Future Bettendorf Police Station

Your vote matters. On November 4, 2025, the City of Bettendorf asked voters if it may spend up to $27 million to construct, equip, and furnish a new facility for your police officers. This bond referendum, listed as Public Measure A on the ballot for the City/School Election in Scott County, required 60% of voters to say yes.

Preliminary results show that nearly 74% of voters did just that.

The City of Bettendorf is grateful to its residents for their support of this project. Thank you to those who attended our public informational meetings, toured the police station, and informed themselves before making this important vote.

On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Bettendorf City Council approved a resolution to amend the city’s contract with Bray Architects so they can finish designing the station. City Engineer Brent Morlok presented at Council's Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday, November 17, 2025 (see video below).

PROJECT TIMELINE
Fall 2025-Spring 2026
The final design is divided into three phases: schematic design, design development, and construction documents. During the schematic design phase, which is expected to last three months, the Core Planning Team (CPT), comprising of Bray, Estes Construction, and staff from the city’s Police, Administration, Public Works, Finance, and Legal Departments, will review such items as the site plan, building footprint, building massing and circulation, and exterior design. During the design development phase, which will follow the schematic design phase and last approximately three months, Bray, Estes, and the CPT will begin engineering building systems, such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, and provide more detailed information on the design, while also selecting materials.

Winter 2026
As work on the final design progresses, the city’s Finance Department plans to sell the first set of bonds to pay for the project in February 2026. As mentioned during public informational meetings leading up to the referendum vote, the city will only issue bonds in the amount necessary to construct and equip the facility, which cannot exceed the $27 million that voters authorized. To help residents understand the tax impact on their property once all the necessary bonds are sold, the city has created an estimation for every address that can be assessed by visiting www.bettendorf.org/MyAddress.

Spring 2026-Fall 2026
Once the design development phase is complete, the CPT will prepare final construction documents and start bidding for the project. Several bid packages are anticipated, with the full project expected to be bid by September 2026. At this time, a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) will be established between the city and Estes, which cannot exceed $27 million as mentioned above. The total project cost includes construction, design and construction management fees, and owner-provided costs (utility connection feeds, furniture, technology equipment, etc.).

Fall 2026-Fall 2027
Construction is expected to last approximately one year and be completed by the end of 2027, weather permitting.

BUDGET CHECKPOINTS
Detailed budgeting will take place throughout the entire final design. However, there are four established checkpoints when Bray will ensure the project remains on budget: after the schematic design phase, after the design development phase, halfway through the construction documents phase, and after the completion of the construction documents phase. With Estes having already been selected as the Construction Manager, they will work jointly with Bray during the final design phase to ensure the GMP is in line with city budget expectations.

FINAL PRODUCT
This police station will not only modernize but will also significantly assist the Bettendorf Police Department in its mission to protect and serve. Apart from being centrally located, which allows for better response times within the community, it will feature collaborative workspaces, adequate facilities to train officers, secure spaces for the protection of staff, officers, equipment, and fleet, improvements to evidence storage, a community room, plus the ability to grow the department, attract, and retain officers.

The City of Bettendorf prides itself on transparency, and we are committed to continuing that throughout this entire process. We will keep you updated every step of the way on this specal web page. If you have any questions throughout this process, please email police@bettendorf.org and we will do our best to answer as quickly as possible.