Located at the upper end of the Rock Island Rapids, Rapids City grew around the site of a grist and saw mill. Laid out in 1838 and incorporated in 1875, the village boomed during the 1870's through the 1880's.
Because of neighboring coal mines during this period, grocery and dry goods stores, a blacksmith shop, a restaurant, hotel, millinery and shoe store provided services for miners, farmers, and their families. Charles Shuler operated the Rapids City Coal Mining Company during the 1880's.
Mills were important to local businesses, especially in the early years. Sawmills provided lumber for building homes and businesses and grist mills turned locally grown grain into flour for houshold use. Rapids City's first grist and saw mill was built by the Wells brothers from nearby Hampton.
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Modern day Rapids City is located in the eastern portion of the Quad City metropolitan area along the banks of the Mississippi river in northwestern Illinois. It is a part of Rock Island County and is situated where Interstate 80 crosses into Iowa. Rapids City's land area equals 960 acres with a perimeter boundary just under 6 miles. The current population of 960 citizens is growing due to increased housing starts in new subdivisions.
Municipal buildings currently consist of:
The Village Hall / Community Center located at 1204 4th Ave.
The Maintenance Building located at 803 17th. St.
A salt storage building located at 1308 4th Ave.
The Village water system consists of a 150,000 gallon elevated storge tank, a 6000 gallon wet well and 2 groundwater wells. Rapids City residents use approximately 70,000 gallons of water per day. The current water supply infrastructure is expected to reliably serve the Village for years to come.
The sewer system is a gravity fed system consisting of two lift stations and one high pressure pumping station. The design capacity of the sewer system is rated at 932 gallons per minute, or 1.3 million gallons per day. The sewage is pumped through a dedicated line, approximately 5 miles in length, to the city of East Moline for treatment.
The majority of Rapids City's roads are asphalt. Roads along Illinois Route 84 are maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation, while 12th Sreet / County road 6 is maintained by Rock Island County.
Commercial developments in Rapids City are primarily adjacent to Illinois Route 84. There is no existing industry or business district.
The legislative system in Rapids City consists of a Village Board, comprised of the President and six Trustees. The Board is responsible for passing Village Ordinances, adopting an operating budget and other Village policies. The President is responsible for carrying out policies and ordinances set by the Board, supervising the operation of the Village and appointing committees. The President and the Trustees are elected to four-year staggered terms. Elections are held every two years for 3 of the 6 Trustee positions.
The operating budget and appropriation ordinance is passed prior to the fiscal year, which is May 1st through April 30th. The main source of revenue to the Village is through the collection of taxes. The Tax Levy Ordinance sets the taxes for each year for such purposes as funding day-to-day operating expenses, police protection, maintinance of the cemetery, audit expenses, liability insurance and retirement funding.
The health plan for full-time employees is through United Healthcare. Our property, casualty, liability and worker's compensation insurance is provided by the Illinois Municipal League Risk Management Association, while the Illinois Municpal Retirement Fund provides retirement services for Village employees.
