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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-13 Info Packet_ 1 r 1 -� ...--iskrimilguilow • CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org City Council Information Packet January 13, 2022 IP1. Council Tentative Meeting Schedule January 18 Work Session IP2. Work Session Agenda IP3. Memo from Assistant City Manager. American Rescue Plan Act Update Memo from City Manager. Expediting the Market/Jefferson Capital Project IP4. Pending City Council Work Session Topics Miscellaneous IP5. Memo from City Manager. City Council Strategic Plan IP6. Memo from City Manager. ARPA Grant CommUnity Crisis Services & Foodbank Mobile Crisis Outreach IP7. Memo from City Clerk: Joint Entities Agenda Items for January 24 IP8. CMI Service Examination: Information Security Analyst IP9. CMI Service Examination: Water Service Clerk 1 44rii „t go CITY OE IOWA CITY www.icgov.org City Council Informati • Packet IPI. Council Tentative Meeting Schedule January 18 Work S - - ion IP2. Work ession Agenda 1P3. Memo f • Assistant City Manager: A IP4. Pending Ci Council Work Sessio opics Mi ellaneous January 13, 2022 rican Rescue Plan Act Update IP5. Memo from City Ma ager: ' ity Council Strategic Plan IP6. Memo from City Maria. :: ARPA Grant CommUnity Crisis Services & Foodbank Mobile Crisis Outrea IP7. Memo from City C , rk: Join Entities Agenda Items for January 24 IP8. Civil Service E ; mination: I nf. t ation Security Analyst IP9. CMI Service xamination: Water • ervice Clerk Item Number: 1. J anuary 13, 2022 Council Ten tative Meeting Sched u l e AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Council Tentative Meeting S chedule City Council Tentative Meeting Schedule Subject to change January 13, 2022 Date Time Meeting Location Tuesday, January 18, 2022 4:00 PM Work Session The Center, Assembly Room 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 28 S. Linn Street Monday, January 24, 2022 4:30 PM Joint Entities Meeting TBD Hosted by Johnson County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, February 1, 2022 4:00 PM Work Session The Center, Assembly Room 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 28 S. Linn Street Tuesday, February 15, 2022 4:00 PM Work Session The Center, Assembly Room 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 28 S. Linn Street Tuesday, March 1, 2022 4:00 PM Work Session The Center, Assembly Room 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 28 S. Linn Street Tuesday, March 22, 2022 4:00 PM Work Session The Center, Assembly Room 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 28 S. Linn Street Item Number: 2. J anuary 13, 2022 Work Session Agen d a AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Work Session Agenda Iowa City City Council Work Session Agenda January 18, 2022 - 4:00 PM The Center - Assembly Room 28 S. Linn Street www.icgov.org You can watch the meeting on cable channel 4 (118.2 QAM) in Iowa City, University Heights and Coralville, or you can watch it online at any of the following websites: • https://citychannel4.com/live • https://www.youtube.com/user/citychannel4/live • https://facebook.com/CityofIowaCity • Discussion of Johnson County Direct Relief Program • Continuation of budget discussion • Continuation of meeting protocol discussion • Clarification of Agenda Items • Information Packet Discussion [January 6, January 13] Council direction needed on the following items: 1. (1/13) IP5 Memo from City Manager: City Council Strategic Plan 2. (1/13) IP7 Memo from City Clerk: Joint Entities Agenda Items for January 24 • Council updates on assigned boards, commissions, and committees Item Number: 3. J anuary 13, 2022 Memo from Assistan t City Man ager: American Rescu e Plan Act Up d ate AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Memo from Assistant City Manager: American Rescue Plan Act Update Date: January 12, 2022 To: City Council From: Rachel Kilburg, Assistant City Manager Re: American Rescue Plan Act Update The U.S. Treasury has allocated $18.3 million to the City of Iowa City in local fiscal recovery funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The City has received its first tranche of entitled funds (approximately $9 million) and has not yet made any encumbrances or expenditures. On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Treasury released the Final Rule with updated eligibility guidance. Most notably, updates to the Final Rule expanded and clarified eligible uses and added a major simplification allowing cities to take advantage of a standard allowance of up to $10 million in revenue loss. However, a more in-depth review and analysis of the updated guidance is underway and City staff will keep Council apprised of notable changes that are relevant to the City’s ARPA expenditure priorities. Following extensive public input, at the S eptember 7, 2021 Work Session City staff