HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-07 Transcription Page 1
2. Proclamations
2.a. Iowa City Welcoming Week
Teague: (reads proclamation) And receiving this is Jason Glass, from the Human Rights
Commission.
Glass: Thank you, Mayor Teague, uh, I'm Jason Glass, the Vice Chair of the Human
Rights Commission. Uh, I'm happy to accept this, uh, proclamation on behalf of
the Human Rights Commission and Iowa City. Uh, I've accepted several
proclamations, uh, from the Human Rights Commission, and they're always an
honor. This one in particular is close to my heart. Uh, I...I had the opportunity
and the privilege to lead a nonprofit several years ago called Professional and
Technical Diversity Network, which was in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, and we
created the Corridor Welcome Receptions, which were later taken on by the...the
respective Chambers in each organization, so and the purpose of those was to
bring all kinds of...of organizations together that represented different parts of the
community in order to welcome people who were new to this community and...
and to welcome a more diverse workforce. Uh, and...so I got to see first hand just
the magic of a simple welcome and a simple getting people together who may not
always...who may not otherwise see each other or speak to each other and how
that increases community and...and builds, uh, a sense of belonging to those who
are new to our community. So, uh, that was a really special privilege, as is
accepting this proclamation, and though we certainly have work to do in Iowa
City, I do believe that we are a very welcoming community and have a lot of
opportunities, uh, like that to bring people together, uh, through our festivals and
Summer of the Arts and so many different things. So I...I hope that all of us take
advantage of the Welcoming Week, uh, activities and if...just a small thing as find
somebody that you may not otherwise met and...and...thank them or welcome
them to Iowa City. So, uh, thanks again for highlighting the importance of
welcoming all peoples to...to our community, and for this proclamation. Thanks!
Teague: (talking away from mic) Thank you so much! (several talking in background)
2.b. International Day of Peace
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Weiner: (reads proclamation)
Teague: Thank you, Councilor Weiner. And receiving this is David Hempel, and
accepting...he'll be accepting this on behalf of Veterans for Peace, Iowa
Physicians for Social Responsibility, City of Iowa City Equity and Human Rights
Office, Johnson County Chapter, and United Nations Association-USA.
Welcome!
Hempel: Thank you, Mayor Teague. Uh, on the 2151 there will be an observance, urn,
across from the bank down the street here, in the ped mall, in the northern part of
the ped mall. We'll have some folding chairs for elderly citizens or people with
disabilities, but mostly we'll just stand for 45 minutes or so and have an
observance, from 4:30 to about 5:15 or 5:30, and uh, everyone is welcome.
There'll be some music, um, and a few little speeches and words pertaining to
peace. Urn, all the organizations that you mentioned...we all believe in justice.
So no justice, no peace. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you, David, and we have this proclamation, which Councilor Weiner will
give to you. Thank you again!
2.c. National Hispanic Heritage Month
Teague: (reads proclamation) And receiving this will be Jessica from the Human Rights
Commission. Welcome!
Andino: Uh, gracias (speaking Spanish) Okay, so now English. So, thank you, Mayor
Teague and the Members of the Council, for allowing me to accept this, uh,
proclamation on behalf of Hispanic Heritage Month, urn, for all Hispanic
Americans and individuals that we have in our community today. Um, as you
know this proclamation is in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which
runs through October 15`h; however, we should also make sure that we take the
time and acknowledge these individuals and families, as they should be valued
every day, and not just in celebration of this month. They are our neighbors, our
colleagues, our classmates, and our friends. (mumbled) make sure that the words
and sentiments in the proclamation (clears throat) ring true in all of our actions
and decisions tonight and in the future. Thank you.
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Teague: Thank you. (applause)
2.d. National Senior Center Month
Taylor: (reads proclamation) And accepting, uh, is Angela McConville, Senior Center
Commission Chair.
McConville: Yes, I'm Senior Center Commission Chair Angela McConville. I actually live in
Oxford, so I'm the County Representative. Um, I also coordinate senior
programming at the City of North Liberty. So since 1981, for 40 years, the
Center, this incredible historic building, has been offering classes and services for
Johnson County community members, aged 50 and older, 50 and better! That's a
lot of us in this room. I'm nearing 50, so we'll welcome you into the Center when
you're 50! Um, please join me in thanking the amazing Senior Center team of
Latasha, Michelle, Kristen, Emily, and Jessie for their work over the last 18
months in particular to keep seniors engaged from afar and to safely bring seniors
back into this building when it was safe. This was no easy feat (laughs) and
required a lot of cyber help to get seniors comfortable, or at least somewhat
comfortable with virtual meetings and gatherings. The Center assisted with
several large and small scale COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Iowa City. Solon and
North Liberty (laughs) with me during the beginning of the vaccine roll-out to
seniors. This meant we all took on long days of phone calls to people who had
access barriers, including language, transportation, and technology barriers. The
Center's vision is a lofty goal, but not an impossible one. To end social isolation
for persons 50 plus, and their efforts never took a pause. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you and...Councilor Taylor will give you the proclamation.
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8. Community Comment (items not on the agenda) [UNTIL 7 PM]
Teague: And so individuals will be provided three minutes to speak, and we have a clock
over there. Urn, the community comment period will end at 7:00 PM...unless an
extension is needed to meet a minimum of 30 minutes of total time allotted. So
we have more than 30 minutes. The...I do reserve as Mayor the right to reduce
the three minute period, based on the number of individuals desiring to speak.
Additional comments may be sent to Coun...the City Council via
council@iowacity...I'm going to say that again! Additional comments can be sent
to the City Council, via our email, which is council@iowa-city.org or through the
City Clerk's office. At this time I'm going to ask people that would like to speak
on an item that is not on any agenda item to step to the podium at this time, and
then there is a table where we need you to write your name, first and last, and
your address, and then when you come to speak at the podium, please share that.
Welcome!
Campos: (speaking through translator) Good evening,thank you for each and every one of
you to be,uh, present here today. My name is Ninoska Campos. I'm from
Honduras and I live in Iowa City. I'm a member of the Excluded Essential
Worker Fund here in Iowa. Urn, our lives were affected hugely by the pandemic.
Nobody was prepared to lose their employment. And left without anything to
sustain their living space. They were left, urn, in situations that were critical,
knowing that we wouldn't be getting any kind of financial relief. We were the
essential workers during the pandemic, urn, because through everything and all
the anxiety that we went through. We took the risk to leave and go work, so that
society would keep functioning. We did this knowing that we could get sick with
COVID and infect our kids. Now every one of these people in this room are
excluded and essential workers of this pandemic and we're here in front of you
guys to ask for your support. Uh, we want a direct stimulus check for each
person, $3,200 and also a stimulus check for our kids. It hasn't been easy, what
we've gone through with this pandemic. We don't want help with rent,we want
to decide what we need help with. Every one of us knows the need, our need.
And this might give us just a little bit of what we deserve because of what we
went through, through the pandemic. Thank you. (applause)
Teague: Thank you and welcome. Please state your name and your address.
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Martinez: My name is Juan Martinez and my address is that...so my address is 1107
Sandusky Drive. Um, so I'm here with the Catholic Worker House and this is...
this past week we've been visiting people in Iowa City and the surrounding
communities, like Muscatine, West Liberty, urn, to ask for their support in the
form of signatures for the Excluded Workers Fund. And so while knocking on
these doors and talking to people, I learned that these people who are part of this
community that pay taxes, urn, as well as people who put their lives at risk to
ensure our community is stable and running, um, they've been suffering
throughout this whole pandemic and now like...now, after we've been knocking
on doors and stuff like that, um, at the end of the day, the one thing that stuck with
me was this one couple that spoke out saying that when we told them about this,
when we told them about this they said...we said, they said that this is the most
selfish thing we ever heard before, about for the fund, Excluded Workers, how
they didn't get stimulus, and saying that these people are putting their lives at risk
to help us, and last year my mom, my sisters, myself, we had COVID. It was
terrible. Um...we were blessed to have help from my family, my neighbors, you
know,job security for one of my parents. Some people in my family received
stimulus checks, unemployment when needed, which is something the majority of
the Excluded Workers could not benefit from. Now I might be young, and you
guys might be asking what am I doing up here talking to you guys. Urn, I'm
just...this is an issue that I...that I care about, a lot, especially these people, back
here. These are all my people. These people need help. Just like us as
Americans, we should treat them as Americans, you know, because we're the...
we're the country of opportunity. Treat them just like Americans! And...and
that's all I ask you. Are you with us or you just going to stand there like a
bystander and not help us? Thank you. (applause)
Teague: Thank you. (applause continues) Welcome!
Stanerson: Hello. My name is Barb Stanerson. I'm the President of SEN Local 199 and I'm
also a physical therapist who works at UIHC. So (both talking)
Teague: And your...your address. I know you're in Iowa City, right?
Stanerson: What?
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Teague: Your address please.
Stanerson: Oh, Iowa City, I live in Iowa City.
Teague: Yes!
Stanerson: So the direct cash assistance to Excluded Workers, premium hazard pay for
essential workers, and affordable housing were the big three choices of thousands
of Iowa Citians who participated in the City's public input process. The fund,
Excluded Workers Coalition, has also surveyed hundreds of undocumented
immigrant workers who have survived 18 months of this pandemic without any
relief or assistance. The need is urgent, the need is very clear, and the need is
now. Yesterday our coalition released a groundbreaking news report entitled
"Excluded in the Heartland, Impacts of COVID-19 Crisis on Working Class
Immigrant Families in Iowa." The report was based on a survey of 289
undocumented immigrant workers in Iowa and it was conducted between June
28`h and August 3151. 80% of those respondents reported losing their job or
income during the pandemic and said they were still struggling to get by without
assistance...without access to affordable healthcare or government relief. The
report directly...the report directs policy makers and elected officials to take
urgent action to address the racial inequities exacerbated by the pandemic. An
Excluded Worker Fund would give 3,200 stimulus checks...$3,200 in stimulus
checks to...for urgent, uh, sorry! To thousands of undocumented migrant and
previously incarcerated workers who were left out of the federal pandemic relief.
The money would be spent locally, and...on urgent needs, without the restrictions
that have prevented other forms of aid being delivered effectively. Most notable
the General Assistance Fund has been one of those. Um, an Excluded Workers
Fund would also see that premium hazard pay bonus gets paid to these low-wage
essential workers, in the amount of$1,600. And those essential workers would be
those, um, working for less than $15 an hour. The Excluded Workers Fund must
be operated by City and County governments, not corporate consultants or the
nonprofit industrial complex. A government-run Excluded Workers Fund with no
barriers to access would be more efficient, more sustainable, and wouldn't have to
be, um, recreated from scratch every time there's a crisis. In closing, I ask that
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everyone in the room who supports an Excluded Workers Fund should show their
support by standing up. (applause and cheering in background)
Teague: Thank you.
Stanerson: Thank you! (applause and cheering continue)
Teague: Would anyone else like to address any topic that is not on the Council agenda?
(talking in background) Okay. Oh! Welcome! (talking in background)
Welcome!
Keyla: My name's Keyla anad I live here in Iowa and our parents need the money so we
can get food. (applause and cheering)
Teague: Thank you, Keyla. Welcome!
Biechler: Hi! My name is Katie Biechler. I live here in Iowa City, and I am here on behalf
of SEIU Local 199. I'm also here on behalf of Iowa Citizens for Community
Improvement, as we're part of the Excluded Worker Fund Coalition. For months,
the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition has been presenting our proposal. We have
been speaking out, folks who have been directly impacted by this pandemic and
who haven't been eligible for relief, not even from the County's General
Assistance program (clears throat) because they're undocumented, have been
incredibly vulnerable in giving testimony about what they're going through and
what they need. You talked about, in your work session, a robust public listening
program, but when the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition showed up at your
listening session on August 11`h, with 100 people in support, the only person there
was Geoff Fruin. I hear you talk about helping workers, supporting workers, and
equitable community, and yet not one of you could be bothered to show up and
listen to the people you all were elected to represent. Not one of you! Watching
the work session today, I couldn't help but notice that the needs the Fund
Excluded Workers Coalition has highlighted were consistently at the top of the list
of the things that you heard from people, and yet the suggested allocation was
criminally low. Only $2,000! Only to adults! That isn't even close to the equity
that you all said you're committed to, and in fact that your proclamations tonight
claim you believe in. Those of us who qualified for stimulus checks received
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$3,200 over the last year and a half. Those of us who qualified for unemployment
received even more. Children were included in that relief How dare you suggest
less for the folks who didn't receive that. Folks need relief and they need it right
now. They cannot wait any longer, and there are no other programs that do what
the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition has proposed. The General Assistance
Fund is not a replacement for direct cash relief. The barriers to it are still too
great and the money that comes from it is too little. Giving money to nonprofits
is not a replacement for direct cash relief. It happened with the CARES Act
money and huge swaths of people were left out, lots of them are in this room with
us. Y'all have known this money would be coming for right about six months
now. You've talked and talked about it. It is time to do something,right now.
(applause and cheering)
Teague: Thank you. Thank...and I do want to make sure that everyone that is speaking is
signing that book. Thank you all so much. Welcome!
Harris: Yes, my name is Eric Harris. Um, I'm a member of the TRC of Iowa City, so I'm
known by many. Um, I'm here speaking. Uh, one of the first things that I want to
say that, um, in the past week or so, I've done door-to-door canvassing where I've
talked to people that's going through the pandemic. In one case that I talked to
people, it was one person who was eligible to get unemployment in a household
of six or seven people. That one person got unemployment. The rest were
undocumented, so that one person got unemployment and took care of the whole
family, and they all had COVID-19. Um, some of the things I heard in the
proposal by the City Manager, urn, with all due respect, you know, we talked
about things about housing and things like that and, you know, helping small
businesses and those are all great things, but the money has initials. It is called
ARP, which is the American Rescue Plan, to rescue all the people in this room
from COVID-19, not things that were pre-pandemic problems already. Housing,
affordable wages, because what are you going to do? Give money to small
businesses who pay people $12 an hour? Can anybody in this room tell me they
can afford to live on $12 an hour? If you're going to give money to small
businesses, how about giving them advice...to pay people a livable wage. Don't
waste this money on stuff that's not going to be, you know, used in the right place.
