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Home My WebLink About2007-03-22 Info Packet I:;: 1 -...:::. -14'... t~<ii~'"? -<;:..... _....m...... ......- ~ CiTY OF IOWA CiTY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET March 22, 2007 MISCELLANEOUS IP1 Tentative City Council Meeting and Work Session Agenda IP2 Letter from Mayor Wilburn to Carolyn Henderson: Employment of minorities in Iowa City IP3 Letter from the City Manager to Congressman Leonard Boswell: Iowa Interstate Railroad request for special earmark funds; letter of support IP4 Memorandum from the Community Development Coordinator: March 19 Council Work Session IP5 Memorandum from the JCCOG Human Services Coordinator: FY07 Second Quarter Performance Review of Health and Human Services Agencies that receive Aid.to. Agencies Funding from the City of Iowa City IP6 Newsletter from David Jacoby - Statehouse News - March 15, 2007 IP7 Invitation: National Dance Competition Nachte Raho, Indian Student Alliance - University of Iowa, March 31, 2007 PRELIMINARY/DRAFT MINUTES IPS Animal Care Task Force: March 8, 2007 IP9 Public Library Board of Trustees: February 22, 2007 IP10 Housing and Community Development Commission: March 8, 2007 IP11 Housing and Community Development Commission: February 21, 2007 I;:: l f~~~'t -,;;::... .......~ --- CiTY OF IOWA CiTY City Council Meeting Schedule and Work Session Agendas IO;~t .. , March 22. 2007 www.icgov.org TENTATIVE FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS I . MONDAY, APRIL 2 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session . TUESDAY, APRIL 3 7:00p Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall . WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 4:30p Joint Meeting North Liberty . MONDAY, APRIL 16 5:30p Work Session 7:00p Special Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall . MONDAY, APRIL 30 6:30p Council Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall . TUESDAY, MAY 1 7:00p Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall . MONDAY, MAY 14 6:30p Council Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall . TUESDAY, MAY 15 7:00p Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall . MONDAY, JUNE 4 6:30p Council Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall . TUESDAY, JUNE 5 7:00p Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall . MONDAY, JUNE 18 6:30p Council Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall . TUESDAY, JUNE 19 7:00p Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall . MONDAY, JULY 9 6:30p Special Council Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall . TUESDAY, JULY 10 7:00p Special Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall (thatch 5 March 19, 2007 Ms. Carolyn Henderson 509 S. Linn Street Apt.#2 Iowa City, IA. 52240 410 Easl Washlnglon Slreet Iowa Cily. Iowa 52240.1826 (319) 356-5000 (J 19) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.arg Re: Employment of minorities in Iowa City Dear Ms. Henderson, Thank you for your recent letter to me and to the City Council, and for your kind words regarding my selection as Iowa City's mayor. As you might assume, serving in that office is both challenging and rewarding. This is a great community and I am always appreciative of having the opportunity to serve in this capacity. The City Council adopted a non-discrimination ordinance over forty years ago which prohibits discrimination in employment on numerous bases, including race, color, or national origin among other designated protected classes. Iowa City has a long standing Human Rights Commission, appointed by the City Council, which oversees the enforcement of our local ordinance. We employ a full-time Human Rights Coordinator who, along with two part-time investigators, receives and investigates complaints of unlawful discrimination in Iowa City and attempts to facilitate a resolution. The Commission is empowered to convene a public hearing in cases where there is a finding of 'probable cause" that unlawful discrimination has occurred and where no other attempt at resolution has succeeded. The Commission has quasi-judicial authority to make a finding and may impose a resolution it considers appropriate. While we hope that all local employers are abiding by our ordinance, we also conduct outreach efforts in the community aimed at ensuring that employers are aware of local, state and federal non-discrimination laws and of potential penalties for violating those laws. We also attempt to assist them in identifying ways in which they can fashion better equal opportunity employment practices in their own organization. The City of Iowa City is an equal opportunity employer and our employment policies and practices conform not only to federal and state laws, but also to our local ordinance which includes protected classes (sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status) typically not protected under federal or state statutes. I feel it is important that the City be a model employer for the community. I think we can agree that there continues to be unlawful discrimination in our society and, unfortunately, we are unlikely to ever eradicate it completely. Nonetheless, I believe Iowa City employers, both public and private, do for the most part attempt to be fair and nondiscriminatory in their employment practices. We will continue to vigorously enforce the local ordinance through the office of our Human Rights Coordinator. We also make referrals to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission where appropriate, such as in cases where we lack jurisdiction or where a potential conflict of interest might exist. _....."--"--_.,,""._~-_. "".---...---.-- ---_."~---" - - ---- ,.-- .-".-..--..-,.".,' ._-~ -_.,-_._-_.__._------_._.._,~-~------------- March 19, 2007 Page 2 I hope this information is helpful. If you are aware of a specific situation(s) where unlawful discrimination is involved, please feel free to contact Stefanie Bowers, the City's Human Rights Coordinator. She can explain how the complaint process works and what is required for the filing of a formal complaint. Ross Mayor W~ cc.~ouncil Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinator March 15, 2007 I~ l~ -~'5.-IlO... ~~W~~ "'-.... __19'__ .....~ ~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 E.st W.shington Street low. City. low. 52240-] 826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.org Congressman Leonard Boswell 300 East Locust Street Suite 320 Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Re: Iowa Interstate Railroad request for special earmark funds; letter of support Dear Congressman Boswell: The Iowa Interstate Railroad has submitted a request for a special earmark to construct an interchange track near Homestead, Iowa (approximately 25 miles west of Iowa City), to interchange east bound rail traffic for Cedar Rapids. Presently, it is necessary for the railroad to bring traffic from the west which is destined for Cedar Rapids into Iowa City. From there, this traffic is then back-hauled approximately 25 miles to the west and then taken to Cedar Rapids. The City of Iowa City is writing in support of this project. Construction of an interchange track near Homestead would help reduce the amount of rail traffic in Iowa City. This would reduce congestion at rail crossings throughout our community, and improve safety. If you would like additional information about this project, feel free to contact transportation planner Jeff Davidson at (319) 356-5252. Thank you for your support of Iowa's transportation system. Sincerely, hLAA.I~~' , S~~hln'J.--'ktns City Manager cc: City Council/' Jeff Davidson Diane McCauley, IDOT Office of Rail Transportation Congressman Dave Loebsack jccogadm/ltrs/bo5well.IIRR.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 21, 2007 To: City Council From: Steve Long, Community Development coordinator)t/ Re: March 19 Council Work Session This is to confirm the outcome of the housing discussion at the March 19 Council work session. At that meeting, Council members agreed that owner-occupied homes assisted with FY08 CDBG/HOME funds can be located anywhere in Iowa City. Rental housing projects that are assisted with FY08 CDBG/HOME funds and that are proposed in areas not identified for additional affordable housing opportunities (as identified on the location map dated November 14, 2005) must be approved by City Council. Please feel free to contact me at steve-Iong@iowa-city.org or at 356.5250 if you have any questions or comments. ~ -- --------_._.-_.__.__._-_..._.__._~~_._--~------_._-'- ._-~------ c;:J ~JCCOG r~ m e m 0 r.. Date: March 21, 2007 To: Iowa City City Council From: Linda Severson, JCCOG Human Services Coordinator Re: FY07 Second Quarter Performance Review of Health and Human Services Agencies that receive Aid-to-Agencies Funding from the City of Iowa City Last year the JCCOG Urbanized Area Policy Board approved changes to the JCCOG program of services. A specific request was to have the Human Services Coordinator collect and review quarterly performance information reported by the agencies that receive funding from Coralville, Iowa City, and Johnson County. Each quarter JCCOG will issue a summary report assessing agency performance; this is the second report. The human service agencies received instructions on what information is to be submitted each quarter at a meeting held in June 2006. The quarterly reporting includes the mission statement of the agency; a brief description of services provided; and 2 - 3 measurable goals/objectives that the agency can be assessed on throughout the fiscal year. Also, agency board minutes and financial reports are submitted each quarter. The City of Iowa City provides financial support to local human services agencies through the Aid-to-Agencies allocation in the annual budget. For FY 07, the amount was $446,973.00. The sources of funding are the general fund ($305,923), Community Development Block Grant ($105,000), and Water & Wastewater Utility Bill Abatements ($36,050). Thirteen agencies, two specific programs, STAR (Shelter House) and Youthworks (UAY) and the Johnson County Juvenile Justice Youth Development Collaborative received funding. The annual amount given to each agency ranges from $2,000 to $63,049. Also, included is a small contingency fund ($13,436) that is available for emergencies or unexpected expenses that may come up during the year with the approval of the City Manager. Attached you will find the second quarter FY07 assessment of each human service agency that receives funding from the City of Iowa City. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at 356-5242 or Iinda-severson@iowa-city.org. cc: Steve Atkins Jeff Davidson Karin Franklin jccoghs/mem/FY07 -, stqtagencyreview.doc Agency: Community Coordinated Childcare (4C's) FY07 Funding: Iowa City $2,000 Coralville $2,140 Mission: 4Cs promotes the well-being of children by assisting families, child care providers, employers and others with their child care needs. We address challenges to the community's child care systems and serve as a resource for the development of new programs. Goals and Progress: 1. 4Cs will increase availability and quality of child care environments through our child care provider support services. Progress: . 4Cs has 168 child development home providers listed. (Increase of 18 home in 2nd quarter.) . 4Cs has trained 451 home and center-based child care providers this quarter. 2. 4Cs will increase resources, opportunities to learn, community collaborations through our family and community support services. Progress: . 4Cs has provided 240 child care referrals to families in Johnson County this quarter. . 4Cs has sent 230 new expanded parent packets to families looking for child care this quarter. . 4Cs has been involved in 30 formal community collaborations this quarter. 3. 4Cs will increase the well-being of children, resources to parents, and family resiliency for children and families served by our 4Cs Home Ties Child Care Center. Progress: . 4Cs Home Ties Child Care Center has provided child care for 33 children. . 4Cs Home Ties Child Care Center has assisted 24 families in setting their goals and offered referrals to community resources. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 1,907 Coralville: 261 (all programs) Special Comment of Appreciation: It continues to be helpful to have free bus strip tickets to give parents who accompany their children to the center. With the bus strip tickets, the parents have a way other than walking to get to appointments or back home. Iowa City has been supplying 20 tickets per month. -Jon Koch, 4Cs Home Ties Child Care Center Program Coordinator Agency: American Red Cross - Grant Wood Chapter FY07 Funding: Iowa City $5,340 Coralville $1,300 Mission: The mission of the American Red Cross is to assist victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Goals and Progress: Emergency Services 1. Move households out of disaster crisis in a timely manner, and reduce the financial and emotional impact by providing disaster relief assistance. 2. Ensure adequate and consistent response to local response to local disasters. 3. Provide emergency communications, crisis support and information to Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their family members. Progress: . There were 11 fires (affecting 37 people) in October that Red Cross responded to this quarter. . Provided 15 Armed Forces Emergency Assistance Communications. . Trained 114 Emergency Services Volunteers. . Forty households had smoke detectors checked. Health Services 1. Educate individuals living in Johnson County to prevent, prepare for, and respond to accidents and medical emergencies. 