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Home My WebLink About2009-04-06 Correspondence~~3 b his ~ey to ~owa City, ~owa, ~~~ a City o~ Literature -.~ i °~:, ~, ~~ ~~, ~f ~ 4 is Presented to ~C/L ~'O ZV G~~P/Yt~ in recognition o~the UNESCO networ~C `1_ i ~ ~ and our spar d interests ~. m ~' ~ `S r-. ~, T ~ ~ ~~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY a ate 4f(1 ~ Marian Karr From: Sharon Evans [shevans111 @gmail.com] Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 7:49 AM To: Council Subject: Videotaping/Broadcast of Priority Setting Sessions I am checking just to be sure that the upcoming City Council priority-setting sessions are scheduled for live broadcast and/or videotaping for later broadcast? I hope to use them in my Government class as as a proj ect. It would be great it they could be archived as well for later study. I'm assuming for such an important process they will be broadcast for citizen viewing, but I just wanted to be certain. Thanks for your time! Sharon Evans 3/23/2009 Re: WLONS -Benton Hill Park 4f 2 Marian Karr From: Helen Burford [hburford@mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 6:08 PM To: weloveourneighborhoodschools@list.spinneweb.com; Council Subject: Re: WLONS -Benton Hill Park Members of Council Is there anyway the City could accelerate plans for the cross-over by including a portion of the capital expense in the 09-10 budget and the remainder in the 10-11 budget? Thank you Helen Burford On 3/25/09 4:52 PM, "Christine Denburg" <cdenburg@mchsi.com> wrote: Hi All, I talked to the Iowa City Parks and Recreation today concerning use of the Benton Hill Park for extra playground space. The city says there are many schools the use city parks and they would be happy to have the Roosevelt School utilize the park anytime The city's estimate for a pedestrian ramp across Benton Street is 1.06 million -they are pretty expensive nowadays due to ADA requirements. Part of Dr. Plugge's argument against Roosevelt was that the lot was too small. If some of the playground space was moved to the park it would make more room for a school addition and parking. Also if there was a school crossing it might be another incentive for the city to slow down traffic on Benton. And since the park is owned by the city the PTO would not have the responsibility of fundraising for playground equipment. I think 1 would rather have the children crossing Benton Street during school hours supervised by teachers than walking .7 miles alone and unsupervised up to Horn. Is this worth pursuing? Christine *****If you'd prefer to receive a daily summary of e-mails, rather than receiving individual e- mails throughout the day, please send an a-mail to listsrv@list.spinneweb.com with the words SET MODE DIGEST WeLoveourNeighborhoodSchools in the body of the message. Leave the subject of the message blank, or enter random characters. *****If you would like to Subscribe to this listserv, please send an e-mail to listsrv@list.spinneweb.com with the words SUBSCRIBE WeLoveourNeighborhoodSchools in the body of the message. Leave the subject of the message blank, or enter random characters. 3/26/2009 04-06-09 4f(3) Marian Karr From: Antone P. Braga [tony@disasterprepared.net] Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 11:58 AM To: Council Subject: Public record This correspondence will become a public record. Hello Fellow Policyholder: A letter to President Obama has been sent on behalf of all property insurance policyholders (home, business, automobile, boat, etc.). As a matter of transparency, any response by President Obama will be posted on this Website for your review: www.DisasterPrepared.net/president.html 1 Letter to President Obama ., • ,,: 8~e Yourself--Because you riev~r lkt~t~wt Cavt~r fhat 8ase~...~et 1t slnk in. Dear Fellow Policyholder: Page 1 of 3 The following letter to President Obama was sent on behalf of all policyholders...complete, unedited copies may be made. As a matter of transparency, any response by President Obama will be posted on this Website for your review. Antone P. Braga KEEP h1E UPDATED ". LISPS Certified Mail #7006 21.50 0000 9227 3932 (Re-sent 2/11/09 by Fax# 202-456-2461 Confirmed) - Delivered 2/13/09 February 2, 2009 The Honorable Barack H. Obama President of The United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: Compared to matters now before you, the issue I raise may seem ordinary on the surface. However, it goes to the heart of confidence in government and there is no greater issue at hand. The very government entities sworn to protect the public contend they are "not allowed" to provide certain basic consumer protection for policyholders. I am enclosing copies of my letters to USA entities responsible for consumer protection, and a copy of my book, "Policy Ensurance." When it comes to disasters there is nothing more fundamental than the elements of recovery. Those very elements that pertain to insurance are well hidden and took me a great many years of investigation to uncover. After more than 20 years of insurance adjusting I still had no idea they even existed! Policyholders have had plenty of authority within the insurance contract to enable a fair settlement. It is more a matter of knowing ones's authority and how to implement it that escapes notice. That in itself is a rather large problem. However, there is an even larger problem: an ongoing process to negate policyholder authority by removing wording in some policies. Along those same lines, many company adjusters act to represent the policyholder just as if they had that right and authority...it is commonly accepted behavior. Conflict of interest is hardly even thought of, never mind raised. The misinformed public actually expects company claims adjusters to act that way and are disappointed if somehow that does not happen. This is mostly due to rampant advertising that tells us we are in good hands, have a good neighbor, someone on our side, or some other such claim, and http://www.disasterprepared.net/president.html 3/26/2009 Letter to President Obama Page 2 of 3 oddly enough the companies' misleading, very costly advertising is paid from policyholder premiums, not from companies' own coffers. It is no wonder we have become helpless and lost in this area. We are programed that way, and we have been defused from our authority without being aware that it happened. The millions of people who suffer disasters each year such as hurricane, earthquake, tornado, flood, and fire, usually carry insurance, but they generally have no idea what they have coming, even after asking around. Just what should they expect, and how do they conceive their damage claims or partake in the process? Nearly everyone has been left out of the loop. If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that most insurance consumers have not had access to fundamental insurance claim rights and information, such as how to calculate, file and settle insurance claims (considerably different than merely reporting a loss), not to mention insurance company timely obligations, responsibilities, and rules that tell what they should expect in case of loss. Inasmuch as government entities are not allowed to protect insurance consumers and insurance companies are allowed to pay with policyholder premiums for their advertised point of view, then surely companies can also be made to disseminate material with policyholders' point of view, as a matter of course. It is important to have an idea how to determine what you are entitled to under your property insurance policies (home, business, auto, boat, etc.). Policyholders are entitled to have an understanding in terms of fundamental adjusting principles, rights, and rules that show what to expect in case of loss, and how to calculate, prepare and settle claims--the nuts and bolts of insurance consumer protection. There is no reasonable argument against the policyholder having equal information as the company. No one can very well argue that a policyholder in good standing is any less legitimate than the company itself. This is about changing a system that is in desperate need of reform and not really a threat to that system, no more than the likes of H & R Block or taxpayers themselves are a threat to the US tax system. The veil only cloaks reality. It is my lifelong dream that one of these days it will be removed for good and vital claim filing information, policyholder rights, adjusting basics, forms and procedures made accessible as our tax filing rights, rules, deductions, forms and tax information we take for granted. I propose that a copy of my book, "Policy Ensurance," or a revised, authorized edition, accompany insurance policies issued in the future that cover damage caused by disasters--my copyrights are unencumbered. I hope you will assign my material for your staff to peruse and digest, and believe you will find it well researched and credible and I hope worthy of facilitating change. Thank you on behalf of all policyholders for any consideration you may give. Sincerely, Antone P. Braga * Sources: Book Material More Author Information Dear Lynn M. Highland, http://www.disasterprepared.net/president.html 3/26/2009 Letter to President Obama Page 3 of 3 The letter was sent on behalf of all policyholders. Because you are a policyholder who does not want this communication sent on your behalf to President Obama, I have made note of your request and posted on the Website accordingly. Antone P. Braga Lynn M Highland wrote: > Mr. Bauer, > I'm not sure why I received this communication from "Disasterprepared.net" - I'm an employee of the federal gov. and not allowed to have anything sent to Mr. Obama "on my behalf' - >please take me off the list or whatever email group I'm in (wasn't MY idea) - > if I don't receive a reply to this message, I'll be forced to send this unwanted email to people in my department that investigate this sort of thing. Sorry, those are the rules > Sincerely, > Lynn > Lynn Highland > U.S. Geological Survey > National