Are there Flock cameras in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area? Your Call the Courier questions

Q: I’m questioning Mayor Boesen. When he campaigned for the mayor position, he said that he was going to cut costs for a while and he was going to cut some of the department heads and help save us money on our taxes. Now I see he wants to hire someone to do half his work, pay him a salary and benefits. What happened to his campaign promises? 

A: Mayor Dave Boesen said during both his City Council and mayoral campaigns he would be for hiring a city manager. Our recent story on the proposal for a city manager stated Boesen has saved $260,000 on salary expenses by reducing staff positions. He is also proposing to cut his salary “dramatically,” he said.

Q: How can Marianette Miller-Meeks be a state representative and yet still be a doctor? Which is she more at, a doctor or a state representative?

A: Miller-Meeks is a full-time U.S. Representative. She was previously a practicing eye doctor and surgeon. She can still be called a doctor because she earned a medical doctor degree.

Q: Are there Flock cameras in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area? 

A: Waterloo Police have said they do not use Flock cameras and, according to a September 2025 article from Iowa Public Radio, there are no police departments in Black Hawk County or any of the counties surrounding it that use the cameras, except Oelwein. However, private businesses can use Flock cameras. According to crowdsourced data on where any Flock cameras are, there are Flock automatic license plate readers in Cedar Falls at Viking Plaza pointed at the intersection of Viking Plaza Drive and Andrea Road, pointed toward the Scheels parking lot, and a reader between Jimmy John’s and Culvers. In Waterloo, there is a Flock camera near Lowe’s on East Tower Park Drive.

Q: I read an article in The Courier about a local button club. What’s the contact information so I can see if the group wants my 75 years worth of buttons?

A: The name listed on the group’s press releases is Barbara Henning at (319) 404-5683.

Q: There are a lot of candidates for the U.S. House and Senate talking about voting on and supporting term limits. Has there ever been a vote in either the House or the Senate to do so? 

A: Yes, with the first proposals happening just one year after the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The topic became popular again around the same time as the 22nd Amendment was passed, which establishes two-term limits for presidents. The Supreme Court ruled at that time that to establish term limits for federal legislators, there needs to be a constitutional amendment, which requires support from two-thirds of Congress, or two-thirds of states. The closest the U.S. has gotten to establishing term limits for Members of Congress was in 1995, but it fell short by about 50 votes.

Q: Are there any plans to replace Riverfront Stadium where the Bucks play? The stadium is outdated and not worth putting any money into. Needs to be replaced. 

A: Yes, but it is unknown when. In February, a study was completed that found a new stadium should be created and moved and that it would cost $40 million. The preferred locations were in downtown Waterloo, near Lost Island or in the Crossroads Mall area.

Q: Whatever happened up at Roling Ford in Shell Rock with the general manager here, three or four months ago, how did that come out?

A: The alleged embezzlement by Greg Stockdale, the former general manager of Roling Ford in Shell Rock, is still under investigation. News outlets reported in April that majority owner Brad Roling fired Stockdale, claiming he committed theft and fraud at the dealership. In June, Stockdale filed a defamation lawsuit against Roling, according to Waverly Newspapers. That defamation lawsuit trial is set for August 2027. There are no criminal charges filed against Stockdale.

Q: Donald Trump made a comment in his speech the other day that if people voted and kept the Republicans in control of Congress, he would give every adult citizen $5,000. Wouldn’t that cost over a trillion dollars to do so? 

A: Yes. There are about 270 million adults in the U.S. With $5,000 going to each of them, that would cost around $1.35 trillion. 

Q: Isn’t Trump’s proposal to pay everyone $5,000 for voting Republican, isn’t that illegal? Isn’t that bribery? 

A: Experts seem to be split on that. Some called it a bribe, but others said since the $5,000 would benefit every adult no matter who they voted for, it could be likened to a campaign promise. For example, some say it is no different than a Democrat saying “if we win, student loans will be forgiven” by laws fitting their agenda being passed. Federal law prohibits someone paying to vote a particular way, but legal and finance experts say he isn’t technically telling someone to vote a particular way, just that if the outcome favors him, then Americans will benefit.

Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.