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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-10-21 Correspondence-~~ ~... ~<swc,~~~±~~ Iowa Department of Public Health F> Jr;,E Advancing Health Through the Generations ~~~ Tr-somas J. Vilsack Sally J. Pederson Mary Mincer Hansen, R.N.,Pr~D. `~'" Governor Lt. Governor Director September 30, 2008 IOWA CITY Ed Moreno, Water Superintendent City of Iowa City 410 E Washington St IOWA CITY, IA 52240 Dear Mr. Moreno: Enclosed is recognition from the US Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for excellent work by your water department staff. The award is for consistently maintaining fluoride levels in the water system within the range considered optimum for the prevention of tooth decay. This is based on data submitted by the water department staff to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and forwarded to the CDC Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS). IDPH encourages and supports water fluoridation as an important method of improving and maintaining the oral health of Iowans. We greatly appreciate the work of your water depart7-nent staff in supporting public health through excellent operation of the fluoridation system at your water works. Thank you and keep up the good work! Sincerely, ~ Q ~.~Q~ ~~ s, ~ ~, Bob Russell, DDS. MPH Public Health Dental Director Lucas State Office Building, 321 E. 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0075 ^ 515-281-7689 ^ www.idph.state.ia.us DEAF RELAY (Hearing or Speech Impaired) 711 or 1 800-735-2942 To see the progress Iowa is making visit www.resuttsiowa.orq ~~ of H3.ALTaf 8GA Z~~j 4 e '~ S' ~c z z~ o ~-. ~ ~ ~' o rl ~. ~ ~ a nr K o ~~ xo m ~ ~~ ~' ~' ~' ~ o ~ a ~. ,, d o d S. m O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~' ~d o~ < 0 ~ ~ ~-. ox ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~p~,~A ~ i ~~: ~ ~ ~ cp ~ ~~` a~~ A ~ ~ ~ ~ 2 ^F.._ A ~ ~ ~ ~.. ~° b I-~ ~~ ~~ o ~ A `~~'~ ~ ~ ~ o A ~ ~ ~ ~, ~ ~' ~ r.,, ~ o ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ O ~ O ~ ~ A,~' ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~' A tAi~ ~ ~ ~ ~ O _~, ~ ~ ~' ~ ~ ti. d o ^` r,. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ tr'' ~~ `1 ~ O '~-' ~ f D ~ ~ A ~ "~ A ~. A ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ `'~ re A `t ~ ~ ~y ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ o ~ • N .~ ~ r"r" v, ~• ~ ~ ~ m A ~ ~ ~ ~ ~. ~ ~ ~ c0 p ~-~. A ~ ~ C ~ ~' ~ ~ O O ~ ~ ~~ O ~ ~ ~ ~~~-+- A ~ ~ ~• 4b ICAD - Iowa City Area Development Group Annual Report ~' i~7 F'Nf OB Rer~r~t ~h~ange E>~ansk~ Mans ~J4~o ~14b • ~19~ Report an In~ease err sales Ii9'a I LiFe ale Iii ma~~r Pend u~ctsf~'i~es E~ne~lrag ared Gr~Nrtg T 9?(u ~ 1 I}°~6 Ma~rrng X46 ~ ~ Have iaun~ed new proda~cts{ services In tie ias~ 5 years 8~ 959~'m • 134f~ Plan iaunciti new products} services irr tlh~e nex# ~ years ~ ~ ~ Innravatkan c€antlnues t~ push area ccarnnles ahead even ~~ natkar~l ec~rracarralc Indlcatcars have alr~edl. A ccarnrrrltn~ent tca research and c~evelcapn~ent Is allcaw~,~ing aroma firms tca rerrraln campetl~ve ira an Iracre.asirly e~lal rraark~t. Agaln #hl~ yearthe ~rcath trend Is spread acrcass ccamt>anles caf va~ryf ng Industry, erraplrrxNent level and age, c~lvln~g #fie Ira elty Area rrlretplace unparalleled statalllt frt~m hRch tca t~ulld Appr~xlrnately twvca #hl rds caf the ccampa n les su rv~yeei derncanstra#e higher grnth pcatenttal theta tl~e m~s# recenfi~y cia~t•ed natlcarxaN average, and very fe~+v area ccrxNp~anies app~eartra tae at slgnlfdcant risk far crasl~ing car leavlr tl~e c~mrrtiunlty. Addltkanally,96cafarea ccampanl~s repcart an 6ncrease 1n market slroa~re. Ifs exarrrlning grcath and risk, al~ang ~vlth cvrrapara~y value aa~d sat~fac#kan, the I Cltq Area [levoelrraerat ~rvup can target. Its e~r~r!ts In areas that pcasltlvely Inn,~pa~ct the regl~ra and wcarlc pr6vely try reduce car ellrnlraate any fa~~rs cif ancerra. ~JHA~T~f~ETHE STR~E~I~THS QFTHE ~~N~I~f~l~l' A~ . PLA~ETC~ [~ ~U51NE5? Low cost of doing business:79~ Other**: ~4~, Positive business climates 7 a9b Strom educational system:1396 Strategic location. X596 = ^ Quali#yof life. ~89b = _ Q ua I i#y of workforce: 2796 ** Includes infrastrudure,eamvnuniz~+ leadership, lave costof livirrt~, and other responses Certafn trends emerged during the executive fntefvlews offering clue into the nature of why our companies cont1nue to be successful. Employers attribute local workforce quality to the superior ed~catlonal comrnftment the area offers as well as iM1dwestern work ethic and values. Additionally, many executives recognize that communfty support and cultural dlversfty contribute to a positive bottom Ilne. Satfsfactlon with infrastructure and amenities also remains strong among area business executlves.The Iowa C1tyArea f~evelopment Group contfnuesto guide long-term planning and collaborates w1th cornmunltyr and state leaders to ensure cur env1ronment rerna1ns fertile for the development and advancement of prlrna rY sector companies. Using this data, compellfng arguments about the vftalfty of our area can bye made to emerging Kcal companies and lnternat1onal lndustrles.These ratings and responses are communicated to site selection consultants and corporate leaders to demonstrate that the Iowa City Area is an ideal location for business. V'~C~~F~RCE FY X07 FY OS Percent Change Planning to increase employment 69~ 72~Y6 • 4~6 Companies reporting difficulty recruiting employees 6'~~'a ~~ ~} 109`0 Consider hiring difficulties as an industr~r wide issue trend, not a communitytrend 4996 5296 filet j~bscreated Icy primary sec#ar companies over the past gear 1,4A6 New jobs planned in the next ~ years 14357 Estiwnated number of~currently unfilled positions 382 Employment growth in last year 11.441:a Total employment of~~i companies providing informations 1~rCi83 • s~ ~~~~ P~n~i Positions mast difficult to fill frequency of responses l ScientificlTechnical • 13 8 5 Last year, execut1ves fndicated their three year need far new emplayees to be nearly 1,~Q0.'dVlth mare than 1 ~~+~~ Jabs created fn the past year, this praJect1an is expected to be eclipsed in the camfn~ manths. Additianally, our surveys lndfcate anather 1,35(1 new pcasitfans are anticipated far the next three years. The lawn C:1ty l~rea warkfarce fs ane of the fastest grawin~ fn the natfan, but mare needs to be dane.~rVhfle ernplayee quality and productl~vlty sat1sfactfan scares rerr~a1n high, executives have made ft cleartheir needs are qufc4~ly autpacfng the current avallabll1ty of qualified cand1dates fn the reg1an. Each year, the Ic~~~'ra City Area Development Group conducts a series ref in-depth interviews ~'vfth executives from primary sector companies t~ collect quantitative and qualitative data used to evaluate the status of area companies and identify needs and trends, of the econ~+rnic environment. Data crf~tained from these executive inter;.~iews support the effcnrts of the I~vva GityArea Development Group in its mission to sustain and grow the area"s economy and demonstrate that extraordinary opportunities can tie found in the Iowa City area. L«t +~f cvrnpafn~s pairticip~l~ifng in tl~~ iff~t~frv~ews Acci4raa Energy hJorth America L~+IS Engineering Innauatron ,4CT, lJ~c. LoParex ~i~i~ dl` kr3W~ ir1,+~l~rC2J• ~~CJ1kr7i5tr3tF~n Asayia rNket~ CQrrtm~ar~icatrons ~aga[itas rN1.iElarc! l~efri~erated Services Bia::Nens, lJ~c. IMocare ~`allaee, an RR ~anrterley ~ Sans Ca. ~ir~-#tesearch Products, Irac. Nati4rJal CooPerativeGraceJS Association I~cieiJner CRtocola~es Ncrei-I_evltz 6tJCkle l3owJ~r Pt.Jlalisltirag ~~tic~l ec#aartiics; Inc. B-~rc~cat~rea~rnr~s Arai-~ Labar~taries C.I-I. I~o6ir-rson UlJcarldwide, lJtc. Patient fdrJCatic~ra Ir~stitJate Centro Pearsr~t~ EdcJCatrorial Services Cit}I'~art0J3 f~~CyC'lfJ1g Pkastic Products ~~. Coles duality Foos Preeisiorr Revenge Strategies, Enc. CorrJ~iieVUare C~rp'~r.~tic~n Procter & ~a~r~IBle h~ant;lfactrJria~c~ Co. Corr,p~~nica Pr®tek ~uleciacai Prr~dJacts, Inc. CmrrEiea~ display Pacltag'rttg ItaJ~JaarJCtrar~ec~r~c~lc~gies, Inc. C~JStam digs ~ SpirJS, InC. Rr~%eJ`ts Dairy Ec'~6c~tree Rc~cC~~+rell Cc~llirrs ~EIC~ Eairect Safe l~orrse PrndaJCts is~tet~ Evc~IrttirJrJ (Breads tayArtJia~ SyJ~cler~ta Seeds Gral~ar~J Pacl{agir3g ~ide~~ater C>'rrect IAC(fc~r~rJ°rerlyLearCorporatiara} ~itrar~ics [J3nQ~Jlatix l_l_C transport AJrJerica kt3nnvative 5~ttware EJ~JgiJ'teering Try ArtlB,ar~l;ers Ae~vertisir~g IrJtegrated ~NATectJrtolo~ies r,~raited Natural k=oohs ~.