A used car dealer – forced to relocate because of the Interstate 74 bridge project – is seeking $15,000 from the city even though his business has yet to complete any of the promised landscaping of his highly visible new location on the east entrance to downtown Bettendorf.

Premier Picks Auto in 2011 obtained city council approval for its move to 26th Street (where State Street becomes a one-way) despite opposition by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. The planning commission by a 3-1 vote denied the rezoning request to allow the use of the parcel for used car sales saying it felt the car dealership did not fit the downtown redevelopment master plan and its streetscaping plans.

The city council overruled the zoning commission and allowed Premier Picks to relocate to 2540 State Street in 2011. The car dealership has yet to install any landscaping as outlined in its rezoning request to the plan commission and city council.

The number of exceedances of National Ambient Air Quality Standards in Iowa totaled 81 through November 4, nine more than the total number recorded in 2013, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

The vast majority of the exceedances so far in 2014 involved high levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution, with 63 of the exceedances recorded at air monitors in Muscatine.

While the primary source of SO2 pollution in Muscatine – Grain Processing Corp. (GPC) – has begun work on plant upgrades aimed at sharply reducing SO2 emissions, the community continues to have the poorest air quality in the state.

Pleasant Valley school officials are raising a red flag over Riverdale's plan to include the ALCOA plant in its first-ever Urban Renewal Area, the initial step in making the multi-million-dollar manufacturing facility eligible for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) rebates on future expansion and renovation projects.

Granting TIF incentives for future plant renovations could cost the district millions in school taxes, funneling those monies instead to either city coffers, back to the plant or into contractor/developer pockets.

In LeClaire, more than $1 million in school taxes are kept by the city and rebated to developers each year under TIF projects. The school district has objected to LeClaire's continued long-term use of TIF for residential and commercial developments, but the city has ignored its objections.

"ALCOA has the second largest amount of property tax valuations in the Pleasant Valley Community School District," Supt. Jim Spelhaug wrote in the letter to Riverdale officials last week objecting to creation of the Urban Renewal Area. "Therefore, ALCOA’s property taxes comprise a significant portion of the school district’s property tax revenue and overall revenue.

Dick Tuck, the legendary political prankster and wit, once ran for local office in San Francisco and lost. His concession speech, in its entirety: “The people have spoken — the bastards.”

Now, you know me — I wouldn’t say anything like that about the recent elections. It’s vulgar and I’m couth.

However, if the shoe fits…

Perhaps it’s safer to quote the Sage of Baltimore, H.L. Mencken, who said: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

The 2014 midterms were a Mencken moment.

A new Shell gas station and 2,000-square-foot convenience store would be built on the site of a long-vacant gas station along Bettendorf's State Street if the new owner gets a setback variance from the city.

The downtown Bettendorf business owners that are part of the Bettendorf Business Network have submitted an 11-point list of improvements they hope the city will undertake to upgrade the area.

Bettendorf City Council members and city staff met recently to set goals for the coming year, but you won't find any information online about the sessions.

Even though the meetings with the city's Florida-based consultant were open to the public, no video or audio recording of the discussions were made. For that matter, there aren't any written minutes of the sessions. According to the city's attorney, the council just talked about its priorities, it didn't take any votes on its priorities. . . yet.

Consultant Lyle Sumek has billed the city more than $18,000 so far for this year's planning services, plus $345 for snacks and lunches for the council.