OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting - April 23, 2026: Proclamations, Recognitions, and Street Closure

City Council — Thursday, April 23, 2026
BodyDavenport, Iowa
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, April 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And welcome to the city council meeting.

0:06

We are we've got some folks that are using technology, maybe not very well to remote in to our meeting tonight.

0:14

So we're working through those issues right now, so appreciate your patience.

0:17

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

0:25

All right, thank you.

0:27

Please rise as Alderman Blunk will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:32

My pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands under and invisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:48

All right, thank you.

0:49

Brian, would you please call the roll?

0:52

Can I have one second?

0:54

Alderman Hallway is trying to get in.

0:56

Sure.

1:00

You have some elevator music you can just see you guys.

1:12

I just want to test and see if you guys can hear me who are called in.

1:32

Okay, Alderman Group just said I can't hear anyone so it's not doing me much good.

1:40

Okay.

1:51

Sam, is there any reason I can't read the protocol and decorum before we call the roll?

1:57

Uh no, they they can't hear us, we can hear them.

2:01

Um we have quorum, so uh there's no reason you can't receive at the meeting.

2:09

Okay, but we still haven't called the role yet, though.

2:11

So I'm gonna I'm calling alderman group.

2:14

Okay.

2:14

I'm going to have him join via my phone as best we can there.

2:19

Okay.

2:19

Put him on speaker.

2:21

What are we doing about Alderman Holloway?

2:24

He's he did call in here.

2:26

Can you hear us?

2:27

Alderman Holloway, can you hear me?

2:38

Um go through that shot for uh for the other.

2:49

All right, well, let's call the roll.

2:53

R done here.

2:56

Here Holloway.

3:02

He is on.

3:03

Okay.

3:03

I'm gonna count him.

3:04

He is on.

3:05

Lean in, present.

3:07

Grip.

3:08

Here.

3:10

Newton.

3:12

Blunk.

3:13

Here.

3:13

T Dunn.

3:14

Present.

3:15

Job Jen?

3:16

Here.

3:16

And Burkholder.

3:17

Yeah.

3:18

Looks like I'm present, Your Honor.

3:20

All right, thank you.

3:20

And welcome to tonight's meeting.

3:22

Uh we appreciate everyone's participation in the city government.

3:26

Those of you that are here with us in person and those watching online or on a mobile device.

3:30

We value your comments and opinions.

3:32

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

3:39

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

3:45

We appreciate your engagement in city government and ask that your participation reflects our shared goal of making Davenport an even better place for our residents for those that would uh work here or visit our community.

3:56

Um we're working to make it a better community for all.

3:59

So thank you for being part of tonight's meeting.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Engagement██████████████████████████████████34%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Environmental Protection█████████9%
Public Safety███████7%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Davenport City Council Meeting - April 23, 2026

The Davenport City Council met on April 23, 2026, to approve routine agenda items, recognize off-duty first responders for life-saving actions, adopt three proclamations, approve a street closure for a school track meet, and hear council member communications. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the April 8, 2026 special city council meeting.
  • Approved the report of the committee of the whole from April 15, 2026.
  • Approved reappointments to the Riverfront Improvement Commission: Dan Darland (5th ward) and Mary Proust (6th ward).
  • Adopted three proclamations:
    • Foster Care Awareness Month (May 2026)
    • Compost Awareness Week (May 3–9, 2026)
    • Arbor Day (April 24, 2026)
  • Approved the consent agenda by roll call (9 yes votes).

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public addressed the council during the public comment period.

Proclamations

  • Foster Care Awareness Month: Read by Alderman Burkholder. Liz Estelo from Four Oaks Foster Care & Adoption accepted, stating the organization supports licensing and training of foster, adoptive, and kinship families across all 99 Iowa counties. She emphasized the great need for foster homes in Scott County, the busiest county, and encouraged residents to visit Iowa Foster & Adoption.org.
  • Compost Awareness Week: Read by Alderman Rick Dunn. Robert Bartelson, supervisor from the Davenport Compost Facility, accepted, noting the facility diverts about 30% of organics that would go to landfill, creates a usable product, and celebrated 30 years of operation in 2025. He thanked the council and residents for support.
  • Arbor Day: Read by Alderman Jobjen. Nicole Gleason, Public Works Director, accepted, stating the proclamation helps support grants for tree planting. She announced an annual event to clean up and plant trees at E-Mice Park on Saturday, April 25, and invited online sign-ups.

