The substantial and controversial Bettendorf school district plan to spend more than $62-million for a second new elementary school and district-wide building improvements could require hefty increases in property taxes for homeowners, particularly if the state 1-cent sales tax for schools isn't renewed soon by the state legislature.

The school district has identified dozens of building projects, including construction of a new $14-million three-section elementary school that would be needed if Jefferson and Mark Twain Elementary Schools are closed.

Lee Enterprises – owner of the Quad City Times and Dispatch-Argus newspapers – today (2/1) reported higher net income and earnings for the first quarter ended Dec. 24, thanks primarily to a $19.7-million income tax adjustment stemming from the recently passed federal tax reform legislation.

The Davenport-based media company reported net income for the first quarter of $35.3 million with $19.7 million of that total coming from a one-time adjustment to its deferred tax assets and liabilities to reflect the lowering of the federal base tax rate from 35 to 21 percent.

The city owned Edgewood Park along 23rd Street has been the leading location for a new three-section elementary if the district decides to close Mark Twain and Jefferson schools.

But using part or all of the 7-acre park for a school will require more than approval by the city and school board.

That's because the city has used federal Land & Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) funds for development of the park, and converting it to school use will require approval of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the National Park Service.

A projected $1.3-million budget shortfall has Bettendorf city officials scrambling to offer an early retirement incentive to employees and seeking council support for a property tax increase for the coming fiscal year.

City Administrator Decker Ploehn and Mayor Bob Gallagher called a special work session of the city council Monday (1/29) to outline the proposed early retirement program and the need for higher taxes to offset the incentives over the short term.

A new enlarged Governor's bar and restaurant on the northeast corner of Devils Glen and Tanglewood Roads has been given the green light by Bettendorf planners.

The new pub would replace the current Governor's Pub and Grill, 3470 Middle Road, that is targeted for demolition to make way for a new Hy-Vee gas station and convenience store.

Edgewood and McManus (Rocket) Park are "potential" sites for construction of a new $14-million Bettendorf elementary building to replace Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain Elementary Schools.

Rivermont Collegiate's initial plan to add a 4-story building for on-site housing and additional classrooms was rejected unanimously by the Bettendorf Planning and Zoning Commission with members calling it a major intrusion into a quiet, residential neighborhood.

The Bettendorf School Board's facility committee will recommend that both Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain Elementary Schools be closed and students combined into a new three-section building at a location yet to be determined, Board President Gordon Staley announced at Monday night's (12/18) meeting.

Rumors about the one-section Jefferson and two-section Twain elementary schools being combined into a new three-section building have swirled through the education community over the past two weeks.

An estimated 526,000 tons of nitrates were "exported" into Iowa rivers and streams in 2016, eventually flowing down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and adding to the so-called "dead zone" where fish cannot survive.

According to the Annual Progress Report of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) group released last week (12/12), more than 29 pounds of nitrogen from each of Iowa's 35.75 million acres of crop land ended up in state waterways.

A $2-million plan to add a six-hole pitch-and-putt course and an 18-hole putting course to Bettendorf's Palmer Hills Golf Course is expected to get the green light Tuesday (12/19) at the city Park Board meeting.

At the same meeting, commissioners also are expected to approve a $1 hike in green fees that would increase annual revenues from green fees by $24,500 annually.