And things that were pre-pandemic problems, housing has been a problem in this
country...for decades. That American Rescue money is to rescue people like this.
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All these people that we have gathered here. You know, I understand that we have
problems, like one of the things that was brought up to me—climate change!
That I heard...that's been a problem in this country and we're not even going to
meet the standard that we need to be at for climate change. I, like I read a report
that said we're about 20 years off of that, because we didn't deal with it before.
All these people I met, all the stories I heard when I canvassed door-to-door,
which...is no disrespect to anybody in here, but maybe you guys should try that,
and go listen to the stories about the people that struggle. Their children struggle.
Their family members died. And then I hear talk, oh, well we need, you know, to
invest in Diversity Markets in the South District and things like that. I've heard
things like that and (mumbled) and this might, you know, inflame some people
and they might not like what I got to say, but I was at every Diversity Market. I
was even one of the people who set up the Diversity Market. It's about two
Council Members in this room, and they know who they are, they was the only
ones I saw there. How can you speak on a Diversity Market when you didn't
even go and check it out? (both talking)
Teague: Thank you (both talking)
Harris: I know the Members who were there, who came (both talking)
Teague: Thank you.
Harris: (both talking) yield my time.
Teague: Thank you. (applause and cheering) Welcome!
Zapada: (speaking through translator) Hi, good evening. My name is Sindy Zapada. I
support the Excluded Workers Fund. Still to this day we're in the pandemic. It's
us, the Latino community, that has not had the option to stay at home. Urn, yes it
is, urn, certain that there is a lot of programs for relief out there, but it was very
difficult for us, urn, those who are undocumented without a social security
number to, uh, qualify. There is a lot of us and still to this day we haven't been
able to recuperate from the pandemic. I think it's just and necessary that each one
of us here would receive a direct stimulus check. Um, to be able to start
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recuperating from all of the things that we have lost and suffered from the
pandemic. Thank you so much and blessings. (applause and cheering)
Teague: Would anyone (applause continues) Thank you. Would anyone else like to
address a topic...not on the agenda?
(female): I'm sorry, what was that?
Teague: No, welcome!
Rudales: (speaking through translator) Good afternoon, my name is Nancy Rudales. I'm
here because I'm in support of the Excluded Workers Fund. My question for all
of you is did you all receive a direct stimulus check during the pandemic? And
why us, who...who don't have documents didn't get one. There's also lots of
children who are undocumented and also did not get the direct stimulus checks. I
think it would be just and fair if the, uh, you used some of this money to give us,
not just individuals but everyone in the household direct stimulus checks because
we were the ones that were the essential workers during the pandemic. Um, all of
us, we were let go from a lot of our jobs and we had to look for other jobs during
the pandemic just to survive. Also we had to take out a lot of debt in order to pay
rent, lights, put gas in our car, etc., etc. Um, so I think it's just and fair that we
would get direct stimulus checks, all of us here, and it's not just all of us here in
the room. There's a lot of people that support this cause that are working because
they can't be here. I don't think the amount of money that you propose in your
plan is nearly enough to provide direct stimulus checks to the people that are
excluded and essential. There is a lot of us here in Iowa City (applause and
cheering) that have been present in the Excluded Workers Fund. Thank you.
(applause and cheering continue)
Teague: Thank you. Welcome!
Houlahan: My name is Ann Houlahan and I'm with the Catholic Worker House, 1414
Sycamore. And you're talking about mutual respect, peace proclamations,
Hispanic heritage month, etc., etc., tonight. It seems to me that you like to talk
about peace, but despite the overwhelming need of Hispanic refugees,
undocumented workers, and ex-felons, we are making procla...we are making
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proclamations without providing adequate financial assistance to excluded
workers. We really hope that you will take this serious and help out these people
at the earliest convenience.
Teague: (applause) Thank you. (applause continues) Welcome!
Andino: Hi, I'm back! I'm Jessica Andino. I serve as the Chair of the Human Rights
Commission for the City of Iowa City and I live on the east side of Iowa City.
Um, I just want to take a few moments here to acknowledge the amount of time
that the HRC or the Human Rights Commission took to discuss the
recommendation that we had put forth to you guys tonight, uh, that was a couple
Tuesdays ago in which we were allocating the entire...well, four million from you
guys and four million suggested by the County, which was within the pilot
program that was suggested by the Excluded Workers Fund. We thought about it,
we discussed it, we spent our time, you all appointed us to be there, so we are
recommending to you to allocate the full funding amount now, instead of just
sitting on it. I volunteer for a lot of different organizations in the community, and
this community needs help. I'm also going to say I have a personal contact. My
husband came here illegally back in, oh, it's been quite a time, but I have family
members that this affects. It's not just the people that are here in this crowd that
this affects. This is maybe a handful of the people that this money will actually
touch, and it will be reinvested back into our community! They're going to buy
diapers, they're going to pay rent, they're going out to eat, they're going to be
helping our community. Why not give it directly to the people that need the help,
that benefits everyone here? Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. (applause and cheering) Welcome!
Vasile: My name is Maureen Vasile and I live in Iowa City. These people here are the
ones that did the work. They're the ones that put their families at risk and their
health at risk as well. They're the ones that deserve the money, and they need it
now, not in five months from now. They need it now! They needed it five
months ago. So I'm hoping that you will step it up and let's get going and give
them the money they deserve. Thank you. (applause and cheering)
Teague: Thank you. (applause and cheering continue) Welcome!
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Bowen: My name is Pat Bowen and I live in Iowa City and I'm a member of the Fund
Excluded Workers group, as well as Iowa CCI. And I'm a supporter of the
Catholic Worker House. And the reason I'm here tonight is to support these
people. They have supported us. They have put, as Maureen said, they have put
their lives on the line. They have probably lost family and friends. And we sit
here in our comfortable homes and we got all that money back last year, and we
didn't....I didn't need that money, but I was just given it. For what reason?
These people deserve money now! They are in dire straits. They don't have
anything. They're going to get kicked out of their houses. We...we've heard
about the rental evictions being done away with. I mean the security that they
had. They can't even feed their children! That one little girl said they need
money for food. Is that not a sad state for all of us to sit here and say, oh, wait six
months and we'll give you some cash through some other bureaucracy. That's not
the way this should work. These people are people, and they need the money
now! (applause and cheering)
Teague: Thank you. Welcome!
Ramirez: (speaking through translator) Good afternoon. My name is Ingrid Ramirez. And
I'm in support of this group. I think that we've heard a lot about this fund, but
something has come to mind listening to all this. I've been living in Iowa City for
seven years and what I have seen is that this is a state that's very cold or nobody
really wants to do the work. I am so proud of my Hispanic people from all of
their different places of origin. Because all of these people in front of you do the
work of roofing, construction, landscaping, cleaning apartments, cleaning
universities. I would also like to add, um, that we also do this for you, we clean
your houses. We clean your hotels to stay in. We take you your food, and part of
the reason why we do this is that you can see us in a good light. (applause)
Hispanics do the hardest work here in Iowa City! (applause) Thank you.
Teague: Thank you.
Ramirez: (speaking through translator) And I would just like to add that we all pay taxes.
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Teague: Yep, and we'll just, urn, ask people come and take the podium. We're going to go
ahead and allow you to speak, and then when you're done you can sign in behind.
Freddie: (speaking through translator) Hi, a very good evening to you. My name is
Freddie. I live in Coralville. (laughs) The reason why I'm here today, and you
can see me. I come with my kids, I come dirty. The reason that I am with this
organization, Excluded Workers Fund, um, I am one of the roofers that it's very
possible that I was working on your roof when the hail hit this year. It's very
possible that I was the one repairing this, urn, during this year. Um, and just like I
told you, Mr. Fruin, the last time I spoke to you, I have little kids. Since the
pandemic started, day after day after day I went to work so that, urn, taking a risk,
so that I could take care of my beautiful children that you can see in front of me,
who are U.S. citizens. You can see, you all saw on the television how heartbroken
it is to see a young child die because their adult parent brought COVID home to
their children. This is very, um, heartbreaking. And what was it all for? Just that
we could go to work, so that we could be, um, working for you during the...doing
the work, the essential work that you needed, to put our beautiful children at risk?
I've been working in roofing 11 years, urn, taking the risk. I think it's just that the
time is now that you help us, give us something back that we need, that we
deserve. For real, we need your help. Thank you very much. (applause)
Teague: Thank you! (applause continues) Welcome!
Munoz: (speaking through translator) Good afternoon, my name is Anita. I just would
like to make a short comment, that I hope you take seriously. Why is it that you
don't want to take us into account? We are all the essential workers, and now that
we need your help, you don't want to take us into account. Because I know for
sure every one of us that are here in this room, we pay taxes. And part of these
taxes, even if it's a small percent in your salary, even if it goes to public services,
you all receive. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. (applause)
Mora: (speaking through translator) Ah, Zulay Mora. Just like all of us here that are
sitting in this room, we left the violence in our country. So not just the pandemic,
but every day, besides the pandemic, um...we've put our lives at risk and gone
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through a lot of hard things, and urn, and thank you for...we understand that you
guys have welcomed us here in this country. What I'd like to say is that we need
a little bit of your help so we can live or kind of move and be in this community
with a little bit more calmness or less fear to be in this place. We need your help.
And this is why we need help, economic help,just like you've been hearing from
my companeros, urn, because of this pandemic. Also we need support. [I kind of
missed about, something like about the green card, telling the President as well.]
But we need this support for...for us as well. I'd like to thank everyone here, not
just my, urn, you know, people from my home country, from Colombia, but
Ecuador, Mexico, everyone,because we left our lives, we left everything to come
here to make our life here.
Teague: Thank you. (applause) Welcome!
Noah: Hello, my name is Noah and I live in Iowa City. Uh, the only thing I need to add,
since you've heard it multiple times, and you've heard it again today, and months
and months and months, so, um, stop sitting and act! Fund the Excluded Workers
Fund now, not just your one to two million piddly, like actually fund it so people
actually (mumbled) what was it, 2,000 for adults in a household. That
is...despicable. Do not do that, and fund these people, and stop waiting now, act
now! Act now! Act now! Act now! Act now! Act now!! Not later, now!!
Thank you. (applause and cheering)
Teague: Thank you. And we...we have, um, is there anyone else? (mumbled) one more
speaker.
Sinnwell: Yeah, hi, I'm Emily Sinnwell. It's nice to be here in front of all of you. I've been
providing language access (mumbled) other organization, um, to all these folks in
the room and it's just been awesome to work with them and hear what they need
directly. I hope you all feel so excited that they're here and they want to tell you
exactly what you need, because when we talk about equality and equity, this is it,
right? Um...the...the plan is a start, but I was disappointed. One million is not
enough. Uh, we need four million from the City, we need four million from the
County, and then we need, urn, a half million to administer the funds, right? So
$3,200 directly to adults and children, to undocumented essential and excluded
workers who did not get a stimulus check like we did, cause they went through
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the pandemic just like us. So we need eight mill...8.5 million. Again, four million
from the City, four million from the County. I know that they're going to be
excited to work with you on this. Urn, point five for administration costs. Now
the County government, the General Assistance Fund, has a lot of issues, we
know that, and they're working on those, and I can give lots of suggestions to
keep making those better, right? Urn, they can administer the funds directly, if
they need to, but we can use a third party. The money should not go to a
nonprofit in town. It needs to be a third party. Now this piece is really important.
There has to be no restrictions. People are fearful, urn, sometimes about using
cer....giving away certain information. No restrictions, and we have a model for
that. It's called the Johnson County I.D. I use it all the time with folks. They
need to provide proof of residency and a photo I.D., and that's it, and that's what
we need to require to get, urn, a stimulus check. So, again, 8.5 million, four from
the City, four from the County, half a million to administer it to everyone sitting
in this room, and more people wanted to come, but they had to work. Urn...you
know I listen to all these proclamations, but it doesn't mean anything unless you
do something, and this is the time. In Iowa City and Johnson County, we can set
the example. We can start this, so that other counties and cities in Iowa can do the
same thing. We are going to be the model. We want to be the model, right? We
want to have a mask mandate in the city, right, because it's the right thing to do.
We can do that. We don't have to listen to the Governor. Let's be the model for
the Excluded Workers Fund and do the right thing. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. I am...(applause) Thank you. Community comment is closed, but I
wanted to thank everybody that was a part of the community comment piece.
(female): (speaking in foreign language) Thank you. (applause)
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9. Planning and Zoning Matters
9.a. Zoning Code Amendment—Self-Service Storage Uses in Community
Commercial (CC-2) Zones Ordinance—Ordinance amending Title 14,
Zoning Code to allow self-service storage uses by special exception in CC-2
zoning districts. (REZ21-0007)
1. Public Hearing
Teague: And I'm going to open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Welcome!
