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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-02-19 Transcription#2 Page 1 ITEM 2 OUTSTANDING STUDENT CITIZENSHIP AWARDS -Regina Elementary Bailey: Will the students from Regina Elementary please come forward. Well, thanks for coming out. It's a very icy night, and I have Abbie Volland, our Student Liaison from the University to help us do these awards. So, we'll start first with your statements. You want to start, Grace? Larew: Okay. Hello, my name is Grace Larew. I'm in sixth grade at Regina Elementary. Uh, throughout my life I have always tried to be a good citizen in my community. I sing in the Youth Choir and I'm currently an alter server at my church. I have played the piano at Mercy Hospital and helped at apre-school soccer camp. Every year I run in Run for the Schools. I work hard in school and get good grades. I always try to get along with others in my class. My grandma also lives with us, and I try to be as helpful as I can to her. Thank you for choosing me for this award. (applause) Pugh: My name is Joe Pugh. My teacher, Mrs. Carpenter, nominated me for the Outstanding Student Citizen Award because she thinks I'm an excellent student, a good person, a strong leader, and a role model for others. I'm also the Student Council President. Last fall, I was a captain on my school football team. I'm the oldest of four kids in my family. I help my mom and dad out by doing chores, babysitting, and taking care of our dog. I play several sports throughout the year. I play the piano and trumpet. I'm also an alter server at St. Mary's. I'd like to thank Mrs. Carpenter for nominating me for this special award. Thank you. (applause) Deninger: Hi, my name is Reed Deninger, and I think I was nominated for this award for these reasons. I am a big brother, a student, an athlete, and a Boy Scout. I'm the oldest child in my family. I have both a brother and a sister. They are both very special to me, and I do my best to be a good big brother. I'm a good student and I work hard to always do my best work at school and learn as much as possible...as I can. Um, I'm a participant in both soccer and football. I work hard to be a good teammate and a good sport. I'm a Boy Scout. Boy Scouts strive to live up to many principles that I believe in, such as being trustworthy and helping others. I believe that I have been nominated for this award because I strive to be the best I can at home and school and in life. Thank you. (applause) Volland: All right, I'm going to read the award to you. Congratulations to all of you. They all have your name on it, but they say the same thing. For their outstanding qualities of leadership, with Regina Elementary, as well as the community, and for their sense of responsibility and helpfulness to others, we recognize you as an outstanding student citizen. Your community is proud of you. Presented by the Iowa City City Council. (applause) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #2 Page 2 There's a rumor that Reed is in the seventh generation of Iowa Citians in his family. That's pretty exciting! (laughter) (applause) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #3 Page 3 ITEM 3 CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS PRESENTED OR AMENDED. Correia: Move adoption of the Consent Calendar. Hayek: Second. Bailey: Moved by Correia, seconded by Hayek. Discussion? I would just like to note for those of us very weary of winter that we are, um, approving some sidewalk cafes. So spring is certainly on its way. We can guarantee that! (laughter) Roll call. Motion carries 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #4 Page 4 ITEM 4 COMMUNITY COMMENT (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA). Bailey: This is a time for items that are not on tonight's agenda. If you want to address something that is not on the agenda, please approach the podium, state your name for the record, and limit your comments to five minutes or less. Cannon: Hi there. My name's Adam Cannon. I live at, uh, 1405 Aberdeen Court, and uh, what I'd like to talk about is, um, snow removal, as it pertains to cul-de-sacs, and um, I've had some discussion with the people at the Streets Department about this, and I think they're doing a good job executing their plan of snow removal, but the issue that I have is with the plan itself, and I think it's under-serving of cul-de-sacs. Um, let me explain. What happens is they have a map, which has three different priorities of streets. The red streets get plowed first, those are the arterial streets. Um, another 80% of the streets are blue streets, and those are kind of where everyone lives, just typical non-cul-de-sac streets, and then there's a green streets, which represent maybe 1 or 2% of all the roads in the town. Okay? And those are the cul-de-sacs, and those, they don't start to plow those until every other street in town has been completed, okay? So that in itself creates a challenge, but the real trouble lies in what happens when they actually start to plow the cul-de-sacs. What happens then is, these big sander trucks, these dump trucks, they come up the cul- de-sac and when they get to the circle, they stop, they do about a 15-point turn, and then they go back and they don't plow the circle because the dump trucks can't actually, these big plow trucks, can't actually go around the circle, so then it takes about another 24 hours to come back with these big endloaders, okay? And, from what I've seen, these endloaders have a very large turning radius and they aren't able to actually, it takes a long time, even with these gigantic uh machines to clear a cul-de-sac, and so...and I understand they have five of these machines to do every cul-de- sac in town. So what happens, a typical day, a typical snowfall, you wake up in the morning, there's snow. Um, the sanding truck won't come up our street until say 3:00, 4:00 P.M. that day, okay? And then the next day, so you're stuck in your house all day. Then the next day, um, generally school's back in business, the buses are out driving around. Everyone else can get out of their driveway, but we're still stuck in our house for another day. So, um, and that's the problem I have, you know, usually employers are pretty understanding about that first day, you know, when...when, you know, school's closed and...and people can't get to work on time, but