27

To the Republic for which it stands.

0:29

One nation undervisible with liberty and justice.

0:39

All right.

0:40

Brian, would you call the roll, please?

0:44

Arda here.

0:45

Vasquez.

0:46

Here.

0:46

Holloway.

0:47

Here.

0:48

Leanan.

0:49

Grip.

0:50

Here.

0:50

Newton.

0:51

Here.

0:51

Blunk.

0:52

Here.

0:52

T Dunn.

0:53

Here.

0:53

Job Jen.

0:54

Here.

0:54

And Burkholder.

0:55

Here.

0:56

Ten present, Your Honor.

0:57

All right.

0:57

Thank you.

0:58

And good evening.

0:59

I'd like to welcome you everyone to tonight's city council meeting.

1:03

Those of you with us and those watching online or on a mobile device.

1:07

Thank you for participating in your local governments.

1:09

We value your comments and opinions.

1:11

And please remember that when you address the council, you are also sharing your thoughts with fellow Davenport residents and viewers throughout the region.

1:18

City Council meetings are live streamed and recorded for later viewing on the City of Davenport YouTube channel.

1:24

We appreciate your engagement in city government and ask that your participate participation reflects our shared goal of making Davenport an even better place for everyone to live, work, and play.

1:34

Thank you for being part of tonight's meeting.

1:36

And before we begin, just a few reminders.

1:39

Silence or turn off any uh mobile devices, cell phones, whatever you might have, they can interfere with our sound system.

1:47

Um if you wish to speak on an item listed on the discussion agenda, you are encouraged to do so during discussion of that item at that time.

1:55

There will also be an opportunity to address the council during the public with business portion of the meeting later this evening.

2:01

When speaking, please come to the podium, wait to be recognized by the mayor or the committee chair, and address the council as a whole and not to one individual.

2:10

Uh and please limit your remarks to five minutes.

2:12

And also remember, let us know where you live, your address or your ward, and if you don't live in Davenport, we'd love to know where you do live.

2:18

So thank you very much for that.

2:20

Well, an alderman move approval of the city council meeting minutes for December 10th, 2025.

2:25

So moved.

2:26

Second.

2:27

All in favor say aye.

2:28

Aye.

2:29

Any opposed, same sign.

2:31

The minutes are approved.

2:33

Uh city administrator, is there an update this evening from you?

2:37

Yes, there is.

2:38

Uh, mayor and council.

2:39

Uh, this is first cycle, and we started this a couple of months ago, uh, where we do uh employee recognition.

2:47

Um it's I enjoy telling the city story.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development███████████████████████████████████████39%
Public Safety████████████████16%
Procedural████████████12%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Personnel Matters████████8%
Human Trafficking Prevention████4%
Youth Programs███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting - January 15, 2026

The Davenport City Council held a regular meeting on January 15, 2026 (though the transcript indicates January 14, 2026). Key actions included two proclamations, swearing in of six police officers, and extensive debate on a zoning ordinance. The council voted to postpone the zoning text amendment for further study.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of December 10, 2025.
  • Approved report of the Committee of the Whole from January 7, 2026.
  • Approved consent agenda items (roll call vote: 10 yeses).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Cheryl Shagna (3rd Ward) criticized the city's practice of splitting purchase orders under $50,000 to avoid public discussion, and warned that the city is facing lawsuits for violating public records laws (Chapter 21 and 22). She stated that the city is spending taxpayer money on losing cases, citing lawsuits by Dirk's, Dr. Sidran, and John Ewell.

Discussion Items

  • Third Consideration – Ordinance ORD 25-03 (Wholesale use in C3 district): The request by Leverage Holdings LLC to amend the zoning code to permit wholesale establishments as a permitted use in C3 zones was debated.

    • Proponents (Attorney Tom Pasternack, Alderman Grip, Alderman Jobjan) argued that wholesale is a lower-intensity use than retail, would help fill vacant big-box stores, and is appropriate on major corridors like Kimberly, Elmore, and Brady. They noted the change would allow redevelopment of vacant properties and increase the tax base.
    • Opponents (Alderman Newton, Alderman Holloway, Alderman Lennon, Alderman Arden) expressed concerns about a blanket change, potential for hazardous material wholesalers near residential areas, and loss of council control. They favored a special use permit approach to allow case-by-case review and public input.
    • Alderman Holloway initially moved to amend the ordinance to change “permitted” to “special use,” but later withdrew the motion after discussion. Alderman Jobjan then moved to postpone the item for four cycles (two months) to allow further research. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).

  • Resolution for Underground Utilities Contract: A resolution to award a contract to U.S. IC Locating Services was postponed indefinitely by unanimous vote.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance ORD 25-03 was postponed for four cycles (two months) to allow staff to investigate options, including a special use permit approach. The council expressed a desire for more thorough analysis and public notice.
  • The underground utilities contract resolution was postponed indefinitely.
  • The consent agenda was approved including routine items.
  • Proclamations for National Mentoring Month and Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month were adopted.
  • Six new police officers were sworn in.
  • Ward meeting schedules were announced.

Meeting Transcript

Well, good evening. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to this city council meeting of Wednesday, January 14th. At this time, we'll have a moment of silence. Thank you. Please join as Alderman Vasquez will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. To the Republic for which it stands. One nation undervisible with liberty and justice. All right. Brian, would you call the roll, please? Arda here. Vasquez. Here. Holloway. Here. Leanan. Grip. Here. Newton. Here. Blunk. Here. T Dunn. Here. Job Jen. Here. And Burkholder. Here. Ten present, Your Honor. All right. Thank you. And good evening. I'd like to welcome you everyone to tonight's city council meeting. Those of you with us and those watching online or on a mobile device. Thank you for participating in your local governments. We value your comments and opinions. And please remember that when you address the council, you are also sharing your thoughts with fellow Davenport residents and viewers throughout the region. City Council meetings are live streamed and recorded for later viewing on the City of Davenport YouTube channel. We appreciate your engagement in city government and ask that your participate participation reflects our shared goal of making Davenport an even better place for everyone to live, work, and play. Thank you for being part of tonight's meeting. And before we begin, just a few reminders. Silence or turn off any uh mobile devices, cell phones, whatever you might have, they can interfere with our sound system. Um if you wish to speak on an item listed on the discussion agenda, you are encouraged to do so during discussion of that item at that time. There will also be an opportunity to address the council during the public with business portion of the meeting later this evening. When speaking, please come to the podium, wait to be recognized by the mayor or the committee chair, and address the council as a whole and not to one individual. Uh and please limit your remarks to five minutes. And also remember, let us know where you live, your address or your ward, and if you don't live in Davenport, we'd love to know where you do live. So thank you very much for that. Well, an alderman move approval of the city council meeting minutes for December 10th, 2025. So moved.

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