Catching Up with the Ankeny City Council Candidates: Meet Gary Welch

The Ankeny City Council election is less than a month away and five candidates have launched their campaigns.

on the council. Incumbents include Tom Strait, Gary Welch and Craig Block. The challengers are Mark Holm and Jim McKenna.

The council election is Nov. 8.

Ankeny Patch recently asked each council candidate to complete a questionnaire, posing a series of questions ranging from basic information to their takes on specific issues within the city.

We will publish one questionnaire daily this week. Today, we caught up with Gary Welch, an Ankeny resident seeking his fourth term on the Ankeny City Council.

GARY WELCH

Age: 67

Address: 3002 N.E. Briarwood Drive

Occupation: Retired school social worker working in Ankeny for 27 years

Education: Master's degree from the University of Nebraska

Family: Married to my high school sweetheart, Colleen, for 43 years. We have two children, Eric and wife, Jennifer, and Jason and wife, Kay. We also have two grandchildren.

How long has Ankeny been your home? 33 years

How may voters contact you? They can contact me at home 515-964-7432 or by e-mail at gwelch@ci.ankeny.ia.us or www.ci.ankeny.us.

Residents have complained at recent council meetings about the pace of storm sewer projects and that they weren't kept informed of plans. How can the city better inform residents of construction in their neighborhoods?

Residents deserve to know the timing and scope of projects occurring in their neighborhoods.

City staff and the contractor are responsible for keeping residents informed about the status of projects and they typically do a very good job. From time to time, unforeseen challenges occur that needs special attention and extra follow-up. 

One way to improve communication is to contractually require the contractor overseeing the project to provide residents up-to-date information and to immediately resolve problems as they arise. They would need to be actively engaged with the city so problems could be resolved quickly and efficiently.

Are you happy with the city's current tax rate? If not, what should it be set at and how would the additional money be spent or trimmed from the budget?

No. My goal is to provide the community the best possible quality of life for the lowest cost possible. Tax rate adjustments must be balanced with the needs of the community and understanding the impact on core services. Keep in mind that the city represents about 25 percent of Ankeny’s overall property tax dollar, so we must ensure spending is smart, strategic and valuable.

With unfunded mandates and future reduced funding, it is key that we constantly evaluate spending priorities, understand the value to the community, and become as efficient as possible. Over the past few years, some city programming has been cut and new staff has not been hired except for the fire and police departments. Through the years, I helped hold the line with tax increases and worked collaboratively to save taxpayer monies. I will continue to seek input from the community to determine priorities and to maintain or lower the tax rate moving forward.

If the city had a $100,000 surplus that had to be spent this year, where should it go?

With the reduction of funding in the near future, it is unlikely there will be a surplus. However, any surplus should be returned to the taxpayer or used to maintain infrastructure.

What experience do you have working on councils, boards or commissions?

Throughout my life I have learned from and been actively involved with quality organizations from Scout leader to Little League coach. Today, I am very involved with Rotary International (past president and district governor) and the Neveln Community Resource Center (founding chair). In the past, I served on many other relevant civic boards including chairperson of the Metro Waste Authority Board, Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Community Education Board liaison, Ankeny Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and the Mayor’s Youth Council.

What do you feel is the biggest threat to the community?

There are two major threats to our community: property taxes and population growth. First, we must provide an affordable and consistent property tax rate for all businesses and residents. This will also attract and drive future economic development. I am proud that the city of Ankeny has held the line with tax increases in recent years and I pledge to do so moving forward. Finally, we must continue moving forward with the 20-year Ankeny Comprehensive Plan. The community helped craft the plan and it identifies and prioritizes the needs of the community. It is critical we do not postpone the implementation of the plan.  The plan ensures we are properly prepared for our growth and we remain attractive for future economic development.

Besides the people, what is the community's greatest asset?

Ankeny has many great assets and that is why we are the fastest growing city in Iowa. People and businesses choose Ankeny as their home because past city, school and other community leaders collaborated together and worked hard to build a stronger Ankeny. Residents indicate that Ankeny’s greatest assets are its sense of community, strong school system, family friendliness, and safe environment. The bottom line is that Ankeny provides a great quality of life, which attracts new residents and drives our local economy. As a leader on the city council, I will do everything possible to protect and build upon these critical areas.