that second day, if we can't get to work that second day, and um, you know, our daycare provider also lives on a cul-de-sac, so uh, we get...my family's been stranded three times this year trying to either get out of our driveway or get to, uh, to our daycare provider, and uh, I guess it seems to me that, you know, I'd like to have someone look at that process and say, okay, if we don't have the ideal vehicles for doing cul-de-sacs, maybe we This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #4 Page 5 ought to start addressing them sooner in the process, knowing that we have inefficient vehicles for clearing that cul-de-sac, um, in that we only have five of those vehicles, um, the other...the other item is, I feel like, you know, the bike trails are being cleared a day before I can get out of my house, and I understand that that's a different department, that's rec...recreation, but could some of those resources be utilized during these, um, emergency snow events, where we have, you know, eight inches of snow fall? And, um, you know, for small snow falls, three to four inches, it's not a big deal. We can get in and out, but when we get this six to eight inch snowfall, we're literally trapped in our house for two days, and so, uh, that's all I have. So, I'll let you comment on that. Bailey: We are going to look at snow removal, and we'll add cul-de-sacs to the list, and we're going to have a big discussion about snow removal in the city. I mean, it's on everybody's mind this year, so, thanks for your comments. Cannon: Thank you. Hayek: Thank you. Bailey: Other comments from the public? Magalhaes: Good evening. My name is Shaner Magalhaes. I'm with the Johnson County Historical Society, and I'm here on behalf of the Planning Committee for Irving Weber Days, which includes several organizations, the Iowa City Public Library, Friends of Historic Preservation, the Iowa Project on Place Studies, and of course, the Johnson County Historical Society. We want to, uh, thank the City Council for your decision to invest, um, a few more City dollars in Irving Weber Days, starting in FY09. We are very excited about, uh, making this an even bigger festival. LTh, as you know, it's a great way to honor Irving Weber's legacy, and also the importance of history and that kind of thing in our community, and uh, we just want to make it an even bigger, uh, festival, um, so we continue to receive lots of positive feedback after the Council's decision, uh, about this opportunity to, uh, grow Irving Weber Days, and to me that's evidence that it is a really great investment. Uh, in the meantime, of course, we're planning for Irving Weber Days for this year, uh, just wanted to let you know that, uh, you know, we aren't waiting `til next year to get started on, uh, bringing in some more exciting things. So, for example, this year we are reinstating the, uh, Ice Cream Social and Band, which was a big hit in previous years, and we're tentatively looking at that for May 31St. Uh, so if anybody wants to sing that evening, you know, the stage will be open. Ross, maybe, can be available to do some singing that evening. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #4 Page 6 Wilburn: I'm with Community Band, so I'll be on... Magalhaes: You'll be playing! Okay, that's good! (several talking and laughing) Connie'll sing? Good, all right! (laughter) Well, again, I just wanted to thank you for your,. uh, your support and the investment. It's a great, uh, community event and reiterate my previous, uh, invitation that if any City Council Members have some thoughts about specific activities, either for this year or for next year, uh, we'd love to hear them. So, thank you very much. Champion: Thank you. I won't sing, but I can dance! (laughter and several talking) Magalhaes: Okay, that's on the record! (laughter) Bailey: Other comments? Okay, let's move on to Planning and Zoning matters. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 7 ITEM 5 PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS. a) AMENDING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO INCLUDE THE UPDATED HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN. 1. PUBLIC HEARING Bailey: This is a public hearing. Public hearing is open. Davidson: Thank you, Madame Mayor. Uh, I thought we'd start the events this evening by just having a brief presentation on what is in the Plan, and then open for public comments. I had just a couple of remarks to make, prior to, uh, Bob Miklo, who's the Acting, uh, City staff person assigned to Historic Preservation, and Tim Weitzel, who's the, uh, Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission. They are here to provide the more detailed, uh, comments and answer any questions you have. Um, you know, we all know that we have, um, you know, the most attractive, livable older neighborhoods in the state in this town. It's not uncommon to go to about any town in this state and find maybe a single stately, older neighborhood, uh, that...that perhaps has had some preservation attention paid to it. What's unique about Iowa City is that we have many neighborhoods with a complete, uh, a range of economic, uh, economic, uh, people from various economic strata, as well as age groups, that live in these neighborhoods. They're not just wealthy stately neighborhoods, but they're very, very intact. Great places to live, where property values, uh, increase on a regular basis, and this, we don't believe this has been by accident, but that the Preservation Plan has had a lot to do with it. Uh, the City's first Preservation Plan was adopted in 1992. This was a model plan for the rest of the state, and was used as such. There's a statement in the introduction to that plan, that to conserve old buildings makes a good community better, and uh, 15 years later, you know, we think that those words still ring...ring very true, and are applicable for the new Plan that you have to consider this evening. Out of the 92 Plan came several new historic districts -Brown Street, College Green, College Hill, Longfellow - some of you live in those neighborhoods and are very familiar with them. Um, also the notion of the conservation districts, which are supporting districts for the, uh, historic districts, as well as individual landmarks. Uh, there are now over 1,100 properties that are provided additional protection from the Preservation Plan. Uh, we