State of the City

2026 State of the City Address

The year 2025 was a period of significant transition for Indianola and our City departments. We saw former Mayor Stephanie Erickson sworn in as a Warren County Supervisor and a new mayor take office. At the staff level, we experienced notable leadership changes, including the departure of a city manager at the end of 2024 and an interim city manager just months later. We also welcomed a new fire chief and navigated changes across several departments.

Transitions like these can be challenging, but the City of Indianola continued to advance thanks largely to the resilience of our staff and the strength of our leadership team.

One of the most pivotal decisions during this time was appointing Doug Bylund, a longtime City of Indianola employee and current chief of culture and recreation, as interim city manager. Doug provided steady leadership when it was needed most, guiding the organization through critical decisions with confidence and care. While he humbly credits our employees for the progress made, his resolve was instrumental in keeping Indianola on course. Thank you again, Doug, for your exceptional service.

Later in the spring, we hired Jacob Meshke, our new city manager. Jacob has already demonstrated the importance of building strong teams. Under his leadership, we welcomed Bryce Johnson as our Community and Economic Development Director. Eric Stevens joined the City as our new Public Works Director, and Rob Hawkins was promoted to Police Chief after a rigorous interview process.

These leaders – and many others – are bringing new energy, innovation and perspective to the work we do every day. And we are already seeing the results.

Yet, even in a year defined by transition, the City of Indianola accomplished many great things:

Public Works: Streets

We continued investing wisely in our infrastructure. The West Clinton Reconstruction Project, originally budgeted at $500,000, was completed under budget. East Hillcrest Avenue was finalized, including a new drainage system and turning lane, and was also finished under budget.

New traffic signals and electrical improvements were installed on South Buxton Street, and a major culvert upgrade was made on North N Street and Boston Avenue.

Public Works: Water Resource Recovery

For the first time in over a decade, all operators at our Water Resource Recovery Facility achieved some level of certification – including two operators earning the highest Level 4 certification. The City’s old wastewater treatment plant was decommissioned, with future decisions regarding the property still to come.

Fire

Under the direction of new Fire Chief Aaron Hurt, storm drains in the fire bays of the Indianola Fire Station were repaired, new overhead doors were installed and a new ambulance was placed into service at a cost of approximately $360,000.

The department closed the year with 3,020 calls for service, marking a 1% increase from the previous year.

Police

At the Indianola Police Department, we welcomed Chief Hawkins following the retirement of former Chief Brian Sher, who graciously served Indianola for 31 years. IPD secured over $31,000 in grant awards to purchase new dash cameras and a drone.

Officers will soon begin transitioning to new county CAD software, which has improved mobile dispatch and records management. Additionally, the department responded to 13,360 calls for service in 2025.

Library

The Indianola Public Library had the busiest year of its 140-year history. The library saw record attendance across all services and programs. IPL staff recently developed a new strategic plan and continues to plan for future expansion to meet the community’s rising demand.

Wellness Campus

The Indianola Wellness Campus continues to serve residents of all ages by offering various opportunities. A staffing restructuring has helped to reduce costs, and a nonprofit group was established through the Indianola Community Foundation to help raise funds for new equipment and facility enhancements.

Additionally, the Wellness Campus has welcomed over 450 new members in the first two months of 2026. These milestones highlight the significant progress we’re making with this facility and its impact on our community.

Parks & Recreation

Our Parks and Recreation staff partnered with 90 organizations to provide recreational opportunities, programs and facilities for our community. Throughout the year, we hosted dozens of exciting events, including the Discmania Challenge presented by TruBank at the world-renowned Pickard Park Disc Golf Course, the annual Children’s Costume Party on the Indianola Downtown Square and the Mayor’s Youth Council Bike Fest, just to name a few.

Finance & Administration

Budget processes were improved, and the implementation of new financial and timekeeping software was completed.

Because Indianola operates a self-funded health insurance program and prioritizes worker safety, our insurance premiums remained neutral in 2025. Thanks to a healthy fund balance, the City was able to offer three insurance holidays and put money directly back into qualified employees’ paychecks.

This cooperative model, originally established in the 1990s with Carlisle and Norwalk, continues to serve our employees and our taxpayers well. As the state explores ways to address property tax reform, collaboration like this will become even more important.

Information Technology, Facilities & Communications

From Information Technology, Facilities and Communications, progress was made behind the scenes that included cybersecurity hardening and security upgrades at facilities, major improvements to the City’s IT backbone and a deferred maintenance study that highlighted important future repairs.

The City increased its digital engagement and recently completed a full website redesign to meet updated ADA accessibility regulations for local governments, as well as strengthened media relations and recognition of our Communications Department at the Iowa League of Cities’ annual conference.

Community & Economic Development

And in terms of economic development, the City of Indianola continues to grow. Several new businesses were added, and we currently have seven active Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects underway. The Community & Economic Development Department issued 199 building permits with a total valuation of over $84 million.

Final approval was secured for the Community Development Block Grant, where eight building facades in our downtown district will be revitalized and total roughly $1.2 million in improvements. Construction is expected to begin this spring. Lastly, the City saw an increase in taxable valuation across all property classes.

Of course, we will again face challenges this year.

Balancing workload, compensation and employee well-being remains imperative. Our staff can only be asked to do so much, and we must continue to recognize their time, expertise and commitment.

The City of Indianola will continue to be met with budget pressures driven by state-level legislation that impacts our revenues. While police, fire and EMS are essential services, so too are libraries, roads, trails, wellness centers and recreational opportunities. I sincerely hope the Legislature will pursue meaningful revenue solutions for cities that do not rely solely on property taxes. When Iowa cities thrive and can meet the needs of their residents, the entire state prospers.

Despite these challenges, I am confident in our direction. I can say tonight that staff will present a budget for Fiscal Year 2027 that gets us on track for continued balanced budgets. That was the charge from the Indianola City Council, and our leadership team worked diligently to meet it. Will everyone agree with every decision? Probably not, but compromise rarely means getting everything we want. It means finding the best path forward that’s needed – together.

I believe that the best of Indianola is yet to come. If we continue to work collaboratively, advocate for meaningful solutions and invest wisely in our community, our future is bright.

Thank you for your trust, your engagement and your belief in our great city.