On the agenda: Leclaire meeting — License Plate Reader (Feb 17)

City of LeClaire, Iowa
City Council – Committee of the Whole
Meeting Agenda

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 – 6:00 p.m.

(Immediately following the City Council Meeting)

Council Chambers
325 Wisconsin St
LeClaire, IA
Electronic Attendance Link

I.

Call to Order with Roll Call

II.

Discussion Items:

City Council
Mayor Dennis Gerard
Amy Blair, Mayor Pro Tem
Bill Bloom
Sara Gravert
Barry Long
Ryan Salvador

A. Proposed FY27 Budget & Revised FY 26 Budget
Dennis Bockenstedt, City Administrator
B. City Code Omnibus 2026
Dennis Bockenstedt, City Administrator

III.

Adjournment

Title VI Notice to the Public
It is the policy of the City of Le Claire to assure full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Related statutes and regulations provide that no person shall on the basis of race,
color, national origin, gender, age or disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity c o n d u c t e d
b y t h e C i t y . Any person who believes that they are being denied participation in a project, being denied benefits of a program, or otherwise being discriminated against because of race,
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability, may contact the City Administrator for the City of LeClaire at (563)-289-6004.

City of LeClaire
Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
Committee of the Whole
February 17, 2026
Dennis Bockenstedt,
City Administrator

City Council Budget Goals
 Maintain property tax rate
 Maintain fiscal responsibility
 Diversify tax base
 Utilize grants as much as possible
 Enhance Tourism marketing budget for Cody Road
Phase 2

Revenue Budget highlights
 Property Tax – Taxable valuation growth of 3.1% including TIF valuation after
State rollback change; property tax rate unchanged
 Sales Tax – Budgeted revenue up 2%
 Hotel/Motel Tax – estimates down 11.2%; 66% budgeted to Tourism budget; up
from 52%
 Road Use Tax – Budgeted revenue up 2%
 Sewer Charges – 3% rate increase budgeted to keep up with cost of
expenditures
 Garbage Charges – no change
 Speed camera fine revenue – reduced to one camera and restricted uses
 Interest income – estimates have been reduced but remained stable; however,
revenue should continue to decline due to cash outflows and lower rates

Major Revenues Outlook
 Property Taxes
 Local Option Sales Taxes
 Hotel/Motel Taxes
 Automated Traffic Enforcement Fines
 Road Use Taxes
 Grants

Property Tax Rate History
Property Tax Levy Rate History
$16.00

$15.00

$14.00

$13.00

$12.00

$11.00
2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027 *

FY2026 Property Tax Rates
Comparable Communities
$18.00

15.88

$16.00

14.07
$14.00

12.64

13.01

13.11

CAMANCHE

BETTENDORF

$12.00

10.26
$10.00

8.11
$8.00
$6.00
$4.00
$2.00
$0.00
ELDRIDGE

DYERSVILLE

LE CLAIRE

DE WITT

WEST LIBERTY

Property Tax Valuation
Millions

100% ASSESSED VERSUS TAXABLE VALUATION

(INFORMATION FROM ANNUAL SCOTT COUNTY TAX LEVY AUTHORITY REPORTS)

