City of Sioux City Council Meeting - February 9, 2026

Pierce Street Redevelopment Moving Forward — With Some Reservations

The council voted 3-2 Monday night to hire Teton Ridge Consulting for a $53,000 agreement to develop plans for three vacant Pierce Street properties the city bought in recent years. It wasn't unanimous, and the concerns raised are worth your attention.

Steve Watson from Teton Ridge has an impressive resume — he's worked on major downtown projects in Sioux Falls, including the $225 million Cherapa Place mixed-use development and the $95 million Switchyard project. Economic Development Manager Renee Billings walked through his credentials and made the case that his experience could help Sioux City aim big on the four-acre site.

But here's the thing: we bought these properties about two years ago, and the current leases don't expire until December 2027. That's nearly two years of carrying costs before anything gets demolished. Councilmember Bernstein asked the obvious question — why not wait 15-18 months, put out a call for local developers to pitch their ideas, and *then* hire outside expertise if local wells run dry? It's not an unreasonable approach, especially when you're asking taxpayers to foot a consultant bill while the property sits.

The mayor raised similar concerns, pointing to how this building (City Hall) and the convention center were developed — by soliciting proposals from multiple firms who eat their own costs to pitch competing visions. That process doesn't limit you to one consultant's network or one set of ideas. You get options. You get developers and financing lined up at the same time.

City Attorney Marty Shanahan countered that the $53,000 investment (with $10,000 from Mid-American) gets the groundwork started now — market analysis, stakeholder engagement, identifying what the community needs and what developers might be interested. It's phase 1A, not the whole plan. The council would still have multiple decision points down the road.

Councilmember Rayford seemed convinced after meeting with Watson last week and emphasized that starting now beats waiting another 18 months and *then* being 18 months behind. Fair point. But Bernstein and Mayor Scott voted no, citing timing, the city's track record of buying properties without clear plans, and the optics of hiring yet another consultant when local firms pay taxes here.

One more wrinkle: A gentleman in public comment (Paul Koskovich) asked why the city didn't even consider putting out an RFP to see if a local firm could handle this. That question didn't get a direct answer. Economic Development said they didn't know of a local firm with Watson's exact skillset, though the mayor mentioned a former McClure employee who now does similar work. It's not that Watson isn't qualified — he clearly is. It's that we skipped the step of asking who *else* might be.

This one passed, so Watson's on the job. The question now is whether his work justifies the early spend or whether we could've gotten more bang for fewer bucks by waiting and widening the net. Time will tell.

Contract Mowing Pilot at Graceland Cemetery Shelved — For Now

Parks and Recreation pitched a pilot project to contract out mowing at Graceland Cemetery, modeled after what's already done at Floyd Cemetery. The idea: eliminate six or seven seasonal workers, save on labor, and redirect full-time staff to other cemetery duties.

On paper, the math almost worked. Seasonal labor at Graceland runs about $127,000 budgeted (though actual spend is closer to $88,000 because you never get six full months out of seasonal hires). Using Floyd Cemetery's contract rate, Graceland would cost $121,000 to $135,000 to contract out — basically a wash or a small loss, depending on the year.

But here's what contract mowing *doesn't* cover: customer service, monument care, wreath programs, the Avenue of Flags, tree care, flower beds, emergency cleanups, and the work the city does for the independent Faraim (Jewish) cemetery within Graceland, which reimburses the city at cost. All of that would have to be handled by full-time staff driving over from Logan Cemetery.

Councilmember Bernstein asked if there were any real savings. Parks Director Matt Salvatore was blunt: not really. The city can do it more efficiently than a contractor, and switching to contract mowing doesn't free up *any* other Parks staff to work on medians, right-of-way, or anything else — it's a separate labor pool. Plus, Graceland is an active cemetery with regular burials and services. Floyd Cemetery is basically full, so there's far less activity to coordinate around.

The mayor wasn't having it either, citing Memorial Park Cemetery as a cautionary tale of what happens when you lose direct control. For the minimal savings (if any), the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Salvatore's recommendation: keep it as-is for now. The good news is that Parks *will* be mowing less in 2026 — Economic Development is taking over 30+ acres of business park and development properties that Parks used to maintain. That frees up seasonal crews to focus more on actual parks, which is where they should've been all along.

Homeless Task Force: Progress, Partnerships, and the Next Phase

Police Chief Rex Mueller gave the latest homeless task force update, covering mid-January through early February. The short version: they're making headway, but this is a long game.

The task force contacted 35 new individuals during this period, made 45 contacts with the city's 20 "frequent fliers" (people resistant to services who generate the most calls), and made 19 arrests. Two of those frequent contacts have been in jail since early January — one since January 8, one since January 22. That's not a cure, but it's two fewer people cycling through emergency rooms, parking ramps, and business doorways every night.

They identified 22 encampments and cleaned up 14. The challenge, as always, is that encampments pop back up. You can't just bulldoze someone's belongings without posting notice — even homeless people have Fourth Amendment rights. So there's a process: police report, referral to Field Services (Kelly Box's crew), posting notice, waiting period, cleanup if the camp isn't moved voluntarily. It works, but it's not instantaneous.

Councilmember Bernstein asked how long it takes from report to cleanup. The short answer: it depends, but it's not always as fast as people want. A camp near Table 32 was mentioned as sitting for about 13 days. The chief acknowledged that timeliness matters — like graffiti, the faster you address it, the more effective you are.

What *is* working: partnerships. The task force has brought in a growing list of community organizations — Veterans Affairs, Winnebago Comprehensive Health Care, Crittenden Center, Pheasant Acres, Gospel Mission, Rent Sux, and others. They're identifying resources the city didn't even know existed and lowering barriers for people who *do* want help.

