HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-08-17 Transcription Page 1
l.a. COVID Update—Johnson County Public Health
Teague: Welcome!
Jarvis: Good evening to Iowa City Council. Uh, Sam Jarvis, Johnson County Public
Health and as always, thank you for having us. Uh, we'll provide a...a quick
update, then open up for any questions that the Council, uh, might have. Urn, so
we are, uh, in a very similar boat, uh, compared to the last time where we updated
was, uh, vaccinations. So really, uh, vaccinations across the board have really
stalled. We're still hovering around, urn, roughly 60%. You know, if you're
watching the State's dashboard, it'll say 59.3% of our total population, uh, and to
put that into perspective, again, you know, we've got to see roughly about 1,500
vaccinations to move up 1%point on the dashboard. So we've got to see a lot of
vaccinations in arms to continue making progress that's really, you know, we
begin to see measurable...and right now we're not seeing that. Our state is not
seeing that, the nation is not seeing that, um, right now. Uh, we've largely, um,
vaccinated those who really wanted it, you know, early(mumbled) so right now
many of us are , uh, across public health and healthcare are just...being as creative
as possible in our promotion and getting information and education out there, and
really trying to combat as much misinformation as possible and really reaching
those who (mumbled) barriers to vaccinations. So that's really been our primary
focus, uh, the past couple months now, since May, and we'll continue to do so
throughout the fall. Uh, we know that we're getting more concerns, uh, in terms
of vaccinations with, uh, due to the Delta variant that's predominating in the news
still and things like that. So we'll continue to move our efforts towards that front.
Uh, in terms of cases, many are aware that per the CDC's data tracker, we've
moved into high risk transmission at this point, which the CDC notes as...that's
over 100 new cases per 100,000 the past seven days, and so we've moved into
that, uh, which I believe the majority of the state is also in high risk transmission,
and uh, per the CDC roughly about 84% of counties in the U.S. are actually in
that status as well too so we are seeing that upward trend, uh, as many of our
other, um, county partners across the state and the nation are seeing as well. Uh,
but to put that into perspective of where we were at last year, uh, and framing it
within the past month, about two...a week to two weeks ago, we started seeing an
upward trend of about 10 to 15 cases a day. So we went back into double digits.
I know that we mentioned that previously. Now we're seeing about 25 to 30 a
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day. So, uh, we are steadily increasing. It's not been an exponential increase,
where we start to see 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 to 100 within a week or so, like we've
done in the past with surges, but we are in a...a steady incline. So, um, we have
concerns. We know that predominantly, urn, they're unvaccinated persons. Their
households are unvaccinated. Uh, and so, uh, to put it into perspective,
anecdotally in one point in time when we had COVID cases in households, if
persons were able to successfully isolate from that family member or the
household member, there was a...a chance that they would not get infected. You
know, separate bedrooms, good hand hygiene and everything else, um, you know,
good air flow throughout their house, they might have been able to not get ill from
that. Now we are seeing those persons, um, become ill in households. Now
what...is that due to this, you know, Delta variant being more contagious?
Probably to some degree. Is it also to some effect that maybe our vigilance with...
with other mitigation measures isn't as high? That could be it as well, but we are
seeing it. We are seeing it in households, uh, that predominantly are
unvaccinated. To put it in perspective at the state, about one to two weeks ago,
the state was seeing about 400 to 500 cases a day. Uh, now they're looking at
roughly about 700 a day. So they're also, you know (noise on mic) oop, we're
also seeing that trend across the state. Um...two other quick points I do want to
note before we open it up to questions, things that have just recently been
announced by the CDC—one is that vaccinations are still strongly recommended
for pregnant persons. They've got new evidence that, uh, there was not an
increased risk for miscarriage, so we will want to promote that with our partners
as much as possible, uh, to let everyone know, because that was one of the main
concerns when we first launched our vaccine campaign. Those who are
concerned with fertility,uh, those who've had concerns if they were pregnant. So
we want to make sure that we continue to emphasize that. Uh, the other was that,
uh, they're looking at a very specific sub-group of those who are
immunocompromised that would, uh, they're recommended now have a third
dose. Uh, it's a very small sub-set, and to put that into perspective, the CDC notes
that it's roughly 3% of the U.S. population, and on their site they went through
kind of those who fit that criteria, uh, such as actively, um, having cancer
treatment, organ transplant, uh, they're on immunosuppressants, which would
include high-dose steroids, uh...and then untreated HIV infections. So it's a...it's a
smaller sub-set of the population, uh, to...to clarify. Others who may think they're
immunocompromised and are not in those categories, um, it's not recommended
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to have that third dose yet. So...uh, we do want to really emphasize that right now
at this point. Urn, if people have questions, please feel free to call us, uh, call
their provider, call their pharmacist. This information has been recently released
to all of us and so, uh, it will be extremely important that we give this information
out to the public as well so we can address those concerns head-on.`So those are
the two main things that happened, uh, that were released just this past week, so
as always, as the science evidence is updated, uh, we'll do our best to get that out
and we'll continue to follow that(mumbled) as possible. So, having said all that,
happy to answer any questions.
Taylor: I have a two...two-fold question for you, uh, Sam. Uh, in the wake of the
increasing case numbers and the new variants, uh, what specific strategies are you
now going, uh, to utilize to promote harm reduction and risk reduction in...in all
of our county residents, whether they're one-years-old or 101-years-old and also
in light of that second part, how will you work with the University of Iowa on
these strategies, especially with the growing concern over the decision to have a
full stadium for football this year?
Jarvis: Those are great questions, and I appreciate the...the first one with harm reduction.
Really again, we've got to really promote and emphasize that the best protection
that anyone could have for themselves or their loved ones (mumbled) that they
care about, or they're taking care of, is that layered approach. So first and
foremost it will always be promoting vaccination, and then we realize that certain
people are not eligible to be vaccinated, right? Our younger population, those
who still have some medical concerns, and things like that, urn, so we'll continue
to promote that. The other portions will be the things that we've had to practice
before the pandemic or, um, excuse me, before vaccination, and so really, urn,
talking to our event planners, talking to our community partners who are hosting
either large events, uh, our community partners, I'm looking at ways that we can
do things, physically distance, uh, those who can require masks, we're
encouraging them to do so. Um, we're certainly following and promoting the
CDC's recommendations now that if you're in a community of substantial high
transmission, to consider universal masking indoors, uh, which...we're all doing,
which greatly appreciated. Uh, and so that will be, again, our strategy to approach
that to reduce risk as much as possible. Um, we recognize that in certain
circumstances and situations not all of those are possible, but we'll do our best we
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can and we'll promote that. Uh, to your second question, in the past week and a
half we've had several meetings and touchpoints with the University, urn, on
capacity for testing, our protocols for contact tracing, and disease investigations,
uh, which we'll continue to do, and certainly working with our partners, um,
across, you know, all of the touchpoints with the University, whether it's with
their Emergency Management, the fraternity/sorority life, urn, the colleges and
everything. So, uh, I know that we've got several staff assigned to different
meetings, urn, committees even and everything, so we'll continue to coordinate
with them, uh, as best as possible, and we know that that's probably causing a lot
of anxiety right now with the return of...of everything, so...
Taylor: Thank you.
Teague: I had questions about, um, testing for symptomatic, uh, individuals. Urn, I know
that there was a, kind of a...a shift from having lots of available places, but now
it's kind of going up. What can you say to the public about the availability of
testing, as well as contract tracing?
Jarvis: Yeah, absolutely! So with, uh, with testing, uh, I believe we've, uh, we've
reached out to a lot of our local pharmacy partners. I believe a lot of them have
scaled back their testing capacity in-house. They are selling the kits, either rapid
or those that you can take home, perform, and then mail back to a lab, and so
those are still available, but we recognize that some of those tests do have...have a
cost to them, and so probably depending on how your insurance covers those, that
might be prohibitive to some, uh, but across the entire state, our State Hygienic
Lab has stood up their capacity to do mailed kits, and so those who are able to
order those, and we're encouraging them to do so to have those, um, available.