Sitzman: Good evening, Mayor and Council, Danielle Sitzman, Neighborhood and
Development Services. As was introduced, this is a zoning code amendment for a
change to the zoning code regarding the self-service storage use in one of our
commercial districts. This is a request that's been requested based on an applicant
requesting to do something with a property, that being Southgate for reuse of their
property at 947 Highway 6, formerly the Slumberland, uh, a big box store. Their
request was to, uh, acknowledge that that use was ceasing as a retail use and they
wanted to reuse their building for, uh, indoor self-storage use. Um, self-storage
uses are only allowed currently in the City's Intensive, uh, Commercial and
General Industrial districts. Um...sorry, and the City has acknowledged, or
explored this code change due to the acknowledgment that there's changing...our
changing retail landscape when it comes to big box stores, um, acknowledging
that that type of retail has, uh, changed over the years. Staff generally does
support the text amendment you're seeing tonight, rather than rezoning this
property to one of those more intensive commercial or industrial districts. The
amendment that we crafted and are proposing to you tonight on behalf of
Southgate as the applicant is to allow these kinds of self-storage uses by special
exception process, with general and specific approval criteria to be reviewed by
the Board of Adjustment. Um, as I said, the proposed amendment would allow
this particular use in the existing zone, the CC-2 zone, and would be subject to a
special exception with general and specific approval criteria, which I'll go
through in a little bit. But just to take a step back to talk about special exceptions.
They have general approval criteria and special exception is a level of review in
our code that's more intensive than simply allowing something by-right in a
zoning district or allowing it as a provisional use in a zoning district. Provisional
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meaning that you'd have certain provisions that had to be met in order to allow
the use. That would still be a staff review. In this case what we're proposing in
this code amendment is for a review as a special exception by the Board of
Adjustment. So that's the most stringent type of review that can be, uh, proposed,
and that's what we think is most appropriate. What's on the screen here is the
general approval criteria that a Board of Adjustment would look at for any special
exception. In this case, the crafting of this ordinance includes (clears throat)
excuse me, specific approval criteria just regarding self-storage uses. Um, these
include four main items, including the stipulation that the use be conducted
completely within a conditioned space of a building, not outside. Also that the
units for storage not be individually accessed and that there be no more than two
garage doors, overhead garage doors, providing access to those storage spaces,
and that they be primarily provided at the rear of a pr...of a property. Also that a
substantial portion, both in the depth of the building and the length of the facade
of the building, um, still contain retail uses, so that the facade of the building still
looks like a retail use and the self-storage is a component of a larger group of, um,
other uses. Um, finally, the buildings containing self-storage, um, be subject to
site development standards, much like the big box retail in the first place. So
those are the site development standards that apply to large, uh, retailers. They
would still be applicable. They deal with things like the facade or the face of the
building, as it faces the public realm. Um, details of the roof, details about
building materials, and details about how entryways would work. In staff's
analysis, we did look at, um, the...acknowledging that the retail landscape has
changed. Urn, with us tonight is the applicant in this case with Southgate, so I'll
let them get into the analysis of the changing retail climate in a little more detail
for you. Urn, we did look at the areas that are currently zoned CC-2, where this
zoning text change would, urn, impact. Um, they're primarily along highway
corridors. Some of them are located in commercial nodes. Some of those
commercial nodes also have additional design reviews, so Towncrest for example
has additional regulations, and the Riverfront Crossing does. Uh, some of these
other areas, uh, are also parts of commercial nodes (clears throat) excuse me,
including Pepperwood Plaza here in the center. Urn, so the specific criteria
(mumbled) focus on encouraging active, pedestrian-friendly front facades and
requiring accommodation of other commercial uses. Uh, this slide just shows the
general concept that Southgate is considering. It's not a proposal by any means,
but it's one of many things that they are considering. Urn, in crafting this
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ordinance, staff did look at other large, uh, communities in Iowa, uh, where, um,
generally self-storage uses are required to abide by additional standards when
they occur in lower intensity commercial districts, much the way we've crafted
this code change. As always, when we craft a code change we're looking towards
consistency of the comp plan, urn, goals and objectives. Urn, in this case there's
several relevant ones about encouraging a healthy mix of independent and locally-
owned businesses, as well as just general overall economic health, and then as
well as design...um....uh, designing to and accommodating the...the community.
So as far as steps go, we're at the orange here, where the zoning code amendment
is being considered through an ordinance change. If it were to be adopted then
the next step for redevelopment of this area, or reuse of this area (clears throat)
would be, as I said, reviewed by the Board of Adjustment through a special
exception, and then the typical site plan and building permit review steps. So the
Planning and Zoning Commission is recommending this zoning code amendment
to you. They met on August 5th and by a vote of 4-0 are recommending adoption
of this code change. And like I said, the applicant is with us this evening, Mayor,
so I'll step aside and let them make comment.
Teague: Great! Welcome!
Sitzman: Any questions for me if you have them.
Teague: Any questions...from Council? All right. We're going to welcome... Welcome!
Wilson: Thank you. I am Caleb Wilson. I actually live in Kalona, have a Kalona address.
Uh, wrote down in there. I'm here on behalf of Southgate Companies, and I
wanted to give a little more information about what led us to submitting this, uh,
application for the zoning code text amendment. Little more background for the
Council to consider. Um, and, oh, and with me today as well is Bryan Hoel.
Hoel: Everyone, I'm Bryan Hoel. I live up in Cedar Rapids and manage some self-
storage companies up around there.
Wilson: So, um, I'll share, again, a little more background about this application and what
led us to this. So we were, uh, notified in the fall, around October in 2020 about
Slumberland moving to Coralville, uh, out of this building. Slumberland has been
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a long-time occupant of this space, and as was shared by City staff, the retail
landscape is dramatically changing. Uh, this building at 947 Highway 1 was built
in a time when, again, retail was very different. The building is set back far from
the highway. It is a very deep building, and a large building as well. We knew it
was going to be difficult to find a new tenant for this space, as Pepperwood Plaza
has been difficult to fill spaces actually even up on the highway itself, urn, so we
started as soon as we were notified and had indication that the tenant was going to
be leaving, uh, working on future plans for this building. Uh, we worked very
closely with the City in this process to try to find, urn, what is going to be the best
future use for this building, and what kind of use does the community here want.
What kind of needs are in the community, urn, that we can meet with this building
that'll be a long-term financially stable use for the building. Um, we...explored
many different paths for this, and uh...one of the things we did was we worked
with the City's retail consultant out of Texas, I believe, and they went to different
prospects that they had worked with on other shopping centers and brought this
building to them to see if they were interested and produced no real leads for us.
So we continued to move down several paths with this and engaged community
members and multiple different groups to get feedback on what would be, uh, a
good solution for this space, and we, uh...we landed on self-storage initially for
the whole building is what we were thinking. This space is about 38,000-square
feet and we knew there was a very high demand for it, but we were initially
looking at just self-storage. As we got feedback from the community, urn, we
found that there was a demand or a need for small retails spaces, small nice retail
spaces that were at a reasonable rent, um, and we had...had multiple businesses
come to us. This idea was actually initially suggested to us, urn, from, uh, Wendy
Ford who works with the City here as well, and we took this idea and...and kind
of ran with it and started looked at, you know, could we create space, urn, that
would work for those businesses, and then also the self-storage use. So through
working with the City, the City shared with us that in the CC-2 zone, that current
use is not allowable and led us to this process of the zoning code text amendment
application as being how we would make this space usable for...for this kind of
use. So, um, we...that's what brought us....has brought us to here. We, uh, are
excited about the concept and support from Planning and Zoning. We have
several businesses who are actually interested in space of this size, so on the front
we're going to be able to create what looks like three or four spaces that are
somewhere between 800 to 1,200-square feet each, and we have a couple different
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restaurants that are interested. One is a coffee shop, dessert shop, uh, that Evelyn
Casada runs, called Choco Fresa. She's been at the Diversity Market that was
mentioned here earlier tonight, um, so some of you have maybe had her, uh, her
awesome food. Uh, and then another restaurant as well, urn, is very interested in
it, and again, these are just people we've been having discussions with. None of
this is certain, but they're really interested in this space based on these same
concepts in conversations we've had with them. So we believe that this use will
be, again, is in very high demand in this community, this climate-controlled self-
storage. Um, we believe it will draw good traffic to this center and help us be, uh,
you know, maintain the retail character of the center by having retail in the front,
but again, utilize the rest of the building well, in a way that the...that the
community actually wants and needs. Think those are the main notes that I had to
share. Bryan, do you have anything to add to that?
Hoel: Um,just in general, I mean we've worked on a couple of these around eastern
Iowa, but I'm here just in case anybody has any management questions or what
the inside of the building and the access and all that kind of fun stuff looks like.
Salih: You said how many stor...store will be there?
Wilson: What's that, I'm sorry.
Salih: How many store will be there, like how many businesses store will be there, I
mean, not the storage.
Wilson: Probably three or four, and it depends on how...how big business want...how big
of a space each business would want. We think there will be roughly...4,000 to
5,000-square feet of retail space on the front, uh, so it depends on how big of a
space they want. We have (mumbled) meet with some contractors this week
(mumbled) we can create, um, the hood and venting for the restaurants, so we're
very excited about that, cause that seems to be a very high interest. Any other
questions?
Teague: Thank you all!
Wilson: Thank you. (several talking)
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Teague: Great! Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? If so, please step
up to the podium. I...um...before I close the public hearing, I wanted to just ask
Council if they're inclined to vote in agreement...with the Planning and Zoning
Commission? All right! 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)
Salih: So move.
Weiner: Second.
Teague: Moved by Salih, seconded by Mims. (several respond) Weiner. (laughs) ...who
said it! All right! (laughs) Uh, Council discussion?
Salih: I really think this is, yeah, we miss...we're going to miss Slumberland (laughs)
you know. I...I like the store and I wish if they still will be in Iowa City, but uh,
still they are not far away. Uh, I really like the good use of the space, which is the
self-storing, that's amazing. It needed in Iowa City. I know a lot people have to
go like somewhere else in another city to use their storage, but this is good that
we have this self-storage here and that, uh, the space for like kind of small
businesses and restaurant will be amazing to add to that area of the city, and I like
the parking lot in front of the, you know, the building, where people can easy go
there and park and you know we're going to have a lot traffic to go to that side of
the city, which is...I was really looking forward to see some like kind of
businesses, especially small businesses, to grow there. Yeah, I will be supporting
this project.
Thomas: Yeah, I find this kind of an interesting evolution in the description of how it came
to arrive at this proposal, uh, and how it had initially been self-storage and then...
through suggestions, uh, developed this concept of kind of what I would almost
think of as like a liner building that you might have around a parking garage or
something of that sort. Um, kind of right-sizing the retail in a way. So I'm...I'm
happy to support it. It seems like it will...serve a functional purpose, but also I
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think try to maintain the notion of this retail environment that's attractive, uh, in a
more people-friendly, uh, retail sense.
Bergus: Yeah, I...I agree. I think requiring that first 30 feet to be, um, not the storage use
will help incentivize those smaller commercial spaces, which we know are
needed, and very excited for this particular project that you've described, and I
hope that others who might take advantage of this opportunity will consider the...
model that I think was articulated to Planning and Zoning, which is that the self-
storage can actually help subsidize the units in the front, making sure that those
rents can be more affordable. Thank you for that.
Taylor: I have to say I'm...I'm impressed with the, uh, speed with which this project has
evolved. Uh, it's always sad to see empty storefronts for a length of time, but it...
it seems like Slumberland just closed not that long ago and...and we're already in
the planning stage of putting something in this building and, uh, with a very
attractive front facade with a, uh, creative use of that with restaurants and other
such items, so I'm impressed.
Teague: All right. Roll call please. Motion passes 7-0.
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10. FY2022 Budget Amendment—Resolution Amending the Current Budget for
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022.
1. Public Hearing
Teague: I'm going to open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) And we're going to welcome
our staff!
Fleagle: Jacklyn Fleagle, Budget and Compliance Officer. Um, this is the first budget
amendment for fiscal year 2022. Uh, first a little bit of background. The original
budget for FY22 was approved in March...was approved on March 16 of 2021. It
runs through July 1 of 2021 to June 30 of 2022. City policy allows for
amendments in the following situations: emergent situations, transfers from
contingencies, expenditures with off-setting revenues or fund balance, carry over
of prior year budget ability. Um, you can amend per State code any time during
the fiscal year, other than the last 30 days. So, not in May...yeah, not in May...and
June. Um, Iowa City averages three amendments per fiscal year, typically early
fall, the spring of the following year, and then early summer. Next plan
amendment coincides with the fiscal year 2023 budget process, which would be
then approved in March. A quick overview. This amendments includes carry-
forward requests from the 2021 budget that were not spent, submitted by
departments and reviewed by the City Manager's office and the Finance
department. Budget policy is that carry-forwards must be over$5,000, or 1% of
the division's budget minimum. Uh, capital improvement project budget carry-
forwards as well, uh, usually CIP aligns more with the calendar year, compared to
a fiscal year, and...as well as includes multi-year projects. A few other small
amendment items are included as well. Uh...overall, revenues were increased, uh,
for intergovernmental revenues, about 13.5 million, majority of this coming from
State and Federal grants on CIP carry-forwards. Uh, next largest increase was in
other financing sources for the sale of UniverCity and South District homes.
Additionally miscellaneous was for 195,000 and this is also for carry-forwards for
CIP funding. On the expenditure side, the program level governmental, uh,
capital projects increased by 35.8 million, uh, major CIP in here, uh, would
include the American Legion Road, Melrose Avenue improvements, and Benton
Street rehab. Uh, business type enterprise program level increased by just over 14
million, primarily due to CIP there as well, including Scott Boulevard trunk sewer
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and annual sewer projects, amongst others. Uh, additionally community and
economic development,just over three million, uh, increase, primarily for carry-
forwards for CDBG and Home, UniverCity, and South District home programs.
In conclusion, this is the first amendment, like I mentioned, for fiscal year 22.
Overall, the total impact to fund balance is a decrease of 40.7 million. Uh, this is
covered through excess in fund balances and bonds (mumbled) property tax
levies. Any questions?
Teague: Hearing none. Thank you! All right! Would anyone from the public like to
address this topic? If so, please, uh, come forth. We ask that you state your name
and your address please.