~l+l. ~1l'ldrll{ Va.r~c~erlt 1tdw1] La~nratories ViraQs~est Inc. f4emPE~arr~, Inc. Viz-Tek k~kefifrrxaJtn ~rrurp WestLil:aerty Focx~s E'rcertsiJtg ETesou~rce ~roup~ IJ~c. West'U~+°r,Zd 'Educational Policy "Heartland Exl?ress ar7t1 ~4+41'i111F+C'C71 F~r~n`~'Ided r'rri~+l~'Fn`12ntr~.ty LISed In ~~~Jr calr_UIatIC~nS Ic~uva ~ity+ ~r~~ ~~v~Icaprr~~nt r~u,~ „~(fl'~4'fArfJ7~1J'°Y ~p'~rt~nitr~ s rrr Urr+~x~a€ct~c~ F'fc~c'es`" ~'20{~91owa CrtyArea [tie+relcapmentGrauP Report prepared by: Mark Nolte, Business Dewelc~~ment C5lrectr~r Staff Jae Rasa, President Erie Hansen, C~mmuni~atians Uire~t~r Sher) Jellnek. Exeeuti~e Assistant lowua City Area Qevelo{~mentGrour~ 325 EastWask~ington Street~1~1 Ic~~S~a City, Iowa :52.244 Mark N~Ite, Business De~Jel~r~ment r~irectr~r daLaynelh+i lliantsan,'uA+'~rkf~rce Business Serurres Dlre~tor www.rawac rtyraread evelnpme nt,com (31 ~~ 354-3~3~ 2008 Minding Our Own Businesses Data Report Prepared for the City of Iowa City Compiled by the Iowa City Area Development Group In FY2008, the Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group conducted on-site interviews with 62 executives in the Iowa City Area using the Blane, Canada Ltd. Synchronist® Business Information System. Of these 62 interviews, 26 were with companies located in Iowa City. This report provides insight into the growth potential of these firms as well as their satisfaction with community services and the area. Companies included in this report represent a total of 5,798 full-time employees. Participating Iowa City Companies: ACT, Inc. Alpla of Iowa Asoyia Bochner Chocolates Buckle Down Publishing City Carton Recycling CorrFlex Display & Packaging Economy Advertising/Tru-Art Gluten Evolution aka Breads by Anna Loparex International Automotive Components Budcat Creations Mercer Administration Meta Communications Wm~rs~ Group< Millard Refrigerated Services Moore Wallace an R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company National Cooperative Grocers Assn. Optical Mechanics Oral-B Laboratories Pearson Educational Services Procter & Gamble Mfg. Co. Roberts Dairy Safe Home Products United Natural Foods Viz-Tek West Wind Education Policy y ~~ r ~. Group ~ t o wv a C i t Area D e v e l o IY; ~~:~~: ;. Evaluating Key Indicators of Business Growth and Stability for Iowa City Companies Compared to Area and 2006 National Data Chart 1 Key Indicators of Business Growth 100% - 80% ^ 06 National Data 60% i Study ^ Area Wide FY07 40% ^ Area Wide FY08 20% ^ Iowa City FY 07 0% Company saw Company saw Life Cycle of Company Company has Company Company has Company has Company ^ Iowa City FY08 total sales an increase in Primary plans to introduced plans to plans to no objections reports the increase market share Products / expand in the new products introduce new increase to future community Services next three / services in products and employment growth in the infrastructure Emerging or years the last 5 services in area has been GrovNng years the next two adequate for years their growth Corresnondina Table: 06 National Data Stud Area Wide FY07 Area Wide FY08 Iowa City FY07 Iowa City FY08 Com an saw total sales increase 68% 86% 88% 100% 88% Com an saw an increase in market share 57% 71 % 64% 78% 54% Life cycle of primary products /services Emerging or Growin 65% 78% 86% 74% 81% Company plans to expand in the next three years 59% 67% 81 % 67% 77% Company has introduced new products /services in the last 5 years 80% 88% 95% 96% 96% Company plans to introduce new products and services in the next two ears 74% 82% 95% 100% 96% Com an has tans to increase em to ment 44% 69% 72% 67% 81 Company has no objections to future growth in the area 79% 73% 75% 74% 65% Company reports the community infrastructure has been ade uate for their rowth N/A 80% 96% 78% 95% Analysis: Iowa City companies continue to demonstrate very solid success and growth figures. All but one company has added new products/services in the past two years and all companies but one have plans to add new products and services in the next two years. Twenty companies indicated plans to increase employment with intentions to create 631 new positions and occupy over 340,000 square feet of new and expanded space. y ~~ r ~. Group 2 t o wv a C i t Area a e v e l o IY; ~~:~~: ;. Workforce Satisfaction Ratings for Iowa City Companies Compared to Area and 2006 National Data Chart 2 Workforce Satisfaction Ratings 7 6 ^ 06 National Data Study 5 ^ Area Wide FY07 4 3 ^ Area Wide FY08 2 ^ Iowa City FY 07 ~ ^ Iowa City FY08 0 Employee Quality of Employee Productivity of Availability Local Stability Workforce Workforce Corresnondinn Tahle 06 National Data Stud Area Wide FY07 Area Wide FY08 Iowa City FY07 Iowa City FY08 Em to ee Availabili 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.4 4.4 Quali of Local Workforce 4.7 5.8 5.6 5.9 5.4 Em to ee Stabilit 5.1 5.7 5.5 5.4 5.5 Productivity of Workforce 5.6 6 5.9 6.1 5.8 Analysis: Overall, workforce satisfaction is fairly consistent with last year's numbers. Employee Availability continues to be a concern with leading employers. Area wide and in Iowa City, there remains a need to attract more skilled workers to the area. Software engineers, software developers, technical positions, marketing and sales were identified as the most difficult positions for which to recruit. Employers made numerous comments that recruiting employees to Iowa can be challenging because of certain stigmas associated with the state. Yet, when a prospective employee visits this area in particular, they can often be persuaded to make the move. This issue of perception is one ICAD Group is taking into account as it develops workforce programming and products for national recruitment efforts. ovva C ity Area Dev~el©I_ ~~ _ ~ :~ Group 3 Community Services Satisfaction Ratings for Iowa City Companies Compared to Area and 2006 National Data Chart 3 Community Services Satisfaction Ratings 0 U N 7 ~ 6 5 ~ 4 y 3 ^ 06 National Data 2 '~ 1 ^ Area Wide FY07 N 0 a~ ^ Area Wide FY08 o ~ ~° ~ ~ ~ a`> ~ ~ U E m ~ a> ~ N a ~ ~~ m U a ~ a ~w LL ~ U cn ~ n a m ~ Corresnondina table with all satisfaction categories included Cate o 06 National Data Area Wide FY07 Area Wide FY08 Iowa City FY07 Iowa City FY 08 Iowa City Chan e Police 5.8 6 5.8 6.2 5.8 -6.5% Fire Protection 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.2 6.1 -1.6% Streets and Roads 4 5 4.8 5.5 4.8 -12.7% Zonin and Permittin 5.3 5.6 4.67 5.2 4.1 -21.2% Property Tax 4.4 4.6 4 5.2 3.7 -28.8% Regulatory Enforcement 4.9 5.1 4.96 5.2 4.6 -11.5% Traffic Control 4.5 4.8 4.9 5.5 5 -9.1 Community Planning 4.6 4.7 5.1 5 4.9 -2.0% Ci Services NA 5.7 5.4 5.1 5.4 5.9% Water NA 5.2 5.6 4.4 5.8 31.8% Sewa e NA 5.4 5.7 4.4 5.8 31.8% Public Trans ortation 4.2 4.4 4.6 5.5 5.3 -3.6% Health Care 4.4 6.2 6.3 6.1 6.4 4.9% Economic Develo ment 4 6 6.26 5 6.1 22.0% Universit 4 6.4 6.11 5.6 6.3 12.5% K-12 Schools 5.1 6.3 6.1 6 6.1 1.7% Community College 3.3 6 6 6 6 0.0% Paramedic /Ambulance 6.1 6 6 6.1 6.2 1.6% Chamber of Commerce 4 5.6 5.8 5 5.6 12.0% Trucking 4.7 5.7 5.7 5.3 5.4 1.9% Telecom NA 5.3 5.6 4.8 5.5 14.6% Internet Access NA 5.3 5.5 5 5.6 12.0% Electric Utilit 4.7 5.3 5.5 4.7 6 27.7% Airline Car o Services 2.8 5.5 5.4 5.3 5 -5.7% Internet S eed NA 5.2 5.4 6.4 5.3 -17.2% Child Care 3.2 5.3 5.3 6.1 5.2 -14.8% Coun Services 5.2 5.5 5.1 5.1 5.2 2.0% Cellular Services NA 5 5.1 4.8 5.2 8.3% Highways 4.7 5.4 4.7 5.4 4.6 -14.8% Air Passenger Service 4.2 4.4 4.5 5.3 4.6 -13.2% C i t y A r e a D e v~ I© ~_ ~~ _ ~G r o u p 4 Analysis: The numbers provided are not completely "apples to apples" as new companies were included this year which did not participate in FY07. Yet, we can see from the overall consistency in the data, perception in some categories has changed. ICAD Group would like to work with the city to understand why there was such a decrease in Zoning and Permitting satisfaction, along with Regulatory Enforcement. If we can work to better understand the true issues we can recommend solutions to enhance the satisfaction of these companies. The winter was tough on local roads and no doubt is reflected in the lower satisfaction scores in the categories of Highways, Streets and Roads. Airline Passenger Service continues to drag at the lower end of area satisfaction. ICAD Group will continue working with