HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-12-2016 Economic Development Committee� r ,
CITY OF IOWA CITY
UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE
1. Call to Order
AGENDA
CITY COUNCIL
ECONOMIC: DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016
1 2:00 NOON
EMMA HARVAT HALL
C[TY HALL
2. Consider approval of minutes from the June 14, 2016 Economic Development
Committee meeting
3. Consider request from Field to Family for funding
4. Staff report
5. Committee time
6. Other business
7. Adjournment
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 1
MINUTES PRELIMINARY
CITY COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
JUNE 14, 2016
EMMA HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL, 12:00 P.M.
Members Present: Rockne Cole, Susan Mims, Jim Throgmorton
Staff Present: Geoff Fruin, Wendy Ford
Others Present: Nancy Bird (ICDD); Karen Garritson (National Development Council)
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL
None
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Mims at 12:00 P.M
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes of the May 10, 2016, Economic Development meeting were reviewed. Throgmorton
noted that on the page 2 of the minutes, second full paragraph, last sentence — `...Throgmorton
stated that he believes they need to provide them'— he would like to add the word `also' after
`they' so it would read: `they also need to provide them....' He stated that he was trying to say
that some projects should directly benefit lower income residents.
Cole moved to approve the minutes as amended.
Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
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Wendy Ford spoke to Members regarding policy review process, noting that she created a memo
on how they might move forward with these focus groups. Ford also asked for feedback from
Members on how they would like to see these focus group meetings handled. She noted that
last time it was decided to have a variety of groups, one with developers, contractors, architects,
climate advocates, and various other interested stakeholders in the community. Ford suggested
that these be 90-minute meetings, and that the first 15 to 20 minutes be used as an introduction,
with a slide presentation illustrating what TIF is and some of the recent TIF projects. Ford stated
that they could then have two 35-minute discussion periods, the first of which would direct
different questions to each of the participants, and the second period would have the same
questions for participants. She asked Members if these ideas are what they have in mind in
order to obtain the information they are seeking.
Throgmorton stated that he had some recommendations for the slide presentation. Having
shared those suggestions, discussion continued around residents general understanding of TIF
and how it is used locally.
Regarding focus group facilitation, Mims added that we will need to be very flexible with these
groups as the goal is to obtain feedback. Throgmorton agreed, stating that the important aspect
of these groups is to obtain feedback about the current use of TIF. He added that he believes
they also need feedback about possible changes to how TIF is used in Iowa City.
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 2
Cole spoke to his concerns, noting that he believes they need to let participants give honest
feedback, and he wants to know exactly what they like about the process and also how they
believe the City can improve in this area. Mims agreed that the TIF process itself needs to have
honest feedback from participants.
Fruin noted that the general public is probably unaware of many of the TIF projects the City has
participated in. They generally only know about the larger projects downtown, for example. He
then noted some of the smaller projects in the area where TIF has been used.
Throgmorton agreed that they will need to present the information as factually as they can,
without any hint of leading the participants toward a conclusion, to let them provide a conclusion
themselves. All agreed to pay particular attention to the framing of questions to avoid being
leading questions.
Regarding specific focus group questions, Throgmorton questioned including the affordable
housing questions. Cole agreed, stating that he believes they have already addressed this.
Throgmorton suggested adding something to the effect that the Council recently adopted a 15%
threshold for affordable housing. Mims questioned if they shouldn't leave this more open-ended
and instead ask participants what they believe the number should be. Nancy Bird with the
Downtown District spoke to Members, stating that she believes a lot of the questions
recommended should be asked of all the entities and to let them give their honest responses.
Throgmorton suggested giving one set of questions to all participants, asking them to respond to
those that they feel are most applicable to them. Bird also suggested using SurveyMonkey to
get feedback from participants who are more comfortable giving their thoughts via this type of
tool.
Throgmorton stated that he does not believe they need to ask the question `how would you feel if
the TIF went away.' Others agreed, noting that the Council is not wanting to end TIF. Mims
asked if there are any further questions Members would like to see under `future changes.'