Noah: My name is Noah. Um, my address is 410 E. Washington Street. Um, and uh, I'd
like to say you should have an amendment to defund ICPD, since it is an
emergency that they are causing more harm in our community than good. And we
spend 25 million on cops and 600,000 on social services and health, and I think
that's very illuminating where our priorities are, as the City is to brutalize and
harass people rather than helping people and promoting health (mumbled) all
around health for folks. That's it.
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?
2. Consider a Resolution
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih, and Council discussion? Roll call...oh!
Mims: No, I...thanks! I was just going to say, you know, I think Jacklyn did a good job,
but for the public, this is a pretty routine thing that we do this time of year, every
year, because as she said, so many of our revenues and expenditures don't match
up with the physical year that ends on June 30`h. A lot of our capital improvement
projects flow from one physical year into another, so it's not adding money to the
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budget. It's...really it's not deleting. It's really just moving things from one year
to the next, that didn't get completed in the previous year, is really the nuts and
bolts of this.
Salih: Uh huh.
Teague: Hearing nothing else, roll call please. Motion passes 7-0.
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11. 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: Could I get a motion to approve?
Mims: So moved, Mims.
Weiner: Second, Weiner.
Teague: All right,would anyone from the public like to address this topic...oh!
Fruin: Mayor, may I, uh,just do a brief introduction to this?
Teague: Sure!
Fruin: Um, this item has been deferred from your last couple of agendas, uh, late July
and then your August 17`h meeting as well. I just want to call your attention that
at last Thursday's, uh,TRC meeting, and that happened after your packet went
out, um, the commission forwarded a recommendation that the Council approve a
one-item budget, that would be a budget for the facilitator expense only, uh,just
under$200,000, and then, uh, their plan would be to return to you at a later date
with the rest of the budget, with the hopes that the facilitator, uh, that they are
hoping to engage could help them craft that budget proposal, uh, or redraft it
before it comes back to you. So again, the recommendation from TRC last
Thursday is, uh, for a one-item budget at this time, and that is the facilitator
expense.
Teague: Thank you, Geoff.
Mims: So can we simply amend this motion to...accept their recommendation?
Fruin: Yes, I forgot to (laughs) I forgot to add that important piece. Um, we have
anticipated that that might come up and so the City Attorney is...is prepared to
kind of walk you through a amended resolution if you want to go down that path.
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Goers: Shall I, Mayor?
Teague: Yes, please.
Goers: Uh, so as Geoff said, anticipating that a little bit. The original resolution, uh,
anticipated a more complete budget that ended with the title that says that runs
from July of 2021 through December of 2021. It's my understanding, having
scanned the proposal for the facilitator aspect of their budget, that will not end in
December of this year. It would be a longer contract than that. So I would, uh,
propose that, if it meets with Council's approval, to just eliminate that last part
of...of the sentence. Just have the title end with commission, um, budget for the
Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and I've prepared a kind of strike-
through that I'll give to you, Mr. Mayor, when you're done, along with a clean
version, um, but I thought I would read through for the benefit of the other
Council Members first. Uh, the other suggestion I had was in the third whereas
clause, uh, in...to talk, or to add approved the attached itemized budget proposal
for a facilitator, and eliminating this preliminary budget submission and
referencing its meeting on September 2"d, um, and making it by a vote of 7-1,
which is what the vote was on...on Thursday, instead of 8-0, which is what it was
originally. Um, finally on the now therefore language, um, having it approve the
itemized budget proposal, instead of preliminary budget, uh, for the Ad Hoc Truth
and Reconciliation Commission, attached hereto, and again striking that language
about running from, uh, July 2021 through December of 2021. And to be clear,
it's my understanding that the intention of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission was to, uh, get Council's approval, uh, for the facilitator at tonight's
meeting, and then if they receive that, negotiate the contract with the, uh,
facilitator, and if they're able to do that, bring it back to Council because that
would require Council's approval, uh, and then utilize the, uh, facilitator to assist
them in filling out the remainder of their budget and then come back at a later
date, uh, to present that to you, and then of course moving forward with the
remainder of their work. (mumbled) Mr. Mayor, give you these two versions and
then I'm happy to answer any questions you folks may have.
Teague: Any questions...on this part before we...
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Salih: Yes, my question is...(talking in background) Are we...you know I get confused
now. My question is, are we approving the budget? Or the specific facilitator?
Are we approving the budget for facilitator to be...like 190...almost 200,000 or...
(mumbled) budget and maybe, or we are approving this specific facilitator?
Goers: No, not approving the specific facilitator. Just budget authority for that one line
item for their budget. Uh, and just under$198,000. They can't move forward and
negotiate, or at least approve, certainly a contract, unless they have the budgetary
authority to do that. Uh, I assume that that's why they submitted just this one line
item, uh, at their meeting and not the whole budget, cause again, I think they want
the assistance of the facilitator in kind of determining what the remainder of their
budget should be. So you are not approving, uh, this, um, the proposed vendor,
the consultant, at this point. That will come before you at a subsequent meeting.
I don't know if they'll be able to do that as quickly as next meeting. That might
require a little more time. That kind of depends on how those discussions go. But
that will come to you at a later meeting.
Salih: Okay. (mumbled) Thank you.
Goers: Sure!
Teague: Any other questions for staff?
Mims: I'd like to amend the resolution as described by the City Attorney.
Weiner: Second.
Teague: Moved by Mims, seconded by Weiner. All in fa...um, roll call please? I'm sorry!
(laughs) We're...we haven't even done public yet (laughs)
Salih: ...just amending.
Teague: We just amended it. Sorry about that (both talking)
Salih: (mumbled)
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Teague: Yes. So now we're going to have public discussion, unless there's more...we'll
come back to Council discussion. All right, anyone from the public like to
address this topic? If so, um, please come to the podium, and you'll have three
minutes. Yep! Welcome, I don't know if you signed your name (both talking)
Tucker: I did!
Teague: Thank you!
Tucker: And I...and I did for the first half hour, but it seemed to me that it was more
important for all of them to speak. It was very powerful to hear all of them at
once.
Teague: Thank you.
Tucker: And so, um, I'm Annie Tucker and I live at 91 Prairie Hill Lane, and...52246,
Iowa City. Can you hear me? I just have this thing we can't hear each other with
masks. Maybe it's just me! (talking in background) Great, thanks, good to see
you! Um, so...I first...I first want to thank you for having the courage to take a
stand against systemic inequity by founding the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. I've been to their meetings multiple times. I was there the night
that the then-leadership was voted down, and that was a hard meeting. It was a
very long and hard meeting. I've been to at least four or five or more of their
meetings over the summer, and...including the last two meetings, which were
face-to-face. And the...I'll tell you that I...I go to those meetings because I think
the issues are essential to be dealt with at this time in this country, but also in this
community. Right? We all have some privilege that other people don't have.
And how will we level the playing field? One way we'll do it is by hearing from
people, like we did tonight, people telling their stories, and so that's part of the job
of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and to me...another reason I go is
because I see how they handle and deliberate on issues. They listen, they're very
intentional. They...actually people on the commission will have opposing views,
and they just hear that and the conversation goes on and often that concern is
integrated into the thinking. They're very respectful of the people who come to
them, like when they had the folks, a lot of folks, urn, Excluded Workers that were
brought to them in a Zoom meeting by the Catholic Worker House. It was a really
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moving conversation—their interaction with them and each other about those
issues. So if you want...if you haven't been to one of their meetings, I really
encourage you to go, because they are doing some very powerful work that is
really critical, and you guys set that in motion. So that courage, it's tough
courage, but I encourage you to bring that to everything you're thinking about,
because how will things shift? You know, it's not the easiest shift to take in this
time in...in the world, but you're...this shift is yours and I feel like you've done a
good job and the...the consultants they've chosen, I listened to the...to the, um,
interview and I find them really remarkable...remarkable experience. Thanks!
Teague: Thank you (both talking)
Tucker: I could go on but I won't.
Teague: Thank you.
Tucker: Cause I can't.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one, Council
discussion?
Taylor: Obviously the RFP for this particular group especially came back a little bit
higher than what we expected would...would be the cost for this, but it's been
obvious I think from the beginning, already a year ago now, uh, last September,
this group has needed help with direction and clarity, uh, and I think it would be
well worth the cost of any group that could help them out, uh, and this group
seems to have experience and qualifications, uh, that could help them move
forward in achieving their goals and...and have some strategic direction, uh, in
achieving that and I think, uh, expedite it as soon as we can so that they can get
moving.
Bergus: I agree, and I think, um, while we're not approving a particular contract with the
vendor this evening, um, having had the opportunity to watch the meeting and the
presentation from Kearns and West, it's really inspiring to imagine the level of
expertise it could bring if we're able to engage, uh, that firm, um, to assist our
TRC, bringing national and international expertise in conflict resolution and truth
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and reconciliation, that I just think building that capacity in Iowa City through this
City commission is a tremendous, tremendous opportunity, and I know I've spoke
with a couple of you, but um, I again want to note that in our budget amendment
just now we carried forward that million dollars that we committed to allocate
towards Black Lives Matter and related, um, efforts to address systemic racism in
our community and I think spending just under $200,000 on this is very, very well
worth it.
Thomas: Well I, in reading the proposal, it certainly, uh, addressed many of the comments
and concerns that I had expressed at our previous meetings, uh, so I think it's very
promising, um, very promising process that I see being considered there. Uh...I
do hope that, um...the...the team, uh, that part of the negotiation might include, uh,
local participation, you know, it's...it's not...there's, uh, I...I hope we can
incorporate more local participation in the team, if...if that's possible. Um, I mean
I...I understand it's a kind of unique, uh, set of skills that this consultant team
brings to the...to the process. Um, at the same time it certainly would be helpful
to have more local participation, if that can be negotiated.
Weiner: I think this is the...this is the group that I wish had pitched up six months ago.
Um, and if...in my view if we want, uh, if it's our goal for the...that the TRC, um,
succeed, um, that they have the expertise and the...and basically all the staffing
that they really need for this to function well with...with people who have done
the equivalent of TRCs, not all around this country as well as around the world.
Um, this is...this is the money that we need to spend...to get this done, um, and I
believe that we...there are some Iowa City links. I believe we could help them
create more. Um, there are some people involved with this group who've been...
who've known about the, our TRC since its very inception, uh, and...um...so I...I
will vote in favor of this.
Teague: Any other comments?
Salih: For me, I think...you know, as a black person and as somebody who's really care
about Black Life Matter, as a community organizer and...who reach out to a lot
black in the community and engage with a lot of minority, I just believe that...for
this like particular people to work from distance...is not going to work.
(mumbled) like this amount of money is spending, even though as you said it
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come like higher than what...as, like others said, it come like higher than what
expected for the facilitator, but I don't mind spending this amount of money,
making sure the facilitator is local, who really engaging with our people. I don't
know, maybe there is some work they can do it from distance. I heard the
interview, from the beginning to the end. I don't think they really have
(mumbled) Iowa City, or they know the minority in Iowa City. I just have hard
time imagining how those people will reach out to our...black people! I know
how our people need to be reach! They need somebody in person. They need
somebody here! They need all this kind of thing. I'm not against the money, like
200,000 is nothing to spend to find like...for Black Life Matter. But I really think
working from distant...spending all this money outside, not locally? There is
many firm here locally. They can do that, and I...I just believe that they didn't
have the chance even to apply for this opportunity. That's why only one person,
uh, you know, one firm apply. I just believe...again, I don't mind spending that
much, even more, but I want to make sure this is would do what we need out of
this TRC. I just have hard time believing this (mumbled) they have experience,
they have great things. The only connection they have is somebody who was in
Iowa, like graduated from University of Iowa, and when that person has been
asked what commission, he did like really join. It's nothing in Iowa City. I
understand that University of Iowa is really like a....a part that we cannot like
(mumbled) Iowa City but they still segregated from the community, because they
are student, most of them coming from far away and leave, but the, you know, the
part that also they have some like some kind of,uh, groups who really taking care
of like focusing Black Life Matter, at the University, but I don't hear (mumbled)
that he was part of those group one day, so I can say, oh, you have the connection.
I just have hard time like really, uh,just believing those people will do that,
because...even (mumbled) approving this, like Bergus said, we are not approving
the people right now, but everybody start talking about them. That's why I have
to talk about it as well. Uh, I really torn. I don't know. I don't mind for the
budget but it still...I, uh, I think there is many, many project that the City will
advertise it and everybody will bid on it, like projects, and sometime they don't
like the bid and they advertise it again! I really wish to see if we can...if the TRC
can advertise it again and maybe you going to find people locally or...for this firm
to just give them a specific task that they can do from far away, but...part of this
money have to go to something here locally, so we can see this. That's all I can
say.
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Weiner: There's a lot of basic work that needs to be done for organization...I didn't expect
that they were, they would themselves be doing...the ones doing the research. I
expect that assuming if they were hired in the end and we approved their contract
in the end, um, they would be...that they would be the ones largely helping the
current commission put together a work plan and all...and...and do all the other
pieces of it, that they don't have the expertise to do. Not that they would be (both
talking)
Salih: ...we going to spend additional money to the 200 because their proposal is
200,000, almost 200. That means this budget will be like even more. They will
do their work from far...from distance for 200. But they will help hire another
people to go around and do the work on the ground, which is...no, I...I just believe
this is going to (mumbled). We giving like 200,000 to spend not locally and
we...we going to hire people in addition. That means we're not talking about
200,000 for the...we talking about more maybe, if that's the case, if they going to
hire...unless they will say, oh, we going to hire certain local firm where they will
do the job on the ground with the same budget. That's something else. But I
don't know.
