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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-04-02 CorrespondenceCITY OF IOWA C CIVIC CENTER 41 - O E. WASHINGTON SL IOWA, CITY, IOWA ;22110 f319);F,6,=000 TO: BILL AMBRISCO, LARRY BAKER, KATE DICKSON, CLEMENS ERDAHL, JOHN MCDONALO, GEORGE STRAIT, ERNEST ZUBER. You and each of you are hereby notified that pursuant to the authority vested in the Mayor of the City of Iowa City, Iowa, or under State Law and the Ordinances of the City of Iowa City, Iowa, as Mayor I hereby call a special meeting on April 2 '19 85 at 7:00 o'clock P M., to be held in a Council Chambers —ire Civic Center of.Iowa City, Iowa. The meeting is called for the purpose of n ublic hearin for 4/9/85 to dispose of portion of the Nwy I West right-�-way adiacent to Ruppert Subdivision Oaotedaaty �iartw7gty, Iowa, thister29th day of March 19 85 owa Gi MAYOR ATTEST: 24zd;-r-� 4K;� I CITY Ur- IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER 410 E. WASHINGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-5000 CITY OF IOWA CITY CNIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319)356-500D Notice of Special Meeting of April 2. 1985 received: J i CIT\ / CNIC C n A/A (ITV i n A/A (ITV /0-�\ r I /1 % CITY OF IOWA CITY CHIC CENFER 410 E. WASHINGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-5COC Notice of Special Meeting of April 2. 1985 received: 'UU1111 1'I6UUIIU IU t 3 - Date Time u CITY OF IOWA CITY CHIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-5COO Notice of Special Meeting of April 2, 1985 received: George Strait' 11114 Date Time F e i CITY OF IOWA CITY CHIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319)356-50M Notice of Special Meeting of April 2. 1485 received: i City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 8, 1985 To: City Council From: City Manager ate✓ I/ Re: Police Cars - Savings Attached is a summary of the police car bids. You will note that the changes in replacement and bidding procedures, developed by the administrative staff (particularly Purchasing), have the potential for saving the City approxi- mately $25,000-30,000 yearly. /sp City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 6, 1985 To: Rosemary Vitosh, Director of Finance From: Cathy Eisenhofer, Purchasing Agent Re: Purchase of Fiscal Year 85 Police Vehicles An award has been given to Weinbrenner Ford, Iowa City, for nine (9) Ford LTD police patrol vehicles at a savings to the City of $3,969 over September 1983 prices. Weinbrenner Ford was allowed to extend to the City of Iowa City, State of Iowa contract pricing and the award stays local. Three (3) new options have been incorporated into this most recent bid: 1. Nine cars are being purchased rather than replacing the entire patrol fleet of eleven. Cars will be replaced based on mileage, 60,000- 65,000 miles staggered replacement, rather than age. The Police Chief is receptive to trying the new replacement schedule, subject to success. The City will be replacing 41 cars versus 60 cars over six years at an average savings of three cars per year or $150,000 total. 2. For the first time the City has contacted out of state dealers who specialize in buying and reselling used police cars. The City will gain $550 per car over the September 1983 trade-in value or $4,950 total for the nine cars. The City's old cars will be sold to Wood- side, New York. In'the past the City has either traded in or sold by auction patrol vehicles. 3. Chrysler Motors warranty option of five years or 50,000 miles has encouraged us to offer as an option to bidders a comparable warranty at an additional cost. For $340 per car, the City will purchase an extended warranty to 60,000 miles which based on past maintenance records indicates the purchase is cost justified. Attached to this memo is a copy of the summary of quotations indicating bid results. The City also had a separate option for pricing of a full- size police patrol vehicle. Based on purchase price and operating cost, we chose to stay with the mid-size patrol vehicle. Any questions you may have in regard to this award for police patrol vehicles please feel free to contact me. Purchasing continues to search out options such as these to best utilize the taxpayers' dollars. tp2/9 .sig CITY OF IOWA CITY CHIC CENTER 410 E. WASHINGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-50OJ Gentlemen: Proposals were received by the City of Iowa City, Iowa on Feb.20,1985 2:OOPM for 9 Police Automobiles. The following chart is a summary of those proposals received: SEE ATTACHED CHART: I The City has approved an award to Winebrenner Fordfor Option A-1 and Option A-3, Woodside Motors for Option A-2.on the basis of their bid. We appreciate your interest in the City of Iowa City. If you have any questions concerning this bid taking, Please contact me. , cajo I Catharine W. Eisenhofer Purchasing Agent (319) 356-5075 J -i9 * Awarded Bid DFSCI IFPION: I)MIrc A. tnmhil Pc CITY OF IOWA CITY _QUA14PI3Y: 9 _ ASSIGNED #j SUMMARY OF QUOTATIONS BID OpCN_rNn: rah gn,19pc_p.nnpM NEW VE7IICIE /: a44-R45-846-n47-n4R-n4o_p5n-psi-p57 HAILED: DATE BIDS MAII: AUCriON/T.I.:jg&4_c-lna6_1p47_ln4p-1p44-mn-in51-18TACD NUMBER: 85-63— SUMMARY HAILED: MidslzeA Woodside Motors Attn: Bill Huppert 67-02 Queens Blvd. Woodside, NY. 11377 2.25n.nn n, era On Old Capitol Motors Attn: Don Warner Hwy 1 West Iowa City,ia. 52240 Hartwig Motors Attn: Dave Hartwig 629 S. Riverside Dr. Iowa City,la. 52240_WpGE DIPLOMAT Winebrenner Ford Attn: Larry Walberg 217 Stevens Dr. Iowa City , la. 52240 LTD STATE CONTRACT Pricetended to inebrenner Ford 1 298.00 1-013-16—G-0 10,098.00 OUTRIGHT Purchase Tota 101 682.00 92,844.00 90,082.00 Each 1,500.00 1,400.00 Total 13,500.00 12,600.00 NET 88,182.00 80,244.00 80.00 340.00 6 3 060.00 Warranty nPdan 4 Min Order 3 1 nplivpry 6/15/85 - 3/4/85 6 1 05 - 3/1/85 Impala Crown Victoria Optinn $ Farb On 11 693.00 Outright Total 107,955.00 105,237.00 I Each 0 1,400.00 1 Total 21 978.00 12,600.00 Yet 85 977.00 92,637.00 jinn I Extended .WaX40 180.00 340.00 $ Totel 11,620.00 , -Option A Nin Order Oelivery 91 90-120 3/1/85 3/1/05 Woodside Motors Attn: Bill Huppert 67-02 Queens Blvd. Woodside, NY. 11377 2.25n.nn n, era On Midsize A Full Size SENATE TAB PLAN TO ELIMINATE MUNICIPAL ASSISTANCE The Senate has approved SF 395 on a 34.13 vote, a tax package which would, among terminated un other things, terminate arepeal Chapter 405, Micipal Assistance fund, on July 1, 1987. The bill was passed over strenous objections free city and county officials and leg- islators that local government would have to increase local property taxes if the bill passed. The bill is currently being hold in the Senate under a motion to reconsider which was filed by Sen. Lowell Junkins (D -Montrose) and Senate majority leader. Other provisions of the tam package include the phaseout of personal property taxes and provision for "paying off' the state's obligation to local government at the end of 1987; exempting fan machinery and equipment free sales tax; removing wine free the state monopoly And placing under private retail sales (which will reduce the revenue base on which the cities' lot of liquor profit is calculated); and pm- viding for a series of local option taxes including sales, wheel, payroll and prop. any. This bill taken together with SF 332 which was passed the week previous and is also being held on • motion to reconsider in the Senate would not Only take state revenw away free titles in 1987 but would erode the property tax base because of the exemp- tions on machinery and equipment. As we go to press, we are uncertain when these two bills will be released from the Senate and sent to the House. City officials am urged to contact all Hoose ambers and once again argue that 80TH mmicipal assistance and local option taxes are needed in order to secure a sound fiscal bass for cities new and in the future. The value of each provision is vital to cities; it should not be a question of one being traded for mother. Local option taxes cost the state NMING. It is merely a grant of authority and will not have an impaa n the state gniraFfund. Equally, the fact that state municipal assistance has only increased 11 per capita in 10 years and hes been frozen at the same amount since 1980 signifies that it has not contributed to the current economic crisis at the state level. Voting for SF 395 which contained the elimination of state municipal assistance were: Boswell Brown Bruner Corning Delubery Drake Gentleman Goodwin Gronstal Hann" Hester Holden Holt Horn Hulman Husak Hutchins Jensen Junkins Binley Lind Mann Millar, C. Murphy Neighbor Palmer Readinger Ritsama Rodgers Small. Soorholtz Tleden Naldstein Voting Not Carr Coleman Coltan Dialsn Gettings Gntfas Hall Miller, A. Priebe Rife Schwengals Taylor Vndehoef Absent or not Voting: Doyle Nystrom Melia 1007 PROPOSES INCREASE IN GAS TAB The Iowa Department of Transportation isproposing a It per gallon fuel tax increase that would generate 148 million par year for revitalizing Iowds transportation needs, programThe would c Revitalize lowaos t designed to encourageeconomidevelopment and support the creation of Jbthrough Invest. eant ini•1 seaside accountawithinstheuld be Road UseTaxFundd(RRUT). Administered nbyfthe pe. (war) LEGISLATIVE w,'earemew, wrm....i_aeaoa BULLETIN mai rssami First Session, Bulletin No. 5 March 13, 1985 SENATE TAB PLAN TO ELIMINATE MUNICIPAL ASSISTANCE The Senate has approved SF 395 on a 34.13 vote, a tax package which would, among terminated un other things, terminate arepeal Chapter 405, Micipal Assistance fund, on July 1, 1987. The bill was passed over strenous objections free city and county officials and leg- islators that local government would have to increase local property taxes if the bill passed. The bill is currently being hold in the Senate under a motion to reconsider which was filed by Sen. Lowell Junkins (D -Montrose) and Senate majority leader. Other provisions of the tam package include the phaseout of personal property taxes and provision for "paying off' the state's obligation to local government at the end of 1987; exempting fan machinery and equipment free sales tax; removing wine free the state monopoly And placing under private retail sales (which will reduce the revenue base on which the cities' lot of liquor profit is calculated); and pm- viding for a series of local option taxes including sales, wheel, payroll and prop. any. This bill taken together with SF 332 which was passed the week previous and is also being held on • motion to reconsider in the Senate would not Only take state revenw away free titles in 1987 but would erode the property tax base because of the exemp- tions on machinery and equipment. As we go to press, we are uncertain when these two bills will be released from the Senate and sent to the House. City officials am urged to contact all Hoose ambers and once again argue that 80TH mmicipal assistance and local option taxes are needed in order to secure a sound fiscal bass for cities new and in the future. The value of each provision is vital to cities; it should not be a question of one being traded for mother. Local option taxes cost the state NMING. It is merely a grant of authority and will not have an impaa n the state gniraFfund. Equally, the fact that state municipal assistance has only increased 11 per capita in 10 years and hes been frozen at the same amount since 1980 signifies that it has not contributed to the current economic crisis at the state level. Voting for SF 395 which contained the elimination of state municipal assistance were: Boswell Brown Bruner Corning Delubery Drake Gentleman Goodwin Gronstal Hann" Hester Holden Holt Horn Hulman Husak Hutchins Jensen Junkins Binley Lind Mann Millar, C. Murphy Neighbor Palmer Readinger Ritsama Rodgers Small. Soorholtz Tleden Naldstein Voting Not Carr Coleman Coltan Dialsn Gettings Gntfas Hall Miller, A. Priebe Rife Schwengals Taylor Vndehoef Absent or not Voting: Doyle Nystrom Melia 1007 PROPOSES INCREASE IN GAS TAB The Iowa Department of Transportation isproposing a It per gallon fuel tax increase that would generate 148 million par year for revitalizing Iowds transportation needs, programThe would c Revitalize lowaos t designed to encourageeconomidevelopment and support the creation of Jbthrough Invest. eant ini•1 seaside accountawithinstheuld be Road UseTaxFundd(RRUT). Administered nbyfthe pe. (war) ss Iowa Department of Transportation, individual projects under state, county or city jurisdiction would be eligible for participation by contributing to one or more of the following objectives: • improving access to specific development sites • improving access to economically depressed areas of note • improving access to points of shipment or processing of agricultural product- • improving access to trucking terminals • improving access to scenic, recreational and other tourist attractions • making quality And safety improvements to the highway system • construction linkages to present road systems and streets that are Lev to future economic development opportunities. The program would be available to advance projects already Identified as needed for economic development and program funds could be authorized to be used for rcimhwrx- mnt to cities for all or part of the interests and/or principal on general obligu. tion bonds issued for the purpose of financing qualifying projects on any jurlsdis+ tional road system. Flnally, the fuel tax would be indexed for future growth to the fund. As proposed, the increased fuel tax would not become part of the allocation formula for cities, counties or primary systems bu[ mould be available an a compctitivr h.uis from a set-aside fund. Tow criteria for determining distribution has not been fully explained but it would appear that a city would not Only be competing against mut brr city but also against a proposed county or primary project that would also be eli. gible. Legislation to implement this proposal has not been drafted as of this report. SENATE PASSES OPEN SCOPE BILL The Senate has passed and sent to the House SF 3616 an Act relating to the scope of negotiations. The vote was 36-31 with three absent or not voting. Section 30.9 was deleted from the Code and in its place was inserted a new section which lists those items subject to negotiations. They include: wages, hours, vacations, Lamm- ance, holidays, leaves of absence, shift differentials, overtime compensation, sup• plemental pay, seniority, transfer procedures, job classifications, health andsafe- ty matters, evaluation procedures, procedures for staff reductions, in-service training, salary schedules, breaks and preparation time, early retirement programs, physical examinations, pay for mused sick leave upon termination and othermatterx asexually agreed upon. Negotiation shall also Include terms authorizing dues checL. off for members of the employee organization and grievance procedures for resolving my question arising from the agreement which shall be embodied in a written state- ment and signed by the parties. Only proposals for state -mandated retirement sys. tems are secluded from the scope section. The bill also creates a new section of mandatory subjects for certified teachers and school corporations. Additionally, the bill states that the employ" organisation and the public employee may mutually agree to negotiate items which are not listed in the new secion 10.0 and that existing provisions of a collective bargaining agreement which is subject to negotiations shall not be eliminated from a subsequent agreement without the mutual consent of the parties to the agreement. Finally, the bill states that section 10.7 which is the employer rights section does not apply to the subjects of bargaining contained in subsections I and 1 of the new bill. Subsections 1 and 3 happen to be the new list of negotiable items. Those voting yes were: Boswell Bruner Can Bron Colman Colton Deluhery Lettings Granetal )Lannon Hon Husak Hutchins Jenkins Winley Lind Mann Hiller, A. Miller, C, Murphy Neighbor Palmer Readingcr Rodgers Small Welsh Voting no: Corning Dleleman Drake Gentleman Goodwin Gratlas Hall Hester Holden limit Hultman Jensen Priebe Rife Ritsemn Schiengels Soorholtz Taylor Tieden Vande Hoof Naldstein ,S e20 ' .3. Absent or not voting: Doyle Nystrom Wells A no vote supported the League position. SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE VOTES TO EXTEND GENERAL REVENUE SHARING The Congressional Senate Budget Committee has voted 13.9 to continue general revenue sharing for the full tem of its current entitlement. This reverses the Administra- tion's request that the program be terminated one year ahead of its current entitle- ment or September 30, 1965. Although this vote signals a clear intent by Congress to allow GRS to complete its present entitlement period through September 30, 1986, the voce also supported a position that the program be terminated after that time. Efforts not still be undertaken in the Senate and House to not only maintain the Program through its current entitlement cycle but to obtain a commitment that it be renewed for mother cycle after September 30, 1986. City officials should rata the time to write Senator Grassley and think him for his efforts regarding this issue. He and several other senators were the driving force to maintain the current entitlement cycle. SENATE APPROVES PUBLIC FUNDS BILL The Senate has approved and sent to the House SF 296, an Act relating to thedeposit of public funds in banks, savings and loan and credit unions. Prior to approving the bill, the Senate approved an amendment which delated the voluntary investment fund prowl ions but left In place the provisions which opened up the entire state to the depositing of public funds. As passed by the Senate, a depository institution shall deliver to the treasurer of state • security agreement which provides the treasurer of state with a valid and perfected security interest in the required collateral, and the treasurer shall adopt rules to insure the security of public funds invested in financial institutions. The bill reinstates a limited sinking fund which would trigger in the event federal insurance or liquidation of a financial institution's assets an not adequate to mar the public funds on deposit. The state would have a sinking fund for banks, savings and loan institutions and credit unions. Finally, section 6 of the bill el: fro liability a public body, its agents, officers or employees for my I., resulting from the loss of a depository in the absence of negligence, malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance. The amount of collateral required to secure public funds on depoiit still remains at 110%. This prevision could present problems to some cities in which their local bank(s) must borrow collateral fro other financial institutions to meet the 110% requirement. This would result in an added finance charge to the public depositor. The bill now goes to the Home where passage is expected. BILL WOULD REQUIRE RULES ON HEALTH, AGILITY AND STRENGTH FOR FIRE FIGHTERS Sen. Milo Colton (D -Sioux City) has introduced SF 3250 an Act relating to strength, agility and general health of fin fighters. The bill would require that reasonable rules adopted by a city civil service commission for testing applicants for the position of fire fighter be based upon the entrance requirements adopted by the National Fire Protection Association as the standard for fin fighter professional qualifications. The bill has been assigned to a Senate Local Government Subcommittee of Killer, Hall and Goodwin. DAVIS-RACON BILL REPORTED OUT OF COMMITTEE The Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee has voted SF 38S, a prevailing -age bill, out of committee. (over) ✓5�d .a - The bill incorporates some of the substantive provisions of the federal Davis-Bscon Act. Goversuaental bodies entering into contracts for public improvements over $2,000 in counties over 20,000 population ars required to include in the contract provisions requiring the payment of "prevailing wages" to laborers or mechanics. The governmental body would be allowed to withhold a portion of the contract pay- ments to pay mechanics and laborers the difference between their wages and the pre. vailing wage if the contractor is paying less. The bill would not apply to any contract for a public improvement which is fundedin whole or In part by federal funds and if 40 DSC sections 276a through 276a.7 apply to all portions of the work to be performed under the contract for a public improve. ment. FIRE FIGHTER MINIMM HOURS BILL INTRODUCED Rep. Jack Woods (D -Des Moines) has introduced HF 489, an Act relating to the number of hours worked by fire fighters. The bill Bonds section 411.16 to the effect that fin fighters an not required to work euro than an average of forty hours per week. The bill has been assigned to a House Local Government Subcommittee of panty, Con. cars and Dimer. City officials should contact members of the subcommittee and point out that until the impact of the Supreme Court roling on the Fair Labor Standards Act is deter- mined, no action should be taken on this bill. EODNOMIC DEVELOPIEhT/URSAN RENEWAL BILL FILED Rep. Kay Chapman (D -Cedar Rapids) has introduced HF 494, An Act relating toeconameic development and =ban renewal. The bill provides that a city council can designate an =a of the city u an economic development area and provide for its development for commercial and industrial enterprises in the sue manner that blighted areas of S city can be redeveloped under an urban renewal plan. The bill contains a publication provision and would becomes effective immediately upon passage. The bill has been assigned to the House Local Government Committee. RESERVE PEACE OFFICER TRAINING BILL Rep. Dan Fogarty (D -Cylinder) has introduced HF 504, an Act to increase the train. ing requirements for reserve peace officers. The bill, which has been assigned to the House Local Government Committee, increases the ameount of training that re- serve peace officers are required to have frm thirty hours within me year of their appointment to one hundred eighty hours within four years of their appoint- ment. MOBILE/HANUFACMED HOME BILL INTRODUCED Reps. Fey and Platt have introduced HF 509, an Act relating to the regulation of mobile homes. The bill removes from legislation passed last session the reference to the definition of amanufactured home as it is defined by federal law. The bill has been assigned to the House Local Government Committee. LEASE PURCHASE BILL INTRODUCED Rap. Jim O'Kne (D -Sioux) has introduced HF 523, an Act relating to the right of cities to lease or hose -purchase real and personal property. The bill makes explicit a city's right to lease or lease -purchase real or personal property and spells out the terms and procedures which will apply when the right is exercised. SPECIAL ELECTION BILL FILED Rep, Gary Shenn (D -Des Moines) and nine other representatives have filed HF 517, an Act relating to special elactions to fill vacancies in city councils. The bill provides that a special election to fill a vacancy on a city council is subject to the provisions regarding the holding of primaries and run-off elections. Ssav i -5- MODEL PROCUREMENT CODE BILL cuiemeackcHatch (Dtheestate,$) hats filed poliiFcalasubdiviaioproviding for a model pro - ode The hill has been assigned to the House State Government Committee. MANUFACTURED HOUSING BILL FILED Rep, J. Gruhn (D -Spirit Lake) has introduced HF 551, an Act relating to the defini- tion of a manufactured hose. The bill to me= a factory -built structuretands the definitiof awhichdismanu- homes Eor city and county coning pureoses factured in compliance with the state building code. The bill hes been assigned to the Meuse Local Government Committee. GFOA TO SPONSOR OOST-CUTTING PROGRAM ,he Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association (IMFOA) The City Finance Committee, and the League of Iowa Menleipalities (LIM) suggest that your city have a rapresen- Andive attend this progru: Cutting Coats without Cutting Servicese This atioprognAm tit 11 be presented at Iowa Stale University in eses on March 22. The registration fee is 150.00 pme person. For 'SUP eservations call (515) 294-5363 -The Office of Local Government Progress, REWRITESPREFERENCEAYEfERANEPR FE ERENCE BILL The $mate State Goverrument committee has adopted an Amendment to SF 266, a bill relating co veterans' preference, which strikes everything ference after to the servjce nactin�oclaand and substitutes a Procedure for applying p pr to cities that would fill vacancies through a point qualifying examination process. e overwhelming opposition to the original bill which could have ons, and all cities Th to comply with civil ser'Lce, to comply with competitof ive esaminacimand by virtue that gend fir wove beenmovedto create separe bate pension and retirement systems for police The efforts of all city officials, large and small, contributed to this success in the committee. mefni officials should contactnntact their state iat(onnfort to thisAserved mendment. the State Gwern- ittee to . Members of the cesittee are: Chair Bruner Dieleman Rife Coleman Coring Drake Gert, Miller, C. Nystrom Gentleman Morn Mann ScMen{eIs Welsh 5�Q CITY OF IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER 410E WASHNGTON Si IOWA CITY. 10W,52240 (319) X)( )_5OCO March 13, 1985 The Honorable Arthur Small State Senator (23rd District) State House Des Moines, Iowa 50319 Dear Senator Small: This will confirm your meeting with the Iowa City City Council Legislative Committee scheduled for 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 16, 1985, Swan 8 Room in the Downtown Holiday Inn. Below is a summary of several issues which the City would like to bring to your attention and discuss at the meeting. Legislative issues which have been incorporated into the so-called "Tax Plan" bills of the House and Senate are of vital importance and interest to the City. We wish to discuss several of these issues and how they will affect Iowa City and other cities as part of an overall tax plan. More specifically, our discussion will address local option taxing alternatives (sales, property, wheel, and payroll), discontinuation of the municipal assistance program, elimination of personal property tax reimbursements, erosion of the liquor profits base resulting from private sales of wine, and the overall effect that this legislation would have on the local tax base. We will provide information regarding projected lost revenues at the meeting. The "Open Scope" legislation (S.F. 364) passed last week by the Senate is of critical concern. Its potential result is significant cost increases for public employers. It ignores the delicate balance of limited scope vs. binding arbitration which was recognized and established when the statute was originally passed, and it represents a substantial reduction in home rule authority by taking away from the local authority the ability to establish certain management rights, policies and practices and, instead, place these in the hands of an outside factfinder or arbitrator. Finally, I would like to call your attention to several pieces of legisla- tion to which we are opposed. These involve additional mandated costs for cities. Some examples are: 1. S.F. 301 requires all cities over 25,000 population to employ an Equal Employment Opportunity officer. In the case of Iowa City, this function is now performed by personnel in the Human Relations Depart- ment. It should remain a local function to determine what positions are needed for effective operations and thus included in the overall I employment classification plan. 5.2-/ 2 2. H.F. 342 would require minimum staffing of firefighting apparatus. This could result in substantial additional costs to have personnel available on a full-time basis to move all such equipment. It should remain an absolute right of the employer to assign duties and deter- mine staffing levels within its operation. 3. H.F. 489 would establish a maximum of 40 hours for the work week of a firefighter. Again, this should be a matter of local determination in conjunction with the collective bargaining process. 4. S.F. 385 would require payment of the "prevailing wage" (Davis -Bacon) for all public improvements over $2,000 in counties over 20,000 population. This could involve a substantial cost to governmental subdivisions, particularly as they relate to smaller projects. 5. There are a multitude of bills which would increase the benefits of public employee pension systems and thereby result in an increase in the amount public employers must contribute to support those systems. We oppose any such legislation in the absence of State funding for increased costs at the local level. It is important to note that legislators have received several "fiscal notes" on some of these bills. These analyses do not address the costs to local governments. They only attempt to assess the addi- tional cost to the State. Such fiscal analysis grossly underestimates the actual cost to the taxpayers of this State and I urge you, as legislators, to consider this shortcoming and to require information reflecting the total fiscal impact of any legislation. An agenda for the March 16 meeting is enclosed. I look forward to seeing you then. Sincerely, John McDonald Mayor cc: City Council Same letter to Jean Lloyd -Jones City Manager and Minnette Doderer. City Clerk Asst. City Manager 5zl CITY OF IOWA CITY CNIC CENTER 410 E. WASHINGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319) 356-50OD i AGENDA MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL OF IOWA CITY with AREA LEGISLATORS Saturday, March 16, 1985 - 8:00 A.M. I Holiday Inn 210 South Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa Swan B Room I i I. General discussion of legislative session. 2. Discussion of issues of concern to Iowa City, including: a. House and Senate Tax Bilis. b. Scope of collective bargaining. C. Mandated Costs - "Fair Play" issue. 3. Discuss other issues of concern to City or to legislators, 4. Other business. S. Adjournment. City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 13, 1985 To: City Council From: Karin Franklin, Senior Planner Re: Mandatory Open Space Ordinance At the Council's direction, the draft mandatory open space ordinance was sent to 14 members of the development community in Iowa City. Responses were received from two individuals and the Board of Realtors. The Board responded in writing; their letter is attached. The essence of all the comments is that the need for additional open space or parks in Iowa City is questionable and that if a need is there, mandatory dedication is not the way to acquire the space. It was pointed out that the administrative procedures for dedication or fees in lieu of is confusing, that it is unclear where the parks would be, how large they would be, and how it would be determined what land is appropriate for parks. All respondents state that the fee in the ordinance would not cover the cost of land acquisition. Many of the questions raised by the ordinance and the confusion resulting can be attributed to the fact that the ordinance is intended to be based on a plan. The plan would outline the intended function of the open space, where parks/open spaces are needed, the criteria for siting the open space, and the appropriate size of the open space within a given district. The plan would also address as a pol.icy matter where the financial burden of providing neighborhood open space should be placed and how it is to be equitably handled. Specific suggestions offered by the respondents were 1) that a tax be imposed throughout the city for a parkland acquisition fund, 2) that a fee be charged per lot or acre and no dedication be considered, or 3) that the whole idea be abandoned. The last suggestion will not be addressed at this time. As to the option of a tax, the City does not have the power to tax beyond the property tax or the hotel/motel tax. The Council has always had the power to allocate a portion of revenues generated by property taxes for parkland acquisition but has not chosen to do so. A portion (10%) of revenues gener- ated by the hotel/motel tax are currently allocated to capital improvements for recreation. This would include parkland acquisition. The second suggestion for a fee without dedication has some merit and is worth further investigation. Such a fee would be an impact fee and is a tool used in a number of communities in the country. Both mandatory dedication or fees in lieu of and impact fees should be based on either state enabling legislation or on a rationally conceived plan which has been formulated after due deliberation. Iowa taw does not provide specific enabling legislation for mandatory dedication or impact fees. Therefore, a plan which would serve as a basis for a dedication or impact fee ordinance is imperative. Adoption of an ordinance without a plan and without enabling legislation is done with a certain amount of risk as to the ordi- nance's legal defensibility. 5.Z z • _�.�J..l C.. •n nHnn�G�lll/1 of Mandatory Open Space Ordinance Study Proposal PURPOSE The purpose of this study proposal is to investigate alternative methods of requiring the dedication, or alternatively the acquisition of, open space to serve the needs of new developments. Open space may serve the passive and active recreational needs of the immediate neighborhood. The need to develop new neighborhood parks was addressed in the 1978 Comprehensive Plan. As stated in the plan, neighborhood open space planning is required "in order to ensure the availability of parks (open space) in suitable locations to serve neighborhood needs, other communities require the mandatory dedication of parkland, or payments -in -lieu of dedication as residential land is devel- oped." Since the plan's adoption in 1978, attempts to adopt such a regula- tion have been presented to and rejected by the City Council. STUDY The first part of the study would be to reevaluate the goals, policies and standards of the 1978 Comprehensive Plan concerning parks and open spaces and formulate a Neighborhood Open Space Plan which specifies minimum standards for neighborhood open spaces and a methodology for the acquisition and development of said land. The second part of the study will concentrate on the development of a regulatory tool by which open space is systematically dedicated and/or acquired as a part of the approval process of new residen- tial developments. Traditionally such a provision is located in the subdivi- sion regulations. Preliminary investigation reveals that alternate methods of acquiring neighborhood open space, other than mandatory dedication and/or payment of fees in lieu thereof, such as impact fees, have been successfully implemented in other cities across the nation. One or a combination of these methods may be determined to be most appropriate for Iowa City. RECOMMENDATION It is staff's recommendation that the mandatory open space issue be directed back to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commis- sion with the charge to develop a Neighborhood Open Space Plan utilizing the provisions of the 1978 Comprehensive Plan or recommended revisions thereof and an ordinance amendment to the subdivision regulations addressing the exaction. Legal precedent has shown that mandatory open space requirements have been upheld by the courts when they bear a relationship to a Parks and/or Recreation Plan which recognizes the need for the exaction. As was previously determined by the City Council, a target date of September 30, 1985, was set for adoption of an ordinance by the City Council. In order to meet this date, the following schedule has been developed. The schedule is ambitious and may require extra meetings of the Planning and Zoning Commis- sion. The Council should indicate if this item should take priority over other referrals to the Commission, particularly the amended subdivision regulations. PPD 3/13/85 EVENT DATE ACTIVITY March March 19: City Council elects to: 1) not pursue the matter, or 2) refer the open space issue back to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning and Zoning Comnission with the charge of updating the 1978 Compre- hensive Plan concerning parks, formulate a Neighborhood Open Space Plan and prepare a recommended ordinance amendment to the Subdivision Regulations for the acquisition and/or dedication of neighborhood open space associated with new residential development. April/June Planning and Zoning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission begin preparation of the Neighborhood Open Space Plan and ordi- nance amendment to the Subdivision Regula- tions. During the latter part of June, the Commis- sions conclude their study and set a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission in July to consider the plan addendum and ordinance amendment. July Planning and Zoning Commission holds a public hearing during the first part of July. City Council sets hearing date in August to consider recommendations of Planning and Zoning Commission on 1983 Comprehensive Plan Update - "Neighborhood Open Space Plan" and ordinance. August City Council conducts hearings during August and September. September September 30: Adoption of plan addendum and ordinance by City Council. PPD 2 3/13/85 .5'ao:z- IOWA CITY BOARD OF REALTORS. INC. :10 HIGHLAND COURT n~ OR' Karen Franklin Department of Planning 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 Deer Karen! The City/County Governmental Affairs Committee of the Iowa City Board of Realtors met and reviewed the proposed mandatory open space ordinance. Although this proposal is perhaps more acceptable than the pre oaend hetheo some ervati remstill ains concept opposed to the mandatory Pt about the small neighborhood parks. These were (a portionopointed which out in a previous letter to the tot this proposal, are still is enclosed) and, as they app y a concern. In addition, this current draft contains some items that are either unclear or place an unfair burden on the builder/ developers 1) The proposal does not specifically mention a minimum size of development or subdivision. Since most are small, In result very ly i small lands dedications or smallipayme nts with little or no opportunity to buy open space in that area. B) Section IV (a) calla for payment of the optional fee at the time of final plat approval. Requiring Pay - to is unequitable since ment before any lo to are sol the city would not be required to develop any dedicated open space until one-third of the area is developed. 3) The amount of money generated by the foe system, while adding to the expenes of a subdivision, would not seem to be enough to purchase acceptable parkland end hardly enough to justify the additional time end manpower to administer. If this ordinance is ultimately approved, we hope these areas will be reviewed. Sincerely, r i9U5 William J. Steinbrech, Chairmen `i.,l1�GJ FLQ City/County Governmental Affairs �� .. Iowa City Board of Realtors Orgcni:rd for Your Prorerrion Sa .2- IOWA CITY BOARD OF REALTORS, INC. 410 HIGHLAND COURT REALTOR' IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 At the request of Dennis Showalter, the Iowa City Board of Realtors have met to discuss the merits of the pending neighborhood park legislation. Although the concept of small neighborhood parks at first glance is quite appealing, our association feels that there are specific problem areas that have not been clearly defined in the proposed ordinance. They are as follows: 1. Who will pay the developer the added cost? Obviously this cost will be passed to the new property owner. Re- flection reveals that various ordinances and policies have already affected the cost of housing in Iowa City. Development coats include providing pnvrd streets, snni- tory sewers, storm sewers, underground electrical wiring and telephone, cable IV, natural gas, and storm water rc- Lention. In addition, there are Lho hasic costs of land acquisition, of holding the land until the City approves a subdivision, of ]and preparaLion for aLreets and home building. One cannot deny that such improvements benefit our residents. Those nmenitics do improve the quality of life. Out, each requirement and restriction makes it more expensive and difficult to own a horny: in Iowa City. As an example, the Neighborhood Park legislation, if enacted, will add approximately $1000 to the average cost per building lot in new subdivisions. In many cases, this added cost may equal a 10a plus increase in the price of building lots in Iowa City, boosting the average sale price of the average Inwa City residence to $65,750, com- pared to the current average of $65,731. 2. Maintenance and development costs. The ordinance does not appear to provide for funding to pay that various costs for maintriining the park grounds, i.e., ground's care, planting of trees and shrubs etc. Nor does it appear that the ordinance provides for funding for the development of the park grounds, i.e., land preparation for seeding, park equipment, picnic Lahlrs, playground equipment. It would further seem that maintaining such small park areas would exceed the cost of msinlaining largur more centrally lo- cated park areas. Organkcd for your Prorrrdnn 3. Contiguous park development. Does each average 40 lot development require a neighborhood park? It does not seem wise to require every new subdivision to provide for park area. A contiguous park plan for specific areas of Iowa City would provide a more cost- effective approach to providing for green space and park area. Further, who decides where the park will go in a subdivision? Will the City demand the most de- sirable building sites for parks? At best, admini- stration of this ordinance, as it is written, would seem to be quite cumbersome. 4. Not every person/family wants to live next to a neighborhood park. If "all" new subdivisions are re- quired to set aside park areas, where will the selec- tion come for these potential buyers? 5. Unspecified mist. costs. a. Costs For attorneys, recording fees, survey costs, etc., for the original transfer to the City from the developer. b. Lost tax revenue. c. staffing from City to implement proposed legislation. d. Staffing to maintain added park areas. 6. Are additional park areas needed? There are park areas throughout Iowa City. Also, there are U of I owned grounds as well as the•Coralville recreation area. Even then, most Iowa Citians can be in rural areas within minutes from their homes. It seems to be quite an expensive luxury to have these neighborhood parks dispersed throughout Iowa City. 7. Safety factor. We do not know whether smaller parks dispersed throughout new subdivisions in Iowa City will create additional problems for police in regard to rapes, child molestation/abduction, etc. But, it does seem to be an item worthy of further investigation. 5�� City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 13, 1985 To: City Cor o C,i./-\� From: Don Sch�meI n-JDirector, Department of Plannigg & Program Development Chuck Schmaaaadeke, Director of Public Works Re: Harlocke/Weeber Street - Proposed Street Layout A proposed street layout for the Harlocke/Weeber Street area was submitted to staff for review by MMS Consultants on behalf of Viggo Jensen Company and Charles Ruppert. The layout shows Harlocke Street extended northeasterly to join Benton Drive near Benton Manor, Harlocke Street extended to the east and southeast to intersect with a street intersecting Highway 1, and a one-way section on part of Harlocke Street. (See attachment.) The staff recommends against this proposal for the following reasons: 1. Physical Constraints. The 60 foot access easement south of the Hillsboro Apartments has a drive on it which appears to have been constructed on fill. This drive is slipping into a ravine. In order to construct a street on this site, considerable expense would be incurred to remove the existing fill, replace it with the appropriate materials to establish proper compaction at the base of a new road, and to maintain the road surface on the filled area. The portion of Harlocke Street extending east and southeast along the Jensen/Ruppert property line is indicated at a 12% plus or minus grade. This is a steep grade which, at 12%, would just meet City standards. There is concern that winter driving problems similar to those on Weeber Street will occur. The one-way barrier shown with "do not enter" signs is similar to that used on Melrose Court. Experience has shown that many motorists will disregard this sort of impediment. 2. Existing Policy. The City has not, in the past, expended public funds for private access to developments. The policy has been that developers must incur the cost of providing primary and secondary access as re- quired. The City has only paid for over -width paving or street construc- tion for arterials which serve the larger community. Acquisition and construction of the proposed extension of Harlocke Street to the east and north by the City will provide, at public expense, secondary access to the Jensen property. The staff recommendation throughout the Planning and Zoning Commission deliberation was that the Ruppert property be rezoned to W-12 and the Jensen property and lots on the west side of Harlocke Street be rezoned to RNC -20. Our concerns have been the provision of adequate access to development, the 5,23 OF PRECEDING DOCUMENT i City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 13, 1985. To: City Coupcil-1, From: Don Sch'meisjer,')Di rector, Department of Planning & Program Development Chuck Schmaa''deke, Director of Public Works Re: Harlocke/Weeber Street - Proposed Street Layout A proposed street layout for the Harlocke/Weeber Street area was submitted to staff for review by MMS Consultants on behalf of Viggo Jensen Company and Charles Ruppert. The layout shows Harlocke Street extended northeasterly to join Benton Drive near Benton Manor, Harlocke Street extended to the east and southeast to intersect with a street intersecting Highway 1, and a one-way section on part of Harlocke Street. (See attachment.) The staff recommends against this proposal for the following reasons: 1. Physical Constraints. The 60 foot access easement south of the Hillsboro Apartments has a drive on it which appears to have been constructed on fill. This drive is slipping into a ravine. In order to construct a street on this site, considerable expense would be incurred to remove the existing fill, replace it with the appropriate materials to establish proper compaction at the base of a new road, and to maintain the road surface on the filled area. The portion of Harlocke Street extending east and southeast along the Jensen/Ruppert property line is indicated at a 12% plus or minus grade. This is a steep grade which, at 12%, would just meet City standards. There is concern that winter driving problems similar to those on Weeber Street will occur. The one-way barrier shown with "do not enter" signs is similar to that used on Melrose Court. Experience has shown that many motorists will disregard this sort of impediment. 