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Home My WebLink About09-28-2004 Charter Review Commission�r _r a -0 CR23 CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 -1826 (3 19) 356 -5000 (319) 356 -5009 FAX www.lcgov.org CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA Wednesday, September 29, 2004 Harvat Hall, City Hall 410 East Washington Street 7:00 -9:30 AM 1. Approve Minutes 2. Public Comment 3. Review Charter 4. Public hearing process Time limitations Discussion /response to comments Publicity 5. Future Meeting Schedule (all meetings begin at 7:00 AM) a. Dates already set aside October 11 October 12 (public hearing 7:00 -9:00 PM) October 13 October 20 October 27 6. Old Business 7. Adjournment (9:30 AM) 3 1 � OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZEN INPUT ��,■ Iowa City's Charter Review Commission has scheduled a meeting to receive citizen input on the Iowa City Charter CITY OF IOWA CITY Tuesday, October 12, 7:00 PM, Harvat Hall of City Hall, 410 East Washington Street. The Commission's duty is to perform a review and make recommendations for possible revisions to the City Charter, which supplies the groundwork and organization for Iowa City's government. This review takes place once every ten years. An important part of this review process is to hear citizen's opinions regarding the present Charter. Citizens are encouraged to attend the hearing and present oral comments (limit of 5 minutes per person). Written comments may be addressed to the Charter Review Commission, c/o City Clerk, 410 East Washington Street, or by e -mail to citycharter @iowa- city.org What is the City Charter? The Iowa City Charter is a document that determines how the government of Iowa City is organized. The 19 page document provides the legal basis for: • Composition of the City Council — number of members; district and at -large members; • How the Council is elected and Mayor is chosen; • Employment and duties of the City Manager; • Relationship with City Boards and Commissions; • Restrictions on campaign contributions; • Procedures for citizen initiatives and referenda. • Other administrative and organizational elements The current Charter is available for review at: www.icgov.org/citychartei, City Clerk's office at 410 East Washington Street; or at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn Street. Minutes of the prior Commission meetings are also available at www.icgov.org/eijycharte or in the City Clerk's office. Call 356 -5041 for further information. ��o WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU..... CITY OF IOWA CITY Iowa City's Charter Review Commission has scheduled a meeting to hear citizen input on the Iowa City Charter for Tuesday evening, October 12, at 7:00 PM, in Hai-vat Hall of City Hall, 410 East Washington Street. Citizens are encouraged to attend the hearing and present oral comments (limit of 5 minutes per person). Written comments may be addressed to the Commission % City Clerk, 410 East Washington Street, or to citycharter @iowa- city.org. Copies of the Charter are available on the city website wNvw.ic og v org: in the City Clerk's office at 410 East Washington Street; or at the Public Library, address insert. Minutes of the Commission meetings are also available on line (provide link) or in the City Clerk's office. The Iowa City Charter is a document that determines how the government of Iowa City is organized. The 19 page document provides for: • Composition of the City Council - 3 district Council Members and 4 at large Council Members; • Outlines the election process for the District Council Members by nomination and primary, if necessary, within the District and for at large Members by primary citywide, if necessary. hr the general election the entire City votes for all 7 members; • Sets forth the appointment, qualifications, and duties of the City Manager; • Provides procedures for establishment of City Boards and Commissions and appointments and removal of members; • Requires Council to establish limitations , on campaign contributions in local Council elections; • Allows for citizen initiatives and referendums on some issues; • Contains the procedures for review of the City Charter every ten years by an appointed Charter Review Commission. r III ! ®� CITY OF IOWA CITY N[ M A N vu DATE: September 29, 2004 TO: Charter Review Commission FROM: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk RE: Affidavit of Circulator At your meeting of August 26 information was distributed which contained an "Affidavit of Circulator" form. In discussing this form at our September 27 meeting it was noted that the definition added to the bottom of the form was not correct. After reviewing my files I found that the form distributed was never used by this office but was available for handout purposes. The definition has been corrected; and no submissions have been made using the form. Attachment: Affidavit of Circulator AFFIDAVIT OF CIRCULATOR State of Iowa City of Iowa City, Johnson County I, , (Name) (Address) Iowa City, Iowa, on oath depose and say that I am a qualified elector. 1 hereby certify that I personally circulated the petitions attached hereto. I have obtained (number) signatures, all of which were affixed and dated in my presence and I believe them to be genuine signatures of the persons whose names they purport to be. I swear that each signer had an opportunity before signing to read the full text of the ordinance proposed or sought to be reconsidered. I understand that I am liable to criminal penalties as provided by State law if I file a false affidavit. Witness my hand this day of (Signature) Subscribed in my presence and sworn to before me by this day of 20 20 Notary Public in and for Johnson County, Iowa "Qualified elector" means a resident of Iowa City who is registered to vote in Iowa City pursuant to the City Charter. LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF JOHNSON COUNTY (LWVJC) REGIONAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Presentation to the Iowa City Charter Review Commission September 29, 2004 Thank you for providing this chance for the League Regional Government