HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973-02-13 Bd Comm minutesAGENDA "
Iowa City Housing
Commission -Meeting
January
17, 19,13,
1.
Approval of Minutes
of Previous Meeting
a. January 31 1973
Z.
'Coordinator's Report
'
3..
6Old Business
-..
a. Annual Report
4.
:New Business"
5.
Public Discussion of
Items not on the 'Agenda
6.
'Next>Regular'Meeting
a: ,February 7, 1973
7.
Adjournment
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Iowa City Housing Commission
Minutes
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r January 17, '1973
MEMBERS PRESENT: Stier, Dunca, Frimml,_Hamer, White ,..
MEMBERS -ABSENT: Litton, Walker
STAFF PRESENT: Seydel, Schierbrock
Chairman, Stier called,the,meeting to.order:
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1.","Frimml'made the motion to I'approve the, minutes 'as,writ ."
ten. This was seconded,byrWhite'and the motion carried
unamiously.
2. Coordinator's(Report
To this date,i.there are 209 units leased and ;occupied
. under ;;the Housing'. Program. At the end"„of the month of
January; there will'`be two lease” terminations'. Hope-
fully,'these will be replaced with larger units, lin
"terms of more bedrooms).
Seydel,presented a chart which typified a month's
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financial workings'. These particular figures were.
" based'on December's activities.',
Mr. Seydel also included in his presentation', an annual
report submitted -to the City Council.."
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.3. ,Old Business
Chairman Stier presented a letter received from J. M.
Murray, suggesting, the Housing Commission consider -the
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south side of the 500 block onIowaAvenue as'a location
;for the proposed,Housingsfor the Elderly. This site
would be an excellent location for the project but it is'
not financially feasible.
Due to ,illness of members of the sub -committee, their
'
presentation on the proposed Tenant -Landlord Code has
been postponed.
• Seydel suggested the Commissioners attempt to read the
document put out by the Johnson County Regional Planning
Commission-Housing,Study. This document is informative
-2 -
of what is nationally taking place
in the area of housing;
4.
New Business,
No new business was discussed.
5.
Public Discussion of Items not on the Agenda
None was brought forth.
6.
Next RegularMeeting,
Chairman Stier re'minded members of
the next meeting to
be held on'February 7,'1973. Room
Aj in the Recreation
Center at 8:30'd.m.
7.
The meeting* was adjo'ur'ned withr a motion.fr6m
Duncan.and
a seconded from Hamer This motion,
,:
carried �unam iousl y
C
MINUTEs
Iowa City Charter Committee`
Public Meeting
January 24, 1973
Members Present: Meardon, Corrigan, Davidsen,,De Counter,
Knight, Baldus', Ringgenberg, Welt Cain.
Members Absent: None -
Staff Present:Rosenstein
Meeting was called to'order at 8:00 P.M. by Mr. Meardon.
Meardon made a few. opening remarks,, stating., that:ahe.
Charter Committee wase°formed'by the City ,Council the
•for g
purpose of ascertaining and -recommending'-;the form of ?;
government most responsive to the citiiens•of Iowa.City.,
He further'stated that the Committee was seeking public
opinion on this:; subject.
After announcing a few ground rules of the meeting Mr:
"
Meardon read into the record.a letter received;by the r
Charter Committee from Ms..Janet;Shipton,;,820 Woodside
Drove. This letter stateg points.
d the following
1.A City Manager with the full powers of the present
Ci_y Manager ,isaessential to' smooth,.' running` of!a.
city.the 'size of IowaCity.
2.;, A strong mayor elected by the people would aid in
... ;,,
defining .policy•,and strengthening the leadership and
direction of I the City Council. Council experience should
be`a prerequisite for;.running for Mayor.
3. 'Candidates for election at large should be required
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to run fora particular seat.'; This would';widen>repreaentation.
4. 'Ward representation should be initiated, not to provide
minority representation because minorities are widely -
distributed - except for teenage voters but, to'lower :thecost
ofrunning for `election, to'bring the political process nearer
toithe people, and to ;provide a more limited forum for
inexperienced candidates.
5.' If a combination of at -large and.ward form is proposed,
the pay ,for at large councilman should be',significantly
higher. Each at -large, councilman should also have an area
•
of responsibility to keep up on in detail.
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Iowa City Charter—Committee
January 24, 1973 --Page-2
Elliot Fu11, 1620 Rochester Court. Mr. Full stated that he
was h,
c a rman of the Political Action. League which is`an
outgrowth of the City Manager's"association
and is devoted
to keeping the Council Manager form of 'government in-Iowa
City. He stated that at this . meeting he was 'speaking only
for himself because the Political 'League "
Action becomes
active when the'Council-Manager form is being threatened,
and that .it is inactive at this time..
Mr. Full stated the following points:
1. That it is inconceivable.that anyone want a
,would
strong-mayor form of government because the person elected would
only be. good
at politics and good.to his friends.
