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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-10-03 TranscriptonPage I Council Present: Council Absent: Staff Present: Others Present: 1. Call to Order Alter, Bergus, Dunn (via Zoom) Taylor, Teague, Thomas Harmsen Jones, Goers, Grace, Platz, Sitzmann, Russett, Lehmann, Knoche, Sovers, Fleagle, Morris LeFevre, USG Liasion, Monsivais, Alternate Teague: It is now 6:00 PM on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, and I'm gonna call the City of Iowa City meeting to order. Roll call please. (Roll Call) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 2 2. Proclomations 2.a. Domestic Violence Awareness Month Teague: All right. Welcome to your City Hall, to everyone in the audience and to those that are joining us virtually, welcome as well. Andrew Dunn, Councilor Dunn, is with us virtually today. We're on Item number 2, which is Proclamations, 2a. is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this will be read by Mayor Pro Tem Alter. Alter: (Reads Proclomation) And here to accept is Alta Medea. Madea: Um, I first want to thank all of you for all of your support of DVIP over all of the past years, 44 years now, officially, um, as well as, ah, the support for finding Safety Building Hope Capital Campaign for the new shelter. Um, I handed out some forms but just wanted to highlight a couple numbers. The first being that we helped 969 Iowa City residents in the past year, um, and we provided 15% more services to those individuals than we have in previous years. Um, that indicates that the need of each victim is growing as we would expect with all of the other social constraints, but, um, we are able to do that because of support like yours. We also have a number of events celebrating, ah, victim survivors, and providing their basic needs that I did want to draw the Council's attention to. The first is on October 14. That's our Shop for Shelter and many of you have volunteered and helped with that. Um, and we're also doing a panel discussion discussing the effects of poverty on domestic violence victims and how those two, um, pieces really impact economic abuse as well as the- the sort of traditional phy- physical and emotional abuse that we think of when we think of victim survivors and that is on October 18. Um, I'm happy to answer any questions about the numbers or about the campaign if you have them. Um, we are nearly 80% of the way toward our fundraising goal, in large part, thanks to the City of Iowa City and our community here. Teague: Thank you so much for being here today and we just applaud all of the work that you all do. So thank you again. Madea: Thank you so much. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 3 2.b. Fire Prevention Week Teague: Item 2.b., a proclamation is Fire Prevention Week, and this is read by Councilor Taylor Taylor: (Reads proclomation) Accepting is Lieutenant Axel Swanson from the Iowa City Fire Department. Swanson: Thank you. Thank you Councilor Taylor, Mayor and Council members. If I may have a few words. Fire Prevention Week is a reminder to learn and identify hazards in our homes to keep ourselves, loved ones and others safe. We must actively take the steps necessary to prevent fires before they start, to have working smoke alarms so that we may get out safely in case of a fire, and take the steps necessary to prevent burn injuries from cooking and other heat sources. To learn more about this, a good start is the National Fire Protection Association website. They have a Fire Prevention Week website. It's fpw.org. Pretty easy one. And of course, you can always visit the Iowa City Fire Department. We have four stations. You can give us a call or email us. We'll be happy to help. So thank you very much for the time to recognize Fire Prevention Week coming up October 8th through the 14th. Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 4 2.c. Indigenous Peoples' Day Teague: (Reads proclomation) And to receive this is Sikowis Nobiss of Greater Plains Action Society. Nobiss: Hi, that's Great Plains Action Society. Um, thank you very much. Ay -ay kitatamihin. And it's always nice to see Indigenous Peoples and our issues and our movements being recognized. And I hope that we can go beyond proclamations sometime soon and create more partnership, stronger partnerships. I'm really excited this year that the Parks and Recreation Department reached out to me and I'm working with them and the Office of - why, we are, actually myself and Jessica Engelking from our organization, are working with Parks and Recreation, the City or the Office of- of Equity and Human Rights, and then the Human Rights Commission. So it's been really great. I recently had some talks with the Human Rights Commission about the needs of the Indigenous community. And so we're- we're doing what we can. And of course, all of you here know that I'm on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. So you know how I feel about a lot of those things that need to be done here and everywhere actually on this stolen land, um, as we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. Uh, and I want to tell a story because it's a really important story. I want to talk about 2020. And, um, in Des Moines, when we were holding our annual July 4th, uh, Abolish Monuments to White Supremacy, uh, Rally, uh, because it's indigenous peoples celebrating July 4th can be difficult. And, um, you know, we'd like to talk about the, all the monuments all over the state and the country that, um, are up. Not just monuments, but, um, murals and- and other edifices that you see, um, that basically depict, you know, white supremacy and colonial capitalism. And so we- we had our typical rally that we have, which is always peaceful. Um, and we usually have it in front of the, the two white settler invaders with the um, the natives sitting by their feet pointing westward, showing them away to find a home. And about 100 white supremacists or nationalists showed up with guns. And that's because they wanted to protect their Columbus monument. They wanted to protect the bust of Columbus, which is over on the other side of the, of the- the grounds. And, um, you know, we weren't there to destroy anything. We weren't there to take anything down, but I know that there was tension in 2020, of course. And so, um, they were there and they told us not to bring our children and we had a lot of threats ahead of time, but we showed up anyways. And I just want you to know that this is the kind of sentiment that still, um, is here in this country. And just celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, just giving us a proclamation is not enough. Like we need to do more, right? So that's why I'm happy that we're celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, fust of all, but also what we need to do is negate Columbus Day because that's still celebrated. It's still on the books federally, and it's still on the books here, um, statewide as well. So how do we actually truly celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day if Columbus Day is still also, uh, being proclaimed? So I would ask that the City of Iowa City maybe do something about that. Maybe be the fust city to, um, say, hey, you no to like Columbus Day period, but also no to, you no, our administration- our state administration, no to the federal government. Like let's get this off the calendar period because we can't truly celebrate, uh, Indigenous Peoples Day if we're also still allowing, uh, people to uplift, you know, a murderer, a rapist, a slave trader, whatever you wanna- This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 5 he was all of those things. He was, you know, the worst of the worst. And, um, you know, let's just- let's do better. So um, ay -ay kitatamihin. Thank you so much. Teague: Thank you so much for coming today. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 6 6. Consent Calendar — Resolutions and Motions Teague: We're gonna move on to our- our consent agenda, which is items 3 through 6. Can I get a motion to approve, please? Taylor: So moved Taylor. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: Alright. And would anyone from the public who would like to address anything on our consent agenda? If you're online, please raise your hand. I see no one in person or online. Council discussion? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 7 6.e. Donation to Animal Shelter Taylor: I just wanted to acknowledge uh, 6.e. Donation to Animal Shelter. I was just so highly impressed and moved by this and- and would like to express my sincere thanks to- to her. It was a don- donation to the Animal Shelter by Jacqueline Flake, who named the Iowa City Animal and Adoption Center as a beneficiary in a life insurance policy. And it just brings me to tears to even think about that. The Animal Shelter is a- a great part of Iowa City and can always use as many donations as possible. It costs a lot of money, and as we saw recently, they received over 130 something dogs and- and had to really scramble to - to make ends meet to- to have shelter for those animals so thank you again to Jacqueline Flake. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 8 6.d. Winter Shelter Agreement — Resolution approving agreement with Shelter House for a Winter Shelter Alter: And for my part, I just want to bring up actually notice of 6.d., just in passing here, but um, it's exciting that the winter shelter agreement has gone through um, and that there will be an emergency additional temporary overnight shelter during the winter months. And much kudos to staff and Shelter House for working together to get this up and running and to have this in place. Teague: Any other comments? Roll -call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 6 to 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 9 7. Community Comment (items not on the agendas) Teague: Item number 8 is Planning and Zoning Matters 8a, Zoning Code Amendment, housing choice, supply and affordability. Grace: Item seven. Bergus: Community comment? Did we skip that? Teague: For the past one? Bergus: Uh, no, for the whole not on the agenda. Sorry. Teague: We did. Typically it has its yeah, its own page and I'm like it- Yeah and I looked over it. Alright. We are at item number 7, which is Community Comment. This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard on any item that is not on our agenda and we are going to allow individuals 3 minutes to speak during this time. And just for notification, we do have sign -in at the podium, but also some stickers in the back that people can drop into the box. And we're going to welcome. Welcome. Ross: Hey, Brandon Ross from Iowa City. Good to see you at City Council. Um, I'm a Democrat. I'm not against Republicans; you people are cool too. I'm anti -fascist though. I uh, I'm anti -Nazi, anti -fascist. I want to bring up that on the day of Yom Kippur, which is Jewish highest holiday --I'm Jewish on my mom's side, we're- we're Ukrainian Jewish and some Polish Jewish --that in the Canadian Parliament tribute was paid and applauded by Justin Trudeau and Volodymyr Zelensky to the Ukrainian Nazi Waffen-SS soldier from World War II. On the holiest day of the year, tribute was paid to a fascist. And um, it was appalling. It's appalling to me. It's appalling to my family. Um, and sometimes though something is just what it is, the Canadian Parliament tried to back it up. It was not very well done. Uh, Zelensky went to- back to Ukraine to Babi Yar, where 100,000 Jews were killed in Western Ukraine to try to show that he was not a fascist. But unfortunately, the government that is in power and is actually in Ukraine, is a fascist, Neo -Nazi government. And this started in 2014 when Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown, he was democly- democratically elected. Uh, the US had a part in that. And then fascist militias actually attacked Eastern Ukrainians for over eight years. Zelensky came to power in 2019 with 70% popularity. By the end of 2021, he had 24% popularity. He had opposition leaders who are more popular than the him imprisoned. He had opposition parties closed down. He had opposition media closed down. He had Russian language denied in public office. He also had closed down churches that were Russian Orthodox within Ukraine. Russian is the second language in Ukraine, about two-thirds to three- quarters of the people speak it, one-third, speak it as a fust language, and so too Zelensky. Right now the United States is supporting a fascist, Neo -Nazi regime and we should pull our money out. And I beg people in Iowa City, Johnson County to call for negotiations within the Democratic Party of which I am a member. Call for negotiations. No more weapons. Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 10 Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address a topic that is not on our agenda? Seeing no one in person or online, I'm going to close the comm- uh, public comment time. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 11 8. Planning & Zoning Matters 8.a. Zoning Code Amendment — Housing Choice, Supply, and Affordability — Ordinance amending Title 14, Zoning Code, to improve housing choice, increase housing supply, and encouirage housing affordability (REZ23-0001) (Second Consideration) Teague: We're going to move on to item number 8, Planning and Zoning Matters. 