Weiner: Yeah, I'm not sure...with...I'm not sure that I understand...why that would be the
case. Um, because...what I read in the proposal is essentially reorganizing the
TRC, so that they would have a different kind of schedule, so that they have...so
that they would be doing different, sort of different kinds of outreach. So
they're...they're sort of, I mean I hear...I definitely hear your concerns, but I
don't...I personally don't see them as, um, as being...it's...in the end it's going to
be the...the much better organized TRC itself that would be doing most...most of
the outreach, but, um, I, you know, I'm going to have to leave in a minute. I
should have left 20 minutes ago.
Teague: Oh, sorry! I...so I think people do know I have challenges, um...with our current
TRC, and I want to make sure that, um, I at least articulate, um, to a certain
degree what those challenges are. I think ultimately...this whole opportunity that
we have is to make sure that we end systemic racism within our community. And
right now we have people within the BIPOC community, specifically, the black
community where there's division. Um, I won't go into all of that tonight, but
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that does grieve me. Um, so when I...when I see this budget, I...I see...the basic
unification that needs to happen hasn't taken place. I also have heard, and it was
on the, um, in the last meeting, where, you know, at least...and I'll say it
specifically, the Chair says that he wanted to be candid and that he doesn't trust
this Council. And I feel like that...is...you know, some of those were shared here
by some of the commissions. I...what they shared was one individual, uh, said
that the Council set them up for failure. Now, I do believe that, you know, having
the right make-up of the facilitator team would be very successful. So the $197,
uh, $197,000 I think, you know, that for me isn't the issue. Urn, I personally do
agree that...local opportunity to be a part of this facilitator, or this team, urn, needs
to take place. I think I said this, urn, at the last meeting where, um, and it was
really, I think, Councilor Thomas that brought it to light what was really missing.
It wasn't really the facilitator, it was more of a project...project manager that was
missing, and I think as we are, you know, continuing to (laughs) urn, relearn how
we give direction to the TRC or help them along in the process. I also feel like
right now is an opportunity and I know we want urgency, we want,um...you
know, to move, you know, as quick as possible, uh, to get to some of the work
within the TRC, and I understand this might be for some backpaddling, but I...the
unification and the, um...just the basic of bringing people together is super
important for me. What I will say is, you know, this isn't, you know, approving
the vendor. It's not...you know, if it's not approving the vendor, then at least for
me what I would say is, if...if this Council would consider, um, I don't know that
this amount of money...I think we all agree with this amount of money, and
whether we say yes to this amount of money or not. Um, I would like for this
Council to consider if we ask, um, for, you know, different proposals from the
community to come forth. We...this went out and we had one applicant. Uh, we
have very highly skilled individuals within this community that I know can be a
part of this process. Urn, we still have, outside of this 197, a lot of work, which if
it goes...if we have to spend the whole million on people being a part of this and
that seems like the right thing to do, then this Council ultimately will be asked to
make that judgment call or asked to vote on that, but I do believe that...in hopes
of, you know, garnering more, um, unification, um, within our community, uh,
opportunity for...and I know this may not, you know, um...bring for
some...thoughts that, you know, we are in, um, I guess we're kind of backpaddling
or whatever but...I would...I would really like Council to consider if...if this was
approved, we just give some direction that there is, uh, at least another
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opportunity to have another people apply, but I think the 197 is...I mean, there's
more cost to this, and that...and that's, you know, we'll be able to vote on that
when it comes before us, but I...I really believe that...we need to, and I said this
before, um (laughs) kind of just reimagine some...something with this TRC.
I...the...the...the unification is a major issue for me, and the continuation of, urn,
this Council, um, being seen, urn, in a negative light, and I understand.
We...we've been here long enough to know that we're not always going to be, um,
judged by our character or our intentions, and that's okay. I mean it's a part of the
role, I'm used to it now. Um, but I...I just believe that this should not...um, I don't
know. I...I feel like we really should open it up for more people to come and
apply. And I'll leave it at that.
Mims: Are you going to say something, Janice?
Weiner: I don't know what else to say at this point. Because the...to me the question is do
we want this to succeed or not at this point. If we want it to succeed, they need to
have really...they need to have robust support, um, which Stefanie Bowers has
worked really hard, but she is one person, without...without having run a TRC
before. It's simply not the...the level of support that an organization like this
needs. Um, I...I fully believe they would reach out to other people. I believe that
there's...isn't there a link with Aaron Page, um, at the Human Right...Human
Rights Center there as well, but they, um...we definitely have qualified people in
this city. I'm just sort of...when I look at this, after all this time, after almost a
year, I look and say, okay, we have an opportunity now for...for people with
enormous...with enormous experience who can help...who can help reach out to
whoever the people, and help heal the rifts that (mumbled) Mr. Mayor, you rightly
noted exist, um, both on the commission and various parts of the community in
the city, um, and that needs to be a part of their remit, if they were...if they were to
be hired. Uh, but the...by sort of not allowing, giving them the ability to move
forward...anyway to me that's sort of the decision that we're making.
Salih: I don't think we are here not to give them the opportunity to move forward. You
just said two important thing that you mention—Aaron Page, you mentioned
Stefanie, because you know them and (mumbled) We saw their work, we know
that they going to do good things, cause they are local. We know them. And I
think if...that what we want to see. I...I just...I don't know how...even if they
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come and just said all this beautiful word, and experience, and they have
(mumbled) still (mumbled) person, as somebody who really have experience with
how...like black community and people of colors, how their community works
when it come to this, I really think we need something local. I, as I said, I'm
going to say it again. I don't mind if they can give them some of the work, and
some of the work...like some other work will be like...certain work from distance,
and certain work for people locally. That's why I will encourage....I don't...I'm
not going to support budget itself. I'm just going to...we need more people to be
locally, in the ground.
Mims: I would say I think we've all known from June of last year that we were going
down, um, a path that we felt was really important for this community and
absolutely necessary for this community, and also very challenging for this
community. Um, I don't think it's unusual, um, what we're seeing in this
community that the black part of our community is not necessarily unified in how
they look at things. I think to assume that they would be is really naive, I mean...
you've got unique individuals in every segment of the community. I think we
also identified, and if you look back at the history of the TRC since we started,
urn, some of the incredible challenges that they've faced, and I think we've all
identified the fact that they need assistance, um, you know, we've thrown...we've
thrown together a group of people that don't necessarily have experience of
running a commission. Um, they were all new at the beginning. We ended up
adding other new people afterwards. It wasn't like we do with our normal
commissions, where you have a commission's been in place and you add one or
two new people at a time. It was just totally different, trying to get their feet on
the ground and figure out how to move forward. As they have indicated in their
...in their public comments and in their meetings with us, the work they are doing
is very hard, and it is very different than a lot of other commissions, and so I think
the assistance that they need is very specific to the work that they are doing, and
they did an RFP and we got one response and they feel good about the response
that they got, and the conversations and interviews that they had, um, and so I am
supportive of moving forward with this budget piece tonight, um, as has been
mentioned several times, this is not the approval of the actual vendor. Um, I don't
know if we even legally, uh, could continue to accept other applicants at this
point. I'm not sure what the details on that are (mumbled) in terms of a deadline.
Um...but I think to stop this or move this...or slow this down...would just
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absolutely undermine any confidence that the TRC or the public has that this
Council is actually serious about the TRC being successful. Urn...! agree that it
will be helpful in certain aspects of this to have...definitely have people on the
ground here, doing work, and as I read through this and look at this, I think that
will happen, and certainly as...as they are negotiating the details of the agreement,
urn, you know, staff can be looking at what they think as well with that is...is
essential and part of that agreement. So I am totally supportive of moving
forward on this tonight, fully understanding that we will have another budget
recommendation corning from the TRC and we don't know right now how much
that will be. I think part of that will be dictated by the actual agreement that is
reached, if it is, with this vendor, in terms of what they're doing and then what
additional support would be outside. But for any...lack of trust, disagreement
between the TRC and the Council or within the black community, this is what the
TRC has brought us, after an RFP and after a very robust presentation and I feel
that it's really important that we continue to move this forward and show some
trust in the TRC. So I will be supporting this.
Thomas: This is a very kind of unique process, and you know, in the work I did
professionally, sometimes...uh...you know, it's difficult to find any more than one,
in this case, um, vendor who is capable of managing the project, but...so in that
sense I'm not surprised, but I...I do feel that what the...what the consultant will
bring is a framework in which the community will provide the picture. So
the community will come forward in this process, through that framework, and in
that sense, the community will be represented. It is our...truth and reconciliation.
That will be the picture, but what's been missing has been the framework in
which that discussion could take place. So I...I do feel...it is, especially given the
history thus far, that we do need to move forward. At least I'm confident that it,
uh, its success depends on this decision, um, and I...I do feel in the end, the
picture will be of the community that is provided, through that framework....
which is why we...why we...we wrote the ordinance and we're pursuing a truth
and reconciliation.
Taylor: I agree, urn, with Councilor Thomas and although I appreciate Mazahir's
comments about, uh, utilizing local persons, I mean we always talk shop local and
utilize local people, uh, this particular group, although we're not looking at hiring
them as such, an outside group, uh, particularly this one has experience in
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outreach and engagement, and I think as Councilor, uh, Thomas said, that will be
to members of the community, and this group has the experience in actual truth
and reconciliation commissions, and I don't know that we can say that there are
that many individuals in the community as such that have that particular
experience that would be necessary to help the TRC, uh, move forward from this
point.
Teague: I'll make one last comment. Um...I think we...and...and again, I know that we
went forth with this with full intentions and I still believe that the goals of the
TRC is...dead on. That's what we want to happen. Um, on a lot of levels we
didn't begin with the end in mind (laughs) um...when, you know, this consultant,
um, we kind of heard, when we had the joint meeting with the commissioners,
that it was more robust, it was a lot of services. Um, and as I began to hear a lot
of things coming from this, uh, from the vendor, of what they potentially could
do. Um, that's...my mind went to this really is the...somewhat of the framework
that this Council should have had, um, should have had in the beginning, or
should have now, um, and just the whole make-up of the TRC, not saying that we
would of, um, selected them as a facilitator, but what all goes into a TRC? We
didn't have that information, and I understand, um...you know, we're at this point
now, but when I heard the presentation, my mind went to still this, you know,
somewhat should be under (mumbled) make sure that...we have some, you know,
thoughts and input as to, um, you know, what does a TRC mean, cause that's, I
mean, that's what they're doing. Uh, what all...what all does it involve and entail.
Um...you know, when I looked at all of the line items that each one of the people
a part of this team will be doing, um, it was overwhelming on one level, as far as
what they were doing, but I'm not exactly sure, um, you know, if...if it is really
consultant, um, type work or if it's, um....I saw the presentation, I read the
material, and I still don't have a full sense of what they can do, but I guess, you
know, I'm going to...I'll leave it at that and unification, we're not there and I...I
just find it hard to move forth with this type of, uh...with this part of it. I know
we're not approving the facilitator, but I really think that, um, there's a lot more
work to be done and...moving forward with this is a little hard for me. Any other
comments? Roll call please.
Salih: I really don't know. I need time. You can move on. Come last (laughs)
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Teague: I don't know if people really understand how difficult...this is.
Mims: This is a time to vote, not to continue discussion.
Teague: Okay! I can take a minute if I desire. (pause) It is very hard, because you don't
want to be (laughs) furthering any type of disturbance. We want to make sure we
move forward as...as...as we can. I don't know. We're not approving the vendor.
The 197...you know, for the work of...reconciliation, I...I can approve the 197, if
that's...if that's what we're doing, is not approving the vendor, but ul...so I'll just
say yes and I'll leave it at that. Motion passes 7-0.
Weiner: Okay, I apologize but I need to leave. I needed to leave 40 minutes ago, but this
was important enough to stay. Next time let's not...schedule a meeting during a
major Jewish holiday. Thank you.
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12. Friendship Street Traffic Calming—Resolution authorizing the installation of
speed humps on Friendship Street, between Meadow Street and the bridge
west of Upland Avenue.
Teague: Could I get a motion to approve?
Thomas: So moved, Thomas.
Bergus: Second, Bergus.
Teague: And we're going to have, um, comments by staff. Welcome!
Ralston: Thank you. Good evening, uh, Mayor and Council. My name's Kent Ralston,
Transportation Planner. Um, I have something I'm trying to pull up here, and I
can see it, but you cannot. (mumbled) but we can...I can talk through it. So, um,
before you this evening are the next three items. Uh, this as well as the next two
are for traffic calming projects in and around the community, three different
neighborhoods. Uh, it's been a little bit over a year, I believe, since we've talked
about traffic calming, so I wanted to take just a quick minute to talk about what
the policy is and...and how that works before we get into the resolutions
themselves. Um, first and foremost the goal of the traffic calming program is to
reduce excessive speeding and/or volumes, and participation in the program itself
is initiated by the neighborhoods and not imposed by the City. That's important to
know. Uh, there's five steps in the process and all three of the agenda, uh, items
that you will consider have made it through all five steps. Uh, the first step is a
petition for traffic calming, and to be valid, the petition must include signatures
from no less than 50% of the households that would be affected. So on any given
road segment, from point A to point B, we've got to get a petition from 50% or
more of those households to be valid. Uh, and to qualify, uh, it needs to either be
a local residential street or a collector street. Uh, the second step in the study,
once we've received a valid petition, is for, uh, City staff to initiate a traffic study
to measure the vehicle volumes and speeds over a 72-hour period, and we do that
on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays because those are our typical traffic
calming...or, excuse me, our typical, uh, traffic days. Um, if speeds and volumes
meet the criteria for traffic calming, we then review the street section and propose
a set of traffic calming measures that may be safely implemented, and we have
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that discussion with an internal Traffic Calming Committee that we put together
and that has representatives from Public Works, Engineering, Police, Fire, and
Transit, if necessary. Uh, the thresholds to qualify for the traffic calming program
are as follows. Volumes need to exceed 500 vehicles a day on a local street or
1,000 on a collector, and then what's more common is that the streets have, uh,
speed, an 85th percentile speed, that will be 5-miles-per-hour over the posted
speed limit, uh, to qualify. So if it's posted at 25, it's a residential street, you
would then have to be at 30-mile-per-hour, or more, uh, in terms of 85`h percentile
speeds. Uh, we then move on to step three, which is a neighborhood meeting.