2. An elected mayor was not good with a City. Manager because
always the-question
there was of,who"w,as,elected and who '
can firewhom. 'He stated that the Manager must`either'be
a "yes man" or be fired, and -then 'the City would not be able.
to`get the bestrperson as Manager."`
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3. That'years ago the chief reason for changing forms of
government in Iowa City was wards. In the old ;fform with wards
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everyone represented their ownIempire and represented
the City;; Further,
•:
Des'Moines, now under wards was having
similar problems. "
4: That he.did:not think wards were more,,representative
because of the problems faced by someone who supported their
ward heeler's opponents, or with the ward''representative
"
having a different perspective than an individual the ward.
,on
Under the; present form these were not problems because
anyone can go to any of the councilmen and thus people can
choose one that.is
in philosophical agreement rwith..them'
5. 'That.he felt the present form should be retained
6. That the Committee should address itself to 'more
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appropriate needs. Since there are numerous government
is in the
metropolitian area the prices of government
services are high and ;the services
are often duplicated
and:Poor.,He 'further stated that the Committee ,in filling
its responsibility was investigating the most efficient
government unit:
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Iowa City .Charter Committee Page 3
January 24, 1973
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Joe Howe, .1635 Ridge Road. Mr. Howe stated the following
pornts.
1.t That under the previous form of government, Iowa City
had a° boss, who while` not living in Iowa City, was"able to
' ocouncil=manager government,
... f
run the City'. With the adoption
Iowa City has had honest government with capable Councilmen
:and managers'.
2. That city business is too complex and needs an expert to
run it with an, elected council setting policy.
3. That his only.,quarrel with the present form was that five
council members were too few because at times there would only
be '.thrIee.councilmen at a'meeting and .two of them could make
decisions.
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4. That seven council members would",,be a good number.
5. 1That at -large` elections are better than ward: elections
because all"councilmen "would be equally responsible fort
all decisions and interested in the city and not in little
neighborhoods. ,"The present form,has=been,yresponsive to 1,
neighborhoods and'every;citizen has 'full access to the council
" and receives as good service as with wards.
Linda Dole, 242 Fergon... Mrs. Dole stated that she is speaking
or.the League of Women :Votersrand is' conveying opinions;
olicited from the League's membership ,through„a series of
meetings.:' Mrs. Dole expressed the following points:
1.' The'Johnson County League of Women Voters supports the
form of city government in which the `policymaking body is a
'
council of elected!representatives and the ;administration of
government,',is implemented'by a`professional city manager,
2. This div ision'works'well only if,the voters elect a council
that:; are policy leaders and that they realize that they are the
ultimate -policymaking body for city..government.'
3. That if a council had both policymaking and administrative
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duties the council must'be.full-time: If Iowa ,City dispensed
with its city ',manager ,'the representative nature of the :council
could be distorted because the only...people,who could be 'council
members were those who could give up.their_regular activities:
With Ia council that only,dealed with policy, people of diversified
backgrounds could serve on the council.
4. .That the ,charter should contain; provisions that would en-
•
courage citizen participation in the formulation of policy.
5. The League's, membership was split on the question of
Toum-CA ter -CO. A
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january,24,''1973
whether the mayor -should be elected by the voters or selected
by, the council.
6. The,Leagud does not support the Commission form of;government,
or a:council elected exclusively from wards.
7. ,The,League was equally, divided as to whether the council should
be elected completely,at-larg6 or by a combination of wards and
at-lai I exi t,
ge. A concensus did st that if there was a.combina ion
of at -large and ward,election, a majority of the council should be
elected at-w4arge in order to insure.a breadth ofpersp ective on
policy matters.
B.. The quality of government ultimately depends on the,.caliber
of .the -people. w , hoimake �and,who-administek it-and:efficient
7
administration isTmost,ieadily-achieved-by,asiona
-profes I'City
[t.'Lmanager - Unresponsive government isnot� caused by l
structure''b t bycitizens,wh 'do'not care'enough to participate,
in the deliberationst
or vote..:
'Mr. B61,dus. 'asked.Mrs.. Dole :to eia'borate'on the reasons .pro and
I con for wards. Mrs. Dole stated that many people felt that if
all of !the. council, was, elected'only by,,wards,'therewould be
log :,rolling. Also,'people were, concerned about theoverall' city.
Mrs' Dole stated -that th eop e t who supp, ted that
e ,people h or wards felt '
wards ,would bring:,the representative closer. to his constituency,
and that thecost of running for electioncould! be,, less.,' She
stated,% that ': m6A6r'sof-:the' Le'ague`,were, also conc!erned'about
whethdrany given segment of'the city could,6ontrol tMtdlectio�n.
She further stated that there were many people who:felt.'that
the best compromise was to 'provide for -someward, representation
while.:providifig ' for. an overall body elected ' at-la'rge. !There
was also the suggestion thatcouncilmen be nominated by.wards
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but,elected atmlaige-to Insure representaition''from the entire
city And not :Just pockets -of -it.
Paul Dremenberger,-1156 E jefferson. Mr. Dremenberger'stated'
that since TTiere was ,the' ,notion that any system is liable t
abuse, it'would be'agood thing to have aision
''srecall'prov'
I o
the, citizens would have some recourse if they were not being
represented.
Edgar Czarnecki, (no address given). Mr.Czarnecki stated that
lie was a member, ot. the City!Council but that he did not:spe'ak
for"the City;Coun6iI.;' He'stated that at'the,City'Council meeting
of'January 23, 19713, the Mayor left it:up to,the.individual,,
councilman asto whether to attend this',public meeting. Mr.