presented initial expenditure recommendations and the City Council signaled their support for the following expenditure priorities, categorized by emergent needs and strategic investments . A column has been added to indicate the project status, with details on the following page(s). Program Est. Funding Range Status Emergent Needs: Direct Payments to Eligible Adults $1 - $1.5 million In Development Eviction Prevention $1 - $2 million In Development Housing Repair / Relocation $500k - $1.5 million In Development Emergency Non-Profit Assistance $500k - $1 million Not Started Strategic Investments: BIPOC Business Support Framework / Infrastructure $4 - $6 million In Development Social Service Needs Assessment and Capital Planning + Seed Funding $3 - $6 million Not Started Affordable Housing Initiatives $2.5 - $6 million In Development Mental Health Services $1.5 - $3 million In Development Workforce Development $1.5 - $3 million Not Started Climate Resiliency and Hazard Assessment Planning $500k - $3 million Not Started Small Business, Arts, Culture, and Tourism Investments $1 - $2 million Not Started Government Services and City Revenue Replacement $1 - $3 million Not Started January 12, 2022 Page 2 Program Status Update: Emergent Priorities Direct Payments to Eligible Adults Status: In Development The pandemic had a disproportionate financial impact on low- to moderate-income individuals, many of whom were left out of federal stimulus payments intended to provide household relief. In November, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors allocated $2 mil lion in ARPA funding to a direct payment program. Following a joint City -County work session, Council agreed to let Johnson County lead development of a direct assistance program. Over a continuing series of work sessions, Johnson County has developed a Di rect Assistance Program which provides one-time $1,400 payment to Johnson County residents who faced negative economic impacts as a result of the COVID -19 pandemic. A draft of the Direct Assistance Program from Johnson County’s December 21, 2021 Work Sessi on agenda is attached to this memo. Per the program draft, e ligible applicants must have lived in Johnson County since March 1, 2020, be a legal adult, and meet the U.S. Treasury’s definition of low - to moderate-income. After a set application period, applicants will be chosen through random selection. Next Steps: Johnson County staff intends to refine their proposal in accordance with the recently released Final Rule and continues work on developing the program webpage, communications plan, and application with the intention of opening the application period in March 2022. County staff is preparing an ARPA update for the Board of Supervisors at their January 19 Work Session. City Council will discuss direct assistance at their January 18, 2022 Work Session and staff will communicate any feedback from the Council to the County, as directed. Staff recommend Council’s January 18th Work Session discussion includes a decision on financially contributing to or supplementing the County’s Direct Assistance Program. Eviction Prevention Status: In Development The pandemic created and exacerbated housing instability for many populations. Iowa City, Johnson County, and Shelter House have initiated discussion regarding an ARPA -funded community eviction prevention program. This would extend and enhance previously allocated federal, state, and local dollars that created new pandemic -related eviction prevention programs in the community. That previously allocated funding has not yet been exhausted. Additionally, it is anticipated the State may use a portion of their federal pandemic relief funding to develop a new statewide housing initiative. Next Steps: Conversations have temporarily paused until details on any new State housing programs are announced. Housing Repair/Relocation Status: In Development City Council has communicated that relocation of the remaining Forest View Mobile Home residents is a top priority within this expenditure use, as the pandemic has exacerbated housing stability for this population . City staff have remained engaged with the mobile home community tenants and the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ), who has submitted a proposal January 12, 2022 Page 3 outlining tenant priorities for relocation assistance. City staff are reviewing the tenants’ and CWJ’s proposal within the context of the updated Treasury guidance . Next Steps: Staff will develop a relocation program for City Council consideration at a February meeting with a goal of offering relocation payments by early summer 2022. Emergency Non-Profit Assistance Status: Not Started Many local non-profits continue to experience financial pressures, increased demand for services, and a shortage of staff and volunteers. Earlier in the pandemic, the City contributed federal, state, and local funds