the Eastern Iowa Airport to better connect them with the business community to increase this score. On the positive side, after reaching out to companies who showed low satisfaction scores in regards to Water and Sewer in FY07, we see a satisfaction score in FY08 nearly 32% higher. Average Company Value, Growth, Satisfaction and Risk Scores for Iowa City Companies Compared to Area and 2006 National Data Chart 4 Average Company Value, Growth, Satisfaction and Risk Scores 80 70 ^ 06 National Data Study 60 ^ Area Wide FY07 50 40 ^ Area Wide FY08 30 ^ Iowa City FY07 10 ~ ^ Iowa City FY 08 0 Avg. Value Avg. Growth Avg. Avg. Risk Satisfaction Analysis: Statistically, the most significant difference was in the Satisfaction score. Much of this score is built largely from the workforce and satisfaction ratings (Charts 2 and 3), both of which experienced some decline. However, as Chart 4 details, Iowa City scores are still above area wide data. Growth and Value continue to outpace area and national norms, which we believe bodes well for the future of many companies. ICAD Group is working with the higher risk companies we have identified to address any changeable limitations. In one case, we are communicating with an executive to plan for any future workforce shifts or closure. y ~~ r ~. Group 5 t o wv a C i t Area D e v e l o IY; ~~:~~: ;. Assessing the Community Strengths and Weakness for Business Operations in the City of Iowa City Chart 5 Frequency of Executive Comments on Community Strengths Comments on Community Strengths Infrastructure , 1, 2°/ Low cost of doing business, 5, 10% Educational System Strong, 7, 1 '~% Strategic ~n, 8, 15% Positive Busines Climate , 4, 8% Quality of Workforce, 15, 29% Chart 6 Frequency of Executive Comments on Community Weaknesses and Barriers to Growth Comments on Community Weal Unskilled Worker Supply Cost of Living Inadequate, 4, 0 High, 2, 7% ~ ° Cost of Doing Business High, 3, 10% Public Tranportation, 3, 10% mess /Barriers to Growth Skilled Worker Supply I nadequate, 8, 26% Building Availability /Cost, 5, 17% " Related to Location Limitations, 5, 17% Analysis: The basic tenets of Quality of Life, Quality Workforce and Strong Educational Systems remain top-of-mind when executives are asked about area strengths. Availability of labor equals nearly 40% of the total comments made about weaknesses and limitations. No negative comments were made about the business climate or community leadership which denotes a positive shift in how the city is viewed as a place to do business. y ~~ r ~. Group s t o wv a C i t Area a e v e l o IY; ~~:~~: ;. Quality of Life, 12, 23% Conclusions and Moving Forward ICAD Group is very encouraged by the continued strength of primary sector companies in Iowa City and the area. Overall, companies remain satisfied with the city with minimal negative comments. The main concern remains finding the right workers for these companies to continue expanding. Several executives mentioned how Iowa City has to overcome the image and perception of "American Gothic" Iowa to be successful in recruiting new labor. Many outside the region do not understand what this community offers for employment, recreation, education, as well as personal and professional development. This challenge is being addressed by ICAD Group in all workforce products and programs. Moving forward: Shovel-Ready Sites As ICAD Group continues to recruit national and the need for greater availability of shovel-ready trend with European companies has been understanding of exact costs associated with leas need to be developed. international companies to the area, building sites continues to grow. A strong desire to get an upfront ng manufacturing property that would Over the coming months, we will be exploring best practices and working with community leaders to better prepare for companies researching and exploring our area. We must ensure the Iowa City Area not only has ample shovel-ready sites, but that we can quickly obtain the necessary costs, incentives and partners to make build-to-suit projects attractive and accommodating for prospects. Moving forward: Air Service ICAD Group is working with the Eastern Iowa Airport to help them better understand and meet the need of primary sector companies who rely on airline passenger service and air cargo capabilities for continued growth. Moving forward: Business Recruitment and Entrepreneurial Development While maintaining a strong focus on our core targeted industry sectors, such as the recent growth of the wind energy industry, ICAD group staff will be conducting further research and targeting recruitment efforts to the educational services sector. Additionally, we will continue exploring our role in making the area more attractive for emerging entrepreneurial companies. As companies such as Rockwell Collins, IDT and others have proven, gardening our local opportunities can yield big results. Moving forward: Workforce Development To meet the workforce challenges indicated by area employers, ICAD Group is assisting companies to help fill emerging employment gaps. Our group has identified opportunities to compete for talent on national and international levels and has developed a plan to actively market job availability and showcase the attractive quality of life in our area. Action items include: o w a C i t y Area D e v e l o p m e n G r o u p • The creation of amulti-faceted print, direct mail, and a-mail marketing campaign aimed at recent graduates in specific disciplines such as engineering and informational technology who graduated from colleges and universities in the State of Iowa and in the Midwest. • Showcasing what the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Technology Corridor has to offer for careers, personal development, and lifestyle through the creation of a fun and fast-paced four minute video. The video will be used at career fairs, online, and can be formatted to send to job applicants. • Planning has already begun for the 2009 Corridor Career Fair. Employer and participant attendance were both up 10% for 2008. • ICAD Group staff continues to attend career fairs across the Midwest at a variety of colleges and Universities as well as special events focused on diversity. From these efforts conducted in partnership with Corridor partners, website visits, unique visitors, and page views have all increased an average of 5% in 2008 at www. corridorcareers. com . • ICAD Group is also in the process of updating the look and information provided in the Pick Your Pace packet. Hundreds of packets were provided to employers last year to help recruit candidates from outside the area. • Staff has also helped grow the Skills Advantage Work Ready Certificate Consortium to 100 regional employers and continues to help employers utilize this tool to determine foundational skills of prospective employees. • ICAD Group provides employers local laborshed and benefit data gathered through a partnership with the State of Iowa so they can compare workforce and compensation plans with market metrics. • ICAD Group has created an Enhanced Employment Directory available online at CorridorCareers.com. This enhanced directory uses new technology to assure accuracy of company data and provide real-time information on job opportunities. y ~~ r ~. Group $ t o wv a C i t Area D e v e l o IY; ~~:~~: ;. ~~~®dJ ~~~~~~~ . ,~~,~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 5e1 MEMORANDUM Date: October 14, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for October 21st City Council meeting; Installation of on-street metered parking spaces and establishment of parking meter terms on the 10 and 100 block of Court Street and installation of a loading zone in front of 336 Court Street. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (17), a total of 5 new parking meters will be installed on the 10 block of Court Street on the north side and 2 new parking meters will be installed on the 100 block on the north side. The parking meters numbers are CO24E, CO26E, CO28E, CO30E, CO32E, CO100E, and CO106E. These meters will each have a 2-hour term at the rate of $0.50 per hour. Two existing meters on the 100 block of Court Street, CO110E and CO112E, will be renumbered to CO102E and CO104E for consistency with the new meters. Pursuant to Section 9-4-10A of the City Code, a NO PARKING LOADING ZONE will be established on the north side of Court Street in the 100 block. Comment: This action is being taken to provide on-street metered parking for the new mixed use buildings located on the northeast and northwest corners of the Court Street and Clinton Street intersection and to provide a loading zone for commercial use. This action is being taken at the request of the Parking Division and will supersede previous actions related to metered parking on these blocks. cc: Mark Rummel Chris O'Brien Mgr/agd/dng-meters - courtst.doc _ ., ~_ C' , _::~ i ~'°~ :: .. ~ . ~~ ('i7 ' -- ~ ~ ^~ ~-21.6$_ _ r ^~~®~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 5e2 EIVIQRAN D~ Date: October 14, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for October 21st City Council meeting; Installation of on-street metered parking spaces and establishment of parking meter terms on the 800 block of South Clinton Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (17), a total of 11 new parking meters will be installed on the 800 block of South Clinton Street. Six new parking meters, CL8011, CL801 S, CL803S, CL805S, CL807S, CL809S, and CL811 S, will be installed on the west side and five new parking meters, CL800S, CL802S, CL804S, CL806S, and CL808S, will be installed on the east side. These meters will each have a 2-hour term at the rate of $0.50 per hour. Comment: This action is being taken to provide on-street metered parking for customers of the new Johnson County Administration building to be located on the 800 block of South Clinton Street. This action is being taken at the request of the Parking Division and will supersede previous actions related to metered parking on this block. CC: Mark Rummel Chris O'Brien Mgr/agd/dng-meters- clintonst.doc a ~- - ; r" C?:,/ ~ %- a r, ;, ~'~ ~7 "-^D ,-.. ~/7 a ~; ti w 1 a,,.,~ a~ ~., ~ '.°m" ~` r ~~~_._.®~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 5e3 ~,.~r ~`' ~ 1 Y 1 . ,~®,,~ RA ~ D ~ ~E~~ Date: October 14, 2008 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for October 21st City Council meeting; Installation of on-street metered parking spaces and establishment of parking meter terms on the 800 block of South Dubuque Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (17), a total of 9 new parking meters will be installed on the 800 block of South Dubuque Street. The new parking meters, D801 S, D803S, D805S, D807S, D809S, D811 S, D813S, D815S, and D817S will be installed on the west side of the street. These meters will each have a 2-hour term at the rate of $0.50 per hour. Comment: This action is being taken to provide on-street metered parking for customers of the new Johnson County Administration building to be located on the 800 block of South Clinton Street. This action is being taken at the request of the Parking Division and will supersede previous actions related to metered parking on this block. cc: Mark Rummel Chris O'Brien Mgrlagd/dng-meters sdubugst.doc _ ..a Ci C, M .. to _~ _ ~ .'. _ l1l ,~ ~° '~ U% f'~ ~. 4.. b W 5e 4 Marian Karr From: SNeweLLinst@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 9:19 AM To: Council Subject: Building the 4 shelter on the flood plain in your ShelterTown Ghetto project This correspondence will become a public record. It is going to waste tax dollars at a time we don't want to do that if we were to build a two story super homeless shelter on a flood plain that just flooded this year. It is going to displease the whole Precinct in which this 4th Shelter building is placed in the same single neighborhood. The South Side is tired of its stereo-type before the rest of Iowa City. The People want to be represented in a more true way as equal citizens before their government. If it is true as has been explained that University Heights is Incorporated and therefore can not be made to consider placement of an alternative site for a homeless shelter because it is not subject to the unilateral power of the City Council policy makers such as Precinct 14 is, then the possible solution is for 14 to incorporate at "East Hills" and break away from unilateral orders from an indifferent City Council of the Incorporation of the City of Iowa City. Is that logical to you? The logic of placing the homeless on a floodplain across from drug treatment was what? The idea of all shelters belonging in the South Side was what? We want responsive government. Steven Wayne Newell PhD. New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out! 10/7/2008 5e 5 Marian Karr From: Blair, Julie K Julie-blair@uiowa.edu] Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 2:03 PM To: Council Subject: Sauce liquor and convenience store Dear Iowa City City Council members, I am writing to express my opinion regarding retail liquor stores in the downtown Iowa City area. It doesn't make sense to add retail spaces that sell liquor to an area that is already filled with bars, while underage drinking, violence, and sexual assault are continually front page news in Iowa City. I believe that the City of Iowa City is at odds with the University of Iowa's efforts to curb student binge drinking, because the council allows so many of the businesses in the downtown area to focus on alcohol consumption. In the last two years I have been happy to see new and unique businesses open in our downtown, such as clothing boutiques, culinary arts stores, and furniture and home design stores, in addition to the Iowa Artisans Gallery, Dawn's Bead and Hide Away and the Soap Opera. Please vote against the liquor license for Sauce, and instead focus on a way to bring more unique and creative ventures to the pedestrian mall. Thus it will continue to be a place for families and working citizen consumers to enjoy their city. Respectfully yours, Julie Blair Iowa Cit~A 52245 ~~- _ _-- Owner Mike Porter said the store will be at 108 E. College St. He said the store should open within the next week. The establishment's liquor permit is on the agenda for the City Council meeting. According to City Clerk Marian Karr, Iowa City will have 12 retail -- or Class E -- liquor permits if Sauce's permit is approved. 10/7/2008 To: Iowa City City Council From: MECCA Date: 10-13-08 Re: Alcohol policies in Iowa City 5e 6 - ~.~~ ~ ~~: _ fit. Its ., ~, ~ ,_~~ ~1 .: MECCA supports the implementation of policies which research has shown can effectively reduce alcohol-related problems in communities. Whv do we need nolicv level changes to reduce alcohol-related problems? Traditional approaches to reducing problems with alcohol in communities have focused on creating individual level change through public awareness campaigns, school health education, counseling, treatment, and arresting those who break the law. However, these efforts are not sufficient or effective in addressing the social and cultural conditions that facilitate or even encourage unhealthy and unsafe drinking behavior. Individual-based programs can have only limited impact if environmental forces undermine and contradict their messages and advice. Our community has the power to change these conditions through public policy. Communities with policies that facilitate, encourage, and normalize underage drinking and overconsumption by all ages see higher rates of alcohol-related problems. Communities with policies that support, encourage, and normalize low risk drinking choices by legal aged adults see lower rates of problems. Best Practices in Alcohol Policy Research shows support for the following policies for reducing alcohol-related problems in communities: 1. Increasing the price of alcohol and restricting price promotions. Research shows that even modest price increases can lead to significant reductions in heavy drinking and other alcohol-related problems, especially among younger drinkers, but also among the general population. Special marketing promotions like volume discounts, advertised price specials or coupons correlate with over consumption of alcohol and more alcohol related problems like traffic accidents. 2. Increasing alcohol taxes. Increasing the price of alcohol through increased taxes not only has widespread public support, it has also been found to substantially reduce heavy and hazardous drinking among college and high school students. 