Ondrea Elmquist, Boone City Administrator, June 24, 2026

Well on our tuned in program today we're going to take time and visit with Andre Elmquist, Boone City Administrator. Good to have you in. Great to be here. Here we are. Got all kinds of fun stuff going on do we? We do. We do. Let's start out talk a little bit about I did because this is the new more recent one that came out. We're looking for photos. Yes. So if you want you can tell people exactly what we're doing. It's the website. We need a new website only because the people that have been providing it are not going to do it anymore. Correct. And actually this is a project that I had thought about before the website issue happened. We don't have any recent videos or pictures of things happening around town. And so our pictures on our old website even were very outdated. I think the most of them came from 2013 when we did the original website back then. And then there's also times where I am doing an article or putting a post out there that I'm looking for a photo. And we're very limited on what we have in our in our records. So this was something that I had thought about about a year ago. And with the website and trying to get that up and going. I wanted some fresh new photos. So that's where this this got put into place. So we have this posted. I posted this again at kwbg.com. So people can see the information there. And if they have any questions just make contact city clerk. Right. Yeah. Yeah. What we're basically looking for is pictures of events and beautiful things around the community. Flowers. The landscaping historical people out enjoying things. Something that showcases our community. All right. So the downside is is the heart tree stump thing is gone. It is gone. It is gone. Unfortunately. Well that was just due to mother nature and taking its wear and tear on it. So well we know that part is but still there's a lot around again people. What use your eye. OK. And you want quality quality photos. Yes. They do have to be very high definition or at least good quality pictures. Otherwise they will come in blurry and we won't be able to use those. But we can also work through that. We do have we do have a lot of people that are into photography. Yes. See what we get. Yes. That will that will be be fun. And I obviously yeah. Then now this new website the old one it was difficult or it took more work to go in and change photos and things like that. Will the new one be a little more user friendly for you on the old one was was not too hard. It really wasn't. And this one is really set up very similar to the old one. And it does have a few extra items that we can do with it. We can run a video on the main home page and we can do a newsletter off of that website. So actually we'll be changing our newsletter. Currently we have those newsletters being printed and sent with our utility bills. We're going to move that over once we have the website done to have it done on our website and then be sent out just like we do with the notifies. Okay. So easy easy makes it a lot easier. It makes it more efficient. It is a one stop shop type of thing where we're not trying to do a newsletter on Adobe or Word document and then sending it off for CDS to print. I think that one of the things that I know when you started this shopping around for somebody to do a website. Obviously you had a lot of features built in to the current website. It's just it was time to update really anyway. And you have the what the ADA compliance thing that came out. So you're going to be doing something anyway just that the company said, you know, we're not going to be servicing it anymore. So correct. Yes. Okay. Well, thank you for all the time you gave us anyway. And it really was probably time anyways to redo that. The new website company offers a refresh every four years where we've been with this company, I believe almost 10. So it was time for a refresh. We get that done. Yeah. All right. We got a lot of other things happening. Let's talk about our work session today. Council. It's a work session. They what literally almost two years ago or so asked the park commission for some long range planning. Park Commission did maybe a little more than I think they initially started out or what thought maybe thought they were going to be doing. I call it almost a comprehensive plan for the parks and they put a lot of a lot of effort time got a lot of input in it. But now they're going to come and make their presentation and let the council know what they put together. Correct. Tonight it's more just a presentation is is the way the park board has explained it to us and then we'll we'll split up and then we'll probably have a second meeting to actually dig in and ask questions and and try and figure out the financing of it. A lot of the things and I having sat through some of it. I see a lot of things that are always there. A lot of the things that have been deferred over the last couple years. So the bottom line is having people and dollars to be able to do a lot of different things. A lot of parks. We do we do. And and some of that maintenance hasn't been done over the years. So now we're playing catch up. And that's yes people. There are capital projects that are included. No time frame for them but they're included. So and I have not seen the report. You get a chance to get that firsthand later today. I do. I do. So I can answer a whole lot of questions on that. Anyway it's going to be a work session and then we'll see then the council gets time to do some discussion because you're at the end of your fiscal year. We are. Yes. And she's going. Thank you. Well almost. You had a finance. That's the new thing. Yes folks. Like many communities. Our finance officers left again. And so now you're looking for another one. Yeah. And just need to find somebody else. No. You were going to have a recruiting firm help if you could. We reached out to six recruiting firms. Unfortunately I was only able to get one that was interested in doing the recruiting. They were from another state and they had not done a recruitment here in Iowa for several years. They did not have a lot of history in the finance officer field. So I asked the council if they would be willing to let me handle that along with some help from other individuals. I'm asking a