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The Ankeny City Council just adopted a $62.5 million budget, approved an $8.6 million water tower, greenlit a Freddy's restaurant — and most of you were watching Netflix.
No judgment. That's what this newsletter is for. Today we're covering everything that happened at last night's council meeting, a massive distracted driving crackdown that caught 131 people on their phones, an Ankeny kid headed to Iowa State wrestling, and why you should wear orange on Wednesday. Let's roll. 🚲
🏛️ CITY COUNCIL RECAP — APRIL 20, 2026
Last night's meeting was one of the biggest of the year. Here's what passed:
💰 FY2027 BUDGET ADOPTED
The city budget for July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 is now official. The tax rate stays at $9.90 per $1,000 — still the lowest of any city over 5,000 in the Des Moines metro. But rising property valuations mean you'll likely pay a bit more.
🗼 NEW WATER TOWER — $8.6M
Gerard Tank & Steel was awarded the contract for Elevated Water Storage Tower #4. This is a major long-term investment to keep up with Ankeny's growth.
🍔 FREDDY'S IS COMING
A public sidewalk easement was approved at 3710 NE Spectrum Drive — clearing the way for a Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers at the Spectrum 36 development. No opening date yet, but it's officially happening.
🛴 E-BIKE & SCOOTER RULES FINALIZED
Ordinance 2253 passed its third and final reading. If you ride an e-bike or electric scooter in Ankeny, watch for updated regulations.
🛣️ STREET RESURFACING — $761K
Des Moines Asphalt & Paving won the 2026 resurfacing contract. Multiple neighborhoods will see road improvements this construction season.
👮 THREE NEW CITY POSITIONS
Police Sergeant (School Resource Officer), Fire Inspector, and Traffic Safety Supervisor — all approved for FY2027.
🏘️ BERWICK ESTATES PLAT 3
Final plat and infrastructure bonds approved for the growing northeast corridor.
💳 PAY YOUR UTILITY BILL BY CARD
Council authorized a new convenience fee for debit/credit card payments on utility billing. Easier online payments are coming.
📋 Full agenda: https://www.ankenyiowa.gov/agendacenter
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📱 131 DRIVERS CAUGHT — HANDS-FREE LAW CRACKDOWN
On Friday, April 10, Ankeny PD joined 10 other agencies for a targeted Hands-Free Driving Law enforcement project from 8:30 AM to 3 PM.
The results:
• 153 total citations issued (131 for hands-free violations)
• 119 total warnings (44 for hands-free violations)
• 1 narcotics arrest
Officers focused on S. Ankeny Blvd, SE Delaware Ave, SE Oralabor Rd, NW State St & W. First St, and the S. Ankeny Blvd/Oralabor intersection.
Agencies involved: Iowa State Patrol, Dallas/Polk/Warren County Sheriffs, Des Moines PD, West Des Moines PD, Waukee PD, Johnston PD, Polk City PD, Carlisle PD, and Ankeny PD.
The message is simple: Phones down, eyes up. Enforcement will continue throughout the year.
🤼 ANKENY'S OWN HEADED TO IOWA STATE
Speaking of Cyclone pride — Ankeny Centennial's Cale Vandermark is officially
part of Iowa State's incoming freshman wrestling class.
The four-time state placewinner compiled 160 career wins, including 77 falls
and 26 tech falls. He went 34-8 as a senior and was a 2025 Fargo Junior
Freestyle All-American (seventh place). MatScouts ranked him the No. 181
overall prospect nationally. He prepped under head coach Jay Groth at
Centennial and is projected at 125/133 for the Cyclones.
And he's not the only Ankeny connection to ISU this month: Iowa State just
announced women's wrestling as its 18th varsity sport on April 16, with the
program debuting in 2027-28. Two-time World Championships silver medalist
Alli St. John was named the first head coach.
Between Ashley Joens coaching Ankeny basketball and Vandermark heading to
Ames, this town keeps producing.