3. Enforcing the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). The MLDA is the most widely studied alcohol control policy and the results show that a higher MLDA results in lower alcohol use and substantially fewer traffic crashes among 18-20 year olds. Other studies show that the age 21 MLDA may also reduce other alcohol related problems such as suicide and vandalism among young people. Increasing enforcement of laws prohibiting sales to underage drinkers reduces youth access to alcohol which reduces youth consumption of alcohol. The MLDA has been shown to have a great impact on underage drinking and the problems associated with it but communities continue to have problems with underage drinking when the MLDA is not consistently enforced. 4. Controls on outlet density and location. Studies confirm a strong correlation between frequent and risky drinking behavior among students and a high saturation of alcohol outlets (bars and liquor stores) within two miles of their campuses. A large number of outlets per capita or per square mile and the over-concentration of outlets in a given location are also associated ~3th alcohol-related traffic crashes and violence. _ ~~ C.1 5. Mandatory responsible beverage service training. = `~-' ---- Combining the mandatory training of managers and alcohol servers in responsible ~ ' -~- beverage service techniques with enforcement of laws against service to into.-~ic~:ted ~ ~ -" persons leads to increased refusals of service to patrons who appear to be into~icated~ and decreases in the number of arrested impaired drivers coming from bars and restaurants. 6. Reducing the amount of youth exposure to alcohol advertising. Research indicates that young people who have had the most exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion have more positive attitudes toward drinking. Reducing youth exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion can have a positive impact on youth beliefs and intentions regarding alcohol use and may influence drinking decisions. 7. Social host ordinances. Underage drinking does not always occur at bars but often at house parties where conditions are often very dangerous because of the number drinkers involved, the amount of alcohol consumed and a lack of responsible supervision to take appropriate action if a problem occurs such as sexual assault or alcohol poisoning. Because of these concerns, communities are enacting social host ordinances to give them another tool to reduce easy access to alcohol by those under 21 and therefore reduce the problems that result when young people drink too much alcohol. All states have laws prohibiting minors from possessing alcohol and prohibiting adults from furnishing alcohol to minors. Unlike laws that prohibit furnishing alcohol to persons under 21, social host laws focus on preventing underage drinking on private property without regard to who furnishes the alcohol. Social host ordinances make it easier for police to enforce underage drinking laws because rather than having to determine who provided the alcohol, they can cite the host of the party and/or the property owner if it is found that the owner had knowledge of the party and took no reasonable action to intervene. More than 150 cities or counties and 24 states have adopted social host ordinances. The City of Washington, Washington County and West Des Moines are examples of social host ordinances that have been enacted in Iowa. Combining environmental strategies such as those listed above and implementing them in a comprehensive community program with consistent enforcement results in substantial reduction in underage drinking, over consumption by all ages, and other alcohol-related problems. For more information contact Kelly Vander Werff, MECCA Prevention Supervisor, at 351-4357 or kvanderwerff(a,meccaia.com. 2 Resources providing research support for policies that reduce alcohol-related problems: www.alcoholpolicymd.com www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov (Alcohol Policy Information System-APIs) www.colle ~edrinkingprevention. gov www.marininstitute.or~ www.nhtsa.dot.gov (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) www_pire.or~ (Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation) www.udetc.or~ (Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center) ...~ ~; ~`=: ~>R, _ e 3 :-~'' ... _'a ~ gay C ~'%3 ~~ 3 Responding to Critics of Alcohol Regulation Below are research-based responses to a few of the most common arguments against alcohol regulation to use as an additional resource in the development and implementation of effective alcohol policies. Argument: "If I'm old enough to go to war, I should be old enough to drink" Many rights have different ages of initiation: 16 to drive, 18 to vote, 25 to serve in the IJ.S. House of Representatives, 35 to serve as U.S. President. The minimum age for initiation is based on the specific behaviors involved and must take into account the dangers and benefits of that behavior at a given age and is also based on physical development, including brain function. The military recruits 18 year olds fresh out of high school (and 17 year olds with parental permission) because they are young, impressionable and highly trainable. This does not mean 18 year olds are ready for alcohol use. Alcohol actually affects teens differently than adults. A teenager may look like an adult physically and may even appear more physically fit, but the teenager's body is still developing. According to the American Medical Association (AMA) it actually takes less alcohol for a teenager to get drunk than it does for an adult in his/her twenties. The minimum legal drinking age 21 law takes into account that underage drinking is related to numerous health problems including injuries and death resulting from alcohol poisoning, car crashes, suicide, homicide, assaults, drowning, and recreational mishaps. In fact, the leading cause of death among teens is car crashes, and alcohol is involved in close to one-third of these fatalities. There is mounting evidence that repeated exposure to alcohol during adolescence leads to long- lasting deficits in cognitive abilities, including learning and memory in humans. Early onset of drinking by youth has also been shown to significantly increase the risk of future alcohol-related problems (e.g. addiction, getting into fights, drinking driver crashes, other unintentional injuries). The part of the brain responsible for judgment, decision making, and predicting consequences of our actions, is not fully matured until about the age of 25 which means that people under the age of 25 are more likely to engage in dangerous behavior without an accurate sense of risk. Alcohol further impairs judgment; putting adolescents who drink at even greater risk for drinking too much and experiencing problems. Giving alcohol to a young soldier is not a way to honor their service because alcohol use at their age places them at greater risk for health and impairment problems. There are much better ways to honor their service to our country. Argument: "Making it illegal to drink until 21 just increases the desire for the `forbidden fruit'. When teens turn 21, they'll drink even more." Research shows the opposite is true. In fact, early legal access (at age 18) is associated with higher rates of drinking later in life. Research shows that when the drinking age is 21, those younger than 21 drink less and continue to drink less through their early twenties. Research also suggests that lowering the drinking age to 18 will make alcohol more available to an even younger population. The earlier young people start drinking, the greater their likelihood for experiencing alcohol-related problems compared to those who start drinking at age 21 including car crashes, unintentional injuries, sexual assault, having unprotected sex leading to STD's and unintended pregnancies, vandalism and property damage, and the development of alcoholism. Researchers consider the 21 minimum drinking age one of the most successful public safety & public health policies in U.S. history. Since the minimum drinking age was changed to 21 in 1984, deaths from drinking and driving accidents have decreased by thousands, saving an estimated 20,000 lives. - `-~ - ~.