accountant, a finance officer from another community and a banker to be part of that team with me and we will do the initial reviews and then we'll narrow it down to the top three or three to five candidates and then we'll bring the council in for the final interviews and selection. I have posted that opening on about 12 different government financial sites. I have also posted it on LinkedIn and use their services to try and recruit. So that job application, that job posting has been sent out to about 200 financial people. So I'm really trying hard to get that position filled with a qualified individual. And we do want to point out Boone's not the only city. We are not. There are several actually. There are several. I know Mason City just closed theirs. I'm not sure if they've actually gotten somebody hired yet and then we are in competition with two larger cities that are also looking for finance officers. So yeah, it's a challenge. It is a challenge. And yeah, definitely looking for somebody with, well, accounting skills. Anyway, you gotta have some of those. But you have a very busy finance activity going on for the city with all the things that are going on right now. And again, going after all these community development block grants, things like that. That takes a lot. We have resources. We have, you know, Simmering and Corey Simmering Corey helping out. We also have Maggie Berger, Maggie as really good at offering financial tips and things like that, keeping you up to date on a lot of those things. So yeah, and we use dollars and yes, spare financial dollars and Cooney. They all help me through the processes and make sure that all the legal stuff is handled. Going after the grants is usually something that me and Simmering Corey have been working on. In fact, we just got awarded another $500,000 grant for the well number 30 project without just got announced this last week or two. And then I'm going to start a process for applying for a CDBG upper story starting July 6th. Okay, that's going to be another one that would be a downtown apartments. Yes, getting some of those done. Yep. So I did want to ask, did you go on the economic development visit yesterday down to a 705 story for the BDEP problem? I did. Yes. Pretty, I mean, they're looking at doing quite an investment into the building itself with everything they want to do. They've already applied and gotten support from the city for the workforce grant application for their apartments that they want to refurbish upstairs. And so they're stepping up and wherever fromage is going to be, I guess. Yes. Yes. So they're looking at pretty extensive exterior and following along with some of the Main Street themes of getting some historic preservation back. Yeah, they are working with Brinda at Ames Regional Alliance for some grants and Holly Stucker at downtown Boone. And then the Economic Development Committee at the city yesterday did a walkthrough for for our Boone downtown incentive fund grant. And for a lot of people that wonder city reimburses on money that is spent again, they'll reimburse a percentage up to 30,000. Yep, it's 40% up to 30,000. That is primarily for facade improvements. We have adjusted that criteria that if you're doing primarily facade improvements and there's funds left over on that grant, we will help with the roof also. Okay. So there are some other opportunities. The big thing, you know, is that counts as a lot of matching money for some of these other grants. Correct. Yes. That's an upside there for all of that. Well, we got a lot of different things that are happening here. Yes. Coming up, of course, we're going to have a development agreement. Huntsucker for the, if I can remember it all, Erby Park Estates. How's that? Erby Park Estates. Yeah, north of Cap Erby Park, south of the middle school area. And Huntsucker basically put together the development plan, but they are opening it up to a lot of other developers to build in there. Yes. So overall, that whole development will be 50 lots. The first phase is 13. Once I get a certain percentage of those sold and houses built, then they'll open up the second phase. They are selling those lots to other developers. One of the criteria is I believe that they're sticking with is that the developer has to have had a history of building homes, three homes within the past year. There is criteria in regards to the size of home that can be put on there, a number of car garages. There are certain certain criteria is that they're going to be looking for so that they know that the quality and the style of the home is going to fit within that community. For the development agreement part again, it's going to be similar to their existing project down on South Marshall. They will install the streets, water, sewer, all of that to city specifications and then part of it is they're going to get some reimbursement. Yeah, what we do for a lot of our TIF development agreements is we will pay for up to 50% of the infrastructure, the public improvements. And that is done over a 10 year period using tax rebates based off of the homes or the developments that are done in that development area so that it's not taking any of our current tax base. So again, that's strictly tied to the development itself as it grows, as it expands the dollars that come in. So people wonder, yeah, they do pay their taxes, a portion will be returned to help help cover some of those additional costs. Yeah, with this particular development agreement, they will get 67% of the taxes that have that we are doing. So that's how those work. For those that keep asking and wondering, that's one of the things that happen there. We have a lot of other things that are going, I mean, you know, that's just one of the things that we've got a couple other housing things that are going on as well too. And then the apartments downtown, I know you'd like to have those. That's more rental housing, but this is more single family housing that we've been looking to kind of fill in as well. Yeah, like you mentioned, the workforce housing credit for 705 Story Street, then we're also doing a upper story grant, which is a community development block grant. That is for four more units at $100,000 per unit. That would be a grant for for an individual to do the apartments. Well, one of the big things