2. In partnership with the Blood Region, collect blood for human needs, increasing the units in Johnson County. Progress: . In the second quarter, 1,998 people were trained in Automated External Defibrillators (AED), Adult, Infant and Child CPR, First Aid, Baby-sitter's training, Life guarding and Water Safety. . 98 units of blood were collected. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 1,446 Coralville: 513 (These figures are based on clients who received services that provide us with information, it doesn't include those for whom we do not solicit these statistics or those who chose not to provide this information). 2 Agency: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County FY07 Funding: Iowa City $35,436 Coralville $4,760 Mission: The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County is to advocate for a strong community through positive adult/youth relationships by providing opportunities for youth to develop a sense of self worth and responsibility. Goal and Progress: To match at-risk youth residing in Johnson County with adult volunteers in long- lasting professionally supported mentoring relationships. (Served 549 kids in second quarter.) Progress: . One-to-one mentoring services were provided to all kids matched in the Community Based and School Based programs. Staff checks in with each match on a monthly basis if the match is less than one year in length, and on a quarterly basis for matches over one year. These check-ins provide staff with information about the match - successes, challenges, etc. The professional Match Support specialist will then take that information and work with volunteer, child and family to determine future match goals. . A Program Outcome Evaluation (POE) is conducted with all matches after one year. The POE is meant to provide staff with data to rate the success of the match and the improvement in a child's life. A recent tabulation of these results gave the following information: Kids matched in our mentoring programs for over one year: Mentoring Outcomes: Impro>,ements Demonstrated in the Following Categories Self~Confidence 97% 93% 83% TruslGvenloVolunteer Ability to AvoW Substance Abuse SchOOIF\lrforrnmce 63% 57% Relationships w ith Adu~s 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Number of People Served: Iowa City: 346 Coralville: 55 Remarks from the JCCOG Human Services Coordinator: BB BS continues to have a waiting list of volunteers. With so many matches currently open, staff is stretched to properly supervise each match (which is key in maintaining a quality relationship) and can not make new matches without additional staff. Agency: Crisis Center of Johnson County FY07 Funding: Iowa City $38,575 Coralville $6,955 Mission: The Crisis Center provides basic emotional and material support through trained volunteers and staff in an accessible, nonjudgmental and caring environment. The Crisis Center responds immediately, effectively, and compassionately as it has since its establishment in 1970. Goals: 1. 85% of clients communicate satisfaction or express appreciation for services (phone hotline). Progress: . 94% of clients satisfied with services. 2. Provide 7000 crisis intervention counseling contacts through the 24 hour hotline Service (1,750 per quarter). Progress: . Provided 2,143 crisis intervention counseling contacts on hotline during the second quarter. 3. Provide households with food assistance during 30,000 client contacts (7,500 per quarter). Progress: . Provided food assistance during 9,019 client contacts. 4. Evaluate the needs and concerns of 4,000 households and provide on-going support (1,000 per quarter). Progress: . Evaluated 1,542 household needs through Help at Hand case management. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 1,976 households Coralville: 479 households (These do not include the 2,242 contacts on the 24 hour telephone hotline.) 4 Agency: Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) FY07 Funding: Iowa City $50,687 Coralville $3,968 Mission: Our mission is to end domestic violence in our communities through support, advocacy, shelter, and education. The DVIP was established in 1980 and was founded on the belief that everyone has the right to live free of fear and harm. Goals and Progress: 1. Adults and youth clients of DVIP will be able to identify a safety plan. Progress: . 97% of adult and 87% of youth participants completed a safety plan outcome measure form. 2. Adult and youth clients of DVIP will be able to identify three abusive tactics on power and control wheel. Progress: . 91 % of adult and youth participants completed a power and control outcome measure form. 3. Adult clients will be able to identify two new resources they didn't know about before contacting DVIP. Progress: . 93% of adult clients were able to list at least two new resources that they learned about while at DVIP. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 247 Coralville: 48 5 Agency: Elder Services, Inc. FY07 Funding: Iowa City $58,839 Coralville $3,704 Mission: Elder Services, Inc. (ESI) is a non-profit agency that assists persons over 60 residing in eastern Iowa to live independently and be productive members of the community. Goals and Progress: 1. Ensure that all frail older adults and persons with disabilities served by the case management program are receiving appropriate services and assistance to enable them to remain in their home. Objectives: . To adequately serve case management clients, ESI will maintain case management staff of at least 3 FTEs. . ESI staff will complete a comprehensive assessment of needs within 5 days of receiving a referral. . Participants in the Case Management program will remain in their home at least an average of 18 months. Progress: . Maintained a case management staff at 3.75 FTEs. . Due to significant changes in the case management program in the second quarter, the response time has increased from one to five days. . Participants were in the program for an average of 30 months. 2. Elder Services shall increase the number of older adults, children, and persons with disabilities they serve in programming. Objectives: . ESI shall provide services to a minimum of 1300 people in FY07. . ESI shall create and implement an informational campaign to inform people which services are available to older adults. Progress: . Second quarter, served 138 new people in Johnson County. . An Information and Marketing Committee has been formed to develop plans on how to inform people of ESI services. Number of New People Served: Iowa City: 92 Coralville: 16 6 Agency: ICARE FY07 Funding: Iowa City $8,953 Coralville $1 ,21 0 Mission: ICARE's mission is to enrich the quality of life for persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Through the distribution of information and services, we aim to foster the self-empowerment necessary to live productively and positively in the face of HIV/AIDS. Goals & Progress: 1. Improved quality of life for individuals living with HIV/AIDS Objective: . Provide case management services to secure needed resources for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Progress: . Provided case management services to 25 Johnson County clients. . Now using a standardized assessment developed by a committee of case managers from AIDS service organizations across Iowa. This tool will allow ICARE to assess client strengths and needs in nine major areas and will assist in creating client-centered care plans and provide for greater referral opportunities. Objective: . Provide support services to people impacted by HIV/AIDS. Progress: . Offer a monthly activity group with the goal of building a community for emotional and social support for person infected with HIV/AIDS. . Coordinating a group with Rapids AIDS Project (Cedar Rapids) to provide support specifically to women living with HIV/AIDS. . The 24-hour phone line for information, counseling and referrals continues. 2. Reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS Objective: . Provide information regarding HIV/AIDS to 300 community members in FY07 through education and prevention activities. Progress: . Reached 47 people through seven education and prevention activities such as health fairs and conferences. Number of People Served: Johnson County: 25 for case management 7 Agency: Iowa City Free Medical Clinic FY07 Funding: Iowa City $ 6,400 Coralville $2,076 Mission: The Iowa City Free Medical Clinic is a private nonprofit corporation, providing quality health care to the underserved of Johnson County. Goals & Progress: 1. Free Medical Clinic (FMC) will provide Case Management Services for the Chronic Care patients. Objective: . Assist 200 clients (minimum) with ongoing support services such as ensuring client has the appropriate medication, equipment, education and follow-up appointments with the primary physician and any necessary specialist. Case Manager will screen and enroll new clients in the case management program. Progress: . 80 new patients were served by the case management program this quarter. Objective: . 90% of diabetic patients will receive a glucometer and testing supplies. Progress: . 11 glucometers and 31 diabetic test strips were given to patients. 2. FMC will provide access to a Tobacco Cessation Program to all patients. Objective: . 100% of FMC patients who use tobacco will be advised of the merits of tobacco cessation, and offered enrollment in the FMC Tobacco Cessation Program (TCP). 25 patients will be enrolled in TCP. Progress: . All patients seen were informed about merits of tobacco cessation and five patients are currently enrolled in the TCP program. 3. FMC will provide specialized, limited health and ancillary services to eligible patients. Objective: . 70% of eligible women will be referred for free annual mammograms through the Visiting Nurses Association. . To provide vouchers for medication, eyeglasses, hearing aids and cancer prevention for 300+ FMC clients. Progress: . 31 mammograms were provided. 8 . 132 vouchers were written for medication, eyeglasses or hearing aid assistance this quarter. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 530 Coralville: 164 Remarks from the JCCOG Human Services Coordinator: The number of people served in the first quarter (Iowa City: 371 and Coralville: 98) was inaccurate due to problems with their database. The numbers should have been Iowa City: 521 and Coralville: 131. 9 Agency: Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program (MYEP) FY07 Funding: Iowa City $20,600 Coralville $3,045 Mission: Provide support and advocacy to youth and their families who face barriers to independence. Goals & Progress: 1. To increase the level of employability for at-risk youth in Coralville, Iowa City, and Johnson County through the MYEP Youth Employment Services (YES) program. Objectives: . Provide job readiness services to 85 at-risk youth in the county. . Present six job readiness workshops for at-risk youth. . Assist 42 at-risk youth to secure and maintain employment for three months or longer. Progress: . MYEP served 19 at-risk individuals in Coralville, IC and Johnson County through the Youth Employment Services program. 13 individuals were served on a one-to-one basis. Six individuals were served in a job readiness workshop in December. . 10 at-risk youth maintained employment for three months. Total 20 for 6 months. 2. To increase the level of vocational independence for at-risk youth through the Youth Employment Services (YES) by expanding the business collaborations utilized as job sites. Objectives: . Presentations to two new employers per month regarding YES. . Develop 10 new worksites for subsidized and non-subsidized employment for at-risk youth. Progress: . MYEP presented to six new business entities this quarter. . 6 new worksites with successful placements have been achieved this year. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 14 Coralville: 2 10 Agency: Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse (MECCA) FY07 Funding: Iowa City $28,879 Coralville $2,371 'Mission: To enhance the health of individuals and communities through community-based substance abuse, mental health and other health services. Goals & Progress: 1. A minimum of 70% of clients will be discharged having successfully completed services (discharge reason 21 or 22 from SARS reporting). Progress: . For the second quarter, 75% of clients were discharged having successfully completing services. 2. Less than 15% of residential clients will leave residential treatment services against MECCA's advice. Progress: . The Against Clinical Advice (ACA) discharge rate was 12% for the second quarter. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 319 Coralville: 110 11 Agency: Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County FY07 Funding: Iowa City $60,000 Mission: Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County is dedicated to building a better future for people in neighborhoods through programs that educate, strengthen families and create a sense of community. Goals & Progress: 1. Children will develop social, emotional, aesthetic and artistic, physical and intellectual skills along a developmental continuum designed to strengthen and improve their chances of achieving success in school and life. School-year programming includes full and part-day child development programs; after-school programs for elementary-aged youth; after-school employment programming for junior high age youth; evening tutoring programs for K to 1 ih graders; and a variety of specialized youth club opportunities. Progress: . Young child programming: Programs offered this quarter specifically for the young child (birth to 5 years of age) include: full and part-day child development programs and behavior/early intervention services. Also, a number of parent-child programs include activities like ongoing home visits, monthly family book nights, numerous family trips to the children's museum and public library and an on-site parent-tot play group. . Full and part-day child development programs continue to operate at capacity with 2 infant classrooms, 2 toddler classrooms, and 3 preschool classrooms. Last quarter, all of the children enrolled in NCJC child development programs received a series of "pre- screenings and assessments." This quarter, teachers and the early interventionist met with parents, GWAEA staff, Wendell-Johnson Speech and Hearing Staff, and the ICCSD special education staff to make referrals, develop intervention plans, and to share information regarding the individualized development of each enrolled child. Additionally, NCJC child development programs began working on the QRS standards, a quality initiative directed at continuous self-improvement and growth of early childhood centers throughout the State of Iowa. . In addition to the on-going after-school programs and evening tutoring programs offered every year for area youth, Neighborhood Centers is especially excited to offer area youth specialized club opportunities. For example, at Pheasant Ridge, 3 levels of Arabic Classes are offered to area youth every weekend; these classes 12 are well-attended with an on-going class enrollment of approximately 39 youth and are "staffed" by area parents and adults. Also, at Broadway and Pheasant Ridge, Girls Scouts continue to grow in popularity and membership. Pheasant Ridge now hosts Girl Scouts on two evenings each week and has a troop membership of over 30 girls and young women. This quarter, the Pheasant Ridge girls studied self-defense techniques in addition to participating in a variety of community service activities. The Broadway group is just starting again, but already has an enrollment averaging 12 girls weekly. 2. Adults will strengthen their networks of support, work toward developing life skills necessary for achieving their personal goals and meeting their diverse needs. Neighborhood Centers continued to offer area adults a multitude of supports and activities to help meet goals and family needs. Educational, employment, parenting, and life-skill building programs were offered. During this quarter some of the programs included: Home visit programs; on-site GED and ELL adult education classes and supports; evening parent support groups; nutrition classes; computer classes; and a variety of opportunities for neighborhood members to meet their neighbors and focus on neighborhood- building activities. Progress: . GED and ELL programming is an exciting and nurturing classroom opportunity for the adult students enrolled. Many, if not all, of the enrolled adults are extremely nervous and hesitant to commit to schooling as an adult-after all, they did not complete school with their peers the first time and now have significant responsibilities, like children, as they return to school again. However, the on-site GED maintains daily attendance rates above 90%, with close to 15 students attending each day. Additionally, 2 members of the GED program graduated from Kirkwood Community College during quarter 2-sign-up for classes beginning next quarter is showing a significant increase as word of the graduation is spreading! . During the 2nd quarter, a variety of community building programs and activities were facilitated at Pheasant Ridge and Broadway, designed to strengthen networks of support and to build strong neighborhood bonds. Pheasant Ridge, in addition to facilitating weekly Arabic classes for area youth, now is a host site for a Kirkwood ELL c1ass-a favorite class site among families living in the neighborhood. Also, Pheasant Ridge offered two large neighborhood events for area families-the traditional haunted house, sponsored by the UI Athletic Department, and the neighborhood-wide Thanksgiving Dinner. This quarter, Broadway offered two forums facilitated by the IC Human Rights Commission on "Know Your Rights." Also, Broadway started a monthly 13 ''Welcome Wednesday" breakfast designed to introduce new community members to the Center staff and to each other. These breakfasts, in addition to the Thanksgiving Pie-Baking Day and the Winter Holiday Ornament Making Day, brought faces into the Center and helped new community members meet each other. Number of People Served: 945 in Johnson County 14 Agency: Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) FY07 Funding: Iowa City $11,232 Coralville $3,084 Mission: The Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) provides confidential and accessible advocacy, support and information to victim/survivors of sexual abuse and their loved ones. We present sexual abuse prevention and educational programming, and work to create safe communities by promoting social change. Goals & Progress: 1. Maintain current direct services to victims and their loved ones. Objectives: . Identify new resources for victim/survivors and their significant others. . Include new material on the RVAP website. . Provide counseling to victim/survivors. . Provide counseling and resources to victims' families and friends. Progress: . Served 77 Johnson County sexual assault victims and 27 new clients receiving counseling. . On website: . Concerted effort to expand our educational programming to high school students in the service area. Currently conducting three psycho-educational support groups for high risk teens. . Launched disabilities web page aimed at providing information for people with disabilities as well as significant others and professionals. . Staff is working with webmaster on improving site for use with "readers" used by people with visual impairments. 2. Improve services to people with disabilities (Phase One [development phase] has been completed). Objectives: . Cross train RVAP staff and area agencies serving people with disabilities. . Identify curricula and conduct risk reduction skill groups. . Conduct an evaluation of agency accessibility for people with disabilities. 15 Progress: . Completed an agency assessment regarding accessibility in our facility for persons with disabilities. Working with building owner to make suggested modifications. . Continued meetings with agency representatives regarding cross training of staff. 3. Implement the outreach program to Spanish-speaking populations. Objectives: . Hire a bilingual staff member. . Network with Spanish-speaking organizations and communities. . Develop Spanish web content. . Recruit, screen, and train Spanish-speaking volunteers for the Rape Crisis Line. . Provide additional cultural competency training to RVAP staff. Progress: . Conducted research on providing outreach to Latinato survivors of sexual assault and their significant others. . She attends and participates in Amigos del Immigrante, a local collaboration made up of individuals and agencies working with Latinos. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 583 Coralville: 191 Remarks from the JCCOG Human Services Coordinator: RVAP is reaching out to underserved populations to provide services. 16 Agency: Shelter House and the STAR Program FY07 Funding: Iowa City Shelter House $16,899/STAR $6,147 Coralville $2,006 Mission: Shelter House provides shelter, basic and transitional resources, while encouraging self-sufficiency, to any person in our community experiencing homelessness. Goals & Progress: 1. Increase Residential Stability Progress: . 76 (60%) adult clients (July through December) participating and completing the In-House Counseling Program (required of anyone staying beyond a short term time) exited to more permanent housing placements. In the STAR program, 18 (82%) adult clients secured more permanent housing at the point of exit. 2. Increased Skills and/or Income Progress: . 94 (75%) of adults increased income upon exit from the In-House Counseling Program. 20 adults exiting the STAR program do so with an income. 3. Increased Participation in Mainstream Resources (e.g. food stamps, rental assistance) Progress: . For clients participating in the In-House Counseling program, the number of individuals engaged and receiving mainstream resources has remained relatively static. Overall participation in mainstream resources actually decreased for STAR clients as individual's employment income increased. 4. Increased Participation in the Workforce. Progress: . Not available. Problems with data collection-verifying accuracy. Additional Information: . The Consultation of Religious Communities is offering the Overflow Project (offering sleeping space at various locations) this winter. For November and December, the project served 15 children, 15 women and 55 men (total 85). Number of People Served: Iowa City: 246 Coralville: 13 17 Agency: United Action for Youth (UAY) and Youthworks FY07 Funding: Iowa City UAY $63,049/Youthworks $16,000 Coralville $3,640 Mission: The mission of UAY is to assist youth and families in helping themselves to a healthy future. We do this by offering youth development, counseling and prevention programs that make use of young people's talents, creativity and energies. Goals & Progress: UAY uses local funding as match for a number of grants they receive. They are reporting on a different grant program each quarter. 1. The UA V's VOCA (Victim of Crime Act) provides support and counseling assistance to adolescent crime victims who do not benefit from the child welfare system. Most were victims of child abuse earlier in their childhood, sexual assault as teenagers, or lived in homes with domestic violence. Progress: . From January 1 to December 31, 2006, UAY served 134 crime victims. Example of Services and Outcomes: A high school freshman lived alone with her mother who was a severe alcoholic. The home environment was chaotic, cruel and neglectful. The young woman was a "D" and "F" student, introverted and uninvolved in extra-curricular activities when she began counseling in the UA Y VOCA program. She became involved in the Youth Center, especially the arts program. Over the next four years she became a Youth Center volunteer. Her grades improved to a 3.5 GPA. She moved in with relatives, completed high school, served one year as an Americorps, and has successfully completed her first semester of college. Youthworks 1. Identify and enroll 25 eligible youth annually. Progress: . 18 youths were recruited for the October and December classes. 2. 70% of youth will complete classroom work and practice work Progress: . 99% of the two classes completed classroom work and 44% completed practice work. 3. 80% of youth who completed the classroom portion will demonstrate improved knowledge of job search skills, workplace conduct, work problem solving as demonstrated by pre and post test scores. 18 Progress: . 100% of the youth who completed classroom demonstrated significant improvement in knowledge of employment skills. 4. 50% of youth who enroll will complete an internship. Progress: . Though no youth completed an internship this quarter, two youth have begun their paid internships. Due to large class sizes, it has taken longer to get youth through the practice work component, and the majority of youth are still completing practice work and will begin internships in the third quarter. 5. 75% of youth who complete an internship will secure employment within 6 months. Progress: . One youth who completed the October class is now employed. Number of People Served: Iowa City: 347 Coralville: 44 Youth Works: 18 (Iowa City residents) 19 General Remarks from the JCCOG Human Services Coordinator: All of the agencies that receive funding from Iowa City and Coralville have made progress on their stated goals and objectives. I met with MYEP staff and after discussion, their goal number for youth employed for three months was revised from 55 to 42 (based on mid-year review, they had 20 youths who had been employed for at least three months). A number of agencies are reaching out and offering services to underserved groups, such as Spanish-speaking, Sudanese, and persons with disabilities. For several years Iowa City has allocated $16,000 to United Action for Youth (UAY) for a youth employment program. This project has had its struggles. For FY08, an alternative youth employment, Consortium for Youth Employment Program, has been proposed by the Johnson County Decategorization Project. The Consortium for Youth Employment Program will use combined funding from the Johnson County Youth Development Group, City of Iowa City, and the Decaterogization Project. Youth serving agencies will make application to the Consortium to serve a specific number of youth for a pre-determined amount of funding. The annual Big Brothers Big Sisters' Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser, which typically raises about one-third of their yearly income, was sabotaged by the severe ice storm at the end of February. There are serious concerns about the amount of funds raised. Currently they have raised approximately $75,000 out of a goal of $130,000. Through a new grant from Kohl's Department store, the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC) and UIHC Children's Hospital are partners in developing neighborhood and community health and wellness programming. Two community events aimed at distributing nutrition information and fun family fitness ideas were held in the second quarter. Additionally, the Kohl's health and wellness grant began funding a Nutrition Coordinator at the Centers to develop healthier child development and youth programs menus, as well as to work with area families on how to better use resources