~ ry ,~-a -~ -~ ~ e -~~. v~ -:- =-, Source: ~~' • Answering the Critics of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 in the United States. Updated by the Pacific Institute•for Resear~ and Evaluation for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. May 1, 2007. The full report can be found at: "" http•//parentsempowered org/resources/mlda21 pirepub pdf. Argument: "Europeans let their kids drink from an early age, yet they do not have the alcohol related problems we do. What we need are fewer restrictions, not more." This is called the European Myth. European countries are held up as examples of where more liberal drinking age laws and attitudes may foster more responsible styles of drinking by young people. It is often asserted that alcohol is more integrated into European (especially southern European) culture and that young people there learn to drink at earlier ages within the context of the family. As a result, it is said that young Europeans learn to drink more responsibly than do young people from the United States. However, research does not support this commonly held belief. According to data collected from 15 and 16-year-olds in 35 European countries, European youth actually drink more often, drink more heavily and get drunk more often than American teens. Only in Turkey are teen drinking and intoxication rates lower than in the U.S. European countries are now looking to the United States for the research and experience regarding the 21 law. s ~ ~. '"' ` K ~ v"~ 4.,7 p~ ~~ i-' 2 Source: An.ravering the Cnticr of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 in the United Stater. Updated by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. May 1, 2007. How are new downtown businesses vetted? Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:26 PM To: 'nancy-hauserman@uiowa.edu' Cc: "City Council Subject: RE: How are new downtown businesses vetted? Dear Nancy, 5e 7 Thank you for your email communication to the City Council regarding alcohol and downtown businesses. Council members do not receive their emails directly. Your message will be forwarded to them and accepted as official correspondence on the next Council meeting agenda. Please note that alcohol is an item for discussion at the City Council Work Session scheduled on Monday, October 20, 2008. Thanks again for writing, Nancy. Sincerely, Kathi Johansen Administrative Assistant to the City Manager 319 356-5010 From: Hauserman, Nancy R [mailto:nancy-hauserman@uiowa.edu] Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 8:44 AM To: Council Subject: How are new downtown businesses vetted? To the Council: Last weekend I had dinner in downtown Iowa City. It was a lovely evening and my friend and I were commenting on how nice it was to see restaurants serving outside. We complimented the Council on the good judgment to let this outdoor seating happen! As we walked around downtown we were also glad to see that there were still a fair number of businesses and restaurants that were not primarily revolving around alcohol. We hoped this was a signal that in the future, requests to open new bars would be viewed more critically by the Council. We walked farther on the College Street Mall to see which new business or restaurant might be coming into the space vacated by the purse store - a great prominent location across from the Old Capitol Mall and right on the row of many restaurants, a few stores and of course, several bars. As chow hounds and good consumers we always hope for new restaurants or shops. And it is such a prime location - we were hopeful. So what goes in? A liquor store. Way to go - at least there is no pretense about really giving a critical eye to new businesses in downtown Iowa City. So much for any serious effort to broaden the appeal of downtown. So much for any serious support for changing Iowa City's image as an easily available booze spot. Of course, this is so convenient for the bar goers -if they don't 10/15/2008 How are new downtown businesses vetted? Page 2 of 2 get enough in the bars, or are moving from the bars to house parties and maybe don't want to drive or can't get in the bars but have an adult friend outside with ID to buy for them -well, heck they can all just slip into the conveniently located liquor store and stock up. Honestly, I am embarrassed for us. Is there really no end in sight? Do you have any plan for ending the continued expansion of the alcohol industry in Iowa City? I am angry and disappointed; I suppose I could and should just give up hoping it will be different and that at least will reduce the disappointment. (suppose our revenue is safer if not our community; it is all about priorities isn't it? Sincerely, Nancy Hauserman 10/15/2008 Marian Karr From: the3rdiowa@mchsi.com Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 12:51 PM To: Council Cc: Michael Lombardo Subject: Court Hill Trail Council Members, 5e(8 The Court Hill Trail is a very nice addition to the east side of Iowa City. Over the last two weekends, I have witnessed a number of families, dogwalkers, and bicyclists using the trail. The connecting of Court Hill park to Creekside park I believe will increase the use of both locations. we'll look forward to an official ribbon cutting for the trail, but in the meantime, thanks to the urban planners and streets department for creating a connector between parks, neighborhoods, and giving an attractive out-of-car experience to walkers, bikers, and runners. It will no doubt add to the sense that the east side is a great place to live, work, and recreate. Sincerely, Garry Klein 628 2nd Ave. 354-2600 1 5e 9 Marian Karr From: Dale Helling Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8:14 AM To: Matt Johnson Cc: Marian Karr; Kathryn Johansen Subject: FW: Game Day Parking-PLEASE HELP! From: Patty Mishler [mailto:pmishler@msn.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 8:51 PM To: Dale Helling Cc: Matt Johnson Subject: Re: Game Day Parking-PLEASE HELP! Thanks so much for your reply, and thanks to the Iowa City Police Department for their efforts on ALL Hnwkeye game days! The problem of illegal parking on Woodside Drive has not reoccurred since that game on September 13th so perhaps it was a "perfect storm" situation of many parking lots being closed due. to wet conditions and the fact that it was the Iowa State game. I still feel tha# the ten dollar fine for illegal parking in Iowa City needs to be addressed. It seems to reward people for breaking the law!! Thanks again for your reply. Patty Mishler ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Hell.n~ To: Patty Mishler Cc: Matt Johnson. Sent: Friday, October 10, 2008 11:41 AM Subject: RE: Game Day Parking-PLEASE HELP! Ms. Mishler, In response to your email I contacted Captain Johnson in the Police Department regarding the parking situation in the Woodside Drive area. He indicated that officers would follow up in that area to the extent other demands would allow. Unfortunately, we are not always able to be proactive in parking enforcement during home games due to the extraordinary demands placed on our police resources on those days. So we have to rely on citizen reports in identifying where problems occur or persist. It is questionable whether or not State law would allow for a higher fine on home game days. Thus, we can likely be most effective by focusing on increased enforcement to the extent possible. In speaking with Capt. Johnson recently, I indicated that I would be contacting you to see if, in your opinion, the situation had improved. That is the purpose of this communication. I know that it can be frustrating in your neighborhood on home game days and I would appreciate your further feedback regarding what you observe the situation to be at this time. 10/15/2008 Page 2 of 3 Thank you. Regards, Dale Helling, Assistant City Manager 356-5013 _ __ From: Patty Mishler [mailto:pmishler@msn.com] Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2008 10:56 AM To: Council Subject: Game Day Parking-PLEASE HELP! Importance: High PLEASE consider raising the price of a ticket for illegal parking on Iowa City streets... AT LEAST on Hawkeye home game days! For the first time in the twenty-seven years we have lived on Woodside Drive, our block was lined with approximately thirty cars and two buses, all parked illegally, beginning Friday night before the Iowa State game! I personally witnessed speeding cars nearly colliding head on at the top of the hill since BOTH cars were forced into a one Inne situation due to the illegal parking on the street. It would have been nearly impossible for emergency vehicles to make their way through the mess if they had been needed. Our over-worked and