Uh, we are also a pick-up site. There are others, uh, across our community and
others that are pick-up sites, uh, as well. Uh, we know that our hospital partners
are also talking about their testing capacity, to increase that and be able to scale
that, uh, should the...the need, urn, continue on throughout the...well, this current
kind of, uh, time frame that we're looking at with cases, so...um, again, with
testing capacity, I...I think everyone is aware and we're scaling our operations
across the board to be able to meet that. Um, and if there are gaps in that, please
let us know and we can communicate with our partners. Uh, in terms of contact
tracing, um...as of July l51, the State Health Department no longer requires, um,
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county health departments to do those, uh, investigations and contact tracing. Uh,
ourselves, uh, we know the other larger health departments are doing the same,
but in Johnson County we'll continue to do so. So as those tests are...are taken,
uh, those positive results get reported to the State Health Depar tment and then to
us. We'll continue to do our...our disease investigation process. So...
Teague: Thank you.
Weiner: So, um, you mentioned the...the groups of people who cannot yet get vaccinated,
that includes, uh, the K...the...the elementary school kids, who are about to...to go
back to school. Um, do you...I have several sort of child...questions that involve
children. First, you have any idea what percentage of the positives that we're
getting now, what percentage of positive cases are in children, and can you tell us
a little bit about children and COVID, urn, and what happens, you know, if...when
you have children in a family who can't get...get vaccinated and so forth, and
what's likely to happen, urn, when they go back to school without any kind of
mask mandate.
Jarvis: Sure, uh, let me try to recall all the questions and kind of walk through that. Uh,
you know, in terms of...of what those can do with (mumbled) children, uh, and
unable to be, uh, to be vaccinated. Again, similar kind of mindset of before
vaccinations, that layer approach, um, in every setting that's possible. Uh,we all
recognize that some of those, urn, mitigation measures are not possible in schools
and so projecting forward, uh, we're hoping that as the CDC is, you know, made
evident that you can reduce, uh, the six-foot physical distancing to three-foot for
operational purposes. Uh, that, urn, certainly we'll continue to recommend and
strongly encourage everyone, uh, to don a mask, uh, that we'll continue to see
high compliance. I know that it's...it's less than desired to not have, to be able to
require it, but we'll continue to promote that and we hope, you know, we know
our school partners are in quite the bind, uh, with all of this. Uh, projecting what
will happen forward, urn, it...it's unclear, you know, we know that a majority of
our adult population is...is vaccinated. We know the younger, uh, students are not.
Urn, so it's...it is a different scenario than what we were in last year, and I think
there's also recognition that, um, things are not as depopulated as they were
before. So, urn, you know, again, we'll continue to promote and do the best that
we can, uh, with the tools that we have, uh, in those situations. Uh, we will
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continue to do disease investigation, contact tracing with our school partners, and
we'll certainly rely on their assistance and help to...to get those, what we refer to
as (mumbled) relay that snapshot of where the student was at within the facilities,
because we really need, urn, that eyes on and that kind of internal knowledge, the
institutional knowledge of where the student's whereabouts are to do very
accurate contact tracing, so we'll continue to keep up those processes. That's
another portion of that layered approach. Urn, we'll continue to promote, urn,
really the, you know (mumbled) or refer to as the three C's—cover, clean, and
contain. Uh, the contain portion of that is stay home when you're ill. Uh, that'll
be another key component of that, because we know that, um, covering your
cough works only so well, uh, but removing someone who is ill is...is really one
of the better strategies, so...and I think there was another outstanding question that
I'm missing. You can refresh my memory...
Weiner: Urn, well, urn, I...the one that I'd asked, do you have any idea what percentage of
current positives, more or less, are children, and I guess I'd add to that one final
question regarding kids, which is, urn, if...the...if we, and the School District, had
the legal ability to put in place indoor mask mandates, is...is that something that
Public Health at this point would recommend that we do?
Jarvis: Uh, the...to address the last question, if there was capacity to require masks would
we recommend that? Yes, we absolutely would. Uh (mumbled) currently CDC
recommendation to require masks in school settings. Uh, certainly now that we
are in the transmission status that we are, universal masking, regardless of
vaccination status, is recommended. So...uh, in terms of the percentage of
children, uh, we've seen our age...um, our ages and our cases trend younger and
younger. I believe last, uh, the last two to three weeks, our average age is about
30, but the range is still pretty far. We are still seeing those who are in the 50, 60
age range, um, become ill. I would say in terms of percen...I don't have an exact
percentage, but it...you know, I think anecdotally our disease investigators have
noted they've seen an increase in cases in daycares. So again, if a...if someone is
ill, they're in a daycare and, you know, if they're not removed, if they're ill, uh,
maybe it's slight symptoms that are missed, urn, it is spreading in those settings
where those are predominantly unvaccinated, because they can't be,
unfortunately. So...um, we're seeing more...more and more of those. Uh, in
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terms of perc....I apologize, I can't give one off the top of my head. I don't want
to mislead at all, but um, but yes, we are seeing it in younger populations.
Bergus: I just have a few questions for you, Sam. Thank you, as always, for being here.
Um, relating to testing, you mentioned that you are a pick-up site, is that right,
and is that for the Test Iowa saliva kits?
Jarvis: They are. Uh, that...the PCR saliva kits that, urn, State Hygienic Lab provides.
So...
Bergus: Okay, so I just wanted to make sure people understood that this is not the having
to shove a swab up your nose. It is (laughs) much easier, maybe more accessible,
saliva kit that I think you can sign up to, uh...coordinate that through
Testlowa.com. Is that right?
Jarvis: That is, and we...we're directing folks, if they're able to order those, uh, through
the mail or online (mumbled) to do so. One, if you're ill or symptomatic, you
know, again, we stress that you stay home and we're trying to, you know, persons
are interested and they're symptomatic, we're asking for them to stay out in their
car. We're having staff deliver that so they're not physically coming in the
building. Uh, again, we have those test kits as a pick-up site to provide it for
those who really do have some of the worst or most difficult access to care issues,
uh, so for those who can order it, please do so. Uh, we know the State Hygienic
Lab is, uh, experiencing a high demand, as everyone can imagine and...and, urn..
uh, certainly recognize that they're the best source for those, so...
Bergus: Thank you. You mentioned that you're continuing doing investigations and
contact tracing. Does that include what the schools and the school population?
Jarvis: It does.
Bergus: Okay.
Jarvis: So we...we'll continue to do so with the schools, daycares, and the rest of our
community partners, um, as well, so, uh, again, we couldn't do it as well without
their support and help, uh, so we really do, you know, when they're in facilities,
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uh, again, uh, if, um...uh, little Johnny is in class somewhere, having that
information, where...where their class is at and what students were in there, urn,
getting that from the school is best, so...
Bergus: Great, and the vaccines now that are under the emergency use authorization for
people 12 and...well I guess it's 12 and over, and 16 and over, depending on the
vaccine, do you know when, uh, either of those will be approved rather than for
just emergency use?
Jarvis: Uh, not at this time. That is the number one question, when they'll be fully
approved or if that age range is going to expand. I know that many of us, I'm sure
many parents and guardians are really hoping that that would happen in the
summer,before school started, uh, but unfortunately I believe the last kind of time
frame that we received was, urn, roughly September. I know that recently
Modema...I believe Modema and Pfizer announced that they were expanding
their enrollment in their...in their research. I believe many, uh, presumed that
would extend the timeline as well, so, urn...we hope it's soon though.
Bergus: And then here's a really random question, is to put you on the spot. You
mentioned being creative and trying to think of incentives for individuals who are
not yet vaccinated, but who are eligible. Do you have any suggestions for us as a
city government for things we might try...for incentives?