📍 Sources:
https://cyclones.com/news/2026/4/2/wrestling-looking-to-the-future-a-look-at-isus-incoming-freshman-class
https://cyclones.com/news/2026/4/16/athletics-alli-st-john-named-first-head-coach-of-isu-womens-wrestling-program
https://ankenyfanatic.com/2025/11/16/centennial-wrestling-star-vandermark-signs-letter-of-intent-with-cyclones/
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🚧 IT'S NATIONAL WORK ZONE AWARENESS WEEK
April 20–24 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. The theme: "Safe Actions Save Lives."
With construction season in full swing across Ankeny — W. First Street, S. Ankeny Blvd, I-35 — this matters here more than most places.
Wednesday is Go Orange Day. Wear orange to show support for the workers behind the cones.
A work zone is someone's office. Slow down.
🌍 EARTH DAY IS WEDNESDAY
Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22. A good day to take the kids on a trail walk, skip the drive-through, or just pick up two pieces of trash at the park.
🎮 ANKENY IN ACTION
Ever wonder how the city checks sewer lines? Ankeny Municipal Utilities crews use a specialized camera system — basically a remote-controlled robot — to inspect sanitary and storm sewers. Last week, they were on NE Sherman Drive televising lines as part of an ongoing sanitary sewer evaluation study.
It's not a video game, but it does come with a pretty cool controller. 🚛
🌤️ THIS WEEK'S WEATHER
Finally feels like spring — for about 48 hours. Then storms roll in Thursday.
Day | High / Low | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
Tue 4/21 | 85° / 57° | Sunny |
Wed 4/22 | 83° / 61° | Sunny |
Thu 4/23 | 75° / 48° | Scattered Storms / Windy |
Fri 4/24 | 64° / 42° | Partly Cloudy |
Sat 4/25 | 64° / 46° | Partly Cloudy |
Sun 4/26 | 66° / 51° | PM Showers |
Mon 4/27 | 60° / 42° | Showers |
Tuesday and Wednesday will be gorgeous — mid-80s and sunny. Enjoy it before Thursday's storms knock us back to the 60s for the weekend.
✂️ RIBBON CUTTINGS THIS WEEK
🌳 D&J's Complete Tree Service Ankeny LLC
📅 Monday, April 20 | 4:30–5:00 PM
📍 413 SW Cherry St, Ankeny
🔗 https://web.ankeny.org/atlas/events/8826/details
🦶 Foot & Ankle Center of Iowa — MLS Laser Therapy Event
📅 Tuesday, April 21 | 5:30–6:30 PM
📍 1200 NW 36th St, Suite 100, Ankeny
Live laser demo, Q&A, snacks, and event-only specials. RSVP: 515-639-3775
🔗 https://web.ankeny.org/atlas/events/8816/details
🔗 www.footanklecenteriowa.com/mls-class-iv-laser-therapy
📅 COMMUNITY EVENTS
🧠 Parkinson's Disease Awareness Fair — On With Life
📅 Wednesday, April 22 | 12:00–4:00 PM
📍 717 SW Ankeny Rd (Outpatient Center)
Free event. Interactive stations on brain health, movement, speech therapy, adaptive equipment. First 100 registrants get a free t-shirt.
🔗 https://web.ankeny.org/atlas/events/8814/details
🔗 https://www.onwithlife.org/resources/events/events-list/parkinsons-disease-awareness-fair
🤝 New Member Mixer — Ankeny Area Chamber
📅 Wednesday, April 22 | 4:00–5:00 PM
📍 Luana Savings Bank, 855 W Bridge Rd, Polk City
For new chamber members. Email [email protected] with questions.
🔗 https://web.ankeny.org/atlas/events/8789/details
⚡ KEY TAKEAWAY
Last night, the council adopted the budget, approved an $8.6M water tower, finalized e-bike rules, and paved the way for Freddy's — all in one meeting. The decisions that shape your daily life in Ankeny don't happen on Election Day. They happen on a Monday night in the library.
Show up. Or at least read this newsletter.
Know a local deal, event, or story we missed? Reply to this email.
Forward this to a neighbor who didn't know Freddy's is coming.
Rolling with Ankeny — Local news, local deals, no fluff. 🚲