Storm Lake, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) — Last winter, Storm Lake city council laid out a five-year-vision centered on safety, growth and quality of life. The mid-year progress report is showing major wins for the first half of 2025, and you can read the full report at the Storm Lake City website.

In the first half of 2025, On the safety front, the Storm Lake Police Department tackled and resolved a massive, 19-hour armed standoff, demonstrating exceptional readiness. They also brought in a new crime-fighting tool: K-9, Duke, has been trained and sworn into service.

The Fire Department is focused on prevention, adding its first-ever full-time Fire Inspector to keep the city safe, and they’ve already placed orders for two new fire trucks to modernize the fleet.

In infrastructure—a massive project is underway. The city’s new one-point-seven-five-million-gallon water tower is nearing completion, a historic investment ensuring Storm Lake’s future water supply.

And the city continues to grow, as economic development efforts contributed to the completion of 75 new housing units this year, all while Public Services wrapped up major asphalt overlay projects across town.

That’s Storm Lake’s 2025 report: a focus on protection, progress, and planning for the future