Czarnecki stated that Lpublically he has,indicated that he will
•
endorse and put on the ballot-whateverrecommendation the Charter
Committee makes, unless there are ,some problems with the
,legal
Charter.
Mr. Czarnecki brought the following points to the attention of
,
Iowa_CZty.Chartar_rpmm2ttBe— ' —
,`•
rflge 5
January 24, 1973. 777777
the Committee:
1. The Committee should carefully review the present Council-',
Manager -at -large form of as
government it works in Iowa City."
This form swept the country in the,19301s and 40's is
and now',
the predominant:form of: government in cities the size of, Iowa
City. There were several arguments 'at that time,for'this
,given
form, one being to professionalize the operation of city govern-
ment. The, argument :went that :the average citizen was 'not an
expert in the technical areas and therefore,a professional manager,`
was needed to prepare and research so that the council 'could
act on policy issues. Thecouncil was selected `to represent the
best'in
..,qualified people the ,community.
2. There was also the argument of whether to have wards centered
around the partisan narrow interests,; of the alderman vs: the
broad; at- large, overall,scope'of the councilmen elected at -large.
Mr. ;Czarnecki further stated:that one of the primary reasons for
the enactment of council-manager-at-large:,form of;;government,'was
a divisionbetween policy and administration. With the increasea
scope of city government, this`. division is not clear-cut'and`the
Policy does.not stem from the council but rather-it:,flows from',
`
the (staff via ;the city manager to the city 'council, :with the
council serving as only:, vetoer or'an'endorser"of recommended
policy.
3. The, Committee should consider the increased work load of the
council. 'Since the council acts as''a committee'. of the whole and
each councilman deals with each subject, he can't become an
expert on everything. Combined with this time restraint is the
fact ;that ;the input and information to the council.flows from
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the cit staff through the city 'manager. Mr.'Czarnecki stated'
that' this was'not:a criticism but rather an observation of how
the system works. Mr. 'Czarneoki furtherstated that council
contact with the city's°boards''and commissions is`limited and
for a, councilman to do any detailed `,study of their actions would
take "considerable r'tim6. ''
4. The Committee should look at how the system works now in
addition to the traditional arguments for ;the council-manager-'
'form.
at -large
5. With the eligibility and participation of students in city
government, the way Iowa City government operates>is changed.
The council=manager form
stresses unanimity'among'the council
which works where there
are no`sharp;'divisions but with
students, this does not work in 'Iowa City. 'Also,: there are a
lot of groups in Iowa City which represent minority groups
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and city operation does give enough opportunity for them
to have input, to get information, and to be'heard.
6. With the adoption of home rule, cities will have more
-authority and city governments' areas of interest will increase.
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Iowa City Charter Committee Page 6
January 24._1973__'
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7. The Committeel,should'look into:
a. The function of the mayor and whether he should
be elected by the;voters;or by the council. ,Mr.
Czarnecki 'said that there were strong and valid
arguments "for. the direct election of,the mayor,
and by, doing', so it ;would clarify policymaking,
.and remove citizen confusionabout who runs the
show; focusing on one individual.
b. The arguments for and against combining the duties,
of the manager with those''of the mayor. He stated'
that,the decision about whether or not to retain
a;manager should,`depend on what the Charter Committee
sees'the function of the mayor's office to be. Mr..
Czarnecki stated' -that -there were several alternatives
and that there must be someone to run the city,
administration.
c. ,The representation,,size, and.composition of the council.'
Mr. -Czarnecki said that the Committee;'should review
the background'of",thosewho have been council
;.
members in';.the last five to ten,years and if Iowa
City;is.simiiir to ''the natio nal trend,' the council-
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"men' s': backgrounds: will be'rprofessionai and managerial.
;
He 'further'stated`that`there was also'a question' -of
the cost:ofirunning'for;'office,;limiting the'type
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of people.on`,the council, Mr. -Czarnecki further
stated, that, the size' of the ;,council`de ends 'on the ';
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function of the council:, Too 'often people focus
`
on the council -manager -ward form which prescribes
veeouncil_:members- but ,this may not b'e enough . �
for sen"�
Mr. Czarnecki recommended that 'the'council use the
:committee system.' in ,conjunctionwith'.boards and
commissions.:`
B. Things have.changed in Iowa City since 1952 when the council-
manager at -large form.of;�government was"adopted, replacing,an
s been a chap a in
inefficibfi't,ind corrupt,.government. ':There'"has;;, g
the,concept;,of the role:.of city government'; and i because a structure
was!7once great,`doesn't:imean so now.; 1.
9. The, Charter Committee should review how best to deliver ser-
vices to the increased needs and demands of the public today.
Mr. Baldus asked Mr. Czarnecki if ,initiation of policy would
s.
be a full-time responsibility.'' Mr.'Czarnecki responded: that
if the:council`were full-time,",it.might be ;equated with the
function ofrthe,city manager. >He stated that henot,for
of government.. The key.is where does policy
othe riginate. and therm
origcomme.and he present system says policy and administration
are but -:hat'is impossible and thus the 'government
,separate,
• doesn't perform one of the functions it set out to do.
