City Council Decides Against Referendum On Five Flags Center

In a sudden shift, Dubuque City Council members have unanimously agreed to not move forward with scheduling a public vote on $92.4 million in funding for a proposed Five Flags Center expansion. Instead, council members voted 6-0 Monday to schedule a work session on July 11th to discuss alternative options for making less-costly improvements to the center. Just last month, council members voted, 5-2, to have city staff draft language for a public vote on March 7th, but they needed to vote in favor again to officially set the referendum. Voters would have been asked to approve the city borrowing up to $92 million for the project, which would have included the demolition of the existing center and the construction of a larger facility that can seat about 6,400 and expands across West Fifth Street, along with making improvements to Five Flags Theater. But on Monday, council members expressed doubt over the proposed project, arguing that it would put an extreme debt burden on the city and that there was a general lack of support for the project from the public.