DES MOINES – The Iowa House voted 96-0 Monday to place new reporting and transparency requirements on cities and counties that use tax increment financing (TIF). Proponents said the changes heading to Gov. Terry Branstad’s desk for his consideration are designed to curb some TIF abuses without limiting an important economic development tool used...
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CORALVILLE – Residents will have a chance to get rid of large items next week in Coralville. The semiannual Mayor’s Clean Up Week is set for May 7-11. People can dispose of bulky items, like furniture and bathroom fixtures, by placing them curbside up to 24 hours before their regular trash collection day. Metal...
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CORALVILLE – Facing a lawsuit over its deal with Von Maur, the city of Coralville wants to give the department store chain some assurances the project will happen. The City Council on April 24 is to consider a resolution that would revise agreements it hammered out last fall related to the project. Mayor Jim...
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DES MOINES – A Senate panel voted Wednesday to revamp House-passed reforms to the state’s tax increment financing system in hopes of preserving a key development tool for cities and counties while curbing the potential for abuses. “It was our goal not to damage this tool,” said Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, told members of...
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CORALVILLE – Coralville will start flushing fire hydrants on April 17. The process will take at least five weeks to complete and will begin in areas north of Interstate 80. If water from a faucet is discolored, run the water for at least 30 minutes or until it clears. The water is safe to...
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IOWA CITY — There’s still some barking about a new Iowa City animal shelter, but plans are starting to come together. That’s good news for the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, which has been housed in a building a few miles south of town since the June 2008 floods destroyed the old...
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IOWA CITY – The executive director of Johnson County’s joint emergency communications center has resigned. The board that runs the center voted 7-0 Monday night to accept Gary Albrecht’s resignation, effective March 23, and to approve a separation agreement, Chairman John Lundell said. Lundell, who is a Coralville City Council member, said the agreement...
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DES MOINES – A bipartisan House-Senate working group is hoping to craft reforms to the state’s tax increment financing (TIF) that can win legislative approval this session, group leaders said Monday. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said there is consensus building around efforts to bolster transparency,...
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IOWA CITY – Johnson County’s joint emergency communications center may be looking for a new executive director. The center’s board met in closed session Friday morning to discuss a legal matter and has scheduled another meeting for 8 p.m. Monday to talk about the leadership of what is commonly known as the JECC, John...
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A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Monday, March 12: IT’S NATIONAL FIX A LEAK WEEK: The Iowa Utilities Board issued an alert Monday promoting consumer awareness of water conservation by reminding Iowans that it’s “fix a leak’ week through March 18. IUB officials say their effort to partner with...
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