2. Existing Policy. The City has not, in the past, expended public funds for private access to developments. The policy has been that developers must incur the cost of providing primary and secondary access as re- quired. The City has only paid for over -width paving or street construc- tion for arterials which serve the larger community. Acquisition and construction of the proposed extension of Harlocke Street to the east and north by the City will provide, at public expense, secondary access to the Jensen property. The staff recommendation throughout the Planning and Zoning Commission deliberation was that the Ruppert property be rezoned to RM -12 and the Jensen property and lots on the west side of Harlocke Street be rezoned to RNC -20. Our concerns have been the provision of adequate access to development, the 2 lessening of potential traffic on existing streets, the inappropriateness of detached single family development given the topography of the area and surrounding uses, and consideration for existing uses. In an effort to move toward resolution of this issue and yet continue to address the primary concerns related to this rezoning, the staff recommends the following: 1. the existing development west of Harlocke Street be rezoned to RNC -20 to allow the maintenance of existing uses but limit any further develop- ment, 2. the remainder of the area recommended for RS -8 zoning by the Planning and Zoning Commission be rezoned to RS -8 to provide a transition zone, if access from the remainder of the Jensen property can be restricted, 3. the remainder of the Jensen property be rezoned to RM -12 to permit development which will not require secondary access and whose primary access will be from Highway 1, and 4. the remainder of the Ruppert property be rezoned to RM -12. This recommendation is based on recognition of a traffic problem existing on Weeber Street and on a concern that this problem not be exacerbated by further high density development in the area. Of equal concern is that future development occur in a manner and at a density that will allow adequate provision of access to all sites. A street layout is attached which, based upon the zoning recommended, will in the staff's opinion provide sufficient access along public roads for future development. It is intended that construction of these streets will occur as development occurs and not at public expense. bj2/11 ,.5a.3 I -Hots woo b JENSEN/RUPPERT PROPOSAL I 0 ensen/Ruppert Proposal mpprt Proposal..;.: it : I,::j ,. 77 x ? % STAFF PROPOSAL City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 14, 1985 To: City Council and City Manager From: Frank Farmer, City Engineer Re: Railroad Crossing Improvements Railroad crossing improvements for crossings located on Clinton Street and Dubuque Street, along the former Chicago, Rock Island 8 Pacific Railroad line were included in the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for FY86. The Iowa Interstate Railroad Company now operates and maintains track under a lease agreement with the Hartland Rail Corporation, the owner of the right-of-way. The funding for this project, as stated in the CIP, proposes use of State grade crossing repair monies (60%), City funds (20%) and railroad funds (20%). However, street grade crossing repair monies have all been allocated for the 1985 construction season. Additional funds will again be available after January, 1986; however, projects are now prioritized in August of each year with regard to condition and traffic volume on a state-wide basis and receiving funds is not guaranteed. This past year, $900,000 was available for State funding. Requests totaling $1,000,000 were received; therefore, requests for $100,000 were not funded. If the dollar amounts requested for funding this year are similar to those of last year, chances of •Iowa City receiving funds for 1986 construction are favorable. - Three options are available to the City for upgrading the Clinton Street and Dubuque Street railroad crossings. First, enter into an agreement with the Iowa Interstate Railroad Company for 50-50 cost sharing of an asphalt crossing to be completed during the 1985 construction season. The City's cost is estimated to be $20,000. The advantage of this option is that the crossings, which are in critical need of repair, can be repaired in 1985. Disadvantages are that the State money is not available and asphalt crossings have a useful life of five to eight years and usually require annual maintenance. Second, enter into an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the railroad for the 60-20-20 cost sharing, installing an asphalt crossing during the 1986 construction season. The City's cost is estimated to be $8,000. This is the lowest cost option; however, State money may not be available to Iowa City in 1986. Third, enter into an agreement with the Iowa Department of Trans- portation and the railroad for the 60-20-20 cost sharing, installing a rubberized crossing for the 1986 construction season. The City's cost is estimated to be $23,000. Here again, State money may not be available in 1986. However, rubberized crossing offers several advantages and waiting until 1986 with the hope of obtaining State money may be worthwhile. A rubberized crossing has a long life, in excess of 20 years, and is a low maintenance, smooth_riding crossing. This is an important consideration since the City, in the future, may once again be responsible for railroad crossing maintenance. .Sad 2 The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railroad (Crandic) has maintained existing rubberized crossings; the City has not spent any funds for their mainte- nance. In the past, periodic maintenance of asphalt crossings was forced upon the City due to the bankruptcy of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. The Engineering Division recommends that the City attempt to secure State funds to install a rubberized crossing in the 1966 construction season as stated in option three. However, if State funds become unavailable, then f proceed with the installation of an asphalt crossing as stated in the first option. tp3/7 sad City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 14, 1985 To: City Council and City Manager From: Denny Gannon Re: Burlington Street Concrete Repair Project The award of the above -referenced project will be acted upon by Council on May 7, 1985. Seven (7) working days will be granted to the contractor before liquidated damages are levied. Originally, the work was planned to be performed during the month of July since this project was scheduled for fiscal year 1986. However, since the University of Iowa's spring semester ends May 17th and the summer session does not start until June 10th, this project can be performed during the interim period. bdw4/1 sas City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 13, 1985 To: Charles Schmadeke, Director of Public Works From: James Brachtel, Traffic Engineer Re: Iowa Avenue - Crandic Railroad Bridge The City Council has requested that the best detection/warning device be explored for preventing over height vehicles from striking the Crandic railroad bridge on Iowa Avenue. It also requested that the possibility of a truck embargo be explored for eliminating over height vehicle accidents. ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE The reported accident experience for the bridge was reviewed for the years 1978 through the present. The accident totals are listed below. YEAR COLLISION w/ BRIDGE OTHER ACCIDENT IN THE AREA 1978 None 2 Rear End Collisions 1 Power Pole 1979 1 Semi -truck 1 Step Van 1980 None 1981 1 Crane 1 Step Van 1 Utility Truck 1982 Rented Step Van 1983 Roadway Express Rented Step Van 1984 None None None None 2 Rear End Collisions None None ELECTRONIC WARNING SYSTEM As described in a September 6, 1984 memo, there currently is available an electronic system from Trigg Industries Inc. of Hampton, Virginia which will provide over height vehicle detection. The system manufacturer recommends that both an audible bell system and a flashing light system be activated when an over height vehicle is detected. The estimated cost for the materials of such a system would be approximately $6,000. This system could be installed by City force account crews. This appears to be the best detection system currently available. 6;24 z The number of rear end collisions would likely increase if the Trigg Indus- tries System were installed. Over -height vehicles approaching the bridge set off a system of alarms - both visual and audible. In many instances these alarms will lead to panic stops which have a probability of generating rear end collisions. If the electronic system is installed, the City may be trading bridge accidents for rear end accidents. TRUCK EMBARGO The City Council also requested that the possibility of truck embargo be considered. It is Traffic Engineering's opinion that a truck embargo will not provide notice to all over height vehicles. Many recreational vehicles are higher than the 10'6" bridge restriction. If a truck embargo were placed on Iowa Avenue, many RV operators would not respond to the truck embargo because they do not consider themselves to be trucks. An additional disadvantage to a truck embargo would be the likelihood of having to restrict all truck traffic. This would affect a great deal of the University maintenance and service vehicle movement an Iowa Avenue. If over height vehicle operators are currently unable to recognize and react to the over sized, over height signs currently placed in advance of the bridge, very likely they will not react to a truck embargo signage effort. RECOMMENDATION Traffic Engineering is of the opinion that the over -height sign currently in place provides sufficient warning of the bridge restriction. It requires that individuals assume the responsibility of observing and heeding the warning signs. This responsibility would not change with other warning devices. Other warning devices may reduce one type of accident while increas- ing another type of accident. Should you have any questions or require additional information, please don't hesitate to contact me. /sp ,S.z 6 CITY OF IOWA CITY CHIC CENTER 410 E. WASHNGTON ST. IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 (319)356-50M March 6, 1985 Fred Riddle, Chairperson Members of the Parks & Recreation Commission City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Fred and Members of the Parks & Recreation Commission: During the review of a subdivision plat for the property at the south- east corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Marcy Street (925 Kirkwood Avenue, Emmanuel House of Prayer), the Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the need for a park in that neighborhood. A similar discussion took place at the time that the property at 521 Kirkwood Avenue was rezoned. Since there appears to be a lack of open space in that area of the City, and the property at 925 Kirkwood Avenue is virtually the only remaining undeveloped land in the area, the Planning and Zoning Commission would like to ask your commission to reevaluate this property for purchase as a City park. A related issue is the possible establishment of a parkland acquisition fund to which residents of Iowa City can contribute. At the time of the discussions on 521 Kirkwood Avenue, several residents of the neighbor- hood indicated that they would like to contribute to a fund to acquire parkland in the area. We wonder whether such a fund might be estab- lished, possibly with contributions earmarked for specific neighborhoods or areas of the city, a time limit for acquisition of parkland in specific areas, and provision for matching funds from the City's parkland acquisition fund. We would appreciate your giving consideration to the possibility of establishing such a citizens' parkland acquisition fund, and we would be happy to discuss this idea with you further. Yours ;ince y, Tom co ,Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission bj4/5 cc: City Council 5.27 ELDERLY SERVICES AGENCY of Johnson County 28 South Linn Street • Iowa City, Iowa 52240 • 756-5215 March 11, 1985 To: The City of Iowa City, Johnson County Board of Supervisors and United Way From: Jeanne Snow, President, Regional HACAP Board of Directors (Jones, Iowa, Linn, Washington, Benton and Johnson Counties) Re: Application for $9,000 in FY 185 and/or FY '86 Contingency Funds to help cover the costs of a new school building for the Headstart and Day Care programs in Johnson County The last three years have been traumatic ones for the Headstart/ Daycare programs HACAP sponsors on Johnson County. There have been several moves, culminating in the present site, which used to be the old "Moody Blue" Tavern. We are paying $1200 a month rent there, but the worst of it is that we are also paying anywhere from $1200 (in October) to $2000 (in January) a month in utilities. If the site were in any way adequate, perhaps something could be done about that, but it is not. We have had four inches of water on the floor recently. The space is dark, dank, does not have permanent wall divisions so that the noise level is high, and has no adequate play space. The teachers and the parents have said that they can see the slide in accom- plishment among the children dating to the time HACAP had to move to the present site. The Board of Directors in Johnson County and the Regional Board have been exploring alternatives for the last nine months. You may remember that HACAP was one of the agencies planning to be part of the joint facility, which now appears to be sidelined at least for the immediate future. We did not bring the petition I present to you today through our regular allocation process this year because we had hoped to solve the problem by moving into the joint facility. We have met with representatives from the City, the Board of Supervisors, United Way, the staff of HACAP, interested citizens, realtors and architects as well. Alternative sites we explored include: area churches (1st Presbyterian, Zion Lutheran, St. Mark's United Methodist, the Unitarians and First Mennonite), area schools (Sabin, Regina and Hills), the Mark IV Apartment complex, Grant Wood Area Education Agency and the Emmanuel House of Prayer (on Kirkwood). All have proved to be dead -ends. Hundreds of problems were involved (to cite a few: lack of Board intemeetrfire code, zoningchurch problemsoandtlocation problemscosts ). to The Boards considered changing the very nature of the Headstart program in Johnson County by closing the present site and dividing the children among area homes. We petitioned the Headstart regulatory agency about beta centerrprogram tortittdoes nowas toreceive Headstart funding. is mandated to funding. In other words we have to have a school in one place. SI?F Page 2 As I am sure you are well aware, the efficacy of the Headstart program is no longer in question. There are long-term studies of children who entered the program years ago showing that their performance in school turned out to be light-years ahead of their peers (from the same neighborhoods/backgrounds) who did not attend Headstart. Johnson County has 60 children in the full-day Headstart program and 30 in its part -day program. These children are from low-income Families thanl$8,220 is0eligible). Onloverty y a fewaaremchildrenthree UIwhich students. less childrens(in 1pr tectivencustodydorhreferred by there a Title 10% are Department of Human Services for other reasons). It appears that the only solution is to build a school for the Head- start/DayCare programs. We propose to do that, with your help. Plans for the new facility and a description of the specifications, etc. are attached. The total cost is set at $275,000. $60,000 of that is for the land, which is located behind Wendy's off First Avenue near the Eastdale Mall. The cost figures out to $6.81 a square foot (for 5684 square feet). Two Iowa City businessmen, David Tigges and Gene Kroeger, are putting up the money to build the new building. They will take a tax advantage from the building, according to their representative Kevin Hanick, but there is no cash on cash return planned. The five or ten year lease they offer will cost $3,225 a month or $38,700 a year, not including utilities. This figure would not change unless property taxes go up. Utilities are figured at between $200 and $300 a month, so the total cost to HACAP will be about $42,000 a year, which is $18,000 more than we are paying now. At the present time, the City of Iowa City gives about $2,200 to HACAP. Johnson County gives about $4,400 and United Way gives $15,500. A list of the monies contributed by other counties and cities in our region is attached. The Regional HACAP Board of Directors proposes to the Johnson County funding a encies that we split the difference. The Board will come up with $9,000 by trimming its various program budgets. It is asking you to come up with the other $9,000. The present lease agreement for HACAP in Johnson County will be ended on June 30, 19850 if wwillCan nget ot bour dialocaof the f ndinyearg together by April lst, the program We very much appreciate your consideration of our petition for funding and regret the haste with which we must work, our primary concern ss to o thatewetdo notldisruptdren ttheirelearningeexperience as soon as we can .sag N CONTRIBUTIONS TO HACAP PROGRAM FY '86 Linn County $25,000 Tax base $, County Health $125,000 United Way Jones County $20,000 Tax base money Iowa County $16,000 Revenue Sharing money Washington County $15,000 ? Benton $20,000 Tax base Johnson $ 4,400 Tax base City of North English $ 1,500 Williamsburg $ 2,500 Marengo 500 Vinton $ 1,500 Anamosa $ 1,500 Monticello $ 2,500 Mt. Vernon $ 2,500 (+ United Way $1,000 a year) Center Point Iowa City $ 1,500 $ 2,200 (+ United Way $15,500) HACAP FACILITY LEASE INFORMATION The project proposed would be leased on a "turn key" basis. The completed building including all fixtures, built-ins, lighting, floor coverings, landscaping, etc. is proposed to be leased. on a fixed cost of $3,225 per month for up to ten years. This lease expenditureincludes the following: 1) Property taxes _ ..2) Insurance 3) All exterior maintenance including roof and parking lot 4) Snow removal and lawn care 5) All mechanical maintenance (furnace, air conditioning, water heater, plumbing) ' 6) Weekly trash service The lease cost does not include utilities. Any interior redecorating or repairs will be HACAP's responsibility. .A 10 year fixed lease is desirable; a 5 year lease is acceptable. The only provision for lease increase would be based directly on property tax increases as they may occur. SA6 PROPOSED HACAP FACILITY, IOWA CITY. IOWA --LOCATION: the proposed facility would be located in southeast Iowa City near Eastdale Mall and approximately 200 feet south of First Avenue. Besides the Mall, Irwin existiure, ing businesses in the area include Wendy's, Brenneman's Garden Center, and the central Goodwill Induatries facility. Both the Sycamore Mall and the Lakeside City bus routes are available to this Location. The lot consists of 14,393 square feet and is bordered on two sides by green pace which could be vacated and added to the proposed lot. On the north sidean will t wide planting strip and 14 public parking places willeborderd nythe eentrance s side ofion the rs. A city street be the building --BUILDING DETAILS: 1) 5684.square feet of finished space. who a andhtruss construction by Frantz Construction, constructed the Systems, Inc. group homes in :owa city which were designed by William Nowycz 6 Associates. 2) Design and construction specifications will all meet Iowa City code requirements for handicapped access and specific use for child care. 3) Exterior finish in cedar and brick for minimal care and attractive appearance. 4) Design allows for tall upper roof lines to provide for heavy insulating in windows 5) Large, double insulated thermal awning type windows nts to maximize natural light which meet code requireme for eGress. 6) Fully equipped kitchen. 7) Four large classroom areas of 700 square feet each. 8) tilerormvinyl.and TheRremainderheareas lofbthensurface ywill be carpeted. g) Facility will be fully equipped .with high efficiency forced hot air heating and central air conditioning. LO) Separate profassion�l wing which room, chereworkroome includes 6 bathroc large reception, loungr./meeting room, parking for 29 cars � Parking on site for 9 cars. Public p 11) Private ' located near the building. 12) Fully landscaped. cr N ::ME=R' :per: %mak rrn �A r O••Fac'!7}y . ('j�ecjer P 4 h CA D �yo� DR. ............ oon • va. UGRANN�OOD ,�• BRIAR •. No- x © '•.,, STHAVE PL ................ C-0-1 •. ST. ao - • LA ./, SIDE '•.,�� .:..... B-0-0-1 STH mTi ST. P� :::::::.:..::... r ........... A-0 STH AVE ......::::::..... C-0.0.1 •• ••• ••••••• ........... M1 6TH Si ..................... C-0-1 ......... D -J-0 7TH AVE ................. C-0-0.1 C� ........ D -E-1 7TH ST ....................... C-0 J Q .......... 0-1 6TH AVE ..................... C-0 ........... D-1 6TH ST ....................... C-0 W ........... 0-1 9TH AVE ..................... C-0 6 2 `. ........... 0.1 MST B -C-0 Y n ..................... ••........ 