by Bill Monroe, Staff Reporter Published January 28, 2026
The Ames City Council decided how the city will handle gender identity discrimination complaints after directing city staff members in December to add gender identity as a protected class in the city’s human relations code.
by Bill Monroe, Staff Reporter Published January 28, 2026
Ames is moving forward with plans to build a new Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus that will replace the city’s aging waste processing plant, and the Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center is on track with its construction, the lobby floors require costly upgrades.
by Bill Monroe, Staff Reporter Published January 21, 2026
The Ames City Council is looking at a five-year plan to spend more than $431 million on major projects across the city, from moving a fire station to building new water towers and replacing aging streets.
by Bill Monroe, Staff Reporter Published December 17, 2025
It’s tougher than ever to budget for a city due to new legislative mandates on Iowa’s property tax system, forcing cities to find additional revenue to maintain services. For the city of Ames, the loss of property tax revenue has a substantial impact on its budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
by Bill Monroe, Reporter Published December 17, 2025
The opening of the Fitch Family Indoor Aquatic Center may be delayed from March to April due to construction setbacks. The main pool area won’t be substantially completed until Feb. 13, while other parts of the building are scheduled to finish Jan. 23.
by Bill Monroe, Staff Reporter Published December 10, 2025
The Ames City Council discussed changes to the city’s park rules, including new restrictions on swimming and updates to address bicycles, electric scooters and other forms of transportation.
by Bill Monroe, Staff Reporter Published December 10, 2025
The Ames City Council is gearing up to go beyond Iowa’s Civil Rights Act with a new ordinance that would protect people from discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations.
by Bill Monroe, Reporter Published November 29, 2025
Construction for a new facility to handle Ames’ community trash and recycling could begin this spring. Ames is building the new facility to handle the community’s trash and recycling, and work on the project is progressing well, the city council learned in a report reviewed at Tuesday’s meeting.
by Bill Monroe, Reporter Published November 19, 2025
Ames is wasting no time in preparing for a curbside recycling program. Every household would get a 96-gallon recycling cart picked up every other week at a likely monthly cost between $6 and $8 per household, city staff recommended to the Ames City Council on Tuesday.
by Bill Monroe, Reporter Published November 19, 2025
Ames needs a new deal for natural gas to keep its municipal power plant running and burning garbage. With the current contract ending on Dec. 31, city staff recommended a flexible buying plan to the Ames City Council that will cost up to $7 million for the first half of 2026.
Ames voters approved spending $10.5 million to relocate Fire Station No. 2 from the heart of Campustown to State Avenue. There were 5,881 votes on the question in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial election results from the Iowa Secretary of State. The bond garnered 5,099 yes votes — 86.7%.
