Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-02-15 TranscriptionPage 1 Council Present: Staff Present: Alter, Bergus, Harmsen, Taylor, Teague, Thomas, Weiner Davies, Goers, Fleagle, Fruehling, Fruin, Havel, Kilburg, Jones, Seydell-Johnson, Sitzman, Sovers Others Present : Miglin (USG) Teague: And we're going start with roll call, please. [Roll call.] All right, well welcome again, Councilors. We had a little bit of a break from the work session, um, between the work session and the formal meeting and welcome to everyone that is here, present in, uh, I'll I'll call it council chambers, um, and also to everyone that is zooming in or through social media websites. Welcome. I hope that your yesterday was, um, Valentine's Day. I hope you had a pleasant day. 2.a. COVID Update -- Johnson County Public Health Teague: We're going to start with item number 2, uh, 2a, which is COVID update from Johnson County Public Health. And we'll welcome Sam Jarvis, who is the Community Health Division Manager. Jarvis: Good afternoon to the City of Iowa City, uh, City Council, uh, Sam Jarvis. Johnson County Public Health has always appreciated the opportunity to provide updates. And certainly, uh, as many can see, uh, we are, uh, seeing pretty positive trends, uh, across the board. And so as we've reported out in the past several weeks, uh, we've seen some of the highest cases, uh, we've seen throughout the entire pandemic, uh, looking at seven-day periods of roughly 1600 cases, uh, within a week, uh, to date, uh, within the last seven days, we've seen roughly about 400, so we've decreased quite dramatically, uh, and so we're happy to see this trend, uh, and we're, uh, we're continuing to monitor what that local transmission is, uh, in our community as best as possible, knowing that, uh, there's been, uh, a decrease in Test Iowa kit, uh, demand. Uh, at one point in time, we were pushing out several pallets of test kits, you know, roughly 1200 at, at a time, uh, with help from our community partners at libraries and municipalities. Uh, but this past week, I believe we've, we've pushed out roughly six cases of 50. So, um, the desire is, is certainly different and we know that rapid antigen tests are more available within the community, uh, which also, uh, most know that those, uh, test results are not reported to us. So there's a lot of variability, but certainly overall we're seeing good trends. Uh, we've seen hospitalizations across the state decrease as well. Uh, and so we know that, uh, all of these things are matching up and we're seeing positive trends in that regard. And so we hope to continue to see that decrease. Uh, we know lot of folks are eyeing that, uh, in our local communities, uh, knowing that it's also linked to mask This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 2 recommendations. And so we're monitoring that as well, um, but, uh, to put it into context, uh, roughly 97% of counties across the entire United States are still within high transmission, so, uh, where we were once extremely high, uh, with our Omicron surge, uh, we're still in high transmission. And so, uh, we are still encouraging folks to be vigilant, uh, and to be mindful of all the other mitigation practices that we are able to take. Uh, the other thing, uh, to note, uh, and certainly within recent new is the change with, um, vaccination for pediatric populations, uh, specifically our six-month to four year olds, uh, we are waiting to hear more word and, and excited to have that roll out, uh, within the coming week. Uh, we know that our, our federal partners, uh, have given notice that Pfizer has, uh, taken a step back to review, uh, data and collect more data on evaluation of a third dose. And so, um, that vaccination for that population has been delayed at this moment. Uh, we do not have an updated timeline on that, but, uh, as soon as we know, we'll continue to, uh, share that information and prepare and plan with our partners. We know for the most part, uh, with that population, it is likely that many will want to receive that vaccination from their pediatrician or, or, or their doctor's office. And so we'll continue to plan with those and be vigilant and mindful of whether or not, um, different areas, if there's a need for community-based clinics. Uh, if, if so, uh, certainly we'll work with our partners to do that, but again, if we're looking at a vaccine with three dose, a three dose, uh, series, it just adds, uh, another, uh, tier of logistics and, and hurdles to, to overcome, but, uh, certainly throughout the entire vaccine campaign, we've, we've overcome quite, quite a few of those hurdles. So, um, as always, uh, appreciate our partnership, appreciate all of our partners, our community, um, because after almost two years, we've, we've accomplished a lot. Uh, we've got a high vaccination rate within our community. We also have a very high, uh, booster rate, uh, so many folks in our community are up to date with their vaccinations, which provide the most protection. So again, grateful, uh, for everyone, uh, their patience and understanding, uh, and doing the right thing. So with that, happy to answer any questions. Harmsen: ?m, a couple of quick questions, first of all, uh, what was the said transmission rate for the last seven days at about, uh, 400 cases? Um, seems like the last time we were, uh, feeling a, uh, a little bit better was pre -Delta last summer. What was the case rate? I mean, if you know, off the top of your head, if not, I'm, I didn't prep you for that question, so. Jarvis: No, no, quite all right. Uh, you know, within, uh, the last summer, uh, July, uh, we saw probably our lowest trends and I believe we were under about 30 cases a day. Harmsen: Okay. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 3 Jarvis: Uh, and then even got to the point where some days where we were single digits, uh, and so that was, uh, also pre -Delta. So, uh, we did not have the evidence that persons who are vaccinated could transmit, uh, illness at that time. Uh, and so at that point we were feeling pretty good and probably at the safest point, um, before we've seen, um, different variants. Harmsen: Thank you. That helps with kind of context to the numbers, even though they've come down, we're still not where we were last summer. Jarvis: Absolutely. Harmsen: Uh, pre Delta. Uh, the other question is I know that the state has changed a little bit the way it's tracking and reporting numbers, although I believe the state health department is still tracking those numbers. Has that had any impact on, on the reliability of the numbers that you are able to bring forward? Jarvis: Uh, for the most part, to our understanding of the moment, uh, we believe that it'll have minimal impact in our local operations, certainly that will change, uh, overall the, the positivity rate, uh, as, uh, the state has mentioned, um, only positive test results will be required to be reported. Negative test results will not be, uh, and so that denominator for, um, uh, positivity rate won't be available, but, uh, to our knowledge, uh, the positive, uh, results will still reported, uh, and still be reported to the CDC where they are tracking for that community transmission. So overall, uh, there is some loss of visibility, but, uh, we don't believe that it will be a dramatic impact and likely we were entering a scenario where that would occur anyways, given the, um, the availability of rapid at-home tests, so. Teague: When you're talking about lack of visibility, um, now that we have the federal government that is sending home kits, as well as the availability of home kits that people can pick up from a local pharmacy, what is, what is your sense of, um, you know, the community's knowledge of the spread of COVID? Um, do you think that there's a sense, a false sense because we don't see the numbers, these are also not reported unless there's a way to self- report? Jarvis: Uh, that's a great question. And, and, uh, at this point it's hard to say given how soon and new a lot of these changes are occurring, um, within succession, uh. Likely we are continuing to see, um, uh, what would be described as a, you know, absolutely seeing a decrease in, in transmission. Uh, it's matching up with what we're seeing with hospitalizations. Um, mortality rates have slowed as well. Uh, it's matching what other states are seeing as well after they've seen their Omicron surge. So, I, you know, I, I This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 4 think with certitude, we are heading in the right direction, uh, in terms of the exactness, uh, of that, uh, I think is still unknown. Um, but as always, Test Iowa kits are still available, um, providers are still providing COVID-19 tests and also reporting those positive results. So there is some still, uh, visibility. It's just not as, uh, we'll say pronounced as it once was. And we'll continue to look at and determine how much of an impact that will be. Bergus: Sam, you mentioned boosters. Do you have, uh, data on where Johnson County is as far as percentage of people who have gotten that third shot? Jarvis: Uh, right now I, from, uh, state data, it looks like our community is roughly about 40%, uh, up to date with their vaccination status. So, um, overall that's, uh, I believe the highest in the state, uh, it's comparable, uh, to what annual flu vaccination rates are as well. So again, I, I, headed in a good direction. Uh, certainly what we'd like to see that match our total or fully vaccinated rate, which is about 71%. Absolutely. Um, why there's that large of gap, certainly there's the timing. Uh, some folks may not be eligible for their booster yet, uh, but there may also just be, um, less of a concern. Uh, certainly, uh, we've done our, uh, our due diligence to continue promote that because of the Omicron variant, it's very necessary, uh, to be boosted, but, uh, you know, it's still some unanswered questions that well have to continue to, to look into. Teague: All right. Well, thank you so much. Jarvis: Thank you. Teague: Appreciate you coming. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 5 2.b. State of the City Teague: We're moving on to item number 2b, which is the State of the City. I am, I, I did a, uh, video presentation last year in 2021, and what some of the remarks that I got was, uh, they really enjoy seeing some visuals because our City is very robust with the vi- various things. And so I decided to do the State of the City again by video, and we'll share it at this time. Teague [via video]: It is my duty, honor and privilege to address the City Council and the community on the state of Iowa City. I would like to start by thanking my fellow Council colleagues both past and present, to our most recently departed Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih and the longtime Councilor, Susan Mims. Thank you. Your work was transformational. And thank you to our current Council members, especially our newly elected Mayor Pro Tem, Megan Alter, and Councilor Shawn Harmsen. I am honored to serve along a group of such dedicated, caring and courageous individuals who have entrusted me as their mayor. I would also like to thank our more than 600 City employees who help make our community great, from the soccer fields, where our kids learn to kick a ball, to the safe and clean water that runs from our tap. The work of our City staff is quiet and humble, but essential to our lives. We cannot recognize nor thank them enough. Finally, thank you to the awesome and amazing members of our community. The care you show our city is endlessly inspiring. That is how I am feeling: inspired. Inspired by what we've all been able, able to achieve together and inspired by the opportunities before us. I would like to take some time to reflect on both. I'll begin with what I believe is the most foundational characteristic of a prosperous community, social justice and racial equity. Time and again, Iowa City has stepped up and shown the courage and vulnerability it takes to tackle these issues head on. This last year, the Oracles of Iowa City Mural was unveiled and it serves as a symbol of our commitment to not disguise the challenges or edit out the uncomfortable truths. We show this commitment in the words we use, the way we treat one another and how we invest in this community. Last year, we elevated our support for BIPOC businesses and entrepreneurs. In the coming year, we have budgeted a new set aside specifically for BIPOC business development, and have prioritized millions in American Rescue Plan dollars to invest in this effort. We have also responded to the calls for more equitable and just public safety in our community by changing how we approach calls for service. Last fall, our Fire Department launched a Navigator Assistance Program for community members in need through a new initiative to carry Narcan in response to the opioid epidemic. Iowa City police officers saved the lives of seven individuals experiencing an overdose in 2021. This is just one example of the professional and compassionate services our police officers give. And there are so many more stories that are just as kind and caring. We acknowledge that our police This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 6 officers are being asked to respond to situations that do not always call for a uniformed officer. And so I'm proud to report that over the past year through strong partnerships, our city has gained a Victim Services Coordinator, a Street Outreach and Engagement Specialist, a Mental Health Liaison, and a Immigrant and Refugee Community Outreach Assistant. I am pleased to share our City Council will be making a significant investment to expand the community's Mobile Crisis Response efforts. And through our upcoming budget, we will be increasing the annual Aid to Agencies Grants Program because our strong network of social service agencies play an essential role in our community. We continue to create soul-searching opportunities that are all coming together in the spirit of unity, with items that were listed in our Black Lives Matter resolution that was adopted by Council in June of 2020 that committed $1 million to social justice and racial equity initiatives and the work of our Truth and Reconciliation Commission are a few things we're all anticipating will impact all of us systemically. We adopted Juneteenth as an official City holiday and had our first of many memorable celebrations in 2021. I believe these are important steps forward in a city where we have always championed justice, equity and inclusion. Recently, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation awarded us a perfect score for the LGBTQ+ inclusion for the eighth year in a row. Last spring, when our City offered Iowa City Pride yard signs free to the public, they were so popular that we ran out of signs three times. In the end, we nearly had 2000 colorful markers across the city reminding us that we are a community