By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa City Council held a regular meeting last night and rejected a resolution calling for a special city election on the proposition of starting a capital improvements reserve fund and levying an annual tax for that fund.

The resolution was rejected on a 5-2 vote. Council members Abu Ibrahim and Bob Drost voted “yes,” while the remaining council members voted “no.”

In a memo, city staff told the council that the fund would be used for the purpose of pavement and street improvement projects, including the construction, reconstruction, and repair of streets, as well as related lighting, traffic control devices, sidewalks, and utilities. The levy would have been in the amount of $0.675 per $1,000 of taxable valuation over the course of 10 years, and the special election would have been held in either fall 2026 or spring 2027.

Multiple council members expressed concerns over the necessity of a special election, saying that it would be more financially responsible to place this proposition on a general election ballot. Council member Ronda Almond shared that sentiment, and added that city residents already voted down a similar proposition just last year.

Council member Bob Drost said that the proposal on the table was different from the proposal that was voted down, pointing out that this time around, the revenue would be used for road improvements only, instead of more broad usage; and it would have a 10-year lifespan instead of having no sunset.

The next opportunity for the city to add this, or a similar proposition to a general ballot is the city/school election in fall 2027.