LeClaire voters may get a voice on whether the city should issue bonds to pay for the construction of a new downtown parking lot and purchase of technology equipment.
More than 225 eligible voters signed petitions seeking the referendum, Tom Kamp, spokesman for the group, said. The petitions were submitted Friday, Oct. 14 and would require the city to hold a referendum on the issuance of $408,000 of bonds.
One bond for $215,000 would be used to pay the cost of paving the Foursquare Church parking lot downtown. According to Kamp, the city completed the parking lot this summer and paid the cost out of funds reserved for sewer improvements.
The city built the parking lot on church-owned land in order to accommodate parking for the new micro-distillery located across the street.
The city can use the lot for public parking except during those times it is needed for church services.
The second bond for $193,000 would be used for "acquiring computer and information technology equipment" and "constructing improvements to a municipal building," according the Kamp.
No details on such plans have been revealed publicly, according to Kamp. He said it appears $30,000 was to be used to tear down the old city hall.
Last year, citizens filed a petition to force a vote on $1.6 million in bonds for building a city park. A record 77 percent of LeClaire's 1,488 voters turned out to vote down that bond issue.
A public hearing on the bond issues was scheduled for Monday, Oct. 18. That hearing, however, has now been delayed until Monday, Nov. 7, the day before city elections.