Jarvis: Ooh, that is a good question! You know I think, uh, most recently we've looked
at that, because we've wanted to do things like lotteries. We've asked other
partners of things, incentives, and it sounds like instead of a chance at winning
something, uh, the guarantee of obtaining, you know, the benefit other than
immunity, urn, was, you know, a little bit more successful. Uh, we know that it
sounded like other...other counties that did lotteries, urn, however they kind of put
their methodology together, that some persons that were drawn as winners didn't
even know the lottery was going on. They were likely the folks that said, hey, I'm
getting this because this is good for me and good for others. So, urn, but you
know if...if there are other organizations looking at that and they have the capacity
to do so,um...if there's anything that we can do to support and...and kind of dive
into that a little bit deeper, if...if they're reaching out to their constituents,
stakeholders, clients, patients, or whoever, and just ask, you know, what do you
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think would work, um...you know, let's not keep anything off the table, because
right now we...we've really stalled with vaccinations and we really...you know,
we certainly desire to be 80% plus. So...
Weiner: (mumbled) cases are trending up. We have 30,000 students coming into this
community. Urn, K-12 has not yet started, um...I mean I know you do not have a
crystal ball, but you have science. Given the lack of...of vaccine mandates and
given where we stand in terms of vaccinations, um, is it...is it a reasonable
assumption that the K...and...and the virulence of the Delta variant, is it a
reasonable assumption that...that caseloads are going to continue to go up in this
community right now?
Jarvis: Yes, it is reasonable. Do I...do we believe that it's going to be anything like what
we saw last year? Uh, we hope not, uh, because we know that many folks are
vaccinated. Uh, and again, uh, you know, to put it into a perspective of severity,
we know that younger persons, uh, suffer less severe outcomes, um, but you know
we know that that could also change with the science in the future, so obviously
we want to prevent anyone from getting ill at all, but urn...is it concerning where
we're at in this current kind of state of...of...or,um....um, we'll say the inability to
kind of implement some of those tools, uh, the layered mitigation, it certainly is.
If we were able to require vaccines, uh, I think that'd be wonderful in specific
settings. If we were able to require masks, you know, certainly, you know, we..
we look at what the CDC has published and noted, indoor public spaces, uh, you k
now, are a higher risk. Outdoor pub...outdoor spaces seem safer. And many states
are not requiring masks in outdoor settings. So...um, again, we have the tools.
Uh, we want to be able to implement them fully as much as possible, so...
Teague: One...one(both talking) oh, go right ahead. Uh, one last question, or comment I
guess I have. I know that the, uh, Public Health did a great outreach, urn, within
special populations, such as the black community, when it came down to
vaccines, but when it comes down to rapid testing, you kind of described that the
transmission now is a little different than before, not sure why but if one person in
the house has it then it can, you know, you're seeing that it can be other
individuals in the home. It seems to me that rapid testing is the way to go for, um,
whether it's targeted neighborhoods or targeted communities, whether they have
easy access because...I think it's great to have this mail-in option with the...but...
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instant gratification is something that a lot of people, urn, I think respond to.
There are other cities outside of Iowa that, um, I'm aware of, like (mumbled)
within the hour, you have your results. Is there any opportunity for having more
rapid testing options here within our community?
Jarvis: Uh, you know that's a great question. At this point in time I...I don't have a good
answer, but that's something that we can...we'll certainly continue to explore,
um...uh, specifically, urn, are you thinking or are you imagining it'd be like a
drive-through testing site or kind of maybe, urn, scheduled, uh, sites, uh, that'd be
available throughout neighborhoods?
Teague: I think right now if we know that the...we're going to be in the heart, you already
described, you know, going from 15 cases to 25 to 30 a day, seems to me that
we're going to continue to see these number increase, and so maybe during a
period of time where we have large amounts of numbers, to really try to mitigate
that and change it seems that there...that we would benefit from type of a...some
type of a rapid testing site or option.
Jarvis: (mumbled) um...let us get back to you on that, and we'll certainly reach out to our
partners. I believe that there's...our partners have already announced that they are
looking at expanding their capacity, but absolutely, I understand, so...thank you.
Teague: Thank you.
Weiner: And thank you so much, and as any of these things come forward, if there's
anything that we...you believe that we as...as a city and a council can do to help
with outreach and to help with awareness, please let us know, um, and I guess, I
mean, I would put out one thought to everyone right now, which is...for a lot of
this pandemic...the kids protected the adults by staying home, by not going to
normal schooling until the adults could get vaccinated. My question is what are
we going to do to protect the kids?
Teague: Thank you so much, Sam, for being here today. Really appreciate you.
Jarvis: Absolutely, and thank you and thank you for the opportunity.
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Teague: Great! Thanks!
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7. Community Comment(items not on the agenda) [UNTIL 7 PM]
Teague: And this is an opportunity for anyone from the public to come up and address any
topic that is not on the, uh, formal agenda, and if you wish to, there's a sign-in
book over there. We ask that you sign in and then keep your comments, uh, three
minutes, we...or less. We do have a...a monitor over there to keep your time! And
you can start by giving your comments and then signing after, if you desire.
Thank you! Welcome!
Gravitt: My name is Mary Gravitt. I live at 2714 Wayne Avenue, excuse me (clears
throat) I'm here about two things. First thing I want to talk about is that at Wayne
and Arthur, we need a 'no parking to the corner' sign. If there's one car there,
parked all the way up, almost to the corner, you can look around, but you still
have to come out in the street and see if a car is coming. And if it's two cars
there, you definitely...or a truck, you definitely can't see, unless you come out into
the middle of the street. Now Wayne Avenue is narrow, like Iowa City streets are
narrow; has two-way traffic plus a bus; so that, uh, you know, you really...it really
does not suit that street, but that's what the street is and that's the way most streets
are. So we need a 'no parking to the corner' sign so that people won't park at the
corner, because you can't see the traffic coming. And that's important for women
with their baby coaches and everything, and the second thing I want to bring up
are these bus schedules! These bus schedules are totally...to me they look useless.
It takes an engineer to read them! You need to go back to the old paper schedules.
Cause these are...well, at first were worse than this, when the...and you decided to
change over, but...you need some different schedule size, and finally, my final
point is, I don't like the way...well, it's not (mumbled) up to me, the way the
Towncrest and the Oakcrest are divided. And this becomes really important in the
winter time because a lot of people in Towncrest(coughs) excuse me, work at the
hospital. So they have to get off Towncrest and get on the Oakcrest, and in the
winter that's awful because it seems that it never snows in Iowa City, cause you
don't know how to get it up, cause you bank the...not you! Whoever's in charge
of the streets, bank the snow up to the curb or the incline and most time when you
step on the bus, you step on the bus with snow on your feet and it makes the bus
slippery inside. So that...and it doesn't make sense for the Oakcrest and the
Towncrest to be separated. So I guess pretty much that's all I wanted...the sign,
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paper schedules, and the Oakcrest and the Towncrest to be back as one...one line.
Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address anything that's not on the formal
agenda? Welcome!
Kauble: Hi, urn, I have a question about agenda Item 12, before I dive in. Um, is there
public comment on that, for the TRC preliminary budget?
Teague: Yes.
Kauble: Okay. Urn...and then, uh, I would like to mention...uh, I would like to support the
members of the TRC who are here tonight. The City needs to stop hamstringing
them and allow them to do the work they need to do. Uh, the establishment of the
commission was one of the goals from the protests last summer, and the City is
setting up a situation where people are going to have to go out back in the streets.
Last summer the government declared that it would do whatever it takes to solve
the issues of racial inequality in Iowa City. Mr. Mayor and Councilors, tonight
you have put your feet in your mouths yet again. Uh, there's a problem here, but
it isn't with the TRC. It's with the City government. Mr. Mayor, frankly I...it's...
