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Government

New Davenport Budget Nearly Finished

Davenport City Hall
City of Davenport
Davenport City Hall

Wednesday night it held a public hearing on the plan that totals 236 million dollars, an increase of about 2 million, or just eight-tenths of one per cent.

Budget Analyst Jolly Omar calls it a "status quo" budget, with continued funding of the council's main priorities.

"We're focusing on the essentials - public safety, infrastructure, and neighborhoods - and the operating budget is only up about 0.8 per cent. So as you can see that's not a significant increase, we're just making sure that we're getting the correct services that we want for the citizens."

The proposed budget includes 11.8 million dollars for street improvements - along main streets and in neighborhoods, 9 million for sewer system projects, and 2 million for the next phase of re-constructing 53rd Street.

Omar says the property tax rate will stay at its current level, but several fees will go up for Davenport residents - 5 per cent for the sewer fee, and 3 per cent each for the solid waste and clean water fees.

The city, and other local governments in Iowa, are required to submit their proposed budgets to the state by March 31st each year, for the fiscal year beginning in July.

Government
A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois. While a graduate student in the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield (then known as Sangamon State University), he got his first taste of public radio, covering Illinois state government for WUIS. Here in the Quad Cities, Herb worked for WHBF Radio before coming to WVIK in 1987. Herb also produces the weekly public affairs feature Midwest Week – covering the news behind the news by interviewing reporters about the stories they cover.