began a couple of years ago to discuss the updating of the 92 Plan. We figured 15 years later was certainly time, uh, to do that. Uh, we had a consultant hired to assist with that process. I think most importantly there was an extensive community process. Uh, it involved neighborhood meetings, interviews with developers, realtors, business owners, City Council Members, P&Z Members, neighborhood representatives, the University - a complete spectrum of the community was involved in the update of the Plan, and we believe that's very significant. The Plan is intended to guide the work of This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 8 the Historic Preservation Commission, and it also recognizes that the Plan has to be a community effort. Um, because of that, the Plan includes goals that require action on the part of the State Historical Society, the University, neighborhood associations, non-profits...groups such as Friends of Historic Preservation, and we feel all of these elements are essential, and I know you have some questions, and you should definitely raise those this evening, about our Plan including initiatives by these other organizations, but we think, uh, that is appropriate, and...and Bob can answer questions about that. Um, you know, the full Plan, if you've had a chance to take a look at it, is a daunting document. I believe it's about 190 pages, uh, and there is a lot of information in there. I think, and...and there are a number of goals and action steps, but I think there are five themes that...that can be...you can focus on really five themes. One is to tell the good news. Um, you know the regulatory aspects of...of Preservation Plan, uh, can be controversial, and we know that, and you should raise any questions you have about the regulatory aspects this evening, but we do feel like that should not overshadow the benefits of the Preservation Plan. Um, you know, a perfect example is what happened on Iowa Avenue with the tornado, and we've all seen the classic before and after photos, and those are very compelling, and we...and we really feel like the efforts of the Historic Preservation Commission and through the Preservation Plan were very significant in that. Streamline the process - uh, you know, that's a criticism, uh, of the City sometimes, and we believe that we can reduce the length of the Historic Preservation design and review process, and the Plan update addresses that specifically. Obviously, the focus is on neighborhood preservation, tapping the economic development potential of the City's historic resources, and...and finally, and maybe most importantly, uh, let's learn from ourselves. You know, we've got 15 years into this Plan. What has worked? What has not worked? What has the public been saying? And these are all things that are taken into consideration with the Plan update, uh, and I hope that you will find them compelling. So, with that I will turn it over to Bob. Miklo: I would like to point out that the, uh, the Plan is available online at the City's web site, and copies are also available at the Planning and Community Development department here at City Hall. I'd like to, uh, briefly outline some of the major, um, goals of the Plan. Um, the first goal of the Plan is...as was the case in 92, is to first identify the historic resources that we have, and there are some obvious ones, such as The Oaks, Grant Wood House that everybody's familiar with, but then there are also some maybe less obvious ones, such as the Wetherby House, uh, that was...the significance of that was uncovered last year, just before it was to be torn down, um, and we have a goal in the Plan to identify, uh, historic resources, before it gets to that point, so we can plan ahead and take measures to, uh, preserve them, or uh, document them if they are to be removed. Another goal is, once we identify those historic resources, is This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 9 to protect them through our regulations. Examples would be our zoning overlay, um, regulations for historic districts, establishing historic and conservation districts, and also the establishment of landmarks, where an individual building is not in a historic district, but on its own is significant enough to declare a landmark, and we have several of those here in the city. Another goal is to provide some economic incentives for, uh, historic preservation, to uh, promote programs that are already in place, such as the Federal Tax Credits and grant programs, um, to make people aware that those programs are available to assist in the preservation of historic properties. But the Plan also proposes that we develop some local incentive programs, uh, taxing abatement, uh, or grant programs, or revolving loan programs that could help individual property owners, uh, rehab, rehabilitate a historic property. Uh, the Plan also talks about the economic development potential of our historic neighborhoods, and downtown, and that's something that we could tap. For example, uh, marketing downtown as a historic area, um, and to promote that beyond Iowa City in the state and...and the nation. Another goal of the plan is to provide technical assistance. Once properties are identified and there's some regulation of them, to help the property owner in, uh, the methods that are best used to preserve those buildings. Um, and that can be done through out staff, our...our, um, staff person for the Historic Preservation Commission, and some Commissioners themselves, provide some expertise in this area. Um, the Plan encourages using the Internet to provide, um, information, technical information, to uh, property owners and to get the word out about the value of historic properties. It also suggests that we offer how-to workshops, in cooperation with Friends of Historic Preservation as, uh, educational efforts, again, to help, uh, people with their historic properties, and to use our local government channel to broadcast that information. Um, it also suggests that we, um, use illustrations and guidebooks to assist people with the, uh, regulatory process and as Jeff said, to streamline that process, which I'll address in a little bit. Um, one of the, um, the, uh, lessons learned from the tornado is that when several properties are affected, uh, the work of the Commission and the community is great in terms of preserving properties. So the Commission