News

City Paid At Least $3,716.89 for KVEC's Boats — But Who Owns Them Is Still Unclear

Published July 29, 2026 at 10:39 AM

City council records confirm the City of Keokuk paid at least $3,716.89 for boat parts, labor and shipping connected to KVEC between November 2024 and November 2025 — while the full scope of KVEC's boat fleet, and who legally owns it, remains undocumented.

Save KVEC's investigation into boat ownership, storage and maintenance is part of a broader effort to account for every City resource connected to KVEC. Here is what has been confirmed, and what is still an open question.

Two Confirmed Payments

City council packets show two separate payments for KVEC boat-related expenses:

$2,582.00 for KVEC boat parts and labor, recorded in the November 21, 2024 council packet;
$1,134.89 for KVEC boat parts and shipping, recorded in the November 6, 2025 council packet.

Together, that is $3,716.89 in documented City spending on KVEC's boats in roughly one year — and both payments have been entered into Save KVEC's ongoing audit of City expenditures related to KVEC.

Five Boats, One Undocumented Fleet

According to firsthand information provided to Save KVEC, KVEC's operation includes four boats — a 20-foot boat, an 18-foot boat, a 14-foot boat, and a 20-foot airboat — in addition to a separate rescue boat belonging to the Fire Department.

This count is reported as a lead based on firsthand information and has not yet been confirmed against a public inventory, title record or insurance schedule. Save KVEC has not located documentation establishing who owns each of these boats, where they are stored, how they are insured, or which purchases — if any — were made with public money beyond the two payments above.

Why the City Is Paying for Boats It May Not Own

If the City is paying for parts, labor and shipping on boats it does not own, taxpayers are entitled to know the terms of that arrangement: is there a lease, a mutual-aid agreement, a maintenance contract, or some other formal basis for the City covering these costs? If the boats are City property, taxpayers are entitled to see the purchase records, titles and insurance.

Either the City owns these boats and should be able to produce the purchase and title records, or it doesn't own them and needs to explain why public money is paying for their upkeep.

Part of a Larger Audit

Both confirmed boat payments have already been folded into Save KVEC's broader audit of City expenditures connected to KVEC. That audit is still in its general-ledger phase: known claims and budget lines have been identified, but a complete accounting requires the full general ledger, invoices, purchase orders, warrants, reimbursements and account coding — records the City has not yet released in full.

What Save KVEC Is Asking For

Purchase records and titles for every boat used by KVEC;
Insurance schedules identifying who insures each boat;
Any lease, mutual-aid, or maintenance agreement between the City and KVEC covering boats;
Storage location and condition records; and
A complete general ledger showing every City expenditure connected to KVEC's boat fleet.

Know Something About KVEC's Boats?

If you have information about these boats — where they came from, who owns them, where they're stored, or who pays for their upkeep — Save KVEC wants to hear from you. You can submit a witness statement anonymously, with no name or email required.

Sources

Additional details in this article are based on firsthand information provided to Save KVEC and are identified as such. Save KVEC is continuing to seek public records that would confirm or clarify these accounts.