$800.0
$700.0

ASSESSED VALUE

$600.0
$500.0
$400.0
$300.0
$200.0
$100.0
$0.0
FY16

FY17

FY18

FY19

FY20

FY21

FY22

FY23

FISCAL YEAR
100% ASSESSED VALUATION

TAXABLE VALUATION

FY24

FY25

FY26

FY27

Residential Rollback
58.0%
56.0%

56.9391%
55.7335%

55.6259%

56.9180%
55.6209%

56.4904%
55.0743%
54.1302%

54.0%

54.6501%

52.0%
50.0%
48.0%

47.4316%
46.3428%

46.0%
44.5345%

44.0%
42.0%
40.0%
FY16

FY17

FY18

FY19

FY20

FY21

FY22

FY23

FY24

FY25

FY26

FY27

Property Tax Valuation
Millions

10 YEAR HISTORY
$400.0

$350.0

$300.0

$250.0

$200.0

$150.0

$100.0

$50.0

$0.0
FY16

FY17

FY18

FY19

FY20

Taxable Valuation

FY21

FY22

FY23

Incremental Valuation

FY24

FY25

FY26

FY27

FY2027 Property Tax Levy notice and
hearing
• General Fund property tax rate reduced to $7.78622 per
$1,000 of valuation from $8.10
• Employee Benefits property tax rate increased to $.31378 per
$1,000 of valuation
• Overall property tax levy rate remains unchanged at
$12.64166 per $1,000 of valuation
• State has lowered the taxable valuation of residential
property by decreasing the rollback factor
• Impact on the $100,000 home is a decrease in City property
taxes of about $36.62 or 6.11% (not considering change in the
home’s assessed valuation)

Local Option Sales Tax
Local Option Sales Tax History
(fiscal year)
$1,200,000

$1,000,000

$800,000

$600,000

$400,000

$200,000

$2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026 Est.

2027 Budget

Local Option Sales Tax Funding
• FY2027 estimated revenues - $964,426 (inc. of 2%)
• Property Tax relief for employee benefits levy - $584,656
• Debt Service for capital projects funding - $389,770
• Capital Projects – Downtown Kiosk Upgrades- $15,000

Hotel/Motel Taxes
HOTEL/MOTEL REVENUE - 10 YEAR HISTORY
(DOLLARS RECEIVED)

$400,000
$350,000
$300,000
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
$0

FY18

FY19

FY20

FY21

FY22

FY23

FY24 *

FY25

FY26 EST

* State changed payment method to monthly from quarterly

FY27 BUDGET

Hotel/Motel Tax Allocation
Hotel/Motel Tax
Revenue/Usage Projections
$400,000
$350,000
$143,281

$172,943

$300,000
$165,038

$160,737

$117,309

$125,687

$127,370

$129,088

$181,087

$185,539

$190,080

Fy2028

Fy2029

Fy2030

$102,036

$250,000
$200,000

$97,204
$187,186

$150,000
$100,000

$150,323

$195,404

$198,723

Fy2026

Fy2027

$162,563

$130,990
$111,038

$50,000
$Fy2021

Fy2022

Fy2023

Fy2024

Fy2025

Tourism Fund

General Fund

Automated Traffic Enforcement Fines
Automated Traffic Enforcement Fines
(fiscal year)
$3,000,000

$2,500,000

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

$FY2021 (partial
year)

FY2022

FY2023

FY2024

FY2025 (partial
year)

FY2026 Est.

FY2027 Budget

Automated Traffic Enforcement Fines
Capital Project and Public Safety Uses

FY2026
Wisconsin street reconstruct, Cody ‐ 15th Street

$

825,000

Fire Station Carpet and Flooring

$

75,000

City phone system replacement *

$

50,000

City financial system replacement *

$

100,000

* original law

$

1,050,000

Police Department Building Improvements

$

35,000

Police License Plate Reader Cameras

$

33,150

Fire Kitchen Upgrades

$

25,000

$

93,150

FY2027

Road Use Taxes
Road Use Tax Revenues
(fiscal year)
$800,000
$700,000
$600,000
$500,000
$400,000
$300,000
$200,000
$100,000
$2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026 Est.

