MAINTAIN QUALITY OF SERVICES AND PROPERTY TAX RATES Budget & Priorities

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1 IOWA home MAINTAIN QUALITY OF SERVICES AND PROPERTY TAX RATES -16 Budget & Priorities During January and February, City Department heads and the Mayor and City Council held budget work sessions and carefully examined revenues and expenditures to insure funds are spent in the most efficient manner. Goals for this budget year were to maintain the quality of current city services, budget for capital improvement priorities, maintain property tax rates and set charges for services at a rate that maximizes efficiency of utilities. The budget presented accomplishes the following identified priorities of the council. The City will maintain the current property tax levy at $10.30 per $1000 valuation. The levy has remained unchanged since FY In addition, the water, sewer, and refuse rates will remain the same. The storm water fee will increase $1 per month. CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES ONGOING CAPITAL PROJECTS A. Community Services Campus. B. Asbury Road Phase II Heacock to Briarwood. C. Water Looping Project. D. Meadows Cart Paths. WHERE PROPERTY TAXES GO E. 2nd Water Tower and New Well House. F. New Park Improvements Restrooms and Splash Pad. G. Asbury Road and Hales Mill Road Intersection Realignment Project. TOP PRIORITY CAPITAL PROJECTS A. Hales Mill Road North City limit to Autumn Drive Joint with Dubuque County. B. Asbury Road Joint with County Budd Road to Graf. C. Hales Mill Road Autumn Drive to north city limits Joint with Dubuque County. D. Sun Valley and Maple Hills infrastructure improvement projects. ONGOING INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS A. Update zoning codes. B. Comprehensive Park and Recreation Plan and Assessment. C. Emerald ash borer removal. D. Update Five Year Capital Plan. E. Update Financial Study and Report that reviews utility rates, TIF, and debt capacity. TOP PRIORITY INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS A. Encourage new subdivision development. B. Hire City Engineer. C. Annexation Study. D. Connection of neighborhoods with sidewalks and trails.

2 CITY COUNCIL IN ACTION 2 We need your help! ASBURY LIBRARY FUND Fundraising efforts continue for the building. To date, $1.2 million in grants and donations have been raised toward our goal of $1.6 million. We have received $300,000 Community Attraction Grant, $60,000 Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Grant and an R.J. McElroy Charitable Trust Grant, in addition we have received leadership pledges from Premier Bank, Dubuque Bank and Trust, Dupaco Community Credit Union and American Trust. As we move closer to our move in date we still need your help to make our fund raising goal. Residents, family and friends may donate or pledge to the Asbury Library Construction Campaign. Recognition opportunities include, Bench ($3,000); Tree ($500); or Paver ($100). Get your pavers now, after the pavers go in the price will increase. If you have any questions about this project call at City Hall BASED ON YOUR DONATION LEVEL WE WILL CONTACT YOU REGARDING RECOGNITION OPPORTUNTIES.

3 IOWA 3 Keep in touch with your community. Check out Asbury Community Services Campus Progress Have you driven by the Asbury Community Services Campus Project? You can see so much progress from Asbury Road as well as from Grand Meadow Drive. The project brings together Asbury City Hall, the Asbury Police Department and Asbury Branch of the Dubuque County Library under one roof. Building construction is moving along and is scheduled to be completed July. The roof is now 100% complete and the building is fully enclosed and being heated throughout. The Police Department on the lower level and some of City Hall on the main level has been roughed-in and drywall is being installed. Heating and cooling, electrical, the sprinkler system, windows and door frames have started to be installed. The main level library space has received the concrete topping and all the interior walls have been framed. The wells for the geo-thermal system were completed and will be tied into the building soon. You still have the opportunity to donate to the Asbury Library Building Fund. There are several giving opportunities available.

4 Reminders & Notes 4 YOUR VOTE COUNTS! MOVIES in the Park Grab the kid(s) and vote for your favorites! We need your vote! The line-up of movies starts June 19 and Asbury can vote on what movies will be shown this summer. Complete the ballot on our survey monkey site at YC9C96T or fill out the ballot below. Premier Bank is the sole sponsor of Movies in the Park and they will be at all the movies this year with their fun booth where the kids can play games and get prizes before the movie starts. Mindframe Theaters, a partner of the event, will be providing a limited amount of free popcorn for all the movies this year. Movie Ballot! Vote for your 4 favorite and return to City Hall by May 22,. Earth to Echo Big Hero 6 Maleficent Dolphin Tale 2 Frozen Brave UP The Lego Movie The 4 movies with the most votes will be presented in a random order on June 19, July 10, July 24, and August 7. Spring Clean-Up Day Spring clean up day will be held Saturday, May 9th. Residents who have extra refuse from spring cleaning and leftovers from garage sales may place items curbside for this special pick up. Regular items will be picked up at no charge while large items and tires require tags for an additional fee. No electronics, televisions or computers will be picked up. Televisions that are 32 and under can be taken to Best Buy for recycling. All other electronics or computers can be taken to the Dubuque County Landfill. GARAGE SALES The Asbury Annual Garage Sale will start Friday, May 1st and continue through the weekend. This year the City will again offer a directory of garage sales that will be available online on the city s website. If you would like to register your garage sale, please your garage sale information to info@cityofasbury.com. All garage sale listings need to be submitted by Friday, April 24,. Please include your address, date and time of sale and a listing of your major sale items. Each garage sale listing is limited. The City will only accept garage sale listings via . If you do not have access to a computer or internet, the Asbury Branch of the Dubuque County Library does have internet access and computers to use for free! The Garage Sale Directory is available from the website only. A basic map of the streets of Asbury is located on the city s website at REMINDER: Residences cannot hold more than three garage sales per calendar year and not more than three consecutive days for the sale. Yard Waste Pickup Free Yard Waste Days: April 2nd and 9th. Yard waste season runs from April through November. Yard waste is picked up weekly on Thursdays. Please have your yard waste set by the curb by 6 a.m. An annual tag can be purchased for one container to be set out weekly for $50. Residents should place their yard waste in a biodegradable bag or container with your tag attached facing the street. The container or bag cannot exceed 40 lbs. The tags may be purchased at Casey s General Store, Blaine s Farm and Fleet and Asbury City Hall for $2.50. Tree branches must be no longer than 4 feet in length and the diameter of the bundle cannot exceed 2 feet. Garbage Tags & Pick Up You are allowed one can of garbage per week. Additional tags are $1.25 each and can be purchased at Casey s General Store, Blaine s Farm and Fleet or Asbury City Hall. Please set both your refuse and recycling containers curbside by 6:00 a.m. ready for pick-up.

