Dubuque City Council Work Session and Meeting | October 19, 2026 (LIVE)

The Dubuque City Council held a work session and regular meeting on October 19, 2026. During the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation update, the council discussed business recruitment, retaining existing employers, and the shortage of development-ready sites and buildings. The presentation identified site certification and advance preparation as priorities, including work to subdivide and study a city-owned site: the Corporation is paying Origin for engineering and subdivision work, while the city is funding studies and extending utilities. No procurement award was made during the work session. In regular session, the council approved purchase of the former DB&T building at 1398 Central Avenue and associated parking lots for $1.82 million. The city estimates total acquisition and renovation costs of $3.4 million, projects annual savings of about $760,000, and intends to fund the work using proceeds associated with the planned sale of the Historic Federal Building and by avoiding an estimated $6 million HVAC replacement there. A 90-day due-diligence period will follow; staff anticipates a future RFQ for a contractor to support architectural programming, phasing, and transition planning.

The council also approved proceedings for up to $2.71 million in water revenue loan notes for Phase 2 of the private lead service line replacement pilot, at a stated 2.85% interest rate and 0.25% servicing fee; contractor bids will determine the actual replacement quantities. It set a November 2 public hearing and initiated public bidding for the ImOn Ice Arena cooling tower replacement, and set a November 2 hearing on up to $22.25 million in 2026 general-obligation bonds. The council approved the Thunder Valley urban revitalization plan 6–1 and approved the Eastgate Court plan; hearings were also scheduled for several housing urban-renewal proposals. No vendor selection or construction contract award is identified in the transcript.