News Flash

Time is running out for two community programs in Waukee. 

The Waukee Canopy Program with Waukee Parks and Recreation has only 4 trees left as of March 31. Bur Oaks will be a huge shade provider in the future if your property has the space. Note that the Canopy Program is only offered in the spring this year. Other changes include larger trees and delivery to your home instead of a pick-up night at Public Works. Get the details or reserve your tree at Waukee.org/Registration. This is only open to residents within city limits of Waukee. 

The deadline for Waukee Citizen of the Year nominations is April 3. If you know a resident who has a significant positive impact in Waukee and goes above and beyond for our community, submit a nomination with the Waukee Area Chamber of Commerce here. The winner will join a long line of incredible community members, receive an award to recognize their contributions, have a day named in their honor with a proclamation from Mayor Clarke and get a chance to ride in the Independence Day Celebration parade on July 4. 

New Can Redemption Option

Droppett recycling has a new redemption drop site in Centennial Park next to the Enclosed Shelter at the corner of Warrior Lane and University Avenue. You can collect the money or donate it to a community organization. Create your account at Droppett.com to get the welcome packet and bag tags.

While Droppett will recycle non-deposit containers, like plain water bottles, sports drinks or iced tea, the 5-cent redemption credit will only be paid for eligible Iowa deposit containers. Check for the mark on the top of the can or the bottle label for a carbonated or alcoholic beverage before bagging or boxing. 

• Bag it: Containers must be completely empty and whole—not crushed—with a legible barcode. 
  • Put aluminum and plastic containers in the same bag, any 13-gallon (standard kitchen trash bag) or larger. No grocery/shopping bags because tags don’t stick well. 
  • Place glass bottles in a taped box that will fit in the 24x30 inch drop door
• Tag it: Affix your personalized bag tag securely to your bag or your box.
• Drop it: Below each drop door is a scanner that will read your bag tag bar code to unlatch the lock. Then open the door to drop your bag or box inside.

You can also drop eligible cans and bottles in the small shed in the Fareway parking lot. Glass goes in the fenced area outside. Cans and plastic bottles go inside. Proceeds from donations support the bands at Waukee high schools. 

Thank you Waukee

Throughout the month of March, the City collected food and home staples to lend a helping hand to neighbors in need. We'll donate these items to the food pantry at WayPoint Resources. Thank you to all of you who dropped items off. We love to see the community support!

As you clean out your closets, storage rooms or garage, plan for Spring Clean-Up events in Waukee. Find more details on these events at Waukee.org/SpringCleanUp.

1. Give unwanted items a new life.

For items in good condition, consider donating to a local organization or putting it up for free on a community swap group on Facebook. Have a lot of items? Host a garage/yard sales for Citywide Garage Sale Day on Saturday, April 25. This is not a City of Waukee-sponsored event, but it is a designated day for residents to join many others in hosting garage sales at their Waukee homes. There is no facilitated flyer or website to track garage sales; however, some residents promote their sales on Facebook Marketplace or community group pages.

2. Put it out for curbside Spring Clean-Up, April 27-May 1, 2026.

During the free, curbside portion of Spring Clean-Up Week, City garbage customers can place large items on the curb for disposal on their normal garbage collection day, Monday through Friday. Put bulky items, such as furniture, oversized electronics and other large items up to five feet in length, on the curb no later than 7 a.m. on your garbage pick-up day. Smaller items should be bagged or boxed. Residents in apartments, townhomes and Midwest Country Estates may have private garbage collection and are not eligible for curbside pick-up during Spring Clean-Up week. Please refer to the property manager for guidance on disposing of large or bulky items.

Items NOT accepted on the curb:

• Appliances - bring these to drop off day on Saturday, May 2 at the Public Works building
• Broken-up concrete, asphalt, demolition materials, loose shingles and lumber
• Anything longer than five feet
• Household hazardous materials - bring these to drop off day on Saturday, May 2 at the Public Works building
• Paint; latex paint can be dried out and placed in garbage bins, but all other paint can be dropped off at the free disposal day
• Propane tanks
• Fully assembled basketball hoops, but you can dismantle them into small pieces for curbside collection
• Tires - bring these to drop off day on Saturday, May 2 at the Public Works building

3. Safely dispose of household hazardous waste, appliances, tires or electronics on Saturday, May 2, 8 a.m. to noon at Waukee Public Works.

Hazardous waste, appliances and tires will not be collected from curbs, but you can take them to the designated drop-off site for free disposal. Once again, all drop sites will be at Waukee Public Works, 805 University Avenue. This building is just west of 6th Street behind the transportation depot for the Waukee Community School District. Signs will mark the entrance and exit for the loop on drop-off day.

Household Hazardous Waste 

Many common home, garden, and automotive products contain chemicals that can be harmful to people, pets, wildlife, and the environment. If a product label includes words such as “danger,” “poison,” “warning,” or “caution,” it may be hazardous. Household products should also be considered hazardous if they have one or more of these characteristics:

• Toxic: May cause harm if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin
• Corrosive: Can cause deterioration or irreversible damage to body tissues or materials
• Flammable: Can ignite or explode under normal conditions
• Reactive: Can explode when exposed to heat, sudden shock, pressure, or incompatible substances

Examples of these items include acid, rechargeable batteries, oil, antifreeze, lawn fertilizer, pesticides, pool chemicals, oil-based paints or aerosols. You can safely get rid of them for free at our drop-off day. Latex paint will not be accepted; however, dried latex paint can be placed in regular trash bins year-round. 