came up with some... some strategies to help that process along. Examples, uh, a good example would be, uh, apre-approved garage, uh, design. That's one of the more common applications in our historic and conservation districts, so the Commission developed, uh, a design, or a number of designs, that could be used, uh, by homeowners so that they wouldn't have to go out and hire an architect to design, uh, a garage. Uh, they certainly can do that if they want something unique to their property, uh, but there are a number of designs that would be pre- approved. Um, another issue that the Commission has dealt with quite a bit is replacement windows. So, the Plan proposed a number of ways to provide different alternatives for replacement, um, windows in the future. Another goal of the Plan is to increase public awareness and education, to This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 10 uh, tell the community about the value of our historic properties. It suggests using programs and celebrations, such as Irving B. Weber Days, uh, to get the word out about our local history and our historic buildings that represent that. It suggests that we develop a walking tour for downtown in our historic neighborhoods. Um, that could be used, again, to promote economic development in our...in our downtown. And it suggests that we continue programs such as our historic markers in our Longfellow neighborhood, and the, uh, street signs in Goosetown and Northside neighborhood, again, to promote awareness of historic properties. The Plan also contains a number of objectives for the University and surrounding neighborhoods. Um, although the...the City does not regulate University property through zoning, uh, the Commission felt in 1992, and then again with this update, that it was important to provide some direction and advice to the University in terms of its historic resources, given that the University is such a large part of our community and has such a great influence on the community, and also happens to contain a number of historic properties. Um, the Plan encourages the University to continue to document those historic properties, and where appropriate, to identify, um, reuses of historic buildings on campus and off campus, so that they could continue to be part of our community. Um, the Plan notes that many universities have developed programs to encourage their faculty and staff to live near their campus as a way of keeping the, um, neighborhoods near campus healthy and vibrant. Um, this Plan proposed that the University consider a similar program, and I'll talk about that a little bit under...under "neighborhood stabilization." The Plan also talks about Heritage Tours, and we have some real obvious examples through, um, Old Capitol and Plum Grove, but the Plan says that there are, uh, there are opportunities beyond that. There are opportunities in our downtown to promote, uh, our historic buildings, and that that's beneficial for our restaurant and our lodging industry, and our bed-and-breakfasts benefit, um, from such programs. Neighborhood preservation is an important goal of the Plan. It's, uh, the Plan recognizes that it will take, uh, amulti-pronged approach to maintain the stability of our older neighborhoods, um, it suggests, um, this is necessary in order to keep these neighborhoods viable as our housing market expands and there are all sorts of new options available to, uh, homebuyers. The, uh, the Plan recommends that, uh, neighborhood preservation techniques that have been used successfully in other communities, such as low-interest loan programs to attract homebuyers to historic neighborhoods, um, technical assistance programs, and enforcement of codes that affect quality of life, and all of these are necessary in order to...to keep these neighborhoods, uh, viable. Uh, this is especially important, uh, where conditions indicate...where housing conditions indicate that there may be a need for reinvestment, where there's been, uh, some decline in...in, uh, housing conditions. Uh, the Plan also points out that, uh, such a program is important for first-time homebuyers where in neighborhoods such as This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 11 Goosetown where they're competing with investment properties for rental properties that, uh, this is a good source of affordable housing stock, and therefore, uh, um, there should be an effort to make sure it is available, uh, for individuals and families that...that want a smaller, affordable house. The, uh, Plan has a number of detailed recommendations about individual neighborhoods, and uh, there...as noted in the Plan, there are some goals and objectives that are, apply to all of these neighborhoods, uh, but then there are some that are tailored to the specific neighborhood, given the needs of those areas, and it goes along with our overall, uh, Comprehensive Plan theme of...that we are a city of neighborhoods and it's important to...to preserve neighborhoods. Um, finally, the...the Plan talks about the benefits of historic preservation and why it's important in a community, such as ours. Um, our historic buildings and neighborhoods are one of the things that make us unique. Um, uh, a unique community different from any other, and maybe one of the reasons why we are known for our quality of life. Uh, the Plan talks about, um, conserving these older neighborhoods, and, uh, promoting community stability. Um, as I said, historic neighborhoods provide an opportunity for affordable housing. Neighborhoods like Goosetown and Longfellow, uh, because of their older and smaller housing stock, tend to be more affordable than new construction. Um, the...the Plan, again, illustrates the economic benefits of historic preservation, that it does provide opportunities for work for craftsmen and restoring homes, um, that there are some economic development opportunities for downtown, in terms of promoting historic preservation, and that preservation brings money into the community through tourism and through programs such as the state funding that was available after the tornado recovery, that...that wouldn't have been available for anon-historic area. Um, so with that, I'd like to, uh, turn this over to Tim, see if he has any additional comments he'd like to elaborate on, or um, any questions that you might have with Tim and myself. Weitzel: Um, I'm Tim Weitzel, the Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission. Um, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I think this has been very comprehensive, what Jeff and Bob have given you. Um, I do encourage you to take the time you need though. This is a large document, and um, it's complex, and there's at least 14 points that are new topics, new concepts. Um, and a lot of it is also building on the past. Um, I just would encourage you though not to look at it as a, as a sort of a "pass/fail" sort of document where we grade what we've done in the past, and if we haven't gotten there yet, we're not doing our job. Uh, I think it's much more of a, it's a guidepost. It's a general direction to head in. We can't necessarily always anticipate everything that's going to happen, um, so some things take longer than others to get done. Um, but uh, I think with that, um, open it up to questions. Bailey: Questions for Bob or Tim, or Jeff? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 12 Correia: I had a question. There are a lot of goals and objectives in here. Weitzel: Yes. Correia: And so, my question is, will the, in terms of process, will the Historic Preservation Commission be developing a work plan to prioritize which, because you can't work on all of those goals and objectives all at the same time. Weitzel: Typically we have an annual work plan. Correia: Okay. Weitzel: Um, I think Bob can talk about the method of prioritizing those goals. Miklo: In fact, the Commission had one scheduled last week, but we rescheduled it because of Valentine's Day, but the Commission has used this in the past, has used the 92 Plan to identify three or four major, um, goals or objectives to address in that year. They then present that to the Council, and move forward, if you give it your blessing. So, yes, that's the intent is to break it down into smaller components. Bailey: Well, and building off of Amy's question, you noted that some of these goals are necessarily our goals, they're goals for the community or goals that we won't, or the Historic Preservation Commission, won't necessarily work on. So how do you handle those? I mean, um, how will we promote those goals in the community? Weitzel: As the consultant has described those, those are sort of broad themed goals. They are sort of an outline for cooperation with these other entities, uh, say Friends of Historic Preservation or the University of Iowa, and um, it's not that...it's worth pursuing, whether we can get there or not. Um, it's...so... Bailey: You aren't...I mean, the Historic Preservation Commission, for example, is not going to probably pursue Heritage Tourism. I mean, is that... Weitzel: Well, there are ways that we could help with that. For instance, um, we could, uh, pursue some grant programs that would pay for signage, and then we can mark trails. And then those trails can be promoted as a tourist destination kind of stop. Um, also, coordinating with things such as the Englert, which is a historic building, but also provide Heritage Tourism. Um, Plum Grove and the Old Capitol already bring a lot of people to town. Bailey: Other questions? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Champion: A lot to go through. Page 13 Weitzel: It is, and...uh, again, there are multiple agencies, Johnson County Historical Society and...and a number of other things too. We can't control them, but we can certainly partner with them. Wright: It is a lot to go through. I'm very impressed with what the Commission (unable to hear) Weitzel: Well, um, the consultant did the first Plan in 92, and um, she built on that, and then the same firm, the planning and, um, attorney firm, Cleary Associates, also provided a lot of support for, um, some of the more, the professional details. Bailey: Other questions? Okay. We'll open it up to comments from the public. This is a public hearing, if you want to speak to the...to the Historic Preservation Plan. I see a lot of people who might be interested in doing so. Briggs: My name is Jackie Briggs. Um, I'm here as a homeowner who lives in the Northside. I'm here to show support for the updated Historic Preservation Plan. I'm aware that some people have raised a, uh, compatibility issue about historic preservation and affordable housing. Um, to my mind, the two are not mutually exclusive. Historic preservation when done right seeks to maintain a neighborhood's character and diversity, and to create a bulwark against commercial interests that artificially inflate housing costs, by converting single-family houses into subdivided units. So when a family is bidding in a neighborhood for a house, they're bidding against landlords who are willing to pay a higher price for income-generating properties. Ideally, older neighborhoods in Iowa City should comprise a mix of rentals and owner-occupied houses. Historic Preservation regulations help assure that owners, homeowners that the value of their properties and the strengths of the surrounding neighborhoods will be maintained, and they provide guidelines and incentives for responsible landlords. None of us who are in support of historic preservation are against affordable housing, rather we see the two efforts as going hand-in- hand. Thank you. Bailey: Other comments? 2. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION Hayek: Um, as we, uh, discussed in our work session, these materials are voluminous and I think the consensus of, uh, folks on Council that we need a little more time to review this, and to that end, I would move to This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #5 Page 14 continue the public hearing, and defer consideration of the Resolution until our March 4"' meeting. Wilburn: Second. Bailey: It's been moved by Hayek, seconded by Wilburn. Discussion on that? Okay, roll call. Karr: It's a motion. Bailey: Motion, um, all those in favor say aye. Those opposed same sign. Motion carries. We'll continue the public hearing to March 3~a, and have further discussion. Karr: Can we have a motion to accept correspondence? Champion: So moved. Correia: Second. Bailey: Okay, all those in favor say aye. Okay. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #6 Page 15 ITEM 6 TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 2008 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2009, THE PROPOSED THREE-YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN, AND ALSO THE MULTI-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2012. PUBLIC HEARING Bailey: This is a public hearing. (pounds gavel) Public hearing is open. I think it would be helpful, um, since these documents don't look the same as the budget that we spent a lot of time on in January, if Kevin would walk us through these documents that we have in our... O'Malley: Yes, I know, uh, our budget document actually has quite a bit of information in it, but the State kind of manages us. The Department of Management, um, has to compile 950 cities, and to do that, they have to use standardized forms. Some of the cities actually use these forms as their budget document. It's not very informative. But the two forms that I'd really like to speak about are the ones that are in our public hearing notice. This is our actual budget, um, that was in the book. The first page says notice of public hearing budget estimate. This page tells us the program activity, the $190 million that we're going to spend. Now, we can't spend any more than that now since we published this, although, on July 1St, if you have some amendments, you can amend it. But for tonight's purposes, this is the most you can expend. The second page is one, the, uh, the option of budget and certification of City taxes is another document that explains the actual dollars from each tax levy. This is a total number of dollars you can actually, um, receive next year. It can't go up after this hearing request. The remaining pages are details that summarize in a pyramid-type fashion. It speaks about our individual revenues and our individual items within our nine program areas. Are there any questions about these forms? Bailey: Does anybody have.. . O'Malley: They're kind of fun, if you like to do Sudoku or something like that. (laughter and several talking) no, it's not that easy. Actually, Sudoku's easier. Bailey: Okay, any questions? Champion: Good job! O'Malley: They do have a meaning to the people in the state, and that's what we're here for. We're a political subdivision of the State, and we have to play by their rules. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #6 Bailey: O'Malley: Bailey: Champion: Wright: Bailey: Page 16 Okay. Thanks, Kevin. Thank you. Any other comments regarding the budget? I think this is probably the first year I haven't seen somebody at the budget public hearing. Public hearing is closed (pounds gavel). We will vote on the resolution adopting the budget. Move the resolution. Second. No, we'll vote on this on March 4cn Champion: Oh, not until next time? (several commenting) Bailey: That's what I was just going to say, when we...we separated the public hearing from the vote, so...except we didn't have anybody this week. Okay. But now we have a better understanding of the State forms. So.. . Wilburn: I'm intrigued with the Sudoku version of the, uh, budget. You could be on to something there, Kevin! Bailey: Maybe it's a new revenue stream. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #7 Page 17 ITEM 7 ASSESSING A $300.00 CIVIL PENALTY AGAINST DELIMART #2. a) CONDUCT HEARING Bailey: This is a hearing, and we'll hear from Andy Chappel regarding this... Chappel: Hi, my name is Andy Chappel from the Johnson County Attorney's office. As most of you know, I know we have a couple of new faces, but uh, when your City Police Department does compliance checks, uh, in an attempt to sell, uh, have, uh, 16-year-olds often purchase tobacco from local...local vendors, uh, unfortunately sometimes we have a few sales, you know, couple before you when an employee of a business sells or provides tobacco to a minor, um, against, or in violation of Iowa Code Section 453A.2, then the business is assessed a civil penalty, um, pursuant to 453A.22, um, the civil penalty depends on how many other times that has happened with that particular business, within a certain period of time. Uh, this first business to night is Delimart #2. There are several Delimarts. There's, the next one which is just Delimart and then I think all the way up to maybe Delimart #5, um, but in this particular instance, an employee sold tobacco to an underage person on December l Ot" 2007, uh, again that's a violation of Iowa Code Section 453A.2. This is the first violation for this business within a certain period...within a two-year period. If we go back far enough, and I think even maybe to a prior owner, um, you might find another violation, but it's been long enough that it doesn't count against them. This is considered a first violation for the purpose of 453A.22, so in that case, I would recommend that the Council assess a $300.00 civil penalty. This is a hearing, um, I've presented all I present, and if there's anyone here on behalf of Delimart #2, this is the time for them to speak, and I can also answer any questions you may have. Bailey: Are there questions for Andy? Hayek: Is this a strict liability, uh, a provision of the Iowa Code? Chappel: Essentially, yes. As long as, as long as you're convinced that the, uh, that there was a violation of 453A.2, then you're required to assess a civil penalty. If the City Council does not assess the civil penalty within a certain time period, jurisdiction goes to the State, and then the, uh, Attorney General's office comes in and they handle, and then you don't get to, the money goes elsewhere. Bailey: Is there anyone here from the business to present? Okay. Seeing no one, we'll close the hearing, and entertain a resolution. b) CONSIDER A RESOLUTION This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #~ Page 18 Wilburn: Move adoption of the resolution. Bailey: Moved by Wilburn. Champion: Second. Correia: Second. Bailey: Seconded by Correia. Any further discussion? Roll call. Item carries 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #8 Page 19 ITEM 8 ASSESSING A $300.00 CIVIL PENALTY AGAINST DELIMART. a) CONDUCT HEARING Bailey: This is a hearing. Go ahead, Andy. Chappel: Delimart, this one is on Highway 1 West, uh, the employee sold tobacco to a minor on December 11th 2007, um, and on both of these I've provided certified copies of the conviction, which I get from the Clerk of Court to the City Attorney for, uh, for the Council's records. Um, this is also the first such violation within the two-year period. So this should also, uh, incur a $300.00 civil penalty. Bailey: Anybody here from Delimart? This particular