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CITY OF IOWA CITY iCITIZEN INPUT SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE DATA i MONTH OF JANUARY 1985 NUMBER OF QUESTIONNAIRES MAILED 1000 NUMBER OF RESPONSES RECEIVED 78 7.8 % NUMBER OF REQUESTS MADE WITHIN THE PAST YEAR FROM THE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENTS: i I Animal Control 14 City Manager 3 Code Enforcement 2 Finance Fire 2 Forestry a Housing Inspection 2 Civil Rights Library 11 Parking _4 Parks 3 Personnel Planning Police 18_ Pollution Control _1 Recreation 5 Refuse _ 7 Streets 10 Transit 3 Water 3 i WAS YOUR REQUEST HANDLED Immediately 33 60 % Within one week 10 18 % Within one month 2 4 % Longer 10 18 % WAS THE RESULT SATISFACTORY? Yes 42 84 % No 8 16 % WERE CITY EMPLOYEES COURTEOUS? Yes 44 94 % No WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL REACTION TO CITY SERVICES? i Very good 3 may_% Good 24 fig_% l Acceptable _6 _Q_% Poor _ 2 3 % .6;?9 ; ■ WHAT ONE THING WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE IOWA CITY GOVERNMENT? Push the snow shoveling, the elderly have theirs done but other places are not shovelea all year. - Change times for the express bus on Lakeside since the Lakeside bus is always so crowded with high school kids. - The City Managers tenure is too long and he dominates all departments. Add a new North side fire station. Freeze all city salaries. - More and better street lighting. - Do away with arrogance and lying in city zoning and legal departments. Read your standard form for release of city responsibility - You have a reputation for antagon- izing new and existing businesses. I don't believe you need to have that reputation and I believe the way requests are handled could be changed slightly and the problem avoided. - Garbage costs per apart- ment. - Better animal control, too many cats and dogs in this area run free. Those walking dogs also don't pick up their mess. - Leave more snow on the residential streets and less salt. - Senior citizens should be able to ride the city buses free anytime. Students and other citizens ride the Cambus free. - I suggest that the city should live within the present budget without another penny increase in real estate taxes. It is already past the time this shoula have been done. - Better snow removal on Brown Street between Dodge and Gilbert Streets. Greater adherence to published ordinances. - To be careful to minimize the tendency of bureaucratic behavior manifested to the citizenry. - i The form of government. Have the agencies more available to property owners. - Better services for adolescents. - Back to the old form of government. - It seems that the city workers on our street like to take their " work breaks " and make them too long. It is very hard to drive on some of the streets becausethere are no painted lines or they are so old you can't see them. One example is Burlington and Riverside Drive area. - Change the flow of traffic at Burlington Street so once you get started yaicould keep going instead of red light at every corner. - More pressure to maintain sidewalks, keep litter picked up and properly contain refuse set at curbsides. Enforce rules on keeping trees trimmed away from public walkways. - Better snow plowing. - Trim excessive greenery downtown and keep downtown cleaner. - To be able to park on owners driveway between street and sidewalk without getting a ticket. - I would rather our trash pickup still be done in alleys where they exist. The neighborhood looks awful one day a week. - Change the timing of the downtown traffic lights. Cars areforced to wait too long for a light to change and many times there is no traffic coming from the other way. You're .just wasting gas sitting there. Too long of wait for pedestrian crossing lights to change on many intersections, particularly Burlington and Clinton. Pedestrian is definitely treated like a second class citizen since the cars seem to come first. - Clean the snow off of the side streets sooner. - The giving of money to every new agency that asks for it. They always want more every year and then even more. Garbage pickup from alleys instead of decorating our streets with cans and garbage bags. - The speed of the traffic on North Dodge around 7:00 am is such that it is not safe for a pedestrian to cross. The practice of bringing pets to empty themselves on the local school ground should be eliminated. This has been going on since 1936. Why? - More library hours. - I would like to see the city take over sidewalks in the same way as streets. Some people are careful aoout cleaning and repair but many are not. I have fallen because of uneven sections. szf WHAT SERVICES SHOULD BE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED AND WHY? I'm not sure of the importance of street cleaners. - The library has too much help. - All services that are free to the University. - Forestry, what forests? - Snow removal, sand and salt could be re- duced. - Less supervisors, let the workers do their jobs. Turn the bus service over to Cambus for decreased cost. - Parking department needs to be reorganized; wear uniforms, be more courteous and more regularity. Why not make a ramp or parking facilities? - No more street lights. City lit up too much now. Burglars need no light to see. if they carry light, you can look out of window and see them. WHAT NEW SERVICES WOULD YOU LIKE OR WHICH EXISTING SERVICES WOULD YOU IMPROVE OR EXPAND? North side parking. - Possibly a directory and information service for people entering town. - Iowa City needs a new sewage treatment plant. - The whole concept of alternate day parking needs reviewed. - More rec- reation facilities like the proposed joint swimming complex and ice skat- ing rink downtown. - Recreation and parks. - Expand on animal control and enforce it. - Could you put parking ticket drop boxes around town on meters for easier payment than mailing or delivering the tickets? Over- all the services are fine. - Need more indoor basketball courts for rec- reation. Need to expand purchase of library materials. - Not to have to carry garbage cans to the street. A 'longer red light at Highway 6 on Riverside Drive. The highway traffic oftens runs the red light coming around the bend going south. It seems to be a potential hazard. Make lights be red for 15-30 secondo, to assure that the highway traffic has stopped before Riverside traffic starts south. - None, taxes are too high now. - A very careful evaluation of which human services are high prior- ity. A willingness to consider funding these jointly with some alternate sources or fully from the city's budget. - Tree trimming has lots of work to be done. - Improvement is needed on the city code of how many people can live in one dwelling. So many houses are rented out to students. Example: One of our neighbors sometimes have seven to eight people, none related, living in their rented house. - Bus service on Sunday. It cost me $4.50 to go to work and back on Sunday by taxi. Since the malls are open on Sundays and some holidays then the bus routes should be also. - Provide a place for the teens besides hanging out at the Old Capitol mall. - A need to improve the garbage pick up in the winter. At least once in the last three years garbage has been run over and not completely picked up. This resulted in broken glass and other trash in the streets and driveways. - More tree planting or replanting on the older streets. More attention to the unsafe sidewalks, specially in the winter in front of apartment houses. - The pick up of large appliances for disposal. - I wish Iowa City water was more fit to drink. The taste is bad due to chlorine and who knows what else. I would like to see information as to what is in tap water readily available and remedies available. Water pollution control department? - Give the alleys some care, they are in terrible shape.- Control the development of the parks. - More library hours. - Although I have no personal complaints I feel that all areas of the city should be better served by an improved sewage system. We need action before costs become greater. .sag HOW WOULD YOU PAY FOR THESE CHANGES? Through utility bills and federal grants. - Taxes and fund raising, much like the Ronald McDonald House. - Ask fifty cents for bus fare on Sundays and holidays. - Charge a service fee to the University. - If there is to be a change, then we would have to raise taxes. - I would be willing to pay a user fee for new recreation center. - Fees and charges to users of recreation facilites. - Increased taxes and user fees. - Property taxes. - Taxes and/or bond sales. - Make an assessment to those that request them. - Use money from parking fines. WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT THE IOWA CITY GOVERNMENT? I feel that the Iowa City government is trying to keep taxes down ano to do the best job that can be done for all concerned. - It functions very well and officials are accessible. - Seems to be working okay. - That the essential services like; police, fire, refuse collection and snow removal are very good. - Trash pickup. - It listens and it lacks the usual city politics. It tries to be basically responsive. - It provides a quality environment, especially the parks and transportation system. - Availabilty of information. - Council members who are very responsive to citizens desires. - Efficiency and financial stability. The library, parks, recreation center and Chief Millers sense of humor. Prompt response when service is needed. We have an excellent city police department. Two years ago we had trouble with a teenager and had to call the police several times. They were very prompt, courteous and helpful. Last spring, our son fell in the river. As soon as he was found by the sheriffs department, the city police notified me that he had been found and was not hurt. I'm very thankful that we have a fine government. - All of it. - I think that it is great that the council meetings are on television. - Accessibilty, and courteous. - I think that the House Watch service by the police department is very desirable. I think that all of the public services are basically very good. - I appreciate animal control. The program seems to work the best of any city we have lived in. I enjoy the parks, recreation center, the beautiful trees and the flowers. - A fulfilled desire to maintain public health, safety and welfare. - The bus service. - The clean streets. - The refuse system and the street maintenance, including snow removal. - Efficient and courteous. - Bus service, the routes and the price (so far)! Library is great! say WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT THE IOWA CITY GOVERNMENT? The airports loss of funds because of inappropriate new construction. The failure to prevent new construction on Dubuque Street near the city park. - I'll think of something. - The confusion concerning zoning. - The lack of backbone involving buildings such as the Holiday Inn. It was a shame that the building was put there. It's an eyesore and destroys the architecture of our city. Like those hideous apartments all over the place. Preservation would be better. - They seem to listen most to the minority groups instead of the voice of the majority. - Children to be allowed to live in any apartment. - Things take so long to get accomp- lished. We have been trying to get a park in our neighborhood without much success. I realize that there is alot of red tape. - All of it. - I do not think that the city should be involved in explicit efforts to attract business through subsidies and promotion. If the city does a good job of providing services and if it finances those services fairly, we wouldn't have to attract business. They will come because this will be a desirable place to live and work. There will be a good marke*. Tax subsidies for new businesses mean higher taxes for old business and for residences. These higher city taxes have promoted and will continue to promote growth of low tax satellite communities such as North Liberty, the residential development in River Heights and other.areas outside the city. - Insufficient solicitation of citizen input and insufficient notification of changes, - Some of the council members seem to be narrow minded. - Design review should have commission power. - Arrogance in the professional and supervisory level. - A tendency of overregulation and very high water rates. - Its failure to restrict construction at the end of the airport runway. Its failure to put in a new sewage treatment plant. - sag OTHER COMMENT: I think some of our streets need resurfacing, especially from Nevada to Lakeside. - On our street, we're at the dead end of Seventh Avenue, the city never cleans our street unless they feel like it. They clean the snow only so far and then quit. We're taxpayers also! - Really need a left turn arrow going south on Gilbert and Kirkwood Streets. Drop the one going east. Put a red light at Governor and Burlington. - I am wondering about the city buying only three bedroom houses. How many families need three bedrooms? I was raised in a large family, the girls shared one bedroom and the boys shared the other. We all lived at home until we married and moved into our own homes. This idea of being on their own when they are only in their teens is the cause of many problems. Some have no idea of the cost. In my day, the parents took care of their family and then later the children took care of the parents. No social security and it seemed everyone was close. Sometimes parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were sharing the same house. Everyone took care of one another. Now, everyone is going their own way. Kids played in their own yards, they didn't have to go to the neighborhood park to play. There, I got that out of my system. - I was very disappointed that you let a business enter on Kirkwood. You allowed a housing area or possible a park to oe replaced with an apartment/business complex. This is a family home area. As a homeowner and parent, I am concerned about the "quality of life' in this neighborhood. Apartments of that size, people coming and going and no stability. Even after the petition suggested to you that the people in this area didn't want it, the council still allowed it. Another complaint, parking fines. A few times I have come back to my car just as the meter maid is writing or has just written a ticket. It seems reasonable to me that if I'm that close to being back to my car that a ticket is not justified. It is almost "painful" to come hurrying back to the car after giving downtown merchants my business to see any bargains I may have found cancelled by a ticket, especially when both the meter maid and I are there. I've made an effort to get back on time and don't intend to deny you your funds from people who abuse parking privileges. Please consider changing your parking policy. - Refuse pickup does a super job. - Garbage and bus service in our city are excellent. - Need better zoning regulations to preserve areas such as Dubuque Street entrance to the city. Environmental damage such as the result of the "Cliffs" construction must be prevented. - I have no comments, everything is fine with me. - Please make this inquiry from time to time. - I would like the Iowa City government to keep working on possible federal aid for our new sewer system. Hopefully keeping taxes down as much as possible. - This questionnaire is a good idea. - When 1 was a student at the University I thought I would settle in Iowa City because it was a nice community then. But then they changed all of that with the Urban Renewal and I am no longer proud of Iowa City. However, I am a property tax paying citizen. I am stuck with the bill to support the privilege of having the University in town. It is very ironic that I can pay for all those services but I can not qualify to have access to it because I can afford to pay for their existence. Drainage problems at the corner of Fifth Avenue. - 5a9 - continued - OTHER COMMENT: Unfortunately, the time has come when we have to start thinking of cutting taxes, instead of increasing them. We have had hundreds of new houses and apartments built in the last years, where have these added taxes gone? At this time, with inflation at a minimum, I can't see increasing any spending. - Many people in this town forget snow and ice removal from sidewalks. Some never do their walks and I mean never! Some just do a small path that fills in with water and ice then that freezes. When you don't get off of work until 6:00 pm and it's dark outside, it's very dangerous to walk home from the bus stop. Also, some of the bus stops have not been cleared and you have to stand in the street. Rochester and Elizabeth corner is one example. - Keep up the good work. - There are many programs that are available that so many people do not know about. Some examples: the Iowa City Recreation Center is a wonderful place, the block grants for home improvements and weatherization. I don't know if the money was used but this was great for our neighborhood. We have many young families. I thought that the bus routes were cleaned when it snowed. The bus now goes by our house but the street is not any better. Looks like the 600 hundred block of 4th Avenue is cleaned but the bus doesn't go in that block anymore. - Instead of raising transit fares for those that who are "able to pay", charge those riding free ten cents. It is not fair for those of a certain age being able to ride free and other groups are forced to subsidize this free service. I live in Manville Heights where I see many ride free who are obviously able to pay the full fare. This is not fair! Those in certain age groups are being discriminated against by this practice. A public service should be treated equally. - I'm not sure that the ambulance service is in the city jurisdication but the response that my call got when my husband had a stroke was immediate. This was most appreciated. The police and firemen were very helpful and made us feel that our city really cared. - i think the garbage and trash pickup is greatl - Reflect on the many, many inferior streets put in during the housing boom years ago and to allow no repetition. - I haven't needed any services this past year but do appreciate you just being there in case I do need you. - I think that this city is remarkably well run. I would continue to keep good things as they are now and not make any changes. Unless some innovations would be beneficial to make a definite improve- ment. - Keep sidewalks free of ice and snow. - A friend of mine recently attended a funeral in our city. She told me that there was no police control at the busier intersections. Resulting in them being late to the cemetery services. - RFC EIVFnFEB 221985 COMMUNITY MAINTENANCE AND APPEARANCE CODES Wy communities have adopted es to assure the mainte- nance and appearance of businesses and residences. This report reviews business appearance codes and v= - pies of residential property mainte- nance codes. "Regulating for Better Design looks at community appearance codes that are an attempt to legislate for aesthetic quality. These codes are directed primarily at businesses and other non -single-family uses. The codes include provisions for review commissions, and do not attempt to define appearance needs strictly, but rather contain general guidelines. Code enforcement efforts in one community are reviewed in "Commu- nity Maintenance Efforts—Huntington Woods:' This community in Michigan has in place several effective mainte- nance ordinances or programs. An attempt to put into place an inspec- tion -at -time -of -sale ordinance for single family homes has not been suc- cessful, but the benefits of such a program are summarized. "Property Maintenance in West Palm Beach" looks at a number of ways that this Florida community works at keeping up its appearance. Communities with special problems— such as those with year-round growing seasons—sometimes need to install and enforce more stringent codes. 53e), International City M.�nneemcnt Assacialion Aisnagemert Information Service VOLUME 161 NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 1961 MIS Reports am published monthly by the Management Information Service, International City Management Association, 1120 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Copyright ©1984 by the International City Management Association. No part of this report may be reproduced without permission of the copyright owner. These reports arc intended primarily to provide timely information on subjects of practical interest to local government administrators, department heads, budget and research analysis, administrative assistants, and others responsible for and concerned with the operational aspects of local government. MIS Reports are issued as part of a subscription service available to all local governments. A subscription to the Management Information Service includes unlimited access to the MIS Inquiry Service—backed up by the FSS/2000 database; the MIS Bulletin; MIS Occasioml Papers; FSS/2000 Info Packets; and other publications. ESS12000 ESS/2000 is an automated database designed to provide local governments with Electronic Staff Support for the 1980s, 1M, and beyond. ESS/2000 gives MIS subscribers fat reponse to their inquiries on methods, issues, and techniques in many areas of local government management. Office of Information Servlcos Donald J. Borst, Director Management Information Service Cheryl A. Farr, Director Jay Muzychenko, Assistant Director Dennis M. Kouba, Managing Editor, Office of Information Services Daniel A. Nissenbaum, Research Associate Jacqueline Harmon, Program Assistant Publication Production Dawn Leland, Production Director Rebecca Geamros, Graphic Designer Recent MIS Repotb The MIS Reports listed below arc available for Si for MIS subscribers and $8 for nonsubscribers. 12/83 Planning a Council Chamber 1/84 Hazardous Waste Incidents: Improving Community Response 2/84 Using Cable Television for Public Safety in Small Communities 3/84 Dial-a•Ride: Assessing the Variables 4/86 Productivity Improvement Opportunities in Police Operations 5/64 Goal Setting in Local Government 6/84 Public Works Productivity Improvement 7/84 Controlling Private Security System False Alarms 8/84 Capital Improvements Planning 9/84 Employee Incentives 10/84 Citizen Surveys situ Multiyear Budgeting Occasional Papers Occasional Papers are (see to MIS subscribers. Please send orders by mad and enclose a self4ddressed return mailing label. Nonsubscribers may contact MIS for prices. Number Title 14 Recycling Paper in City Hall 15 Water Conservation: A Small Town's Campaign 16 Integrating Inspectional Service 17 An Insurance Procurement Procedure 18 Dynamic Pay Planning for Small Cities 19 Organizing for Land Development Control— A Tool for Economic Development 20 The Political Manager 21 Uniform Ordinance Format 22 Determining the Effect of Local Economic Changes Upon a Community 2.3 Success in Traffic Signal and Street Light Maintenance 24 A Style Manual for Writing Memos to the Council 25 Efficient Processing of Minor Traffic Violations 26 A Study of Leaf Collection and Disposal Practices in the Garden State 27 Public Safety: An Option for Greenville? Co A 53 D 174 Regulating for This article is reprinted with permission from Appearance Codes for Small Communities, PAS Report 379, by Peggy Glassford: copyright 1983 Better Design by the American Planning Association (33 pp.. S16 prepaid). Order from APA Planners Bookstore, 1313 E. 60th St.. Chicago, IL 60637. 'The visual environment has obviously been neglected in America. Many cities and towns are almost indistinguish- able now in an obscuring encroachment of standardized blinking lights, Bopping banners, twirling signs, and brash architecture, which proclaim the banality of sameness:' This indictment of Main Street was written in 1975 as part of a municipal publication of the town of Brookline, Mas- sachusetts. It is symptomatic of a growing municipal unrest that all is not right with our built environment. Asa result of this discomfort and following several favorable court decisions, communities are beginning to realize that they do have the right, even the responsibility, to regulate for better design in commercial and industrial develop- ment within their municipal boundaries. A GROWING CONCERN Many towns and cities have taken tentative steps toward aesthetic control of new development through the adop- tion of landscaping ordinances or parking lot design regu- lation. Often these requirements are written into zoning ordinances and call for specific standards, such as requir- ing a certain percentage of a parking area to be landscaped or requiring landscaping of a certain height to screen a resi- dential area from a parking lot. Although much of what is contained in the standard zoning ordinance may be aes- thetic in intent, zoning ordinances usually stop just short of design control. For example, they commonly dictate what size sign is permitted but do not address the design of the sign or its harmonious placement in the existing environment. Frustrated with the limitations of traditional zoning requirements, some communities have sought to control design through an incentive approach. In Needham, Mas- sachusetts, for example, eight "choiceful" guidelines have been established for sign design. These guidelines include such factors as compatibility with building design or enhancement of architectural elements. A sign committee appointed by the selectmen decides 9 the guidelines have been met. If four of the eight guidelines have been met by an applicant, the committee has the right to vary certain zoning requirements. It may, for example, allow a larger sign than is normally permitted in order to get better design. In some communities, community recognition for good design is an important incentive. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for example, a Community Appearance Board has been created to review all multifamily and com- mercial development. This board is reportedly very suc- cessful in raising the collective consciousness of the town regarding good design. Two factors appear to give the board credibility within the community. First, more than half of its membership is selected from the business commu- nity. Second, an annual Design Awards Program conducted by the board has enhanced its visibility and importance. This is a good example of incentives working to create good design. Many communities, however, have taken much stronger action to control their aesthetic future. In some local governments, boards and commissions have been established to review development for compliance with legislated standards for good design. Where design approval is not given, a building permit can be denied. Scottsdale, Arizona has such a process for development within certain specified districts. Mono County, Cali- fornia has created an independent Design Review Author- ity that reviews commercial, public use, and multifamily projects for compliance with established design standards. Lawrence, Massachusetts, has created a design review board to review signs and facade renovation in the down- town area. The Lawrence board has the right to deny an application if its does not meet the established standards. For eight years, the Edmonds, Washington Design Board has reviewed all development for compliance with legis- lated criteria for landscaping, signs, and architecture. An applicant must get approval from the Edmonds Design Review Board prior to issuance of the building permit. Municipalities across the country have begun to accept the challenge of controlling design forbetter quality In the built environment. The approach taken by a group of suburban communities surrounding the city of Chicago Is typical. These communities have taken on the formid- able task of legislating for aesthetic quality through the adoption of appearance codes—local ordinances that regulate the exterior design features of commercial, multi- family, or industrial structures In the community. Usually an appointed public body referred to as an Appearance Commission Is given the authority to determine if there is 530 2 Management Information Service compliance with the Appearance Code. Appearance Commission members thus become the arbiters of good taste for the community. A close-up of these suburban Chicago communities affords an opportunity to view the purpose and practice of municipal design control. For this close-up view, eight suburban Chicago communities—Flossmoor, Glen Ellyn, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Homewood, Liberty- ville, and Wheeling—have been selected as representative of the burgeoning interest in legislating for aesthetics. The element the communities have in common is their establishment of an appearance code. These commu- nities are hopeful that their codes provide the legal back- bone for appearance review requirements. The codes of the selected communities, questionnaires filled out by community staff members, and, in some cases, data based on personal Interviews have been collected and analyzed to produce the information presented in this article. APPEARANCE REVIEW PROCEDURES Perhaps the easiest way to understand the appearance review required by a typici appearance code is to take a walk through the process. Single-family uses usually are exempt from appearance regulation, although they may be covered by some other architectural regulation in the community. Generally, new or remodeled exterior designs for any use except single-family homes are subject to regu- lation by the appearance code. A merchant who wants to remodel his or her storefront, for example, would need appearance approval to get a building permit. The first step is usually a discussion with the munici- pal staff member who administers the appearance code. At this point, the merchant and his or her architect are advised of code requirements. They are given a copy of the code itself and a list of what documents are necessary. After the merchant and the designer have had an opportu- nity to digest the requirements, they may call upon the municipal staff to answer questions, give help with time lines, or, in some cases, assist in design suggestions. Usu- ally, a specific deadlifne will be set several days before the Appearance Commission meeting to allow for submittal of documents. This allows staff lead time for reviewing the proposal, making comments, asking for more information if necessary, and distributing the proposal to commission members prior to the meeting. Required documents vary depending on the project, but they must contain sufficient detail to explain the physi- cal change to the site. An elevation may be required along with a site plan showing landscaping and all details of the site. Usually one of the elevations must be in color. Photo- graphs are often required to illustrate adjoining properties or the site Itself. A sample of the materials to be used In construction would be required. Many communities allow preliminary and final hear- ings for a project. The purpose of the preliminary hearing is to give the applicant an opportunity to discuss the pro- posal with the commission before going on to final design. Preliminary hearings are optional. The final hearing be- fore the commission is required and will result in approval or denial of the proposal. However, this hearing may con- tinue for several commission meetings, during which peti- tioner and commission negotiate a design that commission members deem in compliance with the appearance code. Once approved, the proposal is given a "Certificate of Approval," which instructs the building department to issue a building permit if all other municipal code require- ments are met. After the building permit is issued, all design elements must be completed as approved in order for an occupancy certificate to be issued. Many appear- ance codes require continuing maintenance of the design that has been approved. Usually this requirement is used to ensure that landscaping materials will be maintained after an occupancy permit is issued. Procedural requirements for appearance review vary. Some communftfes require a formal public hearing with the attendant legal notification. Some do not provide a preliminary hearing. For others, there is no provision for continuing maintenance. The foregoing procedural de- scription is therefore meant to be only an example and is not comprehensive. THE TYPICAL CODE The appearance codes of the selected communities are basically very similar; much of the language, in fact, is identical. The oldest of the codes was adopted by the vil- lage of Glenview in 1969, and other codes have developed following the Glenview model. At the time the Glenview code was adopted, the village attomey advised the com- munity that standards should be provided in order to avoid, insofar as possible, criticism that the appearance requirements were arbitrary. Glenview's Appearance Commission was headed by a prominent local architect who was instrumental in the creation of the code. His expertise, coupled with information for design review pro- vided by the American Institute of Architects, provided the basis for the standard design logic represented by the language of the Glenview code.' Appearance code requirements that must be met are performance standards, not specific requirements. For example, rather than requiring a certain number of trees of a particular kind based on the area of the site, the code may state that"Landscape treatment shall be provided to enhance architectural features, strengthen vistas and important axes, and... provide shade:"z The business per- son would not have to confine his storefront to wood or metal or glass but would have to use materials that would have "good architectural character and shall be selected for harmony with the building and adjoining buildings:" The wall sign used on the new facade would not have to be ivory and back -lit, but "the colors, materials, and lighting of the sign shall be restrained and harmonious with the building and site to which it principally relates:" Such are the standards of appearance codes. The introduction to the Highland Park Appearance Code justifies Perfor- mance requirements as follows: I .53d C The problem with any quest for precise standards in design review is simply that there are some vari- eties of "aesthetic' regulation for which sensible details are impossible to prescribe without defeating the very purpose of the regulation.... Precise standards direct the attention of design communi. ties to the superficialities of style instead of to the basic aspects of design that are likely to affect community life.' The typical appearance code is divided into several sections. First, there is generally an introductory comment stating the intent and purpose of the code. Nearly every municipality is careful to mention some aspect of the police powers so that the code is said to promote the public health, safety, and welfare. Usually some economic objec- tive is also mentioned such as enhancement or preserva- tion of property values. This language is meant to justify municipal involvement in aesthetic matters. There is usually a section that describes the geographic area involved. All codes included in this study applied only to business and commercial areas; most codes included all zoning districts except single-family residential. A third section of appearance codes isdevoted to defi- nitions. As few as g and as many as 34 definitions were provided in the eight codes reviewed. Some definitions are architectural in nature. 1.ogic of design:' for example, is defined in the Libertyville ordinance as"accepted principles and criteria of validity in the solution of the problems of design:" Other definitions delimit the nature of a catch-all phrase. Utility hardware, in the Libertyville code,. for example, is defined az "Devices, such az poles, aossarms, transformers and vaults, gas pressure regulating assemblies, hydrants, and buffalo boxy that are used for water, gas, oil, sewer, and electrical services to a building or project:" Some definitions confront the sublime. The Glenview code, for example, defines attractive as "having qualities that arouse interest and pleasure in the observer."' The heart of any appearance code is the section that establishes the criteria for appearance. It is here that the performance standards are set. In order to help the appli- cant to understand the criteria, a few codes use graphics within the text of the code. The elements that are addressed in the appearance criteria section may include all or any of the following: e Building design • Relationship of building to site * Relationship of project to adjoining area • landscape and site treatment • Signs • Lighting • Street hardware • Miscellaneous structures • Maintenance. 4 Many of the appearance criteria deal with good scale and proportion for harmony and compatibility. Some, such as requirements for screening mechanical equipment, Maintenance and Appearance Codes are more prosaic. Overall, the standards depend heavily on the subjective judgment of those who apply them. It is at this point that aesthetic legislation is most vulnerable. Who can say what is beautiful? And isn't beauty, after all, in the eye of the beholder? Clearly, the Appearance Com- mission 'beholders" in the eight selected communities have a tough assignment. COMMUNITY SURVEY Staff members of eight selected communities responded to a questionnaire that was designed to elicit factual informa- tion concerning appearance codes, as well as to give some opinions on the value of the appearance review process to the municipalities involved. Tables I and 2 provide an overview of Appearance Codes and Appearance Commis- sions in the eight communities surveyed. Several survey questions were included that were intended to disclose the impact of appearance review in the various municipalities. When asked if the adoption of an appearance code has improved the quality of development in the community, seven communities responded affirma- tively. The remaining municipality had only recently adopted a code and believed it was too early to make a judgment. The municipality's staff did comment, however, that many applicants thought they had a better project as a result of appearance commission review. When asked to elaborate concerning "success stories," many communities responded that they had had great success in dealing with franchised businesses. The appearance review of a Poppin' Fresh pie outlet in one community resulted in a change of color for the tile roof; the change has since been adopted by Poppin' Fresh for all its new installations. In other cases, communities report Kentucky Fried Chicken stores without buckets and McDonald's restaurants without arches. Such successes may help put to rest the notion that companies with logos or trademarks will go elsewhere if the community wants a modification of its signs. According to the survey, other appearance review successes resulted in better design, more landscaping, more harmonious exteriors for downtown development, and generally bet- ter signage. One community reported that a proposed condominium development with too large an asphalt parking area came away from appearance review with underground parking, green areas, and patios forall units. Many survey respondents commented that the review process becomes a kind of creative negotiation between petitioner and commission. In this kind of give-and-take, commissionerscan bevery persuasive without threatening the developer. Occasionally, however, no middle ground can be reached, and an application will be denied. When asked what they saw as the major benefits of appearance review, five out of 10 communities referred to the advantage of design continuity, particularly for the central business district, when old and new buildings are harmoniously blended. Several mentioned the develop- ment of a community awareness and desire to improve the quality of the environment. Additional benefits, of coupe, were better looking buildings, landscaping, and 530 i C 10 Maintenance and Appearance Codes 5 TABLE 2—Appearance Codes signs. One interesting benefit listed by two communities was that the review process provided free professional advice to small businessmen. In response to a question regarding the problems of appearance review, three communities suggested that appearance review requirements be well advertised among developers and the business community because it is very difficult to get conformity to the code if plans are already drawn. Awareness of an appearance code helps developers in two ways. They can predict more realis- tically how long the development process will take, and they can learn the ground rules before the design is begun. The extended time required for project approval was listed as a problem in one village. Occasionally, it was reported, developers have chosen to go elsewhere rather than go through the sometimes time-consuming review process. Several communities have attempted to prevent unnecessary time delays by providing detailed guides to the process. Commissions also try to accommodate schedules by meeting twice a month, rather than once. In some communities building department review is required to proceed concurrently with appearance review. Cer- tainly, municipalities are cognizant of the potential for delay in the approval process. Highland park's appearance review process booklet includes the following introduc- tory comment; 530 IM ■ Continuing Formal Public Illinois Date of Also of Maintenance Heating Appeal Review Community Ordinance Appicatlon Included Required? Procedure Fee Hossmoor 1982 All zones except Yes No To Village Board $50 single-family residential. Glen Ellyn 1981 All zones except No No To courts since None single-family Commission Is residential. advisory to cor- porate authorities Glencoe 1976 Business ••E" and No Yes, for major Not necessary None multifamily ••D•• reviews. zones. Glenview 1969 All zones except Yes No legal notice, Judicial review None single-family but agenda ie residential. sent to press and Is posted at Village Hall Highland Park 1976 All zones except Yes No To Village Board None single-family residential. Homewood 1971 All zones except No Yes To Village Board None single-family residential. Libertyville 1982 All zones except Yes Yes To Village Board None single-fomiiy residential. Wheeling 1980 Commercial and Yes No To Village Board None Industrial zones; other zones If re- quested by staff. signs. One interesting benefit listed by two communities was that the review process provided free professional advice to small businessmen. In response to a question regarding the problems of appearance review, three communities suggested that appearance review requirements be well advertised among developers and the business community because it is very difficult to get conformity to the code if plans are already drawn. Awareness of an appearance code helps developers in two ways. They can predict more realis- tically how long the development process will take, and they can learn the ground rules before the design is begun. The extended time required for project approval was listed as a problem in one village. Occasionally, it was reported, developers have chosen to go elsewhere rather than go through the sometimes time-consuming review process. Several communities have attempted to prevent unnecessary time delays by providing detailed guides to the process. Commissions also try to accommodate schedules by meeting twice a month, rather than once. In some communities building department review is required to proceed concurrently with appearance review. Cer- tainly, municipalities are cognizant of the potential for delay in the approval process. Highland park's appearance review process booklet includes the following introduc- tory comment; 530 IM ■ 6 Management Informatlon Service One of the major concems of most applicants is potential time delay. Delay can be minimized by complete submittals of necessary materials and ade- quate advance communication of intentions. The variety of considerations make time estimates diffi- cult, but a correctly prepared application may be approved within six to 18 days from submittal of a formal application! Another problem has been the lack of qualified per- sons who are willing to donate the time necessary to serve on the commissions. Nearly all staff members agreed that some degree of expertise among commissioners is cl sir - able. Since many of the standards in appearance codes are subjective, it is necessary that someone with design experi- ence guide the commission in its deliberations; otherwise, judgments are likely to be capricious and unreasonable or at least may be viewed as such. If there are no commission members with "aesthetic credentials;' it is more difficult to garner the respect of the businessmen or developers who are affected by the commission's decisions. In communi- ties where there are not likely to be residents who have expertise in aesthetic judgment and who are willing to serve, it may be necessary to pay a consultant to provide guidance or to hire staff with background in design. In some communities where the enthusiasm for appearance review is strong, an architect serves as staff liaison to the commission. Once such community has a department of urban design with two full-time staff members and some part-time personnel. In this community, the meeting between staff and developer is likely to result in actual sketches to assist in design problems. Where staff expertise is lacking, a preliminary conference with the commission can establish the same rapport and assistance, provided that some member or members of the commission have the desired credentials. Although not listed as a serious problem, one admin- istrator mentioned the potential for appearance reviews to result in the kind of conformity that may, in effect, destroy individual creativity. Too many signs with ivory letters or dark -brown backgrounds could quash the charm of indi- viduality. The fact that most codes stress the desire for creative design seems to signal an awareness among com- munities of a potential problem. The Wheeling code, for example, states: "Mew criteria are not intended to restrict imagination, innovations, or variety, but rather to assist in focusing on design principles that can result in crea- tive solutions...."' In those communities where continued maintenance is required, compliance can sometimes be difficult to achieve. In one village, a local franchise store decided that maintenance of landscaping materials was not on its agenda, despite repeated requests by the village. Since the business existed as a result of special -use approval, a legal notice was published as the first step to consider the revocation of the special use. Store officials suffered a change of heart after seeing the legal notice, and the land- scaping was restored to the condition required by the appearance certificate of approval. In another case, the same community actually revoked an occupancy permit and turned off the water in order to achieve compliance. Finally, one community mentioned a problem caused by conflict between the Plan Commission and the Appear- ance Commission. Not much an be done if such conflict is political, but care should be taken to eliminate procedural conflict by a clear delineation of the duties of each appointed body. Another solution to this problem may be to give the Appearance Commission function to a commit- tee that is advisory to the Plan Commission. Such an arrangement may give nonexperts on the Plan Commis- sion an opportunity to veto recommendations of the com- mittee, however. 'Interview with Robert van Deusen, Village Manager, Village of Glenview, Illinois, July 1962. 'Flossmoor, Illinois, nossmoorAppearance Code, Section 12103, Bac. 'Ibid.. Section 12.103, BA.d. Oid.. Section 12.103, B.S.c. 'Highland Park, Illinois, Appearance Cade, p. 3. 'IJbertyville, Illinois, Appearance Code, p. 2. :Ibid., P. 3. 'Glenview, Illinois. The Appearance Plan, P. I5. 'Highland Park, Illinois, Appearance Rnino Process. P. I. '-!heeling, Illinois, Rules of Procedure and Policies of the Appear - once Commission, P. 2. 