Mr.'Baldus asked what 'should be the function of the mayor. Mr.
Czarnecki responded that the mayor should be individual who
developes a platform that sets priorities and goals for the city.
This would cause a more issue -oriented campaign.'
Iowa City Charter Committee Page 7
January 24,';1973
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Mr. Baldus asked what power should a mayor have. Mr. Czarnecki'
responded.that.the'mayor'Ishould have.more of an executive role
with or without a' city manager. Under"the present form„the
executive branch 'is lost. With a stronger mayor, the mayor
would propose policy land'whether” it.gets passed.would depend
on council,.'action. He stated ;that the Charter Committee ;should'
look,to see'how:issues come'before the council: and who initiitest
action and the Committee,would see that it is not the council.
The councildoesn't presently: have a procedure initiate.-.!
Mr. Corrigan stated that in summarizing,' Mr. Czarnecki's state-
ments'of the present form of government did not live up to Mr.
Czarnecki's,expectations for two reasons: (a) The Council
was not responsive enough to the widest needs of .the community.
(b) ,The Council was not setting policy but.rather,the.staff
.was.. . Mr.. Corrigan`: asked if these. reasons were thel;result of
the.
the ;structure of ,,government, or; of the people who these
positions. ,Mr. Czarnecki responded, by saying that it was a
matter of structure because the structure prevents the council
from;,getting,enough information so the council must rely on
others and:approve or 'reject.':'
Mr. Baldus asked what recommendation would'Mr. Czarnecki`have
to solve I the problem ofgroups',:not getting' enough input. ! Mr.
Czarnecki repliedithat.a method of doing this would be to have
a' larger council elected byi wards." It is important to consider'
"the -:,number of wards and their composition. If Iowa City was
divided into four wards, each ward would contain some students,:
some`..workingclassand,some,,hi her -i ncome:people. '.Mr.:.,Czarnecki
said that he would 'favor'fa'more decentralized breakdown 'or
something uniform by geographical area with the ,downtown , area
being one interest, the immediate downtown area another, ;and
theIfringe'area a third. If. ,there would be'`more councilmen,
these,rings-should' be; dividedup with more representatives
.,coming from each:'icross-'section:"
Mr. Corrigan asked Mr. Czarnecki if he was saying that he, as
a councilman elected at=large was not":listening to!groups of a
different social -economic background.', Mr. Czarnecki replied
that now it was a,personalized activitywith people going to
the councilmen they are most''fimiliar with and that there is a
connection between familiarity 'and ,response iveness`. Mr.`Czar-
neckk further',stated that he did listen to anyone who ,called
him.
Mr.,Corrigan.asked:Mr.:Czarnecki if,the people with whomhe
was most familiar lived-in the, same area. Mr. Czarnecki responded
that they were in one or two of the circles he described.
Mrs. Cain asked Mr. Czarnecki whether a mayor should be, full or
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part-time. Mr.,Czarnecki responded that other cities, such as
New York City, have performed well without a full-time professional
administrator. He furtherstatedthat he preferred having a
full=time mayor: but that it was not essential. Presently, with
the policy administration shift citizens 'don't control policy..
1:
Iowa City.:Charter'Committee
January 24,-1973
Page -
this
With a mayor being the administrative head of the city,
would do a'lot for the cit management of a because the ad -
4 city
ministration must7take 'into account the type of person in office.-
John Dane, Route 3. Mr. Dane stated that he is not a resident
o -Iowa,� City, that he is almember of the: Board of -Education,
and 'that,,he is speaking..for himself. Mr. Dane exp ressed' the
following points:
1. A five -member council does have a big workload and it
would be'better to have'a larger `city council. Thismight not
result in 'a decreased work ''load but that it would give the
citizens more input into the council.
2. That Iowa City should go to the council -manager -ward form'
of government as prescribed in the City Code. Mr. Dane felt
this form"was best for`the (following reasons:
(a)' The mayor is Idirectly elected''by the, people ,and
remains part- tim e: Mr.;Dane did not believe that
an :elected mayor would conflict with the 'city manager.
(b); That::four elected councilmen from wards bring . .
government:;closer to the people. Mr. Dane..,disagreed
that there, should be consideration ,given:to'how
tossplit,up I6wa,City,,into wards because ;any way „!
this would;_be done, if'would be wrong. Mr. Dane
stated that the population center should .be found
and 'cut.
(c) That'two councilmen and the mayor are still elected
at large..
3. That he hoped that no matter from which area a councilman
was ;.elected, each councilman would work for Iowa City.and not
'particularly for,their.ward.-
Dorothy Douglass,?(no address given). Ms. 'Douglass stated that
s e is the>spo eswoman for Action for a Better Community.
Ms. Douglass stated that there 'is considerable uncertainty as to
whatlis,legally;allowed'in the charter and that it is apparent'
that',,regardless of,the intent': of the legislature,' there. will .be
definitive "interpretations sought from the"Supreme Court. She
stated that there is danger ,that the Committee could, in spending
time 'discussing ,what 'could be in the`.charter,,delay its `report
1,.
beyond a time that could affect the<next general election. This
would prohibit a"new formlof.government from taking effect until
Iowa City should 'provide leader-
'
shi6'�'forstheostatesandathe pha'itical climate of home rule demands
p oat
expedient recommendations for more responsive government.