I just don't understand why you're misconstruing the hurtful and damaging
conduct of Royceann Porter during her time on the commission. Furthermore, I
am just alarmed by your suggestion...by your, urn, suggestion that the TRC may
be dissolved. In regards to paying commissioners, the argument that other
commissions don't get paid isn't good enough to reject their budget. It's
problematic for a city soaked in white supremacy and systemic racism to be
asking a group of, urn, BIPOC folks to perform free labor. These folks have
poured their heart and soul into the work, and other TRCs across the country and
world are compensated. The TRC is completely different from other commissions
in the City and it is the norm for such TRCs to be compensated. One last thing
about the TRC, several times the Council has acknowledged that there's been
hurt, but that's quite a way to describe the hurt that the Council itself has put onto
the TRC. Urn, in regards to the MRAP and the BearCat, I think ICPD having
access to a BearCat's very dangerous. Despite the fact that armored vehicles are
not needed in Johnson County law enforcement, Chief Liston has shown that he is
chomping at the bit to use such vehicles, and my fear is that giving them access to
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one will continue the disproportionate usage of these vehicles in predominantly
BIPOC neighborhoods. He has shown no acknowledgment that such
disprop...disproportionate usage is a problem and no indication that he will
change this trend. Um...uh, such vehicles are not needed in law enforcement and
frankly I'm disgusted that Liston (mumbled) issues of gun violence with the issue
of armored vehicles, especially since armored vehicles would make no difference
in situations, such as the ped mall shooting. Um, also Councilor Mims, I was
entirely disgusted with your comments at the last work session about the MRAP,
that you would rather have children afraid of the MRAP than shot in their homes.
Uh, frankly the MRAP isn't a bullet magnet. Um, if the County gets a BearCat,
there needs to be a system of checks and balances in place to prevent ICPD from
continuing the abuse they have historically undertaken with armored vehicles.
From my perspective, if Dustin Liston gets his hands on a BearCat, the problems
of disproportionate usage are going to be amplified. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. That was a mixture, but any TRC item related to budget, we'll have
that at our....later. (several talking in background) Um, will you state your name
and address please?
Kauble: Oh, um...Dan Kauble, and I live in Manville Heights.
Teague: Great, and did you sign or did you put a sticker over there? Thank you! Yep!
Welcome!
Noah: Hello. Uh, my name is Noah and I'm not going to doc myself be giving you my
address. I don't know why y'all keep asking that, and that is insensitive to people
who do not have an address in their community, as well. Okay, comments, uh,
first off, uh, the fund, the Excluded Workers Fund that y'all know, y'all have the
dets, y'all know what you need to do—do it! Stop wasting time like you have the
last 18 months and fund those people. They don't have time for y'all (both
talking)
Salih: Can you speak up, please, because I can't hear you.
Noah: Sony! I'm saying to fund the Excluded Workers Fund, like they've been...you all
know what they're asking for the funding for, and do that. Stop waiting, dragging
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your heels, having your townhall meetings. You had enough input. You know
what to do. These people can't wait any longer. Do it! Secondly (mumbled)
militarized vehicles as some of you, including you Mayor, last year admitted that
there is no place for militarized vehicles in our streets, to be used by law
enforcement. So ban it, stop ICPD. Even if the County does get a BearCat,
MRAP, tank, whatever you want to call it, don't let the ICPD use it. Stop that
since you can do that. Thank you. Urn, a couple other things, uh (mumbled)
anyways, um, stop harassing the houseless community. Uh, I...sometimes work
out helping delivering meals and stuff, and I have several times now been in
situations where the police have been harassing and, uh, destroying their property,
knocking their stuff over, I mean yes, some of them were drinking in public,
but...what harm does that do to others in the community? To harass and threaten
people with fines and jail for...drinking when they're in circumstances. If I was
houseless, I mean I would probably resort to that too, so I mean to...stop! It
doesn't help anybody to have the police harassing them. Actually help people,
give housing, provide support for people, instead of harassing them with your
cops. And, um...lastly, uh, I don't see him here today, thankfully, but you could
keep it that way and fire Geoff and abolish his position, and...like manage the city
yourselves, and also on the paying thing. Your argument that (mumbled) you
haven't paid last commissions as the reason you can't pay the TRC...then pay
other committees, like that's a great idea! We should have more community
involvement if people were actually able to...have some money to do that, so you
could get more people doing it, instead of the people who...yeah.
Teague: Thank you! Would anyone else like to address any topic not on the formal
agenda? Seeing no one, we are moving on to Item #8, Planning and Zoning
Matters.
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8. Planning and Zoning Matters
8.a.Vacation and Conveyance of alley right-of-way—Ordinance vacating
approximately 6,098 square feet of public right-of-way running north from
Lafayette Street east of S. Dubuque Street and authorizing conveyance to
Gilbane Development Company. (VAC20-0003)
1. Public Hearing
Teague: And Councilor Bergus is recusing herself from this item, and I'm going to open
the public hearing. (bangs gavel) And we're going to start with comments from
the staff and then hear from the applicant, followed by Council questions. At that
time I'll open the item for public discussion and ask that you limit your comments
to three minutes. Welcome!
Sitzman: Good evening, Mayor, Danielle Sitzman, Neighborhood and Development
Services. As you stated, this is a request for a vacation and conveyance of an
alley, shown here in the white dotted line. It's a approximately 20-foot wide alley
that separates properties located at 700 and 730 S. Dubuque Street, from the
apartment building at 220 Lafayette Street. The applicant, Gilbane, is, uh,
acquiring all of these lots and intends to redevelop them as one development,
spanning the alleyway. Um, the purpose is to allow for, as I said, the
redevelopment of a single building, six-story building, multi-family, uh...uh,
apartments. Um, this may sound familiar, uh, because it has been doing through
the land development process, uh, this year, including a rezoning to Riverfront
Crossings District. Um, and the staff is...recently completed the design review,
uh, that's required for that. As far as the vacation and conveyance goes, there's
several criteria that are examined as a part of that, primarily to ensure that
whatever the City's giving up in its rights to holding a right-of-way for this alley
are, uh, no longer needed and would not adversely impact any surrounding
properties. So in that vein staff did evaluate what was in the alley, what the alley
was used for, and we've crafted an agreement and a timing inherent to the
conveyance to preserve those rights, uh, as needed by the public, until such time
as the redevelopment actually happens. So whatever utilities and access that are
currently occurring in that alley will be preserved through this process, up until
the point that the, uh, conveyance and vacation are executed. As I mentioned, this
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project, the Gilbane project, has been going through the redevelopment process
and the land development process, urn, as recently as February of 2021. They
have also secured a special exception related to parking from the Board of Zoning
Adjustment, which brings us to the green section here, the vacation. Um, they've
also been working simultaneously on their design review with stag, which are
those last two steps. We anticipate a building permit to be filed shortly for the
first phase of construction. So they are making good progress. Um, so based on
the review of the relevant criteria, staff recommended vacation of this alley,
contingent upon retention of access easements, private utility easements, and
sanitary sewer easements, for so long as the adjacent property is occupied, up
until redevelopment. Um, while the alley currently serves as an important
corridor (mumbled) circulation and utilities for the existing development, it would
not be needed for the future redevelopment. At their July 1, 2021, meeting, the
Planning and Zoning Commission concurred with staff's recommendation and
voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the vacation with staff's conditions. That
concludes my remarks. I'm happy to answer questions.
Teague: Hearing none! Thank you.
Sitzman: I will say the applicant is here, but I'm not sure that they have remarks prepared.
Teague: Okay. If no remarks...oh, okay! Welcome! And please state your name.
Welch: Hello, Mike Welch with Axiom Consultants. Urn, and I think Danielle kind of
covered all the pertinent points, but if there were any questions (mumbled) I'd be
happy to answer those.
Teague: None! Thank you.
