Iowa DOGE Task Force
Over the last three years, Governor Reynolds has consolidated agencies with similar functions, centralized programs that served similar needs, eliminated 1,200 burdensome regulations, remade legacy systems, and cut 21 agencies from her cabinet. In just 18 months, her efforts have saved taxpayers $217 million, already surpassing the initial projection for the first four years.
To build on this success, Governor Reynolds will issue an executive order to set up an Iowa DOGE task force to support DOGE’s efforts at the federal level and identify even more ways to reign in the cost of government at all levels.
Wallace Building
The Wallace State Office Building has considerable maintenance and up-keep challenges. Renovation costs for the property are estimated at upwards of $85 million. In 2023, Governor Reynolds made the cost-conscious decision to acquire a new state office building at 6200 Park Avenue in Des Moines using $18 million in one-time federal funds. That decision resulted in the state replacing the Wallace Building for a fraction of the cost it would have taken to renovate it.
Iowa code requires approval of a constitutional majority of both chambers of the legislature to dispose of any building on the state capitol complex. As a result, the Governor proposes the demolition or sale of the Wallace State Office Building and adjacent parking garage.
The total projected costs to demolish or sell the Wallace Building and the adjacent parking lot are $7 million dollars; the estimated revenue from the sale of the building and the parking garage is $9 million dollars, with a net revenue of $2 million for the general fund.