OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting - January 29, 2026: CFO Finance Update, Urban Homestead Contracts, and Immigration Enforcement Resolution

City Council — Thursday, January 29, 2026
BodyDavenport, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, January 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:44:42

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And welcome to the city council meeting for Wednesday, January 8th, 2026.

0:05

And I call this meeting to order.

0:07

And before we do our moment of silence, our police chief did have uh a loss in his family late last week.

0:14

His wife passed away.

0:16

Um so he is dealing with a lot of grief, and his family is too.

0:20

So as we go into this moment of silence, uh, we would just ask that you keep the chief and his family uh in your thoughts and prayers.

0:27

So please a moment of silence.

0:33

Thank you.

0:34

Alderman Lena will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:39

All right, to the Republic from which standard, individual with our liberty and justice for all.

0:58

Well, the clerk, please call the roll.

1:01

Ardon, here Vasquez here.

1:03

Holloway, here.

1:04

Lean in.

1:05

Present Grip here.

1:06

Newton, here.

1:07

Blunk, here.

1:08

T Dunn, here, Job Jen, and Burkholder.

1:11

Here.

1:11

Ten present, Your Honor.

1:14

Thank you.

1:14

And good evening, and welcome to everyone tonight who's participating in this city council meeting.

1:19

Whether you're here in person or watching on a mobile device or a computer, we appreciate your participation in local government.

1:26

We value your comments and opinions.

1:29

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

1:36

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

1:42

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

1:50

Thank you for being part of tonight's meeting.

1:53

And before we we begin, just a couple of reminders.

1:56

Please silence or turn off any cell phones or anything that is electronic and can make a noise so as not to disrupt the meeting.

2:04

If you wish to speak on an item listed on the discussion agenda, you were encouraged to do so during the discussion portion on that item.

2:13

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

2:19

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 any one individual.

2:29

And you have five minutes to do that.

2:30

And we are interested in hearing from you.

2:33

And we we definitely want to hear your comments, but we want to do so in a collaborative and positive fashion.

2:39

And so uh with that, would an Alder Person please approve the City Council meeting minutes from January 14th, 2026.

2:46

Oh no.

2:46

Second.

2:47

All in favor say aye.

2:48

Aye.

2:49

Any opposed, same sign.

2:51

Minutes are approved.

2:53

City Administrator Gleason, is there an update this evening?

2:56

Yes, Mayor.

2:57

There is uh three comments, uh, two quick ones, and then uh um, and then we'll have our first ever CFO finance uh update.

3:07

Uh but the first uh comment uh just with the weather that we've had the last uh couple of weeks.

3:13

Want to thank all of the uh city staff uh that provide city services uh out and about and then also uh any employees we've got trades, construction, you know, just any of those other employees uh on our community uh providing us services uh during this uh snap of uh extremely bitterly cold, dangerous uh weather that we've had.

3:35

The other item, uh the city, and I think most of the community uh is aware of this, and it's very well received, is Davenport U, the Citizens Academy.

3:45

We're taking applications, and the application period is through uh February 13th, and you can uh sign up and apply uh at the city's website or the city's web uh Facebook page.

3:58

Last item.

3:59

Uh and Basha, if you would uh work your way to the podium, uh some introductory remarks.

4:05

And and for those uh residents that are in attendance tonight, uh you're actually in for a special treat.

4:11

This is our uh first uh yeah, I mean that uh for our uh first CFO finance update.

4:18

Our CFO is Vasha Gerlock, she's been with the city for several years.

4:22

She's been in the CFO role for a couple of years now, and this is something that uh we have pledged uh to the community.

4:30

It's something that the mayor and the council wants, a very open and transparent conversation about the city's finances.

4:36

We are stewards of the taxpayer dollar, so this is completely separate to our budget conversations where we're full uh where we are uh working on uh and working towards uh our FY27 budget.

4:51

We're on a calendar year, or I'm sorry, not a calendar year, but a budget cycle of July 1st to June 30th.

5:00

Uh so this is separate to this.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████████28%
Racial Equity███████████████████19%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████████14%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Procurement█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Economic Development██2%
Workforce Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting - January 29, 2026

Note: The raw transcript indicates the meeting was held on Wednesday, January 8, 2026, but the provided timestamp specifies this meeting took place on January 29, 2026. The summary below follows the timestamp and includes all agenda items from the transcript.

The City Council meeting on January 29, 2026, began with a moment of silence for the police chief's wife, the Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call (10 members present). Key actions included the first-ever CFO finance update, approval of three urban homestead rehabilitation contracts, and a unanimous vote to adopt a position paper opposing state legislation that would mandate local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement (ICE). The meeting also featured a recognition of an officer for off-duty CPR and extensive public comment.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: Minutes from the January 14, 2026, City Council meeting were approved.
  • Resolution Rescinding 2025-517: A resolution to rescind the reallocation of local sales tax revenue from capital improvements to park operations and direct administration consistent with state law was approved unanimously.
  • Consent Agenda (as amended): The consent agenda included item 16 (issue papers on state legislative positions) which was pulled for discussion and amended to include Issue Paper 26-05. The consent agenda as amended was approved unanimously (10-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Over 20 members of the public spoke, the vast majority thanking the council for adopting Issue Paper 26-05 and urging stronger measures to protect immigrant communities from ICE enforcement. Many speakers shared personal stories and articulated concerns about safety, racial profiling, and the need for a strategic plan. A few speakers also raised other topics: a request to publish the FY27 draft budget book online, a left-turn sign issue at 3rd and River Drive, and a question about franchise fees from Metronet/T-Mobile.

