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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-03-08 Info PacketV Y City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 4, 1988 To: City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission From: Mayor Re: Joint Meeting I recently discussed with the Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission the possibility of a joint meeting to discuss many of the upcoming plan- ning and development issues facing the community. We feel that a dinner meeting might be an appropriate setting for this discussion and therefore I have tentatively set Thursday, March 31, at 5:30 p.m. for this meeting. An agenda will be prepared as well as the location identified. Please mark your calendars; additional information will follow shortly. SJA/sp cc: City Manager '� N S�? City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 4, 1988 To: City Council From: City Manager Re: Downtown Plaza - Food Vendors We are currently in the processing of reviewing and will be recommending the food vendors for the Downtown Plaza. As you know, there are currently five food vendor permits which carry an annual fee of $400. In an earlier memo- randum to the City Council I suggested the possibility of raising the fee to $750 as well as requesting participation by the Downtown Association to finance an expanded program of clean up and maintenance in and around the Plaza area. With the additional $1,750 in revenue and a $1,000 contribution from the Downtown Association I believe that during the warm weather months we would be able to provide full-time attention to general clean up in and around the Plaza area. As you know one of the more frequent complaints we receive about food vending operations as well as the fast food restaurants located in and around the Plaza area is the fact that they are the cause of a great deal of litter. I would like to receive general guidance with respect to this issue, in particular, whether you would wish to raise the vending license permit as well as directing me to contact the Downtown Association about participation in such a program. This matter has been scheduled for City Council discussion at your informal meeting of Monday, March 7, 1988. /sp 30 V a City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 1, 1988 To: City Council From: City Manager Re: Status of Highway 1 North RISE Project Public Works has completed the redesign of improvements to Highway 1 in the recll vicinity of National Computer Systems and Northgate Corporate Park. You will additionalataDOT d lanesand extendingsthe improvement torinclude theointe sal change�at I-80. in The new design has the tentative approval of the Iowa DOT District 6 office cedar programnext �week. WeIf�they continue tto ingconcu r withe th the project concosal to the IowaceOT pt,=Iwe will negotiate a funding arrangement with them. Although the project cost estimate has gone from $300,000 to $960,000, we do not anticipate a proportional increase in the City's contribution. Approxi- mately half of the new design pertains directly to satisfying Iowa DOT's needs at the I-80 interchange, and is eligible for funding from the Federal 4R Highway Construction program. The to this portion of the project. City would not be required to contribute tp4/3 cc: Rosemary Vitosh, Director of Finance 370 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 1, 1988 To: City Council From: City Manager Re: Mercer Park Aquatic Center On Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m., the Masonic Lodge will be conducting the official "laying of the cornerstone" ceremony at the Mercer Park Aquatic Center. The Director of Parks and Recreation has contacted the Parks and Recreation Commissioners asking for their thoughts with respect to the appropriate items to be placed in the cornerstone capsule. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to share your thoughts with Terry or me. SJA/sp cc: Terry Trueblood 0 .37/ City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 1, 1988 To: City Council From: City Manager Re: Large City Alliance On Monday, representatives of the nine largest cities in Iowa met in Ames to discuss various legislative matters. League of Iowa MunicipalitiesPeter King, Executive Director of the , was also present. The purpose of the meeting ecific l was to discuss spegislative issues, and consider forming some type of large city alliance whereby an annual agenda of legislative issues, reflect- ing the interests of large cities, could be prepared. The p from the large cities was that the overwhelming representationon the parteof the League is oriented toward the smaller communities. Specific laws are written that govern large cities and in general many Iowa statutory laws are do not have any significant effect upon smaller communities. While it does appear that the League may feel slightly threatened by a new While tion, Peter was receptive and understanding of our concerns. It appears that we will be meeting again in April or May to consider how best to approach this issue and possibly develop an agenda for the 1989 legislative session. From experience while serving in Wisconsin, an alliance of the larger cities was a helpful tool in preparing and recommending legislation that was impor- tant to the larger communities and yet we were able to maintain the balance between our participation in the League and the needs of a larger community. I will keep you advised. bj2/12 cc: Department Directors 37-21 CITU OF CIVIC CENTER 410 E WASHINGTON ST March 3, 1988 The Honorable David R. Nagle House of Representatives 214 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Dave: OWA IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 CITY (319) 356-500D I recently was reading an article in one of my professional journals which indicated that the Bureau of the Census was giving serious consid- eration to reducing the information that is collected during the census process. Specifically, it was being suggested that the Bureau not collect data on housing and possibly other related information. M—ss type of