to provide emergency assistance for loc al non-profits. Thus, a framework for administering emergency non -profit assistance exists. Next Steps: Staff will develop a program proposal based on similar previous efforts. That proposal will be forwarded to Council for consideration in the coming mon ths. Program Status Update: Strategic Investments BIPOC Business Support Framework & Infrastructure Status: In Development In November 2021, the Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) funded an economic inclusion study led by Astig Planning and supported by the RE | Connect Collective. The study aims to identify gaps in resources and opportunities for local BLIPOC businesses and entrepreneurs. Staff anticipate this study will help info rm decisions by Council and other elected bodies on how to most effectively, strategically, and equitably invest ARPA funds to support BLIPOC business. Additionally, staff have been engaged in conversations with several local BIPOC business owners and entr epreneurs regarding projects and programs related to this effort, such as a BIPOC business venture fund and a fashion design skill - and community-building program for youth. Next Steps: Completion of the Economic Inclusion Study is expected in June 2022. Following completion of the study, staff will prepare recommendations for investing in a comprehensive BIPOC business support framework and seek Council approval to solicit proposals. Social Service Needs Assessment and Capital Planning Status: Not Started Iowa City has held preliminary conceptual conversations with local social service agencies regarding a comprehensive social services needs assessment. Johnson County has signaled interest in collaboration. Next Steps: Develop a steering committee and hold initial stakeholder meetings with local social service agencies and other entities in spring 2022 and prepare an Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for professional assistance in completing the needs assessment. Affordable Housing Initiatives Status: Not Started ARPA-funded affordable housing investments will take a multi-pronged approach, including: January 12, 2022 Page 4 • Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County: The City has initiated discussion with the Housing Trust Fund on their interest in administering an ARPA-funded Affordable Rental Housing Initiative targeting projects that will secure permanent affordability. • Other Projects: The Johnson County Board of Supervisors allocated $4 million in ARPA funding to develop the County-owned property at 821 S. Clinton Street for affordable housing redevelopment. Staff will continue to work with the County to identify opportunities for collaboration. Next Steps: Staff will present a proposed Affordable Rental Housing partnership with the Housing Trust Fund for Council consideration in late winter or early spring of 2022. Mental Health Services Status: In Development A cover memo from the City Manager and a proposal from CommUnity Crisis Services & Foodbank on expansion of Mobile Crisis Outreach in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is included in the January 13, 2022 Information Packet. No other initiatives are planned within this category. Next Steps: Staff will draft a formal agreement with CommUnity in compliance with updated federal guidance for Council consideration at a formal meeting in February or March of 2022. Workforce Development Status: Not Started Staff will explore partnership opportunities to invest in childcare services and workforce development training, such as pre-apprenticeship programs. Previous conversations with the University of Iowa Labor Center have provided an initial framework for pre -apprenticeship programs that will target underserved populations. Climate Resilience and Hazard Assessment Planning Status: Not Started Final Rule guidance on resilience projects has been updated and is under review. Small Business, Arts & Culture, and Tourism Investments Status: Not Started Final Rule guidance on such investments has been updated and is under review. A framework for small business assistance exists. Staff will evaluate the efficacy of this use in the context of competing priorities and as directed by City Council. Government Services and Revenue Replacement Status: N/A At the September 7, 2021 Work Session, Council indicated a hesitancy to pursue revenue replacement as allowed under the ARPA statue. The Final Rule simplified the revenue replacement process, allowing a standard revenue replacement allowance of up to $10 million. This change was intended to simplify the revenue replacement option for local governments and to expand eligible uses to government services that are not enumerated or otherwise eligible in U.S. Treasury eligible use guidance. Staff encourages Council to maintain revenue replacement as a viable option as it may provide additional flexibility to meet community needs. Item Number: 4. J anuary 13, 2022 Pen d ing City Cou n cil Work Session Topics AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Pending City Council Work S ession Topics PENDING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION TOPICS January 13, 2022 Other Topics: 1. Consider a plan for rubberized surfacing at park playgrounds and develop strategies to address equity gaps noted in the Parks Master Plan and plan for the equitable distribution of destination parks within an easy and safe distance of all residents. 