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Home My WebLink About2008-12-02 CorrespondenceUM 0 United Nations Educational, Scientific and C u Itural Organization Organisation des Nations Unies pour ('education, la science et la culture Organization de las Naciones Unidas para la Education, la Ciencia y la Cultura ()praHN3aL~NA (76beJ{NH2HHbIX I-IaL4NN n0 eonpocaM o6pasoeaHt7A, HaYKN N Kyll6Typb1 e.i~.I.oll FYI a -~'• - asLs311y ~1xJIs ^-11rll ~aQ~~C~, ~~-~~c~c~~~~~p 7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP, France Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 68 10 00 Fav ~ +~'3 /n11 dF R7 7a on The Director-General ~.~ a ~...7 I"i': ~, p i ~ l 11 ~ 17 • Ms Regenia Bailey Mayor =~ ..._iFC Iowa City 1 ~-' ... , 4 OWV.~~ ' 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, 52240-1826 Iowa United States of America nef.: DG/4.1/08;150 Dear Ms Bailey, 1 ~ N 0 V 2008 I am pleased to inform you that, after close examination of the application prepared by Iowa City and taking into account the favourable support from the United States National Commission for UNESCO, I have decided to accept Iowa City's nomination to UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in the category of "literature". The purpose of the present letter is to confirm Iowa City's membership of the Network, which will be subject to review in two years' time, following the submission of an evaluation report on activities carried out within that period, including as regards the visibility of UNESCO in the media and its outreach to specific target audiences. I am confident that Iowa City will fulfil the commitments it has made in applying to the Network and that, under your guidance, it will play an active part in the Network's joint activities. I know that I can count on your city's innovative capacity, as well as its spirit of solidarity with cities in developing countries, whose participation should be encouraged. Please note that you are entitled to use UNESCO's name and logo when mentioning your city's membership of the Network, subject to the conditions that will be specified by UNESCO. For more details in this regard and any further information, I suggest that the people whom you have designated as coordinators of the project for Iowa City pursue their contact with my colleagues in the Culture Sector, Mr Georges Poussin, Chief of Creative Industries for Development Section (e-mail: q.poussin(c~unesco.orq, tel: 33 1 4568 3871), and Ms Doyun Lee (e-mail: d.leeCa~unesco.org, tel: 33 1 4568 4372). I look forward to fruitful cooperation between UNESCO and Iowa City. Yours sincerely, r---' ~- ~ ~~ Koichiro Matsuura 3 H U Q Q z w a H z 0 u w x H x z x H 0 H x 3 w 3 O U W Z I ~. a~ -o a~ '~ v ~; ~u 0 0 .~ -~ .~ 0 ~, I W u,, O ~ o ~ ~ H ~ ,~ ~ W U ~ ~ 0 z ,~ ~ ~ o .~ s.+ ~ o ~ ~ ~ '~ ~ ~ ~ o ~, u ~ O o U ?~ ca 3 ^~, ~ 0 u ~. w ~ ; ~, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ r.A ~ 3 o w ~ ~ ~ ~z ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . -~ ~„ L ~a 3 ~ ~ ~ c 3 o ~ ~ ~ x ~ x ~ .v ~° ~ o °' .~ ~ ~, w x ~ -~ ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ 0 °~' -~ ~ _ > .~ ~ x g ~~ o ~, ~ g ~° v v Q :d 0 -~ aA 0 3 u 3 r,A k ~:. 0 0 cG 0 O U W z w 0 0 .~ ~_ 0 ~U 0 .~ 0 a C H_ ~. d U Q ¢' a 3 0 0 w w H c w ~ o N x w x w w ~ ~ ~ z x ~ u w F z w o c~ O ~ ~ ~ o ~' ~c ~ ~ u ~„ su. •~ W ~ ~ ~ ~ .~W~o~ ~ .~ ~~~~~~. 'y~ ~ ~~ g °o ~ ~ ~ x~~~~ ~ ~ .~ q ~ a ~ ~. ~ ~° per.., ~ a, ' ~ 'a ~ ~' ~ U ,~ .. x r, .~ ~ y ~ c ~ a ~, ~ ~ ~ d ° ~ z ~ ~ y ~ H O M ~ ~ C m a d '-°+~ w z w ~' o ~ ~ ~- a ~ a .~ z ~ tri cn ~ C7 '~ ~ ~ M ~ O ~ ~ n ~ ° y A z At ~ n ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ m ~ ~ ~ ~, ~, ~ p. z O ~ ° "' G) z z a ~ o c~ a ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o w o ~ . crc o o ~ ,~ ~ ~ ~ y .t am ~ ~ ~ w ~- ~ c~~e- p' ~ O ~ ,~~~ ~ N- ~. O ?Y ~ ~ ~' ~''C ~ ~ tc ~., ~ ~ ~ ~ O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ v ~ o ~ O N ~ O ,•C ~ O .-r ~ ~ - ¢' ry fL ¢. Q-'C ~ ~' ~° ~ N U~Q N O ~ O z ~ y- ~ ~ ~. CD ~-' CD ~ ~ VQ ~' (L A~ ~ ~ n n ~ ~ ~ ~- V n h o 't3 ~ ``< ~ "t ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ coo ~ ~ ~D O ~ 000 ~, ~, y ~ ~ n ~ A' ~ ~ ~ ~ • ~ n O ~ ~ ~ ~- ~ ~ ''" ''~ co r^ o ~ r"' ~ ~ y ~ ~ ~ ~ n - ~. v ~ A' ~ ~ p Z ~ m ,o-h ~ ~ UQ ~ U~ A ro C ': ~ Reading PROFESSOR EMERITUS, WRITERS' WORKSHOP Marvin Bell "Writers in a Cafe" Presentation o[ poem to Mayor Bailey ~rom President Mason ~ closing remarks 4c 1 ~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Housing and Inspection Services Inspection Report Liquor/Beer License Applications Applicant: _Kamodo Klub Doing Business As: _Kamodo Klub Site Address: 509 s. Gilbert Street H.I.S. must approve or disapprove the application for a liquor license. The Iowa City Building Official ()approves (x) disapproves the license application. .-- Signature: Date: ~'/ /~ O~ Reason for disapproval (if applicable) A2 occupancies of 100 or more require a sprinkling system when ownership of business changes. An approved sprinkler plan. and monitoring contract must be received and a sprinkling permit issued before an approval for this license application can be given. The system must be installed within the first year of ownership. Outdoor Service Area: ()yes (x)no Dance Floor present: ()yes (x) no Size: 4 1 PUBLIC HEALTH Douglas Beardsley, MPH, CPHA Director Promoting Health. Preventing Harm. November 17, 2008 Iowa City City Council c/o City Clerk's Office 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Council: I apologize for getting to you a bit late on this, but I have noticed that the discussion of alcohol use in the area has had more attention lately. I congratulate you for taking this up and encourage you to continue to do so. I would like to volunteer to participate on any committees or advisory groups you may have to help look in to the problem and potential solutions. Alcohol use is a very serious public health problem which must be addressed from a number of perspectives if we are to make any noticeable changes. There is no single answer or short-term solution. If any change is going to take place, it will be over an extended period of time with sustained effort from the community as a whole. Again, I would be happy to lend whatever resources I can to work on this issue. I look forward to hearing from you in the future on this or other issues of public health concern. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely, Douglas .Beardsley Director _. r ,;~, ~~' -~ ~. «~ o 4 , ~,~ ~ - .~ ~~ : ; ~ . ~ ~ , P'~ r~.J .. ?~,.!^ 1,.t~ 1105 GILBERT COURT • IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 • PHONE: (319) 356-6040 • FAX: (319) 356-6044 alcohol strategy discussion Marian Karr From: Regenia Bailey [bailey@avalon.net] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 7:58 AM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: alcohol strategy discussion--correspondence Page 1 of 12 From: Bob Thompson [mailto:thompbobson@mchsi.com] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 12:18 AM To: regenia-bailey@iowa-city.org; matt-hayek@iowa-city.org; ross-Wilburn@iowa-city.org; amy-correia@iowa- city.org; mike-Wright@iowa-city.org; president@uiowa.edu; Wallace-loh@uiowa.edu; O'Hara, Michael W; sarah- hansen@uiowa.edu; kvanderwerff@meccaia.com; richard-dobyns@uiowa.edu; jimclayto@gmail.com; Nathan, Peter E; DI; Jennifer.hemmingsen@gazettecommunications.com; P-C Newsroom Subject: alcohol strategy discussion Below is my contribution to the current discussion of potential strategies for mitigating alcohol abuse in Iowa City. For convenience and simplicity, citations are in the form of embedded hyperlinks. If the links in this email don't work or get translated into text-only URLs, go to the permanent URL: http://hobthonlpson._org/alc. ohol.htm This is not an attempt to thrust myself into the debate. In fact, I desire the opposite. I simply felt obliged to distill and transmit some of what I've learned about scientific research relevant to the current discussion; the obligation to attempt to inform important decisions supersedes desire for privacy. Discussion of this issue has been dominated by advocates of one particular approach promoted in a highly organized and well funded effort. Local media has been included in this email not to garner publicity, but because of their role in informing the public. Some media outlets could perhaps be fairly accused of lacking objectivity and adequate knowledge of both sides of the issue. Other recipients are included because it's only fair to give them an opportunity to view my criticisms, which may at times sound harsh. Unless proven wrong, it's not in my nature to apologize for such criticisms, due to the amount of time taken away from my life in countering such misinformed efforts. And also because I was raised by wolves (okay, that part I made up). For years we have been presented a narrow set of policy and enforcement solutions with the claim that they have a proven track record, but this is not the case. In addition to debunking these strategies, potentially effective approaches are explored. My purpose is not to disparage local activists and stakeholders, who obviously mean well, but rather to point the course and scope of action in a more fruitful direction. Frankly, I think we've all been had by the AMA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I have received no compensation or offer of such, monetary or otherwise, for doing this. I wrote this entirely on my own initiative, by myself. Since I lack credentials, and this is an arena of contentious debate in the scientific community, I sent a partial draft to alcohol researcher David J. Hanson, asking his opinion on the accuracy of my assessment of the research, and gained his approval. I harbor no illusions or expectations about my power to influence any decisions made, and will not be offended if ignored. I really don't have a dog in this race, other than my dislike for inadequately informed decision making. I am willing to discuss this with anyone, as time allows. 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 2 of 12 But enough about me; let's talk about you... cheers, Bob Thompson thompbobson ~ mchsi.com 319.337.3543 Alcohol Policy and Research: "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" by Bob Thompson Nov 13 2008 I'm writing about the City Council's current discussion of alcohol policy. Having researched the topic, I have some observations on why current strategies are not working, but also some good news: it may be possible to change things. Just not the way we're doing it. Unfortunately, with more than a decade of misinformation bombardment on the subject, I feel it's also necessary to explain the reasoning behind what has been advocated, and "deprogram" the reader by dissecting the philosophy and "science" of those alcohol policy experts who have dominated public discussion for the last decade. Yeah, you know who I'm talkin' about. Since I lack credentials or perhaps even respectability, I'll be providing links to all sources used for the basis of my arguments, so the reader can judge for themselves based on the evidence. Or not. Every time I hear the words "research shows" in the context of alcohol policy, I cringe. As Bloc21's self- appointed research geek, I learned quite a bit about what the research really does show, and this differs considerably from what we've been told by some of our local alcohol policy experts. Statistics abuse is nearly as rampant as alcohol abuse in our society, but there are far fewer treatment options. What the "research shows" is that a lot of people in the health business have a social agenda, offer few if any proven or thoughtful solutions, make stuff up about research so it sounds like they have the answers, and no one fact-checks any of this, or even cares whether the information presented is accurate and useful. It's hard to place much of the blame for such misinformation on our local alcohol policy enthusiasts, because it's too easy to trace all of their talking points back to large, well-funded organizations such as the AMA, ...RW__ JF, and NIAAA (pronounced NEEAAAH!). A new concept has taken hold in the realm of public health in dealing with alcohol, the "Environmental Management Model." The central doctrine of this faith is that restricting access to alcohol will result in lower consumption. First, the unspoken (and unsubstantiated) assumption upon which this theory stands is that access to alcohol can in fact be restricted in any meaningful way for the targeted group. Second, it requires a lopsided view of the law of supply and demand: supply does not exist in a vacuum, but responds to demand in intricate (or not-so- intricate) ways. When the supply spigot is shut off in one place, another will likely open up somewhere else. The most spectacular local example of this is the apparent effect of a dry UI campus on the proliferation of bars. A sharp increase in the number of downtown liquor licenses (1998: 33 licenses; 2005: 481icenses) correlates with UI's ban on alcohol in dorms (2000), fiats and sororities (1999). A bar owner told me that prior to the ban, it was impossible to compete with the massive fiat parties, and UI's policy of prohibition was probably the best thing that ever happened to the bar business. Restricting access to bars, and reduction of the number of establishments, will likely result in a similar relocation of the party. Any approach that emphasizes attacking the supply at the expense of less warlike tactics is likely to fail, 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 3 of 12 as the most extreme example of National Prohibition should have shown us. During that period, there was a sudden decrease in consumption at the onset, but the black market eventually got up to speed. Some temperance nuts have attempted to Sp1n National Prohibition as a public health success, but no direct measures of consumption are available for this period. When their simplistic anal semis is deconstructed, it becomes apparent that it did not substantially diminish consumption in the long run, encouraged high-risk drinking, and was consistent with standard economic theory, which predicts that prohibition of any mutually beneficial exchange is doomed to fail. Economic theory also predicts that a 21 ordinance might have the opposite of its intended cff~;ct. First, people tend to drink less when the per unit cost is higher; and it costs more per unit at a bar than at Hy Vee. When the unit price is a dollar, consumers will generally drink more than when paying 2 to 4 dollars at a bar. 21 advocates use the fact that price affects consumption in calling for price controls, but forget about it when advocating a higher bar entry age. Furthermore, consumers monitor their spending at a bar because alcohol is sold on a per unit basis, whereas "at a private residence, once alcohol is purchased and brought to the residence, the cost of the alcohol becomes a sunk cost and consumers are faced with zero per unit marginal cost of consumption... consumers respond to the zero marginal cost of consumption by increasing their consumption beyond what would be consumed at a drinking establishment with a positive per unit cost. Numbers obtained from the real world back this up: A study of Harvard CAS data shows substantially heavier student drinking at private parties, as opposed to bars. 21 advocates seem to take a grade school math approach to predicting a drop in consumption with reduced access to sources of alcohol; perhaps they even assume that when underage drinkers are refused access to a bar, they will simply walk down the street and have a root beer float instead. But "res.carch shows" that 18-20-year-olds usually obtain alcohol through a legal age peer (68%). Restricting access at retail outlets is fine and dandy, but can it possibly help reduce consumption? More on this later. MLDA and Scully Advocates will insist that the Environmental Approach does in fact deal with the "demand" side of the equation, primarily in its call for increased enforcement and tougher penalties as a deterrent; make the consequences severe enough, and demand will be reduced. The evidence does not support this. 1VIECCA's Oct. 13 correspondence to the Council advocates enforcement of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) as one of a number of effective strategies. This basically looks like a reworded excerpt from the oft-cited "_A.Call to Action," an NIAAA publication provided to college presidents. MECCA doesn't cite sources for this argument, but the NIAAA does. One of the sources is particularly interesting, as it illustrates how the conclusions of such studies often differ radically with how they are interpreted by people seeking to justify a particular agenda. First, it's vital to note the organizational structure of the NIAAA's recommended strategies. "Tier l_" strategies are the only ones known to be effective on college students (according to the NIAAA, that is). All of the Tier 1 strategies target individual problem, at-risk, or alcohol-dependent drinkers; individuals, not whole environments. NIAAA further cautions against making too much of even these, the top-tier, proven strategies: Their efficacy as part of a campus-wide strategy has not been tested. "Here's what this means: At the,time of that writing (Apri12002), no "environmental" strategies were known to work for college students. Period. Not much has changed since then; but I'm saving the good news for the end. Enforcement of the MLDA is a Tier 2 strategy, meaning it has "not yet been comprehensively evaluated with college students" --although one._of th,e sources cited did evaluate the effectiveness of the MLDA itself: "Of 24 college-specific analyses, 3 (13%) found a significant inverse relationship between the legal age and alcohol consumption, 3 found a significant positive relationship, and 15 found no significant 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 4 of 12 relationship. One additional study found an inverse relationship with no report on significance levels." Given their extensive relationship with Neo-Prohibitionist organizations, these researchers might fairly be called Neo-Prohibitionists themselves; yet the most positive thing they could say was that "existing research clearly does not suggest that the age-21 MLDA has increased problems among college students." That's right: for college students, it has had no significant effect on consumption whatsoever! Others have dealt with the massive statistical fraud supporting the 21 MLDA, including alcohol researcher Dr. David J. Hanson, with whom I corresponded during the 21 ordinance campaign. A prolific contributor to alcohol policy debate, Hanson runs the popular website "Alcohol_Problems aild Solutions." He o_ffers__a_rebutt_al of the NIAAA's rebuttal of common arguments for lowering the MLDA (kindly provided to the Council by MECCA). Of the largest statistical malfeasance used to support a 21 drinking age, he writes: It's true that lower rates of alcohol-related traffic accidents now occur among drivers under the age of 21. But they've also been declining among those age 21 and older, with one notable exception. Raising the minimum legal drinking age has resulted in an apparent displacement of large numbers of alcohol-related traffic fatalities from those under the age of 21 to those age 21 to 24. In short, raising the drinking age simply changed the ages of those killed. Man other factors likely contributed to the general decline of traffic fatalities: Safer vehicles, increased use of seat belts, changing attitudes toward drinking and driving, etc. The decline in drunk driving fatalities for age groups 16-20 and 21-24 also seems to follow the change in population of those age groups. For the same period, the NHTSA found that "Canadian reductions in youth drinking and driving, measured both by fatal crash data and by surveys, followed virtually the same pattern as in the United States. But the Canadian reduction was not due to laws directed at youth: the drinking age did not change during this time and zero tolerance laws were implemented after the reduction had occurred. This means that the changes must have resulted from some combination of the difficult-to-assess educational and motivational programs and from other factors outside of traffic safety. This suggests that a substantial portion of the reduction in the United States also resulted from these same causes." There are too many other reasonable explanations for the decline to attribute it to the drinking age. In the war against alcohol, truth is the first casualty. A must-read is Hanson's article on how the alcohol policy debate's dominant voices "lie" with statistics, and use various other deceptive tactics. His article "A Junk Science Con~re ag tion" gives a real life example, in this case of how a group of supposedly intelligent people converged on a government inquiry into the effects of alcohol advertising, and turned it into something resembling a tent revival meeting. The truth about advertising restrictions? "Research from around the world has repeatedly demonstrated for decades that alcohol advertising doesn't increase overall consumption, doesn't contribute to alcohol abuse, and doesn't cause non-drinkers to become drinkers. However, what it has found is that successful advertisers increase their market share at the expense of their competitors, who lose market share." Hanson and Dr. Ruth Engs studed_ the immediate effect of raising the drinking age, and concluded that "the legislation may actually have contributed to increased drinking among underage students through the arousal of reactance motivation." Reactance motivation is a tendency to rebel to regain control over lost freedoms, such as being able to drink legally. The problem with a 21 MLDA, and a possible solution, is discussed here, with a tidy summary of the problem: "Should anyone be surprised that zero tolerance is met with rebellion and rule breaking? Outlandish behavior is a typical reaction to prohibition, which is why the illegal speakeasies were always bawdier than the public bars that the Volstead Act shut down. The modern age-based prohibition seems to be working no better than the 1920s version; while a smaller percentage of young adults are now drinking, a sizable minority is drinking recklessly." 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 5 of 12 But the "environmental" strategy specifically calls for greater enforcement of the MLDA. What does the NIAAA say about that? "Increased enforcementspecifically compliance checks on retail alcohol outletstypically cuts rates of sales to minors by at least half." Yes, "compliance checks on retail alcohol outlets" is the only enforcement strategy known to have an effect; and it is not known to have an effect on consumption, but only on "rates of sales to minors." (My theory is that it does indeed have an effect on consumption -- for about 10 minutes, the time it takes to walk back to the house party.) The Harvard drinking surveys of UI students show that "binge drinking" and related harms continue to increase, unaffected by increased enforcement efforts, higher PAULA fines, etc. College students have no problem obtaining alcohol from legal age peers, and compliance checks are only known to have the effect of increasing compliance by retail alcohol outlets -- not on the goal of reducing excessive consumption. Changing the location of the spigot again. Well, that's not the goal, but I guess it's something, ain't it. Heavy-handed enforcement may sometimes have unintended negative consequences; the least favorite consequence for law enforcement is probably the ensuing public relations nightmares. In an n_v_estigati_on into the infamous VEISHEA riots, the task force noted that 3 of ISU's last 4 "celebratory disturbances" were likely sparked by police intervention, and wrote: "...