Landslide Information Center > Denver, CO 80225 > 303-273-8588 > ----- Forwarded by Lynn MHighland/GD/USGS/DOI on 03/09/2009 09:48 AM ----- > From: "DisasterPrepared.net" > To: rick.bauer@... > Date: 03/08/2009 03:16 PM > Subject: From A Disaster Resource GUIDE Visitor > The following letter to President Obama was sent on your behalf. As a matter of transparency, any reply received will be posted on this Website for your review. > Disaster Prepared Letter to President Obama: www.disasterprepared.net/president.html ',~. Horne ~~~~~~,-~~ ©1991-2009 Antone P. Braga http://www.disasterprepared.net/president.html 3/26/2009 Marian Karr 4f(4 From: David Christ [dechrist@mchsi.com] Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:52 PM To: Council Subject: Farmers Market I do not think that moving the farmer's market from Chauncy Swan is a good idea. I see nothing to be gained and several negatives. I have no acquaintances in favor of the move and several against it. The current location is effectively downtown. Moving will result in little if any additional visibility. There are already parking issues downtown and moving the market will make them worse and inconvenience many people. The parking situation is better at Chauncy Swan. Getting purchases home is easier from Chauncy Swan. Chauncy Swan is a better all weather venue. This proposal seems to be a solution in search of a problem. As the old saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." David Christ 1335 Emily Ct Iowa City, IA 1 4f 5 March 27, 2009 Ms. Marian Karr, City Clerk City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Ms. Karr: Pursuant to Ordinance No. 07-4294, Section 12-1-14 and Ordinance No. 07-4293, Section 12-1-12, enclosed please find the annual written report to the City Council summarizing community contributions and involvement benefiting the citizens of Iowa City. Please let me know if you or the council have any questions. Sincerely, Kathryn M. Kunert Vice President, Economic Development and Community Relations MidAmerican Energy Company ~.~~ ~~ ,., ~ ." .. ~ f ~...~~ Q i~ ~' V1 MidAmerican Energy Company Iowa City Community Report Calendar Year 2008 This report is being submitted in accordance with the electric and natural gas franchises agreements signed between the city of Iowa City, Iowa and the MidAmerican Energy Company (MidAmerican) in November 2007. The report voluntarily summarizes the support the company, its foundation, and employees have contributed to the community for the calendar year 2008 and the preceding three years as required by the franchise agreements. Electric Ordina~zce No 07-4294, Section 12-1-14 The Company shall make an annual written report to the City Coccncil summarizing community contributions which benefit the people of Iowa City which have been made by the Company or its Foundation. The written report shall include the name of each entity to which such contributions have been made, the amount of such contribution and a comparison showing contributions for that year and the three prior years. The report shall be filed with the City Council within three months of the close of the Company's fiscal year. Natacral Gas Ordinance No. 07-4293, Section 12-2-12 The Company shall make an an~zteal written report to the City Council summarizing commu~zity co~ztributions which benefit the people of Iowa City which have been made by the Company or its Focndation. The written report shall include the name of each entity to which such contributions have been made, the amount of such contribaction and a comparison showi~zg contributions for ~, that year and tl2e three prior years. The report shall be filed with the City Council within - - three ~~io~zths of the-close of the Compa~zy's fisca year:- - - The report is to be submitted to the city clerk by no later than March 31 of each calendar year. All figures are submitted in good faith and are accurate to the best of the MidAmerican's knowledge and record keeping. Some slight variances may occur due to cases were re-created order to comply with this report. Prior to 2007 it was not anticipated contributiogs wou~cl> CJ have to be reported in accordance with provisions of new franchise agreements. ::~_ ~:~? _ ,,,,~ ~~ _.:~; (`11 a i I ..., ., O -~ 3/27/2009 Page 2 of 13 Iowa City Community Report ~;~:. ""' ~ I t ; ~w ,,~ em.... -,i ,.., Contributions in the city of Iowa City by MidAmerican and its foundatio~~rrr theme =~ four year period covered by this report (2008-2005) are $16,190,962. Of thisQ~ount~. $4,911,617 was contributed in 2008, $3,299,173 was contributed in 2007, $4,78;606 i ~ I, 2006, $3,193,566 in 2005. ICARE ICARE is an energy assistance program that helps customers who are unemployed, living on fixed or low incomes or experiencing a family crisis by helping pay their heating bills or making their homes more energy efficient. ICARE funding comes from donations made by employees and customers, with a percentage match made by MidAmerican. Customers can make contributions to ICARE anytime throughout the year by adding a whole dollar amount to their monthly MidAmerican bill. The overpayment automatically will be applied to ICARE. The 2008 through 2005 ICARE campaigns were supported on a statewide basis by MidAmerican's Warm for the Holidays promotion with Clear Channel Radio stations in November and December 2008. The Iowa City radio stations who participated in 2008 were KKRQ and KXIC. The ICARE program is also supported internally by MidAmerican employees through the ,company's ICARE - WE CARE campaign. All donations are administered in Iowa City by Hawkeye Area Community Action Program, Inc. (HACAP). These tax-deductible donations help local community action agencies provide valuable financial assistance. To qualify, customers must meet the state's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program guidelines. The 2008 donations from Iowa City customers and the company's percentage match totaled $33,831. The 2007 donations from Iowa City customers and the company's percentage match totaled $22,506. In 2006 donations from Iowa City customers and the company's percentage match totaled $23,540. Additionally, in 2006 aone-time MidAmerican donation to ICARE of $223,136 was made as part of an agreement with the Iowa Utilities Board per IiJB Docket RPU-91- 5. The 2005 donations from Iowa City customers and the company's percentage match totaled $21,749. So that all the donated funds can be used for there intended purpose, MidAmerican also pays administrative fees to HACAP. In 2005 MidAmerican paid HACAP $3,379. In 2006 MidAmerican paid HACAP $258 and in 2007 $53. The reason 3/27/2009 - ;;-':T Page 3 of 13 ,~} "~' Iowa City Community Report ,i:~ : ; ~`° ~,~, r~~~ the administrative fees are Iow in 2006 and 2007 is because as part of the ILTB=.~c~,ccket~ -~ r-- RPU-91-5 agreement MidAmerican paid HACAP up front $38,379 for administrati~r~'~ees ~ ~:'~: The administrative fee paid by MidAmerican energy Company to HCAP in 2G~~'` was'? D +.n $991. ~ Special Programs For the last five years the Iowa Utilities Board has sponsored the Iowa Weatherization Challenge. On October 20, 2007, Reclaiming Roots, a group that helps to revitalize neglected areas of Iowa City, conducted a weatherization event. The group had 61 volunteers that weatherized 21 homes in the Grant Wood Neighborhood of Iowa City. Volunteers were recruited from the neighborhood and from members of the Reclaiming Roots organization. The weatherization done at the homes included installing plastic film on windows, weather-stripping doors and windows, sealing gaps or holes in the foundation, and covering both window and central air conditioning units. The volunteers also spent time cleaning up the neighborhood by clearing yard waste and trash from homes. Volunteers distributed energy saving tips information to homeowners throughout the neighborhood. Matching funds for this project came from MidAmerican. In 2007, this amounted to $137.50 matched by the IUB for a total of $275. There were no similar Iowa City programs in the prior years. Both television and newspaper media covered the event. MidAmerican worked through its Community Contact Volunteer network (employees _ _living/working in-communities served by MidAmerican) to-spread the word about the- Iowa Weatherization Challenge. According to an Iowa Utilities Board report, in 2008 the University of Iowa Environmental Coalition (UIEC) organized an Iowa City event. MidAmerican Energy was not afforded an opportunity to participate in this 2008 effort. "T'°i ~~ Although it is not a direct philanthropic program MidAmerican assists its customers by offering a budget billing program. Customers sign up for a levelized payment plan that is based on past usage to allow for consistent payment thereby helping household budgets during the peak heating and cooling seasons. The use of this program has grown 3/27/2009 Page 4 of 13 _ ,,,, O Iowa City Community Report . r~ <:a significantly in Iowa City over the past four years. At the end of calendar ye 2x008~;~ ",~ 11,590 customers were participating in the program At the end of calendar ye~s~i007~ ~~" "; '~- ~"1 11,146 Iowa City customers were participating in the program. This compares t~~,33~ ~- , customers at the end of 2006. For 2005 the number of customers participatir~ in than program at the year end was 9,566. This represents a 21% increase between the end crF 2005 and the end of 2008. Global Days of Service MidAmerican supports employee volunteerism around the world. Global Days of Service encourages employees to make our communities better through personal volunteer work. All employees of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company and its worldwide, wholly-owned subsidiaries are eligible to participate in the program. MidAmerican has a $250,000 matching fund to recognize and support employee volunteer activities. These dollars are used to match efforts on behalf of organizations that serve our community. The fund is divided among these organizations, based on the number of hours employees volunteer with a maximum of 500 hours per volunteer in a program year (250 hours maximum for part-time employees). The $250,000 fund is divided by the total number of hours volunteered per organization to determine the contribution MidAmerican makes to each organization. For example, assume MidAmerican employees volunteered a collective 75,000 hours for service organizations. If 1,000 of these hours were performed for one organization, that organization would receive 1/75 of MidAmerican's total contribution, or $3,333. A maximum of $5,000 will be paid to any single organization per year regardless of the number of volunteer hours submitted by MidAmerican employees. The remaining funds would also be distributed based on the total number of volunteer hours. are eligible. For example, any 501.