like food pantries and Table to Table donated food items to eat healthier as a family. jccoghslFY072ndqtagencyreview part2Coralville.doc 20 Page 1 of9 , O~~2~7 I Marian Karr From: Jacoby, David [LEGIS] [david.jacoby@legis.state.ia.us] Sent: Thursday, March 15,20074:39 PM To: Jacoby, David [LEGIS] Cc: doctori@mchsi.com; ahmorgan@ix.netcom.com; bookwyrm_aa@hotmail.com; nyuali@hotmail.com; aagreen@rockwellcollins.com; amy-halt@uiowa.edu; aimes@mchsi.com; Sorensen.Amy@iccsd.k12.ia.us; alkout@mchsi.com; angela.adrian@mercyic.org; bgbeaumont@juno.com; benjamin-kopf@uiowa.edu; bernard.j.johnson@pfizer.com; baileyc@avalon.net; bmurphyy@yahoo.com; brenda-akins@uiowa.edu; brenda-conry@uiowa.edu; brian-Ioring@ncjc.org; brwakeham@hotmail.com; Brucegod@aol.com; paitah@yahoo.com; cmkula@muscatine.k12.ia.us; chadkent@mchsi.com; cjcaster@earthlink.net; mrchristopherjones@hotmail.com; ccwhiteman@mchsi.com; clark-cooper@uiowa.edu; c1ark.steve@mchsi.com; cpvz@excite.com; curtmoore@msn.com; dvonnahme@iowacounties.org; dana-simcox@uiowa.edu; No17Eng654@aol.com; dpurdy@elderservicesiowa.com; figaro318@hotmail.com; akern@cc-amana.k12.ia.us; dennis. p. hurley@gsk.com; DENNISM@MEARDONLAW.COM; Deuronimo@aol.com; Abertolatu@aol.com; dickmeade@southslope.net; donna-chandler@uiowa.edu; Idepley@inav.net; donna-katen- bahensky@uiowa.edu; doug .elliott@ecicog.org; edward. huenemann@dmps.k12.ia.us; EFisher@mail.public-health.uiowa.edu; emnoriand@yahoo.com; McDonald. Erin@iccsd.k12.ia.us; linn. east@mchsi.com; evan _ c _ davis@yahoo.com; 9 penniston@virtuositydg.com; gimariemo@hotmail.com; gcarmich@engineering.uiowa.edu; Hch319@aol.com; herman- hein@uiowa.edu; jlidrai@yahoo.com; sheriockjr@hotmail.com; JSLACH@kirkwood.edu; JanelleRettig@aol.com; janet-ashman@uiowa.edu; rsauer@collinscu.org; jbbc@mchsi.com; rosepetaljean@aol.com; JWhiUlesey@meimhc.org; jenniferleighjordan@yahoo.com; thoenys@mchsi.com; jessecase2000@aol.com; Behie.Jim@iccsd.k12.ia.us; muziknow@ia.net; Lynch jimbob@aol.com; Joan. McCa I mant@linncounty.org; Joh n. Sandra. Hudson@att.net; goslash27@yahoo.com; john-Iundell@uiowa.edu; Tijmj1@aol.com; joseph-bacher@uiowa.edu; JPARKS@kirkwood.edu; Jaaholte@aol.com; glarie_s@yahoo.com; DurangoKid@aol.com; karen- haslett@uiowa.edu; kbmb4564@yahoo.com; karia.wysocki@cancer.org; kd5151@aol.com; kathleen-omalley@uiowa.edu; glariviere@mchsi.com; LEGGETKM@ihs.org; djmattes@southslope.net; magickspl@mchsi.com; kfiannery@cc-amana.k12.ia.us; kputman@mchsi.com; krcarrell@hotmail.com; kjohnso@kirkwood.edu; kimberly.meyerhoff@mercyic.org; ienny133@mchsi.com; Teach529@aol.com; lisa- looye@uiowa.edu; ballase@mchsi.com; littles8@yahoo.com; MWieting@aol.com; MASigns@aol.com; mark@north-liberty.com; marty-peters@uiowa.edu; PATCHWORKMARYJ@MSN.COM; twopoos@mchsi.com; itvI380@mchsi.com; mfixsen@avalon.net; mabarney@mchsi.com; mjfjr@yahoo.com; AMJEHAZELL@msn.com; DennisZen@mchsi.com; nicholas-ettinger@uiowa.edu; bocce@mchsi.com; nmcg22@mchsi.com; Ehly. Pam@iccsd.k12.ia.us; patrick-butler@uiowa.edu; patrick-irelan@uiowa.edu; pmuller23@hotmail.com; paul.e.aus@pfizer.com; paul-heath@uiowa.edu; phil-klein@uiowa.edu; MrModok@aol.com; rwilmoth@co.johnson.ia.us; rstannard@bekins.com; rebecca- kessler@uiowa.edu; rhiannon-jones@uiowa.edu; orthoperk@mchsi.com; bobbysworlds80@hotmail.com; robertmiklo@mchsi.com; RobinButler@aol.com; Bandyrb@aol.com; BANOCKBURN@aol.com; russell-husted@uiowa.edu; sandra- reed@uiowa.edu; sparker1965@yahoo.com; sara-baird@uiowa.edu; rahattan2003@yahoo.com; sfanthoney@hotmail.com; shannoncody22@yahoo.com; Mike2Shari@aol.com; sharon- baumler@uiowaedu; SSitt10527@aol.com; skwrd50-swright@msn.com; syeries@cc- amana. k12. ia.us; stacey-abel@uiowa.edu; hickerson46@mcleodusa.net; scsn 1264@hotmail.com; sweinschenk@isbt.com; Tammy. Womochil@iwd.state.ia.us; tfell@mountvernon.k12.ia.us; terschnei@hotmail.com; thomas_klobucar@southslope.net; tcornish@icwest.com; Arcintina@msn.com; toddly@avalon.net; tomlarkin14@hotmail.com; thansen@crglrc.org; vsiefers@mchsi.com; william-spanos@uiowa.edu; zwanlass@yahoo.com; john-Iundell@uiowa.edu; mlehman@co.johnson.ia.us; pharney@co.johnson.ia.us; sstutsma@co.johnson.ia.us; tneuzil@co.johnson.ia.us; ja mes. moody@northlibertyiowa.org; joh n-sou ku p@northlibertyiowa.org; mbahl@southslope.net; tasalm@terracon.com; Plugge. Lane@iccsd.k12.ia.us; aschott@cr.k12.ia.us; rocker56@mcleodusa.net; paul-weller@uiowa.edu; dwhiston@mchsi.com; 3/15/2007 Page 2 of9 dchandler02@hotmail.com; draudia@yahoo.com; amjacoby@rockwellcollins.com; toni.cilek@iccsd.k12.ia.us; liz.crooks@iccsd.k12.ia.us; patti. fields@iccsd.k12.ia.us; gayle. klouda@iccsd.k12.ia.us; jan.leff@iccsd.k12.ia.us; Aletia. morgan@iccsd.k12.ia.us; smarine29@msn.com; victoria-reedy@uiowa.edu; wichman@mchsLcom; 'City Council; dave- lewis@uiowa.edu; denice.connell@mercyic.org Subject: Newsletter Iowa House of Representatives STATEHOOSE NEWS -- March 15, 2007 *********************************************** INSIDE THIS EDITION Cigarette Tax Hike Will Save Lives Generation Iowa Commission Business Owners Urged to Assess Disaster Losses Study to Improve Education System Air and Water Quality Bill Passes Committee Help for Rural Business Development Nonresident Injured Veterans Included in Program Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Commission Approves RISE and Public Transit Grants Iowa Lottery Releases Annual Report 3/15/2007 Page 3 of9 ********************************************** CIGARETTE TAX HIKE WILL SAVE LIVES The House passed Senate File 128, increasing tobacco taxes, on a 58 to 40 bipartisan vote. It will take effect on the day it is signed by Governor Culver, which is expected to be Thursday, March 15. The bill increases the tax from 36~ to $1.36 per pack of cigarettes and from 22% to 50% of wholesale price for other tobacco products, up to an extra 50~ per cigar. The bill changes the tax on snuff from a percent of price to $1.19 per ounce. After Senate File 128 passed, Department of Public Health Director Mary Jones said, the higher tax "...will reduce youth smoking by 19%, will prevent 6,350 srnoking- affected births over 5 years, will entice 20,200 Iowa adult smokers to quit. In 5 years the state will save $9 million in health care costs treating smoking-caused heart attack and stroke and $10.8 million treating smoking-related birth and pregnancy complications." State Toll Free Hotline: If you or one you love wants to quit or stay tobacco free, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1- 800-784-8669) or 1-866-822-2857 for services for the hearing-impaired. ********************************************** GENERATION IOWA COMMISSION The Iowa House has passed the Generation Iowa Commission, which targets young adults between the ages of 18 and 35, and will examine how to retain and attract young adults to the state of Iowa. The fifteen members of the Generation Iowa Commission will corne from all walks of life: rural, urban, men, women, minorities, and from private, public, and non- profit sectors of employment. The goals of the commission include creating best practices guidelines for businesses looking to hire young adults, advising and assisting the Department of Economic Development to create programs and activities designed to retain and attract young adults to Iowa, and submission of periodic reports to the legislature that outline the problem and provide solutions. The 3/15/2007 Page 4 of9 Generation Iowa bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration. ********************************************** BUSINESS OWNERS URGED TO ASSESS DISASTER LOSSES Iowa's Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HLSEM) Division is urging business owners who incurred losses due to the recent winter storms, and are in need of a low-interest loan, to submit an "Estimated Disaster Economic Injury Worksheet for- Businesses" with the SBA. In an agency press release, HLSEM said results of the assessment will determine if Iowa qualifies to request a SBA Economic Injury Disaster Declaration. If pursued and granted, an SEA declaration would make low-interest business loans available to eligible businesses. To expedite the process and to help businesses in immediate need of assistance, an initial deadline of April 16, 2007, has been set for businesses to submit the worksheet to HLSEM. For more information and a copy of the worksheet for businesses, please go to the SBA website: Ht!QJJwww.~~~.v/lq_calresoyrges / di sa?teroffices jqisaste_:l:"_ r~cov /9_a.s igs / degJaraJ;ions . html Al ternati vely, contact HLSEM at h.t.:t:p: / /y?~"",.~..:i,,__q.wahq:rr:t.~__:l,,__?__:rl:.gsec~:l:":i,.:t:.y. org/:i,:rl:g~x. asp. ********************************************** STUDY TO IMPROVE EDUCATION SYSTEM In an effort to improve Iowa's educational system, the House Education Committee approved a bill that will direct the department of education to study all levels of education. House File 539 convenes a task force to develop and coordinate a five year strategic plan to address alignment of the kindergarten through postsecondary education systems. Due to the concern that children are not ready for college, education stakeholders are wondering where the problem is with the current educational structure. There have also been unsuccessful transitions from high school to college and from community college to four year institutions. In addition to this effort, the department of education will work specifically with the University of Northern Iowa to study the feasibility of creating a research and development pre-kindergarten through grade twelve school. 3/15/2007 Page 5 of9 With bi-partisan support, the House Education Committee has approved a measure to study truancy in Iowa Schools. House File 415 establishes a task force to identify reasons students are not in school. School districts that wish to participate in the task force pilot project can apply to the department of education. The task force must consist of rural and urban districts as well as various enrollment sizes. The bill is now in the House Appropriations Committee to examine potential funding for the task force. ********************************************** Air and Water Quality Bill Passes Committee The House Environmental Protection Committee passed House Study Bill 267, which is designed to strengthen the existing state air and water quality regulations for animal feeding operations. This includes increasing separation distances for confined animal feeding operations, adopting a new air modeling standard, and amending the master matrix. The bill reduces the permit threshold, which will require more producers to obtain a permit before construction. It also bans anaerobic and aerobic lagoons on karst topography, swine earthen lagoons, and spray application of liquid manure from swine confinement operations. Separation Distances The bill will increase separation distances for any new construction or expansion of an existing confinement facility to ~ mile, ~ mile, or 1 mile, based on the size of the confinement feeding operation. Swine confinement feeding operations are given an alternative minimum separation distance based on an Iowa State University air quality model that analyzes the statistical probability of dispersions of odor emitted from the construction or expansion of the proposed swine confinement feeding operation. The bill requires all counties to evaluate a construction permit using the master matrix. Furthermore, the Department of Natural Resources will conduct a study to reevaluate the master matrix and report its findings to the Legislature and Governor. The bill is being referred to the House Agriculture Committee. 3/15/2007 Page 6 of9 ********************************************** HELP FOR RURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT House File 502 would create the Iowa Community Entrepreneurial Act that is designed to help rural business development. Small businesses will be able to take advantage of loans and technical assistance. In counties with less than 25,000 people, forgivable loans would be offered. There are 75 such counties in Iowa. This will assist rural communities in the creation of jobs. The program requires the creation of at least two new jobs, and that the business has less than 50 employees. It also requires a wage be offered that is 100% of the county average wage. ********************************************** NONRESIDENT INJURED VETERANS INCLUDED IN PROGRAM The House Veterans Affairs Committee approved House File 767/ which expands eligibility of the Injured Veterans Grant Program to include persons who are a member of an Iowa National Guard unit but who are not residents of the state. The Injured Veterans Grant Program provides grants up to $10,000 to veterans injured while in a combat zone. The grants are provided in increments of $2,500 every 30 days, until reaching $10,000, while the injured veteran is hospitalized or receiving medical care or rehabilitation services authorized by the military. ********************************************** OMNIBUS DNR RECREATION BILL MOVES TO SENATE By a vote of 91-6, the House adopted a bill that makes several changes to hunting, fishing, and boating laws in Iowa. Senate File 78 was requested by the Department of Natural Resources. The bill requires jet ski operators to use their cut-off switch. Failure to use the lanyard would be a $20 fine. The bill allows boat owners to file their registration electronically. Boat damages caused by accidents would not have to be reported unless they are over $2,000. In addition, the bill creates new criminal penalties for eluding or attempting to elude a law enforcement vessel. 