The Dubuque City Council convened for a regular meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026, in the Council Chambers of the Historic Federal Building. Council members took several notable actions focused on economic redevelopment, leadership transition, and long-range downtown planning.

In a unanimous 7-0 vote, the council created the new North Jackson Urban Renewal District centered on the former Flexsteel manufacturing site at 32nd and Jackson streets. Flexsteel operated a plant at the location from 1897 until 2018. Most of the old factory was demolished in 2019, leaving a brownfield property that includes one remaining warehouse at the end of Aquin Street and a small commercial building at the corner of Jackson and 32nd. Previous city efforts to clean up and redevelop the site had met with limited success. The area previously fell within the larger Peru Road Urban Renewal District; separating it gives the city greater flexibility for future projects. A renewed focus on the site has been a priority of Council Member Chris Staver. The new designation allows Dubuque to delay starting the standard 23-year lifespan of the urban renewal district until a developer is identified, preserving tools such as tax-increment financing for eventual redevelopment. 

The council also voted 7-0 to approve a formal job description for the city manager position. Longtime City Manager Mike Van Milligen, who has served for 33 years, plans to retire in May 2027. Work on the succession process is underway, including engagement of the Minnesota office of GMP Consultants to conduct a nationwide search. GMP is scheduled to visit Dubuque next month and meet with community stakeholders. A proposed outreach list includes approximately five dozen groups and leaders representing business, civic organizations, churches, and labor unions. The council expects to shape a compensation package at its next regular meeting on October 19. 

On a 5-2 vote, with Council Members Tyson Leyendecker and Chris Staver opposing, the council selected RDG Planning & Design of Des Moines to assist in drafting a revised downtown master plan. Dubuque last adopted a comprehensive downtown master plan in 2004. RDG will be tasked with creating an updated plan that reflects the significant changes in the downtown area over the past two decades. The firm’s work may build on related efforts such as those advanced by Dubuque Forward. A city staff committee had previously declined a proposal from Gamble Associates, the Massachusetts design firm that collaborated with Dubuque Forward. RDG has prior experience working with the city, including the master plan for Chaplain Schmitt Island, and offered approximately 37 percent more hours of work for the same fee as a competing firm. The firm has until November 2027 to complete the assignment. The city manager is authorized to negotiate a contract not to exceed $150,000. 

These decisions underscore the council’s continued attention to revitalizing underutilized industrial land, preparing for an orderly leadership transition after more than three decades of continuity, and updating planning guidance for a downtown that has evolved substantially since the early 2000s.

Full agendas, supporting documents, and official proceedings are available through the City of Dubuque’s agendas portal at cityofdubuque.org/agendas. Meeting video is typically streamed live and archived on the City of Dubuque Government YouTube channel and CityChannel Dubuque. The next regular City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 19, 2026.