Council to discuss letter regarding Amtrak funding
OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa City Council during Tuesday's meeting at Bridge View Center is anticipated to authorize a letter from mayor Rick Johnson to several of Iowa's congressional delegation regarding funding from Amtrak service next year.
The letter, addressed to Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, as well as Reps. Marianette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, discusses concerns about the potential lack of funding as part of the next federal budget.
Amtrak, which is subsidized by the government, operates the California Zephyr, one of two long-distance trains that runs through Iowa. Ottumwa is one of the stops on the route, which stretches from Chicago to Emeryville, California, near San Francisco.
However, without financial support, the route could be discontinued under U.S. Code if Congress fails to provide funding for train service. So far, the Trump Administration has not indicated if there will be funding available.
"Amtrak has not submitted a grant request for FY 2026 yet and has signaled it may not submit one at all," Johnson said in his letter. "It is critical that Amtrak be funded in 2026 so they can continue to operate their passenger trains across southern Iowa.
"Amtrak is a key component of economic vitality in southern Iowa and the number of travelers using Amtrak continues to increase every year as airplane travel becomes more restricted and more expensive."
Ottumwa was the third-most popular stop in Iowa according to Amtrak's most recent figures from fiscal year 2024. The Ottumwa stop featured 8,719 riders, and the only two stops with higher ridership were Osceola (13,194) and Mount Pleasant (9,128), which bracket the Ottumwa stop to the west and east, respectively, on the California Zephyr.
Also, Amtrak has been reconstructing the depot's platform and other making other improvements to the station since 2022, which initially cost about $14 million.
"Without Amtrak service to and from Ottumwa, the results would be catastrophic to both our local economy as well as reduced tourism travel across southern Iowa," Johnson said in the letter.
Also, the council is expected to establish fees for various permits, which will be effective July 1.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.
Wapello County Board of Supervisors
The supervisors will meet in regular session Tuesday at the courthouse to discuss minor items, but will later enter a work session to discuss the makeup of the EMS advisory council, which was tabled two weeks ago amid frustration over favoritism from City of Ottumwa officials, who were concerned the council wasn't constructed to meet the community's needs.
The regular meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor courtroom/board room, but the work session will be at 10 a.m. in the supervisors' office on North Court Street.
Two weeks ago, the supervisors adopted a resolution to declare EMS as an essential county service, which was also intended to kickstart the creation of the advisory council and the work to begin assessing the county's needs.
However, the creation of the list was tabled for more discussion over concerns regarding the representation, specifically the lack of law enforcement officials among the 14 council members.
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