3/15/2007 Page 70f9 Current law prohibits the discharge of a firearm or the shooting of a game animal within 200 yards of a building or feedlot unless the owner or tenant has given consent. The bill exempts owners or tenants if discharging on their own farm. Finally, anyone born after January 1, 1972, has to satisfactorily complete a hunter safety and ethics education course prior to obtaining a hunting license. Currently this date is 1967. The House amended the bill to enhance trespass violations when deer hunting, specifically when shooting a deer on another person's property without permission. The Senate will have to approve this amendment before the bill goes to the Governor. ********************************************** IOWA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS The House Veterans Affairs Committee approved a bill restructuring the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and the Commission of Veterans Affairs to better serve Iowa's veterans. House Study Bill 233, as amended by the committee, essentially has three areas it is trying to address - greater cooperation between the department director and the commission, expanded counseling services for veterans, and future planning to coordinate state and local efforts to better serve veterans. Counseling Services The bill directs the department to establish and administer a counseling program that will provide assistance to veterans and their families to reduce the incidence of alcohol and chemical dependency, suicide, and mental health concerns. The department is required to coordinate the development of the program with the U. S. Veterans Administration Hospitals, health care facilities and clinics in the state, and the Department of Public Health. The program is required to include public education and awareness programs for veterans, health care professionals, and the public relative to recognizing and responding to at-risk veterans. The program is required to also include referral services to identify appropriate counseling and treatment programs for at-risk veterans. ********************************************** COMMISSION APPROVES RISE AND PUBLIC TRANSIT GRANTS 3/15/2007 Page 8 of9 At their March 13 meeting, the Department of Transportation Commissioners approved two RISE (Revitalize Iowa's Sound Economy) grants and eight grants from the public transit infrastructure grant program. Money for the RISE grants are used to help with the construction or maintenance of a road that will have an impact on economic development. The transit grant program was created with an appropriation from the 2006 Legislature. The appropriation was for $2.2 million, and it must be used to fund construction and infrastructure projects. RISE Grants The city of Ottumwa received a grant totaling $150,000 to grade and pave approximately 1,100 feet of a street in the Otturnwa Food Processing Industrial District. The city of postville received a grant totaling just over $100,000 to assist in the construction of 800 feet of Business Park Drive located in the Postville Business Park. Recently, two new businesses have located to the business park, and this road construction would provide paved access to two additional lots. Public Transit For fiscal year 2007, which runs from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007, the Legislature appropriated a total of $2.2 million to the Dept. of Transportation to be appropriated through grants to either a regional or urban public transit system. Eleven applications were received asking for $5.6 million. The following applicants received grants: Ames Cy-Ride, Cedar Rapids Five Seasons, Davenport CitiBus, Sioux City Transit, Region 2 North Iowa Regional Transit, Region 4 RIDES, and Region 12 Western Iowa Transit. ********************************************** IOWA LOTTERY RELEASES ANNUAL REPORT The Iowa Lottery has released its 2006 annual report. According to the report, the Lottery sent $80.9 million to the general fund at the end of fiscal year 2006 - a 58 percent increase from FY 2005. This money will be used to fund a variety of programs. Sales of lottery products totaled $339.5 million during this time, up from sales of $210.7 million in fiscal year 2005. This is an increase of more than 60 percent from FY 2005. A portion of the lottery proceeds also goes to help fund gambling treatment programs. To date, the lottery has deposited more than $12 million in the gambling treatment fund. ********************************************** PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET PASSED SUBCOMMITTEE 3/15/2007 Page 90f9 The Joint Justice Systems Budget Subcommittee passed its 2008 Fiscal Year budget, including increases in funding for monitoring sex offenders, including through use of the real-time Global Positioning System (GPS). There will also be more money for domestic abuse shelters, a new Charities Unit to enforce regulations regarding non-profit charities in the Attorney General's office, addition prison security, eight positions in the Homeland Security Division, three agents to expand the Department of Criminal Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children unit, and additional state troopers in the Highway Patrol. At the request of the new Chief Judge, there is funding for a "One Judge / One Child Model," to ensure the same judge will preside over all of one child's juvenile court proceedings. 3/15/2007 Marian Karr Page lof2 []!J From: Indian Student Alliance [isaiowa@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 3:29 PM To: drice827@msn.com; mmhamilton2g@hotmail.com; 1dollr@gmail.com; rmahayni@isunet.net; matthewgoodman@mchsi.com; jim@jimpopken.org; president@amesart.org; schmittreginalda@johndeere.com; Carolyn.cole@vgm.com; harcarge@aol.com; rjgrx@aol.com; eric.gunderson@waterloo-ia.org; museum@waterloo-ia.org; sschai nker@city.ames.ia.us; dvoss@city.ames.ia.us; sgwiasda@city.ames.ia.us; bmichener@city.ames.ia.us; tom.podzimek@eedar-rapids.org; pat.shey@cedar-rapids.org; kris. gu lick@cedar-rapids.org; dan. man n@cedar-rapids.org; citymanager@cedar-rapids.org; Suev@cedar-rapids.org; civilrights@cedar-rapids.org; development@cedar-rapids.org; webmaster@crlibrary.org; recreation@cedar-rapids.org; Mahafb@AEDairy.com; hensley2@mchsi.com; ccoleman@dmgov.org; mjkiernan@dmgov.org; citymanager@dmgov.org; pio@dmgov.org; Vlassis2@mchsi.com; 'City Council; Steve Atkins; Dale Helling; Kathryn Johansen Subject: National Dance Competition - 3/31 @ Univ of Iowa Attachments: Nachte Raho Flyer.doc Dear Council Member, My name is Sri Akella. I am currently the president of the Indian Student Alliance at the University of Iowa. I am writing to invite you to attend our annual national dance competition, Nachte Raho. Over the past four years, Nachte Raho has become the Midwest?s premier showcase for Indian dance troupes. Dance teams presenting styles ranging from traditional Bhangra and Raas to modern dances based on Bollywood music compete for a share of the thousands of dollars given away in prize money. This year?s total prize package of $5,000 is the biggest ever, as the show is looking to move beyond its Midwestern roots. Top-caliber teams that routinely compete at the national level will be joining the very best of this region?s dance troupes to create an unforgettable night, showcasing the very best ofIndia?s exuberant tradition of dance and music. This year?s show will be held in the Iowa Memorial Union, in the recently remodeled Main Lounge. The show will be preceded by a dinner reception in the Ballroom of the IMO, catered by Taj Mahal of Cedar Rapids. Tickets are available at a cost of $15 for general admission and $25 for reserved seating through the IMU Box Office. Reservations may be made by dialing toll-free, 800-346-4401. Nachte Raho is the consistently among the largest cultural events held in the state; attendance at this year?s show is expected to exceed 1000 visitors. Attending the event is a heavily diverse, intercultural audience. The audience demographic is typically half South Asian and half of varying descent. Audience members include university authorities, prominent governmental and social figures, leaders from all over the Midwest, as well as Iowa City community members. The Indian Student Alliance is not only one of the most prominent student organizations, it is also recognized by the University as the central source for diversity initiatives on campus. With a membership of over 850, we represent one of strongest constituencies within not only the university community but the state. Attending Nachte Raho would be an excellent opportunity to make it known that you are reaching out to the community and investing in a renowned diversity initiative. We cordially invite you to attend our event. 3/19/2007 Page 2 of2 Please visit our website at www,uiowa,edw'~is<!!nachl~ for further information, Warm Regards, Sri Akella Indian Student Alliance 46 IMU, Student Activities Center Iowa City, IA 52242 www,JJiowa,~d!J!~isa 3/19/2007 DRAFT MINUTES City of Iowa City Animal Care Task Force March 8, 2007 - 6:00 P.M. Meeting Room E -- Iowa City Public Library Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 6:07 p.m. Members Present: Teresa Kopel, Paula Kelly, Lisa Drahozal Pooley Members Absent: Jane McCune, Pat Farrant Staff Present: Misha Goodman Others Present: Roxanne Schomers Old Business: I. February 22, 2007 minutes approved with adjournment time revised to 7:50 p.m. 2. Continuation of Committee Discussion Lisa Drahozal Pooley reviewed revisions to the ordinances. She will further revise and then will send them to Misha Goodman so that the Center staff can review them. We will revisit the ordinances at the next meeting and will also commence with the permit/fee discussion, which has been tabled until April 12th. Concerning the proposed ordinance allowing veterinarians and pet stores to issue licenses, Misha Goodman explained that there is currently no "kickback" type program in place. It may be easiest to allow vets and pet stores. to distribute forms to clients, who can then mail or take in the license applications to the Animal Center. This would eliminate money transfer issues. Teresa Kopel presented a draft of a landlord survey for review. She will make revisions based on member comments. 3. Spay Day Update Spay Day was a success with a spay/neuter total of 43 animals. c;:] I 4. Fees The fees discussion was tabled until the April 12th meeting, when it will be combined with the permit discussion. 5. Statistics Misha Goodman distributed copies of statistics for the I st quarter of 2007. Teresa Kopel presented the summaries she compiled for outcomes and euthanasia from 2003-2006. For the next meeting, she will review reasons for relinquishment and jurisdictions in order to provide more information on what problems are out there and where they are most prevalent. 6. County Contract Discussion Misha Goodman reported that Johnson County. Johnson County has requested some changes from the Coralville agreement. The contract with Coralville is set up so that payment is based on a per animal per day fee. There has been discussion by jurisdictions about implementing, as a revision to the current Coralville contract, a limit or cap on the number of days an animal will be kept at the shelter. The Task Force members responded negatively to this idea and were concerned about the multitude of possible repercussions this revision would cause. Misha also reported that the county did express an interest in Spay Day. 7. Misha Goodman reported that the state exotic animal law has passed at the first level. 8. The educational seminars discussion was tabled until the April 12th meeting, to be discussed in conjunction with statistics. New Business: 1. The March 22, 2007 meeting was cancelled. The next Task Force meeting will be April 12, 2007. 2. Extending Animal Center Hours This agenda topic was raised by Lisa Drahozal Pooley. She cited weekends as being seemingly prime time for people to visit the Center. Also since the Center closes at 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and doesn't reopen until 6:30 a.m. on the following day, the dogs have to wait almost 15 hours before getting a chance to relieve themselves outside. Misha Goodman provided history for the current hours, explaining that Iowa City administration did not want the Center to close on a weekday. Four staff members minimum are necessary on any given day that the Center is open. If the newest budget 2 allows the Center to hire another temporary employee and work study person, Misha felt that it might be possible to extend Saturday hours to 5:30 p.m. Public Comments: I. Roxanne Schomers commented that she thought Spay Day was a great idea. She also reported that information from the Task Force landlord discussions helped an acquaintance of hers convince a landlord to allow a pet to remain in the rental. Agenda for April 12, 2007 Old Business: I. Approve Minutes of March 8, 2007 2. Continue Committee discussion 3. Continue permit and fees discussion 4. Continue statistics/educational seminars discussion 5. County meeting follow up 6. Exotic animal state law follow up, if any 7. Continue Center hours extension discussionlbudget results Action Items: -Lisa Drahozal Pooley will send revised ordinance proposals to Misha Goodman for Center staff to review. -Teresa Kopel will revise landlord survey. -Teresa Kopel will compile statistics on relinquishment and jurisdictions. Meeting was adjourned at 8:18 P.M. 3 L;:] ~Iowa City ~Public library Minutes Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees Regular Meeting DRAFT Thursday, February 22, 2007 Members Present: Linzee McCray, Thomas Dean, William Korf, Thomas Martin, Mary New, Meredith Rich-Chappell, Leon Spies, David VanDusseldorp Members Absent: Pat Schnack Staff Present: Barb Black, Terri Byers, Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Debb Green, Kara Logsden, Heidi Lauritzen, Patty McCarthy, Andrew MacKay, Elyse Miller, Hal Penick Call to Order: McCray called the meeting to order at 5:04 pm. Public Discussion: None. Approval of Minutes. The minutes of the regular meeting of January 25, 2007 were reviewed. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Korf, seconded by Spies. Motion carried 8/0. Unfinished Business. Leased Space, Craig talked to Kevin Hanick on Tuesday. He has shown the space to another potential tenant. Representatives from UIHC say that they are still interested. FY08 Budget. President McCray spoke with City Council on January 29, 2007, with Martin and Spies also attending. The 2008-2010 City of Iowa City Proposed Financial Plan Budget Summary was distributed to Board members at the meeting, The City Council votes on the budget on March 6; the City must submit an authorized budget to the State of Iowa by March 15, 2007. New Business. Review of Board Policv #814- Library Copvriaht Policv. This is a regularly scheduled policy review. Craig talked about how copy rig hi has changed through the years and has become an ever more complicated issue. Craig used the example of purchasing some children's dvds for one price and purchasing the same materials with public performance rights. We must get permission from each publisher of books used in a story time before we can use the story time on Channel 10. Another example is the Friday night film series, Fridays First and Last. The Library paid a fee for each movie we showed for that program to be within copyright law. A motion to approve the revised Library Copyright policy was made by New, seconded by Dean. Motion carried 8/0. Review of Board Policv #812 - Hours of Service. Craig explained that the calendar is usually set in February for scheduling and budgetary purposes. Since it is on Monday in 2007, Craig proposes that Christmas Eve be declared a holiday, in lieu of a floating holiday this year, but the Library would be open with holiday staffing. McCray asked about the floating holiday. Craig explained that this is an extra holiday that staff must take during a specific period of time between December-January, if the holiday is not already designated by the Library Director. Dean clarified that all permanent staff get the floating holiday. Craig also proposes a standard closing time of 4:00 for Christmas Eve day. Christmas Eve is typically a slow day at the Library. Another issue to be considered by the Board is Sunday hours. When an hour was added this year closing time was moved from 5:00 to 6:00. Building usage is fairly slow between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm on Sundays and staff feel that the community would be better served if the Library opened at 12:00 pm instead of 1 :00 pm. with a 5:00 pm closing. New wondered how many staff work on a holiday when the building is open. Craig explained that Holiday staffing is similar to weekend staffing, and that it refers to service desk staffing. New suspected that this required a very complicated staffing schedule. VanDusseldorp pointed out that we are also accepting the Friday night hour changes to this policy. It was moved by VanDusseldorp, seconded by Martin to accept the proposed changes to policy #813, Hours of Service, including the annual calendar. Motion carried 8/0. Staff Reports. Departmental Reports: Children's Services McCray really likes the idea of the R.EAD. dog program and is pleased to see the story time convenient for working parents on Sundays. Green says it is in response to the strategic plan. Green hopes to get funding for paperbacks for the dogs to give to the attendees. Rich-Chappell remarked that her sister's class in Ankeny had a very successful time with the R.EAD. McCray wondered if any other libraries are doing this program. Systems McCray remarked on the Office 2007 update in the Systems report. Staff assured her that although very different from the current Office suite, Office 2007 was a good change. Technical Services VanDusseldorp wondered about the turnaround time of materials from when they are reserved online to when they appear on the shelf. Black stated that items go into the catalog as soon as they are ordered, which accounts for why there may be holds on items before they even get here. Spies wondered about whether we get discounts from vendors. Black said that we typically receive about a 40% discount on hardcover, similar to bookstores, and that we negotiate with our vendors to get good contracts. Baker and Taylor and Ingram are primary vendors for us. It was explained that Express books are rented rather than purchased. We pay for a core number of books for the year, and the turnaround adds and subtracts from that core. Everything in the Express collections is also held by the Library in its regular collection. We use Express materials to add more copies temporarily of popular items for patrons. Once a month, a selector identifies materials that are needed. They are received by the Library already tagged and are on the shelves the same day. The Express collection comes from our primary purchasing vendor, which has a program for this purpose. The Library keeps Express items for as long as they are popular. Development Office Patty talked about the Iowa City Spells. Patty pointed out the certificate the Library Board of Trustees received for sponsoring a team each year of the ten years of the bee's existence. Iowa City Spells raised more than $6000. The outcome of the spelling bee was the top news item in the Iowa City Press-Citizen the next day, above the fold. Iowa City Spells is a very popular fundraiser. Ride 'N Read Proaram To cut down on abuse, the Library made some changes to the Ride 'N Read program that staff thought were reasonable for both patrons and staff. People requesting a pass must show a library card and they are limited to two passes per week. McCray appreciated staff's willingness to continue the program and hopes that iI's not too onerous on staff. VanDusseldorp wondered about feedback from program users. Spies asks that staff continue to monitor Ride 'N Read and to be sensitive to the parking stamp versus bus pass program public relations issue. Library News. The All Iowa Reads (AIR) book this year is The Splendid solution: Jonas Salk and the conquest of polio by Jeffrey Kluger. Bookmarks were given to Board members at the meeting. Craig encouraged members to go to the website and share stories at www.iowapoliostories.org. President's Report. McCray thanked the Foundation for organizing and coordinating the spelling bee. It is a beloved event in Iowa City. Friends and colleagues told McCray that they stayed home to watch it that night. McCray also thanked the Trustee Spellers and Nic Arp for participating at the last moment. McCray also mentioned that a visitor from out of town whose spouse is a potential UIHC hire was shown the library and was really impressed. McCray stated that it was time to appoint a Nominating Committee: Martin will Chair the Committee, with VanDusseldorp and Rich-Chappell. The Committee is charged with presenting a roster of candidates for President, Vice President, and Secretary for the Library Board of Trustees for FY08. Announcements from Members. VanDusseldorp said that he saw Duke McGrath at the grocery store and congratulated him on his team's Iowa City Spells victory. McGrath said that he had been spelling for many years and was very excited to finally win. VanDusseldorp stated that it was Duke and Della McGrath who originally got him involved in volunteering at the Library and that it is good to keep mentors posted on the work the Library is doing. VanDusseldorp also mentioned the UICCU members meeting on 2/28/07 at the old Highlander Inn to vote on a name change at 6:00 pm. Committee Reports. None. Communications. Craig received an email from Jean Junis. Green and Craig will meet with her next week. Disbursements. Visa expenditures for January 2007 were reviewed. A motion to approve the disbursements for January 2007 was made by Spies, seconded by New. Motion carried 8/0. McCray asked about Unique Management. Craig explained that they are a collection agency for long overdue materials. Lauritzen said they do a very good job, and that they charge a flat fee per account, not a percentage of what they collect. Set Agenda Order for March Meeting PR report Adjournment. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by KOrf, seconded by Martin. Motion carried 8/0. McCray adjourned the meeting at 6:06 pm. Martin reminded all that the Chamber's Iowa City Roundtable Group will next meet on Tuesday 3/6 in Library Meeting Room A. Craig will update the group on Library matters. The next meeting of the Library Board of Trustees is March 22, 2007. Respectfully submitted, Elyse Miller Board or Commission: ICPL Board of Trustees ATTENDANCE RECORD CALENDAR YEAR 2007 Name Term 1/25/07 2/22/07 Ex Thomas Dean 7/01/09 x x Bill Korf 7/01/09 x x Tom Martin 6/30/11 x x Linzee McCray 7/01 /09 x x Mary New 7/01/07 ole x Meredith 6/30/11 Rich-Cha el x x Pat Schnack 7/01/07 x OlE Leon Spies 6/30/11 x x David 7/01/07 VanDusseldor x x A. KEY: X ~ Present o = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting Res = Resigned [][] PRELIMINARY MINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MARCH 8, 2007 IOWA CITY LIBRARY, ROOM A Call to Order: Jerry Anthony called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm. Members Present: Jerry Anthony, Steve Crane, Marcy DeFrance, Holly Hart, Brian Richman, Charlotte Walker, Andy Douglas Members Absent: Thomas Niblock Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Long Others Present: Steve Ramirez, Charlie Eastham, David Dowie, Jesse Burns, Chris Harms, Beth Koppes, Steve Rackis, Laura Dowd, Dawn Newbill, AI Young, Suellen Novotny, Mark Patton, Maryann Dennis, John Watson, Sue Freeman RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL (become effective only after separate Council action): None PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA Walker asked Anthony to explain the procedure for public comments. Anthony said that during public comments, members of HCDC are not allowed to engage in the conversation. Anthony said this will be in the minutes. Anthony said that if HCDC feels that .the public has raised an issue that needs Immediate attention, they can put it on the agenda for the next meeting. Charlie Eastham, The Housing Fellowship, said that at the last HCDC meeting, when the application for the Housing Fellowship was discussed, member Charlotte Walker asked a series of question regarding the Housing Fellowship's need for the money. Eastham, at the last meeting, replied that the Board had approved the application and therefore in their judgment the application was justified. Eastham said that Walker then made a reference to another non-profit organization, which has been in the news, and she indicated a comparison between that organization's board and the Housing Fellowship's Board. Eastham said that the past chairperson for the non-profit organization that has made recent news has been indicted for fraud and theft. Eastham said that he has never had any public official in a public meeting compare an organization's board with another's, especially one that has been accused of criminal conduct. Eastham said that is inappropriate. Eastham requested HCDC member Walker to apologize for her remarks and if that is not forthcoming, Eastham requested the other HCDC members to examine Walker's ability to be fair and impartial and her ability to serve on the HCDC commission. David Dowie, 320 S. Dubuque St., said that when Eastham was discussing his needs for the funding, Walker asked a question concerning administrative costs in the past so to compare how much was used for salaries and how much was going to housing. Dowie said that he remembered Eastham not having those figures, but saying the Board did. Dowie said that Walker replied that Boards shouldn't be considered people and then referred to the non-profit organization being indicted as a point of reference to make her point that all boards are not equal. Dowie said he doesn't think Walker was slanderous but instead, Eastham should know the administrative costs himself and not rely on an absent Board. Dowie said that Eastham is wrong in asking for Walker's apology and possible resignation. Dowie said Walker doesn't have anything against fair housing. Dowie said that Eastham never answered the question and that is the issue, not Walker's reference to the non-profit organization being indicted. Public comment session closed. Housing and Community Development Commission March 1 S, 2007 Page 2 DISCUSSION REGARDING FY08 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) AND HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (HOME) REQUESTS Douglas asked when the minutes of the February meeting would be available for review. Hightshoe explained that the digital recording of the HCDC meeting on February 22, 2007 was accidentally deleted. She said that while a brief outline of the meeting was provided, there would be no official minutes to approve until the following HCDC meeting on March 22, 2007. Hightshoe thanked HCDC for their timely responses with their ran kings. Hightshoe said she summarized them into preliminary rankings and then she averaged the scores. Hightshoe said that she changed some of their scores because some fields required 0 points if the member answered no to the first question. If a member put no, the applicant gets zero points for that particular section. Hightshoe said if there are questions about rankings, they can discuss those right now. Hightshoe asked for