2027 Budget

Grants
 Since 2023, City has received 36+ grants totaling more than $12.27
million in State, Local, Federal grants
 Territorial Bridge grants - $2 million
 Cody Road, Phase 2 - $3.76 million
 Wisconsin Street - $3 million
 MRT & 35th Street Trails - $1.69 million
 West Canal Shore RR Crossing - $600,000
 Grants awarded to all departments for equipment, construction,
marketing, land acquisition, and programming

Expenditure Outlook
 Employee salary & benefit increases (3%)
 Health insurance premiums increased (11%) on
January 1
 Dental insurance premiums increased (4%) on
January 1
 Property & Liability Insurance increases estimated at
(6%)
 Workers Comp Insurance increases (6%)
 Consumer Price Index up 2.70% thru Dec 2025

Expenditure Highlights
 YMCA construction - $16 million ($8 million from YMCA)
 Fire Station kitchen improvements ($25,000)
 Police Squad Car ($66,950), Police Cameras & Tasers
($35,185), Police License Plate Readers ($33,150)
 Police Department building improvements ($35,000)
 Downtown kiosk upgrades ($15,000)
 Tourism Marketing budget increase (10%); Marketing
Alliance contribution of $28,000 eliminated
 Includes $50,000 from welcome center reserve to
relocate Information Center to Buffalo Bill Museum and
remodel bathrooms & lobby

Expenditure Highlights
 Huckleberry park improvements – Splash Park,
Parking Lot, and Sidewalks ($1,200,000)
 Cemetery park land purchase payment ($40,819)
 Financial System replacement ($100,000)
 Public Works work order program ($25,000)
 Sewer main maintenance program ($100,000)
 Bi-annual Crack Seal program ($300,000)

Budget summary
 Budget maintains property tax rate flat
 Budget maintains service levels
 Road Use, and Sales Tax revenues remain stable;
Hotel/Motel revenue has fallen greatly
 Interest earnings projected to slow down
 ATE revenues have been greatly reduced
 Continues street maintenance and sewer maintenance
programs
 Downtown marketing budget increased 10%

FY27 Budget Timeline
 February 2 - Department, Finance Committee meetings
 February 17 – Set public hearing for property tax levy
 March 20 – Scott County mails out notices regarding property
tax levy
 April 6 – Hold public hearing for property tax levy
 April 6 – Set public hearing to adopt FY2026 amended budget
and FY2027 proposed budget
 April 20 – Hold public hearing and adopt FY2026 amended
budget and FY2027 proposed budget
 April 30 – File amended and proposed budgets with Scott
County and State of Iowa

City Code
Omnibus

Committee-of-the-Whole
February 17, 2026

February 2026
Dennis Bockenstedt, City Administrator

Purpose


City Code Omnibus


City re-codified in 2024



Last Omnibus update in June 2025



Intend to do annual Omnibus to:


Clean up typos, broken links, and inconsistencies



Incorporate new State law changes



Clean up Code inaccuracies and differences from actual practice or treatment



To be adopted in one ordinance

Code Changes


Chapter 26 – Tourism Board


Corrects section 26.04


Should be 9 voting members and not 7

Code Changes




Chapter 122 – Peddlers, Solicitors, & Transient Merchants


Removes appeal for revocation or denial of permit (122.15)



Cleans up language regarding non-profit/civic organizations’ requirements (122.17)

Chapter 123 – Public Vending and Vendors


Removes language regarding location size limits (123.03)



Updates property locations language (123.06 – 25.B)

Code Changes


Chapter 165 – Floodplain Ordinance




Incorporates cleanups and corrections required by Iowa Department of Natural
Resources during a floodplain ordinance review


Cleans up and adds a few definitions “Lowest Floor” and “Repetitive Loss”



Tweaks language for Official Floodplain Zoning Map, factory-built homes, and nonconforming
structures

Chapter 170 – Zoning Regulations


Updates Screening and Fencing regulations (170.43)


Raises height limitation from 42” to 48” in front yards



Clarifies front yard to include front lot line



Raises Agricultural Fence limits from 42” to 72”

Conclusion


City Code Omnibus


City re-codified in 2024



Last Omnibus update in June 2025



Intend to do annual Omnibus to:


Clean up typos, broken links, and inconsistencies



Incorporate new State law changes



Clean up Code inaccuracies and differences from actual practice or treatment



To be adopted in one ordinance