Throgmorton stated that for him the important thing is to get feedback regarding carbon emission
reductions, feedback on how to directly benefit low-income residents, and feedback regarding
enhanced walkability in the city — basically changes that would make the TIF policy more
consistent with the strategic plan that the Council has adopted.
Cole then spoke to `labor' and how this category should be represented. Throgmorton asked
about the specific groups that will be represented in these focus groups and when they might
know who these will be. Ford spoke to the groups being suggested under the non-profit area —
the Housing Fellowship, Shelter House, Affordable Homes Coalition, Housing Trust Fund of
Johnson County, Center for Worker Justice, Black Voices, local construction workers, and the
Iowa City Federation of Labor. Members agreed that these are the types of groups they would
like to receive feedback from. Throgmorton asked what timeframe staff are looking at for these
groups, and Ford noted that she has tentatively scheduled some dates that are about a week to
10 days apart. He asked how the three Members want to handle their participation in these
groups. Mims agreed that they should rotate through the groups so that each of them is meeting
with a couple of different focus groups.
STAFF REPORT:
Ford stated that she has received a couple of requests from non-profit groups interested in
requesting funding from the FY18 budget process. She noted that these may appear at the next
EDC meeting. Ford then spoke briefly to the `So You Want to Start a Business' series they held
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 3
recently at Kirkwood Community College. She noted that they had approximately 40 people
participate overall, with twelve people coming to all five sessions.
COMMITTEE TIME:
Cole spoke briefly to the micro -loan program, asking if there is any thought to there being a
condition attached to this that the recipients attend the five sessions on starting a business. Ford
noted that they can get a lot of information from the application on each applicant's abilities and
assess their aptitude for business. She noted the current practice of referring applicants that
seem short on business acumen to Paul Heath at the Small Business Development Center
before their applications are considered complete.
OTHER BUSINESS — set next meeting dates:
Ford asked Members to check their calendars for a possible July 12 meeting. Mims stated that
she may be out of town, but that she'll know better in the next few days. Ford will check with
Members via email.
ADJOURNMENT:
Cole moved to adjourn the meeting at 12:55 P.M.
Throgmorton seconded the motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 4
Council Economic Development Committee
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2016
TERM
N
A
N
m
NAME
EXR
rn
rn
rn
rn
Rockne Cole
01/02/18
X
X
X
X
Susan Mims
01/02/18
X
X
X
X
Jim
01/02/18
X
X
X
X
Throgmorton
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 5
r
CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
To: City Council Economic Development Committee
From: Wendy Ford, Economic Development Coordinator
Date: July 7, 2016
Re: Requests for funding Field to Family
Introduction
Field to Family sent the following letter requesting funding for the annual Local Foods Festival in
September, 2016 and to be considered for $20,000 in the FY18 budget cycle. Field to Family is
a local organization whose mission is to create a more local, healthy and sustainable regional
food system. Their signature event, the Local Foods Festival, has changed through the years,
but has always had the goals of connecting food producers and users, educating the community
on the benefits of local foods and of celebrating the local food economy. The Local Foods
Festival has not previously been supported with City funding.
Background and Discussion
Staff reviewed the request against possible funding sources and the policies and purposes of
those funding sources.
Local Food Initiatives Funding
Field to Family was recently the recipient of $5,000 from the City's new Local Foods Initiatives
fund for support of the Share the Harvest Dinner.
The City's new $25,000 Local Foods Initiatives Fund was budgeted with instructions from City
Council to partner with the County on Local Foods Initiatives. The Share the Harvest Dinner was
identified by the City and County as a way to build community, promote local foods and highlight
local businesses. Thus, staff authorized the $5,000 City expenditure for the Field to Family
Event.
As background, the Local Foods Initiatives Fund also recently funded $5,000 for "Double Up
Food Bucks," a program that enables SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
recipients to get twice the value of their SNAP dollars at the Iowa City Farmer's Markets. This
program was pursued as a partnership between the City and the County and was funded by the
Local Foods Initiatives Fund when an outside grant for the program was denied. It benefits low
income residents with twice the buying power at the farmers markets, farmers with customers
who have twice the buying power, and it keeps those dollars in the local economy.