(P)olicies that restrict alcohol may lead to rioting by (1) driving drinking into large off-campus parties and (2) creating encounters between partiers and police attempting to enforce alcohol restrictions or respond to problems created by drinking. Buettner (2004) suggests that the emergence and spread of the mixed-issue campus disturbance maybe connected to the raising of the drinking age in the mid- 1980s to comply with a federal mandate... The more restrictive drinking rules resulted in movement of drinking to large, unregulated off-campus parties and created the possibility of more frequent hostile encounters with police... "In addition to the federally-mandated drinking age, Iowa State University students face a number of restrictions on alcohol consumption, such as: . An Ames City ordinance forbidding people below the drinking age from entering local bars. This ordinance restricts the ability of those who are underage to socialize with their friends who may legally drink in bars; this restriction, in turn, drives people to unregulated off-campus parties, where people of all ages may socialize freely. . Department of Residence rules limiting possession and consumption of alcohol in residence halls. These residence hall policies have grown stricter as the university has attempted to deal with problems related to alcohol consumption." The higher MLDA does seem to have reduced drinking among high school students, probably owing to the fact that they have far fewer legal age drinking buddies than do college undergrads. But advocates use statistics taken from wider samples and different social environments than could legitimately be used as evidence that greater enforcement could have a beneficial effect on college environments. So many statistical abuses come to mind at this point, I could write a book (which I'm not); the worst abuse I've seen came from Citizens for Healthy Choices, the group that put the 21 ordinance on the ballot last year. The impetus for my research binge w,a my discovery that they fabricated research statements, substituting the words "legal-age bar entry ordinance" for "minimum legal drinking age" in summaries of research copied from AMA and NIAAA documents. UI's most prominent and respected alcohol researcher ran around town proclaiming that the ordinance would reduce underage consumption by 25- 30%, yet there is _n_o__.rese__arch on the efficacy of such an ordinance. Such heartfelt respect for scientific accuracy should never go unrewarded. The weakness of their position is obvious. Why is anyone still listening to these guys? AMODern Authoritarian Approach 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 6 of 12 "Well, these things take time," they say. Stepping Up ~oints.._out that "it took decades to change the culture about smoking in public places. Likewise, it will take time to reduce the harms that excessive drinkers and their suppliers cause for other people." Great, so we have to listen to this for centuries. The high priests of the Environmental Management Model are now basicall~sayin~ that only a multitude of restrictions, crackdowns and penalties heaped together in a massive, never-ending anti-alcohol campaign can even begin to curb the drinking. Um, how do they know this? Maybe from the 20Q.4_e_val_u_ _ation of the "A M_at_t_er__of Degree. Pro ._ ram." (AMOD), of which our local Stepping Up.._Project is a part. In the introduction, we find a terse summary of the basic tenets of the faith: Emerging evidence indicates the importance of environmental determinants of heavy alcohol use, and suggests a broader selection of prevention strategies for addressing college student drinking. Effective program models might combine individually focused strategies with ones that address the environment, such as enforcement of minimum drinking age laws; limiting access to low-cost, high-volume drink specials, advertising of alcohol to youth, the proliferation of alcohol outlets; and instituting responsible beverage service training. These approaches are effective prevention measures when implemented in the general population and are recommended for addressing college student drinking. Most of the problem with enforcing a 21 MLDA in a college community stems from the fact that underage students are placed in a unique social context with those of legal age. Can a college student's social environment compare to that of the "general population"? How "general" can we get when comparing apples to oranges? The authors of the 2004 evaluation cite "A Call to Action" as a scholarly source supporting the quote above, specifically the document's Tier 2 strategies (not known to be effective on college students). This is where we discover just how weak the supporting research really is for what is being advocated. In its justification for "Restrictions on alcohol retail outlet density," the NIAAA can show a correlation between greater alcohol outlet density and greater problems, but can't predict that fewer problems will result from lower density: Studies of the number of alcohol licenses or outlets per population size have found a relationship between the density of alcohol outlets, consumption, and related problems such as violence, other crime, and health problems (Toomey and Wagenaar, 2002). One study, targeting college students specifically, found higher levels of drinking and binge drinking among underage and older college students when a larger number of businesses sold alcohol within one mile of campus (Chaloupka and Wechsler, 1996). Numbers of outlets maybe restricted directly or indirectly through policies that make licenses more difficult to obtain such as increasing the cost of a license. Correlation does not prove causation; or as Hanson. put it, stork sightings have been highly correlated with births and skirt heights have been correlated with the'height of the stock market." This is more complex than that, but not much: The observation of correlation in no way implies that a reduction in alcohol outlets would result in a reduction in alcohol-related problems, absent a drop in demand. This is because it cannot prove that alternative (and perhaps cheaper) sources of alcohol could not be found and utilized (and found easily!). So they have no idea what would happen if someone found a way to systematically shut bars down, and otherwise measurably reduce access. But if someone tried, they'd sure like to study the results. Well someone tried that for them: The ten AMOD coalitions, including Stepping Up. NIAAA's justification for "increased prices and excise taxes on alcoholic beverages" isn't encouraging either. Though price has some effect for the general population, "Chaloupka and Wechsler (1996) found that higher beer prices tend to decrease drinking and binge drinking among U.S. college students, but that price is a relatively weak tool for influencing these behaviors among college students, especially males." And how weak a tool is "responsible beverage service policies"? "Studies suggest that bartenders, waiters, and others in the hospitality industry would welcome written policies about responsible service 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 7 of 12 of alcohol and training in how to implement them appropriately." Are you freakin' kidding me. Studies suggest that bartenders would welcome written policies about responsible service. Sure, especially if it's the cops suggesting it. What bar were the researchers "studying" in when they discovered this? I can suggest something too: Go downtown and ask, "Hey bartender, would you welcome written policies about responsible service of alcohol and training in how to implement them appropriately?" Let me know how that turns out. Nothing at all wrong with responsible bartenders, but also nothing here about studies suggesting this might put a dent in the problem; all they have is "studies suggest that bartenders would welcome" it. Now THAT's science. But what the hell, what's one more ordinance. Back to the 2004 AMOD evaluation. "While there was no change in the ten AMOD schools in study measures, significant although small improvements in alcohol consumption and related harms at colleges were observed among students at the five AMOD sites that most closely implemented the environmental model." So they threw out the data for half the test sites, including Iowa City, in order to barely achieve statistically significant change. And looking at the tables, I don't see how this could be viewed as anything resembling significant improvement. How encouraging. So, it seems we've been presented with two options here: We can deploy a massive crackdown forever and achieve barely significant results, or do nothing. Is there anything that actually works? Nebraska??! Toward the end of the 21 ordinance campaign, I started looking into alternative solutions. Unfortunately, it took so much time to investigate the flawed arguments of our opponents, I was sick of the topic by then, and didn't have the time or energy to do the inquiry justice. Finding successful examples to follow seemed like looking for a needle in a haystack. And where better to find a haystack than Nebraska? One of the AMOD sites, the _U__.ni_v_ersity___ofNehraska-Lincoln, did manage to put a dent in their drinking problem; comparing the results they achieved in five years with the tables presented in the AMOD evaluation makes me wonder just how much the results for the five "successful" programs got pumped up solely by UNL's contribution. I was under the impression that the final AMOD evaluation was due earlier this year, but it has yet to appear. Maybe the program was such a flop they were afraid to publish the results; but it was up to the individual AMOD coalitions whether they wanted to release the local results of student drinking surveys. Most of the coalitions kept their mouths shut about it, but UNL showed. theirs, and they are the only example of success I could find. Stepping Up also released the results of UI student surveys, if you're looking for an exam lie of miserable__failure. UNL showed significant declines in drinking and related harms in all respects but the most alarming one: the percentage of students drinking after driving doubled from 2003 (23 %) to 2006 (46%). I'm not investigating this, but it probably had a lot to do with all the crackdowns in close proximity to campus. In my opinion, this side effect is simply unacceptable. With that profoundly negative consequence in mind, a careful look at the closest thing resembling "success" is in order. Ina 20_.06 article, UNL's assistant director of student involvement Tom Workman said, "We looked at what worked and what didn't work, and the bottom line was that the only answer was everything. It took 360-degree coverage by the full community to impact that." In other words, an all-out crusade. That's wonderful. We had what seemed like an all-out crusade in Iowa City too, complete with lots of ordinances, dramatic spikes. in drug and alcohol related arrests far.g_reater than any other jurisdiction in Iowa, doctors with PowerPoint presentations scaring little old. ladies in church basements, the whole deal. If there's anything we've had plenty of, it's anti-alcohol hype and crackdowns. Yet drinking continued to increase, as if it were occurring in a parallel universe. What was different in Nebraska? 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 8 of 12 Let me preface my analysis with a couple of caveats. First, I'm not claiming any right as a spokesman or analyst for UNL's program. Critics of Iowa City's efforts fall short if they offer nothing in the way of alternative approaches, and gosh I'm sorry, but this is the best I could do. I'm not in charge of anything around here, I'm only trying to point things in a less hopeless direction. Second, full disclosure: If you haven't guessed this yet, I'm not a fan of this "environmental management" stuff. I find it elitist, demeaning, condescending, and authoritarian. It also appears to be ineffective, even at LJNL. I cite UNL's example against my own inclinations, because they did not reject the Environmental Management Model; but what they did with it was far more diverse and creative than our local efforts, and actually went well outside the boundaries of any "environmental management" advice offered by their handlers at the AMA. In fact, in some respects it appears that the Lincoln coalition mutinied against the AMOD agenda, at one point incurring enough of the AMA's wrath that AMOD Advocacy Initiative advisors were pulled out of the program. Their crime? NU Directions worked with drinking establishments, rather than declaring war on them According to their Five Year ReRort, NU Directions rewrote their policy goals to "reflect a change from the reduction and/or control of density to the management of density. The refocused goal identified the management of problematic establishments as a strategy toward reducing problems associated with density without addressing density specifically. Given this change, the AMOD Program office, NU Directions staff, and Pan American consultants agreed to suspend the technical assistance of Pan American Services in Lincoln." They decided to deal with problems with the rowdier bars rather than try to put bars out of business to reduce outlet density. Heresy! Remember, AMOD wanted to see what would happen if a bunch of bars got shut down. And think about what might be at stake politically, from the perspective of the Neo-Prohibitionists: If they could somehow show that a reduction of outlet density caused a drop in drinking, they would use this to promote local, state-level, maybe even federal legislation to force bars out of business. Carrie Nation goes to Washington. What, you think they wouldn't do that? NU Directions looked into zoning as a tool for "managing the retail environment," which is Neo- Prohibitionist for "putting bars out of business." They hosted "bar