information is critical to our ability as a local government to plan programs of housing assistance, and I would also think critical to evaluating whether federal programs are successful. We have one of the more effective housing assistance programs in the State of Iowa and have been frequently rewarded through additional federally assisted programs. I would hate to see the database, which measures progress with respect to housing decisions as well as also serving as a profile for changes in our ccamunity, be eroded in any fashion. Thank you for your interest, Sincerely yours, Stephen J. Atkins City Manager bj2/6 cc: City Council I 373 CITY OF CN/IC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST March 1, 1988 OWA IOWA CITY. IOWA 52240 Ms. Mary Jo Small, Associate Vice -President The University of Iowa 105 Jessup Hall Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Dear Mary Jo: CITY (319) 356-5000 At the regular City Council meeting of February 23 the City Council directed the Department of Public Works to issue an excavation permit for the proposed power line to be installed in the City right-of-way. The release of this excavation permit is with the understanding that the University and City will conclude discussions concerning agreements to provide for better administrative procedures as well as provide for various liability matters concerning University use of City right-of-way. I believe from the comments of the City Council that it is imperative that some type of agreement be concluded prior to the actual energizing of the new electric line. I would suggest that a detailed list of issues, as you perceive them to be with respect to this matter, be prepared and forwarded to my office. We would then be in a position to learn first hand your concerns about the previous license agreement that was submitted in March of 1987, suggest alternatives, and in general develop an agenda so that we may review our respective interests con- cerning this matter. Please provide me with this information as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Steph�ins City Manager cc: City Council City Attorney tpl/10 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM DATE: March 4, 1988 TO: City Council J FROM: Lorraine Saeger�-7)6AAa,,, RE: Farewell Reception for Fred Zehr As you know, Fred Zehr will be leaving the City's employ on March 11, 1988. A reception will be held for him on that date (Friday) between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 noon in the Council Chambers. If you are free during those hours, please stop by the Civic Center. 37S I parks & recreation department to, Steve Atkins from. re: Disposal of trees MEMO Terry Trueblood 1988r;�� date: March 2, In answer to your question as to what is done removed from public property, we estimate that over utilized for either firewood or wood chips. This is of who removes the tree (City Forestry crew, private Iowa -Illinois crew). with city owned trees 95 percent of them are the case regardless contractor, or the All the firewood is placed at City Park, and the general public is permitted to haul it away for their personal use, free of charge. Theoretically, it is not to be resold, but it isn't possible for us to monitor this on a regular basis. The wood chips are placed at two locations - City Park and near the City Garage. The City Park wood chips are for departmental use only, while those at the City Garage location are available to the general public, free of charge. The small amount of wood that is neither chipped nor used for firewood is disposed of at the landfill. We have discussed the feasibility of selling the firewood, and might very well try it some day. There are, however, problems to consider. If we attempt to sell it, we would have to do it on a once -a -year basis (maybe twice). This means it would be necessary to store the wood in a location where it couldn't be stolen, but which could be opened up for the sale. Another problem is the financial aspect - I am certain we could make money "on paper," but the question is, would it be cost effective? This requires a great deal of time, utilizing existing full time personnel, which takes them away from other duties. Therefore, using a true cost accounting procedure, we would probably make very little money. One other problem (which I consider to be minor), is the potential conflict with private enterprise. In summary, the current procedure is providing a nice service to the general public, and the wood is not being wasted. I would not recommend the initiation of a sales program, unless it becomes necessary for budgetary reasons. I city of iowa city 37k Y tl City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 3, 1988 To: City Council —� From: Douglas Boothroy, irec o o ous In ection Services Re: Comparison of Various Sp cial Vehicle Ordina ce Requirements Included in your information padket is a chart sh ing a comparison between the requirements for special vehicles in the xisting ordinance with those of various proposed ordinance amendments. T e chart identifies how each ordinance addresses 12 different requirements being considered for special vehicles. This information is provided to assist you in analyzing the special vehicle ordinance recommendations presently under consideration. bj/pc 3% 7 Type of Requirement 1. Definition of vehicle 2. Ownership of vehicle 3. Use of vehicle as dwelling 4. Other use of vehicle 5. Condition of vehicle 6. Location of storage area COMPARISON OF VARIOUS ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIAL VEHICLES Ist Proposed Ordinance Amendment Special Vehicle Planning 6 Zoning Existing Ordinance (May S. 1986) Committee Recommendation Commission Recommendation Over 7' ht. Over 7 1/2' ht. Over 7 1/2' ht. or 20' igth. Over 7 172' ht. or 20' lgth. or 17 1/2' lgth. No requirement No requirement Owned or leased by owner or tenant Owned or leased by owner or tenant Not permitted No requirement No requirement Rear yard 7. Maximum lot coverage No requirement B. Setback of vehicle No requirement 9. Surface of storage Paved area 10. Screening of vehicle No requirement