5 IOWA 5 Music in the Park Festival This year will be the 19th Anniversary of the Music in the Park Festival! The Asbury Area Civic & Recreation Foundation (AACRF) is currently in the planning stages of this years event, which will be held July 11,. We are looking forward to making it an even MORE exciting and fun day for the entire Community! Be sure to set some time aside on your calendars to attend. Join us for this year s Festival!! VOLUNTEERS: The AARCF is seeking volunteers to work in all areas of the Music in the Park before, during and after the event and to serve on the AACRF Board. You may contact Peggy Thill at Asbury City Hall (563) , or at pthill@cityofasbury.com, if you are interested. The AACRF meets monthly to plan and prepare for the Festival. We are always seeking people with new ideas and energy. Proceeds from the festival fund new playground equipment, park improvements, Asbury Halloween Parade and future Music in the Park Festivals.

6 RECREATION 6 ASBURY NEWS Community Days of Caring Community Days of Caring is Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25,. These two days bring volunteers together in the tri-state area to help with service projects. Please volunteer your time and clean up your neighborhood area. Or join other groups of volunteers to do projects within the City. Please contact City Hall if you or a group of you would like to volunteer. This magnificent event will mobilize hundreds of volunteers from the Dubuque area who will offer their service to help those in need. In the past, Days of Caring mobilized over 700 volunteers on 30 projects. Services provided included painting, landscaping, washing windows, general cleaning, and lawn maintenance. It s an incredible way to help our community... it s an incredible way to Make a Difference! Baseball Field Renovations Thanks to the Minnesota Twins and the Fields for Kids Grant Program, the City of Asbury will be performing renovations to the Maple Hills Baseball field to improve the playing experience for our local baseball/softball players. Asbury was awarded $6000 as part of a matching grant to replace the back stop, replace the fencing, resurface the infield, relocate the dugouts, and improve the landscape to divert water flow away from the infield during heavy rains. Tree Planting Project The City of Asbury, due to the removal of ash trees because of the emerald ash borer, will be planting additional trees in Asbury Park this spring. With the help of Alliant Energy s Branching Out Program and Tree s Forever, the City of Asbury was awarded $3,750 to plant a diverse group of trees in Asbury Park. These new trees will take the place of the ash trees the city plans to remove over the next four years. For more information on the City of Asbury s mitigation plan for the emerald ash borer and recommendations for trees on your property, contact the Park and Recreation Department at City Hall. New Asbury Trail Signs Keep an eye out for the new trail signs around the Asbury area. To give residents in the area a better sense of where the trails in Asbury are located, we will be installing directional and informational signs to improve your walking, running, and biking experience. 3rd Annual Asbury Pool Night The City of Asbury Pool Night will be held on Friday, August 7 from 7-9 p.m. at Flora Pool. Admission is free with proof of residency. All youth must be accompanied by an adult. Summer Youth Recreation Programs The City of Asbury Summer Recreation Programs will start on June 8 and last until July 17 (no programs on July 4th). New this year, the City of Asbury will be offering a Youth Basketball Camp with all our other youth activities: Fun in the Sun, Tennis Lessons, Volleyball and a Junior Golf Academy. Registration for the city s programs begins April 1 at City Hall between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Everyone who registers for Fun in the Sun, Tennis and Volleyball before May 1 receives a 10% discount. Co-Ed Ultimate Frisbee Summer League Beginning June 18, the exciting game of ultimate Frisbee will be offered for players of all skill levels. Whether you are a seasoned vet or just just learning, this league will give everyone a chance to have fun while staying active this summer. Each player will receive a jersey and frisbee. Check out Dubuque County Library events that are going on in the tri-state area at

7 IOWA 7 Contact Lindsay Theisen for all your special event needs. ltheisen@cityofasbury.com / ext. 3 EVENT DATES AVAILABLE Ask about our special pricing for our new outdoor patio.

8 home City of Asbury 5080 Asbury Road Asbury, Iowa Phone Fax Web Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Dubuque, IA Permit No. 477 Sara Burke Editor Tom Culbertson, RALLY Collective Design Support your community. For advertising rates and availability, please contact Sara at IOWA