8.a. is Zoning Code Amendment, Housing Choice, Supply, and Affordability - Ordinance amending Title 14, Zoning Code, to improve housing choice, increase housing supply, and encourage housing affordability. This is the second consideration. And can I get a motion to consider it please? Alter: So moved, Alter. Bergus: Second Bergus. Teague: Alright. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Yes. And we welcome you. There is a sign in there. Yeah. And I'm, um, going to allow three minutes. Slonneger: Right, um, I tried to keep my remarks to three minutes. Um, but, um, if I go over a sentence or two, it's on here. But I wanted to pass these out because there are a couple of photographs at the bottom that I- that are part of what I'm saying. Teague: Great. Slonneger: So I'll just leave I'll bring them up after. Okay. Um, I'm Marybeth Slonneger, and I'm from Goosetown, so I'm just talking for myself tonight. At the end of July, I was informed that a 40 some- page packet was proposed- with proposed changes to zoning was underway. I was leaving on a three-week vacation, so it didn't have time to read through this quite dense document, but a number of items stood out that raised concern. When I got back, I took time to speak with some neighbors on both sides of Davenport Street. None of them were aware of the document or of the proposed changes. Some probably still aren't. It concerns me that this will impact homeowners in a big way and they haven't received a notification letter from the City. The other concern is it is happening very fast. Uh, personally, I think the process should be slowed down to be absorbed by those who will be impacted. Secondly, because I recalled no letter from the City, I felt I had to find out on my own who owned properties, who rented properties, and who held them in some companies name. I came up with the following numbers for Goosetown, including Dodge to Reno, Bloomington to Ronald's. By my count, there are 269 houses owned by 52 LCLLC management companies, trusts, and two housing fellowships. For a total of about 30% of Goosetown already being rented and that doesn't count unknown rentals by individual owners. That means that about every third house is rented, creating great turnover, not knowing neighbors, lack of stability, and a fear that some developers coming in to replace the house next door with a possible two -unit or This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 12 third behind. Please try to imagine this happening in your own neighborhood. One neighbor told me that she had meant to build a lovely matching garage to her home, but found out that a developer had bought next door and was reluctant to invest now, not knowing what he would build. Her concern is correct. In the last year, four nearby houses have been demolished. A small historic cottage at 935 Bloomington was one of those. It's rebuild, ah, sold recently for $536,220. Is this what is meant by affordable housing? Please consider the profits for developers that this is creating or will create. Goosetown is at their mercy and we had been forewarned at a Planning and Zoning meeting... Teague: Thank you. Slonneger: Alright. Teague: You can pass it to our City Clerk. Slonneger: Right, I hope you'll please look at-. Teague: Thank you. Slonneger: ... the last couple of sentences. Thank you. Teague: Anyone else like to address this topic? Welcome. Kubby: Well, thank you. My name is Karen Kubby. I live in Iowa City. And it was kind of uncanny today that I sent an email to City Council because I've had lots of people ask me questions and I was confused about whether this ordinance, um, embedded density bonuses by right of the zoning or if it was triggered by providing affordable housing. And then talked with some Council members today and found out that there was some discussion about trying to do the latter. And, um, I'm hoping that you'll talk about that a little bit. And, um, if, uh, I don't know what the plans are today, if this will be deferred so that you can have that conversation so that density bonuses are provided when the- the redevelopment or the increased density provides something that community sorely needs and that's affordable housing. I love that the framework for that is income -based. I think that's a really good framework. So I know there'll be some discussion about uh, is there a precedent for that, which I think there is in the code, but- there- there is- it might decrease how much increased density there is. And I think that's a policy decision versus a legal one, although your City Attorney will guide you on all of that. And I'm hoping non- profits will really be the entities that want to do this. And maybe if you move in this direction, maybe it's a pilot program that's just in the University Impact Zone versus all neighborhoods that have this zoning. So I'm hoping to hear some discussion about this tonight and hope that you'll end up deferring so that you can really seriously consider this option. Thanks. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one in-person or online, Council discussion. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 13 Thomas: I would like to make a motion, uh, this evening to defer our second vote until October 17 to allow time for staff to explore ways to use the zoning amendment to further advance the Council goal of creating income -restricted affordable housing, in addition to increasing housing supply and choice? Taylor: I would be in favor of that. Teague: So moved by Thomas, uh, seconded by Taylor. Um, any further discussion on that item? I would be in favor just to allow time- some, allow staff some time to get some information to us. Taylor: I would also agree with that because, um, hopefully, Councilor Harmsen will be with us too, so we'd have a full Council to discuss it. Teague: If no other discussion. Roll call, please and this is motion. Goers: This is a voice vote so just all in favor. Teague: Yep. So this is a motion to defer until our next meeting, October 17. All in favor say aye. Any oppose? Motion passes 6-0. (Voice Vote) Goers: Mr. Mayor, before we move on, just if there are any questions that staff may have about what's being proposed, is it okay if we direct those questions to Councilor Thomas? He and I've had a little bit of discussion, so I have a good idea about what he's uh, thinking of, but just so staff comes fully prepared to uh, discuss the matter with you? Teague: I'm comfortable with that. Are people comfortable with that? Goers: Thank you. Teague: Yeah. Dunn: Could you please cc me on that as well? Teague: Councilor Dunn wants cc'd on any other correspondence. Goers: Certainly. Teague: Yeah, alright. Great. Moving on to item number 8.b. which is - Grace: Mayor, I'm sorry. Could we get a motion to accept correspondence? Teague: Oh, sure. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 14 Bergus: So moved. Taylor: Second. Teague: Uh, moved by Bergus, seconded by Taylor, to accept correspondence. All in favor say aye. Any oppose? Motion passes 6-0. (Voice Vote) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 15 8.b. Rezoning — 715 N. Dodge Street — Local Historic Landmark - Ordinance rezoning property located at 715 N. Dodge Street from Medium Density Single - Family Residential with a Historic District Overlay (OHD/RS-8) to OHD/RS-8 in order to designate the property as an Iowa City Historic Landmark. (REZ23-0006) (Second Consideration) Teague: Item number 8.b. is Rezoning 715 North Dodge Street, Local Historic Landmark - Ordinance rezoning property located at 715 North Dodge Street from Medium Density, Single -Family Residential with a Historic District Overlay to OHD/RS-8, in order to designate the property as an Iowa City Historic Landmark. This is second consideration and staff is requesting expedited action. Taylor: Mayor, I move that the rule requiring the ordinances must be considered and voted on for passage at two council meetings prior to the meeting at which it has to be finally passed, be suspended, that the second consideration and vote be waived, and that the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time. Dunn: Second. Teague: Move by Taylor, seconded by Dunn. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one in person or online, Council discussion. Taylor: I'm just really excited to see this. Emma Goldman is a gem for Iowa City, and it mentions — and it mentions the health care for women. But it's my understanding that men sometimes utilize the services too, so it's a - it's just a great thing, and it's wonderful. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but designating the original building ass historic Is- is a good step. Alter: I agree with everything that you said. Teague: Absolutely. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 6-0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt. Taylor: So moved. Bergus: Second. Teague: Moved by Taylor and seconded by Bergus. Roll -call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 16 9. Regular Formal Agenda 9.a. Iowa City Senior Center Exterior Building Envelope Preservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation — Resolution approving project manual and estimate of cost for the construction of the Iowa City Senior Center Exterior Building Envelope Preservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Project, establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and fixing time and place for receipt of bids. Teague: Item number 9.a. is Iowa City Senior Center Exterior Building, Envelope Preservation, Restoration and Rehab - Rehabilitation. This is a resolution approving project manual and estimate of cost for the construction of the Iowa City Senior Center Exterior Building Envelope Preservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Project, establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and fixing time and place for receipt of bids. I'm going to open the public hearing. I'm going to welcome staff up at this time. Welcome. 1. Public Hearing Morris: Hello. Hello. I'm Kumi Morris. Actually, we have Peter Franks. He's with Franks group, and he is the architect that we've been working with for the Senior Center project. He is an architect that specializes in historic properties, and he has a small presentation for you. Teague: Thank you and welcome. Welcome, Peter. Franks: Thank you, everyone. Good evening. Teague: Good evening. Franks: I've been told if I just close out of all the warnings, everything will work just fine Teague: Good luck with that. Franks: Okay. So what we're going to talk about very briefly tonight, is, uh, everything that you see up on- on the agenda here in this fust slide, we're going to talk a little bit about the project background and also a little bit about the history of the Senior Center or the old post office building. And then we'll get into, uh, the project scope and what we're doing here today, which is formally the public hearing for the construction documents to be able to be released for public bidding. Um, as Kumi said, my name is Pete Franks. So Peter Franks, my firm is the Franks Design Group. We're a small firm based in southwest Iowa. And we work state-wide history - primarily on historic building projects. We are a - we're a small firm, we're a three-person operation and we're in a storefront on the Courthouse Square and Glenwood and Mills County. And we've been in business since 2006. And as I said, we, uh, specialize in historic preservation work. Our role with the Senior Center was, uh, initiated when we were preservation consultant to the local This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 17 architect who was responsible for the Senior Center Master -Plan, initially anchored by Rohrback Associates in 2020. And then we continued on as a preservation consultant to OPN Architects in 2021 and 2022 as the preservation consultant on the exterior of the building. I'm gonna real quick, just give you a little bit of what I think is interesting, and hopefully you'll find it interesting, history of the building. So what we see here is an old fire insurance map that shows the footprint of the original post office. It was a relatively petite building, 50 feet by 90 feet, at the corner of Washington and Linn. And this is what that building looked like in its first episode between 1904 and 1930. So in fronted primarily Washington Street and had three big window openings, and the secondary elevation was actually the Washington Street elevation — I'm sorry, the Linn Street elevation. In 1929 to 1931, the building was substantially expanded and went from 90- 50 foot depth to 130 foot depth. So you can see there we've got the two colors of how much the building grew over the course of that expansion in 1929-31. The other thing that was added during that expansion was an entire upper level. So really what was kept of the original building is just what you see highlighted here on the Linn Street elevation. Just really the fust three bays, a section of lower wall, and the entire upper wall and the entire upper story was added as part of the expansion, as well as more than doubling the footprint of the building. Here's a construction photo from 1930. And what you can see here is the very dark stone is the original stone that was built in 1904. So it's stained from just the air pollution that we saw in those decades. On everything that you see is the lighter stone is the newer stone that was quarried in Indiana and brought here for the expansion project in 1930 and 31. Another construction photo from that same episode -- and what's interesting about this, um, I don't know what, you can't see my mouse here --t The alley elevation, the north elevation of the building here is alhn it's very dark stone, which leads us to believe that that entire wall was dismantled, moved 90 feet to the north and then reconstructed as part of this massive expansion project that took place in 1929 to 1930. We had the benefit in studying the building and doing our work to have a partial set of the original 1929 drawings to study in detail. It wasn't a complete set, but it was a pretty complete set, which is very helpful to us. And as old building people we really geek out on things like wall sections, and window details and things like that. So we spent a lot of time studying those original drawings and our understanding, in compiling our understanding of the building and the technical issues that we're trying to address with this project. Some of the terms that we use as far as the building anatomy goes are outlined here. The one that you're going to hear me mention in just a moment is the parapet, which is the section of wall that extends up above the roof. And that's, uh, the subject of a great deal of the effort that we're investing into the building with this upcoming project. The other thing I want to mention here is that while the building was in the process of being transitioned from federal ownership to city ownership, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and it's also designated as a local landmark. The third episode of the building took place under the City's custodial care of the building, and that was conversion to the Senior Center, which took place between 1979 and 1981. It was a major comprehensive project involving the insertion of fire stairs, elevators, restrooms, new systems, and adapting the building to the use of the Senior Center, where it's been in use since 1981. And what I will say is, um, a kind of personal comment here is that it was a very sensitive restoration. When the building was This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 18 converted to the senior center; it was done in a very- very thoughtful, sensitive way with great attention to detail. So we look at this building as a survivor of one episode in 1904 and then a major expansion that was deftly done in 1930, and then an adaptive reuse that was a comprehensive project in 1981. And there's every reason for us to think that this building can see 150, if not 200, years if it's well taken care of, including the work that we're proposing. So the major projects that have occurred to the building since that conversion were fire sprinklers and ceilings, boiler replacement, and roof replacement, with some assorted masonry repairs about 15 years ago. Part of our work with existing buildings is we really get down and dirty with the existing building. And we try and look for the things that need to be repaired, and we look for the signs and symptoms of things that need to be corrected or addressed with um, proposed work that we're doing here. So we look for signs of movement. This is actually one of the arches over top of one, and the one- of the entries on the west elevation. We looked at the full exterior, uh, just to be able to find all of those places where we see movement or signs of stress and strain. We've got some panels of the stone veneer that are badly eroded along the north elevation, particularly. But the thing that we really stumbled onto and noticed pretty quickly was that the parapets that extend up above the wall that- are where the building meets the sky, we saw a lot of movement really on all four elevations of the- uh, the building. And that's a place where we don't want to see movement. So you can see here in the image here that we've got movement of an inch to an inch and a half, if not two inches, which for a stone building is a lot of physical movement. We've got parapets that we, uh in- in kind of exploring this a little bit deeper, found that they were out of plumb by as much as four or five degrees. And this is something that, uh, becomes al- almost on the verge of a safety issue that we don't want that to go any further. So a big part of what we're correcting for is that out of plumb, out of square condition. In our investigation of the building's anatomy, what we discovered and- and uh, really uncovered was that the back face of the parapets, which you see here on this image, are constructed of the same brick uh, that's used for the interior of the walls of the building interior, and that brick has over time been exposed to water; it's gotten saturated, and when exposed to freeze thaw deterioration, which then leads it to become more porous, introducing more water into the wall, ultimately, the freeze thaw action that we see there is what's responsible for those parapets leaning outwards, as we see really across the board at the roof area. The other thing that we're aware of, this is at the interior of the upper level above the lay -in ceilings. So you can see the lay -in ceiling is kind of what looks like the floor here. So we see signs of really incremental, long-term water infiltration above the ceiling there, also related to the parapets, and the movement, and this brick and stone construction that we see up above there. So we hope that the work that we're proposing here will also take care of any water infiltration or moisture infiltration that's happening in the building or has happened over time. The project scope of work that the public hearing is on tonight is the set of documents that you had available for review prior to the meeting. Uh, it's basically to dismantle and reconstruct the existing limestone parapet piers to correct for out -of -plumb and out -of -square and reconstruct with reinforced concrete masonry unit cores. We're using the stone wherever possible, as much as possible, except where it's damaged beyond repair. At the baluster sections we'll be dismantling and reconstructing those. We'll be re- uh, integrating the roof system and terminating the roof where all this This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 19 perimeter work is going on at the parapet area. And then for the balance of the limestone of the entire building, we will be doing a masonry veneer restoration, remove and replace the panels that are damaged, uh, affect repairs of the damaged panels, and- and repoint everything, and then give the building a good cleaning to get rid of a lot of the stain that we see on it, uh, especially up by the main cornice. So a couple of pages from the documents that are, uh, the exhibit to the public hearing tonight. Details, a- at the parapet area. And this whole project has been vetted by your Historic Preservation Commission and given a Certificate of Appropriateness. The estimated cost for the project; for our construction cost is $1,910,000. Our schedule is to in two weeks have a pre-bid meeting, assuming we're pro- we're approved tonight. Bid opening in about five weeks, we expect on-site work to be next year, and then a phase 2 project that would be the windows and the doors in 24 and 25. I'd be happy to entertain any questions. Thomas: Thank you for that very detailed presentation and use of the word anatomy. That was- I enjoyed that. Teague: Thank you. Thank you. All right. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one in person or online, I'm going to close the public hearing. 2. Consider a Resolution Teague: Can I get a motion to approve, please? Taylor: So moved, Taylor. Alter: Second Alter. Teague: Council discussion. Taylor: By the looks at the photos; it's a much needed project and I appreciate your time and effort and- and uh, your plans. Thank you. Dunn: Mayor, if I make- may make a comment. Teague: Yes. Dunn: Uh, I- I hope that uh, folks in the community that, um, either do this or become aware of - of the work on the Senior Center uh, are reminded of our Council, our community, and our city's, overall uh, in- in investment and uh, value of- of the lives of seniors, uh of their quality of life um, in the ability for uh, everyone regardless uh, of their- their place in life to have uh, a really great uh, facility here by- by the community. So um, I want people to know, uh, we believe in the Senior Center, we love the Senior Center, we want it to uh, be good for folks uh, for many years to come. So I will be supporting, of course. Teague: Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 20 9.b. Utility Rate Public Hearing — Ordinance amending Title 3, entitled "Finance, Taxation and Fees," Chapter 4, entitled "Schedule of Fees, Rates, Charges, Bonds, Fines and Penalties", of the City Code to increase or change charges and fees. (Second Consideration) Teague: Item 9.b. is Utility Rate Public Hearing. This is an ordinance amending Title 3, entitled "Finance, Taxation and Fees," Chapter 4, entitled "Schedule of Fees, Rates, Charges, Bonds, Fines and Penalties," of the City Code to increase or change charges and fees. This is second consideration and staff is requesting expedited action. Taylor: Mayor, I move that the rule requiring that ordinance must be considered and voted on for passage at two Council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally passed, be suspended, that the second consideration and vote be waived, and that the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time. Teague: Moved by Taylor. Dunn: Second. Teague: Seconded by Dunn. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one in person or online, Council discussion. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 6-0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt? Thomas: So moved Thomas. Bergus: Second. Bergus: Second Bergus. Teague: Moved by, uh, Thomas, seconded by Bergus. Roll call, please. (Roll Call). Motion passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 21 9.c. Water Code Update — Lead Service Lines — Ordinance amending Title 16, entitled "Public Works", Chaper 3, "City Utilities", Article C. "Potable Water Use and Service", Section 1, "Def►nititions", and Section 3, "Connection to Distribution Water Main". (First Consideration) Teague: Item Number 9.c., Water Code Update: Lead Service Lines. This is an ordinance amending Title 16, entitled "Public Works", Chapter 3, "City Utilities", Article C. "Potable Water Use and Service", Section 1, "Definitions", and Section 3, "Connection to Distribution Water Main". This is the first consideration. 1. Consider an Ordinance (first consideration) Teague: Can I get a motion, please? Alter: So moved. Teague: Moved by, uh, Alter, seconded by Bergus. And we're going to invite our staff, Ron Knoche up from Public Works. Knoche: Uh, good evening, Council. Ron Knoche, Public Works Director. Uh, May 2, at your work session, John Dirst, or super- Water Superintendent, was here and talked about our lead reduction program that we're looking at initiating uh, for our water system. Um, this is kind of the fust phase, uh the fust leg of that three-legged stool, as he referred to. Um, as- as- as you're aware, water service lines are privately owned underwater- underground water pipes that connect homes uh, or buildings to the city's drinking water system. Uh, some service lines are made of lead or galvanized iron that had been exposed to lead, which leads to lead deposits. The EPA has found that lead in drinking water is known to cause health problems. The proposed ordinance amendment will amend the city code to promote the removal in lead of galvani- or and galvanized iron uh, contaminated lead, from water service connections to the potable water system by prohibiting the repair of lead service lines and requiring full replacement of lead service lines when they develop a leak or other defect. Um, with this ordinance change, if it's approved, um, this would become effective January 1, 2024. Teague: Any questions? Knoche: Thank you. Teague: Thank you. Anyone from the public who would like to address this topic? Seeing no one in person or online, Council discussion. Bergus: I would just observe from our packet that the, um, intent here would be to, I think at the time of passage and adoption of this, that we'll also have a- a proposal for a program to help um, provide essentially an insurance coverage type uh, option that- that folks could This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 22 uh, opt into to purchase so that they- um, to cover the expenses of this because it will be the property owners expense to replace the service lines when it becomes necessary. Teague: Then we'll get to that next. Any other comments? Roll call, please? (Roll Call) Motion passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 23 9.d. Marketing Agreement — Private Water and Sewer Service Lines Repair Plans — Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign an agreement by and between the City of Iowa City and Utility Service Patners Private Label, Inc., d/b/a Service Line Warranties of America, to use the City logo for the solicitation of water, sewer, and internal plumbing emergency service plans. Teague: Item 9.d. is Marketing Agreement, Private Water and Sewer Service Lines Repair Plans - Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign an agreement by and between the City of Iowa City and the Utility Service Partners Private Label, Inc., d/b/a Service Line Warranties of America, to use the City logo for the solicitation of water, sewer, and internal plumbing emergency service plans. 1. Consider a Resolution Teague: Can I get a motion to approve, please? Bergus: So moved, Bergus. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: All right. And we'll invite Ron up just to kind of talk about this item as well. Knoche: All right. Ron Knoche, Public Works Director. This resolution will approve of marketing agreement between the City and the Service Line Warranties of America to allow the company to use a City logo on mail solicitations for optional service line repair plans to Iowa City property owners. The marketing, customer service, and repairs will be managed entirely by the company. Um, the City will have- will- will have review authority of the solicitations prior to mailing and will include information within the solicitations to educate homeowners about service lines, the impacts of lead on human health, and to consult with their homeowner's insurance providers. Uh, the timing of this agreement is intended to make the existence of these optional repair plans known to property owners before the effective date of the proposed service line ordinance amendment on January 1, 2024. Teague: Great. Uh, questions about the cost. Knoche: Yes. So, um, the- the way that the agreement is laid out, uh, there, uh, they will solicit two options. Um, the fust option will be, uh, $6.75 per month for the water service line. Um, the section- second option, um, would be for sanitary sewer service lines and that'll be $7.75 per month. Um, if somebody would decide to provide or go ahead and accept those services or want to, um, buy those services, um, they also provide an interior plumbing, um, warranty program, and that's $9.99 a month. Teague: And all of the costs will be between the resident and, um, the Service Line Warranties of America? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 24 Knoche: That is correct. This is a- it would be a direct purchase with that company. Teague: Great. Thank you. Taylor: Ron. I just had a question, um, kind of unusual like we approve of a certain company to - to have business with- with the City and City customers, did someone like look into and research different insurance companies that would provide the best service for- for our city? Knoche: Yes. So, um, the- the League of Cities, uh, is- is the company or the- the group that has gone out and- and looked at this service line protection program. Um, and so, um, we're utilizing them as- as that resource. Um, there are a number of- of communities in Iowa that are utilizing this, uh, this service. Taylor: Okay. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. Knoche: Thank you. Teague: Anybody else want to bring him back? No. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one in-person or online, Council discussion. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 25 9.e. Assessment -91 Commercial Dr. — Resolution adopting an assessment schedule for court ordered fencing at 91 Commercial Drive and directing the City Clerk to certify the same to the Johnson County Treasurer for collection in the same manner as property taxes. Teague: Item 9.e. Assessment -91 Commercial Drive - Resolution adopting an assessment schedule for court ordered fencing at 91 Commercial Drive, and directing the City Clerk to certify the same to the Johnson County Treasurer for collection in the same manner as property taxes. 1. Consider a Resolution Teague: Could I get a motion to approve, please? Bergus: So moved, Bergus. Thomas: Second, Thomas. Teague: All right. And we're gonna turn it over to our City Attorney, Eric. Goers: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, I have an unusual request, uh, and that's, I'm gonna ask Council to defeat this motion or this resolution. And the reason for that is rather late in the day yesterday we received, um, payment- complete payment for this. So obviously that's great for all parties concerned and thus we don't want to a, well, there's nothing else to assess and so how I would ask Council to defeat this resolution. Teague: All right. Anyone from the public like to make a comment on this? Seeing no one. Council discussion. Alter: Glad it came to resolution. Teague: Absolutely. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion fails 0-6. It's all so confusing. Taylor: Something different all the time, isn't there? Thank you Eric. Alter: Yes. Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 26 10. Council Appointments 10.a. Climate Action Commission — One vacancy to fill an unexpired position, upon appointment — December 31, 2023. Teague: We're at item number 10 which is- which is Council Appointments. 10.a. is Climate Action Commission. One vacancy to fill an unexpired position, upon appointment through December 31, 2023. There is no gender balance requirement. We've had quite a few good applicants. Taylor: I'll start by thanking all the applicants, I mean 12 for one position is- is amazing, but, uh, looking at the list, there are some, um, that will be leaving the commission soon. So keep - keep your thoughts in mind there, but, uh, the number of individuals who are knowledgeable and informed about the importance of climate action in our community was really impressive. With community members like these applicants interested in climate action, I have no doubt that Iowa City can achieve our climate action goals and it - it was hard to narrow down the list, but I'll start by putting forth just a couple of names and see what others are thinking. Um, I liked Angie Smith, uh, she referred to the challenge of shaping human behaviors, which is kind of what this is all about, uh, to help tackle the climate change. And she is a psychologist and who knows more about shaping human behavior than a psychologist. Uh, I also liked, uh, Robert Traer. He says he was in training, but I don't know how long ago the application was, to be an Iowa- an Iowa climate ambassador. He's a retired teacher and has actually given a number of presentations about climate action, which is what it's all about, getting the education out there but I'm open to what others think. Dunn: I would offer uh, Michael Anderson. Uh, I think he's got a really good perspective, uh, of the whole situation, climate crisis, uh, as a journalist. Um, and I also really liked a lot of his activism. He, uh, reported on and participated in the Standing Rock anti-DAPL Dakota Access Pipeline protest in 2016. And he's big on new urbanism is just something I'm also big on. So, um, I would put him forth, uh, as well as Zach Haralson. But also I don't- I don't really have any concerns with the- the people that were mentioned by Councilor Taylor. Alter: I would also add, um, Hannah Cargo to the mix. I had also flagged Angie Smith as well as Michael Anderson. Um, what I liked about Hannah was actually, um, that she's a student and that I think that given that, uh, the sense of urgency is hitting honestly, uh, the student generation more and more, I think that she brings enthusiasm and, um, desire to dig in and to reach as many people as possible. I jus- I felt that she had a lot of qualifications and I thought honestly, um, the- her representation would be good on the commission. Thomas: Well, it really was an outstanding field, but I also, um, was impressed by Michael Anderson and, uh, the background, um, that he- that he bring- would bring to the commission. Um, he was- he was my fust- fust choice. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 27 Bergus: My short list was, uh, Abigail McCune, Angie Smith, and Michael Anderson. Alter: I had also flagged Abigail so - Teague: Okay. So I think this is a sign that we have a lot of great applicants. Alter: Yes. Teague: Um, and it- there's- there's a few that of course I could support. I think I'll go with Angie Smith. And that will give us four for Angie Smith. Alright? Are we all okay with Angie Smith? That works. Alright. Can I get a motion to appoint Angie Smith to the Climate Action Commission. Taylor: So moved, Taylor. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: All in favor say aye. (Voice Vote) Any oppose? Motion passes 6-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 28 13. City Council Information Teague: Item Number 13 is City Council information. Taylor: All right. I'll start. Surely others have some information. But uh, one thing that I'm really happy to report on was that yesterday, I had the pleasure of going on the Affordable Housing Bus Tour, which was over three hours long, but it was well worth it. It was hosted by the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition and the Housing Trust Fund of Iowa City. The tour which went through the cities of Iowa City, North Liberty, and Coralville, featured 15 homes that are just a handful of the many affordable home projects in the area. These were rentals, home ownership, and supportive rental units, single and multifamily. We all know that affordable housing plays an essential role in the social and economic development of our community. This tour highlighted the fact that our communities are, and our county, are truly indeed have been working hard to provide affordable housing over the past few years and plan to continue doing so. I'd like to thank Jessica Andino and Alan McKay for planning this tour and for all that you do. Alter: It was almost two weeks ago now, but the Mayor and I had an opportunity to go to the Iowa League of Cities annual meeting- annual convention conference. Let me get three words for the one, but it was... Teague: Redmond. Alter: And Redmond. Yes, that's right. It was incredibly illuminative. There are a lot of really good sessions um, ranging from um, increasing mental health support in local municipalities, drawing on actually some examples. I mean, the thing that was great about this conference was honestly that it had to deal with practicalities and things that are going on throughout the state of Iowa. Um, so it wasn't just abstract like we might do this when we might do that. So um, there's some really interesting presentation about um, a partnership between um, police departments and mental health professionals to um, help divert um, and get people um, who are in um, not a criminal situation, but a mental health crisis situation, the support and follow-up that they need. And so that was really - really interesting. Um, and there are some additional sessions that were dealt with finance, which we're, are going to be incredibly helpful. And then ultimately um, for my own part, it was the first time that I've been to this conference, and it was really cool because it was understanding the scope and the breadth of specific problems that communities are facing, and realizing that um, a) we have a really- really great collaborative um, community that is able to draw upon partners and whatnot, but also to recognize the very specific problems that so much of Iowa has um, because the rural communities were able to be there and have their voices heard and talk about not only problems that they're dealing with but also solutions that they're finding too. So um, It was just a really- really cool experience. It was my fust time. So that's why I'm kinda pontificating on it. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 29 Teague: Yeah- Yeah. It- It was good. I think it does speak to the commonalities that big cities, small cities have in common, and also, um, regardless of any one individual political background, home rule is across the board, what communities want, because there is no two communities alike. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023 Page 30 14. Report on Items from Staff: Teague: All right, we're going to move on to Item Number 14, report from our City staff and we are going to start in our City Manager's Office. Jones: I was already to say pass but since you brought up the League of Cities, I did want to um, let the Councilors know, I was also there to meet with the uh, Metro Coalition, which is a coalition built up of the twelve largest communities in the state of Iowa, and our goal was to sharpen our legislative message for the upcoming sessions. So as you also know, we're going to be moving towards our practice of looking at our legislative priorities coming in the next month or so. So this actually is a- is a good time to if there's any legislative priorities that individual Councilors uh, have or would like to add a part of the pot, we're kind of going through the process now of- of- of, bringing it all those ideas together with all those communities at kinda start to narrow it down. So this is the perfect time to add any ideas you may have. So um, just wanted to put that out there. Teague: Our City Attorney's Office. Goers: Uh, I'll offer this uh, time that Jennifer Schwickerath, one of the attorneys in our office, the most recent addition to our office, had the opportunity and took it to attend the International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Conference, which was in California. It cost her last weekend, but she thought it was a great uh, program. It is certainly robust. IMLA, as we refer to it, has a number of interest groups that are of value to the city and in my experience, including University City group than I participate in quarterly calls um, I believe in IMLA enough that I've served as the chair for several years. I've since given up that mantle um, proud as it may be. But it was a great opportunity for her to get out and make some, uh, relationships with other city attorneys from Iowa who tend to go as well, so I was really grateful for the opportunity. Teague: And we're gonna go to our city clerk's office. Grace: Nothing from the Clerk's Office. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal of October 3, 2023