Trending
RAGBRAI and some financial matters are on the agenda for the Fort Dodge City Council tonight.
The council's work will begin at 5 p.m. with a workshop. That's when the elected officials will first discuss RAGBRAI, the annual bike ride across Iowa that will bring thousands of cyclists to Fort Dodge on July 26 for an overnight stay. City officials are working out an agreement with ride organizers that will spell out who is responsible for what when the cyclists are in town. The agreement also addresses costs and liability.
A separate issue, downtown parking not necessarily related to RAGBRAI, will also be addressed during the workshop.
The council's business meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
During that meeting, the elected officials will consider approving the RAGBRAI agreement.
They will also act on the proposed 2021-2022 budget.
Including all expenditures and transfers out, the budget totals $104,564,680.
That's down from the current fiscal year's budget of $121,015,317.
The property tax rate will be $20.42 per $1,000 of taxable value.
The budget is for the fiscal year that will begin July 1 and end June 30, 2022. However, state law requires cities to finalize their budgets in mid-March.
In another financial move, the council is expected to act on an agreement with McNeil Inc., whch owns Childcare Discovery Center. Under that agreement, the city will pay the business $600,000 over 11 years after it completes construction of a new facility near 14th Avenue North and 32nd Street. The money will come from tax increment financing, not the general fund, which pays for many government operations.
The council is also expected to act on applying for a roughly $2.7 million low interest state loan to finance construction of a new water main loop on the city's northwest side.
The meeting will again be a virtual one. To observe it, go to zoom.us. Enter webinar ID 816 045 072 and passcode 948411.
To listen to the meeting on the phone call (312) 626-6799 and enter the same webinar ID and passcode.