State of the City

Each year, the mayor hosts a State of the City address to update residents, businesses and community leaders on the City's progress and challenges of the previous year and a look at priorities for the coming year. The event is open to the public and is free to attend. 

Watch the 2026 Address

On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Mayor Clarke was joined by Public Works Director Rudy Koester; Library Director Kristine Larson; and Parks and Recreation Director Matt Jermier to share highlights and challenges from 2025 and the City's priorities for 2026. Watch the full recording on our City of Waukee YouTube channel or catch a few highlights in Mayor Clarke's interview on the Waukee Podcast. Look for the April 2 episode, "Recycle, Rebuild, Reflect: Waukee’s Week of Progress & Purpose". The podcast is also available on platforms, such as Spotify and Apple.

Attendee Questions

During registration, we invite questions from attendees. Here is a selection of the most common themes. Mayor Clarke and the panelists went into more detail on several of these topics, so we encourage you to watch the full address if you are able.

How can you reduce property taxes?

The Mayor and City Council work to balance community needs and service expectations while minimizing the financial burden on property taxpayers. Over the past eight years, the City has reduced the property tax levy rate by $0.70 per $1,000 of valuation. This has been achieved by carefully managing expenditure growth, accounting for changes in residential rollback and expanding the tax base through new development. In this coming fiscal year, the City Council plans to maintain the City’s property tax levy rate at $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Waukee’s growth is a large contributor to the council’s ability to do that. The school district has also lowered or held its property tax levy steady for nearly a decade, which makes up about half of the consolidated tax levy.

Looking ahead, there are several ways property tax impacts can be further managed or reduced:

• Continued growth of the tax base: Encouraging responsible residential and commercial development allows the City to spread costs across a larger base, reducing the burden on individual taxpayers.
• Shared services and regional collaboration: Partnering with neighboring communities and Dallas County can create efficiencies and cost savings while maintaining service levels.
• Diversifying revenue sources: Additional state-authorized revenue options, such as adjustments to sales tax or gas tax funding for infrastructure, could reduce reliance on property taxes.
• Service level adjustments: Reducing property taxes could also be achieved by scaling back City services; however, this would require community support, as it would directly impact service levels and responsiveness.

It is important to look at the actual property tax bills. While assessed values for properties have been rising, the Rollback Rate that the State applies each year to determine the taxable valuation of a property has kept actual dollar increases lower. For many Waukee residential properties, property tax increases on average have stayed under the rate of inflation over the past five years. A lot of properties even paid about the same or even less in taxes in recent years than prior years, and that will likely be the case in the coming year based on the Rollback Rate from the State.

We have more details about the different factors that go into calculating the property taxes you pay and where the City invests those dollars we receive at Waukee.org/PropertyTax101 and Waukee.org/PropertyTax. To explore a historical review of property taxes paid on your property, go to the Dallas County Treasurer’s website.

How does the City of Waukee plan to approach the rise of AI in terms of data centers? Are there concerns, benefits, opportunities on behalf of the city?

The Apple Data Center project is the only new data center development currently within Waukee. Apple owns approximately 2,000 acres for potential data center development expansion. We have one other data center, US Signal, which is currently expanding on their property off Alice’s Road. This is smaller than the potential scope of Apple’s property.

For the Apple project, the electricity and water infrastructure are in place to support future data centers, whether those data centers are the more traditional style or designed to facilitate generative AI. Not all data centers are designed the same, so water and electricity use can vary across the country. All additional electrical infrastructure necessary to power the existing and future Waukee data center sites has been paid for directly from Apple with no additional impact to the City of Waukee. The site has been designed to reduce noise pollution by incorporating significant building setbacks, earthen berms and significant landscape buffers around the perimeter of the site. Apple’s Waukee location has been recognized by the Alliance for Water Stewardship for responsible water management with a focus on water governance, water quality and sustainable water use. Apple is also in the process of finishing a restoration of approximately 240 acres of wetlands directly adjacent to their current construction location. Irrigation of lawns is still by far the largest non-household use of water in Waukee and the metro.