2. Discuss possible changes to residential zoning classifications to allow and/or require a greater diversity of housing types (i.e. missing middle) 3. Consider establishing a cost of development framework that can help guide decisions on how best to accommodate future growth 4. Review low-income fare free transit op tions 5. Discuss low-intensity commercial use allowances in residential zones 6. Discuss long -term planning work group priorities 7. Discuss Local Option Sales Tax 8. Discuss a land acknowledgement for City Council meetings 9. City Conference Board (Feb 1 & March 1) Item Number: 5. J anuary 13, 2022 Memo from City Man ager: City Cou n cil Strategic Pl an AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Memo from City Manager: City Council Strategic P lan Item Number: 6. J anuary 13, 2022 Memo from City Man ager: AR PA G rant CommUn ity Crisis Services & F ood b ank Mobil e Crisis O utreach AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Memo from City Manager: A R PA Grant CommUnity Crisis Services & F oodbank Mobile Crisis Outreach Date: January 10, 2022 To: Mayor and Council From: Geoff Fruin, City Manager Re: ARPA Grant: CommUnity Crisis Services & Foodbank Mobile Crisis Outreach At the City Council’s September 7, 2021 work session, staff presented several recommendations regarding the use of our American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the federal government. Since that time, both the City Council and staff have advanced conver sations on a number of the initiatives. One of the identified strategic investments was aimed at bolstering our local mobile crisis service to improve response time and consistency in service. At the time, staff estimated the cost of the overall mental health strategic investment in the range of $1.5 - $3 million. In order to accomplish this objective, staff has worked closely with the service provider, CommUnity Crisis Services & Foodbank, to craft the attached corresponding proposal. Staff believes the proposed $939,082 grant will greatly enhance the existing mobile crisis service in the community, which is currently available to all residents , at all times and with no direct cost. As the service continues to be enhanced it will increasingly be utilized by the community and experience a greater number of referrals coming from law enforcement, non -profit organizations and others in the community. Staff will next begin to draft a formal grant agreement with CommUnity Crisis Services & Foodbank. While drafting the agreement, staff will have to consider the final ARPA rules that were published late last week. Some changes may be required after staff fully reviews the final rules. The final agreement will be presented to the City Council for approval at a future formal meeting. If the City Council has questions, concerns or suggestions at this time you are free to discuss those at your work session or follow-up with me individually. Proposal: Expansion of Mobile Crisis Outreach in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Background Mobile Crisis Outreach (MCO) is a program of CommUnity Crisis Services & Food Bank, an organization that has been serving Johnson County for over 50 years. Mobile Crisis Outreach has been in operation since 2013 throughout Johnson and Iowa Counties, with approximately 70% of all responses occurring within Iowa City limits. MCO operates 24/7 to any youth or adult experiencing a mental health crisis, or presenting in need of emotional support. There are no fees to the client served, and we respond wherever they are in the community in less than 60 minutes. CommUnity does not define crisis, so we respond to a wide range of needs. Examples of such would be to provide crisis counseling and safety planning for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation, de-escalation of family conflict, grief counseling, de-escalation of an acute mental health crisis, or connecting individuals to the appropriate level of care. Our MCO program is accredited by the American Association of Suicidology, the International Council for Helplines, and Chapter 24 through the State of Iowa. All counselors we employ must meet the educational and training requirements set forth by each of those accreditation standards. Additionally, we have dedicated follow-up counselors who contact clients after the initial intervention to