one? Okay. We'll close the hearing. b) CONSIDER A RESOLUTION O'Donnell: Move the resolution. Correia: Second. Bailey: Moved by O'Donnell, seconded by Correia. Discussion? Further discussion? Roll call. Motion carries 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #9 Page 20 ITEM 9 CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY AND MELTDOWN GLASS ART AND DESIGN LLC TO PRODUCE ARTWORK FOR THE ROBERT A LEE RECREATION CENTER POOL ROOM AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST THE SAME. Bailey: And as we indicated, we'll have some slides so we get a sense of what this, um, public art is. Davidson: Just a quick...quick presentation, uh, this evening. I'm also going to pass around, be careful with this because it's really heavy! But this is a sample of actually what the material is that will be erected, well, not exactly as you see here, but I'll get to it in a second. Uh, the recommendation for this proposal does come from the Pubic Art Advisory Committee, that's appointed by the City Council. Uh, there were five proposals for this particular project that were evaluated on a very snowy day a couple of months ago, um, and this proposal was selected as the, uh, the preferred one for your consideration. The funding for this, the artist contract, is $65,050, will come from the Public Art Advisory fund that is adopted in the budget annually. Uh, the...we just put, this was the original proposal number one, uh, original proposal number two, as you can see if slightly different, uh, arrangement of the panels, um, these panels are basically the material that you see passed around, um, they're very heavy and so I indicated to you, we...we will have a subsequent installation contract as well. We're trying to figure out the best way to do that. iJh, we really like the aspect of this, that it will be visible from, um, Burlington Street, major arterial street. We hope to illuminate it in some fashion. We're working on that, as well, but we think it'll be a really nice asset for the City in that respect. Um, this is basically the arrangement, the final proposal. I don't know if you can see, or if you noticed when you saw it, the flecks that are in that, but those catch the light and then really is extraordinary when you see it. I mean, this does not do justice to it. A couple of things that the artist has done, uh, this is obviously as the title says, uh, a University Chapel, uh, in Downers Grove, Illinois where the panels basically provide this wall here, uh, another installation in a public library in Jacksonville, Florida, uh, here's one in Chicago. These panels, again, are the glass that the artist produces, and then I think...okay, this is the airport in Phoenix. Uh, oh, this is the one I really wanted you to see. If you ever have the opportunity to be out at ACT and see this, it is just extraordinary. These panels make up the walls of a conference room that they have out there, and it is just really stunning, if you ever have a chance to see it. There's another view of it there. And that's it. So, any questions about the proposal? (several commenting) Hayek: Where's Katz from? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #9 Page 21 Davidson: Uh, Phoenix. Bailey: Okay. Do we have a motion? Wright: Move the resolution. Correia: Second. Bailey: Okay, moved by Wright, seconded by Correia. I didn't hear any questions, but if there are further discussion.. . Champion: It's great! It's beautiful! Bailey: Okay. Roll call. Motion carries 7-0. Davidson: Thank you. Bailey: Thank you, and thanks for bringing the show-n-tell. That was nice! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. # 10 Page 22 ITEM 10 CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF IOWA CITY TO JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES (ICLEI) AND PARTICIPATE IN ITS "CITIES FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION" CAMPAIGN. Wilburn: Move adoption... Correia: Move the resolution. Wilburn: Second. Bailey: Moved by Correia, seconded by Wilburn. Discussion? Correia: So, this is, um, this is part of our Cool Cities initiative, and a lot of access. We will do the carbon audit, is that... Bailey: I think once we join, we're going to assess, um, what kind of staff time it would take for the carbon audit. Is that correct? Helling: Right, there's a lot of information we get from ICLEI once we're a member, and I think your agreement a few months ago was to apply for membership. When we get it, to get that information digested, and then make a determination where we' 11 go from there. Correia: I see Jennifer here, if she wants to say anything about... Bailey: Jen, did you have any comments about that? Jordan: Hello again. Um, this is the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. It's actually a different initiatives from Cool Cities. Um, this is Cities for Climate Protection. It's two totally separate endeavors, but I think that this one is, will be more helpful for the City. The Cool Cities' campaign is, um, more of an informational campaign, and this campaign actually has a lot of tools we can use once we're members, um, that can help us assess where we are and where we want to go. So, I think that's the main difference between the two initiatives. Bailey: Other questions about this, since we have Jen here? Okay. Thank you. Jordan: Thanks. Bailey: Roll call. Item carries 7-0. Karr: Motion to accept correspondence. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #10 Correia: So moved. O'Donnell: Second. Page 23 Bailey: Moved by Correia, seconded by O'Donnell. All in favor say aye. Carnes. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #15 Page 24 ITEM 15 CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION. Bailey: Mike... Wright? Wright: Yes, uh, we got the rescheduled Iowa City Spells is this Saturday at 4:00 P.M. in the Iowa City Public Library, Room A. The last attempt at that was nixed by one of our many snowstorms. I hope we can be snowstorm- free this weekend. Uh, and I also, I imagine everybody would like to join me in saying "thank you" to our City crews for yeoman's service, once again trying to keep streets open under some just awful conditions last weekend. It's very much appreciated. Bailey: Connie? Mike O'Donnell? O'Donnell: Mike, I second your comment on the street crews, because that's anever- endingjob. Also wanted to thank those who showed up for the Meet and Greet on our search for the city manager. The comments are very important to us, and uh, I think we all appreciated it. Bailey: Ross? Wilburn: Just want to point out a couple things. One, the University of Iowa Black Student Union is presenting an event for Black History Month. Black Excellence in Iowa - it's a film being shown Thursday February 28`" 2008 in the Penn State Room at the Iowa Memorial Union between 5:00 and 7:30, and look for this poster around town, and I'm sure on several people's web pages. Also will point out that Sunday February 24t" is Cultural Diversity Day at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse from noon unti14:30, 5:00 usually goes. Please take advantage of any shuttles in pubic transportation to get to the event, because parking can be a challenge with so many people coming. It is a very well attended event, and a nice opportunity to take a look at the different, the various cultures represented here in our community. I had...it is Black History Month, and I had a good fortune to be invited to the Veterans Administration Hospital to speak to staff and some patients today. Um, it was a Black History Month event for them, but I used the opportunity to, uh, like I do several times during Black History Month, to share my, uh, personal family genealogy and search of my own personal family history and I use the month, while it is Black History Month and is important to recognize, uh, contributions of historical African-American, uh, significant contributions to, uh, our society throughout the, the uh, the entire year, uh, but it's also important for us to, uh, look at our own histories and cultures, and I encourage people to do their own, um, family, genealogy family search. It's a great opportunity. It can be amulti-generational activity to have young people talking with their parents, grandparents, uh, and visa-versa to...to share your backgrounds and do that exploration to find some of the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #15 Page 25 things that you can discover in your own family, uh, again it's a great tool, inter-generational tool. It's a great opportunity for, uh, self-knowledge and pride, and learning, and a great opportunity for people to pick, of all ages, to pick up different skills in terms of interviewing and documenting historically significant, uh, events not only our society, but it's a way to make, um, your own history, living history, beyond what you might see on television and read in textbooks. Hayek: Thanks, Ross. Uh, ditto regarding the hard work, uh, dealing with snowstorms. I think City workers from most and maybe all departments have been, uh, putting in a lot of extra labor and effort to, uh, to cope with these weather systems, um, so thank you to them, and thank you to those of you in the public who are doing your part to keep your little, um, piece of sidewalk cleared as well. The second thing is...is a repeat of an earlier announcement. Just as Mike, uh, announced a meeting that was postponed due to snow, um, the, uh, the Alcohol Task Force and the University of Iowa, uh, is starting at the Provost office to which, uh, Regina and I were invited, uh, had a meeting scheduled a couple of weeks ago and we got swept up in a snowstorm and, uh, the meeting was not held. It has been rescheduled for early March. We'll be attending that, and I'm sure we'll report back to the City about how that went, and how we can collaborate between these two entities. Thanks. Bailey: Amy? Correia: I want to take an opportunity to provide an update on the Violence Against Women Task Force, um, Abbie Volland and I have been sharing that Task Force. We began meeting on November 26`h. We've been meeting every three weeks since then, so we've met a total of five times, um, our last meeting is scheduled for April 215`. Um, the topics that we've covered to date are services for survivors and perpetrators, um, in the Johnson County area; we covered transportation; um, neighborhood watch, and police resources; we have yet to cover neighborhood lighting, coordination of services, uh, community education and community building. There are 19 members, um, on the Task Force, a combination of, um, City staff, University officials, and community members. Um, our plan is to come up with gaps, strengths, and recommendations for the City, and the wider community. Bailey: Thank you. We look forward to hearing those. Um, I just wanted to provide an update. Last week, um, Council Member Wilburn and Planning Director Jeff Davidson, and I went to D.C. on the Chamber's corridor's Federal Issues trip, uh, I would say generally it was a very good trip. I would definitely say it was our A Team for lobbying and advocacy, um, I think we work well together. And we met with a lot of staff people. We talked specifically about the First Avenue overpass, and I think that This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008. #15 Page 26 project was very well received, um, and we talked about the pedestrian bridges over Dubuque Street and Dodge Street, and then we had meetings on Wednesday about the Joint Emergency Communication Center, looking for some, um, Homeland Security specifically, Homeland Security funding for that. We know that we're operating in a changing funding environment. It's an election year. There are some concerns about some transportation funding, but I think, um, we have good conditions with staffers and we'll stay on this, and I...the consummate optimist will, I'm very optimistic about getting some funding for, particularly for the overpass. Is that overstating it? (several responding) Wilburn: You know, there were some, I did discover or learn that there were several people who did send emails related to that First Avenue, um, railroad bridge project. That's very helpful. Continue to send those to our...our delegation in Washington D.C., and that's helpful for them to hear your views and your opinions as to whether or not you think that's an important project. Bailey: Because it's not, I mean, what we tried to explain, it's a project that's widely supported by our community, and that's what they need to hear. So, if you have feelings about getting stopped by trains on First Avenue, please send an email to our senators or our congressmen. So, thanks! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council Regular Formal meeting of February 19, 2008.