A billboard company is seeking a "hardship" variance to increase the height of its 10-foot by 40-foot sign at one of the busiest intersections in Bettendorf.

Lamar Advertising wants a variance from the Bettendorf Board of Adjustment so it can increase the height of its giant billboard at Middle and Devils Glen Roads to 40 feet in height from its current 30 feet.

The reason for the hardship – another sign at the corner is blocking motorist from fully seeing the billboard as they drive east on Middle Road.

The sign "obstructing" the Lamar billboard is actually the on-premise sign for the corner oil change shop. Lamar erected its billboard essentially on top of the oil change building years ago, after apparently reaching a deal with the corner property owner.

Owners of The Lodge Hotel would receive up to $3.1 million in property tax and hotel sales tax rebates under a development agreement being considered by the Bettendorf City Council.

The proposed agreement with Spruce Hills Investment Partners, LLC would provide $1.75 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) rebates over a 10-year period and another $1 million in hotel sales tax rebates over a 5-year period. If the developers complete a 6,000 square foot retail/office center on the hotel property prior to Dec. 31, 2024, they also would get an additional two years of the TIF rebates, or $350,000.

The Lodge, formerly Jumer's Castle Lodge, has been a Bettendorf fixture at the I-74 and Spruce Hills Drive location since it opened in 1973. Peoria businessman James Jumer built three German-themed lodges, two in Illinois and the one in Bettendorf. All had Bavarian decor, authentic antique furnishings and German food specialties on the hotel restaurant menus.

Bettendorf's bond consel has raised the possibility of a downgrade in the city's bond rating by Moody's Investor Service, a move that would mean higher interest rates on $20.17 million in general obligation bonds slated for approval by aldermen at Tuesday's (3/4) city council meeting.

"in January of this year, Moody's Investor Service released its new methodology on U.S. Government General Obligation Debt," Springsted, Inc., Bettendorf's long-standing advisor on bond issues, stated in its list of "risks and special considerations" prepared for the city. "Along with this release, Moody's provided a list of local government general obligation rates that they currently have under review for upgrade or downgrade. The City of Bettendorf was on the list as a potential downgrade."

Moody's assigned an Aa1 rating to the city's $14.4 million general obligation bonds issued last spring.

"If such a downgrade does transpire, this could result in higher interest rates than what we have currently projected in the attached bond schedules," Springsted wrote in the letter to the city. "Higher interest rates will impact the projected savings on the refunding transaction and potentially require adjustments to the principal amounts of the new money financing to meet the city's levy constraints."

Bettendorf plans to issue nearly $19 million of general obligation bonds this spring that would boost the city's debt to more than $133 million, or nearly 86 percent of its legal debt limit. The city's debt would be the highest in the state of Iowa as a percentage of the legal limit at 85.52 percent.

However, City Administrator Decker Ploehn voiced his confidence to the city council about the plan to issue millions in new general and corporate bonds, telling aldermen the city has ample capacity to raise property taxes should it need additional funds for unexpected future projects or expenses.

Bettendorf is one of just a few Iowa cities with a general fund property tax levy well below the maximum allowed $8.10 per $1,000 assessed valuation, according to Ploehn. The city's general fund levy currently is $5.44 per $1,000 assessed valuation. "This allows for future growth capacity of 48 percent, equating to nearly $5 million of potential property taxes," Ploehn stated in the budget presentation he made earlier this month.

According to statistics compiled by the city, even though Bettendorf ranks high in total debt and the debt service tax levy, Bettendorf is the third lowest when combining property taxes, storm water fees, sewer charges and solid waste disposal fees for an average homeowner (median home value of $165,260) among 30 Iowa communities of 10,000 people or more.

He also points to the city's Aa1 bond rating in support of the decision to add debt, rather than raise property taxes, to pay for new capital projects.

While investors may feel secure in buying the city's bonds (debt), city taxpayers end up paying more for every new street and municipal improvement since interest costs on the bonds add to the total price of those improvements.

A non-profit charitable organization – organized and run by powerful telecommunication industry interests in Washington, D.C. – has collected nearly $33 million of taxpayer money to push its vision of expanding broadband communication strategies around the country including Iowa, paying six-figure salaries to its top officials and spending millions each year on advertising, legal and management fees, research and travel.

The tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization – Connected Nation, Inc. – has received $32.7 million to date in federal stimulus money, forming dozens of state spin-offs – including Connect Iowa – that develop broadband coverage maps and push its mantra that expanding the availability of high-speed Internet services to "overlooked" and "underserved" people and places will lead to "great economic and social advantages."

In the organization's most recent 990 federal tax return required of public charities, Connected Nation directors included the president of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in Washington, D.C., the CEO and president of CTIA - The Wireless Association and a vice president of World Ahead, an Intel Corporation subsidiary formed with the express purpose to expand broadband and technology around the world.

A private dekhockey operator is seeking a 10-year lease of Crow Creek Park property – at essentially no cost – under an agreement to be considered by the Bettendorf Park Board Wednesday (1/15).

While the lease calls for QC Dekhockey to pay $4,000 per year for the use of park land, the city is required under the lease to construct a second rink and install lighting at an estimated cost of $37,500.

The required outlay by the city does not include the cost of building additional parking adjacent to the rinks, which was estimated at more than $10,000 in discussions of the proposed lease last fall.

Also under terms of the proposed lease, the city would pay for electricity used by the two dekhockey rinks.

After a dozen neighbors turned out to voice opposition to a proposed outdoor patio at the The Clubhouse Bar near 18th St. and 53rd Ave., the Bettendorf Board of Adjustment last week (12/12) once again denied a special use permit that would have allowed the outdoor serving area.

More than a year ago, the bar with video golf equipment asked the board for a special use permit for a patio at the rear of the building. The business is adjacent to residential homes along Lindenwood Drive. That request was denied after many of the same neighbors described repeated calls to police complaining about the loud noise from the establishment.

This time around, the operators of the bar/video golf facility requested a special use permit for an outdoor patio in the front – rather than the rear – of the building. The permit consideration initially was scheduled for the board's meeting in September, but was delayed until the December meeting.

After an hour-long hearing, board members voted 3-1 against the permit for the same reasons as last year, expressing concerns about the outdoor serving area creating even more noise problems for neighbors.

Last month not only resulted in Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, but some financial leftovers from Bettendorf's fiscal 2012-13 budget year which ended June 30.

City Finance Director Carol Barnes walked the city council through the year-end financials at its November meeting and a few items deserve a second look to compare the "hoped for" of last year's budget projections and the cold reality of the end-of-year numbers.

• Despite five years' of significant gambling revenue declines, last year's budget projected an increase in gambling dollars for city coffers. That turned out to be a bad bet.

The city received just $1.58 million in gambling revenue last year, a nearly 6 percent drop from the previous year. Gambling revenue in fiscal 2012-13 was the lowest amount since 1998 when the city take was $1.4 million.

Gambling revenues have fallen more than 30 percent since 2004 when the city's cut from the riverboat gambling hit a high of $2.27 million. The fall off also is noteworthy because it came despite added hotels rooms (to attract out-of-town gamblers) and the addition of a city financed entertainment facility (QC Waterfront Convention Center) that was seen as a way to attract more tourists to boost gambling revenues.