Presentation: Recognition of Off-Duty First Responders

Mayor Gordon recognized two life-saving incidents:

  • On February 22, 2026, Lieutenant Michael Putnam and his wife Caitlin were at the Bittner YMCA when a cardiac arrest occurred. Lt. Putnam, along with off-duty Moline and Rock Island Fire Department members and bystanders, performed CPR, used an AED, and assisted EMS. The patient regained a pulse.
  • On March 17, 2026, Firefighter Carl Kyle Nichols, on vacation in Florida, helped rescue a 12-year-old found unresponsive in a pool. His brother Dustin dove in and began CPR; Kyle assisted until the child responded. The child was released a few days later. Chief Van Der Weyer praised the off-duty actions and noted that the entire department performs such life-saving work daily. The mayor presented recognitions to Lt. Putnam, Firefighter Nichols, and Dustin Nichols.

Council Member Communications

  • Alderman Vasquez expressed concern that focusing development on a few areas will lead to neglect of older wards (e.g., 1st and 3rd wards), urging active promotion of the entire city.
  • Alderman Lenin announced the 8th ward meeting on Thursday, May 7 at 6 p.m. at the Eastern Avenue library, with Mary Egger from Iowa American Water discussing lead service line replacement.
  • Alderman Blunk announced postponement of the River Street realignment meeting (originally scheduled for April 24) to May, with a date to be announced.
  • Alderman Holloway announced a 7th ward meeting on Monday, May 11 at Fire Station #3, with the fire chief and acting police director as guests.
  • Alderman Blunk announced the 5th ward meeting on Monday, May 18 at the Grilled Cheese Bar in the Village of East Davenport.
  • Alderman Dunn reminded of the Coffee with the Cop event on April 24 from 8 to 9 a.m. at Tommy's Cafe.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution for Street Closure: After suspending the rules, the council considered a resolution to close East 36th Street from Brady Street to west of 705 East 36th Street on Thursday, May 7, 2026, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the Davenport Community School District Matt Conference Track Meet at Brady Street Stadium. No public comments were made. Alderman Jobjen provided background that the closure is critical for safety as children board and unload from buses due to scheduling on the 5th Wednesday of the month. The resolution passed unanimously via roll call (9 yes votes).

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were unanimous (9-0).
  • Meeting adjourned without further business.

Meeting Transcript

And welcome to the city council meeting. We are we've got some folks that are using technology, maybe not very well to remote in to our meeting tonight. So we're working through those issues right now, so appreciate your patience. And at this time, we'll have a moment of silence. All right, thank you. Please rise as Alderman Blunk will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. My pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands under and invisible with liberty and justice for all. All right, thank you. Brian, would you please call the roll? Can I have one second? Alderman Hallway is trying to get in. Sure. You have some elevator music you can just see you guys. I just want to test and see if you guys can hear me who are called in. Okay, Alderman Group just said I can't hear anyone so it's not doing me much good. Okay. Sam, is there any reason I can't read the protocol and decorum before we call the roll? Uh no, they they can't hear us, we can hear them. Um we have quorum, so uh there's no reason you can't receive at the meeting. Okay, but we still haven't called the role yet, though. So I'm gonna I'm calling alderman group. Okay. I'm going to have him join via my phone as best we can there. Okay. Put him on speaker. What are we doing about Alderman Holloway? He's he did call in here. Can you hear us? Alderman Holloway, can you hear me? Um go through that shot for uh for the other. All right, well, let's call the roll. R done here. Here Holloway. He is on. Okay. I'm gonna count him. He is on. Lean in, present. Grip. Here. Newton. Blunk. Here. T Dunn. Present. Job Jen? Here. And Burkholder. Yeah. Looks like I'm present, Your Honor.

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