walks" and all sorts of stunts to "educate" civic leaders on the need to shut down a bunch of bars, pretty much the same as here. They even had a "symposium." Frankly, I'm not sure what a "symposium" is, but they had one. Important sounding word, symposium. The result of all this brainstorming was that they focused on "creating better alcohol service in Lincoln," and stopped the all-out war against outlet density, greatly displeasing their masters. NU Directions did more than just crack down on problem bars: They also offered a positive incentive for good behavior. They started a website, nutodo.com, in which local drinking establishments could advertise if they signed a "Responsible Business Agreement." Not sure how that worked out, but it's a good idea in theory. Nutodo.com now redirects to UNLlife.com. No signs of any life there, so I assume the program was discontinued. For such a promotional incentive to be successful, it would have to reach a wide audience. It seems wise from a psychological perspective to offer positive incentives for good behavior; or at least something more positive than "obey, or we crush you." Unfortunately, this is the prevailing message conveyed by the crackdown mentality that's largely driven our local effort. NU Directions developed realistic goals, and was responsive to public perception Unlike local advocates, Lincoln's coalition was not oblivious or indifferent to public criticism, but rightly viewed negative public perception as a serious impediment to change: Focus group and survey data suggests that many UNL students perceived the efforts of NU Directions as 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 9 of 12 prohibition rather than harm reduction, and that the overall message of the coalition as "Drinking is bad. Don't drink." Expecting this reaction, the Education and Information Workgroup focused its initial efforts on developing a clear and concise definition of high-risk drinking, communicating it in billboard and campus newspaper advertisements, campus and community presentations, the coalition web site, and all coalition materials (Objective 11.1). High-risk drinking was defined as consumption that increased the likelihood of negative physical, legal, personal or academic consequences. Unfortunately, they also had a "zero tolerance" message for underage drinkers. This is simply unrealistic, but will probably never go away until MLDA laws receive substantial repair. Yet UNL was not afraid to show as a measure of success a significant increase in the number of students who reported drinking but not "bingeing." Feigning outrage that there are 18-20 year olds drinking in a college town is just silly. Most people would be ecstatic if we could just convince them to turn it down a couple of notches. NUDirections deployed a comprehensive Social Norms campaign If I understand Social. Norms_The_ory correctly, the worst thing that could be done is exactly what happened here: Ranting and raving about what a bunch of stinking drunks all those gosh darn college students are. Social Norms Marketing seeks to correct erroneous perceptions reinforcing drunkenness as normative behavior. "Social norming" is listed by the NIAAA in its "Tier 3" strategies (Evidence of Logical and Theoretical Promise), advising that "schools to assemble a team of experienced researchers to assist them in the process." It's a bit trickier than brute force, requiring accurate surveys and effective marketing. It has received some media attention, but unlike RWJF-funded programs, does not have a multi-million dollar promotional budget. As USA Today reported., "The key is to not over-report the incidences of dangerous drinking that occur, and to broadly promote the general good health of students so that it is perceived as normal not to drink." --Or to be more realistic, that it is perceived as nornlal to drink moderately, which is simply the truth. Iowa City is probably a textbook example of precisely the opposite, in which media and anti-alcohol crusaders continuously portray students as wild, drunken animals. If there is a method to such madness, it would seem to involve cultivating an atmosphere of hysteria to garner public support for policy objectives. This is destructive, divisive, and stupid. Some of these people can't mention the subject without using the word "vomit." So much for intelligent debate. The Higher Education Center is another entity promoting the Environmental Management Model, but much as they'd love to be able to say that it actually works in this document, they can't cite any successes for any approach except Social Nonns Marketing. "Once students' misperceptions of the norm are corrected, drinking levels on campus appear to go down by about 20%." HEC giyes__a_few examples: Hobart/William Smith Colleges: high risk drinking was reduced by 21% University of Arizona: high risk drinking was reduced by 21% Western Washington University: high risk drinking was reduced by 20% Northern Illinois University: high risk drinking was reduced by 18% Actually, NIU reportedly had a 44% reduction between 1990 and 1999. Other reports claim that Hobart/William Smith achieved a 32% reduction over 4 years, Arizona 27%, and Rowan University 25%. Given these models of successful campaigns, one can legitimately suspect that UNL's carefully designed, very comprehensive Social Norms campaign maybe the reason for their success, rather than any of the "environmental" stuff. Social Norms Marketing only works if a misperception in drinking norms exists; the social environment determines the potential for effectiveness. Incidently, the HEC al_so_giyes us the real reason why all this is going on: "Colleges are being held increasingly accountable in cases where students drink alcohol and cause injury or damage to themselves or others. These legal changes move towards a shared (vs. individual) responsibility for 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 10 of 12 alcohol risks in the college environment, and increased legal responsibility of the college to create a more responsible alcohol culture." Oh yeah, money. I forgot, that's the only reason anyone ever does anything. Apparently there is now some legal precedent for holding colleges liable for damages, presumably due to negligence in controlling their students. This must be why the University of Iowa's first real move was to push all the drinking off campus, hmmm? It might look more like they were responsibly addressing the problem if they tried something that actually worked. Stepping Up might respond that they did in fact have a social norms campaign --but this consisted of a short-lived, low-budget goofy_ad_cam ai . n. Social Norms advocates say that the truthfulness, scope and creative integrity of the campaign matters a lot, and requires considerable expertise. You can't just put posters up in the dorms, and call it a legitimate campaign. Henr~_ Wechsler of the Harvard College Alcohol Study is one of the leading advocates of the environmental approach. He attempted to discredit Social Norms by publishing a "study" that failed to defne what a legitimate social norms campaign is, but merely asked administrators if they'd ever had one. There seems to be a large academic rift between those who favor Environmental Management and those who do not. The lavish funding for. promoting this Neo-Prohibitionist agelida has all but drowned out the opposition in recent years, but it has yet to produce any evidence of success. NU Directions used individual and small group interventions known to be effective From their Five Year Report: The Education & Information Workgroup focused on brief_motvational._feedb....a_ck programs in a variety of formats, including group classes of the Alcohol Skills Training Program (ASTP) for students who violated community laws and campus alcohol policies (Objective 2.1), with one-on-one sessions of the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) for repeat offenders or those unable to attend scheduled classes... In addition to brief motivational feedback programming, identified high-risk populations received a variety of targeted campaigns and activities. An NCAA grant linked athletes with peer educators in a program called Husker Choices. Athletic teams and other high risk populations received peer-led presentations along with motivational feedback programming. A series of focus groups were conducted with first-year female students and their resident advisors to better inform efforts directed at this group of students. In summary, UNL went far beyond the limited scope of "environmental management" tactics, deploying a bewildering array of programs, some of which actually have a proven track record. They exhaustively researched and planned all their activities. They had vigorous, creative leadership. They heavily recruited students to participate,~and showed respect for students. They displayed intelligence and integrity. In short, they put Iowa City's efforts to shame. While Iowa City focused almost entirely on changing behavior by force, others have achieved positive results with intelligent, researched, carefully orchestrated programs. During the 21 campaign, Iowa City was an object of some nationwide scrutiny. Dr. Hanson shared an observation from one of his colleagues: Let me see if I get this right. Ames, Iowa bans under-21 year old young adult Iowa State University Students from bars and night clubs, has keg registration, a nuisance party ordinance, etc., and the result is 198 citations in 2006 for underage violations. vs 1,286 citations in Iowa City that's trying to get an under-21 ordinance passed this year. Is this what FHE-ASAP and the Florida Coalition on Alcohol Policy wants in all Florida higher ed 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion communities? Here's what I think. Page 11 of 12 About 75-80% of Iowa State young adults 18-20 drink and 198 got caught. Of those that drink, 85% do so responsibly and about 15% probably fall into the "high-risk" drinking category. (The same could be said for every college and university in the nation, except for Brigham Young) The Ames police department could write 198 citations a week if they were so inclined. Instead, the 18-20 year old young adults are forced underground or out to the Ames, Iowa corn fields to party and socialize. Some drive the 90 miles to Iowa City, where the 18-20 year-olds with their fake IDs go to party, socialize and dance, then drive the 90 miles back to Ames at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or so AM, after their responsible drinking has got their BACs below the .08 legal limit...or .02 for underage. A dean of students utopia! Of course, when Iowa City, Iowa bans 18-20 year old young adults, the world will be perfect for Iowa...they'll all be out in the corn fields partying. Because there is keg registration, the 21-year old buddy goes into the State liquor store, purchases a 1.75 liter bottle of whatever liquor...which contains about the same alcohol by volume as a 32 or so gallon keg of beer...and they do liquor shots instead...because we know they can get a buzz much faster with shots than red cups of beer. A dean of students nightmare! I don't recall a president, vice president of student affairs, or dean of students of either of these universities giving a presentation to the higher ed national meeting in the last 8 years I attended. No poster sessions saying we've cut underage and high risk drinking by X% in the 28 years or so the policies have been on the books in Ames, for example...nothing of the sort. Yet, this is what the AMOD sites were supposed to emulate. Einstein is often credited with the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Is there a cure for the form of insanity we seem to be trying to perpetuate above? Perhaps, just perhaps, you should invite Dr. John McCardell, Dr. David Hanson, and Dr.Bill DeJong on one of our monthly teleconferences for a discussion on finding better ways to deal with Einstein's definition. It's time for more thoughtful discourse. I don't think nor believe Iowa has found underage/high risk drinking utopia after almost 3 decades of struggling. Well, at least we're capable of serving as a bad example. Here's what I think: We aren't really dealing with the root of the problem at all. Outlet density, drunkenness as normal behavior, and other evils condemned by Neo-Prohibitionists are not causes of the problem, they are symptoms. Alcohol abuse, and a social structure revolving around alcohol abuse, is an indicator of a deeper problem. We are dancing around a larger issue. Frankly, I think the crackdown approach has been given more than a fair shot. Law enforcement is stretched thin, yet more laws are being contemplated. Shall we continue to do more of the same, and expect different results? The problem is bigger than the scope and power of government. One important study found that schools with a high level of social capital have lower levels of high risk drinking, using volunteerism as a measure of social capital. "Social capital is a contextual characteristic describing patterns of civic engagement, trust, and mutual obligation among persons." The study "sought to examine campus-level patterns of participation in voluntary activities (an indicator of social capital) in relation to binge drinking in college. Campuses with high levels of social capital may provide the patterns of interconnectedness and mutual obligation required for collective regulation of deviancy in a group. Although social capital may have little effect on (or even encourage) light drinking, it may protect against binge and problem drinking... The findings encourage us to include as prevention 11/17/2008 alcohol strategy discussion Page 12 of 12 programs initiatives aiming to change the social fabric of a college community. The findings also underscore the importance of looking more deeply at how context determines drinking risks and thus may add to the national debate on preventing highrisk drinking. This debate may be polarizing around norm-shifting and supply-reducing. approaches. A broader, more integrated view may be needed." No kidding. Though the UI probably isn't aware that efforts to build social capital might also help curb drinking, its Civic En~a~en~cn_ t and Pick One!