(c).(3) group or educational institution may receive funds. In addition, to recognize the importance of volunteer fire departments and other public safety organizations to our communities, these organizations are eligible regardless of their 501.(c).(3) status. 3/27/2009 Page 5 of 13 Iowa City Community Report Figures for the 2008 period will not be available until mid-year 2009 but will be included in next year's annual report. In 2007 $578 was paid out. In 2006, Iowa City employees volunteered 1,453.5 hours of service resulting in the payout of $4,830. In 2005, Iowa City employees contributed 1,714.5 volunteer hours of service resulting in a payout of $6,001. Matching_Gift MidAmerican also has a Matching Gift program designed to encourage and supplement financial support for eligible charitable organizations and educational institutions. This program is made available to eligible full and part-time employees through the MidAmerican Energy Foundation. MidAmerican Energy Foundation provides $100,000 annually to match donations by employees of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company and its domestic subsidiaries .The $100,000 will be used to match gifts by eligible persons on a first come, first serve basis during the calendar year up to the maximum of $1,500 per person in any calendar year. Widespread financial support from individuals is essential if these organizations and institutions are to provide the facilities needed to meet the increasing demands placed upon them by our society. We are pleased to contribute a share of the needed funds by matching the gifts made by employees of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company and its domestic subsidiaries and other eligible persons. Eligible Organizations: ^ _A_ny.public_ or_private _college _or _university, including. graduate schools and junior _ _ i. __ _-_ _ _ colleges, which has received regional accreditation. ^ Institutions with professional accreditation or approval by state universities or state boards or departments of education. special fund or group is recognized as tax exempt and the financial officer of the college or university certifies that the fund, foundation or association: ~~ -,, ^ is an integral part of the institution, or - ~ -~ ^ will transmit all funds it receives directly to the college or university, or `- k ,..,J ~ `; r- r'.t ~ O~ ~ %~ ~o _ - - _ -_. _ _ - --- 3/27/2009 Page 6 of 13 Iowa City Community Report ^ will use all funds it receives entirely for the benefit of the college or university. ^ A tax exempt foundation whose purpose is to support public or private elementary and secondary education (kindergarten through grade I2) provided that such foundation is separate from and transmits all funds it receives directly to the associated school or district and all such funds are used entirely for the benefit of such school or district. ^ Institutions, foundations or organizations, such as the United Negro College Fund and the Iowa College Foundation, which are tax exempt and whose primary purpose is the financial support of colleges and universities. ^ A tax exempt organization providing cultural or general community benefits and either located in communities where MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company has operations, the MidAmerican service territory or located in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska or South Dakota and providing benefits to MidAmerican's customers. ^ Gifts to organizations, which receive general operating, or specific program funding from the United Way funding are not eligible for matching under this program. MidAmerican Energy Foundation provides separate support for the United Way and these related organizations. ^ Gifts to organizations whose activities represent a conflict of interest for MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company will not be matched. - -Qualified Gifts: - - - - - - _ _ _- - - ^ To qualify for a matching grant, the gifts must be made from personal funds by an eligible person. The gift may be in the form of cash or securities having a quoted market value. ^ If-th-e gift-is-in-the-form-of-securities-the-value-to-be-eonsitiered-is-the-sale-or-publi-shed price on the date of the gift. ...~ ^ Gifts may be made to more than one eligible organization or educational institttt'~, 4~, buts the total of gifts to be matched is limited to $1,500 in any calendar year. Gifts ia~le b~~ ~ ;..~.a ~ ~ w r- _ G"~ _ r ~-~ '~ Cj :`'~ ~,~- ~` .o ~ to 3/27/2009 Page 7 of 13 ,..., Iowa City Community Report tj ,.; _ spouses will be included in the $1,500 maximum limit. The minimum gift~ta and organization or institution which will be matched is $25. =i r; c~ -~;; f"_ (".1 *~, ^ Gifts by eligible persons may be restricted or unrestricted. Unless instructed o~ea~vise-~- ~~ by the donor, all matching grants will have the same restrictions as the original gifts ~, v1 Payments not eligible for matching grants include churches and other religious organizations, elementary and secondary schools, bequests, dues, payments to local alumni groups, subscription fees, and any other payment not made as a direct contribution to an eligible organization or colleges and universities. Pledges will not be matched until actual payment is made. Each individual gift by an eligible person to an organization or institution must be accompanied by a matching gift application form. The organization or institution receiving the gift accompanied by the form will certify the gift. Normally the matching grants will be paid to the eligible organizations or educational institutions on a quarterly basis. The aggregate total for the four years covered by this report (2008-2005) is $119,504. In 2008, MidAmerican employees in Iowa City made gifts totaling $11,342. This amount was matched by the foundation for a total of $22,684. In 2007, MidAmerican _~ ~~ employees in Iowa City made gifts totaling $14,885. This amount was matched by the foundation for a total of $29,770. For 2006, Iowa City employees made gifts totaling $19,165. This amount was matched by the foundation for a total of $38,330. In 2005, Iowa - - _ __-- City employees made- donations totaling $14,360. This -amount was matched by t e foundation for a total of $28,720. In-Kind Giving From time to time MidAmerican also donates "in-kind" services to the community on an ad hoc basis. In-kind services include time and materials to support a wide range of community events and activities. Some examples would be helping the Downtown Association put up Christmas lights or trees utilizing company boom trucks or using derrick digger trucks to dig post holes at little league fields. In 2008, 72 man hours at a billable rate of $75 pr hour were contributed to these types of activities equating to $5,400. 3/27/2009 Page 8 of 13 Iowa City Community Report The comparable amounts for 2007 are 45.5 man hours and $3,412.50. Because the philanthropic reporting requirement was not in place prior to the effective date of Ordinances 07-4293 and 07-4294, in-kind service records for prior year activities were not tracked and therefore are not available. We know this type of work was completed(,-,in pride years but any estimates would probably not be accurate. " ~` ' ~. Energy Efficiency r'~ 1. ;5 c~ ~~ Energy efficiency is another category that is not a philanthropic program by t~e ~trict~' r ~ ';~ definition. However, it provides significant local economic benefits to Iowa City re~dents,~ businesses, the city and the university. The city of Iowa City is perhaps most familiar with" MidAmerican's Trees Please! program. In 2008 through and including 2005, the city has received a total of $90,000 in Trees Please! awards. This includes cone-time special grant of $10,000 following the April 2006 tornado to assist in the replacement of trees lost during that devastating event. The city has no doubt put this money to good use while also reducing carbon dioxide and at the same time beautifying the city. Beyond their aesthetic beauty, trees provide shade, cooling during the summer and permit sunlight into to buildings during the winter. Residents and businesses benefit from MidAmerican's rebate programs in two ways. First, they receive either financials incentives or low-interest financing for incorporating specific types of energy efficient building equipment and/or materials, e.g. insulation, high efficiency-furnaces--and air-conditioners for- new -construction or.- remodeling._- -Second. because they have more energy efficient homes and businesses, less energy is being used •on an annual basis resulting in lower overall energy costs for many years to come. This assumes the consumer maintains their thermostat at the same setting after the energy efficienc as before the In some circumstances, consumers ~~.. 