Phillip SitterDes Moines Register
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Dallas County voters will have decisions to make at the ballot box Nov. 5 that include whether to issue bonds for multimillion dollar public projects and expand the Dallas County Board of Supervisors.
Voters across the county will decide whether there should be construction of a new criminal courthouse east of Adel and whether there should be five supervisors instead of the current three.
And voters in Waukee also will consider whether the city should build a public outdoor aquatic center.
The new criminal courthouse and Waukee's aquatic center each need 60% approval to pass. Expansion of the Board of Supervisors needs majority approval.
Learn more: Your Iowa Voter Guide 2024
New $56.9 million criminal courthouse proposed for Dallas County
The larger bond issue on the ballot is for a 78,000-square-feet, three-story, $56.9 million criminal courthouse the county wants to build next to the Dallas County Law Enforcement Center off Highway 6, east of Adel.
County officials have said the current courthouse at 801 Court St. in Adel does not have the space to keep up with growth in court cases as the county's population has grown, and that the lack of space has led to delayed trials, costly case moves to other courts and security concerns.
The new criminal court building would include six courtrooms specifically for criminal and juvenile cases. It also would be home to the Dallas County attorney’s offices, juvenile court services, the Department of Corrections Parole and Probation staff, the criminal division of the clerk of courts and deputies from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
The existing, historic courthouse would be kept for civil law, civil equity, family law, divorce and foreclosure proceedings.
If approved, a homeowner under the age of 65 living in a home valued at $100,000 would pay an additional $18.56 a year in property taxes, according to the county. Homeowners over the age of 65 who would qualify for a Homestead Tax Exemption and would pay $15.65 per year on the same priced home.
The county has several public meetings scheduled to learn more about the referendum:
- 6:30 p.m. Oct. 15, Dallas County Courthouse, 801 Court St. in Adel.
- 6:30 p.m. Oct. 17, Dallas County Courthouse, 801 Court St. in Adel.
- 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22, 902 Court St. in Adel.
- 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24, Dallas County Courthouse, 801 Court St. in Adel.
- 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28, 902 Court St. in Adel.
- 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29, 902 Court St. in Adel.
A $33 million aquatic center proposed for Waukee
Waukee has proposed an outdoor aquatic center with 23,000 square feet of amenities including pools, slides, a splash pad and a lazy river. It would be built at the intersection of Sixth Street and University Avenue, west of Sugar Creek Golf Course.
The center is projected to cost $33 million but the city would bond for $2 million more in case construction costs are higher.
The city has calculated that about 40% of the costs would be covered by its existing tax levy, local option sales tax and public improvement funds. The remaining 60% would be funded by a property tax increase of about $34 per year for every $100,000 in property valuation.
If approved in November, city administrator Brad Deets said the design phase would take about 12 months. Construction would start in 2026 with a goal of the aquatic center opening in spring 2027.
Dallas County Board of Supervisors could expand from three seats to five
Dallas County mayors spearheaded the effort to get a proposal on the ballot to expand the Board of Supervisors to five members from three.
If voters approve the change, each of the supervisors would represent a newly drawn district, but would beelected at-largeby all county voters, as they are currently.
Waukee Mayor Courtney Clarke, who led the drive to gather signatures for the ballot petition, said while the mayors would prefer district elections, voters would have to approve that change in another election.
Understate law, a remapping of districts would be carried out by a county redistricting commission, based on population, and would be subject to approval by the Iowa Secretary of State.
"We believe that with the complexity of a growing county, two additional supervisors would provide numerous benefits," the mayors of Adel, Bouton, Clive, Dallas Center, De Soto, Granger, Minburn, Perry, Redfield, Urbandale, Van Meter, Waukee, West Des Moines and Woodward said in a letter dated May 21.
According to their letter, those benefits would include:
- A smaller ratio of residents per supervisor, more equitably distributing the workload and allowing "more efficient oversight and delivery of services by each supervisor."
- Easier compliance with Iowa's open meetings law. With a three-member board "there may be opportunity for two members to communicate independently of open meetings and make decisions," and expanding the membership would support transparency by reducing the likelihood of such non-public communication.
- Broader representation of various perspectives inIowa's fastest-growing county. "As the diversity of growth in Dallas County continues amongst many communities we believe additional points of view through additional supervisor positions contributes significantly to better decision making," the mayors wrote.
What else is on Dallas County ballots?
The competitive races for county offices are for attorney and auditor:
- Democrat Meggan Guns faces Republican Matt Schultz for county attorney.
- Republican Todd Halbur faces Democrat Robert Oller for county auditor.
Several other county officials also are running unopposed for their offices:
- Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante is seeking a full term.
- Dallas County Auditor Julia Helm is running in District 2 to represent Waukee, Adel and Dallas Center on the Dallas County Board of Supervisors.
- Dallas County Treasurer Summer Portzen is seeking a full term.
In addition, Congressional and area legislative races are on the ballot. To find what's on yours, find sample ballots online at dallascountyiowa.gov/495/Sample-Ballots.
Early voting starts Oct. 16
Early voting in Iowa begins Wednesday, Oct. 16. Voters can cast absentee ballots in-person at the Dallas County Auditor's Office, 210 N. 10th St. in Adel, until Nov. 4 during regular office hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office also will be open two Saturdays: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 26 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2.
Mailed absentee ballots can be dropped off in-person at the auditor's office during office hours, through 8 p.m. Nov. 5. All requests for mailed absentee ballots must be received by the auditor's office by 5 p.m. Oct. 21. Forms are available at the auditor's office and online at dallascountyiowa.gov/183/Absentee-Ballot-Request-Form.
Satellite absentee voting stations open to any county resident include:
- Noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at the McCreary Community Building, 1800 Pattee St. in Perry.
- Noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 22 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7075 Ashworth Road in West Des Moines.
- Noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at Waukee Lutheran Church of Hope, 305 Northeast Dartmoor Drive in Waukee.
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 26 at Heartland Presbyterian Church, 14300 Hickman Road in Clive.
- Noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 29 at Waukee United Methodist Church, 2075 Southeast LA Grant Parkway in Waukee.
Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X at @pslifeisabeauty.