under-appreciated Iowa City police force took the time to ticket all the vehicles during the game...but imagine my surprise to learn that the ticket price for illegal parking was only TEN DOL.LARS..and some cars remained on the street for more than 3b hours!! This is totally ridiculous, considering that law abiding funs were paying up to $40 to park LEGALLY in driveways in our Wren! Since parking has been drastically reduced in the Kinnick Stadium area it is time to make the ~enalt~ for illegal parking more expensive! Imagine the GLEE that was felt by illegal porkers when they finally returned to their cars and discovered they had each saved $30 BY BREAKING THE LAW!! (I personally heard their comments and cheers!) I'm afraid a~recedent has been set by allowing these first-time offenders in our area to "get off cheap" so I wonder what will happen in two weeks for the next home game! I would think n parking ticket for $50 or $100 might be n deterrent because I 1 oii si2oos Page 3 of 3 KNOW n $10 ticket is NOT! As our property taxes continue to rise, please understand you have a revenue stream that is just waiting to be tapped...and one that will penalize those who break the law and endanger the safety of the residents of Iowa Cityl Let's raise funds from a source other than the property owners! Thank you again to the Iowa City Police (the unsung heroes of Hawkeye football Saturdays) and I look forward to hearing from each of you on the council regarding this issue. Patty Mishler (319) 354-5155 This correspondence will become a public record. 10/15/2008 5e 10 Marian Karr From: Sarsfield2@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:48 AM To: jimclayto@gmail.com; Dale Helling; sarah-hansen@uiowa.edu; steven-parrott@uiowa.edu; Council Subject: Stepping Up Project Hello. I am writing to inform you of a series of alcohol-free events in Iowa City that we hope The Stepping Up Project might be interested in helping to publicize and promote. Our organization, The Ralston Creek Country Dancers, has recently begun hosting a monthly Barn Dance at The Center, located at 28 S. Linn St. in downtown Iowa City. Dances are held on the 4th Saturday of each month from 8-11 pm, with beginner lessons at 7:30. We attract young and old dancers alike, and are hoping to increase the number of college-age students attending our dances. We think our easily accessible location (within walking distance of most UI dorms) and low price ($5) will prove attractive to a significant segment of the UI student population once they become aware of our events. We have posters and flyers we would love to have displayed and distributed on campus. We would also very much like to work with student groups and/or organizations who are looking for fun, inexpensive, easily accessible, alcohol-free events to attend. Would you be interested in helping us promote and publicize our events? Thanks for your consideration, Norbert Sarsfield Sa_rsfi_eld2 c~aol,_com P.S. To get some idea of what our event is like you can view a short video clip of our first dance here: http•//vids myspace com/index cfm~fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=41.568901 New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. it out! 10/15/2008 Page 1 of 2 ~5~~11~ Marian Karr From: Regenia Bailey [bailey@avalon.net] Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 11:26 PM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: TIPS Training for Iowa Attachments: COMM_BROCHURE_SAMPLE.pdf; Dram Shop Insurance for lowa.xls Marian, Would you please include in Council correspondence? Thanks. ~8Yll6f _._ From: Daniel Kraus [mailto:dkraus@iowatelecom.net] Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 3:32 AM To: kay.halloran@cedar-rapids.org; regenia-bailey@iowa-city.org; Ipulkrab@co.johnson.ia.us; jlyness@co.johnson.ia.us; countyattorney@co.washington.ia.us; wpsweb@wps.co.washington.ia.us; billpoch@aol.com; tina@cityofriversideiowa.com; county attorney@linncounty.org; sheriff@linncounty.org; 'from web page'; uisg@uiowa.edu; sally-mason@uiowa.edu; alcoholedu@uiowa.edu Cc: brian.fagan@cedar-rapids.org; tom.podzimek@cedar-rapids.org; pat.shey@cedar-rapids.org; kris.gulick@cedar-rapids.org; monica.vernon@cedar-rapids.org; jerry.mcgrane@cedar-rapids.org; justin.shields@cedar-rapids.org Subject: TIPS Training for Iowa To all area representatives dealing with the sale and consumption of alcohol in Iowa: My name is Dan Kraus. I am the Beverage Department Manager of the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. Since we have opened, we have been working closely with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division of the State of Iowa. Although the State of Iowa does not require us to be certified in a national alcohol-awareness program, they did highly recommend our doing so. We have mandated that all of our front-line employees go through a Federally recognized alcohol awareness program since the beginning, also requiring the remaining employees to attend a abbreviated, non-certified class. The program we had chosen was TIPs (Training Intervention and Procedures). As a result of the program that we have implemented as part of our Standard Operating Procedure, I was one of the chosen few required to become a certified TIPs trainer. I have noticed in the past couple of years the amount of alcohol-related issues that seem to plague the local tri- county area restaurants and bars. It is not TIPs mission to deter people from the consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is simply a program designed to educate those providers of alcohol to serve these products in a responsible manner. TIPS trains the owners, managers, and employees how to identify underage drinkers, those with potential to become intoxicated, and how to deal with those that have already become intoxicated. The program goes into specifics about how to properly identify a false I.D.s, how to suggestively sell anon-alcoholic beverage, how to involve management about potential problems, confrontation techniques when dealing with an intoxicated guest, the Dram Shop liability issues and responsibilities, and reasonable efforts that the employees can make to avoid an alcohol-related issue. I would like to ask the city council of Iowa City and the surrounding areas if this would be something that they might be willing to suggest to area businesses as a preventative measure for alcohol issues. TIPS certified staffs may also qualify for a Dram Shop Insurance Premium discount depending upon which insurance company they currently go with. This is something that has been around for a while, but not something that is highly advertised in this area. There may also be some state grants that would defer the cost to some of these businesses for the initial training. 10/20/2008 Page 2 of 2 TIPs training certifies each employee for 3 years. This certification is nationally registered, so if an employee would quit a certain job and go to work for another employer that required the same certification, this would transfer from business to business. The program is also flexible in its demographic focus. The TIPs program offers a general "On Premise" program for those selling open alcoholic beverages, an "Off Premise" program for those selling in a grocery store environment, a "Concessions" program for those dealing primarily for the vending industry, a "Gaming" program for those selling in a casino type environment, and also ones for the University, Senior, and Work-Place environments. The training, with a single trainer, should last approximately 4-5 hours with a recommended group of 5 to 20. The cost depends upon location, time, and participants involved. Many groups have used this program. When I became a TIPs trainer a year ago, 3/4 of our training class consisted of Cedar Rapids based local law-enforcement and the rest consisted of our casino staff and one other individual. I believe this is something that the local area should look into using as a resource, if not mandating it. Currently the state of Iowa is the minority in the mandatory training of servers of alcoholic beverages. I believe this may change in the near future. It wouldn't hurt for our local communities to get ahead of the eight ball on this and mandate some sort of alcohol training for our young people. (The state of Iowa says that if you are 16 years old you can sell a closed container of