coming up at your probably your first meeting in July, is it on the 6th when you do the forest main, the lift station forest main? Yes, yes. Do you get the bids? That will be after that. Okay. So basically, what's our process here? Yeah, so the July 6th one should be the approval of the specs, estimate of cost, that those things. And then we take those bids. I don't remember off the top of my head when those bids are due. But once we get those in, we'll award that. Okay. This is a substantial project. And again, this started up, actually, the lift station part was part of, I think, four, four years ago when you started looking at sewer improvements that were going to be made that was at that time expected to be done. But then as Daisy came on, which hadn't been decided back then, but as Daisy comes on, then that's going to require more capacity, which now, okay, we'll do a bigger lift station. And then the forest main, for those that are wondering, it's done separately because you didn't want to run all of the additional wastewater through the city system, the current city system. That would have been a little overwhelming. Yeah, the lift station has been on our capital improvement plan for probably 15 years, if not more. And it's always been set aside as a project that we would do development driven. So we obviously have development over there. This was something that was discussed when the elementary school got built over there. Also, so it's something that was in our horizon anyway. It was there. Yes. And Daisy is our reason for doing it. Yeah, or making it even bigger. Yes. Yes. And for those that wonder, yes, the forest main, the idea is it will run pretty much along Highway 30, all the way down to McCose Park and then approach from the sewer plant, I think from the Southwest side, that's the plan right now. So yeah, that's what's going to be happening there. And then the ground storage reservoir, it is basically done and they are filling it. And that is what is causing some of the brown water in the community. Oh, okay. So people are wondering, it's, it does take, okay, it's what a couple million gallons, I think. Yes. Yes. And it doesn't happen overnight. No, and they had it full throttle yesterday. And so that was, that was causing some of the brown water. Oh, so people that wonder, if you're wondering what was happening, unfortunately, we got to get it back filled up. Yes, we do. Yes. And again, we've had what we will end up with additional pumping down there and everything else. This is one project that was going to be done earlier anyway, too. I think this was probably on longer than maybe the lift station, I don't know, for the water, water side of things. They've always been talking about work that needed to be done with that reservoir. But that's a big one that you have. Now you did mention, we're getting ready, you got a grant. So are they next well? And where are we at with that? Because I know you're going to do some, or some environmental work needed to be done. We had to take a look at the site in the area. Are they getting close to getting ready to move ahead or where are we at? That environmental review can take anywhere from six to 18 months. We have been told that we are on the shorter end of that time span and we're hoping to be able to start that project, at least bid it and everything come September. Okay, you'd like to be able to get that up and be able to bring that online before, I'm guessing, probably in 27, before 28, somewhere around there? Yeah, all these projects that we are doing, we have a deadline of 2028, preferably before then, but most of them are going to be July of 28. We are really pushing to try and get those all done by the time Daisy opens. That's about the time they would come online. So it's, many, I think many, many visits ago, I asked you, this is the big challenge for you right now, is staging, getting these things up, moving ahead and getting them completed by the time Daisy completes their work and starts to come online. Yeah, and we are really got a tight schedule to do that because some of the things got delayed due to changes in what was needed. So some extra work got had to get done and that delayed the process by quite a few months. Well, I'm sore. But it happened. It's just like building a house, it never happened smooth. I know. And then we also, of course, had some people all of a sudden realizing, no, we're not doing 1st Street this year. Unfortunately, again, part of the challenge with having all the engineering and stuff getting done on time did not happen, but dollars are still there. The dollars are there to cover it and it will be done next year. Yeah, it was just a matter of some changeover and engineering that the engineering firm and the design didn't get done. So it's unfortunate, but it is what we have been dealt with. So and we'll require, I know that once they get started, I think Wayland did talk about, it does require that they're going to be redoing a lot of intersections. And that's one of the things that the other resurfacing when they've done those get a lot of curb and gutter and intersections and intakes taken care of at that time. Yes, it'll be a great project in a while. And at the same time, already starting to look at the next one up after that. And right now appears to be North Lynn Street or yeah, to the north. So that's another capital project still working our way through that. All right. So the hard parts got to be as we look at the property tax reform. What are we looking at? Because there's a lot of variables in there. People are just going, okay, 2% limitation, but some things are affected by it and some other things will not be. And so you've got to wade through all of this, having a finance officer to help would be good. Yeah, it would be great. Instead of just dumping it on Andrea trying to figure it out. But so we are looking at some of the things, what kinds of concerns the council expressing so far? What are you hearing? Right now, we are there's a lot of different things that are going on. It's not just a 2% cap that we have to deal with. There was changes to the TIF tax tax increment financing that has affected some of the development agreements that we were are looking at in the future are been renewal areas and how we proceed with those things.

