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After a crime uptick, Fort Dodge turns to utility bill franchise fee to fund extra police officers

Picture of black police SUV with the words "POLICE FORT DODGE." There is a bright blue stripe under the text.
City of Fort Dodge
Forty officers make up the Fort Dodge Police Department. The city is looking at adding five more next fiscal year and three the following year, all funded by a franchise fee on gas and electric bills.

The franchise fee would help pay for 20% more law enforcement officers and more community amenities.

“I love my job, but it is stressful at times.”

Police Chief Dennis Quinn says 2023 was a difficult year for Fort Dodge. The town experienced seven homicides, an unusual situation for the community of 25,000 people.

“Over the last year, we've had a pretty rough year as a community, just with the level of violence that we've had,” Quinn said.

To combat the rise in violent crime, the Fort Dodge City Council has approved the first reading of a plan to add a 5% franchise fee to pay for eight new officers, which will bring the total force to 48.

A man is smiling and wearing a police officer's uniform with a badge and a patch on his arm that says Fort Dodge Police.
City of Fort Dodge
Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn

“The officers need help. They need some time away to recharge their batteries, just like everyone else in the world does,” Quinn said. “I just want to do that for them and for the needs of our community.”

Many communities and counties across the state turn to franchise fees on electric and gas bills for extra funding. A spokesperson for MidAmerican Energy says of the 364 cities they serve, 80 collect fees ranging from 1% to 5%. Another half-dozen within the company’s service center are in various stages of adopting a fee. This includes Fort Dodge.

“Anytime you get into money, obviously, things can be contentious. And I understand that, too. I have bills to pay, just like everybody else does," Quinn said. "But this is something that we need. If there were another way that you know that the city could do this, we would do that,”

City Manager David Fierke moved to Fort Dodge from the Chicago area 17 years ago and, even with the recent uptick in crime, he believes the community is a nice place to live.

“Those of us who live here know it's a safe community; those who are looking to move here, they look at some statistics and say, ‘Well, maybe this isn't a safe place, maybe I shouldn't take that job.’ So, we need to reverse that," he said.

A man wearing a dark suit and light blue tie is smiling.
City of Fort Dodge
Fort Dodge City Manager David Fierke

Fierke said other Iowa cities of similar size as Fort Dodge have larger police forces, like Mason City, Clinton and Burlington.

“Our law enforcement staff is understaffed with 40 sworn officers,” Fierke said.

The city council approved the first reading for the fee that would bring in an estimated $2.4 million a year. It would also help fund property tax relief and quality-of-life services like the library, art museum, and aquatic center.

“They don't earn enough revenue to support themselves without being tax-subsidized. It’s going to be difficult, if not impossible, to sustain that programming into the future if we don't put some money back towards it from this franchise fee,” Fierke said.

Fierke said new state tax laws limit how much money a community can levy.

“There really isn't another way to do this without a significant reduction in quality of life and other services,” he added.

One-third of the proposed franchise fee would fund community amenities like Fort Dodge's Blanden Art Education Center, which opened in 2023.
City of Fort Dodge
One-third of the proposed franchise fee would fund community amenities like Fort Dodge's Blanden Art Education Center, which opened in 2023.

The Fort Dodge City Council is expected to meet again on Feb. 12 and vote on a second reading of the proposal, with the final reading on Feb. 26. Fierke said if the council gives its full support, collection for the fee will start by the beginning of a new fiscal year on July 1.

Quinn said in an era where it is hard to recruit and retain new officers, he hoped the plan would pass.

“And no matter what, whether this goes or doesn't go, we'll obviously still respond to calls because that's our job and our priority,” he said. “We just want extra officers to be able to continue to keep giving the good quality service that we give now and even make it better.”

Sheila Brummer joined the staff of Iowa Public Radio as Western Iowa Reporter in August of 2023. She knows the area well, after growing up on a farm in Crawford County, graduating from Morningside University in Sioux City and working in local media.