Discussion Items

  • City Administrator Update: Tim Gleason thanked staff for working during extreme cold, promoted the Davenport U Citizens Academy (applications due February 13), and introduced the first CFO finance update.
  • CFO Finance Update (Vasha Gerlock):
    • Revenues: Property taxes (budget $98M, received $51.5M, slight shortfall), local option sales tax (conservatively budgeted $18M, projected $23M), road use tax (budget $13M, projected $14M), hotel/motel tax meeting expectations, interest revenue ($4.8M vs $2M budget due to higher rates). Development fees and ATE fines are closely monitored.
    • General Fund: Trending positively; 57% of revenues collected by December 31, 2025.
    • Enterprise Funds: Most are self-sufficient; solid waste, clean water, sewer funds show timing deficits; Parking ($50K deficit), Transit ($730K deficit due to grant timing), River’s Edge ($270K deficit), River Center ($1M loss, staff working with VenueWorks on improvements).
    • ARPA: Of $40.9M received, $4.2M unspent (deadline December 31, 2026).
    • Property Tax Reform: High-level comparison of governor, House, and Senate proposals. Mayor noted the House bill is the only one that allows capturing new growth. Urged council to advocate for local control.
  • Recognition of Officer Riley McIntyre: Honored for performing CPR on a fan in cardiac arrest at a Bears game on November 9, 2025, while off duty.
  • Petitions and Communications: Alderman Leon announced Davenport will host Iowa’s first FAME chapter (advanced manufacturing education). Alderman Holloway invited 7th Ward residents to a meeting on February 9.
  • Item 16 – Issue Papers and Immigration Enforcement: Alderman Newton requested pulling item 16 (consent agenda) to discuss Issue Paper 26-05 opposing House File 2041, which would mandate police cooperation with ICE. Council suspended the rules (unanimous roll call) and approved an amendment to include the position paper stating the Davenport Police Department’s focus remains on local public safety, not federal immigration enforcement. The consent agenda was then approved as amended (10-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous Approval of Urban Homestead Contracts:
    • Contract for 310 S. Hancock Avenue to Clark Design and Development not to exceed $343,680 (10-0).
    • Contract for 2210 W. 4th Street to Clark Design and Development not to exceed $310,850 (10-0).
  • Amendment to Sales Tax Code: First consideration ordinance aligning with Iowa Code approved 10-0.
  • Resolution Rescinding 2025-517: Unanimously approved (10-0).
  • Adoption of Issue Paper 26-05: Council unanimously (10-0) adopted a position paper stating that Davenport Police will not divert resources to enforce federal immigration law, reinforcing local control and community policing.
  • Budget Workshop Dates Announced: Three workshops: Saturday, February 1 at 8:30 a.m. (Council Chambers); Tuesday, February 3 at 3:45 p.m. (Police Department Community Room); Saturday, February 7 at 8:30 a.m. (Council Chambers).
  • Request for Strategic Plan: Alderman Lenin requested the police department develop a strategic plan or SOP in the event ICE enforcement occurs in Davenport.

Meeting Transcript

And welcome to the city council meeting for Wednesday, January 8th, 2026. And I call this meeting to order. And before we do our moment of silence, our police chief did have uh a loss in his family late last week. His wife passed away. Um so he is dealing with a lot of grief, and his family is too. So as we go into this moment of silence, uh, we would just ask that you keep the chief and his family uh in your thoughts and prayers. So please a moment of silence. Thank you. Alderman Lena will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. All right, to the Republic from which standard, individual with our liberty and justice for all. Well, the clerk, please call the roll. Ardon, here Vasquez here. Holloway, here. Lean in. Present Grip here. Newton, here. Blunk, here. T Dunn, here, Job Jen, and Burkholder. Here. Ten present, Your Honor. Thank you. And good evening, and welcome to everyone tonight who's participating in this city council meeting. Whether you're here in person or watching on a mobile device or a computer, we appreciate your participation in local government. We value your comments and opinions. 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's YouTube channel. We appreciate your engagement in city government and ask that your participation reflects our our shared goal of making Davenport an even better place for everyone. Thank you for being part of tonight's meeting. And before we we begin, just a couple of reminders. Please silence or turn off any cell phones or anything that is electronic and can make a noise so as not to disrupt the meeting. If you wish to speak on an item listed on the discussion agenda, you were encouraged to do so during the discussion portion on that item. 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 any one individual. And you have five minutes to do that. And we are interested in hearing from you. And we we definitely want to hear your comments, but we want to do so in a collaborative and positive fashion. And so uh with that, would an Alder Person please approve the City Council meeting minutes from January 14th, 2026. Oh no. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign. Minutes are approved. City Administrator Gleason, is there an update this evening? Yes, Mayor. There is uh three comments, uh, two quick ones, and then uh um, and then we'll have our first ever CFO finance uh update. Uh but the first uh comment uh just with the weather that we've had the last uh couple of weeks. Want to thank all of the uh city staff uh that provide city services uh out and about and then also uh any employees we've got trades, construction, you know, just any of those other employees uh on our community uh providing us services uh during this uh snap of uh extremely bitterly cold, dangerous uh weather that we've had. The other item, uh the city, and I think most of the community uh is aware of this, and it's very well received, is Davenport U, the Citizens Academy. We're taking applications, and the application period is through uh February 13th, and you can uh sign up and apply uh at the city's website or the city's web uh Facebook page.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com