2021 Federal Legislative Priorities Copyrig hted
February 15, 2021
City of Dubuque Action Items # 6.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: 2021 Federal Legislative Priorities
SUM MARY: City Manager recommending City Council adoption of the 2021 Federal
Legislative Priorities.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File;Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
2021 Federal Legislative Priorities-MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Federal Legislative Priorities Supporting Documentation
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
ui-Aseria cih
DuB E , . � . ,
� II �
Maste iece on tj2e Mississi i zoo�•zoiz•zois
YP pp zoi�*zoi9
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: 2021 Federal Legislative Priorities
DATE: February 11, 2021
As a volunteer, former Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann worked with the
Department Managers and City of Dubuque strategic partners to develop a set of
recommended 2021 Federal Legislative Priorities and is recommending adoption of the
attached priorities.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
adoption of the 2021 Federal Legislative Priorities.
�
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
All-America Ciir
�ArV I(1fWV �I1 k.I f.V.;!I.
1 1
�
zoa�•�ai�=�oi�
Mas terpiece on t�ie Mississippi zo i�*zo 1 g
2021
Federal Le islative Priorities
g
Table of Contents
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ...................................................................................................2
BROADBAND AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ..............................................................15
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ..............................................................................................23
HOUSING ................................................................................................................................21
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP PRIORITIES.....................................................................38
SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES .......................................................34
TRANSPORTATION................................................................................................................4
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE ...............................................................................................14
1
SUPPORT AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN LEGISLATION
The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis continue to ravage families and
communities across the country. More than 20 million Americans have contracted the virus and
nearly half a million Americans have died as a result. Many Americans, including Dubuque
residents, are also threatened by the pandemic's attendant economic impacts. Many are lacking
the most basic needs including food and housing security.
The Administration is proposing a two-step approach to confronting the pandemic and the
economic crisis. The first step in the proposal is the American Rescue Plan. This will be
followed by an American Recovery Plan. These two plans will focus on the federal
government aggressively supporting state and local efforts to effectively confront and control the
public health crisis and to address the economic crisis by growing American jobs (particularly
through an infrastructure investment) tackle the climate crisis and pursue greater racial equity in
America.
In December 2020, Congress passed the bi partisan Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,
which was a second attempt to address the ongoing funding needs in addressing the nation's
health and economic crisis. This legislation was a good start however it provided no direct
assistance for local governments and states.
The City of Dubuque believes that local government is an essential partner in tackling the Covid-
19 pandemic and its resulting economic crisis. Without partnership and intervention by the local,
state and federal government, the double crisis in the nation will not abate. The American
Rescue Plan supports this intergovernmental approach and would provide direct funding to
local governments thereby enabling cities to intervene directly to assist in providing for the
health, safety and return to prosperity for all of its residents.
"On February 9th, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released legislative language
that provides details on the $350 billion in emergency relief that the Biden Administration seeks
for states and local governments within the American Rescue Plan. In all, local governments
would be allocated $130.2 billion, evenly divided between cities ($65.1 billion) and counties
($65.1 billion). City funds would be allocated using the CDBG structure (not program), with
roughly$45.57 billion going to entitlement cities by formula and$19.43 billion going to non-
entitlement cities based on population. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of
Treasury, would distribute funds to entitlement-eligible cities within 60 days of being certified;
and to states within 60 days of date-of-enactment, which then must distribute to non-entitlement
cities within 30 days (with a 120-day extension period possible). These flexible funds may be
used to: 1) respond to or mitigate the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19 or its
negative economic impacts; 2) cover costs incurred as a result of such emergency; 3) replace
revenue that was lost, delayed or decreased (as determined by the city based on revenue
projections as of January 27, 2020) as a result of such emergency; or 4) address the negative
economic impacts of such emergency."Sustainable Strategies D.C.
Requested Action:
Advocate for congressional support of the American Rescue Plan.
2
INFRASTRUCTURE
With the serious backlog on American infrastructure investment, expiration of the FAST Act
transportation legislation, and the need to turbo charge the nation's economy and its workers,
the time has come in 2021 for a major infrastructure investment. Among many key priorities for
an infrastructure package, Congress and the White House should focus on Enact national
infrastructure legislation. A comprehensive infrastructure bill must address both transportation
needs as well as broader investments in sewer/water/stormwater upgrades, clean energy, smart
grids, broadband, waterfront revitalization, and brownfields cleanup. Further, federal legislation
and programs should focus on sustainable and resilient infrastructure that can better withstand
disasters and weather events, promote green infrastructure for stormwater pollution reductions,
and expand clean transportation approaches including clean vehicles/fuels, public transit
systems, complete streets, smart cities systems, and sustainable mobility. The $1.5 trillion
"Moving Forward" legislative framework introduced in the House of Representatives in January
2020, and the $1.3 trillion investment in America's infrastructure proposed by President-elect
Biden, serve as a starting point for legislative discussion and action in 2021.
TRANSPORTION GRANT PROGRAMS
Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program
DOT's Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD, formerly TIGER) grant
program, currently funded at around $1 billion annually, is effective yet woefully over-subscribed.
BUILD currently provides grants of up to $25 million for transformative surface transportation
infrastructure, and smaller planning grants to get these projects shovel ready. Since 2009, the
BUILD/TIGER program has provided $9 billion across 11 rounds to 678 projects in large cities,
counties, rural communities, and states/territories across the nation. Overall, DOT has received
over 9,700 applications requesting more than $175 billion for critical transportation projects —
meaning only one in 20 grants is awarded. Congress should fund the BUILD program at the
House- proposed level of$4 billion to move these critical transportation projects forward.
Requested Action:
Increase the BUILD grant program to $4 billion annually.
DOT Transportation, Community & System Preservation grant program
Last offered in FY2012, DOT's Transportation, Community & System Preservation (TCSP) grant
program provided $61 million in funding to plan and implement strategies to improve the
efficiency of the transportation system, reduce its environmental impacts, reduce the need for
costly future public infrastructure investments, ensure efficient access to jobs and services,
boost smart growth development patterns, and leverage private investment. As one of the few
direct sources of federal transportation funding available to local governments, the TCSP
program should be reintroduced to help meet community infrastructure needs.
Requested Action:
Reestablish the DOT Transportafion, Community & Sysfem Preservafion grant
program to $1 billion annually.
3
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
The Fixing America's SurFace Transportation (FAST) Act is a five-year transportation bill
intended to improve and expand the Nation's surface transportation infrastructure, including
roads, bridges, transit systems and rail transportation network. This legislation passed in
December 2015 and provides direction for transportation activities for five years.
The bill reforms and strengthens transportation programs, refocuses national priorities, provides
long term certainty and greater flexibility for states and local governments, streamlines project
approval processes, and maintains strong commitment to safety. Reauthorization of the
transportation bill builds on and strengthens the innovations begun in MAP-21 in areas such as
performance-based planning, safety, design, and freight planning. FAST Act supports policies
which expand choices, bolster public health, and strengthen communities.
An extension of the FAST Act passed in 2020 will expire in September of 2021. A multi-year
surface transportation bill is needed to assure funding for future planning and construction of
transportation projects. The federal fuel tax was last raised in October of 1993 and is not
indexed to inflation, which increased by 77 percent from 1993 until 2020. A long-term fix is also
needed for the Highway Trust Fund.
East-West Corridor Study — University Avenue Overlap Section
The US Highway 20 corridor is the primary east-west route in the City of Dubuque and future
traffic volume projections indicate US Highway 20 alone will not provide sufficient capacity for
east-west travel in the City. Capacity along alternate east-west corridors will need to be
improved to provide connectivity between the western growth areas and the downtown urban
core.
In August 2017, the City Council listed the East-West Corridor Capacity Improvement
Implementation as a "Top-Priority" in its 2017-2019 Goals and Priorities and directed City staff to
begin implementation plans for the recommendations contained in the East-West Corridor
Connectivity Report. The adopted East-West Corridor Connectivity Study report acts as the
City's Master Plan for both short-term and long-term capacity improvements or corridor
modifications to support growing east-west traffic flow in the City. The study includes
recommended improvements supporting complete streets concepts, multi-modal transportation,
vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, and recreational improvements.
4
In an effort to advance this top priority, the
City has already completed the following ���,�-����: Eastiwestcorr�aorcapa��ty�mp=o�emenrs ;,.�:_
improvements: -� - ---- ;.;.. -�-- ..—�-----�- �
� '"'�' ��a�.,,��.�,���as
Project Year Cost � _ - � �`a�"s�'a""'°"';e"e"�
�om���aa��o 7
Property Acquisition 2016 $ 853,300 0 �� `� � � ��
Grandview- Delhi �/� �� � � � �
2016 $ 827,000 � ^� �
Roundabout � ' '"' "'' �
.- � lln�BfSily,LOfB5,A8buf��. �;�—�'(�,,, ; '�
F yIVBn 0 I pSEctlOn ��p.�,, ""_„
P�cAosed Ro rda o.,u Q ��'=' -.
Loras - Grandview � Pfe��m Y� 9 � << �
2017 $ 370,300 E„v��„me��a,��,2�,a� � ��,��e.,,�,�„a�s��
Traffic Signals � Ro��tlabo��
� Q P�opose..Bu�ild�.2018
University - Grandview 2018 $1,200,000 � �� �
Roundabout •• �,
�;���,�,,,,,,,:��,,���;,�,�,,.
- ��„��„�,�,.��
� �om��e,e�»�
Total Improvements To-Date $3,250,300 � � �
The section of University Avenue, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Loras Boulevard, referred to as
the "Overlap Section" was recommended for converting the three intersections along University
Avenue to roundabouts.
In July 2018, the City applied for an $18.1 million U.S. Department of Transportation Better
Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant request to assist in funding both
multi-modal and capacity improvements within the identified East-West Corridors. Staff was
notified in December 2018 that the City was not selected to receive a BUILD grant.
Following the BUILD grant announcement, the City has an opportunity to move forward and
advance the development of East-West Corridor Capacity Improvements utilizing the new lowa
DOT Federal Aid SWAP Policy. Effective October 2018, the new Federal Aid SWAP Policy
allows federal funds normally allocated to cities or counties to be replaced with State of lowa
Primary Road funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The goal of the new policy is to increase
efficiencies and help local governments reduce the level federal oversight, regulations and
requirements. Additionally, the use of Primary Road funds will be reimbursed at 100% of eligible
costs which eliminates the requirement for local governments to provide a 20% local match.
In January 2019, the City began the process to de-federalize the East-West Corridor project by
paying back the federal funds previously used for property acquisition. On August 19th, 2019 the
City received the FHWA final closure acceptance for the defederalization of funds related to the
East - West Corridor project.
Now that the project defederalization is completed, staff has been working with the lowa DOT to
prepare a new SWAP Funding Agreement to allow for the use of state SWAP funds to complete
the preliminary engineering and environmental (NEPA) study phase; right-of-way property
acquisition, final design, and future construction phases.
Once the SWAP funding agreement is in place, the City will be able to utilize both local City
funding and SWAP funding to begin the preliminary engineering and environmental (NEPA)
study phase for intersection capacity improvements along the University Avenue, Loras
Boulevard to Pennsylvania Avenue "Overlap Section".
5
The next steps in the design development process is to begin the preliminary engineering and
environmental (NEPA) study phase for the Overlap Section which is will take approx. 12 months
to complete. Once the preliminary engineering and environmental (NEPA) study are completed,
corridor impacts will be identified, and property acquisition could begin which is anticipated to
take approximately 2 years to complete.
14t" Street Railroad Overpass
The Canadian Pacific (CP) Railroad travels through the urban core of the city with numerous at-
grade crossings on local city streets in the downtown area. With approximately 15-20 trains
passing through Dubuque on a daily basis, pedestrians, vehicles, commercial traffic, and
emergency responders have interrupted access the northeast segment of the city. This cuts off
the most economically sheltered area of our community from job and shopping opportunities.
Rail transport through Dubuque will continue to negatively impact existing at-grade crossings
which could potentially be blocked more frequently and for longer periods of time. The City of
Dubuque's East —West Corridor flow would also be negatively impacted.
A 14th Street Overpass would provide an unimpeded elevated crossing over the railroad tracks
and thus provide unimpeded access to the Kerper Boulevard, the redeveloped 16t" Street
Corridor, tourism and recreational amenities on Chaplain Schmitt Island, Highway 61/151 into
Wisconsin, the Washington and North End neighborhoods, the Historic Millwork District and
downtown. The City will pursue funding opportunities at the federal level through applications to
BUILD, INFRA Grant and other transportation infrastructure programs.
16t" Street Corridor — Chaplain Schmitt Island — Central Avenue/White Street
For the past nearly three decades, Dubuque has engaged in long-term planning and
implementation efforts aimed at restoring blight, reclaiming abandoned spaces, and
redeveloping the City's six-and-a-half-mile riverFront. These efforts have resulted in the
redevelopment and success of the Port of Dubuque, Dubuque' Main Street and downtown, and
the Historic Millwork District. With the completion of the Bee Branch flood mitigation project, the
City continues its focus on redevelopment, turning to the North End neighborhoods, Kerper Blvd
and Chaplain Schmitt Island.
Completion of the Bee Branch project provides flood protection to some of Dubuque's oldest
and most vulnerable neighborhoods. Building on this significant $218 million infrastructure
investment are several initiatives led by the City and its partners. These include the City of
Dubuque Housing department's CHANGE program which focuses on improving affordable
housing stock and neighborhoods on the North End. Findinq Dubupue's True North aims to
rebuild job opportunity and entrepreneurship. The Chaplain Schmitt Island Placemaking and
Implementation Plan will redevelop this tourist amenity with an enhanced Veterans' Memorial
and reflection pond, hike/bike trails and additional retail, recreational and entertainment venues
for residents and citizens alike creating another destination attraction on Dubuque's riverfront.
Partners at the Dream Center and Steeple Square provide educational programing and event
space for residents and other nonprofit organizations of the North End and learning space for
students in Dubuque.
None of these initiatives and projects can be successful without connectivity of transportation
and broadband infrastructure. Connecting Dubuque's riverfront, downtown and historic Millwork
District with its Intermodal Transportation Center to the North End will require transportation
improvements along the 16t" Street Corridor, onto and throughout the Chaplain Schmitt Island
and to Central Avenue and White Streets.
6
The 16t" Street Corridor approaching the Chaplain Schmitt Island includes the former Dubuque
Packing Company site which is envisioned to be redeveloped. Potential retail and mixed-use
space are planned and could serve as a regional retail magnet. The 16t" Street Corridor
transportation access to this space is constrained. Current transportation routes do not meet the
needs of the planned mixed-use activities.
Planning envisions the development of a Complete Street along the 16th Street Corridor with
roundabout access to the former "Pack" site at Sycamore and Marsh Streets, continuing on to a
roundabout at Kerper Blvd and 16t" Street and finally the construction of a roundabout on
Chaplain Schmitt Island. Transportation infrastructure would also include construction of a
separate bike/pedestrian bridge across the Peosta Channel, and creation of a mixed-use trail
connecting Chaplain Schmitt Island with the City's transit hub (Intermodal Transportation
Center) to better support the movement of workers, tourists, and freight.
Central Avenue and White Streets corridors are poised for improvements in the coming years.
Planning is underway for streetscape and potential building improvements.
Requested Action
Dubuque has multiple transportation improvements envisioned in order to
confinue the community's work enhancing tourism destinations on the riverfront
and expanding economic development on the North End and Central/White Avenue
Corridor. /ncreased federal funding for existing transportation programs that
support all modes of transportation including the Better Utilizing Investments to
Leverage Development (BUILD) Program, Transportation Alternatives (Trails, Safe
Routes to School), Surface Transportation Block Grant Program and Small Starts
are requested.
Northwest Arterial/Hiqhway 20 Intersection
The City of Dubuque supports the implementation of capacity improvements along the Highway
20 corridor and the Northwest Arterial intersection. This intersection is experiencing operational
challenges which will only be compounded when the Southwest Arterial/ US52 is completed and
commercial traffic is rerouted from the downtown urban core. The recommended capacity
improvements will allow traffic to travel along Highway 20 more efficiently and safely, from the
Northwest Arterial to the Southwest Arterial/ US52 interchange. The lowa DOT has completed a
capacity improvements study and has identified the preferred roadway corridor and intersection
improvement. The lowa DOT is currently evaluating alternatives for both funding and phasing
the implementation of capacity improvements.
Requested Action:
Continue to support fhe lowa DOT efforts to implement improvemenfs along the
Highway 20 corridor and the Northwest Arterial intersection for safe and efficient
fravel to the Southwest Arterial/US52 interchange.
7
Southwest Arterial (US Hiqhway 52) - Proiect Update
The US Highway 52 Southwest Arterial project is a 6.1-mile four-lane divided freeway with priority
1-access control between US Highway 20 and US Highway 151/61.
The Dubuque City Council, Southwest Arterial 1 US20
the Dubuque County
Board of Supervisors, the Interchange Bridge
lowa Department of
Transportation, the
Dubuque Metropolitan
Area Transportation Study, � , �' '� � „ , ,� � �' _
the Dubuque Area ` � '�'
_ _ __ � �� ',.
Chamber of Commerce — �
` �
and the Greater Dubu ue -- �� '.�. � ,;�� -� �
a .:� � . � � -, , ` _ .
Development Corporation ` -�
��.,� ��,i, - � -
all identified the ' ` `
�xt' ¢
completion of the ��- ti;, � �> , �'` " -�.''
Southwest Arterial project '' ` � _ � " � k .� .
, , ; ' , ��
,
as the No. 1 surface '� , -` , '�� � v : ��u n�� � �' ', � �i �t� ;�a �: ,� , � ��
''F a '��➢'� �k , bt� a 4 .i�. �m�,��.
m
?"�i .r�ts+ ���4 C,�&���+6���n. tx.;,1b �..''�.`�,+A�'�._�.yl�'-� .� . .d a��. ,�: t��a�: -� . .� _... � ae�.�., . �h�i�s�ti
transportation priority in
the Dubuque area.
.::�
After nearly 30 plus years
in the making, it is with - .�_ . . -
great appreciation in — #---���s�-�- -- �;
� - _3�,
_ -. ' T���' , _ _�Alti� .
celebrating the completion - �.-, ��a,� ��� �- _ - � = �_
of the Southwest Arterial / �-�,� - � ��'. --="�- -�`�� �
. . ._ ,
�"�...,_� -
.
„
_ -.
US Highway 52 project, � ��,,; -
which was opening to �_� _ �-�' • � 'y �
s�
vehicular traffic on August �r�4�
17, 2020. �- �
- •.;;�=:'yLi'�s 4r+.±A� .
�...�
The final cost projection for - % �- y ; �,
the fully completed 4-lane '� -
freeway is approximately _ �
$160 Million. This historic -
milestone achievement
would not have been
possible without the strong Corridor Bridges
collaborative partnerships ,,:�.:, � �
with the lowa department of � ` '` �"" ' '
.:, � � '��,� : � t ` ���t �, i� ���s_ �.�.. �,�-�,,...�
Transportation and ����,��� z�..' `' � � �� �� "
_ �.,��.�w �.� � � � ---�---�a: j '
Dubuque county. � Y
, , �
_ ,_
,. �,� _
- � ._- _ _ �� _ / ��^ _ _ .��
"��.'k �a.�`3�'� ' .�/ .��.—�' Z ,ry T .
The photos show the ` �:�-- ���
completed Southwest ' � ` - A_� '""'"� `
��t ` l"'� � �'��_ �, ,..
Arterial / US Highway 20 - , ;= " � � � _, . A �. ,
�
interchange and the scenic �.���� ��� ���� � �
rollin hills and hi hwa ��,� : �` �"�.� ��- � a
9 9 Y s.
� � � �
bridges along the corridor ;���� - �°�, .�� =
� fi � ��
,,�� ���
� �dlm',°i�r � kf��i�'�V 4 �•r t ..: - t d .r 4 .
.. . _ ."F..... . ,.< .. . _,...� ., .., � • � �. . .. .:.i � 4vr...fnl�:`5..
8
Transfer of Jurisdiction
Through the collaborative partnership between the lowa Department of Transportation (lowa
DOT) and the City of Dubuque, significant milestone achievements for the completion of the
Southwest Arterial (US 52) project were realized with the execution of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU), and finalizing the Transfer of Roadway Jurisdiction (TOJ).
The following is a brief summary of the overall intent and principle objectives set forth when
developing the Memorandum of Understanding: The lowa DOT and City, in joint cooperation,
will Transfer the Jurisdiction of the Southwest Arterial from the City to the State in exchange for
the Transfer of Jurisdiction of the Northwest Arterial (or lowa 32), and portions of existing U.S.
52 / lowa 3 through downtown Dubuque, from the State to the City. The Transfer of Jurisdiction
will occur after the Southwest Arterial is completed and open to traffic.
Following the execution of the MOU, the City continued as the lead agency for the multiple project
development phases for completing the Southwest Arterial and was responsible for completing
the following improvement projects:
Military Road Bridge �
Project Description Status
Final Engineering Design Completed �`� _
.�:�. ::.��
�,.. -,.,-•..:. ;:....•r� . i ` _ a
Right-of-Way Property Acquisition Completed -- -'� � � ' �
'� � I�'.-". . 9
_ �L� � _ r`^ . •
BHE Gas Pipeline Utility Relocation Completed � . ,;,,� � . ����"�'��r i
�y
BP Gas Pipeline Utility Relocation Completed � 1 ` - �:�,-..��
ITCTransmission Line Relocation Completed � � � "°`'
i�ft � � y _
North Cascade Road Reconstruction Completed ,��=;�� x� � �: -
.�_..:,
English Mill Road Reconstruction Completed `� r.�� -
'�' ��' �`. ;� .
Military Road Reconstruction Completed ���d. ' 1+ � , �Y_ -
Funding
As a result of hard work from Dubuque's congressional delegation over the past 20 years, the
City secured approximately $32.8 million in federal funding for the Southwest Arterial project.
The lowa Department of Transportation has spent approximately $115 million dollars for
construction of the complete 4-lane highway between US Highway 20 to US Highway 61/151.
The City and County have a local investment of$44 million dollars (including local match
funding and federal earmark appropriation) towards the completion of the Southwest Arterial
(US 52).
The following table summarizes the maximum City and County local match funding, including
both federal earmark and lowa DOT funding for continuing the advancement and completion of
the Southwest Arterial:
Funding Source Fund Amount
Federal Funding $ 32.8 Million
City Funding $ 7.6 Million
Dubuque County Funding $ 3.9 Million
lowa DOT 5-Year Highway Transportation Program $ 115 Million
Total Project Funding: $ 160 Million
9
Future Initiatives
As part of the 4-lane highway construction, grading was also completed for a future bike
pedestrian shared use path from US Highway 20 to US Highway 61/151. To accommodate the
future trail - several of the bridges along the corridor incorporated a separated shared use on the
bridges. A future initiative will be to pave the 6.1 mile bike pedestrian shared use path which will
complete a connection between the Heritage Trail and the Mines of Spain Recreational Area.
_ �-=�.�.- .�" - _- -�. _ -- _�_ .
- _ - _ - �, ,.
� _�= _`- ---_ . _�_ � _ ��-,_,�
, ��_� -- -- -- ; a j' ,� ±.�����`.'f""?��� -
� s. � �� �. -r-
��,�, _ �; _ . �f,��'" f t i.
a -. y7 , � . xl_ ��
' '.:1'-� " � _ _ � a�
r � _
I �� �:
,�`� � .
� � ,�x1 'I{:� . I!' -- - _ �`r�`�," ,�� .
, �� � � ' l � -- �� � �
_ - -- �� ::�:,.
- ._ ��� _ -p, _- ---
� ,,. - �'� , �
�. k� ,��m�, �Il�'� ,i� , : , t ''++�Iti
v..- -�.. -� -F. ,,, r-
�:r � _ ' f" _ �r- �-�`s�� _� �• -
-.� �� ,,. ! � � �r� rt��'� �
< y -.�- '�t�,� .�
_ �..- � -Y.. .- _'L?S'�,. _
��}�, .y'I�, ___' '-• _ ' - . �:'�
i s � ..� ��-
:.�..i� __. _ ' ,� _ -
- � / - � , / -
. . .r ...-y- .. . . ..
Requested Action:
• The City of Dubuque would like to thank all of its partners at the federal and stafe
level for all the support in making the Southwest Arterial, our #1 surface
transportation project a reality and now is seeking $6 million to fund paving the
bike trail that has been graded as part of the project.
• As part of the Transfer of Jurisdiction of the Southwest Arterial from the Cify to
the State in exchange for the Transfer of Jurisdiction of the Northwest Arterial(or
lowa 32) from the State to the City once the Southwest Arterial is completed and
open to traffic, per State code, the Northwest Arterial will be brought to a "State
of Good Repair". The lowa DOT has issued a State of Good Repair payment to
the City and the City has agreed to be the lead agency to complete the road
rehabilitation work. The City is working with Dubuque County and the FHWA to
coordinate the completion of the Northwest Arterial State of Good Repair work
as part of the upcoming BUILD granf. The federal BUILD granf a/so includes major
improvements to John Deere Road as it connects to the Northwest Arterial.
10
Capacity Improvements - U.S. Hiqhway 20
Transportation infrastructure connectivity is essential to a vibrant economy and thriving
community.
Requested Action:
The City of Dubuque supports completion of four-lane construction on Highway 20
to Chicago. To accomplish this project and other significant highway and interstate
capacity improvements, fhe City supports efforts to identify a long term, sustainable
revenue source that keeps the Highway Trust Fund fully funded to be used for
rebuilding and mainfaining infrasfructure.
Public Transit Fundinq
The FAST Act increases dedicated bus funding by 89% over the life of the bill. It provides stable
formula funding and competitive grant program to address bus and bus facility needs. This bill
does not appear to increase operational formula funding to support existing or service expansion
efforts. Regulatory requirements continue to increase while operational funding levels remain
flat.
The City of Dubuque is partnered with the lowa DOT, East Central Intergovernmental
Association and IBM Watson Research Center to analyze travel patterns in the community and
develop a replicable model for responding to travel demand through planning of transportation
investment that incorporates all modes - car, bus, bike and pedestrian. The goal of this research
is to create a more efficient and cost effective public transit system modeling tool for cities under
100,000 population.
This nationally acclaimed research effort and integrated approach to addressing community
travel needs will provide opportunities to expand public transit service to our citizens. Without
additional operating funding to support current services and new operating grant opportunities to
expand services, implementation of this project could be limited.
Technical assistance for cities interested in undertaking bus rapid transit projects earlier in the
planning stages would also be appreciated. Currently, most planning must be complete and
Small Starts funding already secured for a city to be eligible for this type of assistance.
Operational funding to support ongoing route analysis and planning at the transit system level
would be helpful as well.
Capital funding for vehicles and onboard technology replacement are needed. Many vehicles in
lowa, and Dubuque specifically, are at or near the end of their useful life. Onboard technology
provides essential data for management and dispatch personnel as well as drivers and
passengers, but to upgrade or replace this technology fleet-wide is costly. Stagnant operational
funding and limited capital funding opportunities make developing responsive, cost-effective
public transit opportunities difficult.
Requested Action:
Support increased funding for operational funds through the 5307 program and
identify additional funding for bus replacement to include four new fransit vehicles,
specifically two smaller, heavy duty, thirty-foot GILLIG buses and two mini buses.
11
AIR TRANSPORTATION
Although the FAA Reauthorization process is complete until 2023, DBQ encourages increasing
spending levels through the appropriation process for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP),
Essential Air Service, Contract Tower Program, Small Community Air Service Development
Program, and other programs that provide for the safe operation, development, and maintenance
of facilities at airports around the country.
1. Airport Improvement Program:
Congress authorized $3.35 billion for AIP in FY20 and another $500 million in supplemental AIP
finding for projects at airports smaller than large hub airports.
A. Airport Improvement Program Requested Actions
• Fund the AIP program to provide $4 billion in 2021 with $100 million in increases every
year throughout the reauthorization period.
o Monies collected and deposited in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund must be
protected from Sequestration or FAA operating uses.
o Calculate AIP grants for FY21 - FY23 based on CY19 enplanements, rather than on
CY20 enplanements.
o Continue FAA federal match at 100% for FY21 - FY23
• Appropriate at least$500 million in supplemental AIP funding for projects at airports smaller
than large hub airports in FY21.
• Continue to fully fund the Non-Primary Entitlement for General Aviation airports.
2. Passenger Facility Charge:
These FAA authorized funds are levied and collected locally and are used to construct runways,
taxiways, terminals, security improvements, and many other items travelers encounter daily. The
current collection amount of $4.50 per passenger and is not indexed to inflation which restricts
the amount of money available for large capital projects. Since the PFC came into existence in
1990, it has had only one increase to its current amount. In the meantime, construction costs
have more than tripled.
A. Passenger Facility Charge Requested Action
• As Congress prepares to consider an infrastructure bill in 2021, we urge lawmakers to
adjust the outdated federal cap on local PFCs, increasing the cap to $8.50 and indexing it
to inflation.
o Increasing the PFC to $8.50 and indexing it to inflation would ensure long term
funding viability for even the smallest of commercial service airports.
o Allowing these funds to be used for revenue generating items like passenger
terminals, parking lots, airline offices, etc. would significantly reduce the impact on
smaller airports, their tenants, and their sponsors.
3. Essential Air Service:
There are 174 communities nationwide receiving EAS subsidized air service, including five in lowa
(Burlington, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Sioux City, and Waterloo).
A. Essential Air Service Requested Action
• We urge Congress to fully fund the EAS program in the FY20 DOT spending bill and
elimination of the Public Law No. 112-95 restrictions on airport eligibility to participate.
12
4. Contract Tower Program
Safety and common-sense dictates continued funding of the ATC program and the contract tower
program or restoration of FAA staffing of these facilities. A United States Department of
Transportation Office of Inspector General Report Number AV-2013-009, issued on November 5,
2012, found that "a contract tower cost, on average, about $1.5 million less to operate than a
similar FAA tower." The report further stated, "contract towers had a significantly lower number
and rate of safety incidents compared to similar FAA towers."
A. Contract Tower Program Requested Action
• We urge Congress to fully fund the Contract Tower program in the FY21 DOT spending bill.
5. PFOAS and PFAS in Aqueous Film Forming Foam
Currently, Commercial Service Airports are required by FAA Regulations to use Aqueous Film
Forming Foam (AFFF) for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) operations. It has been widely
known these AFFF products are manufactured with PFAS. Airports should not be held liable for
complying with FAA regulations that allow commercial service airlines to operate at the airports.
A. PFOAS and PFAS in Aqueous Film Forming Foam Requested Action
• Introduce liability legislation that holds airports harmless for present and past use of
products mandated by the FAA.
• Provide funding for the proper disposal of AFFF products manufactured with PFAS once
an alternative is approved by the FAA.
6. Small Community Air Service Development Grant (SCASDG)
The Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) is a grant program designed
to help small communities address air service and airfare issues by increasing competition and
improving community connectivity.
A. SCASDG Requested Action
• Provide an additional $20 million for a revised Small Community Air Service Development
Program. The new initiative should focus on helping small communities that have had air
service reduced or eliminated during the pandemic.
PASSENGER RAIL
Through the Envision 2010 process, Dubuque residents identified the return of passenger rail to
Dubuque as one of its top ten priorities. Local passenger rail advocates established a
passenger rail citizen group, "Ride the Rail," to engage the public, secure support and promote
the return of passenger rail service between Chicago to Dubuque.
The City has been successful in partnership with DMATS and the local Ride the Rail citizen
group in securing state and local funding for the feasibility study of passenger rail return
between Chicago and Dubuque. Federal funding support for passenger rail projects would
provide the critical next step for the return of passenger rail service between Chicago and
Dubuque.
Requested Action:
Support funding for passenger rail service from Chicago to Dubuque.
13
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Wastewater and Drinkinq Water
The nation's wastewater and drinking water infrastructure is currently experiencing an
infrastructure need of $655 billion over the next twenty years. We urge members of Congress to
include water infrastructure in the proposed infrastructure funding package.
The City of Dubuque has ongoing funding needs for drinking water and clean water infrastructure.
The State Revolving Loan (SRF) program has been very effective in helping the City address
water infrastructure needs.
For every federal dollar of SRF spending, 21.4% is returned to the federal government in the
form of taxes and on average, 16.5 jobs are created for every 1 million spent through SRF; each
job is estimated to bring about $60,000 in labor income. Infrastructure investments create 16
percent more jobs than equivalent spending on a payroll tax holiday, 40 percent more jobs than
an across-the-board tax cut, and more than five times as many jobs as temporary tax cuts.
Every million dollars of SRF spending results in $2.95 million of input in the U.S. economy. This
is a smart investment complimenting a narrow federal role of ensuring modern, efficient
infrastructure. Since this is a loan program, SRFs leverage resources from all levels of
government and the private sector empowering state and local governments. SRFs are
voluntary, thereby reducing regulatory burdens on businesses.
Dubuque has utilized SRF funds for two major projects, the Bee Branch project and the Water
and Resource Recovery project. The past year, as a result of ineetings with EPA officials in
Washington DC and lowa Department of Natural Resources staff in Des Moines Dubuque has
been able to begin work on creating a funding source for Lead Service Line replacement. The
SRF funding source is critical to cities.
Requested Action:
The City of Dubuque supports $3.0 billion combined appropriation for the Drinking
Wafer and Clean Water Sfate Revolving Loan Funds.
Flood Wall Improvements and Maintenance
The Senator John C. Culver Flood Wall system was built between 1967 and 1974 at a cost of$11
million dollars. Over the past nearly fifty years it has provided protection valued in the billions of
dollars.
Over the past five years, City staff along with US Army Corps of Engineers staff have continued
to monitor the flood resilience of the flood system at Dubuque. It has been determined that a new
pumping station should be constructed to replace the current gates and pumps at the Bee Branch
which was originally constructed prior to the federal flood control project. It has also been
determined that burying the "I" wall in South Port would strengthen its resilience.
Requested Action:
Support funding for Dubuque's critical flood prevention infrastructure, including$15
million for new flood wall gates and pump station improvements on Kerper
Boulevard at the 16th Sfreet Detention Facility and $14.7 million to bury and
strengthen the South Port "1"wall.
14
BROADBAND AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Communications
As a member of the National League of Cities (NLC), the United States Conference of Mayors,
and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), the City of
Dubuque joins these organizations in acknowledging that the historic transformation of our
communications infrastructure is essential to the economic competitiveness of the local
governments, states, and the nation.
Preserve local authority to manage public rights of way for the benefit of everyone.
Cable television and video franchise agreements are an essential part of managing the rights of
way and ensuring appropriate compensation for the benefit of the public. These benefits include
not only monetary payments, but also franchise terms such as support for public, educational,
and governmental (PEG) access, including institutional networks (I-Nets).
Protect local authority to establish taxes that are consistent with local needs and
maintain adequate revenue.
Local governments recognize and support efforts to modernize the collection and administration
of local communications taxes, but in a manner that preserves the ability of local government to
impose and collect taxes to fund vital services for its citizens consistent with local values.
Protect and enhance local ability to provide for homeland and hometown security.
Local government's first responders need fully deployed E911, access to spectrum and funding
for interoperable communications to protect the public.
Recognize local ro/es in promoting nondiscriminatory access to the full range of
communicafions services.
Municipalities are helping to bring advanced services to individuals and small businesses. Cities
must have the autonomy necessary to encourage competition and infrastructure deployment
that will lower prices and improve service quality for their citizens.
Requested Action:
• Do not nationalize cable and video franchising.
• Protect loca/governments'abilify to facilitate or offer advanced communications
services to their citizens.
• Any changes to the collection and administration of communications taxes,
including extensions or modifications of the Internet Tax Freedom Act, must
preserve local authority to collecf revenue consistent wifh local needs.
• Do not undermine or eliminate support for PEG access and 1-Nets. Specifically
support Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act of 2009 (H.R. 3745) by
making this a federal legislative priorify.
Local Government Principles for Communications Policy Modernization
We believe that Congress and state and local governments can achieve these goals by embracing
the following principles:
• State and Local Authority
The City of Dubuque supports a balanced federalist approach that encourages
15
new innovation and technology while preserving appropriate authority for state and
local governments to protect their citizens — particularly in relation to public safety
and homeland security, promoting local competition, promoting economic
development, taxation, expansion of access to advanced networks, rights-of-way
management, and consumer protection.
• Public Safety
State and local public safety agencies rely heavily on communications services
and systems to protect public safety. In order for states and localities to carry out
this mission, it is essential that important obligations, such as 911 and CALEA, be
applied to all relevant communications platforms, regardless of technology. States
and localities must also have sufficient spectrum and funding to obtain
interFerence-free, interoperable emergency communications. In addition, it is
important to preserve and strengthen the ability of state and local government to
protect and warn the public through emergency alert systems.
• Use of public property and right-of-way
State and local governments are the trustees of public property and must retain
the power to manage those assets for the benefit and safety of the community.
• Municipal Broadband
State and local governments can play an important role in making advanced
services, including broadband services, available to their citizens, based on
specific local needs and conditions. Federal policy should promote the rights of
local governments that choose to offer those services directly to their citizens.
• Video Franchising
The federal government should not preempt or restrict local authority to negotiate
mutually beneficial agreements and grant franchises to video providers. Public,
educational, and governmental channels are important tools citizens use to
participate.
City of Dubuque Supports:
Legislation that preserves and extends municipal government authority to provide
communications services to their constituents.
Legislation that overturns the FCC cable franchise order and returns to the local franchising
scheme set out in the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984.
The City of Dubuque opposes a wireless tax moratorium.
Ensuring expanded access to multichannel video programming is an important role of local
government.
Expanded Access
States and localities support policies and programs that advance access to communications
services and ubiquitous broadband deployment in all areas of the country. Current initiatives that
promote universal and affordable access to communications services include the federal and
state universal service funds, the E-Rate program, Lifeline and Linkup, urban and rural
infrastructure support mechanisms, and obligations ensuring equitable cable and broadband
deployment.
16
Taxation
States and localities should retain full flexibility, as does the federal government, to structure
their tax policies in ways that best serves their citizens.
Consumer Protection
States and localities are best positioned to respond effectively to a wide variety of consumer
concerns, including but not limited to complaints related to: service quality and affordability,
reliability, deceptive practices, billing practices, privacy, and criminal activity.
Wireless Zoning and Siting
It is essential for local communities to be able to address the expansion of wireless facilities to
promote the deployment of advanced communications while also protecting the interests of
citizens in safety, sound planning, and aesthetic concerns. Cellular carriers have petitioned the
FCC to create new, onerous regulations that would make it more difficult for local governments
to carry out their responsibilities in this area. The Communications Act prohibits such FCC
regulation. Congress should ensure that the balance struck in federal law is not overturned by
agency action.
In 2019 the City established a Small Cell Aesthetics guideline which outlined permit procedures,
design standards and location preferences. The goal is to encourage preferred locations,
collocation, and maintaining the unique community character and distinct aesthetics using
"stealth" techniques and, for our residents, providing advance notification of pending
applications. Congress should support the City's efforts in establishing and implementing such
standards for the welfare of all.
Local government strongly endorses promoting competition for all consumers and treating like
services alike. The elected leaders of our nation's cities and counties stand ready and willing to
welcome video competition in their communities. Centralizing franchising at the federal or state
level, however, limits the benefits of head-to-head video competition to a chosen few, and
deprives consumers of important protections.
The FCC
Recent FCC actions to regulate local franchising have compromised local governments' ability
to act in the best interests of their citizens. Congress should act to prevent the FCC from
overstepping its authority and altering the balance of federal, state, and local authority that
Congress established in the Cable Act. The FCC's recent orders fly in the face of the law and
threaten to disrupt long-standing cable television franchise agreements.
Although the courts have upheld the transparency rule but vacated the no-blocking and no-
unreasonable-discrimination rules, there is no guarantee from the FCC of net neutrality. The new
arrangement stands to benefit large ISPs immensely while potentially harming small start-ups,
entrepreneurs, and consumers especially in locations where providers are limited.
Although there is a disclosure requirement and providers are prevented from engaging in unfair,
deceptive, and anticompetitive practices, issues will be handled after occurring and providers
could bypass unfair practices in the name of"reasonable, network management."
Requested Action:
• States where statewide or state-controlled franchising is currently in place do not
see greater or faster video competifion deployment fhan sfates where it is nof.
17
• Franchises do not just provide permission to offer video services. They are the
core tools local government uses to manage streets and sidewalks, provide for
public safety, enhance competition, and collect compensation for private use of
public land. Eliminating local franchises deprives local governmenf of the power
to perform basic functions.
• Competition is for everyone. Current national policy implemented through
franchises encourages competition throughout the country, nof just in urban or
suburban areas and not just for the wealthy, In /ess than ten years, under the
current system, broadband service has been made available to 91 percent of all
homes passed by cab/e.
• Neither Congress nor the FCC should try to manage local streets and sidewalks
from Washington. National franchising would abrogate a basic tenet of
federalism by granting companies access to locally owned property on federally
defined terms.
• Market factors, not local governments, contro/ the pace of new broadband
deployment. Telephone companies have not yet seriously dedicated resources
to negotiate franchises in many markets. Potential video competitors require
relatively few franchises to implement their announced business plans (for AT&T
1,500-2,000 franchises, for Verizon 100-200 franchises).
• Tech Entrepreneurship and Competition.
States and localities benefit from, and support, competition and innovation and technology
neutrality. When a fully competitive market does not exist, states and localities must retain the
authority to ensure nondiscriminatory access to essential facilities, to prevent incumbents from
using market power to stifle competition and innovation, and to maintain consumer safeguards
when market forces fail.
There are arguments for and against net neutrality. The City of Dubuque supports efforts for
Internet to remain a level playing field for all and the FCC to protect an "open internet." Given
Dubuque's focus on small business and innovation, Dubuque would likely be impacted by the
anti-competitive risks that come with ending net neutrality more than other lowa communities.
Requested Action:
The City supports legislation that would restore net neutrality.
Broadband Acceleration Initiative
In 2016 the City of Dubuque launched its Broadband Acceleration Initiative. Operating primarily
in public/private collaborations, the Initiative has been a resounding success by increasing
broadband access, capacity, speeds, and competitors. Every business center has redundant
high-speed access and a five-year fiber-to-the-home build-out is underway. Recently the City has
added a strong equity component to the initiative, beginning with free local Wi-Fi and low-cost
access options in our lowest income census tracks. Universal, affordable, high-speed access is
the goal, and we are making progress. However, that progress is hampered by outdated
governmental data, policies, and funding priorities. We believe that the following Federal
18
Broadband Initiatives/Efforts are critical to the continued success of Dubuque's Broadband
Acceleration Initiative.
Requested Action:
• Immediate and accurate revision of FCC broadband access maps. It has been
acknowledged by industry and both political parties that these maps, which
underly bofh federal policy and funding decisions on broadband, are outdated,
use inaccurate information and are subject to manipulation by incumbent
carriers.
• Until consensus mapping and data is available, uncouple federal broadband
funding decisions from the currenf FCC "fargeted service area" calculations. As
an example, when using ACS census data, Dubuque shows several lower-income
census tracfs where 25% to 30% of households reporting no consisfenf internet
access. However, the "TSA" map by the FCC shows no (zero) targeted service
areas anywhere in the community of Dubuque.
• Provide flexibility for the USDA ReConnect Loan and Grant Fund and other
broadband access programs to allow rural and small urban areas (under 100,000
in population) to collaborate on broadband infrastructure and costs. These
areas are intimately connected via transportation networks, labor-sheds, power
systems, and the like. The ability to sca/e rural efforfs via collaboration with small
urban areas would accelerate broadband access to both.
• From a policy perspective, allow municipalities to treat broadband access as an
essential corporate purpose and dissuade state policymakers from creating state
level barriers for municipal acfion on broadband.
Broadband Data Act
The availability of accurate and readily accessible data, consistent collection methods across all
carriers/providers and data visualization tools provides a potential means of maintaining an open
and fair internet. By guaranteeing comprehensive, quality information on broadband access,
bandwidth, and speeds across all delivery methods, will result in an ability for cities to monitor
services in our communities. The outcome of this initiative results in an ability to identify and
respond to telecommunications equity needs in communities serving those most needing
broadband services.
Requested Action;
Support the FCC musf collect and disseminate granular broadband service
availability data (broadband maps) from wired, fixed-wireless, safellite, and mobile
broadband providers. To do this, the FCC is required to establish the Broadband
Serviceable Location Fabric (a dataset of geocoded information for all broadband
service locations, atop which broadband maps are overlaid) as the vehicle for
reporting broadband service availability data. Additionally, the FCC must put forth
specified requiremenfs for service availability data collected from broadband
providers, and it musf create a challenge process to enable fhe submission of
independent data challenging the accuracy of FCC broadband maps.
19
City/County Emergency Services/
Protective Services
Combined Communication Center
The need for a combined 911 Communications Center and Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
has been brought to the forefront of the public safety committee after multiple recent events. The
current communications center is undersized for the needs of our increased population and calls
for service. The center is unable to expand to meet the increasing demands of the emergency
calls and for future technologies. The recent disasters that occurred in Dubuque County and the
State of lowa brought the need for a dedicated emergency operations center to the forefront. The
city and county now use the classroom areas of the Dubuque County Firefighters Training Center
which is converted as needed to an EOC operation. An extended flooding event along the
Mississippi River or any other long-term disaster would tax the resources of the city and county
and the current set up would hamper our response to disasters. We are experiencing more major
weather events and disasters and we have received eight presidential disaster declarations in the
past 18 years. With the recent Pandemic, the Communications Center had to spit into two rooms
because there was not enough room for the dispatchers to be socially distant from one another
due to the small size of the Center. Several call takers had to be moved to another room which
caused a slowdown in response times due to not being in the same room. The City's 911 center
needs to have room available for expansion. A dedicated EOC will allow local government the
ability to enhance response and recovery operations following an event it would also assist us in
preparing for planned events that overtax our response capabilities.
Requested Action:
Assist the City of Dubuque and Dubuque County in identifying funding support for
a combined 911 Center/EOC estimated to cost$15-$17 million dollars.
Continue Support for Assistance to Firefiqhter Grants
In weighing opportunities for future expansion of fire units, the City must support vital federal
programs like the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) grant program. This program can help the
City as it seeks to expand firefighter and paramedic numbers in the future.
Requested Action:
Support federal efforfs to maintain and expand the Assistance to Firefighters
(AFG) grant program, including the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response program.
Department of Justice Community Relations Services Proqram
The U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Community Relations Services (CRS) office is the only
federal agency dedicated to working with community groups to resolve conflict and prevent hate
crimes. DOJ CRS provides facilitation, mediation, training, and consultation services to improve
communities' abilities to problem solve and build capacity. New resources are necessary to
rebuild trust between local police departments and the communities they serve. CRS could
launch a mini-grant program (up to $20,000 per community) to support facilitated discussions.
20
among police departments, civic groups and institutions, and residents, seeking to foster
community policing approaches and address racial injustice concerns.
Requested Action:
Expand the DOJ's Community Relations Services program to $30 million annually.
HOUSING
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Fundinq
The City of Dubuque relies on CDBG money to fund many of its vital programs. Projects that are
at least partially funded by CDBG include rehabilitation of rental and owner-occupied housing,
homeowner education classes, lead paint hazard abatement, commercial and industrial building
rehabilitation and economic development, childcare referral services, to support operations of
several non-profits providing direct services to income-eligible individuals and families, as part of
the community development/neighborhood strategy program.
In the last ten years, the City's formula allocation of CDBG funding has been cut by nearly 32
percent, or $444,283. This severe cut has hurt local communities — local economies, local
projects, and, most importantly, the low- and moderate-income households that reside in these
communities and need the assistance. Due to reductions in funding, we expect to serve several
thousand fewer low and moderate-income people than we served in 2010. In addition, we expect
to serve fewer households with housing development programs like down-payment assistance or
homeowner rehabilitation.
The CDBG formula funding has never been adjusted for inflation (since the inception of the
program in 1974), even though construction costs, wages, and other program costs have
escalated sharply in the past four decades. Continued funding of CDBG is needed to provide the
flexibility for communities to fund a myriad of activities, fill gaps where needed, and attract
additional resources to projects.
At this time, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is funded at $3.45 billion
(maintaining the increased funding level provided to CDBG in FY18). CDBG resources create
economic opportunity, suitable living environments, and provide decent housing. Nearly '/2 of
the households in the City of Dubuque are considered at or below moderate income by HUD's
standards, meaning CDBG resources impact a significant number of our local community
members. We strongly oppose the administrations attempts to defund the CDBG program.
Requested Action:
The City of Dubuque asks our congressional members fo support fhe U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block
Grant Program (CDBG) and urge you to appropriate $3.8 billion in formula funding
for the program in FY 2022. CDBG has been critical in meeting the public
improvement, public services, economic developmenf, and affordable housing
needs in our community. Further, there is great opportunity for this program to
support the funding needs of the USEPA Lead and Copper Rule and assist with the
replacement or rehabilitation of lead water service lines. The City of Dubuque also
requesfs increased funding for the administration of the federal Housing Choice
Voucher Program.
21
Mobile Home Community Protections:
Legislation related to mobile homes and mobile home communities was adopted at a time when
mobile homes were truly mobile. Today, mobile homes are more stationary than they have
been historically. However, lowa laws have not been updated to reflect this important and highly
consequential change. Today, some companies are using current law to their financial benefit
and to the detriment of mobile home community residents. These predatory practices are putting
vulnerable citizens in financially precarious situations and sometimes in financial
jeopardy. Mobile home communities can be a viable choice in lowa's efforts to create affordable
housing opportunities across the state. Therefore, review and reform of current law is vital.
Requested Action:
• Support the requested Federal Trade Commission investigation into predatory
and unfair business pracfices by invesfinent companies that has been
advanced by members of/owa's congressional delegation.
• Support Congressional legislation HR 5547 Manufacfured Housing Community
Preservation Act of 2020.
ANCHOR Institutions
ANCHOR institutions, including hospitals and healthcare systems, colleges, universities, and
cultural institutions, are driving economic development, job creation, and private investments in
the struggling communities they serve. Over the past decade, a national ecosystem of
professional associations, foundations, networks, and consultants has evolved to develop and
implement anchor institution-centered approaches to produce targeted community benefits. With
this national network of resources in place, federal investment could play a key role in catalyzing
and supporting the power of anchor institutions to create vibrant communities. America's cities
and towns call for the creation of a new Anchoring Neighborhoods, Communities & Housing to
Opportunities for Revitalization (ANCHOR) Institutions Initiative at HUD that would provide
$250,000 strategic planning grants to communities to boost economic development and
revitalization in neighborhoods through collaboration with key local anchors. These HUD
ANCHOR grants would support a local plan and/or pilot program that aligns shared interests and
leverages partners' respective strengths to promote improvement in key impact areas:
affordable housing, educational equity, health and wellness, safe and accessible
neighborhoods, healthy nutrition, and workforce development.
Requested Action:
Create a HUD "ANCHOR Institutions Initiative"$25 million annually.
22
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
EDA Grant Proqrams
The Economic Development Administration's (EDA) grant programs, which are targeted to
Census tracts and regions with economic distress, areas impacted by company closures, energy
sector disruptions or major disasters, and federal Opportunity Zones, provide matching funding
for public infrastructure, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and economic development
projects to leverage private sector investment and create jobs. Between FY2012-FY2018, EDA
invested over $1.9 billion in 4,710 economic development projects, leveraging $15 in private
investment plus 1-to-1 local match for every dollar in EDA funding. A look at 11 years of
investments shows that EDA-supported projects generated over 622,000 jobs and $35 billion in
wages and salaries. EDA is funded at approximately $320 million per year, and Congress
provided an additional $1.5 billion to EDA in the CARES Act to support economic development
projects to respond to the COVID downturn. These resources are highly oversubscribed, forcing
the EDA to turn down many meritorious projects. As the nation seeks to rebuild from the COVID
crisis and support business investment and innovation.
Requested Action:
Boosf, broaden, and expedite the review of EDA grants fo $500 million annually
Congress should increase annual grant funding to EDA. EDA should also consider
new sectors such as tourism, outdoor recreation, and health as additional program
priorities and expedite the processing of grant applications to be more reactive to
critical funding needs.
Federal Historic Tax Credits
The Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit is the nation's largest federal incentive promoting urban
and rural revitalization through private investment in reusing historic buildings. The credit
encourages reinvestment in downtowns, generates jobs, and is instrumental in preserving the
historic places that give cities, towns, and rural areas their unique character. For everyone dollar
invested through the Federal Historic Preservation tax credit five dollars are leveraged from the
private sector. The credit is not paid until all the restoration work is complete and approved by
the US Department of Interior. Dubuque has seen total improvements valued at $700 million
since 1985 in the downtown, on Main Street and on the riverfront. Of note: The Historic Tax
Credit Coalition is working on a legislative proposal to eliminate the basis reduction requirement
for the Historic Tax Credit in its entirety. Experts estimate that making this change would almost
entirely make up for the lost value from the new requirement that the credit be taken over five
years.
Requested Action:
• The temporary increase to 30% for the pandemic.
• The provisions of HTC-GO.
• Regulatory relief from the NPS on application turnaround, functionally related
complexes, full staffing of the program, more outreach to stakeholders, and
looking at updating the Secretary's standards to modernize them.
23
• Regulatory relief from the IRS to help offsef the damage done to the market
from tax reform and 50(d) guidance.
• Consideration of HTC eligibility for Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit if
the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) revises its recent rules.
Opportunitv Zones
Opportunity Zones will use tax incentives to draw long term investment to census tracks
struggling with high poverty and sluggish job and business growth. The program aims to
revitalize neighborhoods and towns in need of investment. The payoff for the investors will
come in the form of deferred and avoided capital gains taxes for corporations and others who
invest.
Dubuque is advancing programs and projects that would incent significant investment in the
North End of Dubuque. This program would be useful and could accelerate a return to
resiliency and economic vitality to the North End neighborhoods and properties in Dubuque's
North Port.
Requested Action:
Continue to support Opportunity Zones policy implementation to enable
reinvestment and redevelopment in Dubuque and communities across the counfry.
New Markets Tax Credit Proqram
The New Markets Tax Credit program provides a potential financing tool for major economic
development projects in Dubuque including the Historic Millwork District restoration and
revitalization and the Dubuque Pack site redevelopment. Unfortunately, the program has not
benefited rural states and communities in the same manner it has benefited larger metro centers.
Expanding and streamlining the program and helping to ensure it is accessible to smaller
communities in rural states would benefit the City of Dubuque and its partners in the private sector.
Additionally, the flexibility of the program is desirable, but its accompanying complexity increases
legal, accounting, and Community Development Entity (CDE) fees since each project is unique
and thus requires extensive planning and oversight to achieve and maintain program compliance.
These increased fees reduce the amount of equity available for the project, often rather
significantly. Finding ways to streamline the program would benefit projects and communities that
make use of this funding tool.
Requested Action:
Continued support of this important program for urban revitalizafion and support any
opportunities to simplify the program for the end user.
Childcare
Access to quality affordable childcare supports our economy by allowing parents to participate
fully in the workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 67% of children under
the age of 6 in the United States have all available parents in the workforce, and 60% of children
under the age of 5 participated in regular weekly care arrangements prior to COVID-19
24
In general, today's childcare model is not sustainable for either the parent or the childcare
provider— the cost is too high for parents to afford compared to their wages, and simultaneously
the wages for the childcare providers are too low to attract and retain quality employees.
Creating supports for either parents or childcare providers bolsters our workforce and helps our
employers retain employees with children. COVID-19 has exacerbated this issue.
Requested Action:
Support legislation to provide financial support to childcare providers to allow for
opening their facilities safely and economically for families. This would include a
$50 Billion recognition in any coming stimulus bills to stabilize the industry while
af the state level we work to sustain and grow the work.
EPA Brownfields Proqram
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Brownfield & Land Revitalization program
has been a bipartisan success for 25+ years, created by President Bill Clinton, authorized with
the signature of President George W. Bush, and improved through the BUILD Act enacted by
Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in 2017. This EPA program provides grants to
support environmental investigations, cleanup, reuse planning, and workforce development to
revitalize closed factories, abandoned gas stations, and other contaminated sites. The program
has helped create 171,000 jobs, leveraged $34 billion in investment, cleaned up 2,114
properties, and helped make 132,000+ acres ready for reuse. EPA provides approximately $80
million annually in brownfield grants, but many highly ranked applications do not receive funding.
Requested Action:
Congress should fund the EPA brownfield program at ifs 2017 authorized level of
$250 million annually, and focus on economic recovery, resiliency, renewable
energy, and greenspace.
"Build Back Planninq Grant" proqram
In 2020, cities and counties across the nation faced unprecedented economic instability, social
unrest, public health challenges, and climate impacts, with vulnerable populations bearing the
brunt. The year 2021 will mark the start of local efforts to build back. However, COVID-19 and its
resulting impacts are likely to have long-term effects on how communities operate. Communities
must reconsider key issues for progress such as the relationships between housing, mobility,
urban space, digital infrastructure, and public health. Federal agencies must work together to
help localities develop forward- looking plans that support their evolution to the "next normal."
Furthermore, planning efforts should ensure that America's most vulnerable populations (e.g.,
minorities, working families, low-income households) are central in local recovery strategies.
Community-wealth building approaches must be implemented to produce broadly shared
economic prosperity, racial equity, and environmental sustainability. An interagency task force,
including the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, EPA, the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS),
25
and other federal agencies, should launch a Build Back Planning program, modeled after the
successful joint HUD-EPA-DOT "Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Development"
launched by the Obama-Biden Administration in 2009, and its Sustainable Communities
Challenge Initiative grant program. The Build Back Planning Grants would provide at least 50
pilot grants of $500,000 each to align federal resources behind local efforts to chart their post-
COVID future and provide opportunities for low-income and minority Americans to build wealth.
Requested Action:
Establish a new intergovernmental agency "Build Back Planning Grant"program
$25 million annually.
Arts & Culture
The outgoing administration and its policy advisors call for the elimination of the National
Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS).
Proposed funding for the NEA, NEH, CPB, and the IMLS in the FY21 budget only provides for the
orderly shutdown of these agencies. We ask Congress to stand firm and support the continued
operations and funding programs of the NEA, NEH, CPB, and IMLS.
Arts, culture, creative economy, and related educational opportunities are powerFul forces in our
nation's economy. The sector drives tourism and commerce supports American workers — from
graphic and software designers to scholars, architects, artists, perFormers, and curators, - and
inspires our communities in entrepreneurial efforts. Arts and culture institutions and programs
allow Americans to dream of fresh possibilities and to expand their horizons as thinkers and
citizens in a world of complex ideas and technologies, as well as to contribute to the cultural legacy
of the nation. Access to imagination and artistic creativity is an inherent good; it also can awaken
the potential for a better quality of life. Engagement with the arts allows Americans to fully realize
their creative and imaginative potential as individuals and as communities. America's creative
economy is larger than construction, agriculture, and travel sectors.
• The arts, culture, and creative economy is a $804.2 billion industry, and represent $26
billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue. The arts mean business, accounting for
4.3% of the nation's annual GDP.
• The United States has exported more arts and cultural goods and services than it
imported since 2006, including during the Great Recession. In 2015, the arts delivered
an economic advantage, generating a $21 billion annual trade surplus.
• The arts equal jobs, employing 5 million workers.
• The NEH budget serves as a significant leveraging tool that has helped create an entire
industry of locally based small business and jobs that cannot be outsourced; in FY20,
the NEH estimates that its investment in grantees will leverage an additional $2.2 million
in third-party support and $1.5 million in private sector philanthropy in humanities
projects.
26
• $1 of NEA direct funding leveraging up to $9 in private and other public funds and
returns $12.6 billion in federal income taxes.
• A significant percentage of NEA grants go to those who have fewer opportunities to
participate in the arts. 64% NEA direct grants go to small organizations (with operating
budgets of less than $2 million) and that nearly 14% go to projects that feature some
rural component.
According to Americans for the Arts' reporting, financial losses as a result of COVID-19 for
nonprofit arts and cultural organizations on a national level are an estimated $14.6 billion, as of
December 2020. 99% of producing and presenting organizations have cancelled events—a loss
of 481 million admissions and $15.2 billion in audience spending at local businesses (e.g.,
restaurants, lodging, retail, parking). The total economic impact of organizational and audience-
spending losses is $5.04 billion in lost government revenue and 867,000 jobs no longer being
supported. Arts organizations, artists, and the broader arts workforce are vital contributors to the
nonprofit sector, are essential to the economy, vitality, and wellbeing of the communities they
serve, and they must be supported by all forms of relief.
The Dubuque City Council prioritizes arts and culture recently identifying 3 arts and culture related
policies as high priorities within their 2020-2022 goal-setting agenda. In 2015, the Arts and Culture
Master Plan was commissioned and funded, with the resulting plan adopted in 2016. Since 2005,
the City has provided over $3.9 million dollars in financial support to Dubuque arts and cultural
organizations through direct grant programs and a public art program. According to a 2012
Economic Impact Study conducted by Americans for the Arts, Dubuque's non-profit arts and
culture sector in Dubuque generates $47.2 million in annual economic activity, supports 1,530
FTE jobs, generates $5 million in local and state tax revenues, and infuses $36.7 million in
household incomes to local residents.
Requested Action:
• Support funding of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at or above FY20
levels.
• Support funding for the National Endowmenf for the Humanities (NEH) at or
above FY20 levels.
• Support funding for fhe Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) at or above
FY20 levels.
• Support funding the Insfitute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) at or above
FY20 levels.
• Support the "To Rebuild and Reimagine the United States Post-Pandemic, We
Must Put Creative Workers to Work"proposal put forward by Americans for the
Arts.
• Support the "Save our Stages Act" S.4258 - SOS Act authorizing the Small
Business Administration (SBA) to make grants to eligible live venue operators,
27
producers, promoters, or talent representatives to address the economic effects
of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on certain live venues.
• Support the "RESTART Act" S.3814 extending the Paycheck Protection Program,
established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e.,
coronavirus disease 2019), for certain businesses, and it establishing a loan
program whereby the Small Business Administration (SBA) shall guarantee loan
amounts to certain businesses affected by COVID-19, specifically, providing a
paycheck protection loan recipient with 16 weeks to use such funds if the
recipient has (1) less than 500 full-time employees, and (2) suffered a decline in
revenues of at least 25°/a and establishing a loan program whereby the SBA shall
guarantee 100% of program loan amounts made to certain small businesses that
have not more than 5,000 full-time employees.
• Support the CREATE Act (S.650, HR 1519) in order to invest in the country's
creafive economy; to recognize artists, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit arts
organizations as contributors to the small business community; and support the
creafive economy through federal programs and actions.
• Support the PLACE Act (S.3232) to help boost the nation's creative arfs;
strengthen capacity for a creative workforce;promote economic inclusion; boost
entrepreneurship; improve and revitalize rural, remote, and underserved areas;
and empower community to share their stories.
PU BLIC H EALTH
For the past 20 years, local public health agencies have been creating, refining, updating, and
adding Public Health Emergency Preparedness Response Plans (PHEPRP.) Before and soon
after the 9/11 attacks, local public health followed the national initiative of preparing for
biological, chemical, radiological, weather, and other public health related disasters and
emergencies. Simultaneously, we experienced more and more newly emerging infectious
diseases, including HIV/AIDS, resistant TB, MRSA, West Nile, Ebola, Zika, Cyclospora, E. coli
0157:H7, SARS, MERS, H1N1 influenza, Toxic Shock Syndrome and others. These along with
re-emerging outbreaks of diseases we thought we had conquered such as mumps, measles and
whooping cough continue to persist along with outbreaks from new sources or ways of spread
from pathogens such as cryptosporidia, giardia, salmonella, shigella, and Hantavirus. Congress
responded to most of these with limited term, disease specific and preparedness planning
funding to states, who in turn funded local health departments and public health agencies
through grant processes. As the outbreaks subsided and healthcare learned to treat the
infectious diseases the funding was reallocated to other priorities or cut entirely. This
reactionary, short term public health funding does not create a system or public health agencies
28
are ready to respond to epidemics and pandemics, climate, and weather-related emergencies
etc. in a timely and effective manner.
Requested Action:
Public health requires ongoing funding, education, and resources to prepare for
and respond to public health emergencies, including those that happen at the
sfate, /ocal, federal and world levels.
Crescent Community Health Center
Community Health Centers (CHC's) across the country have consistently demonstrated the value
of the care they provide. Community Health Centers are an affordable and accessible source of
primary and preventive health care for 23 million underserved individuals, including more than
184,000 here in lowa. In 2018, Crescent served 6,373 patients for a total of 18,756 patient visits,
up from 15,000 visits in 2014.
• Federal grant funding for the Health Center program currently comes from two sources:
a. $1.63 billion in annual discretionary appropriations and
b. $4.0 billion in the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF).
• In 2015 and 2018, Congress extended the Community Health Center Fund assuring health
centers a continued source of mandatory funding of$3.6 billion annually for two additional
years (FY16, FY17, FY18, and FY19). The extensions temporarily averted the "Primary
Care Cliff' which would have ended mandatory funding—resulting in a 70% cutback in
program funding. In the current fiscal year (FY19), the nation's health centers are funded
with $1.64 billion from discretionary funds and $4 billion in mandatory funds.
• NHSC loan repayment and scholar programs are essential recruitment tools for community
Health Centers and must be sustained. In lowa, more than 50 providers working in CHCs
are current recipients of NHSC support or have completed their obligations and chose to
continue practicing at CHCs.
Requested Action:
• We ask that Congress act to ensure the future of the National Health Service
Corps. Continue funding for the National Health Service Corps and the Teaching
Health Centers Graduate Medical Education programs, both of which support the
primary care workforce necessary to serve underserved communities wifh high-
quality integrated care AND consider expanding it to other health care
professions i.e., nursing, and those working with specia/populations.
• Health centers successfully utilize the 340B program, ensuring that patients can
buy their medications at affordable prices and enabling health centers to reinvest
the savings into improving quality of care, extending hours, hiring clinical
pharmacists, and expanding services.
• Continue support ensuring access to the 340B program to sustain community
healfh center's essential model of care.
29
Prevention and Public Health Fund
Increases in funding are critical to addressing the nation's public health challenges and to ensure
a strong public health system and a diverse and well-trained public health workforce. The nation's
public health workforce is playing a leading role in combating the opioid epidemic, tracking, and
monitoring infectious diseases, working to prevent vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks from
occurring, including the current measles outbreaks, and protecting our children from
environmental hazards, such as lead in our drinking water and homes.
Requested Action:
Support fhe House version of fhe FY 2020 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill,
which would provide significant increases for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administrafion and would fully
al/ocate the mandatory Prevention and Public Health Fund for important public
healfh and prevention activities.
Climate Chanqe and Health
Climate change and rising temperatures expose more Americans to conditions that result in illness
and death due to respiratory illness, heat-related stress, vector-borne disease, wildfires, and
extreme weather events. Climate change raises temperatures and makes ozone pollution worse,
triggering asthma attacks and permanently damaging and reducing lung function and causing or
affecting newly emerging infectious diseases. These maladies fall most heavily on our most
vulnerable communities including children, seniors, low-income communities, some communities
of color and those with chronic disease.
Efforts to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gases should maximize benefits to
health and ensure pollution is cleaned up in all communities, including those near polluting
sources that have historically borne a disproportionate burden from air pollution.
Requested Action:
• Support efforts to clean up major sources of carbon pollution and other
greenhouse gases, including power plants, cars, trucks, and other mobile
sources. In addition, policy to address climate change must not weaken or
delay the Clean Air Act or the authority that it gives the Environmental
Protection Agency to reduce carbon emissions.
• Cosponsor/Support the Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act to
support increased funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
Climate and Health Program to provide the nation's public health workforce with
the resources, technical assisfance and funding they need to best protect their
communities from the health threats associated with climate change.
Lead Poisoninq
The toxic legacy of lead still impacts over half a million American children under the age of six
every year — causing irreversible damage and robbing them from reaching their full potential. In
lowa Exposure occurs through exposures from air, drinking water, food, contaminated soil, and
deteriorating paint. An estimated 1.1 million housing units are among the most at-risk for causing
childhood lead poisoning across the US. In Dubuque 42% of Housing was built prior to 1960,
30
indicating a large portion of the housing stock contains lead hazards. Lead poisoning robs children
of their ability to thrive and contribute. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning
because they absorb 4-5 times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source. Lead
exposure changes the structure and function of children's developing brains, causing damage that
cannot be repaired. Lead exposure leads to poorer academic performance, behavioral health
problems and lifelong diminished opportunity.
Dubuque has made tremendous strides in lowering the incidence of lead poisoning by reducing
lead paint hazards. However, with the revised Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
blood lead level of concern (5ug/dL), much more lead hazard reduction and remediation are
needed, including addressing lead in water/lead service lines.
Requested Action:
Supporf the Lead-Free Future Act of 2019, (HF 4416) a bill that will set standards and
increase investment to support lead remediation in housing, drinking water, and soil
in pre-1978 residential properties in communities across the country.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Proqram Cuts
In December 2019, the Trump Administration approved an administrative rule change to
eligibility requirements that will result in reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP). The rule change negatively impacts food benefits to 700,000 unemployed
people across the country, including families and children.
Requested Action:
Support legislation that restores Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) benefits.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR)
Every five years, the Child Nutrition Act is due for reauthorization to improve and strengthen the
federal child nutrition programs, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
manages SFSP and CACFP. These programs provide reimbursement dollars for after-school
and summer meal programs. This program is used by the Dubuque Boys and Girls Club in
connection with the City's Leisure Services Department and other community organizations to
provide healthy meals and snacks to children outside of schools. On average, over 15,000
meals have been provided annually to our communities' youth over a "normal" summer. In 2020
this program was expanded to provide much needed support for families during the COVID-19
pandemic to include grab and go meals. As of December 4, 2020, over 85,500 additional meals
have been handed out to families. Combined with the 2020 summer meal program which
served 11,903 low-income youth, there are projected to be over 100,000 meals served. While
the current authorization for the Child Nutrition Act, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010,
expired in September 2015, the programs continue to operate.
Requested Action:
Reauthorize the Children Nutrition Act to continue feeding our children in need
outside of school time.
31
PLANNING
Planninq for Opportunity Aqenda
A legislative agenda to create just, healthy, and prosperous communities that expand
opportunity for all.
Requested Action:
CONFRONT THE CLIMATE CRISIS
The nation and the world face a climate crisis. Federal policy must do more to
make our communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change and reduce
the emissions driving the crisis.
• Strengthen resiliency standards for infrastructure.
• Support planning for climate change.
• Invest in clean and green infrastructure.
• Incorporate climate and resiliency considerations into a range of grant
program criteria.
• Provide targeted planning and mitigation aid for vulnerable communities.
• Increase and improve mapping and mitigation programs.
• Implement reforms to hazard mitigation and disaster recovery programs.
• Safeguard and improve critical environmental protection policies and
programs.
PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY DATA AND ADAPT, PLAN, AND DEPLOY NEW
TECHNOLOGIES
Reliable, comprehensive data is the foundation for good planning, and the federal
government is an indispensable partner. The federal government also has a key
role in the accelerating use of data analytics and new technologies in communities.
• Provide full funding for the Census Bureau.
• Reject efforts to insert untested questions that threaten a full and fair
Census count.
• Fund federal data agencies, essential programs, and policies that make
resources usable and accessible for local decision makers.
• Support smart cities technology by investing in infrastructure, supporting
good planning, aiding adoption in targeted communities, and expanding
research and standards.
• Support advances in broadband and telecommunications technology.
ADDRESS THE HOUSING CRISIS
Housing is one major challenge confronting communities from coast to coast.
While the housing crisis looks different across various places and markets,
planning must play a central role in finding solutions to challenges ranging from
affordability to resilience and availability to accessibility. Adopt federal policies
that can help advance these solutions.
• Increase funding for existing key programs.
• Improve finance tools and tax credits.
• Use federal programs and investments to encourage a stronger link to
housing, transportation, infrastructure, and land use decisions.
• Tailor federal investments and regulatory requirements to support local code
and planning reforms.
32
RENEW AND EXPAND /NFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS
In 2020, Congress will confront the need to reauthorize the nation's surface
transportation law and invest in our infrastructure.
• Provide sustainable funding with improved support for planning in the next
surFace transportation law.
• Expand support for biking, walking, and public transit in the next surface
transportation law.
• Address climate change and resiliency in the next surface transportation law
• Focus on the future of the transportation system in the next surFace
transportation law.
• Increase funding for proven existing federal programs.
• Improve and support vital finance tools for infrastructure investment.
Certified Local Government Proqram
The Certified Local Government (CLG) program was established as part of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 to create federal, state, and local governmental partnerships, provide
historic preservation training and technical assistance, and encourage preservation and wise
use of historic resources at the local level.
In lowa, the Certified Local Government program is one of the historic preservation offerings of
the State Historic Preservation Office, part of the State Historical Society of lowa, a division of
the lowa Department of Cultural Affairs. To participate in the CLG program, a local government
must have a local historic preservation program that complies with CLG program requirements.
To qualify for or obtain "certified status", the local government must demonstrate that its local
historic preservation program meets certain standards.
For the local government, its staff and Historic Preservation Commission, there are some direct
benefits of participating in the CLG program. There is free historic preservation training and
technical assistance from the State's historic preservation staff. Participating cities and counties
receive a start-up preservation reference library for use in developing and administering the
program. Cities and counties in the CLG program qualify for a small, competitive, matching CLG
grant program that is open only CLG program participants. These federal pass-through grants
can be used to underwrite all historic preservation activities except rehabilitation.
In lowa, the CLG program has helped cities and counties to develop their local historic
preservation programs as a tool to help promote downtown revitalization; to protect, stabilize
and revive historic neighborhoods; and to provide an authentic foundation for heritage tourism.
Requested Action:
The City of Dubuque supports continued federal funding for the Certified Local
Governmenf(CLG) Program.
Land and Water Conservation Fund
Land and water conservation fund has been critical to the development of outdoor recreational
opportunities in Dubuque. Past grant awards have funded softball field development for youth
33
and adults, open space development in the area of historically significant places along the
Mississippi River, expansion of the E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center at the Mines of Spain State
Recreation Area and renovation of Comiskey Park located in a low socio-economic
neighborhood. Each of these developments has been very important to expansion of outdoor
recreation. Continued funding of this program is critical to Dubuque as a partnering source for
enhancing outdoor recreation for our citizens which increases the health and well-being of our
community. The importance of outdoor recreation has never been experienced more than
during this pandemic.
Requested Action:
The City of Dubuque supports ensuring robust funding through the yearly
Congressional appropriafions process for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF). The authorized agreement on LWCF of 40% for the state assistance
program and robust funding for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership
(ORLP) urban competitive grant program needs to continue. Support legislation
that will provide dedicated full funding to LWCF introduced by Senators Manchin,
Gardner, Cantwell and Burr(S. 1081) or similar legislation.
Livable Community Initiatives
A Platform for Stronger, Healthier, and More Just Communifies through Planning
The American Planning Association believes that federal policy can be a vital tool for supporting
local planning that strengthens communities and provides greater access to economic and
social opportunity. A supportive framework in federal policy for good local planning is essential
to the health, resilience, and prosperity of the nation and its communities.
Requested Action:
The City of Dubuque supports federal legislation to integrate comprehensive
planning efforts with livable community inifiatives that promote susfainabilify,
economic growth, and local innovation.
SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
The City of Dubuque identified becoming a more Sustainable City as one of its top priorities in
2006. Since then, multiple strategies and practices have been implemented to make Dubuque a
more sustainable community. In 2016, the City was honored to be recognized as one of the
White House's 16 Climate Action Champions. The City is a member of Climate Communities
and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network and joins those organizations in supporting local
government action on climate change and resiliency as essential for America to achieve energy
independence, renew economic prosperity and preserve biodiversity. Federal policies must
empower local governments with the tools and resources to respond to the climate challenge.
We request your support in achieving the following goals:
• Invest in local climate capacity through annual federal appropriations such as the
Department of Energy Clean Cities program, the US Forest Service's Urban and
34
Community Forestry program, Storm water and Drinking Water funding, municipal
energy efficiency programs and Green Infrastructure programs.
• Build self-reliant communities that are prepared for climate impacts.
• Support community revitalization by enacting legislation that enables basic
sustainability principles, such as historic preservation, improved energy efficiency,
brownfield redevelopment, and community redevelopment.
Weatherization Assisfance Program
Dubuque, like communities across the country, is striving to increase equitable access to
affordable housing for all residents. Excessive energy costs exacerbate the housing cost
burden low-income residents experience. On average, low-income households spend 7.8
percent of annual income on energy services, compared to 3 percent of income for all
households. Recognizing the increasing cost of energy and the significant impact this required
cost has on low- and moderate-income residents, the City advocates for continued sufficient
funding of the Weatherization Assistance Program and that funds be used to invest in home
improvements wherever possible. By investing in improvements rather than assisting with
energy bills, these funds can be used to fix the root of the problem rather than putting a band-aid
on it.
Nafional Energy Planning Policy
The City encourages adoption of a long-term, sustainable national energy policy, addressing
decreasing availability of petroleum, energy self-sufficiency, economic competitiveness,
greenhouse gas emissions, environmental protection, and social equity. This policy should
recognize and separate the long-term development of replacement and alternative energy
sources from short-term fluctuations in market prices for energy. This policy should also
recognize the impact that energy-efficient land use patterns, building design, and transportation
modalities have on the demand for energy.
Dafa and Measurement
The City recognizes the importance of easy, consistent, and affordable access to energy data at
the community level as an integral component of energy, sustainability, healthy communities,
and community planning. We advocate for transparent data processes that allow communities to
review utility data while also ensuring adequate data security and privacy.
Energy Impacts
We encourage evaluating the energy related impacts along with other impacts resulting from
proposed plans and development related to the siting of energy generation and transmission
facilities in order to mitigate their adverse impacts on land use, environment, economy, health,
quality of life, and national security.
PACE Financing
We encourage federal and state legislation supporting Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
financing so that the costs associated with energy efficiency improvements can be shared by the
property owners who experience the benefits of those improvements.
35
Environmental Justice
We support state and federal efforts in striving to attain environmental equity and justice with
regard to the siting of energy facilities, resource extraction, energy generation, distribution
infrastructure, and energy-related waste disposal.
Disfributed Energy Generation
The City supports distributed energy generation systems that utilize community energy
generation and "smart grid" public infrastructure that supports both conservation and energy
efficiency.
Smart Grid Technology
We support modernization of the nation's electrical grid that will allow for the efficient integration
of innovative technologies such as renewable energy systems and electric vehicles and makes it
possible to offer dynamic electricity pricing options that can reduce strain on the grid while
benefitting consumers. Advances in metering technology also create opportunities to provide
consumers with access to more information about their electricity usage and costs, which can
inform their decisions about energy consumption.
Research and Development
The City recognizes that in the short-term, oil, coal, and natural gas will continue to be
significant sources of energy for the United States and other nations until other forms of energy
can be developed at a scale to adequately replace the world's reliance on fossil fuels. Therefore,
continued focused research and development in improving the efficient use of these sources
while reducing the environmental costs must be a high priority for the United States. We support
expanded research and development funding and efforts to create and improve alternative and
renewable energy sources and the development of energy transition scenarios for use by local
officials and the general public.
EPA Office of Community Revitalization
EPA has provided localities with targeted technical assistance in the areas of green building,
mobility, equitable development, flood resilience, food security, outdoor recreation, and other
smart growth topics through its Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program.
EPA/Congress should strengthen the Building Blocks program by providing direct grants to
localities of up to $500,000 to implement specific strategies identified through the technical and
planning assistance. This financial support will enable cities and counties to protect the
environment, improve health, and strengthen their economies.
Requested Action:
Expand funding to the EPA Office of Community Revitalization fo $25 million
annually.
DOE Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant Program
Introduced in 2009 to support recovery efforts following the Great Recession, the U.S.
Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG)
program provided funding to local governments, states, U.S. territories, and Indian tribes to
support a wide variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy activities. Oak Ridge National
Laboratory determined that this successful one-time national effort created 62,900 jobs,
generated $5.2 billion in lifetime energy cost savings, and avoided 25.7 million metric tons of
36
carbon emissions — all while spurring a new generation of clean energy investments. Faced with
another economic crisis, the EECBG program should be resurrected to help America rebuild
again. This green stimulus spending will help cities and counties launch a range of initiatives,
including energy efficiency building retrofits, financial incentives for energy efficiency, building
code support, renewable energy installations, distributed energy technologies, transportation
activities, recycling and waste management efforts, and other sustainable actions.
Requested Action:
Restore and reinvigorate the DOE Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant
program to $3.5 billion annually.
Indian Gaminq Requlations
The City is concerned about the uncontrolled growth of Indian Casinos on off premises
(reservation) lands. The City supports legislation that places safeguards on the growth of Indian
casinos.
Requested Action:
• Rewrite Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act(IGRA), which
authorizes reservafion shopping. This means thaf under no circumstances can
a tribe that already has land in trust acquire more land that is not contiguous to
ifs reservafion and use it for gaming. This will put a permanent end fo
reservation shopping.
• Give local communities a seat at the table during the process to mitigate
impacts of casinos proposed by newly recognized or restored tribes. This
means the tribe and local community must enter into a memorandum of
understanding where the tribe must pay fhe community for mitigation of direct
effects of the casino on infrastructure and services like transportation and
public safety.
• Ban any attempts to establish off-reservation casinos outside of the state where
the fribe presently resides.
• Allow States to regulate Fanfasy Sports and internet gambling.
37
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP PRIORITIES
AmeriCorps
City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Proqram
The City of Dubuque has sponsored its AmeriCorps Program since 2007. Since the program's
inception in 2000, the AmeriCorps Program has two program prongs: Partners in Learning and
Creating Opportunities and has provided the Dubuque Community with over 450,000 hours of
volunteer service from over 800 AmeriCorps Alumni. In 2014, the Partners in Learning program
was revamped to create a laser focus on the Dubuque Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, using
AmeriCorps members as Academic Reading Tutors in the Dubuque Community School District's
Elementary Schools to help students to go from learning to read to reading to learn by 3rd grade. In
2017, the Creating Opportunities program was implemented to support community engagement,
mentoring, and skill development with underserved teenaged youth.
The City of Dubuque's AmeriCorps Program: Partners in Learning makes measurable impacts
on Dubuque's children. Data from the 2019-2020 school year shows that prior to COVID-19's
impacts, 78% (189 out of 243) Dubuque Community School District K- 3rd grade students
tutored by our AmeriCorps members improved their reading score from Fall 2019 — Winter
2020. Data from the 2018-2019 school year shows that 97% (462 out of 477) Dubuque
Community School District K- 3rd grade students tutored by our AmeriCorps members improved
their reading score from Fall 2018 — Spring 2019. This data shows the positive impact of that our
program has on students, as AmeriCorps Members are able to provide positive one-on-one and
small group feedback directly to students in each and every tutoring session. Teachers, school
staff and instructional coaches regard our AmeriCorps Program because of the academic, social
and emotional impact AmeriCorps tutors have on the students they work with. During the
summer, AmeriCorps members support community organizations who serve K-3rd grade
students to curb the summer slide. These organizations include the Carnegie-Stout Public
Library, Dubuque Community Schools Summer Academy, Dubuque Dream Center, Leisure
Services and St. Marks Youth Empowerment, all of which impact our youth whose families are
from a lower-income and neighborhoods needing assistance.
The involvement of AmeriCorps members is critical to efforts of the city, schools, and non-
profits. The City of Dubuque AmeriCorps Program: Creating Opportunities was awarded an
opportunity to provide AmeriCorps support to the Multicultural Family Center and the City of
Dubuque Leisure Services Department to facilitate and increase Teen Programming during the
summer. During Summer 2020, 18 of the 21 teens graduated from the Multicultural Family
Center's AmeriCorps Supported Program: STEP (Summer Teen Empowerment Program),
earning independent high school credit from the Dubuque Community School District and
learning college/career readiness skills, workplace readiness, communication, financial literacy,
team building as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion skills. Additionally, AmeriCorps members
facilitated free activities and meals for community teens through a summer teen program at the
Multicultural Family Center and throughout the Dubuque community through the Leisure
Services Department.
Our AmeriCorps program provides personal and professional growth opportunities to the
members. Dubuque Community members join our program for many different reasons, including
networking, on-the job experience, career experience or changes, community impact after
retirement, among other reasons. AmeriCorps Alumni who are looking to enter the workforce after
their term of service often have more experience and better educated, which leads to the opportunity
of a higher earning potential. Many employers consider AmeriCorps Alumni to be highly valuable
38
employees due to their time in the program. AmeriCorps members learn civic engagement skills
and connect directly with citizens, as well as build quality volunteer base in the community. Our
AmeriCorps members are trained monthly on Equity topics: including Intercultural Competencies,
Diversity and Inclusion, among others- leading to a deeper understanding of the community
members and youth being served.
Other AmeriCorps Proqrams in Dubuque
AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members are also used by the City of
Dubuque and Dubuque County to combat poverty. Currently, the City has an Economic
Opportunity VISTA member serving with the Human Rights Department in collaboration with
lowa Campus Compact. Two VISTA members serving non-profit partners through the Volunteer
lowa Rural Development and Opioid VISTA Project. In the past, VISTA members have served with
the community-wide Dubuque Campaign for Grade Level Reading Initiative in the areas of
school readiness, attendance, and summer learning. Other departments within the City have
looked into leveraging VISTA members to greater impact the community. The capacity building
efforts of VISTA members are very important to these community initiatives.
Dubuque also hosts Green lowa AmeriCorps and Sustainable Schools AmeriCorps Programs.
Operated through the University of Northern lowa's Center for Energy and Environmental
Education, Green lowa AmeriCorps is a state-wide community service program. Green lowa
AmeriCorps Members are trained as energy auditors and contribute to a comprehensive home
energy program through Operation: New View Community Action Agency. Sustainable Schools
AmeriCorps, a diversification of the Green lowa AmeriCorps Program, works to reduce district-
wide energy costs and assist teachers and staff in implementing environmental project-based
learning initiatives. Sustainable Schools AmeriCorps Members are hosted by the Dubuque
Metro Area Solid Waste Agency and support the Dubuque Community School District and Holy
Family Catholic Schools.
AmeriCorps Seniors in Dubuque:
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is a nationwide program through AmeriCorps
Seniors which exists to match volunteers age 55 and better with volunteer positions that use
their life experience and skills to meet community needs. The program is funded by a federal
grant from the AmeriCorps, as well as funding from the city, county, state, and in-kind
contributions from UnityPoint Health Finley Hospital. The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program
(RSVP) has 6 focus areas where volunteers serve Dubuque County. The primary focus area of
RSVP is Healthy Futures. RSVP volunteers also serve in the areas of Disaster Services,
Economic Opportunity, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Non-Profit Capacity Building and
General Community Priorities.
National Service Partnership:
Dubuque is home to the nation's first National Service Partnership, a partnership between local
government, higher education, local non-profits, and state government that draws on multiple
AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors resources to collectively impact poverty in Dubuque. The
Dubuque National Service Partnership (DNSP) uses Days of Service and other events to educate
the public about community needs and opportunities to serve, while simultaneously focusing on
improved business processes within organizations and improved outcomes for families served. In
2013, Governor Terry Branstad recognized the DNSP with the lowa Non-Profit Collaboration
Award for outstanding efforts to engage volunteers to impact complex social and economic needs.
On September 16, 2015, the Corporation for National and Community Service recognized the
Dubuque National Service Partnership with an award in honor of retired Senator Tom Harkin. The
collective impact of DNSP is very important in the community.
39
AmeriCorps Service Impacts in Dubuque
2019-2020 P rogra m Yea r
• Provided tutoring to over 700 children during the 2019-2020 school year.
• Provided summer enrichment programming to over 1000 children during the
summer of 2020.
City of � �g�o (189 out of 243) Dubuque Community School District K- 3rd grade students
Dubuque tutored by our AmeriCorps members improved their reading score from Fall 2019—
AmeriCorps Spring Winter 2020, prior to the impacts of COVID-19
Program � 1g of the 21 teens graduated from the Multicultural Family Center's AmeriCorps
Supported Program: Summer Teen Empowerment Program (STEP), earning
independent learning credit from the Dubuque Community School District.
• Program was impacted significantly due to COVID-19
Green lowa • Program was not operational in Dubuque during 2019-2020 due to COVID-19
� AmeriCorps impacts.
�
0 Program
�
ca
z Sustainable • Conducted 37 education events (both in and out of the classroom) engaging over
� Schools 600 K-12 students within the Dubuque Community School District and Holy Family
� AmeriCorps Catholic Schools.
� Program • Program was impacted significantly due to COVID-19
�
� lowa Campus • 31 leveraged volunteers who served 140 hours
�
UCompact • 7 members
'� AmeriCorps • Program was impacted significantly due to COVID-19
N
� Program
Q
lowa Legal • 1 FT AmeriCorps Member Serving 1700 hours of service.
Aid • Helped vulnerable lowans receive civil legal advice, information, or referral
AmeriCorps needed to resolve issues involving fundamental needs during the 2019-20
Program project year.
• Program was impacted significantly due to COVID-19.
Course to • 1 AmeriCorps Member served 129 students.
College • Conducted 20 college access workshops for students.
AmeriCorps • Assisted in Chaperoning 3 college visits.
College • Complete 305 interactions with students.
Access Program was impacted significantly due to COVID-19.
40
• 6 community volunteers that were managed by VISTA Members and/or their host
site organization providing 24 hours of service to the Dubuque Community.
Volunteer
• 1 organization received capacity building services.
lowa Rural
• 1 organization completed a community assessment identifying goals.
� • 1 organization reported that their VISTA support made them more efficient.
N Development � 1 organization reported that their VISTA support made them more effective.
� and Opioid � Program was impacted significantly due to COVID-19
N VISTA Project
Q
�
O
U 14 community volunteers/staff received training as a result of capacity building
�
N services provided by the VISTA Member and/or the host site organization.
Qlowa Campus • Program focuses on program enhancements and research on racial equity
Compact programming.
VISTA
Program
• 267 enrolled volunteers served approximately 24,944 hours.
• Focus Area: Healthy Futures—3,594 hours served by 41 volunteers with 3
organizations.
• Focus Area: Disaster Services-0 hours served by 11 volunteers with 2 organizations.
• Focus Area: Economic Opportunity- 17 hours served by 4 volunteers with 2
organizations.
• Focus Area: Environmental Stewardship—5,954 hours served by 75 volunteers with 2
organizations.
• Focus Area: Other Community Priorities—15,379 hours served by 136 volunteers with
Dubuque
QRSVP 18 organizations.
i
� (Retired It is important to note that this was the first year of a new grant cycle and several of the past
'i Senior focus areas have been combined based on the outcomes reporting requirements in the grant
�� Volunteer
to measure the program.
Q Program) It is also important to note that Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has been
greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report reflects the grant period from July
2019 to June 2020. In the last quarter of this grant year,April 2020 to June 2020 RSVP had 71
active volunteers. The number of active volunteers has increased as the community has
learned more about COVID-19 and ways to keep volunteers safe, but we are nowhere near
the participation of past year.
RSVP remains optimistic we will find ways for seniors to serve. The program has been
offering new volunteer opportunities that allow volunteers to serve from home. These
activities do have some barriers such as the use of technology to serve. We are working to
overcome these challenges.
Requested Action:
Support AmeriCorps and funding for National Service Partnership fhrough the
Corporation for National and Community Service.
41
AmeriCorps Backqround Checks
On January 8, 2020, the Corporation of National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal
agency that provides oversight to all National Service programs- including AmeriCorps, Senior
Corps and Service Enterprise grantees, proposed a new rule that would significantly change the
process of National Service Criminal History Checks required of all CNCS grantees and sub-
grantees.
This proposed rule makes significant changes to the current rule that will significantly impact our
AmeriCorps Partners in Learning Program and other AmeriCorps grants that serve the City of
Dubuque and the Greater Dubuque Area.
The impacts are as follows:
CNCS grantees and subgrantees will be required to use the two CNCS-approved vendors —
Fieldprint and Truescreen.
o Checks run through these vendors are:
1) More expensive than the current lowa Department of Criminal Investigation
2) Provide limited results through a Pass/Fail check to the criminal history of an applicant,
only reviewing the following criteria without the ability to apply program-specific criteria to
all results:
■ (a) Refuses to consent to a criminal history check described in §2540.204;
■ (b) Makes a false statement in connection with a criminal history check
described in §2540.204 of this chapter;
■ (c) Is registered, or is required to be registered, on a state sex offender registry
or the National Sex Offender Registry; or
■ (d) Has been convicted of murder, as defined in 18 U.S.C. 1111.
3) Provide significant and unequitable barriers to access to serving within the
AmeriCorps program, including:
■ Requiring access to a computer, internet, ability to upload sensitive
documentation, reliable transportation, significant computer literacy skills.
4) Increases administrative burden to grantees and sub-grantees.
■ These vendors will currently not agree to requested changes to liability and
insurance clauses requested by the City's legal counsel. The agreements would
place all liability for mishandled checks or inappropriate clearances on the City
of Dubuque when the city had no control over that process.
The proposed rule, as currently written, creates a significant concern for the safety of the
vulnerable populations that AmeriCorps Programs serve, a significant risk to the City of
Dubuque, and is a clear over-reach by the federal government.
Requested Action:
Oppose the new rule that would significantly change the process of"national
service criminal history checks"required of all CNCS grantees and sub-grantees
and continue local control of background checks at a much higher cost.
America's River at the Port of Dubuque:
Dubuque County Historical Society dba National Mississippi River Museum Vision:
Become the world's leader in interpreting and protecting the life, history, and culture of our
rivers, to create a more global, knowledgeable, and engaged citizen.
Dubuque County Historical Society dba National Mississippi River Museum Mission:
The Dubuque County Historical Society (DCHS) and the National Mississippi River Museum &
Aquarium (NMRM&A) has become the most comprehensive river museum in the country
42
dedicated to our mission - to inspire stewardship by creating educational experiences where
history and rivers come alive.
Over the past 40 years, 4.3 million people have visited the Museum & Aquarium with on-site
visitation and off-site outreach reaching 275,000 annually including 75,000 school-aged children
and �300 teachers. We receive an average of 84 direct requests for archival materials each
year from researchers all over the world. Our 14-acre waterfront campus includes indoor and
outdoor exhibits, houses over 2,000 animals representing 214 species, and stewards a
significant historical collection of objects and archival materials. Our 2-acre historic campus
includes a 32-room Italianate-style mansion, an Arriandeau-style Log House (lowa's oldest
building), a granary, and a one-room schoolhouse. The Museum campus features aquariums,
aviaries, 2D & 4D theaters, hands-on programs, exhibits, wetlands, wet labs, a conservation lab,
and water tables all with significant scientific, educational, and research functions. As visitors
account for three times the entire population of Dubuque, the Museum remains a leading
informal educational institution in lowa and the Tri-State area (IA, IL, & WI) and a leading
collaborator in informal STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.
An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, Museum & Aquarium is one of only 12 institutions in
the nation accredited by both the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the American
Alliance of Museums (AAM).
Critical Issues the Museum & Aquarium are working to address: We believe, in the next
decade, that access to clean water, loss of critically endangered species, and a necessary
increase in the public understanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics) learning and conservation will continue to be at the forefront of the global issues
facing us all.
Reqional/Local: Spanning more than four decades, and across 16 acres, the Dubuque County
Historical Society and National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium has been collecting,
preserving, and interpreting life in Dubuque and the Mississippi River and the rivers of America.
The Society's collections, both living and historical, include 2,000 animals representing
200 species, 13 buildings and vessels, 29,000 artifacts, and 22,000 archival items. Together,
these collections tell the big stories of the culture, commerce, and conservation of the
Mississippi River and are testament to our belief that the Mississippi River should be forever
protected and interpreted in order to create a more global, knowledgeable, and engaged citizen.
STRATEGIC GOALS for BROADER IMPACT
1. Reimagine Dynamic Visitor Experiences: To inspire and engage a global audience
with compelling and dynamic exhibits and programmatic experiences which give meaning
to STEM education in an informal learning institution. Initiative:
a. River of Innovation: Consisting of an intact 19th century belt-driven machine
shop, themed hands-on "Innovation Current" exhibits, and a maker space
spanning over 9,000 sq. ft., River of Innovation places the learner at the center
of the history of boat building to interweave relevant history stories and
interactive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
activities that will; reveal to visitors their own power to innovate; present a
robust vision of innovation that address social, cultural, personal, or
technological examples of innovation; and, provide authentic opportunities for
visitors to create. This exhibit will broaden the Museum's current audience
base and serve as an institutional model for future project development and
community engagement. Combining history, culture, and STEM in ways not
43
seen before on the Museum & Aquarium campus, River of Innovation aims to
inspire the next generation to innovate.
Federal and State of lowa funding for River of Innovation: Since 2015, this
project has received more than $250,000 in funding from the State of lowa and over $425,000 in
federal funding from both the National Endowment for the Humanities Infrastructure and
Capacity Building Challenge Grant and Institute for Museum and Library Services with matching
funds from corporations, individuals, and foundations for a total project cost of$2.8 million.
2. National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium as a Conservation & Research
Lab: The Museum & Aquarium will be utilized as a conservation research facility to
propagate threatened species, showcase new scientific discoveries, broaden
partnerships, and improve habitats within the 31-state the Mississippi River watershed.
Initiatives as follows:
a. Promotion of conservation through Dubuque County funding provides our Take
Conservation Action through Advocacy, Research, and Engagement (CAARE) by
engaging in conservation action to preserve our shared future and protect our
freshwater and marine habitats where our community is the beneficiary. Initiatives
include:
i. Advocacy — Inspiring a social and sustainable mindset within our community
by encouraging positive attitudes towards change.
ii. Research — Facilitate project-based learning opportunities designed to
target and solve practical problems.
iii. Engagement— Connect members of our community directly to authentic
conservation action through hands-on experiences.
Established Projects Include:
a. Freshwater Mussel Propagation for Restoration — to include raising endangered
freshwater mussels and improve water quality in partnership with the US Fish &
Wildlife Service (USFWS),
b. Yard Management Practices — Encourage the elimination of harmful pesticides
from yard management.
c. Invasive Species Removal — Clear invasive plant species to encourage growth of
native species and increase biodiversity.
d. Host site for FrogWatch USA, a citizen science program of the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums (AZA) that provides individuals, groups, and families with an
opportunity to learn about wetlands in their communities and report data on the
calls of local frogs and toads.
e. Propagate over 50,000 Wyoming Toad tadpoles (since 2008) alongside USFWS
and ten Association for Zoos and Aquariums affiliate organizations, which had led
to removing Wyoming Toads from the endangered species list.
f. Selected by the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2019, the Museum &
Aquarium will preserve coral diversity by creating a land-based ark to preserve
coral diversity in the face of a devastating disease outbreak in the Florida Reef
Tract. The Museum & Aquarium will house a number of corals for three years in a
holding area (non-public) until they can be released.
Evolving Projects Include:
a. Stewardship Programs — Design project-based conservation centered programs
for youth and families.
44
b. Chose to Refuse — Foster a "Choose to Refuse" attitude among businesses to
lower use of plastics.
c. Establish Pollinator Habitat — Build pollinator habitats and increase monarch
monitoring efforts.
3. Stewardship of our Historic and Living Collections: Taking great care in the preservation
of the 51,000 items and over 2,000 animals and 200 species in our historical and living
collections respectively, we plan to expand our reach in conservation and preservation activities.
a. Mathias Ham Historic Site — Over the next four years the Museum & Aquarium will
support the restoration efforts and improvements of the Mathias Ham Historic Site (2
acres) including the 32-room Italianate-style mansion listed on the National Registrar
of Historic Places, built in 1856, the 1833 Arriandeau Log House (lowa's oldest
building), an 1840s granary, and the 1883 Humke one-room schoolhouse, which have
all been interpreting the humanities for more than 57 years.
b. William M. Black dredge boat—The William M. Black historic vessel, is a U.S
National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Black has received funding from the National Park Service's National Maritime
Heritage grant program and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding
supported lead-based paint removal, a new roof, and a new fire security system for
the boat, which is a tourist destination for 205,000 people each year.
Federal and State of lowa funding to support the Mathias Ham Historic Site & the William
M. Black: Projects at both of these historic sites received a combined total of$537,000 in State
of lowa and City of Dubuque funding in 2018, Federal funding was secured from the National
Park Service and National Endowment for the Humanities Infrastructure and Capacity
Buildings Challenge Grant in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Work began at both sites in 2020.
Opportunities for New and Continued Federal Partnerships:
• Continue to work with USFW and other federal and state agencies to study, nurture, and
propagate important species, which are endangered or threatened and are typically not
the primary focus of state Departments of Natural Resources. Species include freshwater
mussels, toads, coral, and other vital and often ignored species.
• Work with USDA and others to engage people to reduce nutrient loading, understand
sediment flow, and improve water quality for the Mississippi, its 31-state watershed, and
the Gulf of Mexico.
• Raise awareness of flood prevention and flood control with partners such as: University of
lowa Flood Center, Coastal America, which works with NOAA, USFWS the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture and other
federal agencies.
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is awaiting confirmation a pending
grant proposal, submitted in 2020 for over $450,000 from the Institute for Museum
& Library Services (IMLS) in a two-year initiative to execute the Where Rivers Come Alive —
Online Learning cultural access project. This project employs technology, outreach, and
community-engagement in an effort to reduce barriers and enable discovery for all audiences by
creating digital content and curriculum grounded in equity.
45
Federal grants currently in process from the National Endowment for the Humanities totaling
$500,000. All of the projects associated with these federal dollars are or will improve the quality
of STEM learning, building an equitable platform for the organization combined with a
restoration of our historic artifacts, and conservation efforts for our living collections, while
increasing our capacity to raise significant funds.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Institute for Museum and Library Services
(IMLS), United States Fish & Wildlife Services (USFWS), and the National Park Service
(NPS) all support and recognize museums such as our institutions of learning and exploration,
and as keepers of our cultural, historical, and scientific heritages. These federal funding
programs teach essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication,
and are increasingly sought-after by employers. NEH also funds humanities councils in every
state and U.S. territory that sponsor family literacy programs, speakers' bureaus, cultural
heritage tourism, exhibitions, and live performances. Since 1980, the Dubuque Country
Historical Society (DCHS) has received $2.8 million from the NEH, $475,000 from National
Park Service, and over $2 million from the IMLS to help preserve Dubuque, and the
Mississippi River's cultural, historical, and scientific heritage through our exhibits, historic
preservation initiatives, and educational programming. These funds play a critical role in future
funding for the Dubuque County Historical Society dba National River Museum & Aquarium
wherein private dollars would not be able to match the leveraging role of government cultural
funding.
Requested Action:
We ask for continued support for federal programs providing competitive grants
including National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute for Museum and
Library Services National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Fish & Wildlife Services,
and other education and research grants that support the mission and goals of the
Dubuque County Historical Society dba National Mississippi River Museum &
Aquarium and the National Rivers Hall of Fame's nafional education and oufreach
program RiverWorks Discovery.
EQU ITY
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
Mandatory minimum sentences are punishments ordered by judges with terms set by Congress
to those who have been convicted of crime; they dictate that certain crimes require, by law, a set
amount of time in prison. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws effectively strip judges of their
authority to take the circumstances of a crime into account and shift sentencing power to
prosecutors who often use the threat of these laws to intimidate defendants into pleading guilty
in order to receive a reduced sentence (Written Submission of the American Civil Liberties
Union on Racial Disparities in Sentencing, 2014). In theory, mandatory minimum sentencing
laws are "race neutral" and should affect everyone who has been convicted of a crime equally
regardless of race. In practice, however, this is very much not the case. Prosecutors are more
likely to levy heavier sentences against people of color in general than they are against whites,
while federal prosecutors are over twice as likely to charge black defendants with offenses that
carry a mandatory minimum than white defendants (Report to the United Nations on Racial
46
Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System, 2018). This has led to lowa having one of the
highest rates of imprisonment for black people in the nation (Stageberge & Rabey, 2013).
Requested Action:
Support striking mandatory minimum sentencing provisions, allowing judges to
apply the federal sentencing guidelines in a way that takes facts into consideration
so that sentences fit the crime.
Public Charge Rule
Since the late 1990s, the "public charge rule" has been used as grounds to deport "public
charges:" foreign nationals who use public assistance programs such as cash assistance,
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, or who require long-term care in a nursing home
or mental health institution (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, n.d.). Use of federal
assistance programs was already denied to most immigrants, and as a result, few individuals
had been deported due to the public charge rule (Siskin, 2016). However, under new rules
outlined by the Department of Homeland Security, the definition of a public charge changes to
an individual who is "more likely than not" to use public benefits at given time in the future — an
incredibly broad categorization. Additionally, an individual who previously used specific public
benefits such as SSI, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), Section 8 housing and rental assistance, federal housing
subsidies, and nonemergency Medicaid benefits could be denied a green card application if the
individual in question used one or more of the aforementioned benefits for more than a year
within a three-year period.
The effects of the public charge rule have been significant. Out of fear that they might be
deported or denied a green card in the future, "one in seven adults in immigrant families
reported that they or a family member did not participate in a noncash benefit program . . . in
2018" (Meng, 2020). This has reportedly led to a "ripple effect" in which, fearing for their
relatives' safety, permanent residents and others who already have legal status have declined to
utilize public assistance programs. The end result has been increased economic hardship and
mental stress for immigrant families and permanent residents alike.
Requested Action:
Support removing public charge as grounds for the deportation of immigrants in
the Immigration and Nationality Act
Expanding the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are useful antipoverty
measures that still leave too many people out. In the case of the EITC, the beneficiaries are
largely families with dependent children. Childless adults generally find that their EITC is
severely inadequate compared to families with children; childless adults receive an average of
$219 in EITC compared to adults with children who receive several thousand more depending
on the number of qualifying children (Williams, 2019). The result is that over 5 million Americans
are unable to escape poverty or are further impoverished. As for the CTC, although it was
increased by $1000 for each child, the 2017 tax law that changed it excluded tens of millions of
working families getting the full increase (Marr, Huang, & Palacios, 2020). Expanding the EITC
for childless adults would lift an estimated 5 million Americans out of poverty (Marr & Huang,
Childless Adults Are Lone Group Taxed Into Poverty, 2020). Making the CTC fully refundable
47
would have similar effects for over 27 million children from low-income families (Marr, Hingtgen,
Arloc, Windham, & Cox, 2020).
Requested Action:
Support legislation to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and/or the Child Tax
Credit.
Housing Assistance for Ex-Offenders
Finding affordable housing is one of the most difficult issues ex-offenders have to deal with
when they leave prison. Many ex-offenders are forced to rely on halfway houses or local
nonprofits for their housing. Housing Choice Vouchers are often times unviable due to the long
waiting list to receive vouchers. Ex-offenders who do not get turned down can still have to wait
years to get a voucher, and even if a voucher is granted, many housing providers are reluctant
to take on ex-offenders as tenants. Not all ex-offenders have been convicted of violent crimes;
under the current system, even individuals who were convicted for shoplifting can have difficulty
finding housing. The "one strike" policy, which ensures that one offense can prevent individuals
from accessing public housing, and the "no-fault" policy, which allows for individuals or families
to be banned for the actions of guests (even if the banned individuals have no knowledge of
those actions) add another layer of difficulty for ex-offenders who are searching for housing.
While current drug use has an impact on other family members, housing providers, and tenants
that should be taken into consideration, the rights of family members unaware of the usage also
should be protected. The no-fault policy would function better if it were amended to require
tenants in public housing or receiving housing choice vouchers to have actual or constructive
notice, based on an objective standard, of a non-household member's illegal activities before
eviction. Amending the no-fault and eliminating the one strike policies that were introduced in
the `90s would make it easier for ex-offenders to find housing and would reduce homelessness
as a result.
Requested Action:
Support legislation to repeal the one strike policy and fo amend fhe no-fault policy
that exists in federal housing law.
Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage
At $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage has not changed since 2009. Because it has not
received any adjustments since that time, the buying power of a minimum wage job has
decreased drastically over the years to the point where the federal minimum wage of$7.25 was
worth 10°/o less in 2014 than it was in 2009 (Cooper, Raising the Minimum Wage to $12 by 2020
Would Lift Wages for 35 Million American Workers, 2015). The current wage is not enough to
support working families. An individual working 40 hours a week would only make $15,000 a
year and put them $11,200 below the poverty threshold for a family of four (Poverty Guidelines,
2020). Raising the minimum wage would lift over 4 million people out of poverty and would result
in tens of millions more getting a wage increase (Cooper, Raising the Minimum Wage to $12 by
2020 Would Lift Wages for 35 Million American Workers, 2015). According to David Cooper
(2019) of the Economic Policy Institute, gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 would
increase the buying power of minimum wage jobs and would lead to greater wage equality
between low and middle wage workers as well as lift wages for 33.5 million workers.
Requested Action:
Support legislation to gradually raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour.
48
Licensing People who Learn Trades While in Prison
Inmates who learn trades in prison often have difficulty in finding employment when they leave,
partially because they have been prevented from getting the licenses they need to work certain
jobs. While inmates may learn useful skills and receive training in prison programs, they are
effectively banned from getting a license when they leave. This has far-reaching ripple effects on
other issues, such as housing, for ex-offenders. If they are unable to attain steady employment,
ex-offenders are much less likely to be able to access housing services. In turn, this can lead to
homelessness and a host of additional economic implications.
Requested Action:
Support legislation fhaf places restrictions on the use of criminal records to
disqualify individuals from receiving occupational licenses for jobs such as
hairdressers, taxi drivers, trades learned in prison, etc.
Reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act
In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which mandated that
jurisdictions with histories of discriminatory voter-suppression practices be precleared before
they could pass new voting laws. Much of the court's opinion was premised in the rationale that
the mechanisms from the original Voting Rights Act were outdated, with Justice Roberts noting
that "While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the
legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to the current conditions." In the immediate
aftermath of the court's decision, 8 states implemented voter-suppression laws and made it
harder for people to vote. By 2016, 17 states had passed some form of voting restriction. These
new restrictions included requiring a photo ID in order to vote, ending same-day registration,
shortening early voting, and closing down polling places in minority communities.
Requested Action:
Support legislation to amend the Voting Rights Act to modernize the formula that
determines which jurisdictions have shown patterns of discriminatory voter-
suppression practices, mandate that all voting changes must be announced in
public half-a-year before an election and expand the federal government's
authority to send observers to the polls.
Tuition Assistance for Ex-Offenders
Upon leaving prison, ex-offenders who want to attain a college degree often face significant
financial hurdles. Prospective students with drug convictions, for instance, will find that they
must complete a drug rehabilitation program or pass random drug tests in order to receive aid
from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (Leonhardt, 2019). Beyond that,
students who were convicted of drug possession will be ineligible for aid for an entire year; an
additional drug possession conviction adds another year of ineligibility, and a third drug
possession conviction permanently prevents them from receiving aid through FAFSA.
According to Betsy Pearl of the Center for American Progress, "One-fifth of the incarcerated
population—or 456,000 individuals—is serving time for a drug charge. Another 1.15 million
people are on probation and parole for drug-related offenses" (Pearl, 2018). Moreover, black
people are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and serve longer sentences than white people
for similar crimes. Marijuana possession charges are particularly problematic, as black people
are almost eight times as likely to be arrested as white people despite roughly equal usage
49
rates. Removing existing financial aid restrictions on individuals with drug convictions would
make college viable for hundreds of thousands of people.
Requested Action:
Support legislation that repeals provisions that prevent individuals with drug
convictions from receiving financial aid through FAFSA or, af a minimum, support
legislation that allows a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving
marijuana possession, wifhout the intent to disfribute, to resume or retain federal
student aid eligibility while completing a drug rehabilitation program.
Fully Fund Housing Choice Voucher Program Based on Actual Need
Ensuring safe, affordable housing is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood
poverty, increasing economic mobility, and lifting people out of poverty. U.S. housing costs
have been rising faster than incomes for some time. According to the Out of Reach Report,
affordable rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Dubuque requires an hourly wage of $15.75
Nearly one-third of all Dubuque households are cost burdened, with 1 in 4 renters spending
more than 50% of their income on housing costs. Families of color, single mother households,
the elderly, and people with disabilities are disproportionately cost burdened. There are
approximately 5300 families who would meet income eligibility for vouchers but currently there is
a budget for only about 900 families (16% of those eligible) and only 796 are being served. This
is a national problem with only 23% of eligible renter households actually receiving a voucher.
Requested Action:
Support legislation that fully funds housing choice vouchers at the level of
community need. Alternatively, support a legislative rider to the funding bill that
restores Dubuque's funding levels fo those that were in place prior to the reduction
in vouchers to 900.
Dream Center
The City Council has prioritized support for the Dream Center. The mission of the Dream
Center is to serve as "a Community Outreach Center committed to mobilizing youth and families
to build on Dr. King's Dream of transforming communities by embracing, empowering, and
unifying those who live there. We strive to inspire vision and purpose through: Impacting Youth,
Strengthening Families, and Building Community. https://www.dubuquedreamcenter.com/
The Dubuque Dream Center strategy—to Impact Youth and Strengthen Families — begins
with our In Your Life Mentoring model. On the foundation of genuine relationships, In Your Life
Mentors are strategically connected around an individualized plan to provide a child with the
assets they need to be successful in school and life.
Our program is structured to strategically impact students through our Academic Center,
Spark Activities, Healthy Meals, character development curriculum and family engagement.
The Dream Center's long-term vision includes holistic initiatives to benefit the entire community.
Our essential youth impact structure includes Academic Initiatives, Character Development, and
College & Career preparation."
Requested Action:
Support full funding of the federal Full Service Community Schools Program.
50
Fountain of Youth
The City Council has prioritized support for the Fountain of Youth. "The mission of the Fountain
of Youth is to change mindsets that contribute to generational poverty. We help people with
what is the largest issue at the time they are ready for it. This makes it crucial that we find a way
to help and don't push people through a "cookie-cutter" approach. Participants must be able to
choose their own goals so they can be invested. This is also important so participants can learn
and embrace the process. This is important for participants so they can continue the process
even if they are no longer part of our programming. Our program model acknowledges and
celebrates important personal achievements no matter the size; these achievements initiate the
change that ultimately produces major transformative success stories."
https://www.thefountainofyouthprogram.orq/
Requested Action:
• Support the Second Chance Act Comprehensive Community-Based Adult
Reentry program. This program supports nonprofit organizations fhat provide
reentry services and transition services from prison or jail to community.
• Support the Labor Healfh and Human Services budget which includes $98
million for the reintegration of former offenders.
• Support funding for the US Department of Education Literacy Program for
Prisoners, Life Skills.
Four Mounds Foundation/HEART Build Proqram:
The City Council has prioritized support for the Four Mounds Foundation, HEART Build
Dubuque. https://www.fourmounds.orq/adultproqramminq/
HEART Build Dubuque is growing workforce development and economic vibrancy by replicating
the successful HEART Youth model. Expanded programming serves adults with barriers to
employment, including unemployed, underemployed, and those currently or formerly
incarcerated or living in poverty. Attitudes, ethics, and personal responsibility are emphasized
during genuine work experience. While taking coursework through Northeast lowa Community
College, program participants are immersed in authentic, hands-on training while earning an
hourly stipend. We individualize program components as necessary and connect each trainee to
appropriate community resources to address personal barriers. Participants develop diverse and
marketable skillsets, work ethic, and problem-solving skills on all three of our pathways. Skills
learned help participants build impactful resumes but more importantly give them the
confidence, knowledge, and ability to make informed life and work decisions. Four Mounds
served 26 adults in our first year and anticipate serving 30 individuals in 2021. Demographic of
those served in 2020:
69% living below poverty guidelines
54% with criminal history
46% minority
31% female
We work with partners to remove barriers to success for individuals such as childcare,
transportation, access to mental health, finding employment with a criminal past, or other
51
connections community resources. Participants learn valuable skills, receive a paycheck, holistic
support, education, opportunities for civic engagement, and connections to employers.
opportunities. With our dynamic partners, Four Mounds is intervening in the life trajectory of
young adults at risk, giving them skills, choices, and guidance through authentic work
experience, while they discover their potential and map out successful futures.
Requested Action:
Support the U.S. Department of Labor funding of Reentry grants for young adults
18 - 24 who are unemployed/underemployed, living in poverty, those who are or
have been involved in the juvenile or adult justice systems and formerly
incarcerated adults. The program grants support to participants inclusion and
integration into society and employment opportunities, family support and
economic and social self-sufficiency.
Mines of Spain- E.B. Interpretive Center
The Mines of Spain State Recreation Area comprises 1,440 acres of forest and prairie along the
Mississippi River, and is a significant resource for the Driftless Region. The park is a National
Historic Landmark and a state preserve with rich historic, archeological, and natural resources. It
includes a state nature preserve and adjoins the Upper Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Refuge.
This National Historic Landmark preserves rare riverfront habitat and also contains thousands of
years of human history dating from the early Mississippian period through the early-twentieth
century.
The E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center serves as a visitor information center for the Mines of Spain.
It opened in 1976 on land acquired with a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
grant. The Interpretive Center was doubled in size in 2010 to include more accessible space for
educational purposes. The Friends of the Mines of Spain obtained private, local, state, and
federal funds for the project. Federal funding included LWCF, National Scenic Byway, and
Preserve America grants.
The 30-acre E.B. Lyons Interpretive Area surrounding the center was nearly tripled with
acquisition of 52 adjacent acres in 2013. Land acquisition was funded by state grants, private
contributions and a federal LWCF grant.
In 2015, interpretive opportunities were expanded on the 82-acre E.B. Lyons Interpretive Area
with construction of the state park's first accessible multi-use trail, an outdoor classroom,
interpretive kiosks, and additional parking. Development was funded with a federal LWCF grant,
state grants and private contributions.
Requested Action:
The City supports any funding or programs that would provide additional land
acquisition and park developmenf because it will enhance and increase the park's
cultural, natural, and recreational opportunities available to area residents and
visitors while buffering the park from surrounding developmenf.
52
Additionally, the support of AmeriCorps and other programs that would help to expand and
strengthen permanent staffing and environmental education needs for the E.B. Lyons Nature
Center. This in turn would ensure outstanding and consistent programming especially related to
education of youth and families about sustainability, the environment, history and more.
Requested Action:
The Mines of Spain asks for continued support for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund and for AmeriCorps program which can provide assistance for
myriad tasks at the Mines of Spain.
53