Ms. Douglass stated that the Committee shouldn't risk negation of
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the charter
or delay by the courts by proposing'an illegal charter.
She stated'thit'it
is clearly in the scope of the charter to
prescribe a form 'of, ,government. Ms. Douglass suggested the follow-
ing';alternative"ways of•submitting`a charter which would assure
that the'cityhad a legal charter and that the voters were given
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Iowa City Charter. Committee. Page 9
January 24,'1973
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more decision-making in the charter:
1. The Charter 11 Committee should submit the,proposed form
separately from the controversial issues and they; should be
votedon 'separately.
2. If. there is not enough time to consider more than the form
of government before the election? Section 57 of the City Code
of Iowa provides -the., second alternative. The Charter Committee
could propose only a limited charter in time,to affect the
election and if adopted,'the'Committee could then tackle the
rest of the issues, sending a second proposal to the council
to be submitted to.a vote in"a special election.
Ms. Douglass stated that Action for a Better Community did not
support:any:form ofg overnment:_at this time.
Karen' -Carpenter ,f(ho address given).;.Ms. Carpenter stated that
she represents the New American Movement. "She stated the follow
ing ,points:',.
1. Each form of government has some advantages and disadvantages
2. 11c, form can.,solve P the roblems.of.today.because that is the
job of the people and for the 'people to do this, they need access
to government:
3. Since the 1950's there has "been an emphasis on efficiency in
government marked by the: city manager. The professional has
stepped into citygovernment,along with.administration,from the
top., Ms. Carpenter continued by saying that in the name of
efficiency the people's voices',have been replaced, by the expert's
opinion.
4. :That whatever. form arrived at should be';accessible;and
responsible. -
5. That there should be twelve council people elected':by.wards
and a ma or elected at -large. i'Ms. Carpenter stated the following ;.
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three reasons why, the New American 'Movement,was;for this form.
of government: (a) A city-wide election is costly and this means
that ,,people who control money can control % elections. (b) People
feel 'better represented;if their council person 1,is from their
neighborhood, and there:will be greater responsiveness. (c) :The
city,manager makes policy by 'virtue of access to ;information.,
(d) An elected mayor as the chief administrative officer would
be responsible to the voters.
Joe Zajicek, Route 5. Mr. Zajicek stated the following points:
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1. Everything is not rosey with the present form.
2. ;The Committee should look into the activities of the Inter-
national City Management Association and into what motivates them
and what are 'their objectives. Mr. Zajicek cited the book,
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IowaCity, ,Charter Committee Page ,10
January 24,-1173 --
Terrible 1313 Revisited.!
3. That it's sad to think that Iowa City can't get people
from the community to run the city.
A. Every time the city gets a,new, city,manager, people say
tohimthat the last one wasn't as bad as the new one. Mr.
Zajicek said that these people, were not at'.this 'public meeting.
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5. When you have a city manager, you have 'someone who insulates
the elected body from the -wrath of the,public.
6. That when someone takes something to the cityr.manager, they
get action according to who they are!and that Mr.Zajicek has
been _run around, by all of them except: for the present manager„
1.
whom he has not dealt with yet:
7., .Also .that the tail wags the dog and why.not because the
council is hot paid, andthe manager is paid, very,' well. '
8'. Since the city manager has, to. be an expert in'every:field
and since it doesn't work that way ,the manager must employ
n,
specialists'. Therefore,,why:not.employ specialists under
elected officials who can be fired by, the public.;
9.. The. Commission form of government gives the above responsi-
bility to commissioners who don't have to be re-elected if they
get tooJar'out of line.;
10. That the Charter Committee should look to see how much the
city,payssto hire experts who are`,'insulated` from ,the public and
who:tell the public what,>they need.
:;11. The Commission formiof government,is the only alternative.';
This form has been corrupted at time.sbut that only.happens when
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the.public,.is indifferent. If,the public remains concerned and
watches'what is goingon this,'problem,woul'd not happen If
Chicago can without an.all-around
g get)by ound expert, so can Iowa City.
The city manager is not.the only expert.
John 'McLaughlin, 1715 Rochester court. Mr. McLaughlin stated.the
toilowing points:
1. That the Committee should look carefully into the notion ,of
power and''where it lies in Iowa City„,because that is the one
thing that government is 'responsive to.
2. An extension of representation is an extension of power to
•
the 'people.
3. That it isnot necessarily the case that any given structure
will assure that the people will have, power because there is an
insulation' of: government.' Mr. McLaughlin 'stated 'rthat he was
not speaking against the present form of government.
cIowa City Charter Committee Page 11
January 24,:1973 -'
` •
4. The Committee.'should',look into ways to more equitably
distribute power,'-regardless,of form of government.
Claudine Harris, 219 Ronaids. Ms. Harris 'asked a, question
lived one-
concerning war representation and why someone who
than someone three,
half mile .from you would'; be more responsive
'asked what advantage wards . would have in a city
Mlles away:' She
as small as Iowa ,City.
Jim Ryan, 440 Wales. Mr. Ryan stated the following points:
1. That over fifty percent of the housing units in Iowa City
are occupied by tenants.