4 E1 -530- Community Maintenance Efforts—Huntington Woods t Many communities have a very conventional posture on residential code enforcement, namely, no enforcement at all. From this, communities move into the random approach of code enforcement or enforcement based on citizen complaints. Finally, in a relatively few communi- ties, a systematic code enforcement program of home inspection prior to the sale of a home is in place. Simply stated, such a system would provide for the inspection of a single family dwelling at the time of sale. At least in Michigan, a major reason communities do little in this code enforcement area is due to the fact that in 1991 this type of ordinance was challenged in court with a case filed against the city of Detroit. The challenge was made on the grounds that (1) the city was without author- ity to regulate such sales and to demand an inspection fee; (2) the ordinance violated equal protection; (3) the ordi- nance amounted to an unconstitutional taking of property without due process; and (4) the ordinance authorized an unconstitutional search and seizure. The Michigan Court of Appeals found that the city did have the power to enact such an ordinance and second, the ordinance did not con- stitute an unconstitutional taking of property without due process. The court decided that city inspection created no implied warranty and that the city could collect an inspec- tion fee. The court further decided that the ordinance neither destroyed or reduced the property's value. It did not prevent the owner from enjoying his or her property, it merely imposed an inspection and a fee. They further found that the ordinance did not amount to an unconstitu- tional taking of property without due process. Huntington Woods, Michigan, in Oakland County, is a second ring residential community in the Detroit metropolitan area. An article in the Detroit Free Press, said: "The hottest town on the suburban circuit these days is little Huntington Woods, where homes can sell in less than one hour by word of mouth with no haggling over prim. The reasons for this popularity, residents say, are superb city services, reasonable taxes, proximity to jobs in Detroit and 'Just a nice community feeling:" The article went on to say: There are fewer than 8,000 residents and many of them move from house to house In Huntington Woods as their families grow larger. This article was Prepared by Mork Wollenwebec City Manager, Huntington Woods. Michigan. Taxes are comparable to those of surrounding suburbs, but the little extras are what people say keeps them coming back: guaranteed, once -a -week garbage pickup that does not cost extra as in some cities, free snow removal from streets and side- walks, polio services like scheduled surveillance of houses when owners are on vacation and a reserve corps that patrols on weekend nights, and a cultural center with a library, seven tennis courts and a swimming pool (residents pay $45 a year to belong). Just a couple of miles from the Detroit border, Huntington Woods has escaped the urban flight that border towns like Femdale and Haul Park have been fighting. One of the things that has kept Huntington Woods such a nice place is the constant infusion of families and nice people, intelligent and diverse. One of the charts of this town is you do not see a lot of homes that look alike and you do not see a lot of people that are specifically alike. Because Huntington Woods is an older residential community, the mayor and city commission have expressed concern that the quality of homes and lifestyle in the com- munity be maintained. The city has operated for many years under the BOCA Basic Building Code as amended, Basic Mechanical Code, Basic Plumbing Code, Basic Fire Prevention Code, Basic Property Maintenance Code, One and Two Family Dwelling Code, and NFPA National FJec- trical Code. Huntington Woods has chosen to continue to operate under the National BOCA Codes rather than come under the umbrella of the Michigan State Construc- tion Code. In 1980, the staff reviewed the establishment of an annual inspection program for all homes within the city of Huntington Woods. Because of the initial controversy over such an ordinance, the mayor and commission chose to concentrate on a landlord licensing ordinance to begin with. In addition, the city of Detroit was experiencing problems with their new ordinance providing for inspec- tion at time of sale, including several threatened lawsuits. The Huntington Woods program was therefore confined 53d. 8 Manopement Information Service at that time to an annual licensing and inspection of rental homes. A copy of that ordinance and form are included as Appendix 1. It was felt that owner occupants, as a rule, tend to take somewhat better care of their homes than absentee landlords. Out of approximately 2,400 homes in Hunting. ton Woods, the city licenses 30 or so under the landlord - Tenant Ordinance. Information concerning the program was sent to numerous real estate agents and disseminated to the residents through the city newsletter and articles in the local paper. In addition, a comparison of the names on the lax rolls with the names on the water department billings was made to determine possible rental homes. These were further checked by letter as the procedures were put into effect. The annual licensing and inspection program consists of an original letter and copy of the ordinance being sent to the landlord from the building inspector, along with an application form. The landlord returns the application with the fee for the license (55) and the fee for the inspec- tion (820). An appointment for the inspection is made and following the inspection, a letter is prepared based upon the checklist used by the building inspector. Usually the changes needed to bring the home up to the codes are com- pleted within a 30 day period. Any permits needed are required to be obtained and if a reinspection is needed, it is scheduled. For minor items, the building inspector will recheck at the next annual inspection. In the development of the proposed time of sale ordinance, a more extensive checklist has been developed. HUNTINGTON WOODS IDEAS TO HELP MAINTAIN HOUSING STOCK Most of the homes in Huntington Woods were built from the 1920s to the 1960s. The city staff and commission decided jointly an a multipronged approach to housing maintenance and continued community viability in Hunt- ington Woods. A Beautification Committee was set up early in 1980. Each year the committee selects homes in the city for awards and one overall special award. Nominations are also accepted from residents through a notice in the city newsletter. The commission had discussed using the Beau- tification Committee to select homes needing substantial work, as well as publishing addresses and pictures of these homes. This idea was finally discarded as being too nega- tive in approach. Huntington Woods is not only concerned with the structure of the house in terms of its sale value, but also with external appearance as well. It therefore revised its weed cutting ordinance, which required that owners of the homes or occupant were responsible to maintain their grass to acceptable levels. Failure to do so allows the city, after proper notification, to assign it to a contractor for cutting. Such cuts by the city on private property are done only as a last resort, and are subcontracted to private mowers, with an administrative charge to the city for its part in the process. In March 1980, an ordinance requiring smoke detec. torsat time of sale was passed. This is also enforced as part of the landlord -tenant license. Late in 1983, the mayor and commission again dis- cussed the long-term viability of the communityand asked that the Planning Commission develop a strategic plan. Early in 1984 the Planning Commission met to begin devel- opment of a 2001 Plan, a long-term study of the city, with particular emphasis on maintaining the quality of the community. As part of the plan for this, the members of the Planning Commission invited residents to present their views and concerns. At one of the Planning Commission meetings, a new resident talked about the housing stock. He had just moved from another Detroit suburb and he indicated that the condition of the housing stock in Huntington Woods was not as good as in the area he had left. He attributed that to the lack of an at -time -of -sale ordinance requiring a certificate of occupancy, with the ordinance specifying that codes must be met whenever there was a change of occupancy or property sale. The Huntington Woods Planning Commission felt this was an excellent suggestion and asked the staff to obtain copies of similar ordinances from other Cities. They then asked the city commission to consider a similar ordi- nance for a number of reasons. Positive political aspects of this type of program obviously relate to the fact that such a program is in the genuine interest of all homeowners, apartment owners, and renters who intend to remain in a community, as opposed to those who are planning to sell or leave. Another of the advantages of the occupancy per- mit program is the fact that it is more efficient than the regular code enforcement program. This efficiency is due to the fact that owners and real estate firms make extra- ordinary efforts to correct code violations when an occu- pancy permit is pending. Over the long term, residents aware of changes or improvements needed to meet the minimum codes are more likely to obtain the required per- mits and have the work done by qualified contractors. They know that they are more likely to get the resale value of any improvements this way. This type of occupancy permit program would prob- ably not work in a severely blighted area. It could result in bad housing units being abandoned or could require sub- stantial code exemptions. The inspection at time of sale ordinance can be seen as a consumer protection too] as well. A good inspection will tell the prospective buyer whether there is a problem now and whether the age of major equipment in the house means Impending replacement or expensive repair. For instance, the original wiring in homes built before World War 11 is usually not up to handling today's major electrical appliances. The inspection should note such shortcomings. Age is not necessarily the only factor that prompts renova- tions. The fire hazard associated with aluminum wiring A Lr 536 S installations of the early 1970s is a case in point. As part of the general consumer movement, more and more prospective homeowners see home inspections as a needed and desirable activity. Persons using private inspection tend to use the information as a bargaining lever in negotiations with a seller. The results of private inspections do not necessarily lead to repairs to bring the house up to code, but can lead to a better price for the buyer. The fees for private inspections tend also to be higher than those performed by city inspectors. In some cases, they are structured as a percentage of the proposed sale prim and some begin at about 5135 per inspection. A public hearing on this proposed occupancy permit program was held in Huntington Woods and a number of real estate agents spoke against such a program. They argued that (1) a bureaucratic nightmare was going to be created, and (Z) that on other such programs involving Veterans Administration or FHA financing, where inspec- tions and repairs are required, many times the require- ments are lengthy and very small items are listed that hold up the sale. Additional concern over cost of the inspec- tions and who would be doing them was also raised. The opposition from the real estate agents seemed to focus on their perceived perception that a lengthy process, which could impair or take longer to sell homes, would occur. Some were concerned with the alleged opportunity for graft on the part of local inspectors which was exposed in a large community in the Detroit metropolitan area where a similar ordinance was under challenge. Other objections concerned whether or not this is just an addi- tion invasion of government into a private financial trans- action. Based on the concerns raised by the real estate agents at the public heating, the city staff agreed to set up a meeting with several real estate agents to discuss the redraft of the original ordinance. The redraft included some of the positive suggestions made by them and the members of the Planning Commission at the public hear- ing. The staff also provided for review by the Planning Commission draft forms and an explanation booklet that would be part of the implementation if such an ordinance were to be passed by the city commission. Anal public hearings by the Planning Commission an the proposed ordinance generated even more strident opposition from real estate agents. Consequently, the Planning Commission decided not to forward the pro. posed ordinance to the city commission. This opposition and subsequent dropping from con- sideration of the ordinance show that what appears to bea reasonable program that will benefit most of the citizens can be scuttled. In addition to the objections already men- tioned, it also became dearthat many citizensdidn't believe that Huntington Woods needed such a program. Questions of liability also weighed more heavily at the conclusion of this process than at the beginning. Addi- tional litigation in relation to the Detroit ordinance resulted in a court oiling saying that a city could be liable under an inspection-at-timeof-sale ordinance 9 a city Inspector performed a faulty inspection. Maintenance and Appearance Codes 9 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Despite the present failure to enact this ordinance in Hunt- ington Woods, our other community maintenance pro- grams remain effective. l would like to conclude by point- ing out some workable aspects of our programs, as well as important aspects to consider in any inspection -at -time - of -sale ordinance. There is resistance from time to time on the part of individual residents or groups of residents to application of any maintenance codes: The city has made a conscious effort to inform residents during the process of considera- tion of these types of ordinances through articles in the area newspapers and articles in its own newsletter seeking suggestions or comments. In some cases, comments both positive and negative are received. Some have been trans- lated into changes in the ordinances based upon the sug. gestions of residents. Appeals boards have been set up under each of the ordinances, with the exception of requiring smoke detec- tors and maintaining the grass. An appeals board should also be set up under a home inspection ordinance. There are many times when a buyer or seller will seek to have a minor problem waived. It is important for the commis- sions, both planning and city commission and staff, to try and keep upmost in mind the health and safety aspects of such codes and not just burden the residents with additional requirements. An inspection -at -time -of -sale is an attempt to establish a long-term interest in getting quality work- manship done to homes, it is not meant to burden home- owners. Compliance under the landlord licensing ordinance is usually obtained with little more than the attention of the building inspector. An inspection -at -time -of -sale ordinance should require compliance with the basic minimum property standards code for older homes at time of sale, which is not the same code standard as for brand new homes. The procedures should be set up so that the responsibility for compliance would rest with the seller, but could be trans- ferred by agreement to the buyer. One of the arguments presented by the real estate agents was that this type of ordinance would force elderly persons from their homes or force them to expend money they might not have just to fix up a home prior to sale. An ordinance should be flex- ible in allowing for transfer of responsibility and also for temporary certificates to address these arguments. Tempo- rary certificates could also be issued when needed by the inspector. Waivers from specific non -health and safety requirements could be granted for specific hardships should they be deemed necessary by a citizens board. The resident or real estate agent who is selling the home would make application for the inspection. An inspection by an appointment would be done by the build- ing inspector, plumbing and heating inspector, and electri- cal inspector. A report could then be issued citing any items needing correction, with minor items just listed for information. Following correction of those things needing correction, a certificate of occupancy would be issued. '530 10 Management Information Service There are certain areas or items that the city inspec- tion should not cover, such as leaky basements. Unless the inspection scheduled happened to be done on a rainy day, it would be difficult to determine this. A check of a central air conditioning system would also be almost impossible to do during the winter months. One final caution several cities have mentioned is that of liability. A complete dis- claimer should be included upon all the documents given buyers or sellers. Your city attorney should obviously review this question thoroughly. A combination of enforcement by the building, elec- trical and plumbing officials of the national codes in force in Huntington Woods, a long-standing weed ordinance, a smoke detector ordinance, and the addition of a successful landlord -tenant ordinance are all part of a property main- tenance program for the city which should help maintain its viability as a desirable community and maintain its housing stock. APPENDIX I.—Landlord licensing ordinance and Inspection form. Please make application for the "landlord's Ucense" within ten (10) days of receipt of this letter. The fee is 55.00 for the annual license and $20.00 for the Inspection of the building or dwelling by the Building Department. Per Sections 8.112 and 8.133 of the renters license ordl. nance, licenses shall expire annually on December 31 and application for a renewal of license and inspection will be due January 1, of each year. If you no longer own (or are renting) the above described property, please notify this department as to the new owner's name and address. Sincerely, HUNTINGTON WOODS CITY OFFICE Building Inspector Address and Property Description: Dear Property Owner: The City of Huntington Woods Ordinance Num- ber 257, Section 8.112 reads as follows: Section S.M Procedure, Duration and License fee Every person, individual, firth, owner, corporation or landlord or combination thereof engaged in the business of le"ng or renting any apartment build- ing, multiple unit, multiple dwelling, dwelling or dwelling units Is hereby required to make applica- tion to and receive an annual license from the City Clerk before engaging in the business. The applica- tion shall be accompanied by a Five (55.00) Dollar annual license fee for each unit rented by one per- son. Said applicant shall state his name and address and identify the number of tenants occu- pying his property. The Clerk shall Issue said license if: 1) The applicant's property is not in violation of any ordinance of the City, and 2) The applicant provides a full legal descrip- tion of all parcels of property he rents. The City Manager is hereby empowered to revoke said license if it is discovered that the applicant has either: 1) Misrepresented himself or the stale of his property, or 2) Refused access to premises for inspection as required hereinafter, or 3) His property is or becomes violative of any of the ordinances of the City and/or the statutes of the Slate of Michigan. Every license shall expire annually on December 31. Section 8.113 Inspection and Enforcement The City Manager shall cause the Health Officer, Building Inspector or such other appropriate pub- lic official as he may designate to make annual inspections to which an applicant for a license or licenses &hall consent, to determine the health and safety conditions of the apartment buildings, multiple dwellings, rooming house, dwelling or dwelling units, within the City. For the purpose of making such inspections the Health Officer, Budd- ing Inspector or the appointed public official Is hereby authorized to enter, examine and survey at all reasonable times all apartment buildings, com- mercial buildings, multiple dwellings, rooming houses, dwelling or dwelling units. The tenant or person in charge of an apartment building, a com- mercial building, multiple dwelling, rooming house, dwelling or dwelling unit shall at all reason- able times give the Health Officer, Budding Inspec- tor, nspe -tor, and/or designated official free access only to the leased portion of same or central facilities serving same for the purpose of such inspection, examination and survey. Section 8.114 Notice of Revocation and Hearing The City Manager shall cause notice of the revo- cation of the Homse to be served an the licensee either personally or by United Stain Mad and the reason or reasons therefor and such Ilcerw may within len (lM days of the date of such notice, petition the Commission of the City of Huntington Woods for a hearing on restoration of license under such conditions u the Commission may deem necessary for the correction of conditions set forth In the revocation notice. 0 11 C9 530 I 3 Section 2, This ordinance shall be published by the City Clerk as required by the City Charter, and it shall become effective on March 24, 1980. Section 8.110 Section PM 112.0 of Said Code is Hereby Amended to Read as follows: "Section PM 112.0 iNSPECrIONS: All one -family and two-family dwelling units, which are rented or lewd, or are Intended to be rented or leased, all multi -family dwelling units which arc rented or leased, or are intended to be rented or leased, and all boarding or lodging houses shall be inspected PropertyAddress Maintenance and Appearance Codes 11 annually. Fees for such inspections shall be col- lected according to schedules which shall be estab- lished by resolution of the City Commission. Such inspection fee shall be payable prior to the issuance of a License to Rent, and no such license shall issue until such inspection fee has been paid. A license shall be in effect for one year from the date of issue unless revoked for cause by the City. Failure to secure a license in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance or failure to pay such inspection fee is a violation of this ordinance. City of Huntington Woods Code Enforcement Program — INSPECTION REPORT — LoationkTypeof FR—Replace P - Provide S—Satisfactory Date: 19_ Location k Typeof Heating R P S Furnace Space Healers Wall Furnace Ducts Flues Fireplace Exterior -Sanitation Y N Receptacles Trash k Debris Equipment/ Vehicles/Vehicles Additional Comments: 536 Property Maintenance in West Palm Beach Property maintenance can be a confusing term because it brings to mind the maintenance of real property. In this discussion, however, the term ,property maintenance" has been expanded to mean the maintenance of the real prop- erty, the maintenance of the properties and the yards sur- rounding it—including fitter in the yard and along thealleys and parkways in front of the properties—as well w main- tenance of shrubs to provide vision at each intersection. Maintenance of real property structures on the lot probably is backed by the clearest law in the area of prop- erty maintenance' avIt ailable able obe 4dola adequately ed erode dent personnel enforcement program. The Inspection of structures in West Palm Beach, Florida is accomplished by the building department as a result of a complaint by a neighbor or a result of deteriora- tion easily visible in a "windshield" survey. We have, how- ever, in the recent months selected sped neighborhoods for a concentrated enforcement program. The city is using building and fire inspectors as well as sanitation and non- technical code violation inspectors to cover areas orneigh- borhoods to get the neighborhood brought up to code. This has been fairly successful in detecting property deteri- oration before it is visible through a windshield survey. A major problem with inspections of this type is the fact that many of the residential properties are closed durinmemers difficult sometimes tth adult o do anything otherthan a revtieit Is w of the outside of the property. The City of West palm Beach operates under the Southern Standard Building Code, which mandates that a structure will be tom down if, in the opinion of the inspec- tor, it shows more than So percent deterioration. If the deterioration is less than 50 percent, violations are cited, and the owner is given a period of time to bring the struc- ture up to current codes. A demolition citation for a struc- ture may be appealed to the board of appeals. Often this is done, and the board of appeals gives the resident a period of time to correct the deficiencies. This creates a problem in obtaining the corrections sought by the action until the end of the appeal time. In some cases an owner will not take any action at all and it will be as much as six to eight months before the structure is actually demolished. The city also has a Neighborhood Housing Services This article was prepared by Richard G. Simmons. City Manager. West Palm Beach. Florida. district. This is a selected neighborhood in which financial institutions and property owners cooperate to provide a method to upgrade the neighborhood. We have had higher compliance in NHS districts than we have had in other dis- tricts. Good neighborhood participation and peer pressure to bring the neighborhood up to grade create an atmos- phere of cooperation, conventional loans are easier to obtain as a result of the cooperation of the lending institu- tions, and special loans are made available through the city's Community Development Block Grant program. The city has also designated special low-income districts where the city can make low interest loans or grants to help low-income people bring their houses up to stand- ards. This program has been very successful but, of course, is limited because it only applies to people in single family residences in low-income areas. Even with the use of federal funds in the programs mentioned above, our most successful program has been one the building inspectors instituted through their wind- shield survey, finding houses with deterioration. Through this we have found a number of substandard structures and have caused many to be brought up to grade. Others have been demolished. One problem we have had is those structures that have been damaged by fire. These structures are often con- demned and orders are given to demolish the structures. The owner, however, usually wants to wait for an insur- ance settlement. We have amended our ordinance to cut the period of notice down to a minimum to help expedite this process, because burned -out structures imply blight more than any other substandard structure. NON -STRUCTURE MAINTENANCE The problems of overgrown lots, abandoned cars, and the accumulation of junk on lots is handled by general code Inspectors attached to the building department. The prob- lem of overgrown lots is one of our biggest problems in West palm Beach, due to the large number of absentee owners combined with a tropical climate that results in year-round growth. Overgrowth. Ordinances in Florida were based originally upon a determination that overgrowth was a nuisance. 