who stands united. Last month, our City Council approved a new SSMID in the South District, which would revitalize an underinvested area and support diverse business owners. I was inspired by the way the neighborhood imagined and drove forward this vision, and I was heartened to see so many others provide support to ensure this vision succeeded. The SSMID will live on as a symbol of what can happen when a group of caring and committed individuals imagine more for their community. It is important we invest in these vibrant neighborhoods, and last year, the City bought 16 duplex units in the South District to be rehabbed and sold to first-time home buyers from within the neighborhood. We have also bet on the resiliency of this neighborhood. And so I was excited that after years of hard work, the first form -based Code in Iowa City was adopted in the South District. This effort is a part of the City's larger affordable housing strategy to which we have committed another $1 million through our upcoming budget. And while we plan for the future, it is also important to preserve our past. So I was excited to learn a few months ago that the years of hard work by City staff and our partners paid off. The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In all the work we do, I, alongside my City Council colleagues, have called for continued leadership and climate action. In 2021, Iowa City was honored as just one of 95 global cities named as a climate leader on the CDP A List. This recognition followed on the heels of news that our This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 7 community emissions have dropped over 45% since 2010. In September a week-long Climate Action Festival was held to celebrate how far we've come and garner excitement about the work yet ahead. Last year, the City launched two commercial and industrial energy efficiency matching grant programs, which is anticipated to save hundreds of thousands of metric tons of emissions each year. Carbon sequestration will play an important role in our emission reduction strategy, and in 2022, prairie improvements will be made at Terry Trueblood, Kickers Soccer Park, and Peninsula Park In the coming year, we will be launching new programs, aimed at increasing resilience in our community and preparing our most vulnerable residents from extreme weather events. We'll also be ramping up our efforts to make Iowa City EV ready so we can support the next generation of clean vehicle technology. And in Iowa City, clean vehicles have made their way to our public transit system too. A few weeks ago, our first fully electric buses hit the streets. The sleek, bright new buses are a symbol of the future of our transit system. We took our first steps toward that future last summer, when we launched new route and fare changes that helped make system more accessible, reliable, and convenient. Fm looking forward to working with my Council colleagues on the next phase of our reimagined transit system: Sunday service, free fare for low-income riders and late-night on -demand service. For those who prefer two pedals to an engine, I am proud of the progress we have made on the Bike Master Plan. The project's plan for the coming year will greatly improve bike connectivity in the South District. When it comes to arts and culture and recreation, we have had so much to celebrate this last year and a lot to look forward to. Last summer was the inaugural season of a partnership between the City and FilmScene that installed an outdoor cinema in Chauncey Swan park to screen free movies for all ages. In August, we had a ribbon cutting for a parkway named in honor of a personal inspiration of mine and an important Black icon, the late James Alan McPherson. Recently, we learned that the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department holds the national record for the most athletic field environmental certifications. This is an honor and testament to the progress our city has made on our Parks and Natural Areas Master Plans, which is why I'm excited that in the coming year, well also receive the completed Recreation and Facilities Master Plan, and have the opportunity to think about how can we further invest in our city's recreation, including one of the most popular topics of conversation, City Park Pool. All ages are invited to find joy in one of the many arts, culture, and recreation offerings in our community. Replacement of the Pedestrian Mall playground will take place later this year and will provide more accessible play options and plenty of shade. I am also looking forward to working with my colleagues to strategize how we can best invest our resources in the Senior Center to support their mission of ending the social isolation for people over the age of 50. We are fortunate to hold such a vibrant arts, culture, and recreation atmosphere, but we shouldn't forget the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 8 core services that provide a strong foundation for our city to thrive. The state of our nation's infrastructure has been a topic of national discussion. I am proud to report that despite our city growing at one of the fastest rates in the state, putting a strain on our resources, Iowa City has the third best pavement condition score of all of metropolitan areas in Iowa. Each year, funding is prioritized to maintain the 237 miles of roadway in Iowa City. And I'd like to highlight some of the major road improvement projects taking place recently. Last year, as part of the American Legion Road project, the new roundabout at Scott Boulevard was completed, significantly improving the flow and safety of this intersection. We look forward to completing this reconstruction project in the coming year, including the pedestrian tunnel connecting students to Hoover Elementary School. Work continues on the Melrose IWV Road improvement project and on completing the Second Avenue Bridge reconstruction and the Orchard Street reconstruction project. In the coming year, efforts will begin on the reconstruction of Fairchild Street, installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Scott and First Avenue, as well as the highly anticipated reconstruction of a portion of Rochester Avenue, which will significantly improve vehicle ride quality and safety. Through our upcoming budget, we again make significant investments in our water, sewer and landfill infrastructure. These investments may not be as visible or exciting as some of the new playground equipment or public art installation, but they mean that our residents can always count on reliable, safe, and sustainable public utilities and services. Federal funding through the Infrastructure Bill may provide more opportunities to local infrastructure investments. I am fortunate to lead in a time when the federal government sees the value and the strengths in investing directly in our nation's cities. The historic American Rescue Plan Act has provided our city an unprecedented opportunity to make transformational investments that may never again be possible in our lifetime. The magnitude of this opportunity is enormous. So in closing, I want to reflect on what this moment in time means for us. Last year, during my State of the City, we looked back on the challenging year behind us and yearned for a return to normalicy. Since then we've started using the phrase "new normal" and our call on us to ask, what does that really mean? I believe our new normal is one that re-emphasizes equity and sustainability at the forefront of all that we do. One that is more honest about the inequities that exist, but is ripe with the promise of new opportunities. I believe that in our new normal, we don't shy away from the hard conversations and the tough issues, but that we do come to the table with a faith in the integrity and decency of one another, that we stay open to trust and respect even when, and especially when, we don't agree. We cannot let the commonality of our goals and the shared hopes for our community go unacknowledged or get lost in the process. There's too much work to do and too much momentum to be hopeful about. So as we enter into another year together, I ask my fellow Council colleagues, the City staff, the entire This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 9 community to join me and taking time to celebrate our accomplishments, make the most of the opportunities before us. And remember that above all, we are one community. In unity, your mayor, Bruce Teague. Teague: Well, thank you all for allowing me to give the State of the City via video. And my closing remarks is just that, that we are, there's a lot of, of opportunities ahead of us, and there's a lot of things for us to celebrate and together we will make some historic moves right here in the great City of Iowa City. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 10 3-8. Consent Calendar Teague: We're going to move on to items number th-- three through eight, which is the consent agenda. Can I get a motion to approve please? Weiner: So moved. Alter: Second. Teague: All right. Moved by Weiner, seconded by Alter. And I know that there is one item. Goers: Yes, Mayor. Uh, the staff is requesting a deferral of the Dollar General alcohol or liquor license renewal, it's part of item 5a, deferred to the next meeting on March 1st. Teague: Okay. I'm going to ask before we continue that I get a motion to defer item 5a, number two. Bergus: So moved, Bergus. Harmsen: Second, Harmsen. Teague: Moved by Bergus, second by Harmsen. All right. I'm going to ask for public discussion on anything that is on the consent agenda. Goers: Mayor, you had a first and a second. If you could have a voice vote to that would be great. Teague: Oh yes. [Voice vote] Motion passes 7-0. We're going to move on with public discussion, uh, on the items that are on the consent agenda, minus item number 5a, number 2. Welcome. And we ask that you give your name. We actually, that you give your name and the city that you're from. And you're also, um, going to be granted, uh, three minutes and the timer is over there. Welcome a familiar face, Mayor Pro Tem uh, uh, Salih, our old mayor that just left us, welcome. Salih: Hello, Mayor, City Council and the City staff. Really, standing behind this podium, I really realize how much you guys do. So thank you very much for your services and the tireless work that you try to make our community work for everyone. I'm here today to speak to you about the proposal that's in your packet, by the Center for Worker Justice. You have a beautiful state of the city. I really love it. And to build on that and make our community, uh, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 11 especially immigrants in our community feel welcome and, uh, feel this city has really belonged to them, the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa. Goers: I'm sorry to interrupt, uh, Mayor. This appears to be the community comment topic, not, uh, on the consent agenda. Teague: Yeah, I was just looking through, yep. Salih: Oh! I said because just, I'm sorry. Goers: I'm sorry. Teague: Yeah, yeah, no -- Goers: I'm sorry to interrupt. Teague: Just, just a couple of months off and she's forgotten the, the routine. Yep. Yep. It's for the consent agenda, but we'll, you'll have the opportunity to come back up. Yes. And we do have individuals on, on online. So if you are wanting to speak online, please raise your hand and I will acknowledge you. Welcome. Petersen: Hello. Uh, happy State of the City day. I'm sorry. That was a funny title to me. Um, but I'm going to speak about the, uh, good neighbor item and just like, um, about being, like being a good neighbor, for example, to be good neighbor is to not be the mayor of a city, of a city that had as a paramilitary force that commits war crimes on its citizens, and then, in its State of the City, like, in the social justice portion of that, praise its cops as somehow advancing social justice. Like that's just not being a good neighbor, in my opinion it's to praise like the biggest enemies in this city, in this entire county, of social justice in that, and then just be like, oh yes, these cops are totally doing that. Like that is, like, just what the hell, Bruce? Like, why, like, do you have no self-awareness of what your cops do? Do you cl -- do you -- do you like, have no, do you, do none of you understand what your cops actually do to the marginalized in this community? Genuinely curious. Cause I don't know how else you could like, just go along with that or say that even, because you obviously, what, how they treat, first off, like the most, like I've seen, for instance, in my work of houseless community, I've seen like, multiple times, the cops, not just the cops from the Fire Department it's not as, does not treat them very well. Treat them not as humans, as less than, just, something you can just abuse and do whatever you want with because y'all clearly don't care because you'll, you'll go in your state of the union, your state of, whatever. Anyways, other thing praising your cops, not actually like addressing what your cops do, the actual harm, you'll just keep it up. So that's This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 12 why you have to rely on your murals. That's like the only thing y'all done is you paint your, you paint your murals, cause they're nice and all, but that's the only thing you do. You don't actually do any action. Your murals are absolutely meaningless. They're an insult. They're a slap in the face to the entire community, when you back 'em up with no action. There is no action, instead, you do Geoffs "reform". There's, increases the budget, increases the power to the police. You increase inequity. You increase the inequality of this community. When you give the police more power, you give them more money, you don't actually address anything. You're not doing -- Teague: If you're talking about the good neighbor policy -- Petersen: Yes I am. This is about the neighbor policy. Teague: These are not items related. Petersen: None of this is neighborly. That is the opposite of being a good neighbor is to let the cops just rampant. Teague: I'11, I'll let you continue, and this will be your community comment. Petersen: No, it's not. This is my consent comment, yes. It's not my community comment. That is the community comment time. Obviously this is the consent agenda. I'm talking about the good neighbor policy. Teague: Thank you. Petersen: You're welcome. Teague: I do see some, uh, hand up on online. Welcome Mohamed. Emam: Hello? Teague: Oh, I, so Mohamed, I think you want to talk about the CWJ item. Emam: Yes, sir. Can you hear me loud and clear? Teague: Yes. I'm going to call you right back once we are, once we're done with this item, I'm going to have you hold on. Thank you. Anyone else like to address an item that is on the consent agenda, agenda. Seeing no one, Council discussion. And we're going to have roll call for all the