Welch: You're welcome!
Teague: Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? If so, please, uh, come
to the mic at this time. Seeing no one...I'm going to close the public hearing.
(bangs gavel) Could I get a motion for first consideration please?
2. Consider an Ordinance (First Consideration)
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Mims: So moved, Mims.
Weiner: Second, Weiner.
Teague: Council discussion? Roll call please. Motion passes 6-0 (talking in background)
one abstaining, Laura Bergus. And we will bring her back.
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8.b. Rezoning— 1103 & 1125 N. Dodge Street—Ordinance conditionally
rezoning approximately 7.546 acres of land located at 1103 and 1125 N.
Dodge Street from Community Commercial with a Planned Development
Overlay (OPD/CC-2) to Community Commercial with a Planned
Development Overlay (OPD/CC-2) zone. (REZ21-0004) (Second
Consideration)
Teague: And the applicant has requested expedited action.
Mims: I move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for
passage at two Council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally
passed be suspended, that the second consideration and vote be waived, and that
the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time.
Taylor: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Taylor. Would anyone from the public like to
address this topic? If so, please approach the podium at this time. Seeing no one,
Council discussion? Roll call please. Motion passes 7-0. Could I get a motion to
pass and adopt?
Mims: So moved, Mims.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih. Roll call please.
Thomas: (both talking) discussion?
Teague: Oh, sorry! Discussion? (laughter) We can do discussion! Yes!
Thomas: Okay, I did have, um...a couple of questions. (clears throat) One being, uh,
Danielle, I was looking at the staff report and it talked about that it did note in its
review of the OPD plan that there were a few areas outside of the subject property
where foot-candles from the development exceeds the allowable limit of 0.5. The
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applicant stated that this is an existing non-complying condition. Does that mean
it's not being addressed as a part of this project?
Sitzman: Had a little trouble hearing the question, Council Member Thomas. Are you
asking about lighting levels off site?
Thomas: Yeah, there was, um, reference to the, uh...there are a few areas outside the subject
property where the foot-candles from the development exceeds the allowable limit
of 0.5 foot-candles. And that the applicant stated that this is an existing non-
compliant condition.
Sitzman: So if that...if that is to be reviewed, it would be reviewed at the site plan stage,
and we would apply the non-conforming, uh, regulations to that. It's possible
they would not need to re...to, um...alter the lighting levels at this point. They
have some leeway in continuing in a legal, non-conforming situation if that's what
it is.
Thomas: I see.
Sitzman: But it would be addressed at site plan review. We'd check those light levels again
and review whether we have the authority to require them to alter their lighting
beyond the scope of this project. Again, this is the project that's allowing for the,
uh, permanent drive-through grocery pickup.
Thomas: Right. Do you recall where these locations are where the light levels (both
talking)
Sitzman: I...I do not. I mean they're obviously on the periphery of the project, but I don't
recall exactly which, um, side of the site.
Thomas: Okay. The second question I had was, and I went up to the site today and, you
know, there are references in the...in the staff report to the original CZA,uh, and it
noted that, um...you know, the buffer concept, uh, which...in this case was being
applied to the north and the west sides of the property, as I recall, uh, would be,
um...developed to what is referred to as an S-3 standard, and you know, in looking
at the existing conditions out there, I guess it's been maybe five years since...since
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the project was approved, or perhaps a little bit more, uh, portions of the west
side, along Prairie du Chien, urn, appeared to no longer, uh, meet the S-3
screening standard. Is that something that we could address as a part of this
approval?
Sitzman: Yes, uh, the screening standards would be reviewed at site plan as well, so if
there's vegetation that's, uh, no longer thriving or no longer in place, and if it's
required, it would be required to be before this project would proceed as well.
Thomas: Okay. One...one thing I would add to this is, um...when Prairie du Chien was
widened, it pretty much took up the entire right-of-way, so there...there really
aren't any opportunities for street tree planting, uh, unless we were to utilize the
Hy-Vee property on, you know, on the east side of Prairie du Chien there, there's a
fairly large lawn area and, urn...just recently one of the trees on the west side of
the street, uh, was removed. So it's...it's kind of a...it...it calls out to me at least
for some additional tree planting, partly because we can't...we can't locate any
street trees along there and the, uh, only one of the trees of the original planting in
that large lawn area are still thriving. So...perhaps that might be part of the...the
staff's site review, as well, is, um...what could be done there. It might, depending
upon where the...these light levels occur help, um, mitigate, you know, the...the
fact that they're higher than what we would like them to be, in terms of how they
affect adjacent properties. So those...those were my comments.
Teague: All right. Thank you. Any other discussion? Roll call please. Motion passes 7-
0. Could I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Salih: Move.
Mims: Second.
Teague: Moved...moved by Salih, seconded by Mims. All in favor say aye. Any opposed?
Motion passes 7-0.
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9. Sale of 322 Douglass Ct. - Resolution authorizing conveyance of a single-
family home located at 322 Douglass Court.
1. Public Hearing
Teague: I'm going to open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) And we are going to start
with staff, followed by Council questions.
Hightshoe: Hi, Tracy Hightshoe, Neighborhood and Development Services. This is the 70`h
home in the UniverCity program, 322 Douglass. We renovated. We will sell to a
homeowner. Urn, renovations included, um, total gut remodel of the house. We
incorporated energy efficiency in the home, including a 96% efficient furnace,
electric water heater, and then the Energy-Star rated windows and exterior doors.
We will sell the home for 134,000. Um, currently then this would be the last
UniverCity home until we buy a new one. We are focusing, staff is focusing first
on South District program right now, but this is the 70`h home of the program.
Teague: Any questions for...
Salih: Do you find a buyer for this already or you just...
Hightshoe: Yes, we have a buyer. Yep.
Teague: Okay. Thank you! All right, thanks. And would anyone from the public like to
address this topic? If so, please come forth. Seeing no one, I'm going to close the
public hearing. (bangs gavel) Could I get a motion to approve please?
2. Consider a Resolution
Salih: Move.
Taylor: Second.
Teague: Moved by...Salih, seconded by Taylor. Council discussion?
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Weiner: If you have a chance, if anyone has a chance to see the pictures, the before and
after, it...it is nothing short of an almost miraculous transformation, um, and it's...
it certainly shows me the value of this program, that...that you can start with
something that's in such bad shape and end up with an excellent home that can be
sold for, uh, a very reasonable price, given home prices in this community.
Teague: I would agree.
Taylor: Yes, this UniverCity program has always been such an excellent program, uh, 70
homes, that's amazing, and...and I am happy to hear that we're going to focus on
the South District now with those homes, uh, but I was pleased to see the price on
this one. It seemed to be getting a little closer to an affordable level for folks,
cause I think some of our original ones, with the UniverCity program, were a little
on the higher end, uh, for some folks, but still a good starter home for people, and
that's what I see this one as is a very nice starter home, uh, for families or
anybody to...to begin home ownership, and I'm happy to see this.
Salih: Yeah (mumbled) that this is going to be the last one, but I hope if we can really
think about how we can continue this program was amazing and I thinks we need
also...like keep doing the South District, and also like if we can continue doing
this...will be great too.
Teague: Uh huh. I have to say, Tracy and your team, you've done excellent, uh, on this,
and so very proud that this is an option in our community. Um, the South District
program, I think, is something that we're, as the Council, have expressed great
desire to continue. I know that there's also been conversation about what Mayor
Pro Tem just mentioned—spreading affordable options throughout the community
and so, uh, certainly the UniverCity, uh, was an attempt (laughs) to do that on a
lot of levels. This is, in my opinion, an affordable home for someone, and so
happy that we have this option right now! Hearing no more comments, roll call
please. Motion passes 7-0.
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10. Muscatine Avenue Pedestrian Crossing—Resolution approving project
manual and estimate of cost for the construction of the Muscatine Avenue
Pedestrian Crossing Project, establishing amount of bid security to
accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and
fixing time and place for receipt of bids.