The following items will not be accepted at drop-off day:

• Ammunition and explosives
• Asbestos
• Dry cement mix
• Fire extinguishers
• Joint compound
• Latex paint (can be dried out and placed in regular garbage bins)
• Medications
• Propane tanks or cylinders
• Radioactive materials

Appliances

Appliances must be cleared of food, household hazardous waste and garbage prior to drop-off. Accepted items include washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, furnaces, water heaters, stoves, etc.

Tires

Up to five car tires may be dropped off free of charge. The drop-off fee for each additional car tire will cost $1, and semi-truck and tractor tire drop-offs will cost $5 a piece. Cash only. Rims will not be accepted.

Electronics Recycling

The City is partnering with Electronic Asset Security to help you keep your electronics waste out of the landfill. Drop laptops, TVs, keyboards, speakers, printers, routers, phones, e-readers, CRTs, TVs and more for free. All data-containing devices will have data cleared. Alternatively, electronics are accepted in the weekly garbage collections or on the curb during clean-up week. Your data will not be wiped from devices left on the curb. Learn more about EAS recycling practices here.

If your computer, tablet or smart phone is still in good condition, consider donating it to the Best Buddies program instead. The devices are distributed to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Find the details on what's accepted at ElectronicAssetSecurity.com/Our-Community. Be sure to remove your Microsoft, Google or Apple accounts and anything else tied to your device before donating it. Drop it off during regular business hours at the EAS office in Urbandale and tell them it's for the Best Buddies program.

Find more details about spring clean-up and regular trash or recycling collection at Waukee.org/CleanUp.

The Waukee City Council will have two public hearings for fiscal year 2027. On April 6, 2026, there is a public hearing for the proposed property tax levy. On April 20, 2026, there is a public hearing for the FY27 budget. The meetings start at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 230 W Hickman Road, and on Zoom. Get meeting details and sign up for agenda notifications at Waukee.org/CityCouncil. At the hearings, anyone may speak in support of or present objections to the proposed tax levy.

FY27 Budget

The $148.3 million budget includes general fund expenditures of $29.8 million, business and proprietary expenses of $28.6 million, debt service expenditures of $16.7 million and capital improvement expenditures of $49.7 million. 

General fund expenses include wages, benefits and operational costs, like consulting, software, fuel, maintenance of facilities and equipment, materials and utilities for all departments, except for utility departments and the golf course. That includes everything from City Council to emergency services to the library to IT. Business and proprietary expenses include wages, benefits and all costs associated with running the utilities: Water, Sewer and Storm Water Departments as well as Sugar Creek Municipal Golf Course, including construction of infrastructure. Debt service is paying back principal and interest on the long term debt that the City has taken out to fund the bigger, expensive projects, like a new government facility or major road reconstruction. Capital improvement includes other major projects, such as new parks, new road construction and remodeling city buildings.

Get an overview of the FY27 budget and read the full draft budget at Waukee.org/Budget.

Proposed Tax Levy

City Council plans to keep the property tax levy at $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable value. The City's levy makes up about 36 percent of a tax bill. 

The City of Waukee finances nearly 60 percent of its general fund operations through property taxes, which pays for police, fire, park maintenance, government operations, library services and more. For a Waukee resident owning a home with an assessed value of $400,000, it costs around $6.65 per day for City services. With the FY27 rollback rate, it will be $6.25 per day. To see where your tax dollars are invested in Waukee, enter your address to get your City of Waukee Tax Receipt at Waukee.org/Tax. 

Assessed property value is not taxable valuation. Get all the details on the things that determine how much property tax you pay at Waukee.org/PropertyTax101. This page also helps you understand how Waukee compares to other communities in Iowa and similar cities in other states

How to speak at a Public Hearing

To speak at a public hearing, wait for the Mayor to declare the hearing open and ask if anyone wishes to address the council. Come up to the podium or use the Raise Hand function in Zoom. The Mayor will call on each person to speak in turn. When it’s your time to talk, state your name and address for the record. Each speaker has up to 5 minutes to share their thoughts.

Have questions about the budget or property taxes? City staff are happy to help! Email us any time at communications@waukee.org. 

Hop over and fill your baskets full of candy at Waukee’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. The hunt starts at 10 a.m. sharp, rain or shine, on Saturday, April 4 at Centennial Park. Be sure to plan ahead, so you have time to park and get to the designated section for your child before 10 a.m. This hunt goes fast! After the starting horn sounds, kids can enjoy hunting for thousands of eggs and pieces of candy. Watch for the special golden prize eggs! Please note that some candy may contain nuts. 

The crowd will be divided into three age groups at the park:

• Ages 4 and under: greenspace west of Field #3
• Ages 5-7: Fields #2 and #3
• Ages 8-10: Field #1

Things to Think About 

The Waukee District PTO will hold a Waukee Walks event at 9 a.m. in Centennial Park on April 4 before the egg hunt. If you're participating in the walk, grab a drink or a treat from Traveling Tom's Coffee or The Donut Den food trucks and stick around for the hunt. Get more details on their Facebook event page here. If you aren't doing the walk, allow a little extra time to find parking and to navigate people leaving the Waukee Walks event. 

Warrior Lane is closed from south of Ford Lane and Park Road to University Avenue. The trail through the park is open. Park Road is open through Centennial Park. Allow extra time when traveling in this area. Read more about the road closure here.

Easter Coloring Contest

Help spread some Easter cheer in the Downtown Triangle District! Print a coloring sheet and entry form below to create your masterpiece. Send it in or drop it off at the Parks and Recreation office by March 29. Winners will receive an egg’cellent Easter basket filled with goodies! All ages can participate - adults too! Download your coloring page here.

See current lane, street and trail closures within Waukee city limits here. 

Want to be notified by email or text for new closures? Sign up here. Scroll down to News Flash and select Street Closures and Construction.