alcohol in it's original container, it states that if you are 18 years old you can serve an open container of alcohol (meaning all bartenders and servers must only be 18, but you must be 21 to consume alcohol)). I would encourage the local city councils, law enforcement communities, state legislatures, and the bar, restaurant, grocery and convenience store owners, to look carefully at this program as an educational program for implementation state-wide in Iowa. I've attached a brochure outlining the basics of TIPs and an excel document stating what insurance companies the IABD authorizes for Dram Shop Insurance and those that TIPs knows for sure give discounts to their customers. This does not mean that you couldn't request a reduction or inquire if they already have a deduction that they just don't advertise. The money saved for insurance is great, but the heartache of saving someone from getting injured due to an alcohol related event (whether it is DUI, acute alcohol poisoning, bar fights, domestic disputes, etc.) is far greater. As a member of my local Fire Department since 2001, this in itself is incentive enough to follow through with this program. I am not the only TIPs certified trainer in this area, and could easily get someone to assist, if need be, for a larger group. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me. I've listed my contact information below. Thanks for reading this lengthy letter, and I hope that it outlines the benefits of an alcohol training class for the State of Iowa, but especially locally. Sincerely, Daniel Kraus Beverage Department Manager, Riverside Casino and Golf Resort P.O. Box 515 Riverside, IA 52327 (319) 530-1303 (cell phone) (319) 648-3011 (home phone) dkraus@iowatelecom.net 10/20/2008 "'~` i'', i. ~ . R~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~, ~ ~ a4 1~ ~ ~ ~ ~' ' '.7I' ~ .+ y ~i~~ ~ y! ~~ "k i~ ~~ ,'. ~ F~ ^c .. 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Il~j. ~ p ~"y ~ A Y ~/ ~~i. // 9 ~ ~ ~ ~ w ~t~~-1 {I`a a ~. .-. 1--- a ~ O s v ~ o C '/1 ~./ ~~~ S ,u ~!~ ~_ ~ ~ ~ {~~ ,` ~~~,c €` ~ ~ d b M /w ~ J C 'r- ~1 ~ ff~~ = `' fi "~ €I ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~~~ -- o ~~ ~ r ~ ~ '~ ~ ar ~ ~ Q ~~ ~~ .~ _. ,_, } ~.. t L7 O ~ ~~ t~ ~ ~ ~ is C ~~.- ~. ~~'~~, ~~~ Acordia East Advanced E & S Alliance Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. American Security Underwriters Associated Underwriters of America Agency, Inc. Baldinger Insruance Services, Ltd. BIACO Brownrigg Companies CFR, Inc. CGA Associates, Inc. Centrex Underwriters, Inc. Church Insurance Agency Davis Insurance Fairfield County Insurance Group Fitzgibbons Arnold & Co. Frederick Underwriters, Inc. Frenkel & Co., Inc. Henderson Brothers, Inc. Hertvik Insurance Agency Hometown Insurance Agency ICORE, Ltd. Company JPM Insurance Agency, Inc. Kent s Insurance Services LLJUA of Massachusetts Librandi Insurance Brokerage, Inc. Lupton & Luce, Inc. Lyons Insurance Group Mackin Agency McNeil & Company Mid Penn Insurance Associates, Inc. Mitchell Agency Noel Associates, Inc. Popky Insurance Porter & Curtis, LLC Potter Harris & Scherrer Reliance Insurance Risk Concepts of Louisiana Rotruck Insurance Services Seide Jonas & Cohen, Inc. Selective Insurance, Inc. Simpson Insurance Agency Slaton Insurance SmartComp, Inc. Smith Insurance Associates Starr-Mathews Agency, Inc. Stoffer-Sanner Insurance Agency State Auto Insurance Cos. Stoner Insurance Agency USX/S VFIS of Pennsylvania Vaaler Insurance Vollrath Insurance Services Wausau Insurance Cos. Wayne Johnson & Associates, Inc. Woodring Roberts Zions Insurance Agency, Inc. the .e News „,M, J~HE I __ ,i i i~i ' TO FOOT ~~ It doesn't matter what they're calling it.... Take a stand against the paper that promotes binge drinking & high risk behavior! Join the Johnson County Media Awareness Group... ...in promoting a safe and healthy community by saying, "No!" to advertising in or distributing Booze News* in your business. *The founders of Booze News recently changed the publication's name to Rough Draft Here's why.. . Booze News promotes ~.. ~ , inappropriate behavior, spending money unwisely on alcohol instead of college ~ " t expenses or other important ` necessities, and it teaches the ~- ~ wrong ideas about alcohol, ~ ~ especial ly to children and teens. ~: f .-~ ~~~ .~ :r. This publication aggressively promotes outrageous behaviors that ,~ ' n any reasonable person would find ~ ~'' irresponsible. Those who write and produce Booze News are free to o O voice their opinion. Those who find it i f ~ ~ ~ ' ze ree to recogn it offensive are , as a publication geared toward ~• • ~ ~ encouraging unsafe behaviors to ~ make a buck. Our responsible ~, business community needs to avoid C catering to "shock" journalism. Binge drinking, as promoted by Booze News, increases the number of violent acts, n property damage, OWIs, visits (~ to the emergency room, deaths and arrests. Binge drinking and ~ the resulting negative effects ~D will continue as long as the media further normalizes and n' encourages these behaviors. ~ This publication promotes r~ ~ a heavy drinking and normalizes tD ~ violence. Drinking is associated with many incidents of domestic ~ ~ violence. In fact, 9z% of the dourest is violence perpetrators ~ n reported use of alcohol or other , 'C drugs on the day of the assault, ~ ~ ~ . O according to a recent JAMA ~ ~ report (Center for Disease ~s n Control and Prevent ion, zoo8). ~ ~ It suggests illegal behaviors, ~ like stalking, are funny or are ~ ~ equated with real love. ~ Research indicates that more ~ ~ than a half of all stalking `!' victims are reported to be O ~ between the ages of i8-z9 ~ years old and that 13% of ~p ~ col lege women reported have ~ ~ been stalked (U.S. Department ~ '"'~ of Just ice,1995)• ~ Unfortunately, drinking too much is not just `harmless fun'. y UI students who drink too much ~ are harming other students. Twenty percent of UI students say ~ they have been assaulted; O. --~ z5 percent say they have had ~ ~ property damaged; and r-r , ~ 33 percent say they have experienced an unwanted sexual ~ advance-all atthe handsof UI students who have had too much to drink. Booze News promotes underage and binge drinking. Research shows n that the younger the person starts using alcohol until they are impaired,the higher ~ their risk for developing ~ problems related to alcohol, ~.. • such as arrests, car wrecks, n alcoholism and death. ~ In zoo7, the Iowa City Police Department made arrests for these (among other) offenses (Violation/Number of offenses): PAULA (Possess alcohol under legal age) / 998. In the case of PAULA violations, a rough estimate of time commitment for processing this violation is i5 minutes. Using that time estimate, this category of violation represents nearly z5o hours of officer time spent addressing this offense. Public Intoxication / i,iii-assuming that a public intoxication arrest, in the best case scenario, takes roughly 3o minutes to complete, this figure represents a commitment of over 55o hours of officer time in processing alone. Public Urination / 77- Keeping in mind that not every public urination violation has a nexus to impairment by alcohol, but recognizing that many do, this offense is generally addressed by the issuance of a misdemeanor complaint with a promise to appear by the person cited. Assuming approximately i5 minutes of processing time this category of violation represents almost zo hours of officer time in processing. FBI 0 ~^ l J ~+• -r • What is represented by these numbers is the M~ offenses occurring in a perfectly sterile Q environment. That is rarely the case. It does not account for the impact these violations may ~ have on those who suffer directly or indirectly from the violation, in the form of: cleaning up after the violators (public urination); the typical accompaniment of other offenses with a public intoxication arrest (i.e., assaults, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief...); and those who do not receive police service due to the commitment of officers Q who are tasked with addressing these violations. n The promotion of irresponsible consumption ~ of alcoholic beverages has a very direct and /--~ very negative effect on the delivery of virtually N all public safety services to our community and \...,i results in the deployment of those services away from a host of other pressing needs.