1. Public Hearing
Teague: I'm going to open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) And welcome, we're going
to start with staff, followed by Council questions.
VanDyke: Good evening, everyone. I'm Marri VanDyke with the Engineering department.
So this project is located on Muscatine Avenue, south of the Hy-Vee parking lot,
so about a block east of l51 Avenue. With the project we'll be adding a new bus
stop and bus shelter area on both sides of the street. We'll also be adding a mid-
block crossing with a pedestrian island, and then we'll be connecting the Hy-Vee
parking lot to the sidewalk. Um, let's see...so this area has a lot of pedestrian
traffic from people walking to get groceries or riding the bus to get groceries. Uh,
we've also been working with Iowa State University to use conductive concrete,
uh, on this project. Basically that's a type of heated pavement meant to melt snow
in the winter. If you can see the darker gray areas, uh, those are the areas that we
want to use conductive concrete, so both bus shelters, both bus stops, and then the
connecting sidewalk. So a little bit about conductive concrete works. Uh, the
concrete itself is essentially the same as normal concrete. It just has carbon fibers
mixed in with everything else. And then during construction they add...uh,
stainless steel bars. They space them out about two feet apart through the center
of the slab and then they connect the bars to a power source with wires. That way
when the system is turned on, the bars will disperse electricity to the carbon
fibers, and then the electricity is what heats up the pavement. So Iowa State has
constructed test slabs at the...Des Moines Intemational Airport, which is shown
here, and also at the...Iowa DOT Headquarters. So their research has shown that
this is an effective way to melt snow and ice, which can prevent injuries. Urn, it
also is...a way to reduce the time and resources needed to remove snow and it cuts
back on the use of ice melt, which can harm the environment. Uh, with the
Muscatine Avenue bus stops, we think that this would be a good fit for that
location, since there is so much pedestrian traffic there. Uh, the schedule for the
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project would be to open bids September 14`h, award the contract September 2151,
and then construction would be this October to next June, and the estimated
construction cost is $88,000. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions.
Teague: Seeing none! Thank you! Would anyone from the public like to address this
topic? If so, please come to the podium at this time. Welcome, and give your
name and address again please.
Gravitt: My name is Mary Gravitt, 2714 Wayne Avenue,Apt. 6, Iowa City. I said it's
about time that you got to this crossing. I first proposed this in 2015. That is a
dangerous street, 151 Avenue, Muscatine, right turns, left turns, and I mean it...it's
awful, it's a nightmare! And so we do need the bus shelters. There's so many
disabil...disabled people, including myself. We need (mumbled) to wait for the
bus. I...buses don't keep schedules. I know that, I ride the bus all the time. And
another thing, there was supposed to be bus shelters placed around the city. I
complained about that! Even down there by City Hall. There's no place to wait,
and on the Towncrest line, there's no bus shelter(mumbled) outbound on the...
outbound Towncrest until you get down...two...two blocks after my stop at Wayne
and Arthur. Then that's the inbound. There is a bus shelter there. Now this has
been like this for years, but we need bus shelters all over the city. I don't see why
nobody else complains but me, maybe because I notice things. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one, I'm
going to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Could I get a motion to approve
please?
2. Consider a Resolution
Weiner: So moved, Weiner.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Moved by Weiner, seconded by Salih. Council discussion?
Thomas: Well, this is a nice little project (laughs) It has a number of features, uh, one of
which is kind of new, this idea of the, um....uh, this material that will electrically
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conduct, uh, melting effect in the bus shelters. We were talking about snow
removal earlier, urn, this...this will kind of help in a proactive way. We don't need
to be concerned with...with the labor that would be involved with that. And then,
urn, you know, having a refuge where the bus stop is is really an outstanding
combination really. You k now, I can just picture people running to catch the bus
and having that refuge there, I think, is really useful in that context. So, uh, and
then Muscatine is a, you know, arterials always have issues with speeds, so having
a refuge island, I think, will help calm the traffic, at least in that location.
Teague: I think it'll be interesting just to see how this plays out with the melting of snow
(laughter) um, at this location. I think it will definitely be something that we'll be
able to consider in the future, and I would have to agree, urn, with Mary Gravitt's
end comments about the shelter. That is, uh...and even the placement of
everything here is very much needed. Urn, I will make mention that the shelters,
to my understanding, throughout the rest of the community, some of those were
put on hold until after the study was done and the new bus routes were put in
place, so I believe that we'll be seeing more bus shelters, uh, throughout the
community, which will be very needed, urn, at...especially at some of these
locations where there are more, um, known, uh, persons with physical disabilities
riding the buses, so...all right, any other comments?
Weiner: Yeah, I would just like to commend staff for...for finding this and coming up with
the electrically conductive cement. It's not anything I'd ever heard of. I think it's
a great initiative and if it turns out to...to work, then it's definitely something that
we can look at using elsewhere in the community.
Teague: Like my driveway! (laughter) Anything else? Roll call please. Motion passes 7-
0.
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11. Second Avenue Bridge over South Branch of Ralston Creek—Resolution
approving project manual and estimate of cost for the construction of the
Second Avenue Bridge over South Branch of Ralston Creek Project (BROS-
3715(664)-8J-52), establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid,
directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and fixing time and place for
receipt of bids.
1. Public Hearing
Teague: I'm going to open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Welcome!
Clow: Good evening. Urn, my name's Melissa Clow with the Engineering division. Get
this started...so the Second Avenue bridge replacement project is a reconstruction
of a local two-lane, concrete beam bridge on Second Avenue, adjacent to the
Court Hill trail and north of Muscatine Avenue. Um, the project will also include
improved stream bank stabilization and Ralston Creek reconstruction upstream to,
uh, minimally straighten the, uh, the stream out and help reduce some erosion
that's occurring. We will be connecting water main on each side of the bridge.
We currently have two dead-end hydrants on the north, excuse me, north and
south side of the bridge. So we'll be extending water main through the bridge
deck itself. We will also be extending the sidewalk on the east side of Second
Avenue. There's an existing walk south of F Street. We'll be taking the sidewalk
all the way up Second Avenue to make connection to the Court Hill trail. On the
west side of the bridge we will also have a sidewalk. It will connect to Court Hill
trail and it will also, um, extend a little bit south, in preparation for another future
connection on that side of the street. Here's the bridge location plan, um, the
width of the concrete is 26-feet. That overall pavement width matches the
existing street roadway width that's currently on site. That will include two 10-
foot lanes and a three-foot shoulder, which is required, urn, per the (mumbled)
acceptable standards. So...we're adding the traffic control barrier between the
pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and that three-foot is required from the outside of
that vehicular travel lane. As I previously mentioned, we have two five-foot
sidewalks on the east and west side of the bridge, and all along the roadway in
this location we have a 75-foot existing right-of-way. So that assisted us in, um,
in extending that sidewalk. Uh, we have quite a bit of room on both sides of the
road. Estimated cost of construction is $890,000. Uh, the current schedule is
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holding the public hearing tonight. This will be let through the Iowa DOT on
September 21, 2021. In conjunction with that, urn, and going back up to the cost,
we do have money in the Iowa Bridge Program that will help with the...with the
costs on this. Plan to award the contract on October 5'h and then construction can
begin as early as February, 2022. Urn,just a quick note on some of these photos.
The current condition of the bridge is rated `poor.' Um, I show some aerials. It's
a pretty small, local bridge, but in the southbound lane this year, we did discover a
hole in the deck, so there's currently some steel plating placed over that, and
we're looking forward to getting this reconstructed. During construction, uh, we
can maintain access to all the property owners. It will be a full closure on the
roadway. We will provide a local pedestrian detour for the Court Hill trail as
much as possible and we'll also have a signed detour for when that trail needs to
be closed. So, with that, are there any questions?