ensure they have the supports they need. MCO works closely with the GuideLink access center, local hospitals, schools, law enforcement, mental health providers, and other community based nonprofit organizations to ensure appropriate levels of care and access to the full spectrum of services available in our community. CommUnity Crisis Services recognizes that we are in a unique position to support law enforcement with calls related to mental health. In order to best support law enforcement we need the resources and ability to respond to calls from schools, law enforcement officers, and the community at-large within 15- 20 minutes. Our average response time is currently 33 minutes within Iowa City limits. By cutting our response time in half, we could increase utilization of mobile crisis, which could in turn prevent calls for service to law enforcement when mobile crisis would be better suited for the response. If school administrators know that we can respond in less than 20 minutes, they are more likely to utilize MCO over law enforcement when appropriate. Law Enforcement themselves are more likely to call our counselors to handle a response if they know we can get there more quickly, freeing up officer resources. As we continue to expand outreach efforts so the community is aware mobile crisis is an alternative to 911, a quick response will increase the likelihood an individual or family would utilize mobile crisis for future needs. Summary of Need The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly exacerbated the mental health needs within our community, and across the nation. We know that there is a much greater need for mobile crisis calls than are currently being accessed by our community, so it is important we reduce barriers by increasing outreach and reducing response time. The impacts on vulnerable populations have been significant, according to the 2021 SAMHSA COVID-19 report. The report noted that young adults, women, racial & ethnic minorities, people with low income, homeless individuals and older adults all experienced and increase in levels of anxiety, depression and substance use. The general mental health impact reported that 19% of Americans are experiencing worsening mental health symptoms during COVID, Clinical Anxiety levels increased by 3 times throughout 2019, depression increased by 4 times throughout 2019 and alcohol use increased by 14%. While that data is alarming, it correlates directly to the SAMHSA data showing thoughts of suicide have doubled in 2020 as individuals and families continued to experience fallout from the pandemic. Now, more than ever, it is important that our program focuses on building awareness, utilization and conducting outreach to ensure we are reaching individuals and families that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. We currently collect client information by zip code so we can track the areas of highest utilization, as well as areas within the community that may be under- utilizing mobile crisis services. This data helps drive outreach efforts, as well as providing a community wide picture of gaps and need. Youth mental health has also been exacerbated by the pandemic in significant proportion. Children and adolescents experienced a massive disruption in routine and social supports, along with missed milestones like prom, sporting events and graduations. According to the 2019 Iowa Youth Risk Behavior Survey, it was found that Iowa high school students were much more likely than the rest of the United States to have a suicide attempt result in serious injury that required treatment from a health care provider. According to the CDC there was a 31% increase in Emergency Department visits related to mental health by youth 12-17 throughout COVID. This data correlates with what we have seen locally in Mobile Crisis Outreach Utilization. Mobile Crisis had its two busiest months in program history at the end of FY21. We are on course in FY22 to reach 850 contacts by year-end, which will be more than double the contacts we saw in all of FY20. In addition to the increase in mental health needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing significant workforce challenges directly related to the pandemic. Mobile Crisis Outreach is primarily staffed with on-call counselors who respond 24/7 based on client need. Due to the challenging nature of the work, concerns about COVID exposure, and the inconsistency of scheduling, it can lead to high turnover within our program. With high turnover of counselors, we are at risk of experiencing inconsistent service levels, decreased referrals to mobile crisis, and the loss of highly skilled counselors. It is critical that we pay a competitive rate, retain, recruit, and build capacity for Mobile Crisis Outreach to meet the increase in demand for services. We have recently hired a full time Youth Mobile Crisis Coordinator to focus on