questions about the summary ranking sheets. Hightshoe pointed out that she passed out the original ranking sheets that the members submitted. Hightshoe reiterated that the ranking sheet is very preliminary. Hightshoe said that "no scores" were not averaged into the final score. Hightshoe said that the same principles apply to their average allocation worksheets. Walker asked the question: if she chooses to allocate money to an applicant, can HCDC hold back the funds for six months? Hightshoe said yes, however the source of funding is important and there are always time constraints. If a HOME project, it has to be completed in 5 years. The longer we wait, the greater the risk a project not being completed on time. Housing projects, especially new construction, are complex and take much longer than most public facility projects such as room renovations. Walker said that she put zero on all the housing projects because she doesn't really know what the housing applicants are going to do with it-at least, she said, not on paper. Hightshoe stated the applicants did outline their projects and completed estimates on costs. She stated it is very common for developers not to have a site at time of application as the application is due in January; however, funds are not available till July. Most sellers will not wait that long to sell individual lots. Without a site secured most organizations will not pay to have plans made in advance. Walker questioned the need for various types of housing and if the City had documents verifying the need. She questioned if the City shouldn't wait for the survey on housing to be done before making decisions. Anthony said that they have significant documentation from housing applicants, Census information and documentation in CITY STEPS. Anthony stated the reason for the upcoming housing market analysis Walker referred is to get data that has not been picked up in some census documents. Anthony said that the lack of this specific information will not alter the dimension or scale of the applicants' proposal. Anthony said that the amount of money that they have is fairly insignificant compared to the need. Walker said that the most urgent needs are for those at the low end. Anthony said that HCDC members surely will be willing to fund those on the "low end" as weil. Anthony said that they did hold money back last year. Richman said they held back money last year, thus do we need to do anything to indicate of the HOME funds, what needs to be spent first? Hightshoe said that is done internally. Richman said if Hightshoe could clarify the night's goals. Hightshoe said that the goal of this meeting is to look at the rankings/allocations and look for major differences or discrepancies and address possible reasoning behind such differences. HCDC members can ask applicants questions if they still have them regarding their applications and why they scored/funded as they did. HCDC members may make changes and submit them to Hightshoe for the March 22 when HCDC makes their final recommendation to Council. Richman said that in his opinion the allocation sheet is the most important document. Anthony said that they will start with the ranking sheet. Anthony said that they will start with Public Services. Hightshoe said that due to the federal regulations and necessary record keeping they request that no application is allocated less than $1,000. This is a requirement of the HOME program. Hightshoe stated that for some applications, each HCDC member will have to ask if the project is feasible and at what amount does it no longer become feasible. ---_.._.~--_._-_.,---------_.__.,._.-_.._----_._-,.~_...--.--...-----.----..---....-..-.--.----...-...------------.------ Housing and Community Development Commission March 18, 2007 Page 3 Public Services Walker said that the Free Medical Clinic and Shelter House are also gelling money from the city. Walker used an analogy of a poor person asking for food from two different sources. Walker said that while both applicants are commendable, do they need the money? Anthony said that HCDC doesn't know the logistics of any additional funding requests and therefore the members should not hold it against them. Walker said the VNA is a for profit and is also gelling money from the city through Aid-to-Agencies. Hightshoe said that VNA does not receive Aid-to-Agency funds. Novotny, VNA Director, confirmed this and also stated they are a non-profit. Hightshoe said that Shelter House and Free Medical Clinic receive Aid-to-Agency funding. Long said that it's important to look at the project at hand, not external requests or other funding sources not related to the specific project. Anthony asked the commission about ran kings and If they are comfortable. Hightshoe asked DeFrance about her low scores for Free Medical Clinic and Extend the Dream. DeFrance said both were a mistake. DeFrance said that the score of 21 should have been 52. DeFrance said that she "shorted" Weatherby Park 10 points. Richman asked about the VNA's low scores. He wanted those who scored them low to explain their reasoning. Walker said that the reasons she did was because they were serving so few people, but requesting a lot in funds. She also stated the County has an obligation to take care of mentally ill people. Anthony said that his reasoning was based on the amount of money being spent on each person. Anthony said the other issue was the amount of money being leveraged. Anthony said that VNA leveraged $5.12 per CDBG dollar, however some of the other public service applications leveraged $40- $50 per CDBG dollar. Anthony said that given the limited. resource pool, the VNA was the least efficient. Richman asked what people thought about the Local Foods Connection application. Anthony said it's a new project. Walker said that it's too much money for so few people. Crane said he put zero because while the mission is great, it's not a priority for him amongst the other applications. Anthony said he scored it high because the lack of food is making national headlines. Anthony said that nourishing Iowa's kids with healthy food is a major priority. Douglas said that one thing he struggled with is whether to allocate more money to fewer applicants or divide the available funds equally, in which more applicants would get less. Richman said that this question was a recurring issue. Anthony said the advantage of dividing the money equally would be that everyone gets money; however, a little may not be enough to make a difference. Douglas asked staff what HCDC has done previously. Hightshoe noted that the previous year, almost every applicant got a little bit of money. Hightshoe said that precedent aside, each project should be evaluated independently and the commission should ask, "is this project feasible and at what amount?" Anthony asked if there was any project the commission would like to see funded more than the others. Anthony noted that they cannot allocate more than $16,700. This is a federal cap. Anthony said that they may only spend 15% of the available CDBG funds for public services. $105,000 is a council earmark for the Aid-to-Agency fund. Crane asked Anthony about his low ranking for Extend the Dream. Anthony said that while he commends the organization, he has a concern about its lack of organizational structure. Anthony said that he did not allocate anything to it because Iowa City has the Economic Development Fund (ED F), which can be accessed for both requests from the applicant. Anthony said that EDF accepts applications on a rolling basis so he thinks Extend the Dream is a prime candidate for EDF and HCDC should forward the application to that pool of funds. Anthony said that 15% of CDBG funds are usually taken out for EDF but this year that was not the case Hightshoe said the amount available for economic development was prorated between housing and public facilities based on the CITY STEPS percentages. Hightshoe noted that in years where more than $250,000 is available in the economic development fund, no new allocation will be taken from that year's CDBG entitlement. Public Facilities Anthony suggested that HCDC move on to public facilities. Anthony asked the members for their reasoning behind allocating zero dollars to Extend the Dream. Hart said that while she has an interest in Extend the Dream, she said there were other funds they could apply for. Hart said that for Weatherby Park, she was looking for something to cut and this was the least priority in her opinion. Walker said that her reason for allocating zero to Weatherby Park was that their funds should be coming from City Housing and Community Development Commission March 18, 2007 Page 4 recreational funds. She felt that some money could be taken away from the walking trails and given to the Weatherby Park applicants. Richman said that, as the only person who allocated money to Weatherby Park, he felt that in terms of the number people a project serves, this one in particular serves the most, in his mind, even though it can be deemed as a low priority project. Richman said the challenge with Weatherby Park is that it is an "all or nothing" type of project. Richman asked if the applicant had to scale back, what would be the effects on the project. Beth Koppes, Weatherby Friends & Neighbors Neighborhood Association applicant, said that scaling back funds would affect the size of the recreation facility. They could and are willing to scale back the project; it would just reduce the number of kids that could use it at anyone time. Richman asked if she's applied for funds from the parks and recreation department. Koppes said she hasn't applied yet, however she has met with their board to discuss the project. They possibly could contribute some money, however nothing is definite and they might only have limited amount available for a capital type project. Anthony said that it's a fantastic project and such a facility would be good for the neighborhood. Anthony said that the City should be responsible for this project through their Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Koppes said that it was too late to apply for these funds. Richman said he was placing emphasis on the two new large, brick and mortar type projects when deciding which projects to allocate funds to and Weatherby Park got his vote. Changing the subject, Walker asked why Extend the Dream didn't just buy the building themselves if already paying $1 ,200/month in rent. AI Young, Extend the Dream Foundation, said that with the money ($99,000) they could make their private, bank loan $50,000. Young said that freeing up funds as a grant would make other things happen. Young said that as for the rent itself, if we could buy the building, they could reduce the rent and use the money for other programs. Young said it's hard to explain but what he likes about it is that it serves a lot of people. Young said that whatever their allocation is would be well used. Richman said that as far as NCJC, he funded the work at the Pheasant Ridge Center, however not the proposed improvements at Broadway. He stated he felt that since they put CDBG money into the Broadway center a couple of years ago (FY06), it's now time to fund or look at other projects. NCJC stated the kitchen improvements at Pheasant Ridge was their top priority, thus Richman stated he funded that portion of the proposal. Anthony agreed with this reasoning. Crane said he allocated the full amount because of all the people it affects. Walker asked how Richman was able to specify funds to a specific location. Richman said it can be done. Hightshoe agreed as staff has done it in the past. Any stipulations/restrictions approved by HCDC and Council are identified in the funding agreement. Housing Projects Anthony suggested that they move on to the housing projects. Hightshoe said that she wanted to raise some questions to applicants. Hightshoe said that she would like to answer some housing questions that were raised by individual commission members. Hightshoe said that when HACAP did the pro forma, it showed a negative cash flow. Hightshoe said that HACAP submitted a revised one that still shows a negative cash flow in the first two years and then the rest of the cash flow was $200 to $600 in subsequent years. Hightshoe stated that HACAP had previously stated any shortages would be funded by outside funds. Hightshoe cautioned against funding a project that relies on donations/supportive services/outside funding to subsidize the project for it to be viable long term. She stated housing projects must be viable for 15 to 20 years depending on the project and how much HOME money is invested in the project. Additional HOME funds can't be reinvested in the project during this period as it is against program rules. Hightshoe stated staff will sit down with the organization to go over how they estimated revenues/expenses and inform commission members on staffs assessment of project viability by March 22. Hightshoe said there was a distinction she wanted to make. Hightshoe said that the Housing Authority and Housing Rehab. applicants requested CDBG dollars as opposed to HOME dollars. This makes a difference is some commission members allocations. Hightshoe said HOME funds can only pay for housing activities. Eligible HOME projects are identified on top on the allocation sheet. HOME funds can't be used for public service or public facility projects. CDBG funds can be used for all the projects submitted this year, even the housing projects. (The operating expenses for the CHDO are eligible under public services under the CDBG program, but subject to the federal cap for CDBG funds.) Hightshoe Housing and Community Development Commission March 18, 2007 Page 5 said that