Bergus: Melissa, I was just looking at the diagram and I'm having just a little bit of
trouble seeing,just because of the glare, so I just want to confirm that what's in
our packet, urn, it looks like there's new sidewalk along the east side, that's an
additional maybe like block and a half(both talking)
Clow: Correct!
Bergus: ...that doesn't exist now. Okay.
Clow: Yes!
Bergus: That's great, and it also looks like it's maybe being oriented to preserve some
existing trees.
Clow: Yes, there's a little bump out, urn, kind of mid-block between F and the creek, and
that's because of some existing trees in that location.
Bergus: That's great! Thank you, and this is one of those areas of town that doesn't have
sidewalks everywhere, so really pleased to see that connection.
Clow: Yep! Anything else?
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Teague: Thank you!
Clow: Thank you.
Teague: Is there anyone from the public that would like to address this topic? If so, please
come forth. Seeing no one, I'm going to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel)
Could I get a motion to approve please?
2. Consider a Resolution
Thomas: So moved, Thomas.
Bergus: Second, Bergus.
Teague: Council discussion? Roll call please. Motion passes 7-0.
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12. TRC Preliminary Budget—Resolution approving the preliminary
operational budget for the Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission
that runs from July of 2021 through December of 2021.
Teague: And...I am going to, urn, could I get a motion to approve?
Mims: Are we going to approve or move to defer(several talking)
Teague: Well...do we want to defer(mumbled) get a motion to defer?
Salih: Uh huh, yes.
Teague: Okay. Do we want (both talking)
Mims: I'll move to defer to the next meeting.
(female): Second (several talking)
Teague: Okay.
Taylor: For...for further discussion?
Teague: Do we want to also have public comment, because I (several talking) Okay! All
right! Could I get a motion to defer?
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih, if I heard that correctly. All right ,and then
we'll go ahead with public discussion at this time.
Goers: Before you do, I'm sorry, Mayor. Just to be clear, you're moving to defer to next
meeting at September 9`h, is that...7th, sorry! Is that correct?
(female): Yes!
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Goers: Okay. Thank you.
Teague: Welcome!
Traore: This is public discussion on this item itself, correct?
Teague: Correct, yes!
Traore: Um, Mohamed Traore, Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Just want to say
thank you for deferring it and also thank you for your time earlier today, uh,just
want to say again that, you know, no ill will or anything of that nature, and that I
do think that there is space to move forward, and that there is more that we can do
to support one another. So I hope to see more of that as we continue on. Thank
you.
Teague: Great! Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic from the public?
Seeing no one, Council discussion?
Mims: Yeah, I'm just hoping that with their meeting schedule that hopefully...with the
RFP, hopefully we will have more information in our packet next time so we can
move forward (several talking) That's my goal!
Teague: And I don't know when they meet next.
Traore: (away from mic)Two days,Thursday. (several talking)
Teague: Thursday, yeah, they normally meet the Thursday after our meeting.
Weiner: Also I, um, I asked, urn, Stefanie Bowers about the RFP. She said she would
convey it to Kellie, so if you get it in our packets (mumbled) information packet.
Thomas: Yeah, I...I am encouraged, you know, I think we...at least I think there was
certainly a sense that, uh, having that contract moving forward was an essential
next step. So I'm looking forward to seeing what's in that proposal, but I'm...I'm
really hopeful that having that will begin to answer some of the concerns in terms
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of...how this thing is going to be managed and....and, urn, be able to achieve its...
its, uh, you k now, the goals that have been stated in the resolution,uh, and I think
my hope was it will change the...the tone, the stress that the commission is under,
uh, at the current time.
Salih: And I also like really hoping to see like what the goal of the commissions and
commissioners and also what the goal of the like (unable to understand) like as
you said earlier, Council Thomas, you said that , you know, the commission
supposed to be approving the work and I agree on that, like approving the work;
listening and bringing problems from the public; and to the...project manager or
the staff(mumbled) don't know what you going to call it, but they are the one
who supposed to do the work, so...and the commissioners should bring all the
permission that need to be changed or from the public...listen to the public and
bring that to them so they can do the real work. Yeah, you know, we need to have
that clear, before we move on this, I think (both talking)
Thomas: The roles need to be adjusted, and I'm really expecting that to happen.
Mims: I would anticipate that the members of the commission are still going to have
work to do, not just approve things.
Salih: That's what I mean (several talking)
Mims: At least it will be clear. One, they will have hopefully sufficient staff, if you want
to call it staff, but support to do a lot of those things, people with that expertise,
urn, and so yes, roles will be adjusted and in a way that hopefully is much more,
urn, helpful to them in terms of time commitment and everything as well.
Salih: Yeah, that's really what I meant, yeah.
Teague: I'm very hopeful for the opportunity for a facilitator to come forth. Urn, I would
agree that a lot of the commission work, um, has been probably...whether, urn, in
...in reality or in theory has been overwhelming just because it's so much to think
about and...and kind of, um, put in some type of a context. So having a facilitator,
I think, will help kind of guide, and again I'm not sure if the word is facilitate.
Um, when I do think about (mumbled) Eduardo, I've had opportunity to talk to
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him, um, I'll say face-to-face virtually (laughs) and I do know that he's a very
skilled, um, TRC, um...uh, I'll call him a guru, because he has extensive
experience. The...um, what I would caution our TRC commissioners to do is
really think about a few things. When I hear of 60 pages I think about, um...that
seem like a lot of what possibilities can be. The...this Council has given our
resolution, um, and so when you're thinking about, you know, what can your
facilitator do, I believe that you have to refer to the resolution. If there's,uh,
something that's...even though there is, um, some leeway in that resolution, but if
it's something totally outside of it, I think that needs to, uh, be discussed with
Council. Um, when I do think of someone not being local, at least for me, that is,
uh, something to be discussed I think amongst the TRC commission, um, because
that person...will they have in-person presence at your meetings, will they be
coming to town to do community, uh, things or is that going to then rely...tumed
over to the commission, or to another paid staff person that is local. Local
involvement is important, and so, um, if...you know, while the discussions are
happening, you know,just make sure that the discussion of how do we get local
involvement on various levels, urn...and...and again, I don't discredit. I think
Eduardo is a phenomenal person (laughs)just talking to him, you know, on
several occasions, um, but that's one thing that I would, you know,just caution
the TRC commissioners to do, uh, talk about in their discussions because that
does have budget, um...it can have some, um, some things to do with their budget.
So...yeah! No other comments? Role call please.
Goers: Since this is a motion to defer(both talking)
Teague: Oh, we can just do a vote (both talking) All right! All in favor say aye. Any
opposed? All right, it passes 7-0. It is deferred.
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14. Pedicabs-Lettering Requirements—Ordinance amending Title 5, Entitled
"Business and License Regulations," Chapter 2, Entitled "Taxicabs," to allow
for flexibility in the requirements for pedicab lettering. (Second
Consideration)
Teague: And staff has requested expedited action.
Mims: I move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for
passage at two Council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally
passed be suspended, that the second consideration and vote be waived, and that
the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time.
Taylor: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by...(several respond) Taylor! All right! And would
anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one, Council
discussion?
Taylor: I actually saw one of these pedicabs, uh, last weekend when I was downtown for
the Chalk the Walk and...and I just seen this on our agenda and I thought, Oh,
there it is! There's the pedicab. I felt like I wasn't even in Iowa City, cause it's
just not something we're used to seeing around the Iowa City area, so it was kind
of fun to actually see. It was actually pedaling through the downtown area. It
didn't have any customers in it yet but I...I realized then and could visualize that
this was talking about, so it's kind of exciting to have these here. Probably
depending on the weather we won't see them in the wintertime, but it'll be fun in
the spring, in the summer, the fall. It'll be great!
Teague: Uh huh. I think in other communities you see them in the winter as well.
