Legislative Letters
Gty Manager's Office
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
(563) 589-4110 phone
(563) 589-4149 fax
ctymgr@cítyofdubuque.erg
Du~
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April 6, 2004
Via email and 1st Class Mail
Re: Amendment to Senate Study Bill 3169
Dear
One of the City's exemplary rehabilitation projects in Downtown Dubuque is Heartland
Financial's renovation of the former Walsh Store on the corner of 13th and Central. The
company provides support services to all affiliate banks here in Dubuque, and the Walsh Store
renovation project will provide at least 40 new jobs to the City.
The renovation cost is well over $5 million, much more than the cost of building a new facility in
the Tech Park. In pursuing financing of the renovation, the Company was counting on Federal
and State Historic tax credits. The state staff reviews and approves applications for the Federal
tax credits, so when the Company submitted the application for Federal tax credits, it assumed
it was applying for State credits as well. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and the company
did not realize they had not officially applied for the State credits until much of the work was
underway and completed. Therefore, most of the State tax credits available to this project were
denied.
The solution is contained in an amendment to Senate Study Bill 3169, which changes the
qualifying date to a two year date prior to project completion, provided that the rehabilitation
are qualified expenditures under the federal tax credit program.
If this bill is enacted, both Dubuque and Heartland Financial will be winners. I urge your
support of the amendment to SSB 3169.
Sincerely,
Michael Van Milligen
City Manager
Cc:
Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities
Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Gty Manager's Office
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
(563) 589-4110 phone
(563) 589-4149 fax
ctym gr@cítyofdubuque.org
D~
~<k.~
April 6, 2004
The Honorable Chuck Grassley
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-1501
Re: Funding for IA32 (Southwest Arterial)
Dear Senator Grassley:
Iowa Highway 32 (Southwest Arterial) is the number one transportation priority of the
City of Dubuque, Dubuque County, the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation,
and the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce. We discussed this project and asked for
your support at our Washington DC visit in February. I was impressed by your
willingness to work with us on the financing of the project, and had many positive
discussions with Sherry Kuntz of your staff.
The new transportation reauthorization bill (TEA-LU), recently passed by the House of
Representatives authorizes $20,000,000 for this project.
The House transportation reauthorization legislation is now on its way to conference
with the Senate. We urge you to support this project in the final version of the bill, and
continue to provide funding annually through the appropriations process.
Sincerely,
Michael Van Milligen
City Manager
Cc:
Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Rick Dickinson, GDDC
Steward Sandstrom, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce
Dubuque County Board of Supervisors
Gty Manager's Office
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
(563) 589-4110 phone
(563) 589-4149 fax
ctymgr@cítyofdubuque.urg
D~
~<k.~
April6,2004
The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Re: Funding for lA32 (Southwest Arterial)
Dear Senator Harkin:
Thank you for the past support of Iowa Highway 32 (Southwest Arterial). The City of
Dubuque appreciates your work in securing $1,900,000 for preliminary design of the
highway. We will be under contract soon for this work, since the Environmental
Assessment process is near completion. I am impressed by your willingness to work
with us on the financing of the project, and had many positive discussions with Richard
Bender and Michelle Evermore during our Washington DC visit in February.
The new transportation reauthorization bill (TEA-LU), passed by the House of
Representatives authorizes $20,000,000 for this project.
The House transportation reauthorization legislation is now on its way to conference
with the Senate. We urge you to support this project in the final version of the bill, and
continue to provide funding annually through the appropriations process.
Sincerely,
Michael Van Milligen
City Manager
Cc:
Mayor Terry Duggan
Dubuque City Council
Rick Dickinson, GDDC
Steward Sandstrom, Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce
Dubuque County Board of Supervisors
Gly Manager's Office
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
(563) 589-4110 phone
(563) 589-4149 fax
ctymgr@cílyofdubuque.org
Du~
~<k.~
April 6, 2004
Re:
HSB 728
Dear Representative
I am writing to request your support of HSB 728 which implements a moratorium on the
reclassification of certain apartment facilities from commercial to residential. This bill
would provide an opportunity for the property tax committee to complete their work to
create true property tax reform with a complete understanding of the impact of the
changes from such reform. To arbitrarily reclassify certain apartment facilities from
commercial to residential merely limit the ability of cities and counties to provide
services by restricting the collection of property taxes. We encourage you to support
HSB 728 so that tax reform for the State of Iowa is comprehensive in nature as is the
intent of the property tax committee.
Sincerely,
Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
MCVM:cs
cc: Susan Judkins, Director of Governmental Affairs, Iowa League of Cities