of property Not permitted Not permitted - Allows guest use 21 days, not to exceed 45 days No requirement Cannot use for storage No requirement Operational and licensed Rear yard Rear and side yard Front yard only if rear and side are not accessible No requirement No more than 301 of the rear yard No requirement •10 foot vision triangle 3 ft. to side lot line Paved Paved or gravel (if gravel, must be designed to be self-contained) No requirement Required for special vehicle storage area located in front yard of property Not permitted - Allows guest use 21 days, not to exceed 45 days Cannot use for storage Operational and licensed Rear and side yard Front yard only If rear and side are not accessible No more than 301 of the rear yard No requirement Paved or gravel (if gravel, must be designed to be self-contained) Required for special vehicle storage area located in front yard 11. Parking standards No requirement No requirement Perpendicular to street Perpendicular to street 12. Nan -conforming status Yes, 1f existed at time No, required to Yes, if registered with City; Yes, If registered with City within (grandfather) of ordinance adoption be conforming however, upon transfer of property, 12 months after adoption o/ ordinance atter one year required to be conforming amortlaation period `The Special Vehicle Committee could not reach a consensus concerning whether or not a ten foot vision triangle should he required. iPO. /'ua7v A �aJ' 379 H N /�� A� �wl;� 3 78 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 2, 1988 To: City Council From: City Manager Re: Iowa Peace Institute - Mediation On Tuesday morning I met with Mike Thompson of the Iowa Peace Institute. Mike will serve as the mediator with respect to the various issues associ- ated with the County zoning, University rate dispute, and other matters concerning the mediation process and 60 -day extension, as directed by the Environmental Protection Commission. Mike has spoken with representatives of the University and County. Mike reviewed with me the process and it is his thinking that they would initiate a mediation session as early as the week of March 7. I indicated to him that the City would name our representatives in the near future. I was advised by Mike that it was his intent to conduct two mediations, one being the rate dispute between the City and the University and the other, the zoning question between the County and the City. I advised him that I felt that the other parties may feel that these are separate is- sues; however, it is our opinion that the whole matter is inextricably tied together and therefore the two mediations may ultimately need to be brought into one. Mike agreed and assured me that he would be able to bring all parties together if it became necessary. I advised him of concerns about the outside interests, that is, property owners and/or rate payers that may be dissatisfied with any mediation settlement. Mike appeared to be taking a very practical approach, that being that any agreement that cannot be implemented was in effect no agreement. I did suggest that the mediator consider some type of "con- sumer advocacy" representation with respect to the rate dispute. Mike indicated that the cost would be $50 per hour per party. All-in-all I was satisfied that Mike appeared to genuinely interested in a successful mediation. He did advise that the University was willing to proceed. I assured him that the City was; however, he did indicate that the County would not be in a position to officially commit until Tuesday of next week. Pat White has been "shuttling" between City offices and County offices gathering information and I suspect that he is attempting to shape some type of an agreement, prior to mediation. I will keep you advised. SJA/sp cc: Dale Helling Terry Timmins Chuck Schmadeke 379 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM DATE: February 18, 1988 TO: Chuck Schmadeke FROM: Frank Farmer RE: University of Iowa/Iowa-Illinois Electrical Duct The meeting with U of I on May 22, 1986, referred to by U of I representative Glenn Boutelle at the City Council meeting on February 9, 1988, was the preconstruction meeting for a 15 KV electric line along Burlington Street and Capitol Street. This ductwork is owned and maintained by the U of I and is not applicable to the currently proposed electric line construction. The construction of the line along Burlington Street and Capitol street was underway before Terry Timmins had pursued a license agreement or franchise with the U of I. In March of 1987 Terry Timmins approached the U of I regarding a utility agreement for use of City right-of-way and thereafter put the Engineering Division on notice that there were problems in negotiating a mutually acceptable agreement. The first plans with regard to the currently proposed electric ductwork from the U of I proposed new substation to the U of I water plant were received in early November of 1987. This was after Terry Timmins had requested a license agreement or franchise with the U of I. Therefore, the Engineering Division contacted Iowa -Illinois personnel in Davenport to check as to who would own and maintain the electric ductwork. Iowa -Illinois personnel stated that Iowa Illinois and U of I would share the substation and Iowa -Illinois would own and maintain the electric duct. I informed Terry Timmins of this because if the U of I was to own the electric duct, it would necessitate a license agreement or franchise. Since the electric duct was to belong to Iowa -Illinois who had a franchise, the Engineering Division proceeded to review construction plans for the electrical duct. In mid January, during discussions with Iowa -Illinois personnel from the Iowa City office, the Engineering Division was informed that the U of I would own and maintain the proposed electric duct and not Iowa -Illinois. The Engineering Division evidently misunderstood or was misinformed during earlier discussions. The Engineering Division informed Terry Timmins of this at that time and of the problem at hand. U of I let bids for electrical ductwork on December 10, 1987. JSe)