2. .There is a need for a method for council proposals to be
i.e., proposed
acted on and"not;referred to other places, ,the
Landlord -Tenant Ordinance.
There is a need for someone on the council for tenants to"
nor the
gq,talk to. Presently, ',,neither the council members
manager represent"'tenants".
4. That there should be wards and an elected mayor so that'
feeling that
people will have,'someone to,go talk to and have.'.
With this form,., politics, :1f nothing
they will'be listened to.
else, will-assurethat people are represented.
5, are not just part-time residents and they do pay `
is
,Tenants not;,represented
taxes. Tenants 'are one' largeconstituency'that
under the present form of government.
At this time Mr. `Meardon asked if there was anyone else who wished
desired to ask Mr.
to'address,the Committee. Mr. Elliot Full.
and, stated that people elect the council so
Czarnecki a question
they,"are not disinfranchised:� Mr. Full continued that'since
important and he disliked ';
Mr. Czarnecki .felt that a manager was not
then what cwould ;happen if a winning football
professional input,
wis`electedImayor, would the;city not get completely.
coach
amateur government?
Mr. Meardon stated that this was not a fair question to Mr.
Czarnecki and that he;'did not have to respond.
Mr: Meardon adjourned the meeting at 9:40 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Stanley Rosenstein
Administrative Assistant
•
i
i
MINUTES
•
Iowa City Charter Committee
January 31,'1973
Presentation by Mr. Skip ,Laitner to be attached to the minutes'
of ''the January; 24, 1973, Public Meeting.
Skip Laitner, 422 Brown Streets Mr. Laitner stated that he. wished
to address the.Committee because he had not been able to attend
the public'meetin' of January': 24, 1973. Mr. Laitner stated
the 'following points:
1. That the Charter Committeeshould be innovative, setting
the_ kind. of thinking in ;which there is some opening UP of
government. He stated.that the Committee should not adopt,
the
a form of ;government just because eighty-five percent of,
population 'was comfortable with that ;form, -but instead the
Committee should.ndislodge.that.comfort and force people ,to
participate in government.
2. :That the form .of government should be the "mayor-commission-
wardform of :government. He stated that, while the groupings';
an& spec fic numbers varied, this form would be made up as
follows:
A. Twelve councilmen .elected from four wards.
B. Each councilman should serve on one of the four,
committees `whi'ch were made :up of: Finance Committee,.
Public`Safety,Committee, Public Works Committee, ,
and the. Community'Development Committee; 'Each
committee would thus have three members..
C. mayor would make the committee assignments.
.,The
D., The dommittees`would be responsible for initiating
policy to be .brought,'in front of :the entire council..
E. Every years the committee positions would be'
.two
rotated;.and councilmen would not ,run for a specific
committee position. 'Also „committee appointments
would not be.made until after the election.
F. The mayor should be elected at-large and would be,'a
member of the council.
3. That the problem of a lack of council initiative is inherent
in: the type of government Iowa City ,has. That,the quality of;
work that the council must act on under this form necessitates
that the council must rely on the staff and that this reliance
is
" '
has ;gotten to the point where'staff, in its functioning, work-
(begin to recommend (procedures
oa is and, the
ing'toward'its'own g y
'
that the bouncil necessarily adopts.
4. That 'there should be a larger council and thus a stronger'
diverse opinions than the three-to-
minority report with more
•
two vote that now exists.
5. That a strict commission 'form would not be adequate because
the voters would be electing- 'professionals and professionals
•
� 1
Iowa City Charter,Committee Page _'2
January, 31,A03
have a self-interest peculiar to their own backgrounds. Further,
-•
professionals do not have;enough;open-minded sensitivity'' to the ,
public and their consideration is strictly, from a'logistical
approach to`;the problem as to' how problems :can best be answered
in'technical,terms.
E. Since professionals do not have an open; creativity in their.
presentation to council,. Iowa"City 'would be 'much*better off
having three part-time councilmen serving as commissioners on
a specific subject area.These councilmen„should have higher
salaries.
”
7. That Mr: Laither tends to favor 'a strong mayorform of
government with no'city manager,' but he can go either way on
that.
8. -With the mayor.-commission-ward form, several things would
happen:
:A. There would be"a greater tendency 'for people wanting
to become'more involved because 'they could run :from:.
their own wards:'
B. That there would'not be such'a heavy reliance on being
well known in the city, or in having a large solid
backing,, to be ''able 'to run'for the-:'council:
With twelve council members; the work load would be more evenly
dispersed,;; there` would bemore,'room for innovation; and '::the
council members could take more':time.to go out in.the community.
'
and be more responsive. cIn addition ",the council:members "
would still have enough time 'fortheir own businesses and their
own: lives.
10. With good-sized committees, r each councilman would have the
,.
opportunity to be,,;up on his own area so that he:could.introduce
"
more legislation and the.,council would not,have.to'rely ;bn the
,_
professional staff' and ''instead'could•give more direction to the
�t
staff._
'
ll..,That there was precedent in other cities for ,this size of:a
council.
Respectfully Submitted,
Stanley Rosenstein
Administrative Assistant
!.
rC
MINUTES
•
Iowa City Charter.Committee
Public Meeting
January. 31, 1973'
Members Present:' Davidsen, Cain,.Welt, Meardon,:Baldus,
Corrigan,--:DeCounter.