0 530 r 3 E Since that time, county ordinances have been challenged in the courts and it has been determined that overgrowth is not a nuisance until it is approximately 18 inches high. Under Florida law, a liencan be assessed if the overgrowth on a privately -owned lot has to be cleaned by the city, w notice must be given to the owner. The property must be inspected to determine if the growth is more than 18 inches in height. After this, a record search is made to determine the owner and a certified letter with a return receipt requested is sent to the owner. The owner has a periodof 30days within which the lot must be cleaned or it will be cleaned by the city and the cost assessed against the property. This necessitates another investigation at the end of the 30 days to determine if the lot has been cut. if it has not, the order to mow is given to the city mowing crew, which mows the property. An invoice is sent to the owner, and if thebill is not paid within 30 days, a lien is drafted and placed against the property. The delays inherent in providing public notice means that the appearance of an overgrown lot can get worse and worse. Citizens can't understand why it takes so long to get a lot cleaned that they consider a nuisance. The period of time between the original inspection and the mowing is often 60 days. Another problem with vacant lots is that many of our owners are not residents of our community and make no effort to keep their lot cleaned unless we cite them. Then they assume that the city will do it for leu than anyone else and so they let the city cut it. In order to dis- courage this, we have determined all of our costs for inspection before and after the mowing, the record search and the registered letter, plus the complete cost of the mower and personnel time plus fringe benefits. Our initial letter points out that we would prefer the lot be cut by private mowers and we encourage the owner to arrange regular mowing. We also have the problem in that many of the lots are littered, and once mowed there are many cans and bottles that people want cleared. Ibis can be done, but we have no full-time clearing crew and must take people away from the parks department to clear lots. Abandoned Autos. An additional problem handled by the Genual Code Inspectors is one of abandoned can on pri- vate property. The city's ordinance against "junk" ears states that the city will make every effort to notify the owner, and if he or she cannot be notified we must put a Maintenance and Appearance Codes 13 "red tag" on the vehicle stating that it will be towed if it is not removed. After the notice, an owner has a right to appeal before the city commission. This can double the amount of time it takes to remove a car. There is also a problem with the definition of what an abandoned or "junk" car is. We have simply stated it is a vehicle that cannot be legally driven along a public high- way. This broad definition sometimes presents problems because people insist the valueless -looking car they have is an antique they are attempting to restore, and it is worth considerable money. Vegatatlon. A continuing problem in maintaining com- munity appearance in West Palm Beach is keeping up with the heavy amounts of vegetative trash. South Florida is a heavy growth area because our tropical trees and vegeta- tion grow year-round. The city picks up yard trash by crane. It actually costs us more per year to pick up this vegetation trash than it does to collect garbage. The trash is picked up once every two weeks. Some homeowners pay no attention to the trash schedule, and put trash out soon after it is collected. This practice obvi- ously detracts from the appearance of the town. Under a previous ordinance it was impossible to successfully prosecute violators, so we changed our ordinance to state that if trash were put on the street more than five days before collection day, the city would pick it up and make a special billing to the property owner. We have three full- time sanitation inspectors who attempt to determine who put out the trash. We have a crew that does nothing but special pick-ups, and at $70 to $80 per load we have been fairly successful in discouraging early set outs. The bulk of our present problems occurs In low- income areas where we have multiple apartments and debris is thrown into the streets and cannot be readily iden- tified. We attempt to identify it, but if it cannot be identi- fied, we have no other alternative but to pick It up because these small piles tend to attract greater and greater amounts of trash. This is a continuing, difficult problem, and 1 am sure that it is not experienced only by West Palm Beach. These are our major areas of concern in keeping pri- vate property properly maintained and clean. I believe that we are doing a fairly good job with ordinances that are far from unique. What also is not unique is the frustration generated by the requirements of the notice procedures. 530 CITY OF IOWA CITY RECREATIC{N DIVISION 220 S. GILEERT 00/A CITY IOWA 52240 (319)356-5100 March 8, 1985 "A Day in the Life of American Cities" Capture through the eye of your camera Iowa City's unique and special qualities! The United States Conference of Mayors is offering a photogra- phy contest open to all ages, both amateurs and professionals. "A Day in the Life of American Cities" is being locally sponsored by the Iowa City Recreation Division. On the first day of spring, March 20, citizens from across the country will capture life as they see it. Photographs are encouraged to be taken during the full 24 hour time span of the day. A panel of local judges will select ten photos to be sent for national competition, with •the guarantee of at least one of the photos being published. All national winners, and each participating mayor, will receive a copy of the photo essay with their name embossed in gold. With a little imagination and a lot of enthusiasm, you can make a creative and rewarding statement about Iowa City. Call the Recreation Division now at 356-5100 for further information on "A Day in the Life of American Cities" photography contest. Joyce Carroll Program Supervisor Susan Mallicoat Recreation Intern bj5/19 5.3/ E No -Frill Protection How One City Learns To Adjust to Cutbacks In Police Department Capt. Knox of Newark, N.J., Tries to Increase Output; Other Areas Are Hit, Too Making Fewer Hogue Calls By CH.ASLES W. STEMS s,aineponer Cl THL wAY STMVT.roUMA,6 NEWARK. NJ.—When Mary F. Smith's car was stolen from In front of herhouse late one night, a policedepartment.dls- patcher seemed to promise a quick re- sponse: A local resident, he said, had just reported seeing several mm stripping a car like hers three blocks away. A Mend drove Mrs. Smith to the scene to retrieve her car. But Instead of the po- lice, they found the thieves, still re- moving parts from the 19H Chevrolet .;., "The. guy under the car pointed a(�r� gun In .my girl- friend's face," - P�.s,-, e "He'said, 'Get , back in the car or _ I'll blow you away,'.. The women sped off, and by. the time a Charles Knox patrol car arrived the thieves were gone. Capt Charles Knox, the commander of Newark's south police district, says that all Ne patrol cars on duty that night were handling other eaBs of slmllar urgency. Six yeah ago, he says, there would have been enough pohce to bele Mrs. Srr th. But Newark has entered an err of police pro- tection wlthouttrilu. Fewer House Calls Faced with higher costs, a shrinking tax base and reduced federal old. the city has pared pollee ranks by nearly a third. Mounted police and special nareoties and vice units have been disbanded. Officers no longer serve as school crossing guarclt or routinely respond to ambulance tofu. Md police make fewer house calls: Vied ms re- porting such minor crimes as vandalism et theles from autos must visit a,Statlon to file complaints "We have to learn how to do more with loss,!, says Capt Knox.. 44 years old, who was recently named to take over as the city's police director June 1. As one of the city's four district commanders, he has concentrated on raising police productivity and encouraging community participation In crime -control efforts. He expects to face the same problems as police director. -I've got to try and figure out a way to get more police out on the streets," he says. Police executives In other titles must adjust to cutbacks, too. San Diego police now send out post cards Instead of deter tives to get follow-up Information from complainants about certain types of crimes. "Most big cities have fewer police than they did a few years ago," says BIB Kolendgr.,the chief of the San Diego de- partment fthe tioshlcommittee of theIn International A soclation of Chiefs of Pollee. The Federal Bureau -of Investigation figures that the number of police per capita declined 1317. between 1974 and 19s3 in cities with popula- tions of 750,090 or more. (According to Census Bureau estimates. Newark had 320.- 512 20:512 people In ISM) Demographic Help Newark and the others have been lucky In one way. The cutbacks coincide with a period of falling national crime rates, partly resulting from a decline In the crime -prone group 15 to 24 years old. The public may not feel much safer, but In Newark,•for example, between 1980 and 1983, overall crime dropped 25%., according to the FBI, with violent crime down 13%, and nonviolent offenses down 0. In 1993. .Newark still has• problems, though. Nearly 20 years ago, along with I.os Ange- les, grles, Detrol[ Cleveland and other title, It was ravaged by rioting. Population flight followed, and it Is now a poor city sur• rounded by relatively affluent suburbs. In 1980, per capita Income wes.S4,529, com- pared with S7,536 for all of, Essex County. Crime in the city Is way above the na• tional average. According to the FBI, Newark's overall crime rate for 1983 was 137. above the average for cities with pop• uladons befween 250,000 and 499.999, and violent crime was 143%. above the aver- age. The city doesn't have many options. Raising taxes would have accelerated flight from the city, says Mayor Kenneth A. Gibson. Because spending on police was Newark's single biggest budget Item, he argues, It was an obvious place to cut as the city's fiscal situation worsened. Now the city's SM million police budget pays for 1,089 officers, down 31%. from 1,573 offi- cers In 1975. Unpopular Stand Mayor Gibson's approach wasn't very popular. Earl Harris, a former city•councll president who lost a mayoral runoff elec- tion to Mayor Gibson In 1982, calls the de. partment's staffing level "utterly ridicu- lous for this day and time." In 1979, as council president, he backed a city -council measure to, set a minimum staffing level for the department. After a veto by Mayor Gibson, a citywide referendum endorsed the ordinance nearly .four to one. But :Mayor Gibson continued to resist it, and a court ruled that police hiring is an admin- Istrative matter that can't tie set by law. .Meanwhile, police officials make do with what they have. Capt. Knox tries to raise productivity by combining rigid disci- pline showing the number of sick days�taken by each off - cer. Absentees are also called at home to verity their illnesses. But when an officer performs beyond the tail of duty. Capt. Knox makes a point of recommending him for an award. "That's a tremendous mod- vator." he says. Police are supervised more closely than' before. Pont patrols have been abandoned In favorof "walk and ride" runs In which officers periodically Park their cars in, check businesses door to door. To ensure compliance, patrolmen must have their log sheets signed by the business Proprietors they visit During his daily review of the sheets. Capt Knox notes such productivity InNca- tors as the number and types of calls ban* died during a shift one day. he Is partico• larlpleased when he sees that a learn put So miles no Its car the nigh fore. "one ofthe keys to whether or not these guys arc working B ndleage. and that's doing a lot of riding." he says � Despite some run -Ins over productivity issues, Capt Knox is respected by the rank and file. Thomas Posaumato Jr.. the pre* dem of the Fraternal order of Police local that represents Newark pollee. describe film as "a sIncore Individual" who bellem in'what.he'a doing. "When you're working with limited personnel. you stat[ to stretch the toms eL That's when we bump heads: ' Mr. Pass imato notes. But the he adds, "He demands a full day's work for a full day's pay. I guess there's nothing wrong with that.", Newark police salaries remain competi• tive. The base pay for officers with three years! experience rose 77. last year to S211.- 996 24;996 annually. According to the Interna- tional Personnel Management Association in Washington,. the average increase for municipalities In the eastern U.S. was 3.117. to 520.652 ,, . still, there are complaints abort. morale. Mr. Posurmato says department morale is "below zero," largely because of the manpower situation. "Sometime a guy wants a backup out there, and you have to wait for IL.That can be the difference be'. tween life and death." In addition, he says the hiring -freeze has shrunk promotion op•- portunities, removing Incentives from the JobPolice Director Hubert Williams; who leaves his past in June to become the pros, Ident of the Police Foundation In -Washing- ton, disputes assertions of low spirits In the ranks. "if you base morale on what they say, you'd have to say morale Is low; cops are constant bltchers," he says. "But If you base morale on what they do, then It's very high:' He notes that the department had a 14% increase in the number of sur rests per officer between.975 and 19EL $3.Z Increased community participation In crime control helps. Except for a few mid• die -class enclaves, the south district is mostly poor, dotted with low-income hous• Ing, abandoned buildings and vacant lots. Capt Knox grew up here, and unlike his predecessors, who left the Job to their pub- lic•relations staffs, he attends neighbor, hood meetings regularly. Disabling Cars A blg concern at many meetings Is lot- -tering and dmg*dealing. Capt Knox rec- ommends setting up community crime - watch pro¢ramrs and urges citizens to re- port any criminal activity they observe. He also helps teach people to discourage car thefts by rearhing under the hoods of their cars and temporarily disabling them. Ricky Flowers, a community activist, be- Ueves citizen -involvement has helped re- duce crime' We know the people who are loitering," he says. Another factor In Newark's Improved pohce-community relations Is a perception that police brutality, especially In the mi- nority • nority.community, has been sharply cur talled. "It may have to do with being in a town with a black mayor and a black po• Roe director," says Keith M: Jona, the tion Association fresident of the or Ne Adw�ancemenf the ttof Colored People. - Oliver. B. Quiet, the executive director of the Urban League of Essex County, says poke in Newark used to be perceived as an obenpation fora. But he agrees there has been a change. He pralses Police DI - re for WWII lie for his handling of the' shooting death of a black man by pplice last November. "Five of 10 years ago that would have sparked major reactions In the city." he says. Responds to Complaints Despite Increased productivityand grater community Involvement, the cut- backs still hurt Stanley S. Bergen, the president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, says the depart- ment Is always responsive to crime prob- lems when they are brought to Its atten- tion. But Dr. Bergen adds that "one could argue that U they. were •rally on the ball' and visible m begiri with, then we wouldn't have to mise these. complalnts.'.' At a recent meeting of 200 residents In a church basement, a woman asked why she no longer sees patrol cars bn side streets. "The problem la," repffedCapt Knox, "we 'don't do a loL.of patroWng." Instead, the department has decided It has to, cencen• trate on specific problems., "We find our- selves urselves In a constant crisis -management sit- uation, and we always have to decide which crisis is most urgent." Capt. Knox says. "You hope that the decision you make doesn't backfire on you." Displaced Thieves Recently, Capt Knox reassigned 10 offi- cers to a few weeks of al patrol In a neighborhood plagued carr thefts. Though no arrests were made, Capt. Knox believes the effort blunted the thefts. "What we really like to do Is prevent things from happening." he says. He con- cedes, though, that the operation may have Just displaced the thieves. last spring, several downtown busi- nesses complained about a series of rob beries, Commuters driving home to the su- burbs were being attacked and robbed at traffic lights. The assaults hadn't been nu- merous, but the problem became a high priority, Capt Knox says, because of the city's concern for Improving Its business ,environment. ' Capt Knox ordered the 10•men team VA other patrol units to saturate the area Loiterers who didn't convents were threat- ened with armL The pressure pas applied for several weeks, awl In the. six months since, the robberies haven't recurred. But success had a price. The program shifted attention from an anti-nareohcs drive elsewhere In the district, and drug trafficking rase sharply. 53Z i HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF IOWA CITY pow :an affiliated with y4c �* NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS March 18, 1985 Honorable Mayor John McDonald and � Members of the City Council lS N Iowa City Civic Center Iowa City, Iowa 52440 Re: Proposed Open Space Ordinance MARIAN VC. KARR CITY CLERK (3) Mayor McDonald and Members of the Council: The Builders and Developers of Iowa city strongly object to again being singled out, to provide the City of Iowa City with yet another amenity, that will benefit the entire community, at the ultimate expense of the renters and purchasers of new residential units. We believe that the available draft (10-2-84), of the proposed ordinance Is not workable for the following reasons: 1. The ordinance only applies to new development(s). 2. The ordinance is based on an Open Space Plan, which does not exist. 3. The ordinance is based on incomplete and erroneous data and assumptions, 4. The ordinance will substantially increase the time and costs incurred to secure development approval. S. The ordinance will have a significant impact on the City's operating budget. 6. The proposed ordinance will arbitrarily affect land values in Iowa City. 7. The proposed ordinance does not provide for a reduction of the requirements for "developer pro- vided" open space. B. The "District Boundaries" appear to have been manipulated in the interest of increasing the open space requirements. 1 533 1. APPLICABILITY: In accordance with the established procedures of the City of Iowa City, the developers and subsequently the new home buyers and renters will be required to pay for improvements that benefit the entire community. If "Open Space" is so desirable why aren't the ruiremeopments7 nts applied uniformly for the whole community, instead of Just new ie, why not add a parkland acquisition and development user fee to the utility billing, insted the subiders nd pers to anothersamenityafor fthe gCityf,gthus again a makingthematheoscapegoatsnet for continually rising lot costs? Additionally all sales of excess publicly held lands and rights of ways might be earmarked toward open space acquistion. with these funds available, the City would then be in a position to be able to purchase appropriate parcels of open space as they become available. If a $3.00 fee per year per household could tbe addney invested eto the utili5%, the billings as a parkland acquisition fund, andCity would have in excess of $3,000,000 in addition to the sales of excess lands, available for acquisition at the end of 20 years, assuming a 1% per year population growth. This is more than may be realized by the ordinance at the end of 100 years! to That same 1% ordinance, n growth over thatand samen20syears, willprovidevidehabouts proposed in the ordinance, S1,625,000 or an average annual income of $23,790 plus interest. If that money is spent as it is received, in 20 years the City will have accumulated only 29.8 acres of open Space. As noted In the accompanying tabulation, the anticipated total acquisition value, at the current proposed fee rate, is $2,255,990 at the end of 70 to 100 years. (70 years at a 1% growth rate, or 100 years at a growth rate of about 200 dwelling units per year.) 2. OPEN SPACE PLAN: Prior to the preparation of any open space plan or ded h an ordinance penyCouncil spaces. Thisld be inventoryishouldturate inventory of includeC - where are the existing parks and open spaces - how large is each facility - what population area can each park adequately serve - what improvements are in place - what activities are the parks used for The above information should be made available to the public so that more effective facilities following information shouldalso be availableed. For planning Purposes the - what additional activities and improvements are necessary or desirable at each facility - what expansion potential exists at each facility - what are the current and projected maintenance costs for each facility Any plans for acquisition of new parkland should be considered in terms of all of the items noted above. 2 ,533 The proposed ordinance provides for acquisition and possibly some improvements at the expense of developers and new home buyers, but the routine operation and maintenance costs and the improvement costs for these parks, if acquired In total, will probably more than double the requirements of the budget for the Parks and Recreation Department. 3. BASIS FOR REQUIREMENTS: The requirements and justification of the proposed ordinance are based on a "National Standard" of 2.5 acres of parkland - - Open Space - - per 1000 population. School Sites, University grounds and open space, and other County, State and Federal lands have not been considered in determining the open space needs of the City. All of the data and subsequent requirements are based on complete development of the entire city, at the optimum density permitted in each zone. Using this information as a basis for the requirements inflates the open space requirements. These population projections (47,171), for the undeveloped areas, also indicate that it will take nearly 100 years to complete the development of the current areas within the City Limits. A more realistic population projection for the undeveloped area would be in the neighborhood of 30,000, however it is doubtful that even that number will be reached 1f substantial changes are not made in the lifestyles of Iowa City residents of the future. Some of these areas will not develop within that time frame, but long before that happens there will be considerable pressures to extend the boundaries in other directions. Development seldom reaches optimum density for various reasons. Street right of ways can be expected to take up anywhere from 15 to 25 per cent of the development area in subdivisions. Stormwater management facilities and topographic considerations usually dictate that the developments be designed In a more land consumptive manner. And the market demand also has some impact on the size of the lots. A typical subdivision, in an RS -5 zone might be expected to have lots at the minimum 8,000 square feet, but the actual density of the subdivision is going to be more like 3.0 to 3.3 dwelling units per acre, which is only 60 to 66 percent of optimum density. Multifamily development is similarly restricted from reaching optimum density due to the requirements of stormwater, parking, trees and etc. 4. DEVELOPER COST: The way the ordinance is currently written, it is confusing to determine the cost of anticipated fees. It initially appears that the proposed fees are to be established at $110.00 per dwelling unit(SUBJECT TO CHANGE EVERY 2 YEARS . The City's method of computation can be put together from two different sections of the ordinance, as follows: "open space shall be designated on the preliminary plat at a ratio of 2.5 acres for each 1000 residents anticipated. The number of future residents shall be calculated at a rate of 2.3 persons per dwelling unit based upon the density permitted in the zone." "the amount of such fee........ $110.00 shall be paid for every 250 square feet of open space...." 533 The formula for computation is then: parsons 2.5 acres 43,560 S.F. 2.3 __ - % --- % ------------- 1000 persons acre % Dwelling unit (Zone)(DWelling_Unit) % $110.00- - ($110.21) -(Zone) acre 250 S.F. acre It would have been much easier to say that the fee is $110.00 multiplied by the allowable zoning density, and the number of acres in the development, ie RS -AX $110.00 or RS -8 X 5110.00 multiplied by the development acreage, or simpler to say that RS -5 Zoning fees are $550.00 per acre, RS -8 fees are $880.00/acre, RM/RS-12 fees are $1320.00/acre, RM -20 fees are $2200/acre and RM -44 fees are $4840.o0/acre. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to see that the fees are seldom going to be as low as S110.o0 per unit. RS -5 zoning developed ate5 lots per acre the j acre, the fees amount to essentially Sllo.0o per lot, at 4 lots p ` fees amount to S137.50 per lot, at 3 lots per acre the fees amount to 5183.33 per lot, at 2 lots per acre the fees amount to S275.00 per lot and etc. The real cost to a potential home buyer who is buying a small to moderate sized lot is going to be many times the $110.00 that .is alluded to in the 'I ordinance and SaturdaY'atPthestimeihensubmitsarticle. hisThe finalvplat rforys his ll whatever "assessment" up front, area is included in his preliminary pala3:He ipertacreInaspread RSu5 zone, the s "assessment" over all of the lots, y 0 lotsif no additional areas are included developers cost will be 5183.33 per lot, be borrowed In the "assessment". As with most other costs this willthe cost just went up d he may not sell that lot for two years or often longer, to $240.35, if he adds a 15% overhead and profit the cost is now $276.40. The builder buys the lot and includes his interest and 15% overhead and profit, the buyers can ust tis now $363.95. ery the purchase at the local wbank of urThis e$311.95 added ato as thirth andy financeyear home mortgage, financed at say 13.5%, will cast $1,501.20 over the term of the mortgage. If open space is to be dedicated In lieu of the fee structure, the ordinance will require asst -aside for SET open sDE pace as follows: ZONE RR -1 ZONING RS -5 ZONING 2.875 % RS -8 ZONING 4.600 % RS/RM-12 ZONING 6.900 % RM -20 ZONING = 11.500 % RM -44 ZONING = 25.300 % As the ordinance is currently written, a developer may not know, until he considerable amount of time and money in the preparation of plats has spent n dand or plans. evelopment, or ,not if fees the yare ndesired illThe cfinal pdecision rests his proposed within with the political bodies. Icalhbodies, f plan hithwill ubeii necessary tospendomore with the accordance monies to redesign the development to accomodate these desires. 4 533 5. CITY COST: The supporting materials with the ordinance indicate that if Open Space is to be provided within a development it should be at least 5 acres in area. If the City decides that Open Space is to be required or acquired at the time a developer brings in his preliminary plat or plan, the developer must provide the Open Space as required by his development and the City will presumably purchase the remainder to achieve the desired minimum Open Space area. The City's purchase price is fixed by this ordinance at the same fee as the Developer is required to pay, ie $110.00 per 250 square feet or $19,166.40 per acre. The costs for maintenance of small parks is much higher per acre than it is for large parks, so the supporting information indicates that these open spaces should be a minimum of 5 arses and preferably 7 to 10 acres. If a hypothetical development was a 15 acre subdivision, the developer would contribute 0.29 acres (10 acres of development) and the City would purchase the remaining 4.71 acres at a cost of 590,321.66. The Ordinance states that the funds acquired will be used in the district from which they were acquired. This means that until there has been substantial development and fees collected, there will not be a reserve of funds available within each of the districts for such purchases. Are these monies then to come from the already beleaguered general fund? 6. LAND VALUES: We recognize that using, the above formula for developer fees and land acquisition has merits in terms of the way the ordinance is assembled. However, this mechanism also means that the city may be forced to pay inflated costs for other lands and in other cases the established values may not come close to the actual land value. The price that the City is obligated to pay for Open Space is fixed by this ordinance at $19,166.40 per acre, whether the land is worth $2,000.00 per acre or $50,000.00 per acre. If there were funds available, possibly as outlined in Item 1 above, the City could then purchase appropriate lands for open space at market value. 7. PRIVATE OPEN SPACE: It doesn't seem appropriate to include RR -1 zones in the requirements for this ordinance. Each lot is required to have a minimum of 40,000 square feet, of which probably at least 30,000 square feet will be private open space for the owner of the lot. Also, no provision for reduction of the requirement is allowed if the developer decides to oversize his lots to provide each lot owner with his own open space, or if other private open space is provided within the development. Likewise, if previous policies are adhered to, it is doubtful that stormwater detention facilities can be applied toward meeting the requirements of the ordinance. 6. DISTRICT BOUNDARIES: It appears that the District boundaries have been manipulated to enhance the position that Iowa City Is in dire need of additional Open Space. No consideration is given to the open spaces provided by the various school sites, University of Iowa lands, the North Branch or the East Branch Ralston Creek Stormwater Baslns, or several other Open Spaces of reasonable magnitude owned by the City, County, State and Federal Governments, Areas VII, VIII and IX surround City Park and Terrill Mill Park, yet the District tabulations illustrate a deficit for Districts VII and IX of 12.7 acres. Areas X, XI and XII Include and surround Hickory Hill Park, which is listed as having 97.5 acres, however in reality the park has been expanded to include 175 acres, and yet Districts X and XII show a deficit of 18.23 acres. 5 533 In accordance with the requirements of the ordinance, a 7.5 acre park will support a population of 3,000, or 1304 dwelling units. At RS -5 zoning, this amounts to an area of approximately 260 acres. If this Open Space is centrally located in the service area, the most distant dwelling will be not more than a half a mile from the facility. With this information in mind it would seem appropriate to consider what areas can be served by existing facilities and then establish the proposed districts accordingly. We respectfully request that your considerations regarding this issue not al only related to the the desirability what itproviding going tocostbothopen thespace currentfor the residents of our city, but and the future residents of Iowa City. While there may be areas that do not have "open space" immediately available within their neighborhoods, there is more than adequate open space. The currently available open space is nearly four times the "National Standard" that is used as the justification for this ordinance. If the city is completely developed to the staff's projected population, the ratio will still be two times the "National Standard". Please remember also, that there are thousands ofdacres available eefor anyone to use at the Coralville Reservoir, Lake nt Park, Finkbine Golf Course and other University of Iowa Facilities, and three private golf courses, in and around Iowa City. All of these facilities being within a half hour or less travel time from almost anywhere in Iowa City. The attached tabulation is a compilation and expansion of the District tabulations that were prepared by the city staff. The tabulation is included so that you may be able to more clearly understand the open space needs of the entire city. With the above information 2n mind, ,it becomesnt obvioussal that: the There is no overall open space deficit: ) Th 'purchasers and renters of new residential units significantly more than the ordinance and press have indicated; 3) The costs incurred by the city may be very significant; 4) District boundaries, as currently drawn other not realistically illustrate needed open space; a alternatives to financing the acquisition of "needed" open space. Respectfully Submitted, I10MEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF IOWA CITY / Les Batterman, Executive Secretary C ,5",33 OPEN SPACE DISTRICT TABULATIONS p15TRitt GROf3 DEVELOPED CVRRENT NONDER ACFAAGE ALEAACE POPUTATION 878 310 935 II 417 222 102 111 589 254 571 IV 530 582 3.171 V 393 J13.7 3.973 VI 512 512 2,410 VI1 828 169 Iii VI11 303 177 190 it 113 119.9 1,260 % 341127.e1 ]BI %1 897 528 1.513 %II 530 45 82 Hill 510 440.6 31080 %IV 361 357.1 2.788 %V See 251.29 1.571 llyl 420 271 2.067 %VII 823 IIJ I.BG7 B TOTALS 5,951 4.929 26.BSe _ ____-__-acres_______ IAL pMEI E%1 BT VNDEVEL. PROIECTEO FROIECIED OPENSPACE E%IST OPEN OpFA SCHOOL SPACE SPACE SITEORDIN NCE POTENTIAL ORDINANCE ORDINANCE POP/AL, ALRGSE UNOEVAARB UNDEVAAR" NF.F.OEO Sp -C. DEFICIT EXCESS AREAS INCOME AC UISITION 20.0 - $361.400 18.17 A 11.50 20.0 -0- r. 1.08 465 7.653 - f163.365 9.57 Ac fi.44 10.59 -4- 10.58 2.81 505 3.831 - Nen Nigh $174.995 8.13 An 2.0] JOS 3,858 12.00 10.57 -0• IO.S7 e0 NIL 5.91 8.36 33.7 - 25.1 f 11.000 3.18 AC 0.11 IIB 811 - 11.91 15.14 1.2 11.30 RDOaevelt $105,585 5.52 Ac B N/L 11.58 18.3 2.211 _0- _p_ 0 _ 6.02 I11.3 - 105.1 4,71 O 2.31 1269.785 11.08 AC' ]2.18 15.39 11.0 - 3.93 463 5,011 Schlaek f117,930 7.71 Ac 21. SJ B.0 -0- .B NIL 20 11.52 3.6 S 13,720 0.66 Ac 2.71 128 3,091 -0- 4 3.8 - 10.58 23.1 266 f 83.035 3.29 Ac 6.19 4.2 •0- I.x - 3.61 219.18 1.]]e 99.J s 90.690 4.73 Ac 11.77 8.5 101.8 2.6B 161 11995 $261,525 13.80 Ac 1.53 181 5,531 11.50 14.03 -0- 11,03 - Levo f 35. 165 1.80 Ai. 11.50 0 7.01 69.4 798 .1 ].9 0.4 0.3 NIL 11.51 7.G 8.6 - 1.0 Lucae f 1],150 0.68 Ac ].el 29.9 373 7.3 NIL 11.33 7.9 37.1 19A S.E. it NI[h f 71.225 5.67 Ac 6.79 134,71 1.552 22A N/4 11 50 1247 1,9 6,97 - Or"twood f 05.226 4.45 Ae. 10,83 105 1.782 6.9 NIL - _18.6 3333.355 16.07 Ac __ 4.53 110 - 0-759 - - - •10.19 21. _ - _ -5,11 4.025 47,171 11.72 184.18 352.5 88.73 364.91 153.5 NIL 15.355,990 117.71 Ac 63.38 150• . . . . . 06.62 40 NIL En Rnalndor of CRY 35,342 .. . . . .. . . . . .. 247.57213.8 562.3 NIL Eat walls) 51,000 q ne lode) IppNxlute erecta 4f existing perk. Inor.Unj.. Hickolendil eStoraw4ter SlOre¢e Are.. East erenrh Stonra ler Arte, and Slur¢ea Ferry Park. Does not Include Airport. or other CRY4 n eompllnCion ato Ry nd cxpftnoeuodo"PO"osnoCTRpr•dlnnncts- The etbove tnbulnClon Sn Chc CIty eurron1Iy 1101 on AND TALLEV nhaotn t11nt wore o^Nn; o.0 wl.11 "oto- t, DRAFT COPY don'CO GS cc/..d•••• Ap Pnrant] y Cha opon nPn an .T uuC Snn't id ]lv loc.zevd. MEMBERSHIP LIST HOMEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF IOWA CITY AERO RENTAL AHRENS CONSTRUCTION, INC. ALLIED GLASS PRODUCTS, INC. AMELON CONSTRUCTION AMERICAN FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN ASS'N ANDERSON ELECTRIC ARJAY BUILDING PRODUCTS B. F. CONSTRUCTION, INC. BANC IOWA SAVINGS BANK BARKER, CRUISE & KENNEDY BEST ELECTRIC SERVICE, INC. BOOTH, STEVE, CONSTRUCTION BOYD & RUMMELHART PLBG. & HTG. BRANDT HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING BRENNEMAN BUILDERS BRISKEY CABINET COMPANY BUILDERS COMPONENTS, INC. BURD CONCRETE PRODUCTS, INC. BUSINESS RADIO, SALES & SERVICE BUTLER PLUMBING, INC. CANNON & BISHOP BUILDERS CARPETLAND U.S.A. CASE POWER & EQUIPMENT CEDAR RAPIDS MILLWORK CO. CENTRAL READY -MIX CONCRETE CITY ELECTRIC SUPPLY, INC. CLARK CONSTRUCTION -AUR REALITY CLARKS CARPETS COMPONENT HOMES, INC. CONCRETE WALLS, INC. CORALVILLE EXCAVATING, INC. CROSBY, BOYD, CONTRACTOR CROWN ELECTRIC D & L CONSTRUCTION D P 0 CONSTRUCTION DAVE LONG PROTECTIVE PRODUCTS DAVIS HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING, INC. DEE GOSLING & COMPANY DEL TINKEY CONSTRUCTION DELTA CONSTRUCTION CO. DUNCAN-MATHESON-GLASGOW, INC, REALTORS E.- G. CONSTRUCTION ELAM PLUMBING FARKAS CONSTRUCTION, INC. FIRST NATIONAL BANK FLICK SUPPLY COMPANY FRANTZ CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. FURMAN CONSTRUCTION, INC. GARMIL, INC. GERBER, R.C., CONSTRUCTION GLASPEY CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION GREENWOOD & CRIM, P. C. HALL ENGINEERING CO. HALLMARK HOMES, INC. HAMM'S HEARTH & HOME HARDING,GARY, CONSTRUCTION HARDING,PAT, CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. HAWKEYE LUMBER COMPANY HAWKEYE STATE BANK HILLS STATE BANK HINKHOUSE TREE & LANDSCAPING HODGE, MICHAEL, CONSTRUCTION CO. HOME SAVINGS & LOAN ASSOCIATION HUEDEPOHL BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION IOWA BUILDING SYSTEMS, INC. IOWA CITY, CITY OF, -HOUSING DEPARTMENT IOWA CITY DRYWALL, INC IOWA CITY EXCAVATING & GRADING, INC. IOWA CITY LANDSCAPING IOWA CITY READY -MIX, INC IOWA -ILLINOIS GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY IOWA PAINT MANUFACTURING COMPANY IOWA STATE BANK & TRUST COMPANY J -BART CONSTRUCTION, LTD. JOHNSON COUNTY READY -MIX, INC. KALONA BUILDERS SUPPLY KELLY HEATING SERVICE, INC. KENNEDY, JOSEPH, CENTURY 21 KINGS MATERIAL, INC. KLOPFENSTEIN, FRED J., REAL ESTATE KOBER ELECTRIC KROEGER - LEPIC REALTY, INC. LANDMARK SURVEYING & ENGINEERING LAWREW COMPANY, INC. LATTA & SONS, INC. LAUGHLIN, TIM, CONTRACTOR, CORP. LEFF, LEFF, HAUPERT & TRAW LIBERTY DOORS LEICHTY, LOWELL, CONTRACTOR LENOCII & CILEK HARDWARE M.A.R. CONSTRUCTION MARKET PARK CORPORATION MARTIN -MARIETTA COMPANY MARV'S GLASS SPECIALTIES, INC. MASONITE CORPORATION MATTHEWS. EVAN, & COMPANY MC CONNEL'S CONSTRUCTION CO. MC GLADREY-HENDRICKSON MELCHER SCREEN PRINTING & DESIGN METAL FABRICATORS CO. MILLER, LYLE W., COMPANY MMS CONSULTANTS, INC. ,533 MERIT ELECTRIC, LTD. SHAY ELECTRIC SERVICE, INC. MODERN WALL, INC. SHOEMAKER-HAALAND, PROFFESSIONAL ENGRS. MOORE, PAT, CONSTRUCTION SKIFFINGTON INSTALLATIONS MOORE, NATE, WIRING SERVICE SLADE BROTHERS ROOFING MULFORD PLUMBING & HEATING, INC. SLAGER APPLIANCES, INC. MULLER PLBG. & HTG., INC. SOUTHGATE DEVELOPMENT MURRAY'S EXCAVATING & GRADING, LTD. STADTLANDER, ROBERT, VOC. ED. INSTR. NAGLE LUMBER COMPANY STEBRAL, JAMES, CONSTRUCTION NAUGHTON DRYWALL SQUAW CREEK MILLWORK SUPPLY NORTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE CO. STEVENS SAND, GRAVEL & TRUCKING ' OAKS, JOHN, CONSTRUCTION STREB CONSTRUCTION, INC. { OLD CAPITOL MOTORS, LTD. SUN BUILDERS OSTEDGAARD CONSTRUCTION CO. SUPERIOR CONCRETE, INC. P.P.G. INDUSTRIES, INC. TEMPERATURE CONTROL CORP. j PERPETUAL SAVINGS & LOAN ASSN. TOMLINSON SHEET METAL PHILL'S BUILDING MATERIALS TOOLS, INCORPORATED PLEASANT VALLEY ORCHARDS & NURSERY TOWN & COUNTRY ELECTRIC ' PLUMBERS SUPPLY COMPANY TRIANGLE PACIFIC CORP. POOTS, ALLAN, & ASSOCIATES VEVERA & SONS MASONRY RIGGAN, JIM, CONCRETE WAYNE'S CONCRETE ROE HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING WEATHERSHIELD MFG., INC. J ROFFMAN, JOHN 0., CONTRACTOR WELLS, AL, CONSTRUCTION- I SMITH HILGENBERG & CILEK & ASSOC. WHITTERS TURF FARMS, INC. , RUPP BUILDING WICKES LUMBER S & E CUSTOM CABINETS WILLMAN COMPANY SCHINTLER BROS. CONSTR. CO., INC. WOLF CONSTRUCTION SCHORNHORST CONSTRUCTION YAKISH CONSTRUCTION SEARS CONTRACT SALES YODER. EARL, CONSTRUCTION CO. SEVEN CITIES SOD, INC 533 Is the lowq City Council ignoring, conservation commission's work? By RON VOGEL, Several events In the news recently could confuse people about. what direction the city Is headed In energy matters: The city gets a {67,000 rebate from IowoLtinois Gas and Electric and debates what to do with it..The council reacts the LIGE ' =Wblse fee: Studies are in- Itlatad to sea U methasa gas prod- uction . at - the . sewerplant' nd the landfill would be worth It, and a study is started an hydroelectric pos-' VOGEL sibUltiss at the Coralvllle Dam. How did thew things happen and what do they mean? A well-developed method of saving money by saving energy has been around for five to 10 years now. The general approach is to offer financial in. centivos for homeowners, businesses and city departments to cut energy consumption by weatherization, less automobile driving, devel- opment -of renewable resources and offlcient technical energy management. When the Incentives are•In piece, the com- munity begins to benefit in several ways. The moneyspant on weatheritation, renewables and the like are labor intensive, and the money stays In the community. At the same time, the money spent on energy — most of which leaves the community — Is being reduced. A large energy service Industry Is built up in the community, which Is attrac- Uve to new businesses. Some examples of the numbers Involved are shown In the following chart. The Resource Conservation, Commission's Itempta'to implement this general plan over le last two years were threefold. First, It worked on a franchise fee to be part the LIGE franchise. This 1 percent fee, as is commission planned, would be used for in. intives for weatherization, renewable enegy .welopment and so on — In other words, to for the election on this issue, a study was cone on the number of houses that could benefit from weatherization and how much could be saved. Data from the Iowa Development Commis. sion, the Iowa Energy Policy Council, an ad hoe committee to negotiate a franchise with 'Iowa Illinois and a number of publications showed: The average cat per house to reduce the home heating Index would be 01,000. Yearly savings at present gas rates would be SM. There arq 9,1100 homes In Iowa City, and some 100 would be weatherised each year through the franchise fee. The data Indicates that each year 100 homes could be weatherized with an annual franchise fee of {100,000, lowering the total gas costa by {120,000 each year. It would take 20 years to complete the task on lust owner-occuplod houses, and there are an additional 10,000 rent- al units Which could benefit from wwlbariw- Non. Second, after court action age low*4111- nols, the city got a rebate from On OOMPIULU and the conservation commission developed'—s; Wien to weatherize city buildlaga and Ina method alm1Lr to the traacbin W pgor ligated. The sewer plant Ana me uma evaluated for passible methane 'pn Studies were to have begun anon to dl the magnitude of the city's subsidy to bile drivers V the form of street parld removal, street maintenance add ao 00 as r pared to the subsidy to'the city baa system How as the city council taken advantal this work? After all, N the commissions an eyes and ears of the council, as Mayor Me ala stated m hla State of the.CCy address would think they would place some Import on these efforts. Furthermors, one would I they would want to reduce the am*= money leaving the community. The city council refused to let the prop franchise fee come up for a vote to a city, Non. It has not yet decided on the rel But some want to put the money In the got fund. On renewable energy sources, the c cil has initiated two studies. Private convu firms•are'sludying methane production.N sewer plant andseparatel1yy, electrical pp production from the CoralvWe Dun. T actions were taken without notifying the aerVation commission. ApparennU ca members were unaware of t e woorrkk that already been time by the commission In t areas. " Understandably, several members of commission are upset by W of this: They I concluded that the city council don not attention to thed , work they do and ther them Is no reason to continue these at until the council starts learning from Near Ron Vagel tescbes afectricaf eagineerb Me U7JVersity allows. He is apemher s Iowa LYlyRasosxw coca rvaden CniamY �k Nook" Natural Gas mflon$1.00 $1.07 $1.00 $1.00 l $2.07 .5ideCo o .81S $ 55E4tla s ssV 59 $1.77 f7J1 The Resource Conservation, Commission's Itempta'to implement this general plan over le last two years were threefold. First, It worked on a franchise fee to be part the LIGE franchise. This 1 percent fee, as is commission planned, would be used for in. intives for weatherization, renewable enegy .welopment and so on — In other words, to for the election on this issue, a study was cone on the number of houses that could benefit from weatherization and how much could be saved. Data from the Iowa Development Commis. sion, the Iowa Energy Policy Council, an ad hoe committee to negotiate a franchise with 'Iowa Illinois and a number of publications showed: The average cat per house to reduce the home heating Index would be 01,000. Yearly savings at present gas rates would be SM. There arq 9,1100 homes In Iowa City, and some 100 would be weatherised each year through the franchise fee. The data Indicates that each year 100 homes could be weatherized with an annual franchise fee of {100,000, lowering the total gas costa by {120,000 each year. It would take 20 years to complete the task on lust owner-occuplod houses, and there are an additional 10,000 rent- al units Which could benefit from wwlbariw- Non. Second, after court action age low*4111- nols, the city got a rebate from On OOMPIULU and the conservation commission developed'—s; Wien to weatherize city buildlaga and Ina method alm1Lr to the traacbin W pgor ligated. The sewer plant Ana me uma evaluated for passible methane 'pn Studies were to have begun anon to dl the magnitude of the city's subsidy to bile drivers V the form of street parld removal, street maintenance add ao 00 as r pared to the subsidy to'the city baa system How as the city council taken advantal this work? After all, N the commissions an eyes and ears of the council, as Mayor Me ala stated m hla State of the.CCy address would think they would place some Import on these efforts. Furthermors, one would I they would want to reduce the am*= money leaving the community. The city council refused to let the prop franchise fee come up for a vote to a city, Non. It has not yet decided on the rel But some want to put the money In the got fund. On renewable energy sources, the c cil has initiated two studies. Private convu firms•are'sludying methane production.N sewer plant andseparatel1yy, electrical pp production from the CoralvWe Dun. T actions were taken without notifying the aerVation commission. ApparennU ca members were unaware of t e woorrkk that already been time by the commission In t areas. " Understandably, several members of commission are upset by W of this: They I concluded that the city council don not attention to thed , work they do and ther them Is no reason to continue these at until the council starts learning from Near Ron Vagel tescbes afectricaf eagineerb Me U7JVersity allows. He is apemher s Iowa LYlyRasosxw coca rvaden CniamY