we have to spend at least $726,000 in HOME funds for just HOME eligible activities. Hightshoe reiterates that HOME funds cannot be used to fund anything in the pubiic facilities or public services categories. So when a housing activity asks specifically for CDBG funds and not HOME funds and the HOME allocation falls below that $726,000 requirement then additional HOME eligible housing activities must be funded. Richman stated basically that there is approximately $726,000 to fund housing applications and just short of $400,000 in CDBG funds to be allocated to housing, public facilities and public service applications. Anthony suggested that the commission start with Blooming Garden. Walker said that Blooming Garden had the most complete information and good paperwork. Waiker said she doesn't know what the others are going to build. She said she didn't have a picture or a lot. Hightshoe said that this was very common for housing applications. Walker said there should be a picture. Walker said she wants to compliment Blooming Garden for being compliant with all of their criteria. Richman said that the money HCDC provides is the "seed money" and developers in most situations can't obtain the information at the time they apply. Walker requests that they should wait until they have a lot to know what will be built. Long said that all the plans come through the City and must meet design guidelines. Walker said that building houses in the peninsula doesn't seem like good judgment. Anthony asked Blooming Garden if $15,000 would be acceptable. Jesse Burns, Blooming Garden applicant, said that this amount would scale down the structure by a third and it would hence make it not very useful. Anthony said it was a very good project and for similar reasons he funded the ICHA. Anthony said it is important to serve populations not served by the market. Richman said he is in favor of the mission of Blooming Garden, the ICHA, etc. His concern with Blooming Garden is cost effectiveness. He referred to Habitat for Humanity, where $40,000 brings in an entire family; per unit cost is $120,000. This project per unit cost is $200,000. For Blooming Garden, Richman noted, it's a duplex unit. Habitat is single, detached homes. Richman said that the City has a Down Payment Assistance program (DPA) with a maximum of $5,000 dollars for an applicant. Richman asked the question: if we're going to do a DPA program, why say to people you have to live in one of these three houses as opposed to anywhere in Iowa City? Burns said that to reach out to the people who need assistance, you need to find a builder who is willing to work with the people. Burns stated he wants to serve those who don't qualify for section 8 housing. He thinks his costs are reasonable and he says that his design is very nice, as opposed to the stereotypical low-income housing designs. The design fits into the neighborhood and someone could not go by and pick it out as the low-income/subsidized unit. Burns said that this alone is a service to an entire neighborhood. Crane said that Builders of Hope is a good project for those who don't normally have a lot of opportunity. Crane liked the idea that the applicant already has enough of a waiting list or interest to fill the units. Hart also liked the project but couldn't figure out how to allocate enough money to make it viable. She would be revisiting it, however. Anthony said that it's an "all or nothing" deal and it's not scaiable. Hightshoe suggested asking the applicant this question on March 22"'. Richman agreed with Anthony's concerns. Richman said that the applicant has very limited experience as far as owning and operating a housing project. Richman was not sure if he wants to take this risk. Crane said that a bank would be willing to fund more than the applicant initially said. Staff stated they would contact the applicant to discuss what level of funding makes the project viable and confirm if the entire amount is necessary or if they can accept less than full funding. Anthony asked for comments on Habitat for Humanity. Walker said she gave it zero dollars because it is questionable to buy a condo for a homeless person. Hightshoe said Walker was most likely referring to HACAP's application. Walker said she didn't have any problem with Habitat other than the need and cost. Anthony said that for $47,000 per household, you can't beat that efficiency. Anthony moved on to HACAP. Walker continued her argument. Walker said that the idea of homeless people living in condos doesn't make sense to her. Walker asked why they don't just live in an apartment. Hightshoe said that HACAP's transitional housing units are rented out like apartments. The only thing that makes it a "condo" to the renter is that HACAP owns the unit. HACAP remains the tenant's landlord. Housing and Community Development Commission March 18, 2007 Page 6 Walker asked why social workers can't help the homeless people find apartments. Richman said that under HACAP's project, a homeless person will get a place to live temporarily, for two years at the mosl. Hightshoe stated that HACAP rents the units based on the tenant's ability to pay, the renter does not need Section 8 to get into their units. Other landlords for private market apartments do not base rent of the tenant's ability to pay. Walker asked what this will do to the "condo people." She was concerned that a homeless person in a condo would "weird them (the neighbors) oul." Walker said that this project seemed too extravagant for a homeless person. Anthony said transitionai housing is very much needed. Long said that it's important to look at the continuum of care, or big picture. Crane said that HACAP provides a good service. He has a problem with the pro forma but he'll wait to address this issue with the applicant. Anthony said he gave zero dollars because when he scored the project it scored very low. The negative cash flow was the deciding factor for him. Also, HCDC has funded HACAP quite a bit in the past. Anthony moved on to ICHA. Hart said she liked the idea however the project did not serve a large segment of the population, thus she did not see it as the number one priority. Hart said she'd be interested in revisiting her own numbers. Richman said that the evidence presented at the last meeting seemed "anecdotal" to him. Richman said the analysis was not very scientific and he would like to see a survey that shows there's a need for housing for public servants. Anthony said that he found the data compelling and recommended allocating $260,000. He said that the ICHA talked to someone in the school district and the fire department (or police department) and to him it seemed like a good faith attempt to provide compelling evidence. Richman said that he felt like the evidence was not credible. Steven Rackis, ICHA applicant, said that the statistical data Richman speaks of is not yet available. He said he discerned the need based on salary information. Rackis said it wasn't anecdotal but instead factual. Richman asked if they'd be willing to accept partial funds. Rackis said this would mean the third unit could not be set aside for those households over 80% of median income. Rackis said that the other component is neighborhood revitalization. Hightshoe reiterated Richman's question and then added if they'd object to gelling HOME funds instead of entirely CDBG funds. Rackis said that they wouldn't even begin to look at home unless they had the funding. He said that if they are partially funded, the project will still go. Anthony moved on to IC Housing Rehabilitation. Crane put the full amount because the kids are top priority. Hightshoe noted that this applicant also requested money from both HOME and CDBG. Walker said she objected because they don't itemize to the public where they're pulling that money. Walker said she can't find anywhere where they've spent money in the past. Hightshoe said anyone can request that information. Hightshoe said the amount of funds and how the funds were used is in the CAPER. Walker said it's still hard to get. She tried to find out where the money went for rehab of mobile homes but she couldn't find il. Long said the City does not publicly publish information for individual home owners (address with income information) due to privacy issues. Hightshoe stated any private citizen can request this information and it would be provided. Anthony said that the issues brought forth by the applicant were very important. Lead paint mitigation means safer housing. Anthony said that if a low-income person wants to use a DPA program to buy the home at $100,000, you can't do it because of lead paint issues. Walker asked what if you rehab the house and then the owner sells it? Does the homeowner have to pay back the money? Hightshoe said the amount for the rehabilitation is a loan and must be repaid. The amount attributed to lead based paint would be a forgivable loan as stated in the application. Anthony moved on to Housing Fellowship Projects - CHDO. Hart asked where people got more than $31,000. Richman said it was from both CDBG and HOME funds. Crane said that because of cash flow problems throughout the years and the amount of units they have, he is very supportive of funding. Richman said that he would rather see HOME funds go into capital costs. Richman said that this project resembles a public service project and he felt that, unlike Extend the Dream for example, the Housing Housing and Community Development Commission March 18, 2007 Page 7 Fellowship has a source of income. Richman said that the large amount of money spent on contractor fees could be used to cover operational costs. Maryann Dennis, The Housing Fellowship applicant, said that all of the capital expenses come out of rental income also. She said that because they're community housing, they've met HUD's test and guidelines to remain a certified CHDO. Dennis said that they've continued to meet all of the requirements so that the city will continue to grant them CHDO status. Anthony said that this is the reason he funded the applicant. Anthony said he found it favorable because if an organization comes in and says it has money for operations, it gets additional points because it encourages housing applicants to leverage dollars. Anthony supports the full amount requested. Anthony moved on to The Housing Fellowship-Affordable Housing. Douglas noted that this is the only affordable rental program on the list. Richman asked if the applicant is comfortable with their project from an administrative perspective. Applicant said yes. Richman said he just wanted to know that Dennis was confident and comfortable with the project. Hightshoe said she'll be following up with the questions put forth toward applicants not present. Hightshoe said that HCDC can keep their original ranking sheets for now but she will need them back. The HCDC commission and staff agreed that the revisions to the ranking sheets/allocations shall be due to Tracy on Monday, March 19lh, 2007. Hightshoe requested that the eariier they could submit their changes the faster they could get the packets out. ADJOURNMENT Crane motioned to adjourn the meeting. Richman seconded the motion and the motion passed 7:0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm. s/pcdlminutes/hcdc/3.18-07 . doc Housing & Community Development Commission Attendance Record 2007 Term Name Expires 01/18 2/21 2/22 3/8 Jerrv Anthony 09/01/08 OlE X X X Steve Crane 09/01/09 X X X X I Marcy De France 09/01/09 X X X X Andv Doul!:las 09/01/08 X OlE OlE X Hollv Jane Hart 09/01/07 X X X X Thomas Niblock 09/01/08 X OlE OlE OlE Brian Richman 09/01/07 X OlE X X I Michael Shaw 09/01/09 OlE OlE OlE OlE Charlotte Walker 09/01/07 -- -- X X X I I I I , I I Key: I X = Present , , 0 = Absent i , , OlE = Absent/Excused , I I NM = No Meeting I -- -- = Not a Member I , I I ! ~ PRELIMINARY MINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21,2007 -11:30 AM LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Jerry Anthony, Steve Crane, Marcy DeFrance, Holly Hart, Charlotte Walker MEMBERS ABSENT: Andy Douglas, Tom Niblock, Brian Richman, Michael Shaw STAFF PRESENT: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Long RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL (become effective only after separate Council action): None Call to order: Chairperson Anthony called the meeting to order at 11 :40 a.m. Site Visits to FY08 CDBG/HOME Proposed Project Sites Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County - Pheasant Ridge Center (2651 Roberts Road). Brian Loring provided a tour of the center and highlighted the proposed improvements. Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County - Broadway Center (2105 Broadway). Brian Loring and Sue Freeman provided a tour and highlighted the proposed improvements. Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa (1410 S. First Ave.) John Watson provided a brief tour and highlighted the proposed improvements. Iowa City Free Medical Clinic (2440 Towncrest Drive) - Sandy Pickup provided a brief tour and discussed the proposed improvements. Adjournment: MOTION: Hart moved to adjourn the meeting. Crane seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at1: 15 p.m. I I I I , I Housing & Community Development Commission I I Attendance Record 2007 I I Term ; Name Exoires 01118 2/21 , Jerrv Anthonv 09/01108 I OlE X I Steve Crane 09/01109 X X Marcv De France 09/01/09 X X I Andv Douplas 09/01108 X OlE I Hollv Jane Hart 09/01107 X X Thomas Niblock 09/01/08 X OlE Brian Richman 09/01/07 X OlE Michael Shaw 09/01109 OlE OlE Charlotte Walker 09/0 1107 ---- X I I I Key: X ~ Present 0 ~ Absent I OlE ~ AbsentlExcused I NM ~ No Meeting -- -- ~ Not a Member I I I ! ! , I I I