News

The West Des Moines City Council will conduct a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year City property tax levy during their regularly scheduled Council meeting on Feb. 15, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The maximum City tax rate proposed for FY 2022 will not increase from the current year ($10.99)

At the hearing, any resident or taxpayer may present objections to or arguments in favor of the proposed tax levy. After adoption of the proposed tax levy, the Council will publish notice and hold a public hearing on the proposed City budget.

The projected property tax revenue will increase due to growth of the City and will be used to address the corresponding increase in demand for services.

View the entire text of the notice of public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year City property tax levy.

City to hold public hearing on proposed property tax levy

The Valley Junction Board members took time out of their busy days to help us understand their vision for Valley Junction. Second-story housing, prominent art features, historical retrofits, and adaptive re-use of space were all hot topics that the City was asked to consider in this long-range vision for our community - our community that was born out of the Valley Junction Historical Area..

Residents at the Village Cooperative, 55+ active living development shared their expertise, experience, and insight into WDM and its future. Public transportation, taxes, and storm water management practices were key themes for the day, and walkability and proximity were the number one reasons residents chose to move to the Co-op.

Members of CREW (Women in Commercial Real Estate) got together with the City of WDM Comp Plan Team to discuss how trends in their industries will and could impact the future of WDM. The discussion was passionate, dynamic, and incredibly valuable! Check out Mackenzie's mind mapping!

Residents, experts, stakeholders, and other community members have been connecting with us to help create the vision for our City's future. Through 31 focus groups, we are aiming to reach as many people as we can. The ideas are flowing in and as you can see, Health Equity was a very popular topic! #Connect2Create #HelpPlanOurCity

Our consultant partner Teska spent two days utilize their unique skills in mind mapping to capture what the community wants! Check out the time-lapsed video below of the 5 focus groups Teska mapped for. These mind maps will help shape our final plan!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MGi5iOfxgA&feature=youtu.be

The Comp Plan Team has been hard at work creating focus groups that will engage the community and provide insight into the future of our City. To date, 21 focus groups are scheduled, with opportunities to participate at every step of the way! Please reach out to the team at connect@wdm.iowa.gov if you are interested in participating in one, two, or all! #Connect2Create

One of our community partners, Shive-Hattery, is helping drive community engagement for the Comprehensive Planning process. Reach out to us if you want to collaborate in some way - whether to host a meeting-in-a-box, forward surveys and emails to your staff, or post marketing material and idea posters in your facilities. Thank you to all our community partners on the collaboration! #Connect2Create

Waukee APEX Innovation and Learning Center celebrated its 5-year anniversary by showcasing student projects and organizational affiliations. Waukee APEX students are conducting an assessment of historic properties and neighborhoods in West Des Moines for the City's comprehensive planning process. Fun Fact: West Des Moines has 7 school districts located in it, including the Waukee school district!

#Connect2Create

#OurWDM