03'1 maybe able to actually lower their thermostats and achieve additional savings. One of the most popular and helpful programs has been the Home Energy Audits. As a general rule of thumb, to be eligible for a home energy audit a house must be ten or more years old. Iowa City participation has been relatively constant. In 2008, there were 298 __ 'i -_ _ i i 3/27/2009 I~ Page 9 of 13 Iowa City Community Report homes and 21 businesses that participated in the program. In 2007, there were 292 homes and 56 businesses that participated in the program. In 2006, there were 353 homes and 27 businesses that participated in the program. In 2005, there were 315 homes and 23 businesses that participated in the program. In total, 1,258 homes and 127 businesses in Iowa City built before 1999 have taken advantage of the program to improve their energy efficiency, reduce their carbon footprints and save money. MidAmerican will continue to promote the program in 2009 and encourages all eligible home and business owners to take advantage of this energy efficiency program. For the calendar year 2008, Iowa City residents and business received $1,154,750 in energy efficiency incentives. For the calendar year 2007, Iowa City residents and businesses received $988,259 in energy efficiency incentives. For calendar year 2006, the figure was $1,152,551. In 2005 the amount was $925,922.. For the four years covered by this report the aggregate total for Iowa City resident and businesses is $4,231,502. In addition to the energy efficiency benefits noted above, in 2008 the University of Iowa received energy efficiency dollars totaling $1,154,750. In 2007, the university received $474,498. In 2006, the university received $759,487 and in 2005 they received $527,631. The four year total for the University of Iowa was $2,730,272. In total for the most recent four year period (2008-2005) MidAmerican's energy efficiency p~:ogram~~ :.; pumped $6,961,774 into the Iowa City economy. " ~ ' ~' '°~ _ `~,. g Economic Development. - -- - `"~ ""'°' - - - - - - r'yA, ~ 1 ~ - .. More than 20 years ago, MidAmerican recognized one of the ways to~l~''ep community viable is through planned economic growth. MidAmerican was a driv~g~orc behind the 1984 creation of the Iowa City Area Development Group, Inc. (ICAO) and ~l" member MidAmerican's economic development staff employees actively support ICAO by donating their time, expertise and experience to the organization. A MidAmerican representative has continually served on the ICAO board of directors since its founding. In 3/27/2009 Page 10 of 13 Iowa City Community Report addition to its annual monetary contributions to ICAD, MidAmerican also brings additional resources ICAD would not otherwise have. These resources above and beyond the economic development staff expertise include project support, marketing underwriting, Location One Information System (LOIS) (a tool used to help promote available buildings and sites Iowa City which may attract new businesses to locate in the city), and Synchronist (a tool used to help retain and expand existing businesses in Iowa City) to mention a few. For 2008 the total contributed to ICAD was $46,250. In 2007 the total contributed to ICAD was $40,400. In 2006 it was $42,900. In 2005 the figure was $35,400. General Contributions Despite rough economic times, MidAmerican Energy Company was able to continue to contribute to the vitality in 2008 of Iowa City albeit at a slightly lower rate. Some examples of Iowa City organizations that over the years have received either monetary support or equipment from MidAmerican are the Downtown Association's Friday Night Concert Series, Iowa Women's Foundation, Big BrothersBig Sisters, Englert Theater, Iowa City Chamber of Commerce, the Summer of the Arts and its predecessor ArtFest, Iowa City Area Home Builders parade of homes, Goodwill Industries, Iowa City Hospice and the After Prom parties in each of the area's high schools to name a few. Combined contributions in 2008 were $19,297, 2007 were $30,600; 2006 - $34,200; and 2005 - $12,454. Donations range from $35 to the local high schools After Prom parties to $10,000 to the Summer of the Arts. Not included in these totals are the fair market values of four donated used vehicles - a Chevy Lumina and a Ford Taurus to Iowa City Wheels to Work in 2004 and a used Dodge passenger van to Iowa City Hospice also in 2004. We understand that Iowa City Hospice is still using the Dodge van today and has put over 130,000 miles on the vehicle. During 2008, MidAmerican donated another used Ford rv w.~ Taurus passenger vehicle to Iowa City Hospice. (See attached news article and ph~o from ~.. the November 4, 2008 Iowa Press Citizen at the end of this report.) . ..... ~, -w a~Tl . ~' Wo ~" ~O ~ ~ 3/27/2009 Page 11 of 13 _ Iowa City Community Report © ~~ ~, _:.;~ a> °;; United Way ~ ~, --:; ~~ ==~ r^~ c~ MidAmerican and its employees support United Way. MidAmerican r~ria~~es ~ matching pledge in addition to the employee donations. Combined employee and ~~any,,a pledges for 2008 were $17,999. In 2007 total pledges were $18,895. In 2006 total~ledge~ were $19,871. In 2005 total pledges were $17,526. MidAmerican's Iowa City operations was a Pacesetter company in 2005. In addition, following the Iowa City tornado in April 2006, MidAmerican donated $25,000 to United Way to assist affected victims of the tornado. The aggregate total for the four year period is $99,291. New Projects MidAmerican also supports the American Cancer Society. In 2007 MidAmerican made aone-time pledge of $500,000 to the American Cancer Society towards the construction of Hope Lodge. MidAmerican's gift helped the Hope Lodge campaign achieve both the $2 million Gerdin Challenge, along with the $6 million fundraising level needed to break ground. Leveraging the Gerdin Challenge increased the value of MidAmerican's conti7bution to $1,000,000 for the American Cancer Society. Many of the patients and their fanulies statewide who will be served by Hope Lodge during their time of need live in communities served by MidAmerican. We hope none of our customers or employees ever need to use this type of facility, but if they do, Hope Lodge will provide a safe and caring environment. Hope Lodge will be owned and operated by the American Cancer -Society and is expected to be-open in September 2008: The $500,000 is-being-paid- out over a five year period at a rate of $100,000 per year beginning in 2007. Paid to date are $100,000 in 2008 and $100,000 in 2007. Property Taxes MidAmerican supports the c is one ~~,~. ~~ payers in Iowa City. For the tax year ending June 2008, MidAmerican Energy Company paid $1,772,155 in property taxes broken down as follows: city of Iowa City $773,902 public schools $620,030; Johnson County $327,031; other $51,192. For the tax year ending June 2007, MidAmerican paid $1,570,141 in property taxes broken down as follows: city of 3/27/2009 Page 12 of 13 Iowa City Community Report a Iowa City $699,329; public schools $560,220; Johnson County $262,584; other $~$~08 .a~ '° ,,.~, For the tax year ending June 2006, MidAmerican paid $1,607,503 in property taxes,~,x-~keri~ ~' down as follows: city of Iowa City $727,556; public schools $610,009; Johnson~tiyunty.~~ ~~ C~ .~ $257,069; other $12,869. For the tax year ending June 2005, MidAmeric~~'~aid~ $1,594,784 in property taxes broken down as follows: city of Iowa City $737,15~publian schools $591,718; Johnson County $253,273; other $12,634. The combined property tax total of the four years covered by the report is $6,1544,583 with the city receiving $2,907,946, the schools $2,381,977, the county $1,099,957 and other $124,703.. Intangibles The following information briefly summarizes MidAmerican efforts to restore electric and natural gas service following the summer floods of 2008. The overall cost to restore electric service was $304,418. The overall cost to restore natural gas service was $445,185. The combined total for both was $749,604. This total includes Capital expenditures, Labor and Transportation costs. These expenses were paid by the company without raising electric rates. MidAmerican's last electric rate increase was in 1995 and MidAmerican has committed to maintaining its electric rates through 2014. Not included are the volunteer contributions of local employees to help their fellow Iowa City neighbors. Also not included above are the efforts of many MidAmerican employees to sandbag around electric sub-stations outside the city limits but critical to providing electric se_r_v_ice to the city. The following information relates to the restoration of electric and natural gas service and the rebuilding of the Iowa City local distribution systems following the April 2006 Good Friday tornado. The cost was approximately $850,000. Sixty poles and thirty transformers were replaced. The number of trees that needed to be trimmed and branches removed were too numerous to count. Personnel from seven MidAmerican service centers including Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Quad Cities and Waterloo were sent to Iowa City. In total, 215 personnel contributed to the restoration and rebuilding effort. The vast majority of the 6,500 customers who lost power had service restored in approximately 12 hours. Rebuilding of the tornado-damaged electric 3/27/2009 Page 13 of 13 Iowa City Community Report distribution .system was completed early on Easter Sunday morning, less than 72 hours from the onset of the storm. The cost of responding, restoring and rebuilding in Iowa City had no impact on MidAmerican's commitment to not increase electric rates through at least 2014. ..~, y ~ ~ rn~ TY ` ~ • ~~ +,^' _ ._._ ____ __ _._ _._ V. ` ~ IOWA CITY HosPlc~ add;.,~ l:/a eo d~~. October 29, 2008 Kathryn M Kunert Mid American Energy Dear Kathryn, On behalf of Iowa City Hospice, thank you for your generosity in giving Iowa City Hospice our new Ford Taurus. This gift allows Iowa City Hospice to deliver medications, equipment and supplies to patients and families in their home. This is a tremendous service we can provide. Having someone deliver a much needed medication to your door is one way we can relieve the care giving tasks and allow the patient and family to spend their time together - not running errands! Mid America Energy's generosity has allowed Iowa City Hospice to provide this service to our patients and families since 2003. In that year, Mid American Energy gave us a Dodge Caravan. Over the past five years, the Caravan has been all over eastern Iowa allowing patients and families to spend precious time together. Thank you for allowing this valuable service to continue. Your generosity touches many lives. Sincerely, Maggi Iliott Executive Director ;.. -~'a ... ,~, ~~ i - ~.i , ..r, ~ ~~ r~, o ,,;a ~:. ~ %. ~° ?