_ programs are steps in a good direction. If you haven't noticed, our society is in a decline, with much lower levels of social capital and higher levels of isolation and fragmentation than was the case decades ago. In the long run, finding ways to promote greater social capital might help build a more robust, "healthy" environment producing individuals with less inclination to get dangerously drunk and cause problems. If the greatest sense of belonging offered to young people involves beer bongs and couch burnings, we're in trouble. 11/17/2008 4 2 Marian Karr From: Denise Halter [denise.halter@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 3:46 PM To: Council Subject: what is happening to my city? Hello to all of my councilpeople. I was born and raised in Iowa city. I love this town. I love what it has already provided me and what it has to offer. I have not lived here all of my life because if I had not ventured to "foreign" lands I would never have met my husband of 36 years. I was born at Mercy, went to Lincoln for kindergarten then to St. Mary's Elementary -where the Newman Center now sits, and on to Regina and the university. I grew up where Hancher now sits - a street called Halley ,that no longer exists. I know you do not need to know all of this but I am "connected" to this town. In 1995 we were living in Illinois and I finally worked up the courage to tell my husband that I wanted to move back here. Thank God ...he agreed with me. The quality of life, the opportunities, family...my list went on and on. At the TOP of my list were the schools! 2 graduated from City High and those same 2 graduated from the University. The reason I am actually writing is that I am VERY concerned about the crime happening in my town! I woke up this morning to find my vehicle and 2 others (that I know of) had been broken into on Rundell Street. This does not and should not happen here. We need to feel safe in our community. We have 3 grandchildren now and I know their parents have become very concerned about the happenings in our little community. I have never approached you with complaints or problems in the past but this trend I see here has me very scared. Why? Just because I am missing some change from my car? NO, because I am missing some change from MY CAR! That is small time crime because they know they can get away with it. Next time they can try something a little bolder. Maybe someone will get hurt.... I faithfully pay my taxes and I expect them to "work" for me. Our children are here and raising their children but I'm not sure for how long! They all have successful careers and contribute to this community but I can see them looking at schools, the police reports, the newspapers and wonder if this is the best place for them to be with their families. It is your duty to take care of our community and I do not feel that is happening right now. I believe the police are doing all they can with what they have but are not getting the respect nor the "tools" to do their job. So, parking can be restricted, smoking can be banned and those under 21 can still waltz in to a bar. Bravo Iowa City. 11/17/2008 Page 2 of 2 A nice light in the middle of Rundell Street would put some light on our houses and I know this has been championed by Maria Ahern for a LONG time! Thank you for your time I am passionate about Iowa City and care what happens to it. Denise Halter "Remember, there are two places you will always be accepted...church and grandma and grandpa's!" 11 / 17/2008 Page 1 of I Marian Karr From: krystal halter [khalter03@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 12:58 PM To: Council Subject: Violent Crime Dear Council Members, I have lived in Iowa City most my life. I was born here and attended several years at city high school. I am a graduate of the University of Iowa, I am also a nurse at one of the local hospitals. Most my family lives here, and although I have left to explore new countries in my life, I have always returned to what I can claim as my home. This same place that I have been born and raised in, educated in and have felt safe in, Is now a place of growing crime.I believe that the continuation of crime and unresponsiveness of the people that can help address this issue is at a point to where I question weather it is safe to stay. I believe that I am apart of this community, and I care about this town. I have spent years volunteering at the local woman's and homeless shelter, the free lunch program and at the hospital. I am a nurse who cares about what happens to the people in this town healthy or ill, and for the safety of my family and the children. I am asking you to please look at the issue of growing crime in this community. I understand that there are many issues that you are faced with, I know that you work very hard to get under-aged drinkers out of the bar and new parks for the community. I believe that safety is a basic human fundamental right that I as a citizen am entitled to, and that if this is jeopardized non of the other issues matter. Again I have lived in this community long enough to see it "go down hill" as far as crime goes, I have seen it has changed a lot over the years. I would like to continue to stay here ,feel safe, and feel it is a safe place to raise my children some day. Please take time to review this issue and as a community I think we can come up with solutions to make Iowa City a safe place. Thank you for your time, Krystal Halter Krystal Halter khalter03@yahoo.com 11/17/2008 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Karina Smith [karinalyn_smith@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 2:41 PM To: Council Subject: Letter to City Council #2 November 13, 2008 Dear Council Members: I am writing as a follow-up to the October 17, 2008, letter I sent to the Iowa City Council regarding the recent increase in crime. In response to my letter I received a prompt and professional correspondence from Chief Sam Hargadine. However, I have not received a response from a council member and would greatly appreciate one. My request from you is to know A) how the council is planning to address the recent increase in crime and B) for some assurance that you are aware of and truly concerned about this issue. I think that Chief Hargadine and his team are doing a very good job on limited resources and deserve our full support. These men and women risk their lives daily and often go to situations greatly outnumbered to protect the citizens of Iowa City -this most recent armed robbery is a great example of their bravery. Chief Hargadine knows better than anyone else what he and his team need to adequately patrol this city and investigate these crimes. Iowa City needs a law enforcement team with the number of officers appropriate for a city of this size. Chief Hargadine should not have to choose between patrolling the bar area downtown and adequately patrolling the rest of the city. In addition, I hope that you are looking at the deeper roots of this crime. It is no secret that there are areas of Iowa City that have become very unsafe and unlivable for many citizens in these neighborhoods. These are areas that used to be safe, quiet and full of hard working families and students. What happened? Those in power who have approved the many new low-income and Section 8 housing bear heavy responsibility for their decisions. Many people who live in this housing are hard working, law abiding, and good neighbors, but some are not and have obviously not been appropriately vetted. I question the oversight of this initiative and feel that it is negligence to force such a program upon the citizens of this town without proper management of it. I know there are many issues that I am not privy to and so I may be speaking in ignorance, but I can tell you that everyone I talk to has the same response as to the cause of the recent crime and neighborhood degradation. I realize that you are working on a very, very tight budget and that there are many issues that need funding. However, feeling safe and being safe is a basic human right and must take priority. If people do not feel safe in their homes, in shops, or on the street, then the time and money spent on other things such as arts & culture, parks and rec., no smoking bans, under 21 restrictions, etc. are rather meaningless. Almost every day I open up the Press Citizen or the DI to read that another crime has occurred, mostly to local businesses. However, I do not see much coverage about what is being done to address his situation. What is being done to address this issue? Will there be any future council meetings to address this? Unfortunately, this issue will not go away. If we do not address it aggressively and soon, the only thing that will go away are hard working, law abiding, tax paying citizens such as myself, along with businesses and employers. 11/13/2008 Page 2 of 2 I am a fifth generation resident of Iowa City, all of my family lives here, I went to school here and now work here as a nurse. I love this town greatly and it saddens and angers me to see what is happening and to feel that I can do nothing about it. I have traveled all over the world but have always come back to Iowa City because it has so much to offer. However, if our city does not make this a priority and cannot get a handle on this crime, I think many people, including myself, will begin to seriously consider whether or not to stay in Iowa City. My family chose not to live in Johannesburg, South Africa, where my husband is from, because of its rampant crime and the government's unwillingness to seriously address it. I do not want to have to move again for the same reason. Thank you very much your patience and your willingness to read my letter - I know it is long. ] would greatly appreciate a response from one of the council members. I thank each of your for your service and your dedication to Iowa City. Sincerely, Karina Smith 208 Amhurst Street karinalyn-smith@hotmail.com Stay up to date on your PC, the Web, and your mobile phone with Windows Live Click__here 11/13/2008 4 3 November 11, 2008 To Whom It May Concern: As a senior at the University of Iowa, I am writing to express my anger in priorities of the Iowa City police. At the bar establishments in downtown Iowa City, there is underage drinking going on. Now, underage drinking is not the only problem that occurs in Iowa City. In my opinion, the act of sexual violence is a major problem at the University. Each year, many girls at the University of Iowa are walking around at night, either alone or with one other girl, and are followed by a stranger and/or attacked by a sexual offender. I know of many stories of young women who have dropped out of school because of the humiliation of being attack and/or raped. I have had female friends who have been chased down roads at night. We have even had athletes who have been accused/charged with sexual offenses. Each year, I can recall a picture of a man's face posted on trees because he's an alleged sex offender. We have a serious problem here at the University of Iowa. I understand that we only have so many policemen that can cover only so much area. However, I think the priorities need to change. 