Success stories this period included getting a man into sober living after treatment, arranging Iowa Works appointments for job placement, and — here's a frustrating one — helping a guy who was *flown to Sioux City for a job orientation*, told during orientation that he wasn't getting hired, and dumped at the bus station with no money to get back to Mississippi. The task force arranged his trip home. Bernstein and Councilmember Shayner both said the quiet part loud: shame on employers who do that.

The chief said they'll be meeting with the judges soon to make sure enforcement actually sticks when arrests are made. Too often, officers arrest someone, finish the paperwork, and the person's back on the street before the ink dries. That demoralizes officers and signals that enforcement doesn't matter. If the task force is doing the work to offer services first and arrest only when necessary, the courts need to back that up with meaningful consequences for repeat offenders who refuse help.

Councilmember Bertrand asked about sustainability — what does this look like long-term, and are we just moving the problem around? The chief was honest: yes, enforcement moves people. But dedicated officers, daily outreach, and partnerships are changing the dynamic. People who want help now seek out the task force officers instead of avoiding them. That's progress.

As for whether the homeless population is feeling the pressure, the chief hopes so. That's the point of enforcement — to modify behavior. But he also acknowledged that warming weather will change the mission. Encampments will grow, visibility will increase, and the work will shift.

Bottom line: this isn't a zero-sum game. The city won't eliminate homelessness. But the task force is providing faster responses, better coordination, and more pathways out for people willing to take them. That's a different approach than Sioux City's ever tried before, and it's worth continuing.

Other Business

The Sioux City Garden Club received a proclamation for its 100th anniversary. The club has planted 60 of 100 bur oak trees across the city as a centennial gift — trees that aren't on the ash borer or disease hit lists and will last 400 years. MERD funded the purchase. It's the unglamorous work that keeps the city beautiful.

The council approved a $68,000 contract with CMBA Architecture to modernize the elevator at the Martin Luther King Transportation Center. Councilmember Bernstein asked why we're hiring an architect instead of just getting an elevator company to tell us what we need. The answer: code updates, mechanical and electrical work, and oversight require design and specs. The full project is estimated at $475,000.

The Long Lines Family Rec Center loading dock and structural concrete repairs got approved at an estimated $897,000, with another $365,000 slated for cooling tower replacement next year. That's over $1.2 million in capital repairs for a building that loses $250,000-$300,000 a year in operations. Bernstein asked the broader question: what are our long-term plans for that facility? Parks Director Salvatore said there isn't one yet, but tearing it down isn't simple — it houses Tyson Event Center operations, kitchens, storage, offices for the Muskies and Bandits, and serves as the east wall of the event center. For now, the repairs are immediate and necessary. A plan for the future should still be on the table.

The council approved rezoning 709 Iowa Street to allow Todd Galvillo to convert it to multifamily housing. Galvillo owns several properties in Sioux City through Tri-State Property and has cleaned up multiple red-tag buildings. He's tearing down an old structure on the back of the lot to add parking. One neighbor raised concerns about rentals, but Galvillo said he's had great tenants and believes the project will help the area. Councilmember Bernstein told him to keep coming back if he hits unreasonable barriers — this council wants to clear the way for people investing and improving the city.

The council also passed first reading of an ordinance amending body piercing regulations (Chapter 4.84) and solid waste regulations (Chapter 5.20). The solid waste item sparked some confusion about rate increases and fund balances. Finance Director Teresa Fitch clarified that the contractor (Gil Hauling) is getting a 3% CPI increase under the contract. The question is whether the city passes that on to residents or absorbs it with fund balance. The mayor wants to see the numbers before deciding — if the fund balance can take the hit without raising rates, that's the move. First reading only; more discussion to come.

The Museum gave a great presentation on its history and programming. Director Steve White walked through the museum's evolution from the 1880s Academy of Science and Letters to the 1961 Pierce Mansion to the current downtown location in the old JC Penney building. The city bought that building in 2008 for $750,000, sold it to the school district in (year not stated) for $1.53 million, and the museum got a 50-year lease for $1/year. That's how you do economic development.

Attendance is climbing back from the COVID low of 28,000 to over 70,000 last year. The museum is regionally accredited, hosts traveling exhibits, and serves as a community meeting place for nonprofits and city departments. The new sports exhibit cost over $300,000, almost entirely from private donations. The museum's digital impressions are over 900 million this year, driven by a strong social media presence. White said they could always do better, but they're hitting their marks with limited budget and staff.

What's Next

The council will hear a Public Works presentation on permitting next week, along with an update from Tom Padgett on the wastewater treatment plant odor issues. Councilmember Bernstein drove by Saturday morning and said the smell was bad enough to make him throw out his donut (which, as the mayor noted, is technically littering, even if it was edible). Padgett will explain what's being done and where the city is on Phase 1 of plant improvements.

The general operating budget discussions start in a couple weeks. The Museum got ahead of that tonight, which was smart — they usually get 10-15 minutes, and White covered a lot of ground.

Councilmember Rayford will be in Des Moines Thursday with the Chamber for legislative day. The council is also monitoring legislation on license plate readers to make sure it doesn't create hurdles for the Police Department's plans. Captain Groves is keeping an eye on it and said there's organized resistance from police chiefs statewide to overly restrictive language in the proposed bill.

Finally, there were a couple of follow-up requests: updates on the Promenade Theater (people are asking if the city has any involvement in resolving their issues), and a renewed discussion on UTV/ATV regulations after several reach-outs last week.

That's it for now. Next meeting is February 17.

— SUX