Overview
- The meeting was opened by former councilor Matt Dalbey, who delivered a Satanic invocation that concluded "Hail Satan" on Tuesday and prompted Pastor Rick Bick to rush the podium and call for the words to be reversed.
- The council adopted Resolution 18-2026 on January 20 to allow any Ottumwa resident a two-minute invocation on a first-come, first-served basis, and the policy bars prior review of content while prohibiting proselytizing or disparagement.
- Mayor Benjamin Foote paused the meeting for a 30-second moment of silence, told reporters the invocation does not represent the community, and city officials said they have fielded numerous public calls about the incident.
- City Administrator Philip Rath and other officials warned that altering or limiting the open-invocation rule could expose the city to constitutional or statutory legal challenges, and Dalbey is scheduled to speak again on November 3.
- The episode reflects longer-running activism by The Satanic Temple in Iowa, which describes its practice as non-theistic and symbolic, and follows earlier statehouse displays and related legal disputes that shape local officials’ caution.