The top Democrat in the Iowa Senate says it’s likely lawmakers will shelve plans to break ground on a new state office building in the next year.
Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says the $38 million that’s been set aside for the project should be used elsewhere. "When times are good and you’ve got a ton of money…and everything’s hunky-dory, it is time to deal with state infrastructure needs and build a new building. The building we have now’s now in very good shape and probably can’t be fixed up very effectively, but can it wait five years?" Gronstal says of the project. "It can certainly wait five years."
Gronstal suggests money set aside for other state government building projects should be used, instead, for rebuilding areas damaged during this spring’s floods. "I don’t want our rebuild effort to look like New Orleans," Gronstal says. "I want it to look a lot better than theirs."
According to Gronstal, anything in the state budget that’s not "nailed down" is subject to consideration as lawmakers prepare to pare down the state budget.