The they put some time limits on you and then the parts of the load of moderate income because that was a big source for you for some of your projects. I mean the LMI having LMI dollars. Yeah, so we have always used our load of moderate income funding and what that is is basically when we do a residential development, the city gets was getting about 33% of the taxes to put into a special fund for load of moderate income projects, whether it be housing, sidewalks. Some of our storm sewer work, some of our storm sewer work. We also used it for some of our rehab projects for individual homes that has been taken away from us now. So yeah, that's that's actually really unfortunate. That one will hit some hit some programs and projects that we had had been doing. Absolutely and I think a lot of communities were sitting on those dollars and we're not using them and that was not the case here in Bowen. We have done several load of moderate income apartments. We have done probably four different load of moderate income programs, one of which is like the roof project that we have just applied for a grant on I have not gotten word on whether or not we got that. But those kinds of projects that's how I was funding the local match. So yeah, that is that was a bit of a not a good thing for us. And then the other thing that's going to hit us is is that that 2% cap there's more to it than just hey we can't grow more than 2%. If we have new development which would not be included in that 2% typically if we're using a tax increment financing or development agreement for those projects that falls under that 2% cap also. So that's where you're finding some communities are saying we're not doing them anymore. Okay, so and that would be some of the abatement opportunities that are out there for some or are you looking I mean I know some talk are talking about doing away with abatements abatements tax rebates all those kinds of things and and of course the development agreements with tax increment finance will also be affected after July 1 because the school portion of those will not be included. Yeah, okay, there's a lot there. There's a lot just still waiting through all of that. We are. Good luck. Thank you. While you're not the only ones I mean you know that's I'm pretty sure it's pretty common discussion among well the I'm pretty sure the league of cities and all the administrators and everybody else that's working on it. Yeah, we'll take a look at it and what kind of impact in each community will be affected differently because like you said a lot you did use a lot of your low to moderate income to fund and push forward other projects which now may not happen. Yeah, one of the things we are blessed with is is that we've never used more than the 810 levy. There are some special levies out there that would allow you to use that max 810 levy but then get additional dollars by using some elected levies. We have not been doing that for probably 15 years and that is a blessing because those special levies are going away and so communities on top of this 2% cap are trying to get rid of these extra levies and not and still being able to make all their their payments. A lot of things happening here so yeah. All right, well now we'll see if we get the fire department successful with their grants and everything else. So I mean they're they're going to be applying and see if we can't get some grants to at least start additional firefighters. I know that was one of the big campaign things last November but yeah they're they're applying for two grants. One is the safer grant which like you said is for additional employees and then the other one is for a fire truck which we have been applying for in the past. We keep applying for that. Yes and that fire truck is a 1994 fire truck. If you're wondering yes they do get old after a while and they do get used a lot too. All right, final things to remember here. Fourth of July fireworks. What about the mayor who's successful with his banner thing? So yeah he's uh are they good to be up in time? Will public works be able to get him up in time? Do we know what's the schedule look like? Well we're hoping that they are delivered by the end of this week or the beginning of next week and then we'll need to get them up hopefully by the end of next week. So and I just told him between him and Whalen they have a difference on how many uh places they'll have down there. I said they can fight it out. Yeah we we went off of the mayor's count uh because he he triple checked that so I was like all right it's your project we'll go with your numbers. And uh once again having a lot of the public step up and support the banners that was good too. I appreciate that and then uh the main street uh downtown boon has volunteers right now uh putting flowers on the corner of eight street and story. So they're going to be dressing that up too. Public safety side of things they're going to bring in some proposals for signage. We'll have to wait and see how that's received but uh interesting uh seeing some of the designs they've got there so uh it'll be just another thing happening here. Yeah we got a lot going on. Alrighty I appreciate you taking time to come and visit with us. Andrea Elmquist our guest on the program today. Thanks so much. Thank you.