meeting the needs of youth in our community. It is full time professional positions such as this that ensure our program maintains the quality and responsiveness that provide program stability. It has been a unique situation to simultaneously address unprecedented workforce challenges with an increase in demand for mental health services. Proposed Solutions Historically, Mobile Crisis Outreach has staffed its 24/7 operation with on-call mobile crisis counselors. As workforce shortages occur, and service demand increases we need to create stability by adding full- time Mobile Crisis Counselors along with our on-call staff. The addition of three full-time counselors will create dedicated positions on each shift to increase quality and responsiveness. Operating a hybr id model with both full time and on-call counselors will provide the coverage, stability, expertise, dedication, and responsiveness needed by our community at this time. Under our current structure, Mobile Crisis Counselors have to report to our office to obtain a company vehicle to use for response. With the addition of a fleet of vehicles, we can have counselors pick up the mobile crisis vehicle at the start of each shift, so they can respond to call directly wherever they are at the time. This simple addition of resources, and change in process has the ability to cut 15-35 minutes off each response. This reduction in response time would allow us to reach those in crisis more quickly, and has the potential to increase law enforcement and school utilization of mobile crisis outreach. Lastly, by remodeling our old food bank area at 1121 Gilbert St. we would be able to house Mobile Crisis Outreach well into the future without ongoing rental expenses. This would maintain a central location that is ideal for response time, offers private meeting space for clients and counselors, and creates private office space to maintain confidentiality during follow up care. Housing Mobile Crisis Outreach in the remodeled space would allow for program growth, and save approximately $50,000 annually in operating expenses. That savings would allow $50,000 each year to be reallocated towards either ongoing vehicle expenses, and/or personnel expenses. Program Need Est. Unit Cost Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Est. Total Cost 3 FTEs for 3 years $60,000 year 1 $61,800 year 2 $63,654 year 3 $180,000 $185,400 $190,962 $556,362 8 Mobile Crisis Response Vehicles $22,000/vehicle $182,720 $182,720 Remodel to $200,000 $200,000 0 $200,000 create 5 Mobile Crisis offices and a debrief room Year 1: $562,720 Year 2: $185,400 Year 3: $190,962 Total Cost: $939,082 While $382,720 in funding would be allocated towards one-time expenses that does leave ongoing staff expenses of approximately $200,000 annually to maintain the hybrid staffing model. Funding three years of additional staffing expenses would provide the needed time to explore sustainable methods of funding the expanded mobile crisis outreach model that is so needed by the Iowa City community. There are a variety of options that can be explored for sustainable funding and future growth. One opportunity may come with the creation of the 9-8-8, which launches July 1, 2022. CommUnity Crisis Services is on the Statewide 9-8-8 planning collation, and is a contracted center of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL). With 9-8-8 there has been a lot of emphasis on funding the entire crisis continuum appropriately as easier access to a crisis line provides increased opportunity for high standards in crisis care. Due to our affiliations with this national effort, CommUnity is actively involved in the design and funding opportunities for the crisis continuum as they arise. Recently SAMHSA announced an FY22 funding allocation of $282 million dollars to support Lifeline and Crisis Center efforts. The funding is broken down into two parts; $177 million to expand center capacity, and $100 million to fund states to build up workforce capacity for local centers. This is 10 times the funding allocation from prior years. While there are a lot of unknowns about how this funding will be ultimately distributed, it does demonstrate the potential for more state and federal support of cris is services. Secondly, with the Iowa legislation passed this year that changes how mental health regions are funded and overseen, there will be more involvement from the Iowa Department of Human Services and Public Health in regional services. We know that both departments are dedicated to having successful mobile crisis programs located in every region of Iowa. Again, this creates a lot of unknowns, but has the potential to provide an increase in funding for mobile crisis services. If neither of those options provides an increase in funding for mobile crisis outreach in the next 3 years we would need to look at the possibility of sustainable funding from the City of