The Apple project benefits Waukee in several ways, including tax revenue and the opportunity for additional high-paying and specialty jobs. In addition, Apple has assisted with the development of some of the amenities at Triumph Park, including the ADA-accessible fishing pier, EPIC inclusive playground and Miracle League field. As Apple builds out their site, it will enable the City to invest in other quality of life projects for everyone to enjoy, including the future civic campus, which will have public amenities and new City buildings. You can see more about that project at Waukee.org/CivicCampus.

Amid rapid development and home building, do city officials have plans to preserve natural areas such as woods and creeks that provide wildlife habitat and enhance the quality of life for Waukee residents?

A lot of Waukee has been developed from fields, so there are limited areas within the city where natural areas exist. It is a priority for the City to maintain these areas when possible as development occurs, particularly in drainage corridors. In those cases, the City generally will accept these areas in lieu of other property for parkland dedication which is a requirement of development. This is most readily apparent in the southwest part of Waukee along areas of the Sugar Creek Watershed. 

Long-term, the intent of these areas is to incorporate a trail network to allow residents access and enjoyment of these areas. In addition, our Parks and Recreation Department is actively planting trees within our parks, and Waukee has qualified for a Tree City USA designation, which means we’re committing to diversifying our canopy. We have a wetland and greenway project that we are starting this year for Little Walnut Creek. Not only will that be a lovely natural area to enjoy, but it will also be important for stormwater management and flood protection.

For economic development activities, what is in build stage now or what is committed to come to Waukee?

Waukee is certainly growing and there's a lot of activity for new development and new businesses. For information regarding current projects under consideration, that have recently been approved or are currently being constructed, you can check the Current Development Projects section of the City website. Detailed staff reports along with project plans and building elevations are provided for all projects in the City. Use CTRL+F to search the page for a particular project. Street name can be helpful if you aren’t sure what it is called. 

Some key developments to watch are in the Kettlestone development along Grand Prairie Parkway. Kettlestone Central continues to expand with housing and commercial projects. You may have heard a lot of recent announcements on restaurants and Kettlestone Social for that area. Kettlestone Lakes near the south end is just getting started, so you may have noticed site work there. KeeTown Loop, which has Vibrant Music Hall, continues to fill in as well. The City is also beginning some road enhancements to add signs that will help welcome and direct people to Waukee and the Kettlestone area in general. We’ll also do landscaping to further beautify and elevate the Grand Prairie Parkway corridor, since it's a key gateway into our community.

How does Waukee leverage regional collaboration to advance priorities like housing and education?

Staff and elected officials sit on a number of boards and groups to tackle a lot of complex needs and challenges. We are especially proud of our Affordable Housing development with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity and are just getting started on plans for phase 2 for that. You can find some details here.

Our Assistant City Administrator sits on the Central Iowa Community Land Trust Board of Directors and the Central Iowa Regional Housing Authority. The land trust is new and just getting started, but they will be part of providing long term affordable housing in local communities. We contribute some funds from the City to local partners that help provide services to meet core needs, such as WayPoint Resources, Dallas County Local Housing Trust Fund and Central Iowa Shelter and Services. More related to education, we provide some funding to the Waukee Area Historical Society, Waukee Area Arts Council, Waukee Leadership Institute and the local YMCA. As Mayor Clarke mentioned in her address, our Parks and Recreation department has been exploring ways to give tweens and teens some opportunities on early out days in partnership with local organizations. 

What is the plan for growth on Alice’s Road and Grand Prairie Parkway? Will the growth in businesses lower our property taxes?

There are several developments underway that will bring a variety of new businesses to the area. Kettlestone Central continues to expand with housing and commercial projects. Kettlestone Lakes near the south end is just getting started, so you may have noticed site work there. KeeTown Loop where Vibrant Music Hall is continues to fill in as well. The City is also beginning some road enhancements to add signs that will help welcome and direct people to Waukee and the Kettlestone area in general. We’ll also do landscaping to further beautify and elevate the Grand Prairie Parkway corridor, since it a key gateway into our community.