~ ~n v, 1025 Wade Street, Iowa City_ Iowa 52240-6626 3I 9.351.5665 1.800.897.3052 319.351.5729 fax www.iowacityhospice.org MidAmerican Energy Donation Helps Iowa City Hospice Patients Stay in Their Homes MidAmerican Energy Employees present a Ford Taurus to Maggie Elliott, Iowa City Hospice executive director. jL-rJ: Ed Young, Denny O'Neil, Bill Carey, Elliott (in car) Bill Courtney, Steve Knebel One of the most critical components of Iowa City Hospice's care is that it allows patients to stay in their homes, whether that is a house, a nursing home or an assisted living facility. When a family is caring for a loved one at home, they need medications, medical equipment and supplies. Especially in the rural areas of Iowa City Hospice's seven- county service area, it can be a real hardship for caregivers to have to leave their ill loved one to retrieve supplies. Home delivery removes that burden from patients and families. MidAmerican Energy recently donated a Ford Taurus to Iowa City Hospice to help with these home deliveries. Since 2005, Iowa City Hospice has used a van also donated by MidAmerican Energy. Iowa City Hospice will continue to use the van when necessary for large deliveries, but with the unpredictable cost of fuel, the more efficient Taurus will help Iowa City Hospice conserve resources. _ O ..~~ ~~; ~_. :;; 0.~ .rte "~. {~-~' r~nn (^.. iW B ! 1 ~, !,~ /"\ 4. 4 Iowa City Press-Citizen Nov. 4, 2008 i „•Lt~T~n passaTq aza am ~~q~ saabn3az al~w ~Tnpe OZ ~zana zoI zao?~~o Mau auo AoTdwa o~ paau am ~{u?u~ I '~~?T~~?dsou sno?o~zb zno zoo ob~o?uo 3o rC~?o att~ woz3 ~uawf~d sanazaaz ~~?~ ~n~ol ~~ti~ uoz~dwnss~ aLt~ zapun osT~ w,I •awou ~{o~q sazau~ u~u~ za~~act s~~d wa~sAs az~~TaM zno asn~oaq azaq awoo ~auy •waTctozd att~ ~o ~ooz auk s? us~z~ s,ob~o?uo u? 6u?~{~~ aza aM ~au~ ~o~~ auy •uo?~~Tndod ~uazzno zno o~ uo?~uTaz uT pa~~~~szapun s? aazo~ ao?Tod ~~?a atty •uo?~nTos att~ s~~uy " ao?Tod azoW„ „•T?ouno~ ~~?~ auk ~2IONJI pTnous ~au~ uaq~ sanss? ~u~~zodw?-uou bu?s?~?zo?zd o~ anp auop spaau ~~urn op o~ wain MoTTa o~ sasn~az T?aunoo ~~?o auk ~? pug op any u~u~ azow~u~ s?u~ ax?T ~,uop sdoo auy„ ,, ; aw TTa~ nol, ~a~~s aq o~ ~oadxa aM i enoM ' obi aTtttn~ ~ uaaet sou s?tty • az?s zno ~o I~~?o e zoo ~zous szao?~3o ao?Tod Z~-~iZ azacn any pa~2~s as?Tod 30 ~a?tto auk pz~au I ~s~Z aqy„ „ • zaded s , n~,ozzowo~ ut w?~o?n ~xau you aza nol~ os awort zno~C pug ~TasznoA ~oa~ozd o~ sazns~aw a~~?zdozdd~ auk ax~~ s? op u~o nod bu?q~ ~Tup •~? ssazpp~ you TZ?m TTOUnoo ~~TO s~ ~T o~ asn dab za~~ag • ~a~ bu?thou uaas ~u?u nod '~i~s ~att~ sFI ' bzagao? auk Io d?~ att~ ~snC aza sa?zagctoz ~ saw?zo bnu~ ~uaoaz asauy •s~zn~ z?auk ~o auo s~ uaas z?att~ ~o auo Mou st ~I ' A~~s o~ azaq s? pug azatt s? ~uawaTa aw?zo bntt~ obuo?ua atl,I. ' aTdoad do a~{~M„ ,,;;;wnT~s~ auk nano a~{~~ o~ bu?uu?6act aza sa~~wuz aq~ z~add~ pTnoM ~? 'os zo z~aA ~s~T att~ nano ~I u? azau s~uana ~o buzzes auk pug xo~~~~ u~waozTod g~ att~ uaarn~ag„ „;spua ~zo~s ~~u~ Mou n~,oux TTY arn• •saz?3 bu?~za~s azau~ ono you aza ~au~ p~Tb act ~snC pug 'Lt0 L~Lib?23 'saw?za ~uaTo?n asau~ TTY u? bu?dud?o?~z~d ~o p~a~su? ~{zad auk ~~ sanTaswau~ bu?~oCua act TT?M auolzana do aza sazn~dTnas ~2a7 auk aoup • • " 'auo s?u~ zoo r~~?a att~ aw~Tq you s~aT enoN„ „•sT~u?w?zo ~uaTorn asau~ Hsu?~b~ uo?tau ~~?Ms pug buoz~s sax~~ I~?~ 2rnol ~~tt~ aw?~ s,~I LaTdoad s~? saz?zozza~ ~Tpa~~adaz ap~b?zc{ a?pooh auk aT?uM a~~~oads r~Tdw?s o~ bu?ob ~TT~az l~~T~ ernol sI •aTq~zaTo~u? ~Ta~nTosq~ s? s?uy„ „•sa?~?o zoCaw awos s~ pact s~ bu?wooaq s,~I •aw?zo ~uaTo?n ~o anam bu?s?z s?u~ ssazpp~ o~ bu?tt~r~ue bu?op ~,us? T?onoa I~~?o ~ua~adwoau? zno ~~tt~ aw~us ~ s,~I„ O~ZZS KI '~~T~ 2MOI 8ZT#'zQ ~uoz~za~~M 8ZOZ zaxz~g ao~or nod, ~{u~tty • uenop zatt~z~~ pup T~z?ds ~~?o Tn~zapuon~ zno bu?~~aT u~u~ zau~~z n~ou sanss? asau~ uo ~a~ as~aTd •pa~~Taz p?~[ abaTToo zabuoT ou aza saw?zo asau~ un~o~ abaTToo ~ aza acn enoux I aT?uen •za~~oTq ao?Tod pug zad~d att~ u? aau~znooo I~p~zana ~sowTu u~ awoaact sett azn~~u s?u~ ~o aw?za aw?~ ~o ~unow~ ~zous ~ u?u~?M •ao~Td a~~s 'pnozd ~ ~~?unwwoo zno bu?~{uw uo buT~o~ zap?suoo o~ nod azoTdw? aw ~aT as~aTd '~abpnq ~xau att~ pue ~auow snTnw?~s auk u~Tm op o~ sbu?u~ ~o ~s?T zno~ uo an~tt norC sbu?u~ att~ ~o awos pug sxz~d 'saauds uaazb aT?uM •ws?o?~?zo ~o ad~~ z~?T?w~~ o~ TTp u~ awoaaq sett s?u~ Inc{ aw?~ aq~ ~o Zt~ aTdoad att~ ~o awos uana zo awT~ aua ZZ~ aTdoad auk ZTp as~aTd o~ aTq?sodw? s? ~? ~~tt~ az?Tuaz I ,~ 600Z 'TE uoz~Ld • uaz?~?~-ssazd auk s~aadsns fzagctoz om~ zoo bu?ttaz~as as?Tod„ aTo?~z~ ~uaoaz sow att~ ~o uo?boas ~uawwoo att~ woz~ pa~~~s sa~onb TTY aza wo~~oct auk ~iouno~ :ol Wd 9E~£ 6002 `lE ya~eW '~aPsanl :;uag ~au•ogeui~8506gzef :uaoa~ .IJ~~ U~IJ~w (9)b4 4f 7 Marian Karr From: Bev Blasingame [b.blasingame@mchsi.com] Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 3:44 PM To: Council Subject: Rezoning of Northside District Dear Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, This email is sent in support of rezoning the Northside Neighborhood to Historic District. I own a single family house in the area and believe that the neighborhood, as well as the city, will benefit from this area's designation as an Iowa City Historic District. Such a change encourages respect of property and responsible stewardship. I applaud those people behind the effort to upgrade the neighborhood through rezoning. Beverly Blasingame Homeowner 619 N. Linn Street Iowa City, IA 1 -~<x,,s.. .- PROTEST OF REZONING CITY OF IOWA CITY T0: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA We, the undersigned, being the owners of property included in the proposed zoning change, or the owners of property which is located within two hundred feet of the exterior boundaries of the property for which the zoning change is proposed, do hereby protest the rezoning of the following property: /G This petition is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the intention that such rezoning shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the council, all in accordance with 414.5 of the Code of Iowa. !~~~~~ C, By: ~ ~ By: ~ ~ Owner(s) Of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ss: JOHNSON COUNTY) On this 3~~ day of ~ ~r . ~ , 20 ~ `\, before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in nd for said County and State, personally appeared ~~o~,ss O. ~~ar.~, and. _ to me known to be the identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. ~`. ota y lic in and for the State o owa X13 ja Orig: Subd Folder Cc: CA PCD Council Media File J PROTEST OF REZONING TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA We, the undersi d, being the owners of property included in t e proposed zoning change, or the own s of property which is located within two undred feet of the exterior boundaries of the pro rty for which the zoning change is pr osed, do hereby protest the rezoning of the followin roperty: ~l This petition is signed and acknowled~ rezoning shall not become effective exc of all the members of the council, all in By: Owner(s) of ~~G161. CITY OF IOWA CITY Address STATE OF IOWA ) ss: JOHNSON COUNTY) On this 1 day of _ a Notarv Public in and for to me lrnown to be the foregoing instrument act and deed. ~.~ ~~ ~' ~ re~Yl -rr :;~ , . ~ ~ c the dersig~d, and Public in and for the State of Iowa Orig: Subd Folder Cc: CA ~ J ~ ~ PCD ~~ Council ' Media File 1 ~, rl l , 20~, before i'~e, .,ounty and State, personally appeared \, and T~P~ persons named in and who executed the wledged that they executed the same as Hof us with the intention that such favorable vote of at least three-fourths e with 414.5 of the Code of Iowa. Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Tina Woodsmall [tina.woodsmall@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 11:30 AM To: Council Subject: Proposed Northside District Rezone As a resident of the Northside Neighborhood unable to attend the public meeting on Apri12, 2009, I would like to take a moment to express my opinion concerning this application. My husband and I (strongly) vote NO. We do NOT want our property rezoned to a Historic District. Please keep in mind that we live in one of the oldest properties in the neighborhood at 318 Church Street. However, the home is not architecturally significant and does not warrant the change. This neighborhood is made up of many rental properties and the few home owners who actually live in the neighborhood are mostly made up of low to middle income families. We cannot afford this change. I cannot afford this change. I can barely pay for the general upkeep and repairs to my home as it is. Our country and our community are in the middle of an economic recession. This is not the time to pursue zoning changes in our neighborhood. For the few Northside Neighborhood community members who would like to upgrade the status of their homes-let them apply for changes to their own properties-and leave the rest of us alone. To repeat -- My husband and I (strongly) vote NO to the proposed rezoning of our home. Please stop this process now. Thank you for your consideration, Larry and Tina Woodsmall 318 Church Street Iowa City IA 52245 3/30/2009 (,Page 1 of 2 1 `~ \~ J Marian Karr From: Steve Smith [stephenksmith@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 10:50 AM To: Council Subject: prosed near-northside new historic district Dear Councilmembers, My name is Steve Smith. My wife Becky and I live at 431 N. Van Buren St. We are in the area that is under consideration for being designated an Historic District. If this passes, I fear that property owners of middle to modest means will have a hard time affording renovations that must adhere strictly to some arbitrary guidelines (will