The Ames City Council gathered Wednesday to hear budget presentations from various city departments.

Parks and Recreation

The Parks and Recreation Department provides scholarships and financial assistance to many students in the Ames area. In the past year, 32 individuals registered for financial assistance, resulting in less than $7,000 distributed to scholars over the past fiscal year. 

To raise awareness and funding for their scholarship programs, the Parks and Recreation Department has added a roundup option to payments and a checkbox to registrations. The department has also held fundraising events such as the Duck Derby to promote these scholarship opportunities.

The Fitch Aquatic Center is slated to open in 2026, with the department placing 65% of expenses and 50% of revenues in the budget for this year. Swim lessons have been held at State Gym on Iowa State’s campus since Forker closed down. 

Now, council members plan to relocate those lessons to the Fitch Aquatic Center upon completion. Over the past year, the Parks and Recreation Department has sold 59 swim passes, with hopes to sell more in the coming year with to the opening of the Fitch Aquatic Center.

The Parks and Recreation Department has opened more connections with the Ames community by opening a gymnastics and taekwondo space inside their office. Instructional painting is also held in the Parks and Recreation office. 

The Ames Community Center has a high demand for gym space. The Parks and Recreation Department acknowledged this demand during the meeting.

“We just don’t have all the availability that we need,” Keith Abraham, Director of Parks and Recreation, said. 

Though the demand for gym space is high, the Parks and Recreation Department recently adopted new gym equipment, gaining positive feedback from Ames residents.

Finally, in the Ames park system, the Parks and Recreation Department removed 68 risk trees and pruned/inspected 803 possible risk trees. The Department has also worked to remove willow trees from Ada Hayden Park, as many visitors have complained that the trees block the view of the lake.

Right-of-Way Maintenance

Over the past year, the Right-of-Way Maintenance Department has inspected/ pruned 3,600 trees and removed over 2,000 ash trees. The department replants these trees at a 1:1 ratio. They also have plans to water every newly planted tree with five gallons of water once a week for the first two years of its life. For an Ames resident to request a tree to be planted at their home, they must fill out a questionnaire beforehand.

The Right-of-Way Maintenance Department also plans for their Emerald Ash Borer response plan to be completed five years ahead of schedule.

Utilities (Electric)

A generation plan and climate action plan will be introduced to the Utilities Department. The generation plan hopes to bring new energy generation resources, while the climate action plan will work to bring wind/solar power to Ames to help combat climate change.

Currently, the department is working on a cost-of-service study to assess how much money solar power saves on various expenses. In the future, the Utilities Department hopes to put solar panels on the roofs of local Ames businesses/buildings.

“We actually have a higher percentage of our customers putting solar on their roof,” Donald Kom, Director of Electric, said.

The Utilities Department has also contacted car dealerships in the Ames area to add more electric vehicle charging stations to the community. Specifically, the department hopes to add electric vehicle charging stations to 13th Street.

Removing asbestos from the power plant has been a priority for the Utilities Department this past year. The department also plans to provide more heating for the plant, as the building can become increasingly cold in winter.

Since the erasure of coal-based power in 2016, the Utilities Department has slowly been working on closing the ash pond. Ames residents can expect the ash pond to be fully closed and dismantled this year. 

A Ford Lightning has been added to the Utilities’ vehicle fleet, with the department planning to purchase another within the year.

Finally, the Utilities Department allocates $10,000 a year for the public storm warning system. The department advises Ames residents that it may not be heard from inside a building and recommends that residents turn on weather alerts on their phones.

Public Safety

The Public Safety Department has an opening for a new firefighter this year. The department is also planning to relocate Fire Station Two onto Iowa State’s campus, hoping to open a new one in the coming years due to unreliable response times.

“[We are] very lucky to have Iowa State University’s support and partnership,” Rich Higgins, Fire Chief, said.

The Department is contemplating a firehouse approach for its fourth fire station by implementing a fire station in a neighborhood into a prebuilt home. This approach would be cost-effective, costing the city less than $1 million.

The Public Safety Department hopes to purchase a fourth fire engine in the coming years. The department also recently obtained a mobile command trailer with the ability to interchange between departments. 

Ames firefighters undergo rigorous training to ensure their capability to fight fires, perform life-saving measures and work as a team.

“[We train them] to be their best on someone else’s worst day,” Higgins said.

Finally, the department has introduced “stop the bleed” kits to every school and school bus in Story County. These kits require educators to take an hour-long training and are expected to assist medical professionals as they save lives.

“We hope it never gets used,” Higgins said.

Law Enforcement

The Law Enforcement Department has eight police officer positions, two dispatch positions and several community safety officer positions to fill. The department has already begun recruitment for these positions.

The Law Enforcement Department has recently started a small drone fleet to assist with disaster relief, searching for suspects and overwatch. Five new squad cars have also been added to the fleet, three being gas-powered Ford Explorers and two being hybrids.

Schools in Story County are consistently met with outreach from the Law Enforcement Department, as they help educate students on active shooter drills, mental health advocacy and who to call when in a serious situation. 

Finally, around 30 vehicles are towed from Cyclone Welcome Weekend, with around five nuisance party citations. Over the past year, mental health calls have not gone down, while sexual assaults, thefts and noise complaints are on a downward trend. There were no homicides in 2024, however, there has been one in 2025.

To view the entire budget document, visit the city of Ames website.