1 know that making approximately $50,000 in PAULA's during the Iowa/Iowa State weekend two years ago was an incredible achievement for the police force because they were able to postpone the number of underage drinkers that day. However, the number of girls sexually assaulted during the PAULA writing fest increased as well. Instead of having planned attacks at underage drinkers, why can't the police be allocated to the streets instead? Either the police force needs an increase in numbers or they have to decide to heavily enforce the streets more than the bars. How about the police work more to protect the innocent females from harm, rather than writing a $300 ticket to a spoiled kid whose parents will probably pay for it anyway. Sincerely, Tyler Goode ~_~ ,~" .W~, ~ N ~ G~ (EGG 'G~ t r~~ ,j ~~_ J ta,J 4 4 Marian Karr From: Marian Karr Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 3:45 PM To: 'kara-molitor@uiowa.edu' Cc: Council Subject: RE: Journalism Story Thank you for your email inquiry about citizen input into change in their communities. Emails are distributed to all seven Council Members as part of their next printed Formal Agenda, and individual Council Members do not receive their emails directly. If you would like to contact Council Members I suggest contacting them by phone. Council Members do not have set hours at the City Hall. Because of that, residents are welcome to call them at their listed phone number(s). If they are unavailable, all Council Members have an answering machine. Residents are welcome to address Council at their Formal Meetings. Any item may be discussed during Public Discussion. Agenda items may be discussed as items appear. Comments should be limited to five minutes. No preregistration is required. Additional information for contacting and communicating with Council Members is available on our website at: www.icgov.org And selecting City Council. I hope this information is helpful to you and please let me know if I can provide further assistance. ~1'lanur~ ~: 9Ca~c City Clerk City of Iowa City Population 62,380 (phone) 399-356-5049 (fax) 399-356-5497 From: Molitor, Kara L [mailto:kara-molitor@uiowa.edu] Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 3:25 PM To: Council Subject: Journalism Story Hello, My name is Kara Molitor, and I am a journalism student at the university. I am writing to the council because I am writing a story about citizens trying to enact change in there communities, and the measures they have to go to do so. I was wondering if anyone would be able to talk to me about the citizens coming to the council for change and how the council responds to them. Please email me or call me if any member is willing to help me out. My number is 712-830-9120. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Kara Molitor 11/14/2008 12-02-D8 4 5 Marian Karr From: Ward, Douglas [douglas-ward@uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 7:40 PM To: Council Cc: John Sobaski Subject: rapid response Hello, Mr. Sobaski was kind enough to contact me today regarding leaf pick up scheduling. My block of Dearborn Street was completely cleared and I am appreciative of that. I too am grateful that my concerns were noted and addressed by the council in such rapid and eminently thorough fashion. I hope all participants are as fortunate as I this year and get their leaves removed before the first snowfall. Thank You, Douglas Ward 617 Dearborn St. From: Ward, Douglas [douglas-ward@uiowa.edu] Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 6:28 PM To: Council Subject: leaf pick up program Good Day, I'm very curious what happened to alter the timeliness and thoroughness of the scheduled leaf pick-ups this year. Are you too? When my wife and I moved here 6 years ago we were so amazed at the effectiveness and the level of civic participation with this program. We told all our family and friends from Illinois to Colorado that yeah, sure the taxes seem really high in Iowa City but the services are amazing. It's worth it, really! Well, it's now becoming more amazing that the taxes are ever higher but we see less and less of the services that make this a special community to raise a family. I don't mean to say leaf pick-up has a direct bearing on my child's well being, but I am questioning our current city council's and city manager's commitment to this and other likeminded services such as snow removal and street salting and enforcing rules about ice removal from sidewalks and -and - I appreciate all of your time as I chose to address the concern to the entire council rather than just my district representative Ms. Champion. ************** Douglas Ward 617 Dearborn St. Iowa City, IA 52240 319.351.7734 November 20, 2008 Douglas Ward 617 Dearborn St. Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Mr. Ward, ~~~®~1 i111M®~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City. Iowa 52240-1826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.org Thank you for the inquiry regarding the Leaf Vacuum Program schedule. Due to an unusually late leaf drop this year, the City leaf vacuum program is now running approximately two days behind the original .posted schedule. City crews are doing their best to get caught up by the Thanksgiving holiday. Dearborn Street was vacuumed and swept on Monday, November 17t" and was acknowledged by your a-mail on the same day. The Streets Division has also been preparing for winter weather with the construction of a new 3,000 ton capacity salt storage structure. There are 1,900 tons of salt and approximately 1,500 tons of sand/salt mix currently in storage for the upcoming season. An additional 1,500 tons of salt should be delivered by the first week in January. We are also adding a snow and ice control route and two staff members to improve the snow plowing effort. This will increase the number of routes from eleven to twelve. The City Council of Iowa City recently approved a snow emergency ordinance for Iowa City. This new policy is designed to temporarily limit on street parking to allow us to clear streets more quickly and effectively during and after major winter storms. In the past, on street parking has been a significant obstacle to clearing the snow from the streets. The City's Housing and Inspection Services (H.I.S.) will do their best to enforce the policies for snow and ice removal from sidewalks. If you find a particular area that you believe to be in violation, please contact H.I.S. at 356-5120. Thank you again for expressing your concerns with the city services mentioned. If you have any further questions or comments, please contact me at 356-5182. Sincerely, John Sobaski Asst. Superintendent Streets Division Cc: Rick Fosse City Council 4 6 ..................... 1 that our to ammal shelter may no g Trap-Neuter-Retum as a ppro am for outdoor cats. ~~ v , ' The onl wa to reduce the nutuber of cats in our ~"`aD commuiuty ~ to stop the breeding. Trap-n eut~e o ° o~ ~22 ~~OS~ Return, the practice of spaying or neu g V as caps and returning them to their colonies, is the ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ 1 ~ .nom ~~,~ humane and affordable solution. If you are contributing to the national tragedy - affecting so many cats, I urge you to stop the C killing. For more information on Trap-Neuter- __.- i Return, please visit www.alleycat.org. ~ 2 ~_ ~SQy'1 Dear ~ i CU v ~ ~ I~~~ :~ . ,~ a, and just.'' - s~of W Iamare learned that tens of millio ~: shelters eve year natiar`d • t be offerin Since 1 ,~ ~~ ~„ si.~e TO IOWA CITY -CITY COUNCIL 4 7 We the undersigned owners of Scott Six Industrial Park request that the City of Iowa City improve and pave 420` Street from Highway #6 to the city limits. When Scott Six was developed in 1997-1998 the city promised they would pave this street. They said they would get RISE funds. They are still saying they will get RISE funds. The developer had to dedicate a considerable amount of ground to the city for this purpose. He oven designed the street. Every year the city says they will improve this street and all they do is patch it.. Every year we are told next year. _ _, Q .: ' ~.~ r .. --• -r- _,~ 3`:'= ._ k !a r.w "'~ ..Sr -.-.- ''` .. s ~I The tax revenue to the city for this development is over $1,200,000.00 per year. We believe we deserve better than the treatment we have been given. `'J ~~ ) 10at~ friends of Iowa Citimeos United for Responsible Iand Use November 26, 2008 City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 ATTN: Regenia Bailey Dear Ms. Bailey: Founded 1998 1000 Friends of Iowa is pleased to give the City of Iowa City one of our 2008 Best Development Awards under the category of Best Leadership for the Iowa City Board of Directors Subdivision Code, in Iowa City, Iowa. LaVon Griffieon, Ankeny Interim Executive Director The Iowa City Subdivision Code was selected to receive the award for Best Laura Belin, Windsor Heights Leadership due to the distinguishing smart growth impact the code will have to the President cities future development. The Iowa City Subdivision Code is leading the way and Mary Ellen warren, Waterloo serves as a marvelous example of what is obtainable for other Iowan cities. Vice President Dale McKinney, s;oux city 1000 Friends of Iowa established Best Development Awards to reward cities, Treasurer and individuals and also to recognize development projects in Iowa that companies John Momssey, Des Moines , reflect smart growth and sustainability principles. The winners of our Best Secretary Development Awards are models of how responsible development practices provide Erwin Klaas, Ames benefits to the community, the environment, and quality of life for future generations. To learn more about the recipients of the 2008 Best Development Awards and the Doug Adamson, Des Moines principles of smart growth, please visit our website at WWW.1000friendsofiowa.org. Mary Brubaker, Des Moines 1000 Friends would like to cordially invite representatives of the Iowa City Subdivision Elizabeth Houana, cnicago Code to receive the award for Best Leadership at the award ceremony on December Karen Howard, Iowa City 16, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at RDG Planning & Design, in downtown Des Moines, IA. We Mary Ellen Miller, Mason city ask that a representative of the project please share a brief (2-5 minute) description of the project to enhance a photo PowerPoint presentation. Craig Malin, Davenport Stephanie stegeman, Des Moines If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us. We look forward to Advisory Council seeing you on December 16, 2008. Ed Fallon, Des Moincs Sincerely, David Hurd, Des Moincs A H i ,~/~ ~"i ~• ngton, mcs unt Stu Fred Kirschenmann, Amcs Stephanie B. stegeman Board Member Lee Kline, Des Moines Mary Lundby, Marion Award Ceremony: December 16, 2008 at 6:30PM M -> Andy McKean, Anamosa RDG Planning & Design ~ .: 301 Grand Avenue - ~~ Jon Muller, Des Moines Des Moines, Iowa 50309 3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 605 Parkin is available behind the buildin ~ ~ _. g 9 - -' `" Des Moines, Iowa 50310 ^ Telephone 515.288.5364 ~ • Fax 515.288.6362 Email kfoi@1000friendsofiowa.org •%' _ "~ www.1000friendsofiowa.org `) JOINT STATEMENT Informal Housing Group Johnson County, Iowa May, 2008 In September, 2006, the undersigned group of individuals, representing private business, nonprofit, and citizen groups interested in housing issues in Johnson County, began meeting on a regular basis. As stated in a letter to the Iowa City Council dated October 3, 2006, we believe that "Creating and sustaining an adequate supply of affordable housing..... is a community issue and requires a community commitment. And while there is no one solution, it is our shared belief that one important and very necessary preliminary step is for the builders and providers of housing, along with interested community participants, to come together and discuss the issues and identify the challenges." Over the course of the year, the group has met and considered a variety of issues surrounding the housing market in Johnson County. We have listened to each other's perspectives, learned more about the challenges and opportunities in our community, and identified issues on which we have consensus. Our discussions have been honest and wide-ranging. 