there be a board that one must go through to get approval for renovations and additions?). You see, about 6 years ago, we had some major renovations done to our house that we might not be able to do if this were to pass. E.G. the Chimney at roof level was removed during re-roofing. It was not needed for venting with the new furnace, water heater, and central air. So they removed it. Another renovation that probably would not be approved -- we had a garage built. It was done with modern construction techniques and TyVek & vinyl siding to match the house was put on it. The "look" of the garage, I think, fits nicely into the neighborhood ambiance (which is eclectic at best). A couple of years ago, I put up a white vinyl privacy fence. Again, I doubt if that could get approval if this ordinance passes. And, we are discussing putting up a very small deck off the back door. Vinyl, but tastefully done. So, my concerns are: we we loose our ability as property owners to make tasteful, yet modern additions, changes to our houses and land. In our neighborhood, there are not many of the old gingerbread Victorian's. Ours is much more plain jane, and because it is, we can have a mix of middle income and students and a few upscale owners, but not many. I am afraid that unless someone tells me what grand advantage this area being designated Historic would bring, it seems to me that the limiting factors outweigh any..... what? ..... pride in somehow being designated historic. I believe that in this town, there ARE houses that are extremely beautiful and unique. I see no reason why, if the city wanted to preserve them, zone them differently or give the property owner some kind of a tax break IF they keep the structure looking more or less as it was when built. But I promise you, that with a good contractor, if we wanted, we could put up siding that exactly matches the wood siding and the color we have now! Just look at the new garage as proof. You know, people can get preservaton crazy sometimes, wanting "save" or freeze in time things that should NOT be frozen in time. My neighbor across the street is in an old house. But they have made the back of their house an enchanted, tasteful Midsummer Night's dream with moons and suns embedded in stepping stones. There are tiny, tasteful solar lights that help someone walking through the back at night. They added a very small deck on the back. Now, who knows.... maybe a hundred years from NOW, this incredible decoration could survive, and if it does, then IT may be an esthetic that's uniquely "Iowa City"--but it ain't like 1920 or whenever their place was built. And they've added a dormer and they redid the attic to make it livable. Torn out walls. Made a modern kitchen. Again, not original, but very practical and necessary. So, I wanted to let you know that until or unless I hear that the advantages outweigh the 4/6/2009 Page 2 of 2 disadvantages, I will go to the clerk's office and fill out the form and have it notarized. I also think that is a very bad way to do this. Either side in this matter should be made to go down to City Hall, the Clerk's office, and go through this rigamarole. Because by doing nothing, that implies a "yes" to the historic district designation. That's not fair. There should either be a vote of property owners, or extend this notarized procedure to both sides. It's as though you are trying to ram this through... get your way regardless. We live in the 21st century with some wonderful rennovation techniques and materials that were NOT available to our forebearers. Let me use this analogy about preserving something just because it's old. Okay, someone gives birth to Alfred E. Newman. He's homely, nothing special in the looks department, and because he was a young man in the 1930s, the City said, hey... Alfred, you MUST wear 1930's clothes. We want to preserve your asthetic. So, he lives to be a hundred, and his family decides to offer him some new clothes and clean up his act. He wants to, but he can't, because HE has been designated as an historic person, who, by his very age forces him to dress as he did decades ago. And it wasn't a pretty sight, ladies and gentlemen. You know, as I look around my area of town, there are many houses that are ugly, plain and not even, in my opinion, worth freezing-in-time. Actually a deck or a nice porch added on or new siding.... completely changing the look of the place would not be a tragedy at all! It would be an improvement. We must not get so preservation giddy that we "preserve" bad houses, ugly houses, and that some of the building techniques they used back then are outmoded-antiquated. We've learned more in a hundred years. About windows, doors that don't warp every time the weather changes. That internal gutters are a misery, and we had ours removed and some modern guttering put up in the front. So, I must at this time register my disapproval of the Historic Distric designation, and I hope that the council will come up with a more honest way to poll the property owners of my neighborhood. Respectfully submitted, Stephen K. Smith, 431 N. Van Buren St. phone: 354-1895 Windows LiveT"': Keep your life in sync. _C_h.e....ck_it._out._ 4/6/2009 a ar~O J-~fUyl 4f 8 Marian Karr From: Anthony Grego [tonygrego@yahoo.comj Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 12:02 PM To: Michael Lombardo; Council; cindy.jones@iowa.gov Subject: Fw: RE: Re: --- On Wed, 4/1/09, Anthony Grego <tonygrego@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Anthony Grego <tonygrego@yahoo.com> Subject: RE: Re: To: "Jane Ream" <Jann-Ream@iowa-city.org> Cc: "Michael Lombardo" <Michael-Lombardo@iowa-city.org>, "*City Council" <- 43dfb@iowa-city.org> Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 10:46 AM Hi Jann, I want to thank you for your time and consideration. I realize this is a difficult situation for the city. In response to your e-mail, I have never mowed that area south of the driveway. The area east of the sidewalk is all trees and the area west is a strip of grass between the street and sidewalk, and as mentioned, I have never mowed that area (beyond the area I traditionally shovel) in the time I have lived there. Whether the property manager indicated this to me when I sublet the place, I have no recollection. As mentioned, I believe the previous owners of the house to the south felt that it was their property and attended to it. I also subleased the property sometime in November of 2007, so it would not have been an area of concern at the time. I also appreciate your lowering the amount of the bill, although I am frustrated that you decided that amount should be reduced from the administrative portion of the bill. While that administrative fee is ridiculous and simply designed to raise revenue and/or serve as some misguided deterrent (which mostly effects the poor and disadvantaged), it is the other items on the bill that are almost entirely fraudulent. It did not take two city workers an hour and a half to clear that eighteen feet of sidewalk on a forty-one degree day (not to mention the salt). When you support that story, whether you have confronted those workers or not, you are in essence lying yourself. I want you to understand this, as while it may feel as though you are above the law, you are in fact not above the law. In closing, I will pay this portion of the bill to avoid any further pressure from my landlord, but I will not excuse you and Doug Boothroy from further liability. I will discuss with my attorney whether I can hold the two of you financially liable for perpetrating fraud. My excellence as a tenant was never at question, rather your ethics as civil servants (I am remiss to use that word to describe your professionalism), is at question. So while a $119 of my hard earned money, money that would have been spent on my sons eleventh birthday on April 16th, will go to the fraud that you helped perpetrate, the two of you may ultimately pay the price. Sincerely, 4/1/2009 Page 2 of 11 Tony Grego --- On Tue, 3/31/09, Jann Ream <7ann-Ream iowa-ciry.org> wrote: From: Jann Ream <Jann-Ream@iowa-city.org> Subject: RE: Re: To: "Anthony Grego" <tonygrego@yahoo.com> Cc: "Michael Lombardo" <Michael-Lombardo@iowa-city.org>, "*City Council" <- 43dfb@iowa-city.org> Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 1:57 PM Mr. Grego- As we have discussed, it is the obligation of the property owner to remove snow from the public sidewalk. This obligation is both a City code requirement and State law. Many owners of rental properties choose to make their tenants responsible for snow removal through the lease contract but the property owner is ultimately responsible. Also, you received a copy of the City's operating policy for public sidewalk snow removal. This policy is applied in anon-discriminating manner on a complaint basis. This policy was followed for snow removal at 1228 Muscatine Avenue .You also received a detailed explanation of the snow removal bill on 2-25-2009. If your landlord chooses not to pay the bill for snow removal, she will be given notice and opportunity to be heard prior to the property being assessed through the assessment process. This is the property owner's opportunity to contest the snow removal bill. Your landlord has not contacted us to question the bill. I have discussed your concerns with my supervisor, Doug Boothroy , Director of Housing and Inspection Services. You have explained that you did not understand that your rented property extended southeasterly from your driveway and, therefore, did not clear that portion of the sidewalk. We agree that the configuration of the 1228 Muscatine property is unique and confusing. While the property manager indicated to us that you were told to mow this area, it might not have been obvious that snow removal was also a responsibility. Given this confusion, we have decided to reduce the snow removal bill by the $50.00 administrative fee. The property owner will be re-invoiced for the amount of $119.00. Your responsibility for $119.00 should be discussed with your landlord. Since 2002, the Iowa City code requires all landlords and tenants to sign the City's Information Disclosure and Acknowledgement form as part of the leasing process. This form includes, among other items important to tenants, information concerning snow removal. The purpose of the form is to eliminate confusion about responsibilities in matters such as snow removal. We will contact the landlord about this document. 