(laughs)
Taylor: Well, okay!
Teague: Depends on the day (laughs) Any other comments? Roll call please. Motion
passes 7-0. Could I get a motion to pass and adopt?
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Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih. Any discussion from Council? (laughs)
Roll call please. Motion passes 7-0.
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16. Council Appointments
16.a. Housing and Community Development Commission—Housing and
Community Development Commission—One vacancy to fill an unexpired
term, effective upon appointment—June 30,2022.
Teague: Council discussion?
Mims: I would recommend Maryann Dennis. I think Maryann has just incredible
experience with her years at the Housing Fellowship and would make an excellent
commissioner.
Taylor: I was also going to recommend Maryann Dennison. I was, uh, working with the
Invest Health project with her and she was just excellent resource on that and of
course with her background, she's well suited for this, so I would agree. (several
respond)
Teague: Sound like we have majority of Council agreeing. Could I get a motion to appoint
Maryann Dennis?
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih. All in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion
passes 7-0.
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19. Community Comment (IF NECESSARY)
Teague: We are at USG, welcome!
VanHeukolom: Hi, Council. Urn, so Welcome Week is happening this week, urn, as students
come back to campus. So there's going to be a vaccination, urn, campaign,just
pretty much all week, 8 to 4 at the IMU students can walk in and get vaccinated,
urn, for free. Urn, and then...so that's really awesome, and Elle and I will be
tabling during Welcome Week at Jessup Hall for the Office of Sustainability open
house and we're going to be with our community partner, urn, Bob Opplinger
from Bicyclists of Iowa City and we're going to give out, urn, bike information on
like rules of the road, as well as stipends for students to take to local bike shops
and get, urn, helmets and bike locks and things like that. Urn, and then in terms of
the University, the University vaccination policy will remain the same, despite
major pushback from a lot of employees and faculty, urn, so this may lead to
changes to class, urn, in the fall, later on in the future, and then the other week the
University released their Reimagining Campus Safety Committee, um, results,
which underline the importance of providing, um, alternative non...non-law
enforcement responses, urn, options for mental health and other safety services.
So that's on their website as well, or if you guys want me to send that to you, urn,
just shoot me an email and I can send that, but that's all from us. Thank you.
Teague: Great, thank you so much. Great!
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20. City Council Information
Teague: So any updates?
Taylor: Don't have any updates, but I have a public comment. I know Janice usually
comments on this too and probably will again and we did talk about quite a bit
when Sam Jarvis was here, but I just wanted to say that in my lifetime, I...i've
seen the scare of tuberculosis and even polio, uh, I'm that old (laughs) um, but I
never would have dreamt that I would see something such as this pandemic that
we're going through, that just doesn't, uh, seem to want to go away. Uh, it's
caused and it's still causing anguish and havoc and, uh...just disruption of people's
lives. So I...I would just like to make a plea that if...if you haven't already done
so,please get vaccinated, please, please, and thank you to the University for
offering that at the IMU cause that's going to be very helpful, get that age range
vaccinated, so thank you for that. Um, please, please, uh, it was great to see
everybody continue to wear masks here and please continue to do that, uh,
maintaining safe distance from persons other than your close family members,
and...and please stay home if you're feeling ill. That was another thing Mr. Jarvis
mentioned was the...the children going into the daycares, even though they're ill.
Please, please don't do that. Please keep them home if you can and keep yourself
home too if you're ill. That's all!
Weiner: I appreciate that, um...Pauline. Really just...urge people to please mask up
indoors. The Delta variant is virulent. The Delta variant is extremely contagious.
There have been breakthrough infections. Please mask up indoors. Please get
vaccinated, but I do actually have an update. Um, the...the ECCOG, uh, Visioning
Committee had its...had its second meeting this past week, um, for the...for
visioning for the region. They...we discussed and listed a really, urn, really good
number of regional drivers and there will be a, um, a workshop for... for the
region on September 28`h. I'll have more to say on that later, but it's a... they're
working with contractors, working very hard, together with the effort that's
already happening in Johnson County.
Teague: I wanted to,um, once again acknowledge the dedication of McPherson Park. Um,
Councilor Taylor was able to attend, and it was a great event. Um, and well
attended, and I thought that, uh, there was a lot of excitement for the person, uh,
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Mr. McPherson, and it was a great dedication, and thanks to Councilor Taylor for
being the first on our Council to kind of mention, uh, this park. So, yeah, it was a
great time of celebration there. I wanted to also mention that, uh, I was a part of
the University of Iowa Alcohol Harm and Reduction Partnership for Alcohol,
urn...and that, uh, happened on the same day, the 51h of August. Um, there is lots
of partnerships happening between the City of Iowa City and the University of
Iowa, and I think, urn, safety is really at the forefront, how can we be a little
proactive and keep students safe. There's a lot of, urn, things that will be go...now
that COVID (laughs) (mumbled) back on the surge, but there will be more
students, um, some type of messaging that is going to go out, and I think UISG is
a little bit involved, um, in making sure that students really know, urn, how they
can reduce some alcohol, uh, harm and reduction. Next month in September,
PAS, that's the Partnership of Alcohol Safety (mumbled) learned is different
(laughs) than the one that I, um,Alcohol...Harm, uh, Reduction and Partnership,
urn, so PAS is going to be taking place in September, and so, um, that is, uh,
something that I chair, um, along with, um, University, urn, I'm blanking on the
name right now, but that'll be coming up, and I think if there's any concerns from
the Council, um, any thoughts that you have for that meeting, certainly you can
reach out and then we'll be able to move forward with some ideas of sharing and
trying to collaborate, but our, uh, police department, or representatives from the
police department will be present, because they have... are planning to be present
and returning in the downtown, uh, area, and so...I think this upcoming semester,
urn, I...there was more of a, um, a sense of really trying to be a little more
proactive in ensuring people know alternative ways of getting home and what
help is out there. We do have now the GuideLink Center, urn, and so that'll be,
you know, something that may be tested out, I think, on a large scale now that that
is in place. Any other comments? Hearing none! All right!
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21. Report on Items from City Staff
c. City Attorney
Teague: I'll offer one, urn...here to announce an addition to our staff, uh, Jennifer
Schwickeraff is a new Assistant City Attorney who joined us yesterday. She
comes to us, urn, from the...well she was the Chickasaw County Attorney until
last Friday. Uh, we are excited and pleased to have her onboard and on staff. I
should mention that in calling her references, uh, the first one indicated that he
was dreading this call. (laughter) Urn, he really would have loved to see her stay
in that community in New Hampton, but knew that she and her family wanted to
live and work in Iowa City. Uh, the other reference had really tried to hire her
herself and had been unable to do so because she really wanted to live and work
in Iowa City. And I, uh, really embrace that because it was about 16 years ago
next month that my family, you know, I took this position, or in this office,
because we wanted to live in Iowa City, and so it was a nice, uh, testament to the
community in which we live.
Teague: Well welcome to Jennifer and that was our City Attorney, Eric Goers!
Mims: Mayor, if I could, I'm sorry, urn, I just got back from vacation and my sense of
timing is...is off here (laughter) a little bit. Um, I just had to go back and double
check when our last meeting was. I would be totally remiss if I did not mention
the passing of Connie Champion. Um, earlier this month. I had the absolute
pleasure to serve on City Council with Connie for, um, a number of years, I think
six, and Connie was just a real, uh, icon in this community. She was a giving
person, she was a philanthropist, she was a business woman, she was direct, uh,
Connie did not mince words. You knew where Connie stood. Connie had a sense
of humor, uh, she was just a wonderful, wonderful, caring individual, urn, and just
gave to this community in so, so many ways. So,urn, if for some reason people
hadn't heard about it, I just wanted to make sure that people did and just to, uh,
from the City, send our condolences and regards to her family. She will be greatly
missed.
Teague: Thank you for making that acknowledgment.
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