1. Our Commitment We discovered early in the process that even professionals who work with housing can have difficulty defining "affordable housing" and arriving at recommended solutions. Housing is a huge topic covering a wide range of issues. Making sure that individuals and families are able to obtain decent, affordable housing in safe and stable neighborhoods is a mutual goal. Our commitment is to work toward a regional housing policy with flexible incentives that will result in an increased number and variety of affordable rental units and home owner options for families in our area. 2. Definitions We agreed to use the national standard that a household is "cost burdened" when it has to spend more than 30% of its gross income for housing related expenses. We focused on households with income at or below 110% of the area median income. In Johnson County, for a family of four, this is household income of approximately $80,000 and below. Apartments, zero lots, townhomes, condos, and single family homes, as well as modular, mobile and manufactured homes are all part of addressing the area's housing needs. 3. Regionalism We agree that our area communities and residents are not isolated entities. People's lives are not confined to any one jurisdiction. Each community struggles with affordable Housing Statement Page 1 of 11 housing issues and it will take a regional approach to find larger and more long lasting solutions. We agree that housing is an important aspect of our regional economy and is most effectively addressed as a regional issue. Because private interests (homebuilders and nonprofits) work in multiple jurisdictions, a regional housing policy would simplify and streamline the development process. We encourage local jurisdictions to work together with private interests to develop a workable housing policy. Lack of regional cooperation, however, should not discourage jurisdictions that are interested in moving forward with specific plans. 4. Issues Not Addressed Our group has chosen to focus on issues surrounding the creation and preservation of permanent, stable, affordable housing. A number of related issues, including chronic homelessness, mental illness, disability and domestic violence, significantly impact housing issues for individuals and families, but have not been addressed by our group. 5. Variety of Resources Needed We agree that there is no single solution or "tool" that can be used to address the housing needs of various populations. Having a variety of resources and options available can help local government and private interests tailor efforts to specific communities and neighborhoods. 6. Measuring Success As the resources and tools are developed, we agree that it is important for communities to identify measurable goals that can be evaluated by objective criteria. For instance, identifying a specific number of affordable rental units that will be developed or redeveloped within a certain time period gives staff and development interests the possibility of planning to meet those goals and public interest groups with a means of holding both public and private interests accountable. 7. Public Opposition Public perception, or NIMBYism ("Not In My Back Yard") will be a factor when efforts are made to produce workforce and supportive housing opportunities. Political decisionmakers are understandably affected by neighborhood opposition. Private interests, including the development community and citizen interest groups such as the religious community, working together can help create more public support and pressure to encourage these efforts. 8. Monitoring The housing market, like the local economy, is constantly changing. Therefore, any program or policy that is implemented should be reviewed on a continuing basis in light of changing circumstances. Housing Statement Page 2 of 11 9. Credit Issues Credit history and financial literacy have a significant effect on the ability of households to keep and maintain their homes. One time events such as large medical bills, loss of a vehicle, temporary loss of employment, etc can put households in jeopardy. We encourage both the public and private sectors to develop educational programs that will teach budgeting and financial management and credit issues to a broad cross section of people including high school and college students. Successful collaborations like that between the Iowa City Area Association of REALTORS® and the Iowa City Housing Authority should be encouraged and expanded. 10. Housing Goals In general, we agree that scattering housing types and densities can create more diverse neighborhoods. It can also have the unintended consequence of isolating households that may depend on public transit. Creative collaboration between communities and developers can result in more dense or affordable sections of developments being "clustered", making it more feasible for local governments to extend transit services. 11. Many Partners The need for affordable workforce housing is an issue of economic and community vitality. Therefore, communities should look for ways to involve a wide spectrum of community stakeholders. In particular, the University of Iowa has a huge impact on the housing market in Johnson County, not only because of the student population, but because of its role as the largest employer in the area. The University should be challenged to be a partner in increasing the number of affordable housing units in our regions. Opportunities should be pursued that would allow business interests to contribute to housing programs that help foster a stable workforce, which in turn promotes stable neighborhoods and schools. ^ Utility companies could revise easement policies and limitations in order to help reduce development costs. ^ Financial institutions could provide incentives for pre-development and construction loans. Programs to increase the pool ofpre-approved potential home buyers could be created and/or expanded. ^ Investors could look at local tax credits as a financially lucrative and community- based investment option. ^ More landlords could participate in the Section 8 program. ^ Private developers can work toward developing and marketing diverse neighborhoods. 12. Sectors Each of the sectors represented by our group has a role to play, and specific expertise and resources to bring to the development and preservation of affordable housing. A. Private business/development interests: Homebuilders, realtors, financial institutions and other private sector interests have a number of skills and Housing Statement Page 3 of 11 opportunities that can be used to assist a community in developing and implementing housing policy and goals, including: ^ First hand knowledge of the market conditions and consumer demand. ^ Expertise in construction, rehabilitation and development. ^ Knowledge and understanding of city processes and requirements. ^ Ability to monitor mandates that affect housing. ^ Ability to work directly with consumers to provide financial education and plan for housing needs. ^ Ability to provide technical assistance to nonprofit housing entities. ^ Ability to market housing opportunities to the community. B. Nonprofits: Entities that develop and operate housing for low income households, as well as those that provide services to targeted populations, also have unique skills and resources, including: ^ Access to certain forms of public funding, including city, state and federal funds. ^ Knowledge of federal and other funding regulations and compliance issues. ^ Access to charitable contributions and grant funding. ^ Experience managing multiple sources of financing for a single project. ^ Community volunteers and access to service clubs and churches. ^ Experience and contact with specific populations and income groups. ^ More flexibility than public entities. ^ Strong boards of directors who are willing to act as community activists and supporters. ^ Significant experience in construction and rehabilitation. C. Citizen interest groups: Housing initiatives will not be successful if there is not public input and support. Community groups, including neighborhood associations and civic and religious organizations, have a crucial role to play, including: ^ Welcoming people into our neighborhoods -even if their housing type, income, race or other factors maybe different than our own. ^ Participating in public hearings on zoning changes to provide policy makers support, pressure, and appreciation for increasing density for the purposes of increasing the variety and affordability of housing in a particular area. ^ Assisting in addressing real fears about parking and traffic issues that are perceived to be associated with higher density development. 13. Affordable Rental Housing In general, homeownership is not possible for households with income less than $25,000. Homeownership may be impractical, but not impossible, for households with income below $45,000. Federal programs are the primary resources for local programs that address the most significant affordability gaps. However, local government decisions impact the delivery of funding and services and should be targeted toward activities that Housing Statement Page 4 of 11 address the most serious needs. Elected and appointed officials should ensure that funding and resources are directed toward needs identified in City Steps (Iowa City) and other planning documents. Federal affordable housing tax credits are the main sources of funding that make affordable rental housing possible. Therefore, communities should explore policies that plan for and support future tax credit applications. Specific policies are discussed in Appendix A (See ¶ A(5)). Other options for encouraging the creation and preservation of affordable rental housing include residential TIFs, making low interest bond financing available and establishing higher density zoning in more areas of the community. 14. Affordable Homeownership Households making more than $45,000 may be able to afford an entry level home if no other factors (such as credit history) stand in the way, but they remain in a precarious position as far as being able to pay the ongoing costs of homeownership, such as taxes, insurance, repair needs, routine maintenance, etc. For households between $45,000 and $80,000 there is perhaps the greatest opportunity for public private partnerships to assist households in either purchasing homes or maintaining the current housing stock for this population. Relatively small investments may be needed to assist them meet their housing needs within the community and financial institutions would be a key resource to involve in these efforts. 15. Preservation of Affordable Housing New construction is not the only strategy to ensuring affordable housing units in our area. Preservation of the existing stock of affordable housing is often more cost effective than new construction and contributes to maintaining older neighborhoods. 16. Inclusionary Housing We spent a number of sessions having wide ranging discussions about the concept of inclusionary housing because this was a recommendation of the Scattered Site Housing Task Force and has been discussed by the Iowa City Council. It is hard to identify specific areas of consensus or disagreement without a clear definition or specific proposal before us. Topics discussed included: ^ Options such as land dedication, off-site development and fees. ^ Incentives and concessions and the need for flexibility. ^ Program administration. After thoroughly discussing the many components of inclusionary housing, it is clear that the individuals and organizations represented by our group disagree on the fundamental merits of inclusionary housing programs. We hope that our community is able to learn from the accomplishments (increased number of affordable units) and mistakes (legal pitfalls) from early attempts at inclusionary zoning in other communities. Housing Statement Page 5 of 11 Even if enacted, inclusionary housing is not a total solution to issues of affordable housing but must be part of a broader, countywide strategy for meeting housing needs. Also, because the housing market is regional, the effectiveness of inclusionary housing would be improved if adopted in at least the largest, and in particular the fastest growing, communities in Johnson County -Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and Tiffin. 