4/1/2009 Page 3 of 11 The property manager reiterated that you were an excellent tenant and that he had not given any indication that he wished you to move from the property. If you continue to rent 1228 Muscatine Avenue , we hope this discussion will avoid any future problems concerning snow removal. Jann Ream Code Enforcement Assistant From: Anthony Grego [mailto: tonygrego@yahoo.com ] Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 12:34 PM To: Jann Ream Cc: Michael Lombardo ;Council; cindy.jones@iowa.gov Subject: RE: Re: Hi Jann, I just received a call from my property manager pressuring me to move. I would like to know what is being done on this case, as I have I have not heard back from the city since my previous e-mail. I parent two little boys, as I mentioned in a previous e-mail, and I would like to know if it is the city of Iowa City 's intention to see them homeless. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Tony Grego --- On Sun, 3/1/09, Anthony Grego < tonygrego@yahoo.com > wrote: From: Anthony Grego < tonygrego@yahoo.com > Subject: RE: Re: To: "Jann Ream " <Jann-Ream@iowa-city.org> Cc: "Michael Lombardo " <Michael-Lombardo@iowa-city.org>, council@iowa- city.org, cindy.jones@iowa.gov Date: Sunday, March 1, 2009, 7:09 PM Hi Jam1, 4/1/2009 Page 4 of 11 Let me thank you again for your e-mail. I received the information you sent in the mail to my house and there was a nice hand written note on the tag that said, "I keep getting calls that your sidewalks are icy, but you've done a great job." I assume that note came from you and if so, I appreciate your sympathy. I took my nephew outside today and the two of us measured the distance from where I usually shovel to south of my driveway up to the pink property marker. The total distance was eighteen feet, so not even two free-throws distance. Anyway, Marty (my nephew) was utterly aghast by the ongoing saga. Anyway, I am curious why the letter that was sent to my house was not a copy of the original, but one with a February 25th date. I understand you wanting me to just read the content, but do you not have an original copy and if not, how do you know a letter was sent? Also, given how cheap it is to take a photo these days, I was wondering if you take a photo before ordering snow removal. I suspect not, but you may want to start that practice in the future. Here are my thoughts again on this issue. For starters, I think this was a neighbor that doesn't like me or a woman that was previously harassing me filing these complaints. In fact, I've had difficulties with my neighbors since I moved in there. If all these complaints came from the same phone number or IP address, then that would be easy to determine. I have been the victim of this type of discrimination before, so I would ask you to please check on this matter. Jann, I think you and City Manager Lombardo are making a mistake on this issue. If you e-mailed me and said, "That amount of money sounds a bit high given the facts," I would have paid the city for the eighteen feet, but I cannot, in good conscience, pay you for the entire amount. As Gandhi once said, "If I am but a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." On a forty-one degree day, I just do not believe that two grown men worked on my eighteen feet of sidewalk for an hour and a hal£..using up a bag of salt in the process. What you may not realize is that my refusing to pay and this being assessed to Nathalie maybe cause for my family to lose our housing. I want to make the consequences of your actions very clear. There is a sociological term called "diffused responsibility" in where everyone simply feels it is the other persons job and so nothing is done to correct the wrong, so at best, I have used this excuse to rationalize the city's inaction on my case. 4/1/2009 Page 5 of 11 In closing, I worked for many years in politics (running Al Gore's campaign in CO and consulting on behalf of Obama), and I worked in that field to help those in need. I guess this is a case in which I will have to reach out for help. I am CCing this e-mail to both the Iowa City Council and Cindy Jones over at the governor's office. I want to make sure that if I am discriminated against that I receive due process. Again, thank you for your thoughts and consideration concerning this matter. Sincerely, Anthony P. Grego --- On Fri, 2/27/09, Jann Ream <7ann-Ream@iowa-city.org> wrote: From: Jann Ream <Jann-Ream@iowa-city.org> Subject: RE: Re: To: tonygrego@yahoo.com Cc: "Michael Lombardo " <Michael-Lombardo@iowa-city.org> Date: Friday, February 27, 2009, 3:59 PM Mr. Grego - I think that I have given you all the information I can concerning this snow complaint. If the bill is not paid, there is a process where it is assessed to the property tax. The property owner is notified as to which City Council meeting the assessment is discussed. That is the time and place where the bill can be appealed. I understand that this is not a small sum of money and may be difficult to pay in one lump sum. The accounting department can set up a payment plan to make payment easier. If you wish to do this, please contact Justin Armatis at 356-5083. Jann Ream Code Enforcement Asst. City of Iowa City From: Anthony Grego [mailto: tonygrego@yahoo.com ] Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 7:31 PM To: Jann Ream Cc: Michael Lombardo Subject: RE: Re: Jann, 4/1/2009 Page 6 of 11 Again, thank you for taking the time to respond. If I read you correctly, you are stating that on a 41 degree day (January 21st) it took two grown men and a $14 bag of salt to clear that last 25 feet of sidewalk...the portion that I was unaware was part of my property (I do not want to get pitted against my landlady...she probably thought the property manager had told me). I find this hard to believe. Again, I would invite you and the city manager to come by my house (1228 Muscatine Ave. ,just down from City Hall) and I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me what you are stating is true. Jann, if I have to teach my sons to be honest, I have to expect the same from the grown ups in which I come in contact. What do you want me to tell my children? I really don't know what to say at this point, other than I obviously want to appeal this and if we have to go to court, then so be it. I realize it is hard when one gets confronted to say, "you know, this was probably not entirely accurate," but I would ask you to be honest. Sincerely, Tony Grego --- On Wed, 2/25/09, Jann Ream <Tann-Ream iowa-city.org> wrote: From: Jann Ream <Jann-Ream@iowa-city.org> Subject: RE: Re: To: tonygrego@yahoo.com Cc: "Michael Lombardo " <Michael-Lombardo@iowa-city.org> Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 12:45 PM Mr Grego - As I explained, the second time an inspector was at your house was to do a re- inspection for the initial violation. Believe me, this department does not have the time or the inclination to arbitrarily or randomly inspect properties for snow violations. Every inspection is initiated by a citizen complaint -there is nothing subjective about this process. As a matter of fairness, if we are called to a certain property to investigate a snow violation, we will tag any other properties on that same block (same frontage from intersecting street to intersecting street) that are also in violation. If in the course of a snow season we are called back to property by a complaint and that property has been tagged earlier in the season, it is considered a second offence. The contractor is notified to clear the walk and no further notification is given. Please keep in mind that in addition to the tag left at the property, a notice is also sent to the owner of the property with the same information including that no further notification will be sent. I am mailing you a copy of City's snow removal policy which is adopted by resolution of City Council. The inspector who re-inspected your walk was very specific about the entire width of the walk not being shoveled and also about the south 25ft not being cleared at all. Although you 4/1/2009 Page 7 of 11 may think the bill was very high, I would ask you to consider this: Since you (and presumably your landlord) were not aware that the south 25ft of sidewalk was yours to clear, then it is likely that it was not cleared since the beginning of the season. Some of the first snow events of the season were actually ice events. If that section was covered with ice and then several inches of snow all of which were packed down hard from pedestrians using the walk for 8 weeks, there would have been several difficult layers of snow/ice to remove from the walk. This would have taken a lot of ice melt (the $14.00 bag of melt used by the contractor is a 401b bag- the less expensive bags of ice melt are also less in quantity) and considerable effort and time on the part of the workers. You may live on a small lot but is does have 80ft of sidewalk. Given the logical presumption that at least 25ft of the walk had not been cleared all season, the time and ice melt charge from the contractor does not seem unreasonable. From: Anthony Grego [mailto: tonygrego@yahoo.com ] Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 12:48 PM To: Jann Ream ; Joe.Winters@kcrg.com Cc: Michael Lombardo Subject: RE: Re: Joe, Ms. Ream, I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to address my concern. Yes, I was completely shocked to come home last night after a typical twelve hour shift at MECCA Services to find my property manager had placed your invoice in my mailbox. Since I am at work presently, and given the fact the residential unit is filled to capacity, I hope you will exuse the use of bullets to save time. The following are my responses: . I was not aware that you could just continue to stop by or target houses that had previously been tagged. This must prove extremely unfortunate for elder citizens and at times must be an entirely subjective process. I am not sure if any department at the city should have the right to just subjectively fine the city's residents. Do you at least have some guidelines that you can submit to me? Since receiving the aforementioned tag, I have been hypervigilant about removing my snow within a 24hour period, not because I was aware that you could fine me without a tag, but rather because I did not want to take the chance of the sidewalks icing up again. Also, I have never just shoveled a single lane down my sidewalk...never. 