Iowa City, or reverting to a strictly on-call staffing model. That said, our goal would be to demonstrate the effectiveness of this model in both increasing utilization and access, as well as reducing response time. If we can effectively demonstrate that, it increases the chances we can secure additional funding from other sources mov ing forward. It should also be considered that as we approach the end of year 3, we could see a decrease in utilization due to an increase in mental health stability as the fallout from the pandemic wanes, and could adjust staffing models accordingly if needed. Item Number: 7. J anuary 13, 2022 Memo from City Clerk: Joint En tities Agen d a Items for January 24 AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Memo from City Clerk: J oint Entities A genda I tems for J anuary 24 Item Number: 8. J anuary 13, 2022 Civil Service Examin ation : Information Secu rity An alyst AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Civil S ervice E xamination: I nformation S ecurity Analyst Item Number: 9. J anuary 13, 2022 Civil Service Examin ation : Water Service Clerk AT TAC HM E NT S : Description Civil S ervice E xamination: Water Service Clerk Late Handouts Distributed 1- -2Z (Date) miaculaly CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.org City Council Agenda - January 18, 2022 - Regular Formal Meeting Information submitted between distribution of late handouts on Friday and 3:OOpm on Tuesday. Late Handouts(s): Regular Formal Agenda 15. Dover Street Traffic Calming - (See correspondence from Margaret Murray) 1/13/22 Information Packet IP. Memo from City Manager: Expediting the Market / Jefferson Capital Project P �•�-r�,:, CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: January 18, 2022 To: Mayor and City Council From: Geoff Fruin, City Manager Re: Expediting the Market / Jefferson Capital Project Background At the January 12, 2022 work session, the City Council indicated an interest in expediting the Market / Jefferson one-way to two-way conversion project from the currently proposed 2026 construction season. This memo aims to provide additional information on the project, describe the complexities in moving up the project and provide a path forward for completing the project in the 2024 construction season. Late Handouts Distributed 1-I'-2 - (Date) The Market / Jefferson project will include the changing of the traffic pattern on both of these long corridors from one-way to two-way traffic. The project will replace 1970s vintage traffic signals throughout both corridors, improve street geometrics and alignments, and improve curb ramps and pedestrian accommodations at intersections to modern standards. Staff anticipates twelve to fifteen months will be needed to secure a design consultant, conduct public meetings and complete engineered plans. Land acquisition will likely be needed in order to accommodate modern traffic signals with enhanced pedestrian features and improved curb ramps. Land acquisition occurs after engineered plans and project plats are prepared. That phase of the project can take six months or more as it requires appraisals to be prepared, offers to be made, negotiations to be held, and occasionally condemnation. Lastly, the order time for new traffic signals currently sits at nine to twelve months. Thus, even if staff -initiated efforts immediately, completing the project in the 2024 construction season could be an ambitious goal. In order to maintain a stable debt service tax rate, staff aims to limit annual bonding to between $10 and $12 million. In a given year, the City may be slightly higher or lower than that target range but frequent or significant deviations from this standard could place upward pressure on this tax rate in future years, especially if there is little growth in the overall tax base. The proposed schedule of projects in the Capital Improvement Plan also reflect an aggressive workload for our project engineers. Adding a project of this magnitude cannot be responsibly done under current staffing levels without delaying a comparable amount of work. 2014 Downtown Streetscape Plan Since adoption of this plan, the City has aggressively pursued implementation of significant related capital projects. Failing underground utility infrastructure led the City to immediately prioritize a full reconstruction of two blocks of Washington Street. Next, surfacing failures, aging utilities and poor lighting led the City to prioritize the full reconstruction of the Pedestrian Mall. The two major reconstruction projects downtown totaled over $13 million in project costs and stretched four construction seasons. Other smaller scale improvements have also been pursued since plan adoption including intersection reconstruction at Burlington / Clinton, resurfacing of a large portion of Burlington Street, improvements along the Gilbert Street and Washington Street corridors (utilities, lighting, undergrounding utilities, etc.), and more. In the coming year the City will replace the Pedestrian Mall playground. The next top priorities in the plan include the reconstruction of Dubuque Street (Iowa to Washington) and the aforementioned Market / Jefferson project. Prior to last year, the Market / Jefferson project was thought to be a much smaller scale project that would focus on restriping January 18, 2022 Page 2 the pavement and making modifications to existing signals. As staff investigated it further, we determined that full signal replacement was prudent given the approximate fifty-year life of existing poles. This added significant expense and the need to reconfigure pedestrian access points at intersections (and thus corridor curb ramps). The added cost contributed to the project being pushed out several years as staff felt greater urgency existed with other road and bridge improvements in the CIP that generally have more acute utility and surface deficiencies. The reconstruction of Dubuque Street downtown includes the upgrading of underground infrastructure, surface improvements, an enhanced pedestrian realm and improved lighting. The cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $3 million, and staff is currently in negotiations on a consultant agreement for final design. Staff believes this project is a higher priority compared to Market / Jefferson, primarily due to the underground infrastructure needs, surface conditions and significant imbalance of right-of-way for vehicles compared to pedestrians. It is staffs current intentions to finalize design next winter and begin construction in 2023 at a project cost of $3 million. Proposed Solution At the City Council's request, staff has prepared the following changes that could be made to the proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in order to move up the Market / Jefferson project to 2024. The changes take into consideration project complexity and annual staff workplans, bonding forecasts with an eye toward a stable debt service tax rate, and the shifting of other projects that would not have significant safety implications for the public. The following is a summary of proposed changes to staffs budget proposal by CIP year: 2023 • Removal of the Dubuque Street Reconstruction ($3,000,000 moved to 2026) • Addition of the Fire Apparatus Replacement Program ($1,360,000 moved from 2024) • Addition of the Westside Park Land Acquisition ($700,000 moved from 2024) Notes: Dubuque Street does not carry the same urgency as other roadway projects in this CIP year and is not yet under contract for design. It carries a similar workload burden and bonding amount compared to Market / Jefferson. Staff had aimed to include both the Fire Apparatus and Westside Park projects in the 2023 year but settled for 2024 due to bonding model constraints. The delay of the Dubuque Street project opens an opportunity to move forward these projects. 2024 • Removal of Fire Apparatus Replacement Program ($1,360,000 moved to 2023) • Removal of the Westside Park Land Acquisition ($700,000 moved to 2023) • Removal of the Lower City Park Shelters and Restroom ($600,000 moved to 2025) • Addition of the Market and Jefferson Project ($2,600,000 moved from 2026) Notes: Additional bonding capacity to accommodate the Market / Jefferson project is achieved by forwarding two previously mentioned projects one-year and delaying the Lower City Park project one year. 2025 • Addition of the Lower City Park Shelters and Restroom ($600,000 moved from 2024) • Removal of the Hickory Hill Park Conklin Shelter and Restroom ($245,000 moved to 2026) Notes: Accepting the Lower City Park Project into this year from 2024 leads to delaying the Hickory Hill Park project one-year. January 18, 2022 Page 3 2026 • Addition of the Dubuque Street Reconstruction ($3,000,000 moved from 2023) • Addition of the Hickory Hill Park Conklin Shelter and Restroom ($245,000 moved from 2025) • Removal of the North Market Square Playground ($300,000 moved to unfunded or 2027) • Removal of the Market and Jefferson Project ($2,600,000 moved to 2023) Notes: The bonding forecast model is preserved by replacing the Market / Jefferson project with the Dubuque project. The North Market Square Park playground is in good shape and should be serviceable until 2027 if it is delayed one year. Recommendation Staff believes the current Capital Improvement Plan proposal best balances the community's priorities, staff workload and financial modeling. If the City Council determines that the Market / Jefferson project needs to be addressed more urgently, the above proposal can be accommodated without imposing unrealistic expectations on current staff or causing significant disruptions to bonding models and debt service stability goals. Staff is happy to provide more details, answer questions and explore all other possibilities at your work session.