REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN)
Correction: Dubuque City Council Approves $1.82 Million Central Avenue Purchase, Sets $22.25 Million Bond Hearing
CITY COUNCIL & CIVIC • October 24, 2026
In its Oct. 19 session, the council also passed a receiving-home ordinance, approved $2.07 million in water revenue bonds, and set hearings on five housing urban renewal plans.
KEY FACTS & RECORD HIGHLIGHTS
- City Council meeting Oct. 19, 2026, 6:30 p.m. to 10:59 p.m., Historic Federal Building, 350 W. 6th St.
- Purchase of 1398 Central Ave. and 148 parking spaces approved for $1,819,800, 7-0.
- Public hearing set for Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m., on proposals to issue up to $22,250,000 in General Obligation Bonds, Series 2026AB; the Oct. 19 action set the hearing, it did not approve the borrowing.
- $2,071,000 in Taxable Water Revenue Bonds, Series 2026A, approved 7-0 for the private lead service line replacement pilot program, Phase II.
- Ordinance No. 46-26, adding receiving home as a permitted use in residential and commercial districts, passed 7-0.
- Property at 1500 Old Mill Road rezoned from R-1 single-family residential to C-2 neighborhood shopping center, 6-0, with Council Member Leyendecker abstaining due to a banking client relationship.
- Thunder Valley urban revitalization plan approved 6-1, with Council Member Staver voting nay; Eastgate Court urban revitalization plan approved 6-1, with Council Member Staver voting nay.
- Consent items 1-22 approved in a single motion, 7-0; public hearings set for Nov. 2 on the bond proposals and the ImOn Ice Arena cooling tower replacement project, and for Nov. 16 on five housing urban renewal plans (Lake Ridge, Eastgate Court, Thunder Valley, Plaza Drive, Bies Drive).
- Jamie Koppes appointed to the Transit Advisory Board for a term through July 30, 2028, 7-0.
- City manager recruitment stakeholder engagement plan received, filed, and discussed, 7-0; compensation and total rewards framework approved, 7-0; no salary range amount is stated in the minutes.
- Proclamations accepted: Arts and Humanities Month (October 2026), Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (Oct. 25-31, 2026), and Extra Mile Day (Nov. 1, 2026).
- Closed session at 9:41 p.m. on pending litigation and purchase or sale of real estate; council reconvened at 10:59 p.m. and adjourned.
- Correction: This recap corrects an earlier version, which described the stakeholder engagement plan as approved; the Oct. 19 motion received, filed, and discussed the plan.
The Dubuque City Council met Oct. 19, 2026, in the second-floor Council Chambers of the Historic Federal Building, 350 W. 6th St., and approved the purchase of 1398 Central Ave. and 148 parking spaces for $1,819,800 on a 7-0 vote. The council also set a public hearing for Nov. 2 on proposals to issue up to $22,250,000 in General Obligation Bonds, Series 2026AB, and approved $2,071,000 in Taxable Water Revenue Bonds, Series 2026A, for a private lead service line replacement pilot program, Phase II, on a 7-0 vote. The council passed Ordinance No. 46-26 adding receiving home as a permitted use in residential and commercial districts, 7-0, and rezoned property at 1500 Old Mill Road from R-1 single-family residential to C-2 neighborhood shopping center, 6-0 with Council Member Leyendecker abstaining. Urban revitalization plans for Thunder Valley and Eastgate Court each passed 6-1, with Council Member Staver voting nay. The council also received, filed, and discussed a stakeholder engagement plan and approved a compensation framework for the city manager recruitment, and appointed Jamie Koppes to the Transit Advisory Board for a term through July 30, 2028. A work session on the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation quarterly update preceded the regular session. The council met in closed session on pending litigation and real estate purchase or sale, reconvened at 10:59 p.m., and adjourned. Correction: An earlier version of this recap described the stakeholder engagement plan as approved. The Oct. 19 motion received, filed, and discussed the plan; the compensation framework was approved.
PUBLIC PROCEEDINGS NOTICE: Agendas, minutes, and legislative resolutions represent public records published by the City of Dubuque via CivicClerk. Council meetings are broadcast live on CityChannel Dubuque and archived at cityofdubuque.org/media.