The Fort Dodge City Council will act on the nearly $115 million budget for the next fiscal year when it meets tonight.

The council will also consider cracking down on the 4th Street Depot, a bar that has generated lots of police calls and complaints from neighbors by issuing a formal warning that could provide the basis for asking the courts to put limits on the business.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 819 First Ave. S.

The proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 totals $114,567,940.

That is about the same as the current year’s budget.

The proposed budget includes a 14-cent increase in the property tax rate.

That tax rate is $20.89 per $1,000 of taxable value. The current rate is $20.75 per $1,000 of taxable value.

Revenue generated by the increase would go to Dodger Area Rapid Transit bus service, which is experiencing increased costs and decreased federal support.

The biggest single spending category in the budget consists of utilities — water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and sanitation service — which are paid for with fees rather than property taxes. Those utilities will cost about $34 million in the next fiscal year.

The 4th Street Depot generated 107 police calls between March 2025 and March 2026, according to a report to the council from City Manager David Fierke. He said those calls have included fights, drunks, shots fired, loud noise, and trespassing onto nearby residential properties.

The liquor license for the business is about to expire. In his report, Fierke wrote that denying the license would likely result in an appeal to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, which would require the city to defend its decision in a formal process.

He is recommending instead that the council approve the license renewal with a formal warning and a six month evaluation period. During that six month period, the city would monitor incidents and complaints related to the bar.

“The expectation is that disruptive activities and related calls for service will be significantly reduced,” Fierke wrote.

He wrote if conditions do not improve, after six months, he will return to the council with a recommendation to pursue court action.