The past three years have been like no other for many in the City of Cedar Rapids
- Flood of 2008
- Recession of 2009
- Change over in the City Manager position of 2010
What will come in the New Year? 2011 has arrived and there will be many questions ahead.
How will the City of Cedar Rapids handle the review of the Home Rule Charter in 2011? Will applications be taken and will they expand the number of people who serve on the Home Rule Charter Review Commission?
Right now, the City plans nine members to review the Home Rule Charter. Early thoughts were for each member of the City Council, including the Mayor, suggesting a name, with the five districts representatives picking a person from their district. In the past, applications, like other boards and commissions, were requested and names were selected from the applications received. The past two charter commissions for the City of Cedar Rapids each had 15 members.
Wow, is this what we expected, when 69% of the voters selected the Council-Manager form of government in 2005?
In February 2011, we will see the Five Seasons Hotel close. Work will formally begin on the Convention Center and U.S. Cellular Center project. The City Council has purchased the hotel, so they can include it in the redevelopment project. When the Five Seasons Center (U.S. Cellular Center) was built, the hotel was built together. Infrastructure was shared. The land has always been the City's, but the hotel and air rights have been private.
What will happen with Flood Mitigation in 2011? Will Cedar Rapids get construction started to protect Downtown, as reinvestment continues there? Will the West Side be protected as well?
In November 2011, our City will have an election of one at-large council member and the district representatives for District 2 (non-downtown/east side district) and District 4 (mainly NW side district).
Some stories to follow in the City of Cedar Rapids as we head into 2011 ...
Branstad sets focus on jobs, economy - The Gazette
VIDEO: Greene Square Park building demolished - The Gazette
Demolition on the Cedar Rapids' park building in Greene Square Park is wrapping up this morning (Dec. 31). The building was used by the Green Square ...
Commission to review Cedar Rapids’ charter, form of government - The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — Is nine the best number of members for the City Council? Should the mayor be a full-timer? Can you imagine a return to five, full-time council members who also manage city departments? Those are apt to be some of the topics discussed by the Charter Review Commission, which the City Council Tuesday ...
Cedar Rapids mayor reflects on his first year in office - The Gazette
One of the great City Hall dust-ups in the decade before the Flood of 2008 centered on a city handout to help replace a tiny, aged grocery with a shiny, specially designed, neighborhood store in a highly visible spot in the 1500 block of busy First Avenue NE. It took years of back and forth ...
Council hires second lobbying firm to secure funding for flood-protection - The Gazette
Council takes steps toward flood-protection system - The Gazette
Commercial property tax and regulatory relief are needed for the state’s private sector to create more jobs, according to Governor-elect Terry Branstad. Speaking to a capacity crowd at the Marion Public Library Tuesday, Branstad said commercial property taxes need to be lowered to encourage business expansion and attract new enterprises to Iowa, but not at ...
The Hall-Perrine Foundation of Cedar Rapids has announced yet another award for a city building project. This time, the foundation is giving $3 million to the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation, an amount which equals about half of the foundation’s fundraising goal for the city’s $45-million library project. The library foundation already has about $1 ...