Members Absent: Knight, Ringgenberg.
Also Present: Rosenstein `
Meeting was called to order,by Mr..Meardon. The minutes
of Jar0ad 1973,were'`approved as
amended. The correction on,,the,minutes"of;January 10
was'Mrs. in instead of Mrs.'Dain. The motion was
made by Mrs. Davidsen and "seconded 'by .Cain: Motion
%
unanimously carried.
;
The.minutes of January 24; 1973, of thePublic' Meeting
were def erred,untilL read and studied by ,'the Committee.
Skip Laitner,.422 Brown Street, was :present at:the
Committee meeting and 'stated 'that -he wished to `address -
the'Cominittee-becauserhe had'not been able to attend
„
the.publio'meet ng of,January 24, 1973. After: Mr.
Laitner's remarks, Mr.,'fMeardon asked if,any,one .else
-',
in attendance would care to address` the.'Committee.
There were no further speakers.'Mr.=Meardon then direct-
ed'Stanley Rosenstein -.to add Mr. Laitner's'address
to'the,Committeelto the minutes of the public;: hearing.
Mr. Meardon called for any, feelings, questions, or
suggestions about the .:public:'meeting from the :Committee
members. 'Mrs. Davidsen stated 1) Zthat she felt that
the time has come when',the Committee members should
put ;forth their own individual ideas, possibly putting
`
a model charter beforethe,people of the,city and letting
them tear,it apart and, 2).,', in..reference to Mr., -Rosen-
;
stein's letter to the Committee in regard to the creation
s
of new wards,,that,she envisions this as.a real problem,
requiring thought as to what,would''be involved in the
design of'new.wards vis avis a time schedule. Mr.
Rosenstein stated that; the;creation:of new wards in
time for. the November election is not an impossibility,
although there are problems involved.
Mr. Corrigan agreed with Mrs. Davidsen about Committee
•
members putting forth their own ideas and ,stated that
he ,was prepared to make a motion to that effect. ° He
• •
Iowa City Charter Committee page 2
January 31, 1973`
statedthe following motion:`;,"Be it resolved that the
Iowa City.. Charter Committee,"go on record at this time.
as being'in favor of a':council-manager 'form of govern=
merit with an'elected mayor."and that this''Council be
a'seven-member,; group, four of whom,` including the mayor,
`
will be ;elected 'at large"and three':elected from the
three newly created wards., This motion was seconded
by, Mr. Baldus,; and , Mr. ,Meardon called for discussion.
Discussion centered around whether three was the optimum
number of wards; whether neighborhoods per se:o'r,an
ideological class-conscientousness',was involved,whether
ward elections `would 'be"considerably less expensive '
than at=large elections for candidates, and whether
the relationship between class, occupation, income and
"TheCommittee,
geography:is relevant. directed Mr.
Rosenstein to submit 'a report on the breakdown of the
"
census tracts for Iowa'City`by immediate'income by
is
numbers of - people in the family, by renter or owner
and 'any:::other:,`available.relevant variable;that. reflects
social class and. economic interest.Mr._Laitner stated
that he`thought the value of'the ward system is' -:in the':
reduction; of-the.area and cost of a.council campaign.
The direct election of the,.mayor was discussed in relation
`
tor;the veto power •of ;the mayor; As' 'grain te& in Section
75'and 76: of'the City,Code"of Iowa, regardless. of the
form of municipal government in relation to the
r.
,and
possibility, of this office -becoming a political step-
ping -stone. Mr. Corrigan and Mr:IWelt complimented
the responsiveness of the present form of'government
and agreed that''the' people actually elected rather
than the form are largely responsible for, responsiveness
in'' government.
a.
Mr:.Baldus Imalde'the'motion'to table Mr. Corrigan's
quntil the '.Committee was more infor med on some
resolution
r
oftheir uestions. Mrs. Cain seconded the motion and
q
(
it waspassed unanimously.
Mr. Baldus raised the question of holding'a special
election on the same day as ,the school board election.
Mr. Rosenstein''stat'ed that the school -board election
"
is set for September ,l0 and if the charter election
is. held.past,September 6,.the 60 -day deadline before
the next ',general election would be missed.
Mr. Meard on asked the°Committee if they thought another
"
public meeting was appropriate. The general feeling
.'
of ,the Committee was ,that such a meeting would be very
desirable after:the Committee had made some tentative
L
Sows City Charter Committee Page 3
January "31', 1973''
•
decisions�about'the charter and could invite the Public
to.comment �on and ask questions about these decisions.,
Mri'lBaldus..submitted to the; Committee a report prepare d
ranch of
by, the ILaboratory for,_Political Research,ra branch:,
the Politcal'Science'Department at-;the University
This_re ort:: resents the cost of.a survey
of.Iowa., repor
to'find out what the citizens:of Iowa City think about
municipal',; government. .The Committee would help,;put
to a questionnaire and the. Laboratory would hire'
interviewers and'anaIlyze the results. The entire pro-
cess would take nine,'. or possibly ten, weeks. The cost
of .the University's indirect'jcosts might be waived
upon request from the Committee.as,ia matter of :the
University's contribution to'the community interest.
also,'stated:that.'from his own experience,
the Laboratory is quite 'expert^and`re1- ble,is"easy
to;work'with and would ,fdo a'very'professional job for :.
the. ata modest rate. Mr. Corrigan agreed
.Committee
with this`Iopinion. Mrs. Cain questioned'if the Commit.!
tee's'own'time achedule would alter the.;value-of such:
a survey'.at this late da"'! te.,';O,t:er,I ommittee members
stated that it would'-be, better:to.have„the information
a<short time before the ,deadline than not to have it:
at all.