Committee to present information illustrating that Iowa City needs stronger leadership if it is to be effective in improving intergovernmental relations in Johnson County. We hope you will find this useful as you consider possible changes to the existing Iowa City City Charter. As an arm of the League, which supports the existing Charter, we are not at this time making recommendations for any specific changes. But we do want to share with you the results of our research over the past three years into "the forms, structure, advantages and disadvantages of regional government and how they might apply to Johnson County and its local jurisdictions." As you review the current Charter, we hope you will be aware that Iowa City does not exist in a vacuum but functions as the hub of a growing, vital metropolitan area with developing ties to adjacent counties. We wanted you to be aware of what community leaders are saying on the subject of Iowa City's regional role and how its current Charter might relate to this. After studying developments across the country in local government consolidation, we produced a "Background Paper," and League members adopted these positions: The current mechanisms in place in Johnson County to aid the cooperation and coordination of intergovernmental and regional issues are neither adequate nor adequately utilized. The LWV should stimulate serious community dialogue on structural solutions to intergovernmental problems, including the possibility of a charter commission. To test community readiness for a Consolidation Charter Commission and views on local intergovernmental cooperation, we sought the opinions of some twenty -five community leaders: elected and appointed local officials from various jurisdictions, members of the business community and of local organizations, and political leaders. We conducted a focus group with the Local Government Affairs Committee of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce. This is what we learned: • Cooperation currently exists, but it could be better. • Intergovernmental cooperation and coordination can be improved. • Regionalizing specific services, one at a time, is preferable to structural change. • Governmental change won't come soon or easily. • Strong political leadership, education, and changes in thinking are needed to bring aboutchange. The problem of political leadership needs to be addressed. It may be due to mayors and supervisor chair positions not being directly elected. Involvement by strong personalities with leadership abilities, commitment, and vision and a move away from territoriality to one of integration and cooperation will be necessary. Below are comments made by those we interviewed. Since we conducted our interviews confidentially, the comments are not assigned to individuals. ® The city manager needs to be directly responsible to the people. ® 1 favor a strong elected mayor; it would take someone strong to make this happen, and there isn't anyone I can thing of. ® Need collective leadership. ® In the city the city manager is the leader, where in the county all five supervisors are. ® Professional management inherently slows intergovernmental progress. Less inclined than policy makers to give away authority. Several elected officials are councils /boards would have to take leadership; there is not ever present constituency for change. ® Strong personalities with leadership abilities, commitment, and vision need to be involved. ® The problem is political leadership: This is difficult due to the Iowa City Mayor and Supervisors Chair structure not being directly elected. You could make a lot of progress if we go rid of that system; that's what's holding up the changes you are talking about. ® The key will be political leadership. Even though we do not have a strong elected mayor or chair of the Supervisors, those political leaders can cut you right off if they are not interested. ® 1 am in favor of a strong mayor. ® There must be strong leadership. ® In favor of a strong mayor. I'm 100% behind this. A good example was Mayor Canney of Cedar Rapids who really knew how to lead. As we had found no strong interest among community leaders in changing the structure of governments within Johnson County, we followed their almost unanimous suggestion that we begin by selecting one or two services and working to integrate those. This could serve as a foundation for raising intergovernmental cooperation to higher levels. We also decided to focus on the Johnson County Council of Governments ( JCCOG) as one mechanism already in place for intergovernmental cooperation. Our interviewees had told us that JCCOG could achieve greater effectiveness if it addressed a wider variety of intergovernmental issues and if the makeup and voting procedures were redesigned. At present, JCCOG is examining the possibility of a centralized emergency communications system, a move that we had suggested to County government and many city councils throughout the County. It remains to be seen if even this limited service integration goal will be achieved. We have found that the absence of strong leadership from either local governments or the business community is inhibiting further progress toward intergovernmental cooperation. Depending on developments in this area, it may be necessary for the League to initiate petitions for a Consolidation Charter Commission. �f o rai_ Year Voter Turnout Percent of turnout 25% of turnout Issue on Ballot? 1985 4574 1144 Yes -- charter change 1987 5,691 1423 No 1989 8,826 23.50% 2207 Yes-- Walmart 1991 9,648 23.80% 2412 Yes — library funding 1993 7,929 21.400/6 1982 No ?252d{No 2300Yes- -1st Ave. 1995 10,097 25.60 0/,2 1997 9,200 26.00% 1999 7,842 21.50% 1960 2667; 2025 No 2001 10,668 25.90% No 2003 8,101 20.90% No 82576 average last 5 regular city elections = 9,182 voters, 25 %= 2,295 average last 5 regluar city elections = 24.0% turnout average last 10 regluar city elections = 8258 voters, 25% = 2,064 don't have percentages for the '85 or'87 elections Highest turnout in 1977 with contested council and jail bond referendum have no information about what percentage turnout that vote was Vol K l lul �