consent agenda items except for item number 5a, number 2. [Roll call vote.] Motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 13 9. Community Comment (items not on the agenda) [UNTIL 7 PM] Teague: We are onto item number 9, which is the Community Comment period. This is the time when, uh, people from the public can come and comment on any item that is not on our agenda. And we're going to give a total of 30 minutes. So right about, uh, 7 -oh, we'll just say 7:05 as, well, when we'll end this. Um, at that time everyone will have up to three minutes to speak. I did want to get a sense of how many individuals we have that want to speak so that I can take full account of the time limits that I need to grant. I see one hand there. Anyone else want to speak? I need to just see our hands. There's, there's 13 people on here. Okay. So we have 13 people listed already inside here. I see six hands raised. So in order to allow everyone to speak with 20, right at 20 people, I'm going to ask that everybody keep their comments to two minutes. And at the 30 minute mark, I, at 7:05, I will cut comments. So if you can allow for others to come up, we'll be able to get more people to speak. So I'm going to start with, um, in, in person. Welcome. Salih: I'm sorry, first. Okay. My name is Mazahir Salih. I'm the Executive Director of the Center for Worker Justice. Hello, Mayor, City Council, and City staff. And I thank you so much for your tireless work to make our community work for everyone. I am here to talk about our proposal's that in your package, first to build on what you, the Mayor, just said on the Iowa City, uh, City of the State, I, I really like what he said and just to build that and make our community welcome and feel the cities belong, they belong to the city, the Center for Workers of Eastern Iowa requests that Iowa City, City, Iowa City Housing Administrative Plan, Section 2.3h be amended to create a more adaptable absence policy. The current administration plan states that recipients of Section 8 Housing Assistance must not be absent from their unit for more than 30 consecutive days unless authorized by Iowa City Housing Authority staff. The policy allow longer absence not to exceed 180 days for family hospitalization, deaths, loss, or other scenario seen necessary by the staff. The implementation of this policy for some Section 8 recipients, especially immigrant families, to make a very hard decision between keeping their affordable housing or visiting their family. We propose one of the following to be a mandate and be adopted, the time period of absence be updated from 30 days to 60 days without authorization or that visiting immediate family outside the United States once a year be added as accept, acceptable reason for authorization travel over 30 days, either of these change would allow recipients necessary family time without access, excessive absentism that would result in losing the voucher. Please. You now consider this and thank you for your work. Teague: Thank you. Welcome, please state your name and the city you're from. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 14 Maldonado: Hi. My name is Marilyn, I'm from Iowa City. Um, living near or even in the same country as family members is a privilege many immigrant Americans do not possess. Immigrants in our community from Sudan, Guatemala and other countries often must go years at a time without seeing their parents or siblings in their countries of birth. When they do have the opportunity to do so, these trips are more than just a vacation. They are grand investments of time and money often require requiring extensive travel time to and within the country. Limiting this visit to only 30 days is not feasible for many households and serves as a major barrier to family, cultural, and community cohesion. Recently, one of the CWJ members requested approval for leave longer than 30 days to visit his elderly ailing parents in Sudan, whom he has not seen an over three years. His application was denied and the sections of the current policy we are advising to be amended were cited as the reason for denial. Requiring Section 8 recipients to choose between seeing their families or losing their homes is an unjust and cruel result of a fault, of a policy that fails to consider the needs of people from wide and diverse backgrounds. Maintaining this policy sense of message worldwide Iowa is not a welcoming or supportive place for immigrant communities. As advocates for immigrant workers in Iowa City, the CWJ urges relevant authorities to amend ICHA policy to allow absences over 30 days to visit family members abroad. Our hardworking community members deserve the right to connect with their loved ones and heritage without threat of losing vital homelessness prevention aid. Teague: Thank you. We're going to go online and welcome Mohamed followed by Dan. And if you're present and you want to speak, I ask that you sign the paper on, on the side and then you can start forming a line. Welcome Mohamed. Emam: Uh, thank you. I wanted to, uh, talk about the same topic, uh, to increase the holiday for Section 8, uh, recipient from one month to at least two months, because, uh, when this policy is implemented, it was over 20 years ago. At that time, there wasn't many immigrant resident in Iowa City. Now situation has changed. Lot of immigrants live in Iowa City. Uh, these people, they need to go back home to say hi to their family, to connect with their, uh, extended family. That one month, it appears as if you are telling them, uh, don't, don't connect with your family, 'cause it's just not feasible and not doable. So I asked the City Council, uh, to change that policy, to extend the one month holiday to at least two months. Thank you so much. Teague: Thank you. We're going to welcome Dan. Kauble: Hi, good evening. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 15 Teague: Good evening. Kauble: Um, so, uh, I would just like to start by saying, uh, Mr. Mayor, uh, allow Noah to speak during public comment. Um, if you don't, uh, we'll be happy to bring forth a First Amendment, uh, lawsuit alleging discrimination against the City and invoking you personally, Mr. Mayor, as the presiding officer. Um, Fm also, I, I raised my hand to comment during the consent calendar, but I was not, um, I wasn't called upon, but I had co--, comments about the neighbor policy of the playground equipment. Um, regarding meeting protocol. Um, I had a really good conversation with you, Mr. Mayor, um, last week and it was really enjoyable. And I think we both came away with a greater understanding of like each other and where we are coming from, um, personally, but that said, I, I still am a little disappointed for that you are trying to invoke the police into these meetings. Um, `cause I mean, that was my takeaway from the work session. Um, regarding the Excluded Workers' Fund, I would like to speak about this because um, this upcoming week, the Board of Supervisors on Thursday are going to basically approve this lottery, to lottery payments, to folks who win a lottery. Now, this is a problem because as Jon, Supervisor Green reached out to the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Treasury said that the County ARPA staff who formulated this planning, their reasoning for it is very faulty. So Councilors, I really hope each of you individually reach out to the supervisors, reach out to Pat Heiden, Royceann Porter, Rod Sullivan, and get them to delay the, these payments until that, they can fully fund excluded workers. Because as the U.S. treasury said, they can totally prioritize payments to folks who have not received federal stimulus payments during the pandemic. These are folks who have worked their butts off and they deserve, they deserve payment. Thank you so much. Teague: Thank you. And I'm going to welcome the next person. Welcome. Hayward: Hello. Uh, I'm Scotty Hayward. I'm from Iowa City, live on Friendship Street. Uh, new topic, sidewalks. Uh, yesterday, a City Engineer came by outta my house and very nicely told me they were going to put a sidewalk in. We live right next to Chadek Park. And uh, I said, well, I don't want that. And he said, nobody does. I said, then why are you doing this? He had no answer. Just we're doing it. I said, well, there's a sidewalk right across the street. And uh, asked him, I asked him by mail today, who's responsible for making decisions as to where the sidewalks are going to go. No answer. It's just, impractical, man, it's like, I, I don't wanna see my yard torn up, but I really hate to see this City waste money on unnecessary projects that nobody wants. There's a sidewalk on the other side of the street. It's not crowded. I walk around there all the time. It's never a crowd on the sidewalk. So I just, uh, wanted to raise that point. I don't know if you guys do anything about sidewalks, but uh, it's This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 16 really unnecessary to put in sidewalks where people don't want them and they're not needed. Teague: Thank you. We'll have the next person come forth. Welcome. Please state your name and the city you're from. Hello. Thomas: My name is Mircea Thomas, uh, from Iowa City, and I would like to follow up with Scotty. I'm really humbled that, uh, amongst so many important problems, we come up with smaller, uh, issues, but the community I think is made up of smaller people that need to be listened to as well. So my personal issue is that, uh, uh, I was fined for not cleaning the snow, uh, on my sidewalk, which in fact was clean, but it was not cleaned up to the specifications to the width. And so when I, uh, when -- Teague: I believe your item is going to be item number 14, which is the assessment schedule. Thomas: Oh, thank you, sir. Yes. I'll, I'll wait. Teague: Yeah, thank you. I'm going to go online and bring up Amel followed by Jane. Welcome. Ali: Hi, can you guys hear me? Teague: Yes. Welcome. Ali: All right. Hi guys. Um, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak tonight. Um, since the last person, uh, mentioned something about sidewalks, I figured I'd start, um, with, uh, a concern that I have, and I don't think many Councilors have brought this up. Um, our Iowa City Skate Park, um, is in shambles. Uh, the transition ramps that people skate on are uneven. There's lots of cracks in the ground, um, and the metal coping, which are the pipes that they use to grind on, there's lots of cracks, um, on those. There's no lights, um, and I think that there's a reason why skateboarders are on City and university property. And I think that reason is because the state, the skate park is probably not up to code. Um, I don't believe it's been renovated. So, um, I think that that should be something that we think about. Um, on a completely different note, I know that at the end of March, your annual budget for the Police Department is due, um, and I just wanted to ask if there would be any opportunity for Council members to engage in listening posts via zoom, um, before the 29th to get, um, input from, uh, the public, `cause I know that there is one coming up on the March 22nd, but I don't believe a week before the budget is due is enough time to gain, um, quality and good This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 17 uh, public input. So, um, those are my 2 cents. I appreciate you guys for giving me your time. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. Welcome Jane. Murphy: Okay. I'm, I'm sorry, um, my name is Jane Murphy. I'm a 44 -year resident of Iowa City, uh, living on the east side. Um, I would just like to be counted as in favor of the Center for Worker Justice request about, uh, extending length of time for, uh, for travel for our international immigrants. Um, as someone else mentioned, it's completely out of date and simply is not logical in this day and age. So thank you. Teague: Thank you. We're going to welcome you all up. Salih: This for him. If you can give us more time, please. Teague: Absolutely. Ahmed: My name is Badereldin, um, [via Salih] and I wanna speak about the policy for the travel for Section 8. I'm married. I have my kids and I have not been traveled to my country for seven years, And uh, ticket is very expensive. Maybe this is the last time you're going to go back. Cause it's very expensive, you know, and I need to, yeah. He just wanna travel for like at least because seven years, and by the time he go there, he need like more time to visit everyone. Since he seven years, he haven't visited their family. His wife's from like some region in Sudan and he's from, his family in another region of Sudan. My father and my mother are over 70 years old and they are really old and sick and I never seen them because I wasn't have enough money to go. But when now finally I save some money, I need to go there and spend more than 30 days so I can take him to the doctor do checkup and many thing. You know, especially this is affected me badly. And especially that, uh, you know, the thing in Sudan is not stable. I wanna go and see them for a while. And after that, because you never know if you're going to go there again or not. Ahmed: Thank you. Teague: Thank you. I'll call up the next individual. Welcome. Guo: Hi everyone. I, I, I just wanna see that I, I have, during the summer there was a growth my yard, um, supposedly has a warning ticket, but it had been taken care of with the, a group of people from church that have been abated the problem. But I have been repeatedly received multiple bills. Teague: I, I think this is item number 14 as well. We'll call you back up. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 18 Guo: Oh, I'm so sorry. Teague: Yes. Guo: I have witness. I, I have support -- Teague: You, you'll be able to come back up. Thank you. We're going to go online and we're going to, uh, invite Anthony followed by Aymen. Anthony followed by Yamen. Smith: Good evening. Teague: Good evening. Welcome, Pastor Smith. Smith: Uh, hi, I'm Pastor Anthony Smith. I'm the pastor of New Creations International Church, and I also lead Johnson County Interfaith and I, I call, I, and I'm here to support the, uh, the, the, the, the revision of the Section 8 guidelines, um, and, uh, from, from 30 days, uh, to at least 60 days. And, and one of the things I, I really would like for the Council to, to look at is, is that, um, is that some of these laws, yes, they are outdated, but the, the, but the moral issue behind this is that many times we're pen-, uh, people are penalized because of poverty. And, and I, I would like for you all to look at this as, as right as this, in this section here, it is actually a penalty, uh, where you are kind of where you are, uh, neglecting someone to, to, to have the opportunity to visit their, their family, or to have the liberty, to, to wa, to go where they wanna go and, and not have to come back because of a, a, because of a, a Section 8, uh, rule. And this is, this is a dignity issue where, uh, and, and, and we need to really look at these at, at this specifically, but also look at some of the other things that, that, that penalize people, because of their, because of their, uh, because of being on Section 8. So I, I, I challenge you not only to, to change this, but also to look at some of the other underlying laws that, that, uh, um, that are penalizing people because of poverty. Teague: Thank you. Thank you. We're going to welcome Yamen. Sharif: Hello. Teague: Hello, welcome. Sharif: Hey, how are you? Um, my name is, um, I'm Sharif, and, um, I am, uh, a resident of Iowa City, uh, run A & W Sustainable Planning and Outreach, uh, in, uh, in downtown Iowa City. I'm here to speak for the same for the, uh, to urge the City Council to amend, uh, Section 2, uh, 3h of the Iowa City Housing This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 19 Authority Administrative Plan in a way that is more responsive to the special needs of many of the immigrants and newly arriving residents, um, and families who chose to make Iowa City home and who use the program to adjust to a range of social and economic problems, which is a per cause of the program itself. There is a significant increase in population who are foreign born and are nearly tripling. Uh, we have like a nearly tripling of the groups who are identified with two or more ethnicities as per the latest consensus. Many of those, uh, participants in Section 8 are from those groups. So those participants generally fall under the very low income group of the classification of the area, median, household income, uh, just generating and earning less than 30% of the area median income. And we all know that traveling and transportation is becoming really expensive. And many of the, of these visits, visits we talk about in here involve long flights, very expensive. Um, so those people really spend a lot of their various scarce resources to secure this, uh, invaluable trips, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. These trips became more difficult even during the COVID because airports and closures, uh, frequently, uh, unpredictable. Teague: Thank you, Yamen. Sharif: Testing for COVID 19 itself is so expensive. Teague: Thank you -- Sharif: -- for all those things. I strongly -- Teague: Thank you. We're going to ask that you all come up, that's going to speak, welcome. And I just want to acknowledge that we have about 10 more minutes for a comment, public comment. Welcome. Mohamed: I'll make mine very quickly. Uh, my name is Faris Mohamed. I live in the City for, uh, 12 years. I went to Kirkwood Community College and University of Iowa. I'm still looking for a job I'm still, uh, living in a, a voucher of Section 8. In addition to what, uh, others said about the amendment of, uh, this, uh, policy, I just wanna, uh, add very quickly that, uh, many of those first generation, uh, immigrants that live here in city, when they travel the recipient of the voucher, when they go back home, just like the first guy or the second guy that, uh, Mazahir, uh, translate for him, some of them, uh, it took them like 5, 6, 7, sometimes 10 years to go back. Uh, many issues that, uh, facing people when they go back, just not the only to engage their kids to the culture of their, uh, countries of origins, visiting their parents. Sometimes there is like many cases, like in heritage cases, you have to run between government agencies and courts, that takes a lot of times, sometimes just like this guy said you have, uh, my parents is 82 and 72 years old. Uh, my young This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 20 brother now take him, he live here, our city. He take him to the Cairo because in our country with the current situation, the degradation that happened to the healthcare and all the public hospitals, you have to take them to neighboring country, Egypt, uh, to take care of them. Uh, there is other issues that in a lot of them in details, but I don't wanna go through that, but I'm supporting the amendment, if you guys, uh, give it a look and, uh, uh, take care of it, we will appreciate that as a community. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. Welcome. And after you, we'll go online. Djeugang: Hi, uh, my name is Bradarie, uh, I live here in Iowa City. I've been here for about seven years now, and I don't think I'm going to, to add anything more about, uh, what my predecessors have said. They say it all. Uh, this is regarding the Section 8, uh, housing. Um, I'm just going to use my personal example. Um, when you travel here to, I mean, to, uh, back home, Africa or South America, or, and especially in Africa, it takes at least two days. So when you take 30 days and you deduct four days, because that's back and forth, you take, you, you, you subtract four days, it remains 26, and you, you all know the condition back home are not the same as here. We don't have, uh, airport where you can travel from one city to another easily. From here to Chicago, you can either drive three hours or you can fly 30 minutes or 20 minutes from Cedar Rapids to Chicago. But back home, you have to, the same for the same distance that you use 30 minutes here, you have to use a little half, half, half a day. So you end up, uh, spending the, uh, uh, at least a week only on the road traveling from one point to another, because you have to assist members of your family who had some, uh, either, uh, uh, good or bad things that happen. So I really support the, the I really support the, uh, I don't know, uh, the law, um, uh, to, to increase the day, those day to at least 60 days. Teague: Thank you. Djeugang: So -- thank you. Teague: Thank you. We're going to go to Amal followed by Mogahid. Hassan: Hello? Hi everyone. Teague: Hello? Hassan: Hello. You hear me okay? Teague: Yes. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 21 Hassan: Yeah. Speak the same thing, uh, following my brother and sister, speak for me regarding the limit time from the housing, because mostly they live in the low income, uh, uh, housing or voucher. So the different between what they say and, uh, other people I know, including myself that we collect the money because it's a lot of money for the ticket for about almost two years, three years to go back. And then the time limited over there, when you go and you find, uh, you missed a lot of, uh, part of your family, they passing away, you need to visit and you need to communicate with them. And then, uh, the strong thing that I, I, I, or encourage you to, uh, look about it, that kids, they go back there to be connected with their family, for the culture and for the behavior and the religion. And a lot of things, we cannot disconnect them from going home. So strongly support this agenda, and I need, uh, extending time at least 60 day for the family to go back and come, uh, back again to United States. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. And welcome. Elsheik: Hello? Teague: Welcome. Elsheikh: Hey. Teague: Hello. We can hear you. Elsheikh: You hear me? Teague: Yes. Welcome. Elsheikh: Uh, good evening everybody. My name is Mogahid Elsheik. I will speak about, uh, the changing house policy of the Section 8 from one month to two months. I think, uh, every immigrants here in Iowa City, we take a vacation every two or three years that, uh, it is all the time that our kids get, uh, to meet their relatives. And I think every immigrants we plan to stay for two months or more than so, uh, so it will be very generous if you would agree to this request, you came from one month to, to two months. Thank you. Teauge: Thank you. We have one more online and then we'll just remain inside. As to Tamadur. Welcome. Welcome. Have we lost? Let me see. Harmsen: They said you may be muted. Teague: Oh, you're muted. Tamadur, you're muted. Okay. We're going to go inside and then we will allow, uh, just one more online. Welcome. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 22 D'Mello: Thank you. Uh, good evening, uh, Mayor Teague and Council members. Thank you for, um, allowing us or me to speak on behalf of, uh, all the immigrants and refugees who are looking for housing justice, and that has been denied to them for a long time. My name is Lata D'Mello, I am an advocate and an assistant director of Monsoon. We serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in Iowa. I moved to Iowa City in 2017, thinking it was more progressive than Des Moines, where I lived for, uh, 17 years. I still have to see that progressiveness. So I'm hoping that this racial justice that you spoke about, the equity that you spoke about, we don't need anymore people to persuade you of what is the right thing to do. If it is social justice housing, justice, we really have to look at what this 30 day limit is, especially because not just to travel abroad, but to have the right to your own, um, shelter, to have your own roof over your head and not have to worry about all the conditions that need, uh, that you, uh, that you need to have as a basic human, right. And I'm hoping that that has, at least maybe if this works, that I'll think, oh yeah, uh, Iowa City is progressive after all. Um, until then I'll be waiting. I do, uh, want to add that it's not just going on holidays. Um, personally, and I'm someone who's privileged, I work with victims of, uh, gender based violence who don't have those privileges. So I have seen the struggle and even with my privileges, I lose family members back home most recently, uh, uh, four to COVID -- Teague: Thank you. D'Mello: -- and it has not been a -- Teague: Thank you. D'Mello: -- good experience. So thank you so much. Teague: Thank you. Thank you. We're going to try on, online one more time to, to Tamadur, and I will acknowledge that it is 7:05. I will allow, um, four more minutes to speak. Tamadur, welcome. And you'll have to unmute. Yeah, technology, I know sometimes is a little challenging, so, um, I'm going to just remain inside here. Welcome. Kuku: Good evening, everybody. My name is Badri Kuku, uh, I will be actually translating for Mr. Fathelraham, but at the same time, I want to let you know, my name is on list, so I'm not going to actually take over the other opportunities. So go ahead, Fathi. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 23 Siddig [partly via Kuku]: My name, uh, Fathi Siddig. I reside in Iowa City from around 2013. I moved from Alabama. Uh, I have kids. He applied actually for traveling outside the United States of America to Sudan, uh, for like two months. Unfortunately the housing policy actually, they have rejected his offer because they said, uh, it is not going to be allowed for two months. First of all, the reason why I actually applied for two months, because my parents, they are over 80 years old and, uh, it's not actually going to be fair, like just to go for a month. And they are like, you know, older. So what's happening actually during my journey, Sudan is going to cost like maybe at least like six days so I can actually be in Sudan. My extended family are actually spread all over. Some of them are actually in camps in Darfour, they're refugees actually in Darfour and extended to Chad, in the neighborhood of Africa. So these two months that I have actually proposed is not really even going to be enough for me to visit everybody. The reason why I actually ask for two months, because I have to be back for the school of my kids. But if it was up to me, I would have actually taken like more than that. Uh, the, the offer was actually, you can actually leave your wife here and you go, so you can take care of the visit of your extended family. But the thing is that even if I leave my wife here, she doesn't have like a driver license and she's not going to actually be able to like help my kids commuting from, uh, school and home. I would actually ask you as officials and as authority, if you could actually approve or go through the, uh, the policy, at least if it could be like two months. There is a section kind of like a question always like in the, uh, application, like where do you guys actually get the money so you guys actually can travel. So what's happening. We as low income, we always wait for the income tax. That's the only source that we can actually wait for until we get that money. So we can actually use it for a flight, thank you. Appreciate it. Teague: Thank you. I am going to... Kuku: Yeah. Uh, my name is Badri, as I said, from the Sudanese community, uh, I've been here for almost eight years. I first of all, would like to praise the presentation was actually awesome. Makes me proud and makes me belonging and engaged to this city. Uh, and, uh, the issue of Section 8, I can't actually add more than what they said as immigrant and being here for these years, I would like also to go to my family, but I'm not going to actually enjoy my time. According to what, you know, my colleagues actually mentioned. The other thing as a coach certified by this state. I don't know if this is going to be like, including to this or not. I'm certified by this state, live in low income, all the kids, low income, they can actually, uh, be able to just reserve for like that big amount of money for those coaches. I always volunteer to coach these kids. The question is like the Hawkeye field. That's the only field that for soccer, the other field is, uh, like Kickers, which is like far away from here. I, I don't know if there is any way because I see like so many project This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 24 being offered, uh, if anyway, so I can actually be able to coach the kids. Those who are like, you know, low income. I don't really get paid. The, the, the certificate that I get actually from the state, it costs me money, but I'm not actually using it because my, my point is like, you know, to, uh, because soccer is my, in my blood, you know, since I was a kid, uh, can you guys actually do anything for these low income kids so I can help them? Thank you. Teague: Thank you. And I'm just going to have the last two individuals acknowledged because we did extend, um, some time for translation. Welcome. Petersen: Hello. Uh, my name is Noah, um, and, uh, first is I'm going to be in solidarity with all the comments here, to, tonight about the extending, the time for allowing people to go back, you know, visit their family. Like you need enact please act urgently on that because that some people testify tonight. This is very time sensitive issue. So we cannot drag your feet on this, urgency, urgency, urgency, in fact actually ties into what I'm about say next. You've had now four meetings now about rules, and then next meetings to meet, the fifth meeting about rules. So like, y'all can like have urgency on some things like how do we meet, rules about meetings? Because people came and talk at meetings. Anyways, I ain't going to really rehash that. We've we all know the point here, like why you're doing the rules change. And we all know it's dumb. No, uh, just a couple things, uh, so the work session you talked about, uh, the homeless week, um, which is a problem and I've, I've experienced it here. Like even when I, when I was a student, wasn't a student, like the experience, some solutions, I guess like y'all should like focus on is, um, I've had, you know, like lots of the folks, and actually mutual aid, like helped last summer for folks that do the (mumbled) uh, so it's, City to help provide doing storage of stuff, but that's a big problem. Like finding places to have storage, lots of times of the storage units. It's like they're filled up in Iowa City real quick, and then people have to go to Cedar Rapids or wherever else. and it's hard to find storage and, uh, provide housing for people too. Like I know, I mean, for like, there's, there's tons of hotels around in this, in the area and I can't imagine their vacancies are super, I, I don't know the occupancy rates, but there's definitely going to be like, they're not a hundred percent. Like, there's, there's like, that's a place you could possibly do housing for people who need like housing during that week too. There's people that you can't go back home or stuff like, those are just a couple things in there. Uh, and about, uh, the, uh, you talked about, you talked about the prairie and you have a lot more land, you should do a lot more prairies for helping environment ecology. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. And then we'll have the last person here in person. Welcome. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 25 Ayers: Uh, hello. My name is Ash Ayers. I'm a new resident of Iowa City, uh, and I come up here in solidarity with, uh, all my friends and neighbors, uh, on the Section 8 issue. I would like the Council to support the Center for Worker Justice's proposal. Uh, many good points have been made, and I think everything has pretty much been said. But I think the thing that really stuck out to me was, um, a pastor that spoke about a question of freedom. Uh, working class people are very restricted in what they can do with this Section 8. It should be extended so that people can go and they can visit their families. Um, I've been speaking with my, with my friends about this that are on Section 8 and they haven't been able to see their families for years sometimes. That's very sad to me to think about, um, for so many different reasons, the economic reasons. There's no freedom to go and do that because with the current restrictions, not only do you have to pay your rent and you have to pay for your family, you've lost your income because you're not working. And the tickets, the cost of travel, everything is so expensive. And I don't think that the wealthy residents of this city are being restricted in travel if they're studying abroad or if they're going on a foreign vacation, but the working class residents are. So I would like the Council to support the, the CWJ's proposal. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. We're going to go to the one that was online. One more time and see if we can't have them chime in. So I'm going to welcome Tamadur Salih, And then you'll have to unmute yourself there. Welcome. Salih: Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Teague: Good evening. Salih: Uh, say I'm a middle school student at Northwest Junior High, uh, and I live in Iowa City. I would like for the Section 8 in (garbled) community, I'm hoping that you look at our consideration. My mom have now lived in America for over 20 years and they sacrificed their lives for education. They aren't able to see their family often and they usually do feel disconnected. And even when they are able to travel, it's every three to four years and they stay around only a month. It's, it's heartbreaking. You know, it's not (bad connection) like most their family every so often. And, uh, one is definitely not enough to get that time back. So please consider the extended Section 8 policy because we all have a large-- of our family over there. They aren't to have blessings. They aren't blessed enough. Teague: Thank you. Thank you. And thanks to everybody that was, um, came out to share your comments today. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 26 10.b IWV Commercial Preliminary Plat - Resolution approving the preliminary plat of the IWV Commercial Subdivision, Iowa City, Iowa. (SUB21-0012) Teague: We are onto item number 10b, which is IWV commercial preliminary plat. This is a resolution of, well, wait, sorry. All right. This is a resolution approving the preliminary plat of the IWV commercial subdivision, Iowa City, Iowa. Can I get a motion to approve please. Alter: Moved. Thomas: Second, Thomas. Teague: Moved by Alter, seconded by Thomas, and then we're going to welcome Danielle. Sitzman: Good evening, Mayor. Danielle Sitzman, Neighborhood and Development Services. As you introduced, this as an application for preliminary, preliminary plat for land located along, uh, Melrose Avenue west of, uh, city limits, just barely. Uh, it is currently in city limits due to a annexation earlier in a rezoning earlier, uh, it's bounded on the north side by IWV Road and on the east by Slothower Road, shown here bounded in the white boundary. As I mentioned, it was recently annexed and rezoned. This exhibit shows the commercial zoning district that was applied to it, it's zoned Intensive Commercial, and as I mentioned, it was annexed and it was subject to a Comprehensive Plan amendment as well. This is the proposed preliminary plat. This is a two -lot subdivision, commercial, for future commercial development. There's no, uh, intended development at this point. Um, it does include two lots, as I mentioned, one about 22 acres, inside, is on the west side here and another one about 36 acres in size. Um, there are sensitive areas shown in the colors here on both lots, um, and they are, do also portray their storm water retention basins as well. Um, there is also a 30, 350 foot wide vegetative buffer easement indicated along the south boundary of both of these lots as, uh, we always do when we review preliminary plats, there's several conditions or criteria that we look at, the first is compliance with Comprehensive Plan, also any existing zoning conditions that were placed at the time of rezoning, and then we go through our subdivision code as well. So as far as compliance with the Comprehensive Plan, this is in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan, it was amended at the time this was envisioned, uh, and the proposed development does meet all of the, um, vision of the Comprehensive Plan for the types of land uses, future land uses here. As far as conditions that were placed at the rezoning, um, although none of the rezoning conditions are completely satisfied through this preliminary plat, the plat does show the level of detail appropriate at this stage to ensure This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 27 future compliance is going to be, uh, possible and is intended to be met. Some of those conditions have to, uh, be, uh, shown at the final plat, which would be the next stage of this, uh, particular development process, and as well as before building permit could be issued. So the steps that still have to be completed would be the ones that, uh, memorialize those easements, um, require contributions of funding for roads and other components that were conditioned at that rezoning. As far as elements of the subdivision code that we look at, um, as I mentioned, this is a two -lot subdivision. There are no public streets proposed part of this development because the exact nature of the development is unknown at this point. However, if there were to be public streets that would come back through this public planning process, it is possible for private streets, um, to be, uh, eventually developed on these two lots. Um, staff will be looking at a condition at the final plat, which would be the next step after this application, to require, uh, cross -access easements to ensure good circulation is, uh, maintained on the lot. As far as open space. Um, this does not contain any residential use, so there's no dedication of parkland required. However, as I mentioned, that 355 -foot -wide vegetative buffer would be an element of this development. Storm water is being managed with basins on site, and we have been reviewing the required utilities, uh, including donation of, uh, financing for road construction, dedication of right-of-way and any other necessary components of infrastructure development. So shown on this slide is the previous steps, uh, leading up to preliminary plat, as well as the, uh, remaining steps that need to occur, including a final plat. Like I said, uh, those the, uh, the official agreements that would show easement dedication and things like that. Um, if this is approved, the preliminary plat's good for 24 months, and, which would be anticipated to be followed up with those, those additional steps. So based on a review of the relevant criteria and subdivision code, staff did recommend approval at their February 2nd, uh, meeting. The Planning and Zoning Commission concurred with staffs opinion and voted 5 to 0 to also recommend approval tonight. And that concludes my staff report. I'm happy to answer questions. Teague: Is the, um, is any of the developers here? Sitzman: Yes, he is. Teague: All right. Well, well invite them up at this time. Welcome. Marner: Thank you, Mayor. Jon Marner with MMS Consultants, representing the applicant for the preliminary plat. I think Danielle covered the application, uh, in all the different aspects. I'd just like to highlight again, the effort, uh, throughout this process to provide that vegetative buffer, 350 feet. It's a substantial amount. I believe during the conditional zoning process, uh, we This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 28 highlighted that that's approximately 20, I believe 23% of the total site area that's being placed in this vegetative buffer. It'll be comprised primarily of the detention basins, and then the sensitive, sensitive features that already exist on that property. And I'm available for any questions, if you have any. Alter: I have a very basic question. What exactly can you give me, some real world examples of what Intensive Commercial looks like? Marner: Uh, it's a pretty wide range, uh, of uses. If you look at the code, it could be anything from, uh, larger, larger commercial uses that would maybe be larger contractors. Uh, it could be something, I know there's been a lot of discussion about potential end users, uh, Mid -American, one of them that's been brought up previously. Nothing is finalized at this point. That is one potential use that that could be applied there as well. Um, large contractor base, a lot of complementary uses to the Armory and some of the other sites that are facilities that are already out there on IWV at this time. Bergus: I just had a question about the vegetative buffer. I think part of the conditional zoning was that there'd be a certain type of landscaping, including trees that are at least 30 feet tall. Is that, is that right? Marner: Correct. I think there needs to be a, a mix of evergreen and deciduous, uh, layered in that vegetative buffer. Most of that would be reviewed and applied for as part of the site plan application process. Uh, it's typically those landscaping requirements are met with each site plan application, some of the cross -access easements that, uh, that Danielle referred to as well until the uses are fully, fully determined for that property, it's hard to put those in place, but once those uses are established, then you can start to establish the cross -access easements, and some of those other things. Bergus: Still just relating to the buffer, can you help me understand what the basins that are there and the requirement for trees, do you have kind of a vision for how that will all fit together? Marner: Yeah. So there is room within that 350 buffer, uh, again, a lot of the area or a significant portion of areas are already comprised of existing sensitive features. Those won't be disturbed throughout this process. There's a portion right along the common lot line between Lot 1 and Lot 2, it's a small stream corridor, some wetlands and a few trees. And then there is the property, the portion over on the west edge, that's a larger stream corridor and again some wetlands in, in some wooded areas, uh, within those, between those two areas, there's larger detention basins or, uh, proposed, I'm sorry. There's an opportunity to place some landscaping screening both along the south portion of the detention basin and on the north portion. So This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 29 there's a there's opportunity to place it in both places, again, to give a, a layered screening effect for the property. Bergus: Thank you. Teague: All right, thank you. Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? If so, if you're online, please raise your hand. If you're present, there's a sign -in sheet and you can come to the podium. Seeing no one, Council discussion. Roll call, please. [Roll call vote.] Motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 30 11. Maximum Property Tax Levy -- Resolution setting the maximum property tax levy for certain levies for the proposed budget ending June 30, 2023. 1. Public Hearing Teague: Item number 11 is maximum property tax levy. This is a resolution setting the maximum property tax levy for certain levies for the proposed budget ending June 30th, 2023. I'm going to open up the public hearing, and we're going to start with staff. Welcome. Davies: Thank you. Good evening, Council. I'm going to give a brief presentation on the max property tax levy hearing. I'm Nicole Davies, the Finance Director. Um, first, this was new legislation that was first passed in 2019. This does not, um, cover all of the levies. This is for the general levy, transit, tort, emergency, and employee benefit. Um, the levies that are not included in this is the debt service, the Library and the SSMID. Um, with this property tax levy approval, our maximum property tax level in the proposed, um, FY23 budget would be this $54.6 million. Um, this is a decrease of approximately 0.78% from FY 2022. Um, the primary reason for that decrease is the decrease in property tax valuation that we've seen. And since we are actually not increasing our property taxes more than 2%, um, this vote just needs a simple majority of Council. Um, our overall property tax rate is decreasing 4 cents from the 15.673 to the 15.633 in the proposed budget. Um, the total property tax revenues with all of the levies is budgeted to decrease about 0.65%, and that does include the SSMID, and there will be a separate public hearing required to adopt a budget. This is just the, uh, next required step, um, to get that passed, and I will take any questions. Teague: All right. Thank you. No questions. I want to make sure that our online is working, um, but now it's time for public comment. And so if anyone has a comment, please come to the podium, or if you're online, please raise your hand. I'm going to just ask for one person online to raise your hand, even if you don't want to speak, just so that I can make sure that it's working properly. Okay. I mean, all right. I thank you both. Thank you. Welcome. Petersen: Hello. My name is Noah. Um, and I'm speaking to, um, how to say this, um, well, I guess I'm actually glad that y'all, this is going down. Not because I think it's a good thing that this City is not having, uh, money to put into this community, but the fact that like y'all are incredibly irresponsible handlers of the money and you put the money into a paramilitary force that will brutalize and harass your citizens have no regard for their rights. Like they, like, if your cops don't, if, your ICPD, if they don't want to give a rat's ass about your rights, they're not going to give a rat's ass about 'em unless they choose to, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 31 it's up to them. And most of 'em in my own personal experience have chosen to not care about people's rights, anyone's rights. Um, so yeah, I think that's incredibly irresponsible to just keep giving them millions and millions of dollars a year over year year. So like, if y'all like, actually like put your money into stuff like responsible, uh, to like actually help the community, like an actual like public housing program, um, that would be nice. And then you should have like increase your tax levy and actually increase your rate and take money from the rich, like it should be like to let's test on both redistribution up in here, please. I know telling this to a bunch of bourgeois, uh, liberals is like the wrong crowd to be speaking at, but like, it still should be going down in this so-called progressive city, but it's not progressive city since it like funds a paramilitary force that commits war crimes, gainst, citizens, I mean members, not citizens. Citizenship is a stupid idea. Uh, no borders. Um, yeah, just like be better handlers of the money and actually like use the money to help people instead of putting it into cops and other nonprofits that don't open with their shelters year over year, and then just leave people to the elements and then wash your hands of it. Yeah. That's all. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one I'm going to pull closed the public hearing. Could I get a motion to approve please? 2. Consider a Resolution Thomas: So moved, Thomas. Weiner: Second, Weiner. Teague: Council discussion. Roll call, please. [Roll call vote.] Motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 32 12. Chadek Green, Whispering Meadows & Court Hill Parks Improvements 1. Public Hearing Teague: Item number 12, Chadek Green, Whispering Meadows and Court Hill Parks improvements, a resolution approving project manual and an estimate of costs for the construction of Chadek Green, Whispering Meadows and Court Hill Parks improvement project, establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders and fix a time and place for receipt of bids. I'm going to open up the public hearing, and welcome. Seydell-Johnson: Good evening, uh, Juli Seydell-Johnson, Director of Parks and Recreation. Excited to be here tonight to talk to you about our 2022 summer park projects. We have three projects that I'd like to talk to you about tonight, Chadek Green, Whispering Meadows Park and Court Hill Park renovations. Here are the locations. Um, the one on the, the left side is Chadek Green off of Court, the one on the east is Court, Court Hill Park, also off of Court, um, and then the final one, Whispering Meadows wetlands park on the southeast side of Iowa City. I'll go through first Chadek Green as our primary, um, community garden site. So for this, this park project, we had a really great public meeting out on site that included both gardeners and residents of the area. For all of these, we offered a neighborhood meeting onsite or close to it, um, we included postcards going out to all of the residents within a quarter mile of each park, um, did public, um, press releases and social media and that sort of thing. It had really great turnout for all of them. So Chadek Green, we're looking at primarily, um, the following. I'm sorry, I'm going to go right here. So it will include a playground, accessible parking, accessible paths, a restroom, raised garden beds, water, additional water for the gardens, additional gate entries for the gardeners is just not on the list, but one of the things they asked for, compost, composting bin areas, and then the sidewalk along Friendship. So this project includes the sidewalk extension primarily in front of the park, um, but also in front of one residence, this connects it via sidewalk then to Court Street, which it did not have a, a sidewalk connection before. It was one of the things asked for by both the gardeners and the neighbors, um, during the public meaning to have additional access into the park and to have a sidewalk connection. Um, things that are on the alternate for this one are additional sidewalks within the garden plots. So this was a request of the gardeners to have, right now it's just, um, dirt, dirt paths within the gardens, and this would make them even more accessible. And then a park shelter is an, is one of the alternate items. So I'll stop there and answer any questions about Chadek Green first that, this is the playground. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 33 Alter: So I think that you've actually answered it, but I just wanna make sure that I do understand. So, uh, earlier there was a gentleman here talking about the sidewalk, um, plan for Chadek Green. And so if I understand you correctly, this is actually to help create accessibility into the park and the gardens, as well as a through, kind of a walkability to get to Court Street as well. Seydell-Johnson: Correct. Teague: And that this was something that, uh, was done by way of public input during your outreach. Seydell-Johnson: Right. So the largest part of this sidewalk project is in front of the park, um, and it's been planned that way for, for a long time, as soon as we would do the park renovations, uh, to add the sidewalk there, but it was one of the requests during the public meeting as well. Alter: So, okay. Never mind the illustration helps. Thank you. Mm-hmm. Thomas: Juli, how, how wide is the sidewalk and what's the size of the, um, uh, gazebo shelter that is being considered. Seydell-Johnson: I'm looking at the engineers to see if they know this, the width of the sidewalk I, I'm sorry. I don't know that, um, we can find out and let you know for sure. Um, and this was going to be one of our smaller side shelters, similar to what is at Cardigan Park, um, Frauenholtz-Miller, a number of, uh, Scott Park, that we've put in recently. The neighbors asked for that. They didn't want a large gathering, um, shelter. They wanted it smaller sized for smaller type gatherings. Havel: I think typically what we would do for sidewalk and locations like this is we would match what's existing out there. So there are some sections of sidewalk and we're attempting to connect to some of that. So we would typically match what's out there, existing Thomas: Okay. Thanks. Seydell-Johnson: Okay. Then we'll move down, move on to Whispering Meadows. Um, on the southeast park, this, this, um, particular project, we had our neighborhood meeting, um, during an event that was held at Weatherby Park, so we actually had several of the, the neighbors from Whispering Meadows come over, um, we also had a number of neighbors from the South District that said, I didn't even know this park was there, so we introduced a lot of people. It's largely a wetlands park, um, with a nice natural trail through most of it. Um, we have been working with REAP grant funding to This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 34 renovate and, um, uh, do some ecological restorations in the wetland area, um, what this does is the City owns a residential lot off of Indigo Court, which is the second cul-de-sac up from the bottom, and this will give us a nice little pocket park, um, on that little residential lot there. So it is basically a very small playground, accessible paths that connect to the larger path within the park, um, and then the shelter is an alternate on there. And this is what the playground features will look like. Any questions on Whispering Meadows. Okay. The final project is Court Hill, this is a linear park that, that connects Court Street and Friendship, um, and goes a little bit beyond, back along the creek. Um, very interesting, we had a, a really nice neighborhood meeting there in act over and the picture in the right, they stayed into the dark with flashlights to give us input, that's how excited they were to talk about the park that night. So a really engaged group of residents around there that we appreciate, they had time, uh, to do that. This is one of the oldest, if not the oldest playgrounds in our system right now, as well as this shelter that you see there, one of the older shelters that we still have. This project, um, will replace the playground and the shelter along with providing, um, another, a new path from the current trail that goes through there, so the playground and the shelter stay essentially in the same area, um, they just, uh, we just renovate it with new, um, equipment and better accessibility out to the actual playground equipment, um, we originally had talked about replacing the shelter in the north end of the park, um, due to budgetary concerns that is not included in this project at this time. It is something that we may, um, may try to accomplish with, with our own staff in the future. And, uh, this would be the playground that would go in at Court Hill. Any questions on Court Hill? All three are set to, to have bids due by March 16th, um, and hopeful, start of construction by April, substantial completion at the end of the summer, early fall. Teague: Great. Thank you. Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? If so, please step to the podium. If you're online, please raise your hand. Seeing no one, I'm going to close the public hearing. Could I get a motion to approve please? 2. Consider a Resolution Weiner: So moved. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: All right. Council discussion. Weiner: It's, it's just always, it's great to continue improving parks around, um, around the, the city, various different places. I'm excited that people have This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 35 figured out there's a new park. There's a park in the South District a lot of people didn't know existed, but, um, especially in the pandemic new, um, new and renewed, um, shelters and playgrounds is, is a great thing for, for community contact. Teague: Community gardens are always a plus too. Thomas: Yeah, I do think, you know, considering our parks and open space as part of our public health response, uh, is a helpful way of thinking about it. It's not just simply recreation. And I think in one of our items coming up, you know, there's some money going toward, you know, dealing with people who, who need assistance, uh, public health assistance. So if we can, you know, improve our public spaces and our open spaces, access to nature, I think that has a, there's a remedy in that. So in terms of public health. Teague: All right. Roll call please. [Roll call vote.] Motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 36 13. American Rescue Plan Act - Mobile Crisis Outreach Subaward Teague: Item number 13, American Rescue Plan Act, Mobile Crisis outreach sub, sub, sub -award. This is the resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign a state and local recovery fund grant agreement with Community Crisis Services to expand its Mobile Crisis outreach program. Can I get a motion to approve please? Bergus: So moved, Bergus. Taylor: Second, Taylor. Teague: All right, we're going to welcome Rachel. Kilburg: Hello, Mayor and City Council. Rachel Kilburg, Assistant City Manager. Um, I, this resolution authorizes a subrecipient grant agreement with CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank to expand their Mobile Crisis outreach, um, service using American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA funding. I'm going to try to keep my remarks short because we do have Sarah Nelson here with us, um, she is the CEO of CommUnity, um, and she, I'll invite her up shortly to talk a little bit more about why this expansion is needed, um, and what this grant of funds will accomplish, but I just wanna provide you a little bit of a background refresher, kind of, on how this resolution came before you. So as you know, through the American Rescue Plan Act, Iowa City, um, was allocated approximately $18.3 million to respond to the public health and economic impacts of the pandemic. Last summer, we collected public input on use of these funds, and expanding, um, mental health services was one of the top suggestions that we had heard. So then at your work session on September 7th, um, staff presented the results of the public input phase, as well as our initial spending recommendation-- recommendations. One of the strategic recommendations that we recommended was bolstering mental health services and specifically our community's Mobile Crisis outreach program. The City Council offered their general support for those recommendations at that work session. And so we've been moving forward with making progress on several of those initiatives, including the one before you tonight. Over the past several months, we have worked with CommUnity to develop a proposal that would expand their Mobile Crisis program. That proposal was included in your January 13th information packet, and a memo indicating that we would move forward, uh, with drafting an agreement. Staff recommend approval of this resolution to respond to both the public health impacts of the pandemic and further our commitment to divert certain calls for service from the police. Sarah will certainly detail this further, but the pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues really across the country, um, and we've seen that need grow locally as well. And I also do want to note, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 37 um, that the expansion of Mobile Crisis outreach was a recommendation that was supported by the Council, uh, in the police restructuring plan. So, uh, with approval of this agreement would be the first obligation in expenditure that the council would formally make using author--, um, ARPA funding, and I do note that this program is an enumerated eligible use of ARPA funds under the U.S. Treasury's rules. So with that background, um, I'm just going to invite up Sarah to talk