It’s getting too crowded at 1609 State Street. The campus houses the City Council meeting room, the city administration offices, and the fire and police departments.

“We have expanded this building three times and there is no other place we could go,” said City Administrator Decker Ploehn.

The city commissioned Bray Architects to conduct a needs study and a spatial analysis. Bray recommended that the best plan of action would be to build a new police station on city-owned land north of the post office on Devils Glen Road. It is located near the city’s public works building.

“Construction of a new facility would be the most cost-effective and long-term solution for Bettendorf,” the council documents state.

The city has hired several new firefighters and police officers in the last five years, and much of the city’s growth is occurring to the north and east. Bettendorf has experienced rapid growth around the TBK Sports Complex and is currently expanding the sewer line under Interstate 80 to open up thousands of acres of existing fields for development.

Therefore, according to Ploehn, it seems to make the most sense to move the police station closer to the center of Bettendorf, closer to the areas where the city expects an increase in call volume.

“We have come to the administrative conclusion that we will recommend to the council that the police be relocated,” said Ploehn. “That is why we hired the architect. We looked at other possible options for moving the town hall, but it seemed more sensible to move the police to a more central location.”

Once a new facility is constructed, Bray recommends the city renovate City Hall to accommodate the needs of the administration and recreation staff. The recreation staff currently works at the Herbert Goettsch Community Center.

Several options and concepts have been discussed with Bettendorf staff and police, and according to council documents, a single-story facility currently appears to make the most sense.

The next step is to hire a construction manager who can estimate prices and determine the added value of the current concepts.

Ploehn said that until the city hires a construction manager, it cannot provide an accurate cost estimate for the building.

Initial concepts assume that the police will need around 3,600 square meters. Bray estimates that the cost of a facility will be between 45 and 48 euros per square meter.

Ploehn pointed out that these were very early concepts that still needed to be reviewed and subjected to a value analysis.

The city must put the question of whether to build a new police station to voters, Ploehn said. Unlike streets, roads and sewers, which are considered essential corporate purposes, a new police station or new city hall is considered a general corporate purpose under state law, and the city does not have the authority to issue bonds for it without voter approval.

Ploehn said the city does not have enough cash on hand to cover the costs of the project, even though it would be allowed under state law.

The city had originally considered a referendum in 2024, but Ploehn said 2025 was more realistic given all the steps required.