4/1/2009 Page 8 of 11 I was not aware that the property line extended south of my garage, but I will not hold either Trent or Natalie responsible for that fact. That house recently (last year) changed hands and I believe the previous owners felt that was their property. . I am not entirtely sure of your snow records and I am sending a copy of this to Joe Winters to assess. I supect you are being accurate, but again and I will get this in my fianl point, there is some fudging taking place. Lastly, I most certianly want to address this issue with you. "A work order was sent to our contractor and on 1/21, they cleared the sidewalk. Their records show that there were two people there for 1.5 hours and they used 1 bag of ice melt. They charge $35.00 per person per hour and $14.00 per bag of ice melt. The City then charges a $50.00 administrative fee as indicated on the original notice." Jan, I live on the smallest available lot in the city of Iowa City . Alone it takes me approximately fifteen minutes to clear my sidewalk and driveway. Since I know there was no ice accumulation (see reason above), I know this is entirely falsified. I gladly invite you and City Manager Lombardo over to my house (1228 Muscatine) to assess my property. If you honestly feel it would take two men an hour and a half and a fourteen dollar bag of ice melt (I buy mine for under $5 and use about a quarter bag) --- On Wed, 2/25/09, Jann Ream <Iann-Ream iowa-ciry.org> wrote: From: Jann Ream <Jann-Ream@iowa-city.org> Subject: RE: Re: Joe, To: tonygrego@yahoo.com Cc: "Michael Lombardo " <Michael-Lombardo@iowa-city.org> Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 8:48 AM Mr. Grego - I just received your message left on my voice mail concerning the snow invoice your landlord forwarded to you. I was able to determine an explanation of the charges from our 4/1/2009 Page 9 of 11 records. I understand that you are very upset. I would ask that you read through the explanation and then if you have further questions, please contact me (356-5120). This is what our records indicate: on 1/7/09, this office received a complaint about the public sidewalk adjacent to 1228 Muscatine via the citizen complaint email page on the Iowa City web site. An inspector, Ryan Olson (356-5136) went out that same day and determined that sidewalk was not cleared and left a tag at the property to notify you. The information stated on the tag is important. First, it explains the ordinance -all snow and ice must be removed from public sidewalks within 24 hours of accumulation and the sidewalk must be cleared down to concrete for the entire width. Second, the responsible party is given another 24 hours to remove the snow and ice. Finally, it is stated very clearly and in bold type that this is the only warning that will be given this snow season. "Subsequent violations at this property will be cleared without further notification to the property owner or tenant." Your message indicated that both you and your landlord cleared the snow after receiving notice. I have no doubt that this is the case. Again, this is what our records indicate: on 1/8 & 1/9 (Thursday & Friday) it started snowing. Because we did not know how much snow would fall, re-inspections on snow complaints did not happen. On Saturday, 1/10, about 3-4" of snow fell. Normally we would have done re-inspections on Monday, 1/12, but it started snowing again and by the morning of Wednesday, 1/14, another 7 inches had fallen. This was also the week it turned bitter cold. A decision was made not to send out inspectors into that weather and we certainly did not expect citizens to expose themselves to such dangerous conditions either. On Monday and Tuesday, 1/19 &1/20, of the following week it started to warm up and by Wednesday, 1/21, it was in the 30's. Inspectors did re-inspections on that Wednesday. Please keep in mind that between the day your initial notice was left (1/7) and the day the re- inspection was done (1/21) approximately 10 inches of additional snow accumulated. The original notice you received made it clear that this accumulation needed to be removed within 24 hours of accumulation. When the inspector went back out to your property he noted two things. First, that the walk in front of house had only been partially cleared -it was not cleared the full width -and second, that the walk south of your driveway was not cleared at all. After checking Johnson County 's GIS map site, it was apparent that the configuration of the lot at 1228 Muscatine includes a triangle of land south of the driveway that is adjacent to approximately 25ft of sidewalk. It is possible that you were unaware that this area was part of the property and you may have some ground to negotiate the invoice with your landlord if she had not made that clear to you. A work order was sent to our contractor and on 1/21, they cleared the sidewalk. Their records show that there were two people there for 1.5 hours and they used 1 bag of ice melt. They charge $35.00 per person per hour and $14.00 per bag of ice melt. The City then charges a $50.00 administrative fee as indicated on the original notice. Hopefully this clears up the confusion you indicated in your message about the difference in time between when you cleared the sidewalk and when you were charged for clearing. If you have further questions, please contact me. Jann Ream Code Enforcement Assistant City of Iowa city From: Jann Ream Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 8:34 AM 4/1/2009 Page 10 of 11 To: 'tonygrego@yahoo.com ' Cc: Michael Lombardo Subject: RE: Re: Joe, Mr. Grego - If you would like to call me directly at 356-5120, I would be happy to explain the snow removal enforcement process. I need to know what address you are referring to in order to get you all of the pertinent information. Please keep in mind that depending on when a complaint was registered, the snowfall generating the complaint may have happened several days before you received notification. Jann Ream Code Enforcement Assistant City of Iowa City From: Anthony Grego [mailto: tonygrego@yahoo.com ] Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:15 PM To: Michael Lombardo ;Jann Ream Subject: Fw: Re: Joe, --- On Tue, 2/24/09, Joe Winters <Ioe. Winters a~icrg.com> wrote: From: Joe Winters <Joe.Winters@kcrg.com> Subject: Re: Joe, To: tonygrego@yahoo.com Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 9:38 PM Tony, The Iowa City Airport did not report any snow on the NWS Climate data on the 5th or 6th. Let me know if need any more information. Joe Meteorologist Joe Winters 319-398-8422 4/1/2009 Page 11 of 11 KCRG-TV 9 / Loca19.2 KCRG.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Anthony Grego < tonygrego@yahoo,com > To: Joe Winters Sent: Tue Feb 24 22:33:48 2009 Subject: Joe, The city of Iowa city is trying to scam me on a fake snow removal fine. Do you know if it snowed on February 5th or 6th`? Thanks, Tony Grego 4/1/2009 4f 9 Marian Karr From: Tom Richerson [richerson777@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 6:30 PM To: Council Subject: suggestions for cost savings Being a political science major, I watched the City Council's first budget/priority setting meeting with interest. I recall mention being made by the Mayor (or perhaps it was the City Manager) that employees had been given the opportunity to submit suggestions to save money. At the University of Iowa, the employee suggestions have been compiled on the website for general viewing, and perhaps they allow non-employees to suggest ideas as well. I have looked at the web pages and very thoughtful submissions have been made. Has Iowa City considered compiling the suggestions and putting them on its website? I am not referring to any confidential ones with employees' names certainly, but I think non-sensitive, general suggestions could easily be posted to the website as the University has done with theirs. This could spur some general comments and discussion among citizens -perhaps they might have ideas as well. I think it would be best if all worked together to save money for Iowa City government. Anyway, I appreciate your time in considering this request. I seem to remember some reference to most of them being "good housekeeping" type ideas, but even those small ideas combined together can help save money. Thanks for your time and consideration. T. Richerson 4/2/2009 4f 10 Marian Karr From: Mike Moran Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 7:42 PM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: skatepark From: Evan Streeby [mailto:kidsstreeby@msn.com] Sent: Wednesday, April O1, 2009 5:01 PM To: *ICRec Subject: skatepark Dear city council I would like to request the building of a new skateppark facillity on the east side of town. It would give kids something to do after school instead of being bored or getting into trouble. It would also be easier to get to then the one down by the river. It is sometimes hard to get down their especially if you don't have a ride. Please take this into consideration. sincerely, Evan Streeby Windows LiveT'": Keep your life in sync. Check it out. 4/2/2009 4/2/2009