17. Incentives with Flexibility Incentives with flexibility will play a key role in any housing policy. These elements working in tandem for both nonprofit and for profit developers, will more effectively assist in meeting our community's housing goals. If affordable units are part of a development, we believe some kind of point system should be developed. Projects that accumulate a certain level of points would be awarded with appropriate levels of incentives. Points would be awarded for reaching maximum or increased density, desired design elements, having a development near schools, employment centers, transit, shopping and other amenities, working collaboratively with other developers, leveraging federal dollars, and/or investing in property management of dense rental units. Once a minimum number of points are reached, the developer would have the option of choosing from a "menu" of incentives which could include: • Density bonus • Fast tracked process • Subsidies such as direct investments in projects, tax abatement, TIFs, contributions from the Housing Trust Fund, partial or full contributions to infrastructure, reduction or elimination of tap on fees (or the ability to pay them over a period of time), and provision of public transit. • Low cost financing (including bigger investments for rental projects) • Tax credits We believe that the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County would be the proper entity to receive, manage and distribute revenue that is generated to support affordable housing. 18. Development Process Complex and lengthy development approval procedures with significant amounts of discretionary authority result in direct and indirect costs to developers. Conflicting resource protection standards and fees assessed on development also add to the consumer's price of housing. These additional costs have the potential to "out price" many households from new housing, as well as risk project feasibility. Unnecessarily long approval processes cost both the public and private sectors time and money, limiting what each subsidy and investment dollar is able to achieve. We agree that possible steps toward more efficient and responsive development regulations might include: Housing Statement Page 6 of 11 ^ Clearly linking implementing regulations to long-term planning documents. ^ Developing a buildable lot inventory system to ensure land availability. ^ Ensuring that development criteria are consistent, objective, and measurable. ^ Allowing, innovation and flexibility in site planning and design once the objective criteria are met. ^ Regularly evaluating the approval process through staff, public commissions and elected bodies. 19. Shared Housing Policy When developing housing policy, we hope that communities seek broad input from interested parties and we encourage businesses, nonprofits and community groups to participate in the process. Addressing housing issues can be controversial and difficult. Hopefully, effort given to identifying community values and encouraging collaboration among interested parties will pay dividends in terms of accomplishing a community's housing goals. We all agree that communities need to develop a comprehensive housing policy over the next 6 months with the intent of reaching set goals of increased numbers of units within set time frames in order to address regional housing needs. We believe that the goals set should be measurable and should start to be implemented in Fiscal Year 2010. Goals should include specific targets that address the needs of residents across the economic spectrum, while maintaining sufficient flexibility to ensure that targets do not become a barrier to occupancy. As a starting point, we suggest the following goals be discussed: For the contiguous communities of Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, as well as Johnson County: Use various tools including those discussed in other portions of this document such as bonding, TIFs, tax abatement, land dedication, contributions to the Housing Trust Fund, etc., and agree to invest an amount equal to 5% of the general fund to the creation and preservation of affordable housing. As part of this commitment, we look to local entities to: Use the recently completed Affordable Housing Market Study to set achievable goals for numbers of units, both rental and owner occupied, to be created/preserved. Provide information on a regular basis to report on the progress made toward reaching the goals. For the University of Iowa: Work toward replacing every unit of private housing removed from the private housing market to create homes affordable to households earning less than 80% of area median income or rental units affordable to households earning less than 50% of area median income. Housing Statement Page 7 of 11 20. Conclusion We hope that this statement is a positive contribution to the community discussion surrounding affordable housing. We encourage more people to contribute to the dialogue and we look forward to learning more from e who have additional information and expertise. r e;~. Al Axeen Cheryl C oll-Nelson Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) Iowa City Area Association of REALTORS® MaryAnn Derlnis The Housing Fellowship rad Houser Iowa Realty, Houser Development i`t ~~-~ ~ Karen Kubby FAIR! Steve Gordon AM Management Andy Johnson Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County ~~~ r ohn McKinstry Consultation of Religious Communities r~ ~~ ark Patton Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity ~ / ;; /. / Dan Smith Land Development CounciUGreater Iowa City Area Home Builders Association ~/ V +~ ~~ 4 Glenn Siders Land Development Council ~ ~ ~~~ Joan Tiemeyer ~ l~ Greater Iowa City Area Home Builders Association Housing Statement Page 8 of 11 APPENDIX A We spent a number of sessions looking at the housing needs of households by income categories and discussed some of the tools that could be explored to address these needs. This appendix summarizes those discussions. The list is not exhaustive, nor did we fully explore the pros and cons of each strategy. Housing needs of households by income level.' A. Up to 30% Area Median Income $21, 800 for a family of four Preschool teachers, home health aides, cooks, writers, maids, bank tellers and stock clerks as well as elderly and disabled on fixed incomes. 1. Providing housing assistance and supportive services helps stabilize individuals, families, schools and neighborhoods. Such assistance will enable some households to move on to financial independence and secure permanent housing. Others, in particular the elderly and disabled will continue to require assistance. 2. Because of the amount of funding required for this assistance, federal programs are the primary resources for local programs. However, local government decisions impact the delivery of funding and services and should be targeted toward activities that address the most serious needs. Elected and appointed officials should ensure that funding and resources are directed toward needs identified in City Steps (Iowa City) and other planning documents. 3. The private market can participate in efforts to address these needs but ultimately, meeting the needs of this sector is primarily a matter of public policy. The private market alone is unable to make housing affordable to these households. 4. Without deep subsidies, homeownership is impossible for these households. The focus has to be affordable rental housing as well as shelter and transitional services that move households to stable housing. 5. Federal tax credits are the main sources of funding that make affordable rental housing possible. Therefore, the City should explore policies that plan for and support future tax credit applications. These policies could include: a. Support tax credit applicant's efforts to secure site control. b. Consider tax credit possibilities in planning and holding land for future potential tax credit applications. c. Establish higher density zoning in more areas of town. With policies that encourage tax credit projects, hopefully more private entities will be encouraged to build the capacity necessary to apply for tax credits. 6. Residents in this income bracket who have achieved homeownership may face significant problems in addressing the ongoing need for repair and rehabilitation ' Data sources: Income from US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Employment examples from Iowa Workforce Development's 2007 Iowa Wage Survey. Housing Statement Page 9 of 11 of their homes. Exploring ways to expand assistance opportunities would help maintain existing affordable housing. 7. Other measures that we have discussed that could be explored to support affordable rental housing include: a. Housing TIFs b. Property tax abatement c. Apartment tax abatement or rebate. We recognize that there are issues with each one of these and more information and analysis would be necessary before recommending any particular approach. 8. Addressing these needs can be controversial and politically difficult. Therefore, local governments, business and nonprofit leaders and citizen interest groups need to work together to both seek solutions and build community support for those solutions. B. 30% - 60% Area Median Income $21, 800- $43, 560 for a family of four Hotel managers, mechanics, lab technicians, graphic designers, social workers, legal assistants and advertising agents . 1. Homeownership for households at or below 50% is impractical, though not impossible. Public policy should still support affordable rental housing options for this population. 2. Credit is a big issue for this population. One time events such as a large medical bill, loss of a vehicle, temporary loss of employment, etc. can put households in jeopardy. We would encourage both the public and private sectors to work with schools and private interests to assist households with budgeting and addressing their credit history. 3. Households at the upper income range of this category may be able to afford an entry level home if no other factors (such as credit history) stand in the way, but they remain in a precarious position as far as being able to pay the ongoing costs of homeownership, such as taxes, insurance, repair needs, routine maintenance, etc. 4. Financial institutions may be a key resource in addressing the housing needs for this population. Perhaps the use of public dollars with incentives to encourage financial participation could be combined to ensure that households are ready to move into newly constructed or rehabilitated homes. C. 60% - 80% Area Median Income $43, 560-$58,100 for a family of four Food service managers, computer programmers, mechanical drafters, occupational therapists, plumbers, construction supervisors For these households, homeownership options exist within the private market. Their choices, however, may be limited and may not be what the households prefer. As a result, they may either become cost-burdened to purchase what they Housing Statement Page 10 of 11 want, or incur more transportation costs to purchase lower cost homes in outlying areas. 2. There is perhaps the greatest opportunity for public private partnerships to assist households in either purchasing homes or maintaining the current housing stock for this population. Relatively small investments may be needed to assist them meet their housing needs within the community. 3. A streamlined regulatory process for new construction could have the greatest impact on affordability for households in this income range. 4. Greater availability of higher density zoning may help create more housing opportunities for this income category. 5. Even in addressing the housing needs of these "middle class" households, public opposition can still be a factor. D. 80% - 11 D% Area Median Income $58,100 - $79, 860 for a family of four Financial services sales agents, sales managers, civil engineers and pharmacists. 1. Financial literacy, mortgage readiness and acceptable credit continue to be important considerations at this income level. Housing Statement Page 11 of 11 11 POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD A Board of the City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City IA 52240-1826 (319)356-5041 November 19, 2008 Mayor Regenia Bailey 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor and Council Members: At the November 18, 2008 meeting, the PCRB voted in open session to request a 45-day extension regarding the reporting deadline for the Public Report according to the City Code for PCRB Complaint #08-08 for the following reasons: • Due to timelines, and scheduling • Public Report presently due December 3, 2008 45-day Extension request -Report would be due on January 20, 2009 The Board appreciates your prompt consideration of this matter. Sincerely, ~T Michael Larson, Chair Police Citizens Review Board cc: City Attorney