Mayor: Cedar Rapids’ plate filled with success, opportunities

Cedar Rapids mayor Tiffany O’Donnell laid out a full-course meal theme for the annual State of the City address Tuesday. And the menu of her presentation covered a cornucopia of dishes, from economic development, affordable housing and flood protection to public safety, education and cultural amenities. The overall message, perhaps not surprisingly: Cedar Rapids is strong, and its future is bright. “We're seizing the opportunities in front of us and building on our successes,” Ms. O’Donnell said in her second State of the City speech, the city’s 40th overall, to a group of about 700 attendees at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Complex. “We have all the ingredients right here to build a better city and a brighter future for all of our citizens.” Economic development was a prominent theme, serving as the entree for Ms. O’Donnell’s speech. “Cedar Rapids is the driver of the metro economy,” she said. “We take that very seriously and are committed to living up to that expectation by putting more talent and resources on the plate.” The city recorded a record year for growth in fiscal year 2022, reporting a total valuation of $773 million in building permits, topping the previous record by $323 million. She noted that commercial, industrial, single and multi-unit residential projects make up the bulk of those permits, indicating strong growth community-wide. “Cedar Rapids continues to embark on targeted economic development efforts to attract new employers and support existing ones,” Ms. O’Donnell said. The diversity of industries in Cedar Rapids remains a strong suit, Ms. O’Donnell said, from advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense to transportation, logistics, biotech, medical technology, food and bioprocessing. “By the way, the city of Cedar Rapids (remains) the largest corn processing city in the world,” she noted. Because of partnerships to grow research and innovation with Iowa State University and other institutions, the city has developed connections “that tap into by-products, co-products and waste streams of local industry that actually recruits new complementary industries that can use those products, known as the circular economy,” she said. “These efforts have already started to elevate our strength in industry to a whole new level and spur further economic growth.” Ms. O’Donnell said Cedar Rapids is now home to an estimated 10,000 businesses, including more than 300 manufacturing plants and two dozen Fortune 500 companies with a range of multinational connections. However, she pointed out that many of the city’s recent $560 million in commercial investment projects were undertaken by “homegrown” companies such as Lil’ Drug Store Products, Altorfer Inc. and Worley Warehousing – “all businesses that have intentionally chosen us to be their home for the long term,” she said. The city is seeing its most rapid growth in the southwest quadrant, Ms. O’Donnell said, with businesses investing more than $1 billion in projects over the past decade, resulting in the creation of 1,000 new jobs and the retention of 2,000 others and leading to the potential for $1.2 billion in additional economic capacity. That rapid expansion, she said, has led to traffic bottlenecks, particularly at the Wright Brothers Boulevard interchange with Interstate 380. The city has worked with the Iowa Department of Transportation to prioritize and “fast-track” improvements to the interchange, she noted, with work expected to begin in the next two years. Ms. O’Donnell also highlighted the four-part modernization project at the Eastern Iowa Airport, spurred by an additional $28.35 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for infrastructure improvements last year. “That is the largest award in our airport’s history, and a critical investment in our ability to attract new businesses and jobs to Cedar Rapids,” Ms. O’Donnell said. Workforce development is also a priority for the city to meet increasing demand, Ms. O’Donnell said, with efforts underway on multiple fronts, including the Career Connection program, which has unlocked access and opportunities for more students to attend Kirkwood Community College at no cost, including students who typically would not qualify for scholarship or grant funding potentially due to their parents’ income. The program covers degrees not previously eligible for funding that address needs in the Cedar Rapids labor market, such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing and business. “If you are a student, or you have a student in the Cedar Rapids schools and you want to go to Kirkwood, we've got you,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “The city of Cedar Rapids acts as a last payer –  what isn't funded by others is funded by us. We have a responsibility to invest in our youth to help guide them toward their own futures while preparing them to lead the future of our community.” The city’s ongoing need for more affordable housing remains a city priority, Ms. O’Donnell added, along with efforts to combat homelessness and continue developing a culture that welcomes diversity and inclusion. She also said the city also recently secured $3 million in Destination Iowa grant funds to accelerate key elements of the Czech Village/New Bohemia area action plan, including a revitalized Czech Village roundhouse. And she announced our first-ever Mayor's Youth Conference, a one-day conference slated for October to provide local high school students with a chance to learn about workforce opportunities available in Cedar Rapids “and potentially, most importantly, connect with local leaders, who we know can serve as all important mentors and role models.” “I believe that by investing in our youth in this way, we can help them fall back in love with their city and inspire them to become the next generation of our community's leaders,” she said. She concluded her address by encouraging local residents to continue pursuing opportunities for growth and change. “The state of the city of Cedar Rapids is strong because our residents are strong,” she concluded. “Our businesses are resilient (and) our industries are thriving. Cedar Rapids is made up of many individual members of a greater family, each with their unique recipes to share and stories to tell.” The annual address is hosted by the Linn County League of Women Voters.