Um, we will review the traffic study with residents of the street and describe, uh,
potential remedies, and those come out of the Traffic Calming Committee that I,
uh, prefaced. Um, and the goal of the meeting is to determine whether the support
for the neighborhood to pursue any of the measures that are proposed. So this is
when the neighborhood has a chance to talk to staff, ask us questions about the
program, the policy, or any of the remedies that we are proposing. Uh, it's also a
good time for the neighborhood to learn, uh, what their neighbors think, uh, which
is, I find, a really important tool, uh, as part of the traffic calming process. Uh,
the step, excuse me, step four is the neighborhood survey, and this is kind of the
crux of the traffic calming program. Uh, if we find at the neighborhood meeting
that the neighborhood wants to move forward, uh, we then send out a mail-back
survey card to each household along the affected section, um, and then to be...to
be, to get to this point, you have to have a 50% response rate and then of the 50%
of folks that respond, you have to have a 60% approval rate, and if you don't meet
those thresholds, then staff does not put it on the agenda for your consideration.
And then the last step, of course, is what we're doing this evening and, uh, City
Council has the final say on whether or not we move forward with the, uh, the
projects that are proposed. And I'm happy to answer any questions you have thus
far,just about the program.
Teague: Hearing no questions. Thank you. All right. Would anyone from the public like
to address this topic? If so, please come to the podium. There is a sign-in sheet,
urn, on the side and we ask that you give your name and your address, and you
can sign after you finish speaking, if that's okay. Welcome!
Ross: Thank you very much. Uh, hey...um, first of all I, uh,just as a point of
procedural, uh, you know, with four or five men and six or seven women here, uh,
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it's hard to tell when somebody is actually speaking, uh, some of your voices
modulate the same. It probably would be good if you raised your hand, uh, to
indicate which...which Councilor or manager, uh, were speaking, cause it's
confusing. Also, speaking up is really important. Uh, some of you like John has a
very quiet manner. Uh, with a mask on it's...it's really hard. So this is...this is just
for...for future. Anyway, regarding this issue, uh, traffic calming...traffic would
really be a lot more calm if the City did other things that were broader, so they
wouldn't have to do nit-picky things, like traffic calming. By that, I mean that
you could increase the size and the number of bicycle lanes. You could
discourage traffic by creating other space. Take for instance a two-lane, one-way
street. If one lane were bicycle traffic, and the other lane were car traffic, instead
of the bicycle getting five or four feet or three feet. All areas would do better in
traffic. So you wouldn't have these areas where traffic is naturally going to
collect, because people find on these roads now that the only way to travel is in
fact by using a car. It doesn't feel safe to bike. Uh, we are in a global situation...
where we cannot continue the way that we are continuing. We cannot make roads
for transportation for cars. We're evaporating our, uh, our atmosphere. So traffic
in itself, by comparison, is not that important, whether or not there's a thousand
cars or 900 cars, this is very incremental. This is just looking for tiny things. But
we can do a lot better by all the neighborhoods, and also by people who are
working class, or even middle class, uh, who want to ride the bicycles, who don't
want to get in a car. Uh, creating a situation where there is less traffic, by
providing less places for cars to drive, more places for people to bike or walk.
This is the solution. Thank you so much for all the good works that you folks are
doing.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this topic? And will you please
sign in, Brandon. Thank you!
Rauch: Point of clarification, are we talking about traffic calming in general terms, that
the gentleman just presented on, or are we talking about the specifics situations
that are listed on the agenda?
Teague: It is what's on the agenda, Friendship Street traffic calming.
Rauch: I'll wait my turn then.
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Teague: Okay! Welcome! And I wan to make sure that at least I address, this is the only
item on here, um, unless you're talking about like Duck Creek, is that the one
you're...okay.
Goers: Kenneth Drive coming up as well.
Teague: Okay, great! Welcome!
Rietz: Um, my name is Karen Rietz and I live on, uh, at 948 Duck Creek Drive. Thank
you for the opportunity to speak.
Teague: You're for Duck Creek Drive? (both talking) That's the next agenda item.
Rietz: Okay!
Teague: Okay. Anyone else want to speak on Friendship Street traffic calming?
Welcome!
Noah: Hello, I'm Noah. Um, I agree with the last speaker on that, uh, you know, having
more pedestrian, bicycle friendly streets, and having like an actually decent public
transportation system, which also helps (mumbled) need cars (mumbled) able to
walk, and having affordable housing centered downtown (mumbled) more people
can walk there too. That would be nice, and on the calming, uh, stop having cops
enforce traffic laws. That's...how people get harmed, brutalized, killed, what have
you, so stop them from doing that. We don't need (mumbled) enforcing traffic
laws. Thanks.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address the Friendship Street calming,
traffic calming? Hello!
Ralston: Uh, Kent Ralston,Transportation Planner again. I just wanted to mention that the
resolution is to authorize the installation of speed humps on Friendship Street,
between Meadow Street and the bridge west of Upland. Uh, the residents of
Friendship Street have successfully completed the steps that I outlined previously,
and on July 7th a survey was sent to residents of Friendship Street in order to
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measure support for the proposed speed humps, uh, and in all,just a little bit over
60% of the (mumbled) designated section of Friendship Street did respond, and of
those households that responded, about 82, uh, 82.6% indicated support, so they
did meet the, uh, the thresholds necessary.
Teague: Thank you.
Mims: Kent, can I ask you a question? I should have asked you sooner. And...and this
kind of relates to all three, but to me it's also important on this one, okay, because
I feel like we need some consistency tonight in what we do. Urn, and there were,
I think, some members of the public against each of these three, or at least each of
the first two.
Ralston: Sure!
Mims: One of the things that we heard, urn, I think in a lot of the correspondence was
about our policy and procedures, how we do that, who we survey, the fact that we
basically, I believe, only survey the people on the street. I mean, I heard this from
people when we did Hickory Trail also, that live like on Bluffwood and some of
those other side streets, that were frustrated that they didn't get an opportunity to
have any input when they drive on those streets all the time, and in many cases
have no choice because they're a cul-de-sac off from that main street. So I
guess...I guess I have a question to you in terms of...from your professional
experience, do you think we should be looking at changing the way we do some
of that, and potentially also engaging Council in some of that discussion, maybe
before we either vote or would potentially defer any of these, so that we are
consistent in that on all three. I would hate to...I'd hate to pass one of these and
then we go to another, and simply because it had more negative comments about
it, we choose to defer that, when really...the underlying reason for the deferral
would potentially be the same for all of them. So that's kind of why I'm bringing
it up at this point, rather than waiting till we get to a next one. So...
Ralston: So I'll be the first to say the process isn't perfect, uh, no process is, but what we
do is we post a...like a real estate sign, uh, like we do with Planning and Zoning
matters and that sort of thing in the right-of-way, um, and those have been up for
about three weeks. So we actually notify the neighborhood that there'll be a City
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Council meeting, um, and those signs stay up for anywhere between, you know,
three weeks and five weeks, uh, depending on how much time we have. So that is
really, uh, if the folks weren't involved in the neighborhood meeting, or received
a survey, they would have found out either through conversation with their
neighborhood or from actually seeing those signs. So I guess to answer your
question, urn, I think if you are a regular on that street, whether you're riding your
bike, walking, or driving, you would have seen the signs, and then that way you
are fairly well notified. Urn, again, it's not a...it's not a perfect system, but I think
just by the way that folks wrote to you all, um, it is working, you know, pro...pro
and con.
Mims: Right, and I think the notification piece, like you say, with the number of public
comments we've gotten, that...I guess the piece that I'm struggling with a bit is
the actual process itself. You have brought to Council a number of times over the
year, I've been here 12 years, and we've reviewed and talked about this and have
either not changed it at all or made very minor tweaks to it. And...and I guess I'm
interested in what you have to say, and Council is....is there a legitimate reason to
potentially expand...the group of people who actually get to respon...who actually
receive the surveys and get to respond to those surveys? Right now it is only the
people on maybe a relatively short, designated part of a street, and so I'm just
trying to understand this little better, to feel like I'm making a better decision for
all involved.
Fruin: Yeah, if I could jump in, cause we have...it seems like every couple of years we
review the traffic calming guidelines and we do make some tweaks, and I think
the...the distinction that's come up in the past is, urn, the section of street that...
that is the focus of the...of the speed humps is...is, um...the reason that they're
surveyed and it's not a greater area is because they...they have a different impact,
right? It's not just `I drive down this street, and thus I'm inconvenienced,' or urn,
you know, um...I guess just inconvenienced by the bumps, but maybe it's my kids
play in the front yard and they're...and they're speeding or there's a crosswalk,
you know, near my house where I try to get to the park across the street. So
generally they...they experience the street differently than some of the feeder
streets that might hit that, and that's why we focus it in, um, the survey on that
aspect. If you broaden it out to a bigger neighborhood, that would be fine. I
would say you'll see far less successful applications at that point, because those
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that simply drive down that street and don't experience it as a pedestrian or as a
property owner/renter, urn, are going to have much different views and oftentimes
not going to be supportive. So it would make it much more difficult to expand
(mumbled)
Ralston: Yeah, Geoff's exactly right, and that's been the conversation we've had for years,
is just...is it...is it fair to survey folks that aren't being affected by those speeds.
You know, it's always...we always think of it as if, you know, you have your kids
and your family in the front yard and you're the one that's experiencing, you
know, that....those excessive speeds and it...it affects your quality of life. Should
the neighbors down the street that may be the ones that are actually speeding, um,
get that same vote. So that's been the conversation in the past.
Thomas:. Yeah....yeah, I agree. I think unfortunately there's a perception that this is simply
about speeds, and that's the measure that we're looking at, but it has an impact on,
you know, as Kent was just saying, the quality of life of those who actually live
on that street. Uh, the sound levels go up, the higher the speeds; the use of the
front yard space is impacted as the speeds go up. So there...there are all kinds of
things...triggered by higher speeds that really impact the people living right along
that street...more so than people who just simply use it to get out of the
neighborhood.
Taylor: I'd just like to say that I think that there are many, many streets in Iowa City that
have speeders, and I do have concerns with the line of thinking that, uh, only the
persons on that street are affected, because I think there's that domino effect. I
think the neighboring streets should be surveyed on this, because what's going to
possibly happen, and we heard in some of our letters that we got, was that, uh,
they're going to get, um, traffic diverted through their streets. So they are in the
long run going to be affected by it, and I think that is a concern. I think it would
be a great practice to include residents. It wouldn't need to be the entire,
apparently, street, but maybe at least that first block or so, the neighbors of that
street, because they are affected in the long run, and so I think it would be a
good...good practice, uh, to hear from them also, cause they are also affected, but
the other thing I wanted to mention was, and I think this was in some of our
emails too, that, uh, couldn't we look at some other methods. I know the, urn,
speed limit flashing light on Dubuque Street seems to have been very effective,
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and maybe it's less expensive than putting these speed humps in every so often,
every block or so, and...and couldn't we look at that as an option first.
Salih: I just want to ask you, you mentioned something about threshold for the
Friendship Street. Did you said you met the threshold or it did not? I...I didn't
get that.
Ralston: Yes, they met all the required thresholds. That's correct.
Salih: Okay.
Bergus: It wouldn't be in front of us tonight if they hadn't, right?
Ralston: Correct, yeah. Yes, staff doesn't make judgments on these. If they meet the
thresholds, then they will come before Council. That's right. Yeah, it's very
black and white for us, and in fact, um, we have had some...we have had some in
the past that will come in at a tenth below, you know, the required threshold. So if
the response rate has to be 50% and it comes back at 49.5, we...we won't bring it
to Council,just because, you know, where do you stop? It's just one of those
things where you have to just kind of draw that line and...and make that judgment.
Salih: And, Geoff, when did you need this by? Like is this something urgent?
Fruin: Um, if you needed more time or you wanted to deliberate more, you can defer it,
um, what we typically do is, uh, try to group a few of these together before we go
out and we bid the projects, so we don't bid these individually and, Kent, I don't
know where things stand on the next bid. Would this be the next group to be bid
out probably (both talking)
Ralston: Right, so...so that's why we're bringing it to you, three of these tonight, and that's
not unusual for us to kind of package these up, bring them to you, um, assuming
they passed, then the Engineering group can actually put those all out for bid at
the same time, urn, and try and get those in the next construction season is kind of
the timeline.
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Salih: Do you think if we, if you reach out to the neighborhood...if we defer it and we
reach out to the neighborhood and see like if there is fund, uh, this is going to take
like really from the line that you want it by or you can still do that?
Ralston: You know, I think...I think, like Geoff mentioned, I don't think there's a....a real
urgency to this. I think in the next couple two or three months would be good,
just so we can make sure we meet our timelines in the spring, um, but I will say
that I think if you open it up to the larger neighborhood, uh, this is just my
opinion, but I would say that the vast majority of these would fail. Um, it's not
unusual that most of the negative comments actually come from the folks that
don't live on the affected portion of the street, um, and I think that's just...I think
that's just the way it's been.
Salih: Uh, I don't know how you do this, but...can we do like, I don't know, but can we
do something like giving...more (mumbled) to the neighboringhood and...the
people who live in the street and let's (mumbled) and just try to make the
percentage of the...I don't know, but something like that, like...if there is a way
that we can change the system. And it's also this is...we have first to change the
way that we conduct this or do this first, and after that we can start it again or this
is...we can just defer it and...asking the neighborhood.