Staff has $15,000 remaining in Local Foods Initiatives Fund for FY17 and is working with the
County on other possible uses that will meet Council criteria. While the Local Foods Initiative
Fund still has a fund balance, it seems somewhat duplicative to source a funding request for the
Local Foods Festival from the same source that funded the Share the Harvest Dinner, a
fundraiser itself, in part for Field to Family.
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 6
Economic Development Opportunity Funding
The request came to the Economic Development Committee, which also oversees the
Economic Development Opportunity fund for unbudgeted economic development opportunities.
The balance in the FY17 fund could accommodate the request; however, requests for these
funds are typically geared to specific businesses or relate to attracting employers of jobs that
pay at or above the Laborshed median wage. If the program was geared to a specific business
with specific employment goals, then we would agree this could be a fit for Economic
Development Opportunity funds.
Recommendation
Staff agrees the mission of Field to Family is good; it is designed to serve a diverse population
and help build awareness about the important local food economy.
Staff reviewed three years of financial statements from Field to Family to analyze patterns in
income and expenses and has concerns about committing additional City funding to the
organization. Additionally, the sources of possible funding and the fact that one source has
already been tapped and the other is not typically used for this kind of funding request present
challenges. As a result, staff cannot recommend funding the $5,000 request with either Local
Foods Initiative funding or Economic Development Opportunity funds.
Similarly, staff cannot recommend budgeting $20,000 for next year's festival unless the City
Council pursues significantly more funding for Local Foods Initiatives during the budget process.
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 7
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HELMoNmiLy
PO Box 93 Iowa City, IA 52244 319.325.2701 www.fieldtofamily.org
June 9, 2016
Dear Wendy Ford, City of Iowa City, Economic Development Coordinator
I am writing to request support from the Council Economic Development Committee for our annual Local
Foods Festival, held in Iowa City, IA in September. Field to Family's festival has taken many forms throughout
the years, but it has always been an event that connects those in our food system, educates the
community on the health benefits of local foods and celebrates our local food economy. This year's event
runs from September 11-17, 2016.
Last year's event included our first annual Local Food Fair, held alongside and during the Iowa City
Farmer's Market. Over a dozen organizations, grocery stores and caterers attended to showcase the
vibrant and growing community in local foods. Over 2,000 citizens came through and learned ways to
support area farmers, volunteer for Farm to School and other related non -profits, and find locally grown
products in our area. Grocery stores offered food samples and nutrition advice. If was truly a showcase of
our local foods community.
As in previous years, we hold two fundraisers during our Festival: The Culinary Walk and Share the Harvest
Dinner. We also partner with the city to include agriculture -based educational entities as part of the annual
Kid's Day at the Iowa City Farmer's Market. Last year's event was like no other with several new partners
and collaborators setting up booths and offering hands-on learning activities for the whole family. Field to
Family worked with Johnson County Public Health to include fun lessons in gardening and identifying foods
grown in Iowa. We set up our annual Farm to School market stand and sold produce from six school
gardens.
With the growing interest in local foods, we will add "Local Lunch & Learns" to this year's festival. Monday -
Friday over lunch we will offer a free speaker or panel on a local foods topic with the option to purchase
lunch from a caterer that features local ingredients at a downtown location. We are very excited to add
this component to our Festival. Examples of topics will cover:
• Components of a healthy food system;
• Local Food at the Retail Level;
• Basics of starting a new local food based business;
• Urban Agriculture;
• Farming direct to consumer in Johnson County;
• Agri -tourism in Johnson County;
• Community gardens, edible landscapes;
We are requesting $5,000 for sponsorship of our 2016 Festival. Sponsorships cover the costs of Festival events
but also fund our primary programs: Farm to School and Local Food Finder.
