Positive Momentum for Proposed Police Station Guides Bettendorf’s Planning Process

Positive Momentum for Proposed Police Station Guides Bettendorf's Planning Process June 5, 2025 - The City of Bettendorf is excited to move forward with continued planning efforts for a new police station after nearly 60% of survey responses showed positivity toward the project. On Monday, June 2, during Committee of the Whole, City Council heard a presentation from Community Perceptions, which created the survey that was sent out to residents in April 2024 as the first public step in the process, followed by two informational meetings that were held at the end of April. You can view the entire presentation here, and below is a summary: 2,497 respondents (17.8% response rate) 34% of respondents say they would "definitely" support paying for a new police station 25% of respondents say they would "probably" support paying for a new police station +/- 2% statistical margin of error "Receiving this feedback from our residents is immensely important, because they would pay for this project if City Council approves putting it on the ballot as a bond referendum," said Jeff Reiter, Assistant City Administrator. "Cities have very limited ability to levy taxes beyond what is necessary to fund a single year's obligations. The voted referendum tool is the only arrow in the City's quiver for projects such as this police station." "The data is very telling, especially when you include the +/- 2% margin of error," said John Mahon, Vice President-Quad Cities, Bray Architects. "The referendum's threshold is 60% plus one, so this is very encouraging that even very early in the process, people already see the merits of a potential move." 60% plus one of Bettendorf voters would need to approve the bond referendum, which would allow the City to take out a loan (issue) debt. To help residents see the tax impact on their property, the City has created an estimation for every address that can be assessed by visiting https://www.bettendorf.org/MyAddress. "The last time the City put a bond referendum on the ballot was in 1995, when the City asked voters to support the construction of The Learning Campus," said Decker Ploehn, City Administrator. "The project included building the Family Museum and making renovations to the Bettendorf Public Library, both of which are incredible amenities in the City today." "Our City Council takes the referendum process very seriously, which is why the City has not put a bond referendum on the ballot in three decades," added Reiter. "It shows the fiscal responsibility and good stewardship that Bettendorf residents trust and respect in their City leadership." The next step in the process is for City Council to decide whether to put the bond referendum on the November 2025 ballot. That decision is expected to take place at one of City Council's Regular Meetings in July 2025. For more information, the City has created a webpage with FAQs about the project.. Share this page Share this page × Copy and paste this code into your website. https://http://www.bettendorf.org/news_detail_T11_R312.php">Your Link Name Share this page on your favorite Social network Facebook Twitter Reddit Close Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility