8 26 24 City Council Proceedings Official SpecialCITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
SPECIAL SESSION
OFFICIAL
The Dubuque City Council met in special session at 4:0 4 p.m. on August 26, 2024, in
the Grand River Center Room #6. The meeting was originally scheduled for Room #4 but
was relocated to Room #6 due to maintenance issues.
Present: Mayor Cavanagh; Council Members Farber, Jones, Resnick, Roussell,
Sprank, Wethal; City Manager Van Milligen, City Attorney Brumwell.
Mayor Cavanagh read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council
called for the purpose of conducting annual goal setting.
GOAL SETTING
SESSION 3 OF 3
Facilitator Lyle Sumek, of Lyle Sumek Associates, Inc., reviewed Section 8 – Action
Agenda 2024-2025 of the Leader’s Guide 2024 Working Document for City Council input.
City Council recessed for dinner at 5:54 p.m. and reconvened at 6:28 p.m.
Mr. Sumek then facilitated the City Council’s review and ranking of their top and high
priorities, resulting in the following goals and priorities:
City of Dubuque Goals 2029
Vibrant Community: Healthy and Safe
Financially Responsible, High-Performance City Organization: Sustainable, Equitable,
and Effective Service Delivery
Robust Local Economy: Diverse Businesses and Jobs with Economic Prosperity
Livable Neighborhoods and Housing: Great Place to Live
Sustainable Environment: Preserving and Enhancing Natural Resources
Connected Community: Equitable Transportation, Technology Infrastructure, and Mo-
bility
Diverse Arts, Culture, Parks, and Recreation Experiences and Activities
Partnership for a Better Dubuque: Building Our Community that is Viable, Livable, and
Equitable
Policy Agenda
Policy agenda items are issues that need direction or a policy decision or a major fund-
ing decision by the City Council, or issues that need City Council leadership in the com-
munity or with other governmental bodies. The policy agenda is divided into top p riorities
and high priorities.
2024 – 2026 Top Priorities (in alphabetical order):
Air Service Future Strategy and Action Plan: Major Airline Hub Connections
Central Avenue Revitalization Plan Implementation
Construction of 14th Street Railroad Overpass and 16th Street Corridor Complete
Streets Improvements: RAISE Grant and Matching Funds
Police Department Staffing and Hiring
Street Maintenance/Rehabilitation Program
2024 – 2026 High Priorities (in alphabetical order):
Catfish Creek Sanitary Sewer Project: Old Mill Road Lift Station Project
Chaplain Schmitt Island Development
City Workforce Retention and Attraction
Comprehensive Study of Fire Station Locations and Staffing
Parks Maintenance/Refresh Action Plan
Mr. Sumek then led a discussion with the City Council on Section 9 – Governance: Our
Mayor – City Council and City Manager in Action, with input from City Manager Van Mil-
ligen and City Attorney Brumwell.
Mayor Cavanagh concluded the session by expressing his gratitude to the City Coun-
cil, city staff, and Mr. Sumek for their efforts. He also recommended maintaining the gap
between sessions 2 and 3 in future goal settings.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Mayor Cavanagh declared the meeting adjourned at
7:50 p.m.
/s/Adrienne N. Breitfelder, City Clerk