Waukee's tax base is heavily residential today, more than 80 percent. This commercial growth will shift that tax base balance which typically does help the City keep a lower property tax rate. There are several proposals for major changes to property tax structures at the State right now, so we are watching to see what impact that has on cities, schools, counties and taxpayers.

Can we get an update on plans for downtown district and new city center?

The City is excited to continue revitalizing the Downtown Triangle and celebrating all the great work local business owners are doing there too. We look forward to welcoming the new businesses opening later this spring in the building that’s wrapping up construction on 6th Street. This year, the City will work on road and parking improvements that will increase the number of parking spaces in the district. We are also doing some really fun street improvements on Walnut Street that will add to the colorful, town square atmosphere. In addition, it’ll help create some flex space for events like the Farmers Market, WinterFest and other community celebrations. We are also beginning work on a renovation of the building that has been hosting veteran organizations. This will become an event space that community members will be able to rent, since we have strong demand for gathering places. The City will still have space to host the VFW and American Legion for their meetings and events.

For the future Civic Campus that Mayor Clarke announced at last year’s State of the City, we’ll be working on initial stages like creating the lake and infrastructure first. It’ll be several years yet before you start seeing buildings! You can see the vision at Waukee.org/CivicCampus. We’ll update that page as we make progress on this area over the coming years.

What is the status of University Avenue being extended to Ute Avenue?

This is a complex project, and we just started work on phase 2 for the University Avenue Extension project around the intersection of Warrior Lane and University Avenue. Then back to the western side and filling in the middle over the next few years. We have information on the phases on our project page, which we will update periodically as we progress through the extension project.

Why wasn't Alice's Road's four lanes completed all the way to Douglas?

It is coming! Construction will continue this season on Alice's Road in partnership with City of Clive. This spring, the contractor will work on extending the 4-lane roadway from Boston Parkway north to Douglas Parkway. Clive has additional phases beyond the Waukee portion of the project. Find more details at CityofClive.com/AlicesRoad. Big road projects take time to line up funding, especially when multiple cities are involved. Construction on existing roads is also phased in sections to manage access to businesses and homes.

Large residential areas can be isolating. How will walkability, accessibility and connection to community assets be addressed in future developments?

The City does a significant amount of long-term planning, including land use, street network, trails network and park development. You can find our master plans here though note that we are working on updates to our Imagine Waukee 2040 Comprehensive Plan and our Parks and Recreation Master Plan this year. 

We believe that trails and parks play an important role of creating a welcoming, accessible and connected community. Our long-term goal is to provide a neighborhood park within a quarter-mile radius of every home along with a trail network that connects the parks system network. There are certain areas of Waukee that are a little more isolated due to natural barriers such as Sugar Creek; however, as street projects and other improvements in these areas take place, we will work to add trails and other connections to integrate these neighborhoods long-term. It takes many years, but know that we're working on it! 

The Civic Campus development will have housing, commercial and public spaces close together, so people will be able to walk within the area to shop, attend events, pick up a book at the library, etc. The developments along Grand Prairie Parkway will also enable residents living in those apartments to walk to a restaurant or even up to a show at Vibrant Music Hall. 

What are the City's goals? What does the City want to be known for?

The Mayor and City Council annually complete Strategic Planning which includes a review of the vision, mission and goals for the City along with establishing strategic priorities for the next 12-18 months. See the current Strategic Plan information here on our website. We want to keep a sense of community and connection even as we grow. That shows in investments into parks, trails, community events and programming as well as efforts to enhance the historical Downtown Triangle area. The City places a strong emphasis on collaboration, so we work closely with partners like the school district, neighboring communities and regional entities for planning, water management, etc. All that ties back to the goal of making Waukee a welcoming, safe community for people at all stages of life. As an organization, the City also works hard to be fiscally responsible, so that the City is in a good financial position to deliver those services and amenities that people love about living in Waukee.