Mims: To me we either change...we either...if we're going to defer it, then it would be to
us, I would think, have a discussion with staff about how we change the process.
To me we can't just go out and start arbitrarily interviewing or getting surveys
from other people, if we haven't actually changed the process. Otherwise we're
not being fair to people across the community. So I'm...just wanted to raise that
because we had so many people on the Duck Creek one. I...I would have one
other question, and that is the...picture that was in here, speed humps versus speed
bumps. Are most of the speed humps that are put in now do not go across the
entire street? They are...I don't know, this says like 10 to 12-feet wide or
something, because they're very different what's on...what's on Kimball Road, I
think are old ones, that I think maybe are wider and higher and kind of steeper...
Ralston: Yep!
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Mims: ...if you will, versus the ones that are on...as you go east on Jefferson and then
(both talking) uh, is Glendale?
Ralston: Glendale, yep, correct.
Mims: Those are very different.
Ralston: Yeah. So...so we prefer the kind that stretch all the way across the street, urn,
however, we put in what we call modified speed humps. In all three of these that
will come before you tonight are...would be the modified sort, and those are like
the ones on Glendale, and there's actually a photo of it in your...in your packet.
The reason for that is when we meet with our Traffic Calming Committee, our
internal committee, uh, the Fire department, if they believe they have emergency
access issues or...it doesn't quite...they have difficulty basically reaching that
neighborhood, they will ask us to use the modified speed humps, because the
stance of their vehicles is wide enough that they can essentially pass over them,
more or less unfettered, where a private vehicle cannot, because your wheel base
is shorter so you actually hit the hump itself. So...so these would be the modified
sort.
Mims: Okay.
Ralston: We would really only like to use these in cases where the Fire department says,
you know, it's one of the harder...neighborhoods to access or it's further from the
fire station and so on.
Mims: And I would say for me, having...I drive over the Kimball ones fairly often, and
you slow down to about 10-miles-an-hour(laughs) to go over those, and I just
happen to be on Glendale this past weekend and driving over those and noticing
that significant difference.
Ralston: Yeah.
Mims: But still in my car, I wouldn't go much over 25 to 27-miles-an-hour going over
those. So the speed limit's 25. I'm not going to be going 30, 35-miles-an-hour
over those. I mean, and I was just over those this weekend. So that also makes
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me feel better about going ahead with this now, is that these would be the
modified ones, in that I think they're going to slow people down, but when people
talk about having to...that it really disrupts their...their travel, I don't think these
modified ones do.
Ralston: Yeah, so there's a couple...that's a good point, urn, and the goal of the speed
humps, or modified speed humps in this case, is not to get you down to 10 or 15-
mile-an-hour. We do the best we can. You know, when they construct these
they're actually rolling asphalt with whatever tools they can. So it's very difficult
to get them right, um, but they all, you know, at the end of the day they all meet
the specified requirements from the Engineering group. Urn, but...yeah, they're
not all equal, but the goal is never to get speeds down to 10 or 15-mile-an-hour.
The goal is to take that, basically those really high speeds off the 85`h percentile
speed, and if you look in some of the materials, urn, for these projects tonight, I
mean some of the 85...the 85`h percentile speeds are upwards of 35, 40-mile-an-
hour. So I mean we're not trying to get folks to go really slow through the
neighborhood. We're just trying to knock off sort of the worst offenders and bring
it down to a reasonable...a reasonable speed.
Salih: I have a question for you. Normally the...those speed hump would be like decided
by the City to put them on the street or the neighbor requested because of certain
reason?
Ralston: I missed the first part, I'm sorry, Mazahir.
Salih: Like...the City will decide to put a street hump in any street that they want, or the
neighbor will request to the City to ask them to put a speed hump?
Ralston: It's...it's the latter, yeah. We never go out and look for these. These are all
neighborhood-driven processes, and...and typically the way it works is someone
will call the City. They will call our office and say, hey, we have a speeding issue
on our street, and Sarah Walz, who's also here tonight, she does the heavy lifting
on the program, and she will say, well, let's see, you know, if you're on a
residential street or a collector street you could participate in the program. Uh,
they go out and get that petition and then if they get their petition, that starts the
rest of the...the rest of those steps that we outlined earlier.
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Salih: I thinks, you know (mumbled) they come out to ask for something, because they
really think this is dangerous maybe for their kids, maybe for there is a lot kids
around the area or something. That why I just believe that, you know,
yeah...doing a survey (mumbled) like the...like neighbors, like neighboring
community is, they are not...they don't live there, they don't see the issue, they
don't see like this is really dangerous for them or not. They just want to drive by
that area, but the people who live there...I think the people who supposed to make
the decision about. Maybe they have a lot of children around that area and they
crossing the street normally or something like that and they want to just make this
dangerous situations less dangerous for them. Uh, I...I still think the neighbors
supposed to have the big voice on this issue.
Teague: Any more questions for Kent? Thank you!
Ralston: Thank you.
Teague: All right! Wanted to make sure there was no one else from the public that wanted
to address this topic. Welcome!
Mims: We're still just on Friendship. (laughs)
Teague: Yes, we're still just on Friendship (several talking) Okay. All right. Uh, seeing
no one out there. Um, I know Council has deliberated here and there with
questions to staff, so we'll continue that Council discussion.
Salih: I just believe this is...if this has been requested by the neighbor (mumbled) want
this because of certain issues in that neighborhood, I thinks I will vote yes for it.
Thomas: Yeah, I...I will be supporting it as well. One other...aspect of speed that, you
know, is not indicated in the report would be, uh, you know, the chances of
someone being hit. If someone were, a child say, to run out into the street and be
hit, at 30-miles-per-hour, the chances of that child living is about 50/50. If...and
as the speed increase, say to 40-miles-per-hour, the chances of that child being
killed go up to 9 out of 10. So there's a very significant, um, the...these speeds
(laughs) you know, are...are...these numbers actually translate to matters of
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serious injury or death, and urn...you know, fortunately those things are
infrequent, but...but the reality is is that there are consequences to these higher
speeds. It's kind of a spectrum from, you know,just the annoyance and disruption
that can be caused by it, and in some cases, serious injury and death.
Bergus: I think the other important thing is that these are the modified speed humps, not
the speed bumps and I drive on Sandusky pretty often, where there's the lower
speed humps and you can maintain a 25-mile-an-hour speed. I bike it, I drive it, I
ride the bus over it, and it's not disruptive. Um, it really is just bringing down
that...that higher speed. So I'm grateful to the comments, uh, about the first
responders as well that we make sure we're addressing that, and I think if you're
not accelerating and decelerating, but you're maintaining a speed, um, that also
addresses some of the climate concerns that were, um, provided by comments, uh,
from the public to us as well.
Thomas: I'll just add one comment, and it doesn't change my...my vote on this, but you
know I've spoken about the notion of self-regulating streets. I would much prefer
we look at our designs and see if we can't come up with a design where the
desired speed, which is 25-miles-per-hour, uh, would...would take place without
having to come in afterwards and...and install speed humps. So...that would be
my goal! I would love to see us revisit, you know, our way...the way in which we
design our streets. So this is more looking forward to new streets, so that we
don't have to go back in at some later date and....install speed humps or some
other...some other remedy, which would reduce the speed. If we...perhaps it's
incorporating some of those traffic calming elements in the original design, um,
but the speed humps are my least favorite approach. It's really...and we...we do
them because they're...in part because they're affordable, relative to some of the
other improvements. So that would be my....my suggestion is that, you know, in
terms of future development to see if we can't some up with a street design that
would avoid this situation.
Mims: Which we all...we have done, I mean in Tamarack we put in (both talking)
Thomas: Yeah!
Mims: ...couple of, uh, circle...traffic circles, small traffic circles, um...
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Thomas: Right.
Mims: Because that happened to be a long block there that wasn't...there wasn't any real
way to make it a shorter block. These are older streets that have longer blocks,
which is not what staff recommends these days. So I mean I think that was a
speci...a very clear example of Tamarack, where we were proactive on trying to
do a design change, um, so that hopefully we'd never have to go in (both talking)
Thomas: ...that certainly helps at the intersection, you know, it...it...it's through the block
length that (mumbled)
Teague: All right, any other comments? Roll call please. Motion passes 6-0. Could I get
a motion to accept correspondence?
Mims: So moved, Mims.
Salih: Second, Salih.
Teague: All in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 6-0.
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13. Duck Creek Drive Traffic Calming—Resolution authorizing the installation
of speed humps on Duck Creek Drive between Duck Creek Place and the
trail at Hunter's Run Park.
Teague: Could I get a motion to approve?
Salih: Move.
Mims: Second.
Teague: Moved by Salih, seconded by...Mims. And welcome again!
Ralston: Yeah, thank you! Uh,just quickly, the residents of Duck Creek Drive, urn, have
successfully completed the same City, uh, the same steps that we outlined in the
last agenda item, uh, for the Iowa City traffic calming program. Uh, back in early
July, a survey was sent to residents of the neighborhood in order to measure
support for the proposed modified speed humps. In all, uh,just under 80% of the
occupied residences along the portion of Duck Creek Drive responded to the
survey, and of those households that responded, uh, 73.9% indicated support. So
just as the last agenda item, uh, they met all the required thresholds, and again,
made it through all the steps necessary.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? Please take
the podium, and then after you're done you can sign in back there.
Rietz: I did, thank you. Um, my name is Karen Rietz. I missed the party. I live one
house away from those that were included in the neighborhood meeting.
Teague: Can you give us your address please?
Rietz: I live at 948 Duck Creek Drive, which is the first residence after Hunter's Run
Park. And so I speak for those who live on the remainder of the block on Duck
Creek and the three cul-de-sacs, urn, off of Duck Creek. The only way to access,
urn, to get out of their...their home would be to come on Duck Creek Drive. Um,
there are...I'm understanding from Mr. Ralston and Miss Walz that, urn, that you
have to draw a line on who you have to invite to comment, but if Miss Mims and
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Miss Taylor lived...if they are the people that lived on the portion, um, that was
invited to be part of the survey, and 75 or 85% of them said...got to participate,
and all of you, all the way to Mr. Goers, had to drive on, urn, on the speed humps
that were selected and voted on by Miss Mims and Miss Tay...Councilperson
Taylor, then...that...that would be a concern to me, and I'm hearing Mr. Ralston
state that you have to draw the line somewhere, and the quality of life and the,
um, the danger of being able to be in your front yard really affects those in the,
urn, in the area, and that if we were to have a larger group included, that these
resolutions would never pass. I think I would like t he Council to take a look at
that. Urn, why wouldn't they pass? One of the people that lives in the area of
Duck Creek that is not in favor of this said, well, where I'm from we just train our
children not to go there. My children are 3 and 4, and they don't go in the street.
How many of you, since you sat down here tonight, have thought that the ceiling
might fall down on you? It could, it absolutely could. So the problem that is
being addressed, um, these limited tools to address speeding, is to address
complaints but not collisions. There have been three collisions not on the section
of Duck Creek where the speed humps are being placed, and Miss Walz in
correspondence with me said the speed humps are to address speeding, not safety.
So I would like, my request to the Council is to ask to defer the...to defer the vote
on the speed humps on Duck Creek, until a larger percentage of those that have
property on Duck Creek can be included in the, um, in the neighborhood meetings
and have an opportunity to speak. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one, Council
discussion?
Salih: I just have another question.
Teague: For Kent?
Salih: Yes, for Kent. Like...on Duck Creek, how many people you send the survey, how
many household did you send the survey to?
Ralston: Let's see here, the survey was sent to...29 homes.
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Salih: And how many you think on that street that you exclude them because you have
to draw the line somewhere?
Ralston: Uh, I don't know...I don't know how to answer that question, because, again,
Duck Creek Drive keeps winding...sort of around towards the park,but then
there's also any number of streets that...that come off of Duck Creek Drive, so
again it's hard to know...who we're excluding and who we're (laughs) who we're
not. Sorry, that's not a good answer, but...
Salih: Yeah. I just....i'm not familiar with that (laughs) Duck Creek Street, that's why
I'm asking this question. So...
Ralston: So to be clear, the surveys went to the households that were in the...what will be
the affected portion. That's the idea.
Salih: And those is speed bump will be....between those 29 houses?
Ralston: They will fall within that area, yes, correct.
Salih: Okay. But...people that you never send survey to, in front (mumbled) anything.
It's not going to be placed there. Only on those area that you draw the line.
Ralston: Correct, and...and I...I may be wrong, there may be a few houses that would have
to cross these speed humps, but most of the households have other accesses out to,
uh, out of the neighborhood. So it may divert a little bit of traffic off of Duck
Creek too and we try not to divert traffic, urn, but some of our...we always collect
data pre- and then post, of course after the installations and, um, some of that
diverted traffic might be 5 or 10%. So we're not seeing huge numbers, but um,
there are other ways out of this neighborhood as well.
Salih: Sure. Thank you.
Thomas: Kent, was...was the, um, so they...the study was done right up to Hunters Run
there, but it wasn't...you didn't consider the full length of Duck Creek Drive?
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Ralston: No, that's correct,just between the trail that would take you into Hunters Run
park and then up to...Duck Creek Place, which is just shy of Rohret Road. Yep.
Thomas: So you didn't get a petition from the rest of Duck Creek Drive or you just...the
speed, did you measure the speeds? Beyond...
Ralston: No, we did not measure the speeds outside of this affected area. Yeah.
Thomas: Okay.
Ralston: And the petition would have also come from this affected area. Yep, and it's not
unusual, um, what we usually find,just to expand on this a little bit, is that streets
that...like Duck Creek Drive for instance. If this moves forward, and the speed
humps go in, what we most often find is later on we might get another petition
from a group that's down the street, and in fact that happened on Friendship.