Our Farm to School program is the official chapter of the Iowa City Community School District and works to
(1) support school gardens in order to teach kids where their food comes from, encourage kids to eat more
fresh fruits and vegetables and to provide gardening experience; (2) increase the amount of fresh, local
food that students eat by working with Food Service Directors to add more locally -sourced fresh foods to
school lunch menus by 5 percent from 2014levels: (2) Increase the number of students in the school district
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 8
who receive lessons and hands-on activities teaching the components of a healthy and sustainable
community food system through our Farmer Fairs.
We host an annual school garden workshop every April, conduct an assessment of all school gardens in the
district, and support the development and maintenance of school gardens. We also host educational
workshops in elementary schools called "Farmer Fairs", in -school field trips where the entire school
population spends the afternoon tasting freshly harvested foods, meeting and learning from local farmers
and learning about soil health and its role in growing food, among the 6 total workshops offered as part of
the event. To date, we have held 12 Farmer Fairs in 10 elementary schools since we formed the chapter in
2010. Our Farm to School Coordinator works closely with ICCSD's Nutrition Services Director to procure local
foods for the school lunch menu. Local apples, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, sweet corn
and zucchini were all included in the lunch menu last year, indicated by a small tractor, with plans to
increase a minimum of 5% annually.
Field to Family's mission is to strengthen our local food system, create stronger connections to where our
food is grown, the farmer who is growing it and the greater community. Farm to School works to create
these connections to our younger population. Our Local Food Finder connects families with local farmers
through our continuously updated listing of farms and farmers growing food in our food shed (within 50-75
miles(. There are other farm directories out there, but ours is unique in that it only includes farmers local to
the Iowa City/ Cedar Rapids region. Our Local Food Finder has connected thousands to local farmers, with
over 8,000 hits last year. In 2016 alone we have added 8 new farms, updated 32 listings and included local
foods -based businesses such as food trucks and caterers. We offer listings free to farmers, restaurants and
other local food -based businesses and free to consumers, easily available on-line, with staff time to
maintain it covered by our Local Foods Festival sponsors and fundraisers.
We have worked with many organizations, businesses and farmers throughout the years to pull off our
annual festival. A few of these include: UI College of Public Health, Kirkwood Community College, New
Pioneer Food Co-op, Iowa City Area Development Group, University of Iowa Office of Sustainability, Iowa
State University Extension & Outreach- Johnson County, ZJ Farms, Sass Family Farms, Scattergood Friends
Farm and School, Backyard Abundance, Local Foods Connection, Echollective Farm, Hy-Vee, Practical
Farmers of Iowa, Grow: Johnson County, Edible Iowa Magazine, Iowa City Press -Citizen, Little Village
Magazine, Alliance for Healthy Living, Blank& McCune, Prairie Lights, Big Grove Brewery, Blue Zones Iowa
City, Sheraton Hotel, Seed Savers Exchange, Hills Bank, IMU Food Service, Iowa Valley RC&D, SILT, Kolono
Organics, numerous chefs, authors, restaurants and more. We realize there are many other potential
partners in Iowa City we can include and collaborate with and hope to add several new partners in 2016
and beyond.
We have heard from many in the culinary arts and local foods community that our annual festival needs to
be greatly expanded into a larger -scale celebration, providing a highly visible showcase of our available,
abundant, locally -grown food, a stronger connection to and involvement of local farmers as well as
educational opportunities in urban agriculture, edible landscaping, cooking, creating learning gardens
and food preservation and so much more. In order to meet this challenge, we are requesting an additional
$20,000 to support a 2017 Local Foods Festival that will strive to meet the gold standard of a community
festival. This funding will be leveraged in new partnerships, community collaborations, grant applications
and community donation drives to ensure we can create a local foods festival that our community can be
proud of, that can become an economic driver, bringing in visitors from throughout the region and
showcase our vibrant, delicious and abundant local foods scene. This type of festival celebrates healthy
foods, healthy soil and Iowa's unique connection to our land. We hope to have your support in this
endeavor.
Please contact me with any questions about our request.
Sincerely,
Michelle Kenyon
Program Director, Field to Family
Coordinator, ICCSD Farm to School Chapter
EDC 7.12.16 packet
page 9