Mr.Corrigan made the following motion The Committee
believes' it to be of `importance to'its operationsto
sample the"citizens of.,Iowa City•on certain questionsr
ro a City Charter. ;To this'end`,we are'instru
elative-tc-
ting our chairman to`cons ult;with the City Council to
request authorization for funding'to carry out'the
survey. ` Mr.;.,Balduseseconded the motion, and the motion
passed on a 9-t6-3 vote with Cain,' Meardon and Welt
dissenting. Mr`. Corrigan then moved for.reconsideration
of the questionlat the next meeting in view ofithe.
close vote. Mr:.Baldus seconded the motion. The Com-
that he airing someone
,.!A,ldus
-
from the 'Laboratory to discuss the survey and;give
the Committee an opportunity to ask questions'as to
what its contents would be, etc. The motion was voted
on and.passed'unanimously.
I
The meeting was adjourned. -
,T
•
I
. ...... Its
Wt
ti
Rough estimates
•Interviews
(1,000, at $4)
S 41000
Project -1 month
:'sup�rvisor�
667
SeceretarialI assistance half -til
. I me,
1: month
=260
Supplies
30
Data Preparation
Coding 50 hours at $3
150
Keypunching80 �hrs. at $4
,
120
File creation
80
fists Analysis
200
Preparation'of research reports
250
Sampling
Random,.:.'
300
6,057'.
Fringe. 15%
817
3: 4direct C,osts--,55,77%
3 68"
I.
is
iA17
"
Page 2'
Funds-Potential Uses.
:•"
a. Social: Agencies
b. Channel Allocations
10. Access of Tools
a. Philosophy,
b. Democracy
11. Equipment -services
12: 'Techni ue-state of,the art
IK ,..Timetable
14. ;Budget. "
Mr:'Cordier suggested that the Committeeluse the Ford Foundation
study as ''a base, adding other topics that 1' to Iowa City.
Time and :day of'the meetings were discussed. The Committee: decided
to'use Mondays at 4:00 p.m.
Mrs. thninger, volunteered to summarize the Detroit Study"oniCable TV
}
and: submit. to the„ Committee. at" the next meeting
x
The agenda for the "meeting ofJanuary 15S.to"think about topics
'L.,oflstudy:!;discussed;And
possibly form sub-groups to work on these
various topics.
Mi.,Kril.asked permission of the Committee,to" video-tape "the meet-
ings.; Noone objected.
Rev ,Welsh passed, in•'article,"Cable TV-Nine Months After the Green"
Light,°"to thesdommittee.
Meeting was'adjourned; at 6:00 P.M.
•
„i.
i
F,
A
117:
IIZJ,1•
A
Il:
za
r
1
•'
1t���%i
Jt .yy�ATfl
1
J .
�`.1t
Il:
F.,
B. Mandatory dedication 6f,land along, the no ;he r,n.boundary,,,,
-Benton:Str . ee extension.
of the site:�for-the,
C. Mandatory''dedication -of la,nd'to, the, east on the site
for Mormon Trek Boulevard.'
D., Mandator . y dedication of Jand along the southern boundary,`-:�,...
of theproF4rty for Rohret,R6ad
2.)
Outside site.dimensions are lacking.
3.)
The maximum permitted.number.of dwelling units should be
indicated,. based,on existing zoning and the areas in each
zone.
4.)
The provision of the Benton Street.extension .should be
indicated upon,the submission.
The
reports of the Parks &R6creationDdpartment' IDirect6r and,the
);7
C ity:.
Engineer �.will:. be forthcoming. .'Th`e,` review of .the Fire Depart—', �I
i
. ment
indi I cated approval of the preliminary plan.,
STAFF it:is'the recommendation of the
RECOMMENDATION: Staff that, this, resubmission, of:,,
the (preliminary plan for,Braverman-
Ab be def r 6d'untilYthe
w6st,P e r
def ici'fincies cited have,be'en,.:
corrected.
i
STAFF )REPORT,
Planning & Zoning Commission
January 25, 1973.
SUBJECT:
577301. Preliminary Plan for
Braverman-West ,':.Planned Area..
Development. Filed: ,.1%22/73.
45=day, Limitation: 3/18/73.;
SITE
DESCRIPTION:
The.subject parcel is situated
immediately.between.Rohret Road
and the planned westward extension
approximately 1300
of Benton'Street, a distance of
feet, and extends west of and parallel:to,Mormon
Trek Boulevard,
site .60
omprises
also "a distance of approximately 1300 feet. 'This
a
and undisturbed
total of:40.3.acres;'presently used as crop land
timber.',The topographyzof the site- maybe;described
as rolling; with
a;dominating ridge line,extending;lfrom a,point. a.
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