Thomas: Okay.
Ralston: So Friendship Street, uh, which we just discussed. There's already a traffic
calming installation speed humps further to the east. So more often than not, we
actually get neighbors saying, hey, I want some of those too. How do we move
forward? So we actually come back and...and do that. It's not been the City's
policy to expand on these without the neighborhood asking us. You know, it's
very neighborhood driven.
Teague: Any other questions for Kent? Thank you! Continuing Council discussion?
Thomas: Well this one may set the record for the 85`h percentile (laughs) speeds on...on one
of those segments. It's almost 50-miles-an-hour. Um...now I...I, in looking at
this, the topography is a factor. You can't read the topography, but I looked that
up, um, on GIS and there is a...a slope on that section, uh, from Duck Creek Place
down to Hunters Run, so that contributes. Uh, you also have...this was I think
Sarah noted a 31...foot wide street, if I'm not mistaken. One of the issues that
I've observed is that, um, on many of these low density residential streets, you...
you have a street like this, 31-feet wide, uh, if you have limited parking occurring
on that street, you have in effect, uh, 15-foot lanes, um, for...for your two-way
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traffic, and as (mumbled) reference that I typically consider is that the lane widths
on an interstate freeway are 12-feet. You can drive safely on an interstate at 70-
miles-an-hour in a 12-foot wide lane. So it's...it's not surprising that if..you could
almost...you see cars going at the 85th percentile, at 50-miles-an-hour, when you
have 15-feet of lane, uh, assuming again that there aren't many cars parked on the
street. So that's a common condition that I've observed on many residential
streets is they're designed to accommodate street parking, but because it's so easy
to park off-street, uh, you end up with excessive lane width. And that...promotes
higher speeds, and that's, I think, what we're seeing here.
Salih: I don't see this really different from the other one and, uh, if we really want to
look at like more neighbors to be included, we should go ahead and maybe look at
our policy that we have in place, but for the sake of this, I thinks this is done,
using the procedure that we have right now in the City, and I will be supporting
this.
Teague: Yeah, I think the procedure that we have in place now, um, did what it...did what
it was supposed to, and so I'll support it. Any other comments? Roll call please.
Motion passes 6-0. Could I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Bergus: So moved, Bergus.
Salih: Second, Salih.
Teague: All in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 6-0.
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14. Kenneth Drive Traffic Calming—Resolution authorizing the installation of
speed humps on Kenneth Drive, between Court Street and Camden Road.
Teague: Could I get a motion to approve please?
Thomas: So moved, Thomas.
Salih: Second, Salih.
Teague: All right, welcome!
Ralston: Thank you! Uh, similar to your last two agenda items, um residents of Kenneth
Drive have also successfully completed the steps in the City of Iowa City's traffic
calming program. Uh, back in early July a survey was mailed to 21 households
along the designated portion of Kenneth Drive, again in order to measure support
for the modified speed humps. In all, 61.9% of the households responded to the
survey, and of those households that responded, uh, 61.5% indicated support, uh,
for the proposal.
Teague: Any questions for Kent? Thank you! Urn, we ask that the public come now, and
you can sign that at the end. Thank you! Welcome!
Rauch: Welcome, uh, my name's Kevin Rauch. I live at 4145 Ruth Street and like the
lady that spoke before me, I'm one house away from the select group of people
that got to provide input. But I'm...I'm a little confused about some of the
findings and the statement that the majority of the people along Kenneth are in
fact in favor of the speed humps. If I'm reading the correspondence correctly, a
survey was sent to 21 people, of which eight responded affirmatively that they
wanted the speed humps. In my math, eight out of 21 is not a majority of the
people indicating a desire to have speed humps along, uh, Kenneth Drive. Um,
I...and I don't believe the failure to respond should be construed as a positive
vote, uh, by the same token. In this situation, it appears to me that no one group
has a majority vote within the group—38% were in favor, 24%were against, and
38% did not vote. To me that's not a majority vote, uh, representing that. I'd also
like to reiterate an earlier communication that I'd shared with Sarah and...and you
have, I'm trusting, in your packets. That surveying 21 households,uh,
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representative of the area is not representative of the neighborhood. The
neighborhood is bigger than the 21 houses that live along Kenneth Street. There
are over 100 houses in a neighborhood that I would call between Kenneth,
Charles, and Camden is what I would call representative of the neighborhood,
because those are the people that are going to be affected by the change in, uh,
travel in and out along Kenneth Street, whether they have to drive over the speed
humps or they change their path from their homes on a daily basis to get out of
their homes to the neighborhood to avoid the speed humps. Um, I believe that if
there is a need for traffic calming and speed humps are going to be a
consideration, because all of the other suggestions we've submitted to the City
have been politely declined, for lack of a better term. That other people's
considerations should be taken in...other people's thoughts and ideas should be
taken into consideration. I understand the City policy, uh, only requires that those
households along the street directly affected be included in the survey, but I
believe that policy is flawed. And I believe that the policy needs to be reviewed
and needs to be revised, in order to share equal representation...and inclusivity
and provide the opportunity for all parties impacted by decisions such as this
(both talking)
Teague: Thank you!
Rauch: ...to vote on the solutions.
Teague: Thank you. (both talking)
Rauch: ...to continue to perpetuate a flawed policy (both talking)
Teague: Thank you.
Rauch: ...is in error.
Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one, Council
discussion?
Salih: I just want to make sure...Kent, again please! (laughs) Yeah, you send it to 21
household, 61% reply. That what you're saying, right? And out of those 61%,
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you said how many, uh, how much...what's the percentage of the people who said
yes?
Ralston: Yep, so...so in all, the survey was mailed to 21 households and 13 resear...13
responded, and that...and that's important to know because then of the 13, uh,
eight indicated support. And that ends up with the 61.5% approval rate.
Salih: Of the people who respond, okay.
Ralston: And so...and....and....
Salih: What the threshold?
Ralston: 60%. Yeah, a 50% response rate and then a 60% approval rate. Yep, and when
you get...and the gentleman's not incorrect. You know, at certain times when
some of these numbers get fairly small, right, the percentages change drastically,
and that's one of the...one of the things about the policy.
Salih: Yeah, and the total is only 21...also that's something, yeah, but...I just lost my
thought. Yeah. Thank you (laughs)
Mims: Kent, in this one...and how, and I guess this is true in all of them. How is it
determined what segment of the street was going to be included?
Ralston: Right. So what typically happens is, as I mentioned earlier, it's...it's a
neighborhood driven process. So what happens most often is a neighbor will call
and say we've got this issue, um, and they will say here's our address and,you
know, I've got a couple of my neighbors that think the same way. I mean that's
kind of typically how these start. Um, in this case, if you...so then we say, okay,
what section of roadway are you speaking of. In this case for Kenneth, the
section between Court and Camden is just sort of a nice, clean break. Um, that's
one of the only east-west streets that's contiguous, so that's when we say, okay,
well if you're one house short of Camden, let's just get to Camden, right? So we
look for natural breaks. Um, with, uh, Duck Creek Drive, we sort of looked for
that natural break in front of a park and then for Friendship Street, it happened to
be Meadows Street. So we typically look for some natural break because,
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again... we don't try and extend these, you know, we don't try and impose this on
the neighborhood. We just say, okay, we've got to have some neat and tidy area
that we can survey.
Mims: Okay.
Ralston: So again, it's not...it's an imperfect science, but we try to make a clean break.
Urn, in recent memory I don't remember ever saying, okay, well let's just stop at
this one particular lot line.
Mims: Sure.
Ralston: You know, we try and find some natural break, and that's the way the...the actual
traffic calming, um, works, right? So whether it's speed humps or whatever, we
try and kind of handle that in segments. Um, and that's just the natural breaks in
this case is Camden down to Court.
Mims: Okay. Thank you!
Salih: I just remember my question now. Uh, you said that, yeah, you send to 21, 13
responded. Can you just tell me the time between you send the letter to them and
the time you make a decision about this? How many days do you give them to
respond?
Ralston: Uh, we will typically give them no less than two weeks.
Salih: Oh!
Ralston: Yeah, I mean we try to give them three weeks to a month, if we can. Just kind of
depends on when City Council meetings fall and...and when we can hold the
neighborhood meeting, um, but always at least...at very minimum two to three
weeks.
Salih: Yeah, thank you, Kent. Yeah. I...I just think that 21 household, we send it to 21,
given them two week, 13 respond, eight did not respond, and I'm...maybe they
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just don't care if they have it or not. So (mumbled) respond, that's will make it,
you know, eight of them they said yes and 61%, I thinks, so...
Walz: This is Sarah Walz, Transportation Planner. So Kent is right about the time frame.
We usually give,when it's over the summer like this was, we gave a full month
for them to respond.
Salih: Oh!
Walz: Because we assume that people might be away, so they did have them for a full
month.
Salih: Yeah. Good enough! (laughs) Thank you.
Teague: Thank you, Kent.
Ralston: Thank you!
Teague: All right. Any other discussion?
Bergus: I just want to acknowledge those who came and spoke and thank you for letting
us know your opinions, um, and all the people who wrote in. Um, to Mayor Pro
Tem's point earlier of how do we kind of balance or weight, is there a way to
consider the people who live right in the impacted area, versus others who are
driving who might be inconvenienced, and I think that's why we have the public
comment, that's why we have the opportunity to receive the emails, and to have
the time frame for that to happen. So I hope that people understand that they are
heard, even if we end up balancing it one way or the other, we're trying to provide
that opportunity to give input and it's up to us to then weigh or give weight to the
feedback as we see appropriate.
Thomas: Yeah, I think this one, um...was probably the one with the least, uh...you know,
speeds were not as high over the speed limits as on the other two, um...but
nevertheless, they were over, they qualified, um...and I think the comment that
has been made on...the modified speed hump is a pretty benign hump. I mean I
drive the one on Glendale and, uh, Jefferson and it really does seem to...assuming
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it does get...the speeds down to 25, plus or minus, um, does so in a pretty gentle
way. So I think it's...it's effective in that regard. But I...I did want to...given this
opportunity. One of the issues here, urn, beyond what we're considering, is...is
what are...what are we setting the speed by which we trigger these calm...
calmings, these traffic calmings? And...and one of the things, and I...I haven't
looked at this sort of subject matter in a while, but uh, what we're seeing
worldwide is that cities are reducing their speed limits. Urn, Portland is the best
example in the United States. They've reclassified something like 70% of their
residential streets to 20-miles-per-hour. Because it's the safest speed for mixed-
use—people, children, bicycles and so forth. Uh, earlier this year on a global
scale,just saw this this afternoon, um, at the Sixth UN Global Road Safety Week,
uh, celebration or acknowledgment, uh, which was in May earlier this year, uh,
the UN advocated for that same speed, which as like kilometers measures as...as
30 kilometers per hour. So that's the trend, is people...cities are saying we need to
reduce speeds from what they have been, uh, to try to promote more range of...of
mobility—walking and biking and so forth. So we're setting it at 30 (laughs) you
know, we're 20-miles-per-hour over that, what...what is now becoming more
commonly, urn, used as a reference point in terms of what's a safe speed. Um, but
again, I, you know, given the circumstances in which we're considering this, um,
the...the effect is just to bring the speed back down to what it's supposed to be.
Uh, and...and it does so in a pretty benign way.
Teague: Any other comments? Roll call please. Motion passes 6-0. Could I get a motion
to accept correspondence?
Mims: So moved, Mims.
Bergus: Second, Bergus.
Teague: All in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion passes 6-0.
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16. Community Comment [IF NECESSARY] (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA)
Teague: Which we'll ask...for USG to give us some updates. Hello!
Van Heukelom: Hi, Council, and Iowa City community. Um, we don't have any USG specific
updates; however, we wanted to speak on the recent events that happened within
the Iowa City community. Um, there is a trigger warning, cause I'm going to
mention sexual assault. Um, in response to the report of violence committed by
the University of Iowa Fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, the University of Iowa
Student Government is calling on University of Iowa leadership, as well as local
leaders such as you all to act in response. Right now students and community
members need to see you, hear you, and understand that you care about them.
The response displayed by our community last week isn't the result of an isolated
incident but rather a result of a systemic issue. Today our community is hurting,
but weeks from now we cannot forget that there are students and community
members who are hurting every day because of an experience like this one.
Collective pain is one of the hardest things to endure as a community; however, it
should be seen as an opportunity to reflect on what actions need to be taken to
make our community stronger. As leaders of our institutions, students expect and
deserve transparency, accountability, and meaningful action.
Miglin: We understand the complex nature and confidentiality of sexual misconduct
procedures; however, we want to see City work with Student Government and the
University to actively prevent violence from happening in our community again.
Comprehensively work to prevent future sexual assault cases such as by
committing Johnson County to fully investigate this particular case, as well as
provide further information on the current state of reporting and investigating of
sexual assault in Iowa City. We encourage the City Council to have a
representative from Johnson County to speak on the delays of the survivor's case
at the next City Council meeting. We also wish to, uh, see partnerships with City
bars and local hubs to provide resources in bathrooms and in other public spaces
that include a way to report sexual assault and City resources for immediate help.
Uh, as well as partner with local organizations, such as RVAP, and the WRAC by
providing direct monetary assistance to those organizations, as well as to engage
with the communities affected by this systemic violence. At the next City Council
meeting we would like to add time to the work session agenda to further discuss
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actions we must take and allow the community to speak on the issue. At the
following City Council meeting, these conversations can help us shape a
resolution City Council can pass regarding next steps to address sexual violence
in our community. Together we can change the culture of our institutions and
create a safer community for everyone. We look forward to working with you all,
um, in order to improve our city through the actions above. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you all so much and thank you for being here all day today and, urn, the
subject matter, of course, is very, urn, full of compassion, so really appreciate you
coming forth today.
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