a little bit more about the expansion. Teague: Welcome, Sarah. Nelson: Hello, Mayor, hello, Council. Uh, so I just wanted to give a little bit of background on Mobile Crisis outreach in Iowa City and where it's been and, and where we are going with it. Um, so we started out, uh, CommUnity started out as a crisis line primarily, and we started recognizing the need for in-person response for certain, uh, individuals we were helping on the crisis line. And so staff began staff and volunteers began meeting with people in the community to provide that follow up. And then shortly after, in 2015, we, we were given the opportunity to become a state Chapter 24 Crisis Code accredited, uh, to provide Mobile Crisis services in Johnson County. So in seven years, under seven years, we've seen 506% growth in the program. Um, I think, you know, a lot of that is because with word of mouth, people start to learn that this is a service that's available, and we've been working really hard on outreach in the last year with the pandemic and state of mental health to make sure that people know we exist for everyone regardless of socioeconomic status, regardless of insurance status, um, no matter where you live in this community, youth, adult, age, um, it's it's for every citizen. So we've seen, uh, changes in the call volume from 2015, we were averaging 12 and a half calls per month. And, uh, we peaked at about 60 calls per month. And then you can see, we dipped down during the pandemic when we had an altered response, so we weren't going out in person for a while. Then we were going hybrid between telehealth and then we've really worked hard to ramp back up to fully in-person, so the last six months have been averaging 76 calls per month, but I can tell you, the last two months have been at a hundred calls per month, which are record numbers for Mobile Crisis. So the diversion rate, um, which is, is the goal of Mobile Crisis, is to keep people safe in their community and, and connected with the least intensive intervention necessary to stabilize someone. Um, in the past six months, we've set two program records, even with the highest call rates in program history, we are still extremely effective at diverting clients from hospitals and jails. So in 2021, 90% of calls ended without a trip to the hospital or jail, and 66% of calls were stabilized on scene without any further service. Response times, which is one of the things that we're really trying to address with this expansion, um, in 2021, we started piloting what it would look like, how we could get decreased response time to ensure that we have a This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 38 quicker response for law enforcement, schools, and other community partners, um, so our supervisory team who has other traditional duties began responding to calls, and through that full-time staffing model of response, we were able to respond, reduce our average time from 34 to 24 minutes, um, and the addition of full-time staff and vehicles to create quicker response, we expect that to decrease to an average of 15 minutes inside of the city of Iowa City limits. And this is of course important because we're responding to crisis, but we don't have lights and sirens, so we're always looking for creative programmatic ways to get there quickly, safely and, and meet the needs of those in crisis. So Mobile Crisis at CommUnity Mobile Crisis does serve Johnson and Iowa County, but out of those calls, 80% of them are within the city of Iowa City, so the lion's share of our calls are within the city of Iowa City. So the ultimate outcomes of the expansion would be to reduce our response time, cut it in half within the city limits and to increase the capacity to meet the current needs within the community. And we are seeing um, just tremendous increase in need of mental health for youth and adults. It is anecdotally very apparent that it is, is tied to, um, the mental health fallout from the pandemic, so we expect that to continue to climb. So with that, if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Thomas: With the numbers, the numbers that you were giving us are some of those numbers repeat individuals, or are they all unique? Nelson: So some of them are, I don't have that data, although I'd be happy to provide, um, any data that's helpful, helpful for you. I can follow up with that, but we, we can see repeat clients. And so what we'll oftentimes see is there may be somebody that's experiencing an acute period of three months, you know, where they might have particularly heightened crisis situation. And we might go out on that, that particular individual to their home repeat times, but the majority of our calls are those one-time responses were we're able to then connect them to the appropriate community resources and treatment. Thomas: Thank you. Weiner: So what, what expansion of resources including vehicles allow, uh, they allow for, um, the, for CommUnity and your crisis Mobile Crisis to respond to issues at, within the school district as well? Nelson: Yes, so this is, uh, related, but unrelated. So we recently had, uh, an addition of a full-time person for a school, um, youth Mobile Crisis coordinator, which has really been able to conduct outreach within the Iowa City school district. And they have been, um, busy every single day. So we have a formal agreement with the district and are working hard to respond to various levels of mental health crisis within, uh, the district. The vehicles, what's This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 39 different in the model about the vehicles is that with a fleet of vehicles, we can have Mobile Crisis counselors, at the start of their shift, pick up a Cri-- a vehicle so that if they're dispatched out, they don't have to go all the way to the office to pick up the Mobile Crisis vehicle and then out. And that's what's expected to reduce the time that we're able to get to a call. And, and because we transport clients to hospitals and to various place, to Guidelink or various places in the community, it needs to be Mobile Crisis vehicles and not personal vehicles. So that's the part that will reduce that response time. Bergus: Thank you, Sarah. In your written proposal was reference to the 988, um, line that's, that I think is becoming effective this July. Can you just speak to that and how it might integrate with this project? Nelson: I can. So that's a much larger statewide issue, but I can speak a little bit about it. So, uh, CommUnity Crisis Services is one of two Lifeline providers in the state of Iowa, which means only National Suicide Lifeline providers are going to be answering for 988, so, uh, CommUnity Crisis Services and Foundation 2 Crisis Services will be answering all 988 calls in the state of Iowa. So it provides a lot of opportunity for us to connect some of the dots within the crisis continuum to explore ways to dispatch Mobile Crisis from 988, so that we're really increasing that access point for people because they are going to remember 988 like they remember 911. And so it's expected that especially in year two, year three of 988, we're the pretty dramatic diversion from 911, just by nature of, people are going to know this is the number that you call when you're experiencing a mental health crisis. And so, um, it's a really exciting time in crisis services in Iowa. I mean, there's a lot of opportunity and we have a lot of the parts, and so just really trying to close a lot of those gaps on the continuum, 988 can draw, um, a lot of those things together. So it's a statewide effort, but we're lucky 'cause it's two centers in Eastern Iowa that happen to be, uh, Lifeline centers. Teague: Right. Thank you. Nelson: Yes. Thank you. Teague: Yes. All right. Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? If you're online, please raise your hand and if you're present, please come to the podium and sign in. You can come forward. Petersen: Hello. Um, name is Noah. Uh, guess a couple questions, um, of the 10%, uh, like what the hospital to jail, what of that is jail. Teague: Um, and we ask that you address Council, please. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 40 Petersen: Could you tell where? Yep. Okay. I guess I'll talk to him some other time, but um, so I guess my concern is, is that this is still working with the cops. So I understand this is a very different cops, mostly, which is improvement, which is some progress, so not against this, but, um, we should be more, um, just like no cops, but that's my stance on all things on cops, as you should know by now. So yeah. Thanks. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? If online, please raise your hand. Seeing no one, Council discussion. Taylor: I'm just so pleased to, to see this come before us. And, uh, it's an extremely important, uh, resolution, uh, to come before us to, to vote on, on, uh, it's absolutely necessary as we've seen by the numbers that she presented. Um, and in fact, it's got some urgency to it. Uh, we need to really mo--, bolster the Mobile Crisis unit and increase their responsiveness and the quality services that they provide to this, this very vulnerable members of our community. So I'm absolutely in favor of it. Bergus: I appreciated what, um, Sarah said about the response to the pandemic and the fact that mental health, uh, services are so much, um, increasing so much in, in need right now. And this is a, I think a swift and very important response to that. And also as Rachel previewed for us, um, with this item, this was one of the, I, I think what I thought was maybe a more difficult piece of the preliminary plan to restructure the Iowa City Police Department, because at the time we were talking about how could we dispatch Mobile Crisis, how could we get, uh, response times down? And now here we are. Um, at that time you all may recall the loud call from the community for a service like Kahoots. And, uh, I just know from the, uh, research and information that we received at the time that that service still has response times sometimes of 60 minutes. So having a service like this, um, in our community, I just think is tremendous. And thank you to CommUnity for their work and this partnership. Weiner: I mean, I, I think my understanding is that, that the goal is for community members themselves to internalize this, to use, when it comes online, to use the new 98, 88 number and request, themselves, mobile, Mobile Crisis, so that the, the more, um, a service like this, assuming we approve it, becomes embedded in the community, the more people are dealing directly with services that directly assist people, um, with mental, with mental health issues and mental health crises without the intermediary of law enforcement. And that's really, that's really the direction I, I personally think we need to be going anyway. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 41 Harmsen: Uh, I'd just like to say, agree with everything that's been said. And also, um, the work of the previous Council, some of whom are still here, uh, in CommUnity. Uh, it's nice to be able to come here 48 days into being a member of the City Council and getting to vote on something like this. And that's because of the work y'all did. So, so thank you. Thomas: This, this is a huge, a huge thing. I mean, thanks so much CommUnity for, um, providing the service and, and diverting a person in crisis from two outcomes, both of which are not all that desirable, ending up in jail or in a hospital. So thank you. This is great. Teague: So I think, uh, some of you know, that, um, Caring Hands and More used to have more the cri, crisis stabilization bits. Uh, we were the second in the state, um, Foundation, not Foundation 2, but, uh, Cedar Rapids was the first in the state. And so we, I, I personally had firsthand experience with Mobile, uh, Crisis outreach, um, through, through CommUnity. And the, the stories of individuals that were in crisis are very many. And this, sometimes we never saw them, um, in the crisis stabilization beds because of the outreach that Mobile Crisis did, um, and, and really talking to those individuals and giving them the supports that they need. And even when they did come to the crisis stabilization bed, I can tell you time and time again, how appreciative they were for their Mobile Crisis outreach that came to where they were, um, should that have been the desire, uh, uh, you know, for them and really talked them through some of the most, difficult, um, times in their life. Oftentimes it could be somebody's first time having a mental crisis where they needed to be, um, in a different place, other than a hospital or their home, um, or in, or in jail, really. And so this is a great opportunity for our community. And I'm going to be supporting it. With that, roll call, please. [Roll call vote.] Motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 42 14. Assessment Schedule Teague: On to item number 14, which is assessment schedule. This is a resolution adopting an assessment schedule of unpaid mowing, cleanup of property, snow removal, sidewalk repair, and stop box repair charges, and directing the City Clerk to certify the same to the Johnson County Treasurer for collection in the same manner as property taxes. Could I get a motion to approve please? Thomas: So moved, Thomas. Bergus: Second, Bergus. Teague: All right. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? And if you're online, please raise your hand. Welcome. Petersen: Hello? Yes. Um, so my question is, since this isn't (mumbled) that you can answer questions on it. Does the City work with people who are disabled and who cannot move stuff themselves? Like, so they have, like, they can't clear stuff, does the word, City work with those people instead of just fining them? Or is there just like a, you have, it doesn't matter if you're able or not, we're just going to assign you the fee or is there like, do you work with folks on that And you legally can answer this since that's what on their, Iowa code you can't answer. This is and on the agenda item. Teague: Any other comments? Petersen: Uh, I would like to know, like Geoff, does the City work with people or is it just like a blank? You, you, you can answer it like you, if you look, look at other cities, like even freaking Des Moines, I hate using Des Moines as a example, but Des Moines will actually like answer people if they ask questions about agenda items. Cause that's what the state Code allows on their open meetings is, this is an agenda item. There's no legal requirement that says you cannot answer people's questions. And other cities around the state do this. You are in an exception in not answering questions. I would just like to know, like, do you guys work with people on this? Or you just like assign the fee to people because if you're just assigning the fee to disabled people and saying, screw you, I would like to know, like, if that's what this City is doing or not. Based on the non -answer, I'm going to assume that's what it's doing. Thomas: This, this seems to fall under what we were talking about earlier. I want to ask staff if, um, you know, what, what is, how, how do we factor in when a property owner has physical disabilities This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 43 Fruin: As our, our inspectors will work to the extent that they can to find a solution. It's different in every case, at the end of the day, we have to get the, uh, the property under compliance or the, the, um, you know, the walk, shoveled, whatever the issue may be. But yes, we try to show compassion and be creative in trying to find solutions. Thomas: Thanks. Petersen: I guess. Um, I'll I, sorta answered it. So like, but like, So does, I mean, so someone is not able-bodied. They will, the City could just like clear that and does that, like, is that like what you mean, like (mumbled) solutions, like the City clears it for people who are not able bodied. Or other, Teague: We really can't get engaged in -- Petersen: You can though on this, I mean, this is agenda item, this legally you can, it is a Council decision to not engage on items, like this, you can, this is all on your decision, frankly. Teague: We want to hear from you. Petersen: Yes. And I'm saying like, this is, I'm not like trying to have a full discussion. I just like couple quick questions. And, uh, you sort like, I don't, I (mumbled) like exact answer to my question, you sort of answered it. I don't know. I guess I kind of want more specifically. Well, I do appreciate actually. And thank you, John, for working (mumbled). I really also really appreciate earlier work session for bringing it up too. Thank you. All right. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? Welcome Dan online. I don't see a, a speaker mic for Dan. All right. Now you can unmute. Kauble: Hi! Um, my name is Dan Kauble and the I'm just going to preface this by saying that all the topicality of what I'm about to say is established by the fact that this, I mean, it's the way that the public communicates with Council. First of all, I think that there's a major overhaul happening within the way the public communicates with Council. You all can legally respond to what we say and Mr. Mayor -- Goers: I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor, this does not seem to be germane to the topic. Teague: Yes, please keep it on the topic. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 44 Kauble: It's germane to the public comment. Um, sir, Mr. Mayor, I would say, as we discussed at moments like this, you could take a recess. We could go off the record, have a conversation about things -- Teague: Please keep it to the topic. Kauble: -- recess 30 seconds. And then we could go back into Council meeting. Sir, I think that's a really good way to circumvent a situation like this. And I'm really disappointed that this is how the Council meeting has gone, especially given our conversation, because I thought that we were talking, we had a good conversation about the merits of de-escalation about, um, what to do in a situation like this, where it is tense, where it is a standoff. Legally, you all can respond to comments. And legally, if we ask you questions, you can respond. That's common that city councils across this country. Oh, and I would like to remind Council members, your mics are hot. We can hear the things you say and we will use them against you. Anyways. Um, so you all, I don't understand why you're stuck in the past. There needs to be a major over -- overhaul of Council meeting protocol. Teague: So this is, you need to stay on topic to the assessment schedule. Kauble: Mr. Mayor, Bruce -- Teague: This is not germane. Kauble: This is germane because it's about public comment, sir. This is still about the structure of public comment, which is -- Teague: -- Okay, I'm going to, I'm going to end, the comment is not according to the topic. Kauble: Sir, it is germane. Do you not want to have these discussions? Can we have another meeting to talk about this sometime? Can we set that up? Teague: We're going to, we're going to stop this, this topic -- Kauble: -- sir, are you -- Teague: -- right now, with -- thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic assessment schedule. Goers: Mr. Mayor, if there's no other comment I wanted to, uh, invite a, a motion to amend from, uh, Council. Uh, there were two of the, uh, properties that are listed on the assessment that reached out in the last couple of days, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 45 indicating they would like to have a contested hearing, uh, at this meeting, there were two additional, uh, for a total of four, uh, that wish to be heard by Council directly. Uh, it's uh, Council's custom to, uh, approve the assessments that are uncontested at the initial meeting such as tonight, and that if there are property owners who wish to be heard or to contest the assessment that they are, uh, scheduled for the subsequent meeting. Those, uh, four properties are 314 Church Street, 1050 Woodlawn Avenue, 1940 Plaen View Drive and 1851 Muscatine Avenue. Again, if we could get a motion to, uh, amend to remove those from tonight's motion, uh, we'll be sure that they're listed, uh, separately on the March 1st meeting. Teague: Can I get a motion to defer those, uh, properties? Harmsen: So moved. Weiner: Second. Teague: Moved by Harmsen, seconded by Weiner. Roll call please. [Roll call vote.] Motion passes 7-0 and we are on to -- Goers: Oh, I'm sorry. That was a motion to amend. Teague: Yes. A motion to amend, 7-0. And now we're going to go back, um, and just do Council discussion for any of the assessment schedule. Hearing none, roll call please. [Roll call vote.] Could I get a -- the motion passes 7-0. Could I get a motion to accept correspondence? Bergus: So moved. Thomas: Second, Thomas. Teague: Moved by Bergus, seconded by Thomas. [Voice vote.] Passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 46 15.a. Housing & Community Development Commission -- One vacancy to fill an unexpired term, effective upon appointment - June 30, 2023. (Theresa Lewis resigned) [Appointment deferred from 1/04/22] Teague: 1Sa is Housing and Community Development Commission. Housing and Community Development Commission is one vacancy to fill an unexpired term, effective upon appointment through June 30th, 2023. And now it's Council discussion. Bergus: So we deferred this from last meeting, um, and we're hoping for more applications. I don't know that any... Fruehling: We got one additional one and I, I think we had actually deferred it from February 1st. Well, no, I think it's from January. Bergus: January. Yeah. Fruehling: It's been a couple meetings. Alter: I was going to ask if there are ways that we can try to improve the applicant - - not improve. Sorry. Spread the message so that we can get more applicants. Um, are there recommended. Fruehling: I know Communications did, um, Facebook, Twitter. Um, I think we also do Nextdoor. Um, and then on our City website. I'd be open to suggestions. Taylor: It sounds like, you know, you've made an attempt to -- Councilor Bergus and I were talking about earlier and really struggled over this appointment because I thought this is where we were before, the same place and with just one newer applicant. And not that these applicants are not good applicants, but they just don't seem like a good fit for the HCDC. So I, I just really struggled over, over what we should do. Weiner: I mean, the only other suggestion that I would have is that as we, as we go out and I hope do more of these community forums or listening posts that we really push at at those posts or, or urge people to let them know what's open and, and suggest that either they or, or people they know apply for them since they're already, um, exhibiting an interest in engaging. That's about the. Teague: So it sounds -- go right ahead please. Harmsen: Just have a question. Um, are, are there any of, uh, this board or any of the other ones, are, are they, do they have enough current members to be able to This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 47 function and do business? Do we have any sort of a clock running in terms of making sure they can have a quorum and, and do what they need to do? Teague: I think the quorum adjusts. Harmsen: Does it? Fruin: They're able to meet and have a, and, and, and carry on. Um, but cl, clearly more members would help. Teague: So it sounds like a deferral. Thomas: Well, I was ready to make some calls on this, but if, if others want to defer, that's fine. Teague: I'm going to assume a deferral. Okay. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 48 15.c. Senior Center Commission -- One vacancy to fill an unexpired term, effective upon appointment - December 31, 2023. (Susan Eberly resigned) Teague: And then well go to 15c, which is Senior Center Commission, Senior Center Commission, one vacancy to fill an unexpired term, effective upon appointment, appointment through December 31st, 2023. And we'll have Council discussion here. Taylor: I had a question about the application, um, name is Karen Page. Under the gender where you checked the gender it was checked male, uh, but under sexual orientation, you wrote female I'm thinking maybe it was erroneously checked or, or do we have some way of knowing? I mean, there's no gender requirement for this position, so it really doesn't make a difference, but just for future reference. Teague: I think since, yeah, I think in the future, maybe that can be clarified. Taylor: Cause I would be fine. I mean, sounded like a good applicant for the position, familiar with the Senior Center. Thomas: Yeah. I support that too. Teague: Okay. All right. Looking like we have, um, a majority of Council supporting Karen Page for Senior Center Commission. Can I get a motion to appoint please? Alter: So moved. Weiner: Second. Teague: Moved by Alter, seconded by Weiner. [Voice vote] Motion passes, 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 49 18. City Council Information Teague: We are on item number 18 which is City Council information. Thomas: Well, I had an opportunity to, um, go to the, uh, performance of the, that world premier at the, uh, river, Riverside Theater in its new location, and, um, highly recommend that show and also seeing the new venue. It's just beautiful, really charming space and historic building, and, um, the play is quite powerful, um, set in the Vietnam War year of 1971, but, um, you know, it's a wonderful new place in Iowa City. Thank you, Riverside Theater and all the, all those who supported it. Harmsen: Um, I would like to, uh, kind of excited to, uh, announce, um, I've been, uh, in contact with documentary filmmaker Sarah Terry, uh, and it sounds like, uh, there is a date set for the screening of her documentary, A Decent Home, uh, at Film Scene on April 28th, um, so more details are coming on time. Uh, A Decent Home is a documentary that looks at the exploitation of vulnerable communities of mobile home owners, um, and residents in those, uh, in those mobile home courts. Um, it looks at this through the lens, uh, specifically, uh, of a couple of different parks, but, but primarily two, one in Aurora, Colorado, and one in North Liberty, Iowa. Uh, this is a documentary film that has already been shown at film festivals in Denver and New York, um, and is, is signed up, I believe for another one or has been shown at one out in Montana, and I believe is, is on the docket for some other film festivals. Um, it's really, I, I've seen this, I saw it when it premiered out in, uh, in Denver. Uh, it's an incredibly well put together documentary film, um, and, uh, full disclosure, uh, my mom is actually one of the people in this film, so when I find out more, uh, more information about the exact time and stuff, I'll be sure to share that with the Council and with the community, um, and with staff, I think that's going to be something that, um, uh, we're going, it's going to be very beneficial thing to see because it does affect, um, our communities here, in around Iowa City. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 50 19.b. Reports on Items from City Staff -- Deputy City Manager Teague: All right, we are on to item number 19. This is reports on items from our City staff. Deputy City Manager. Jones: I did have a small item that I'd like to share with the City Council. Uh, there's an exciting new innovation that you may notice in our community, uh, it's a public safety, a public health innovation, um, that involves AEDs. Uh, so if you notice, uh, in the community, large yellow boxes, uh, they're actually housing AED, as you may know, uh, in the fight against, um, sudden cardiac arrest, minutes are, uh, are precious to, to survival. And, uh, frankly, uh, if you, if it goes beyond 10 minutes, you're likely not going to survive. Uh, in addition, every minute that goes by, that's like 10% less, uh, uh, chance that you survive. So, uh, this innovation, um, is, is actually capitalized by a partnership that involves, um, um, Pulse Point, which is the technology provider. Uh, they essentially, uh, kind of utilize something that's very similar to a, uh, um, Amber alert. Um, those who are interested to, uh, provide assistance before our EMS can get to that person. Uh, it will give alarm on the phone and they can then be directed to AED. All of this will be coordinated through our, our, uh, dispatch system. And then they can begin that, that process of getting that, uh, assistance to that victim. Um, so, uh, also involves our Rotary, local Rotary, uh, Johnson County, um, uh, Ambulance Service. Uh, the City as well, particularly kudos to Fire Department and, and Public Works Department in making all this happen. So, uh, just know we have, uh, five locations right now, um, it's, uh, being thought that we may be getting some more AEDs, so you may even see more, uh, around the community, but when you see those, that's what that's all about. Teague: Great. Taylor: Thank you, Deputy City Manager. I was going to ask about that and I'd forgotten 'cause I was driving along Mormon Trek and on a pole right there on the corner, uh, was an AED and I thought, this is really a strange place for that to be, and I hadn't heard of this program, but it, it's really a great idea. And it's, it's right there. It's visible. It's uh, uh, very busy, uh, intersection there near Benton Street and with a little shopping mall nearby in the bank, in the drug store and all those things. So that's great. So I'm, I'm glad you explained that, `cause I -- Jones: Well, you know, actually there's a little science behind that. There's been a tracking of how many incidents that we've had in the last three years. And so we actually concentrated those in where the areas we had most incidents, so. Taylor: Okay, good. Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022. Page 51 Weiner: I guess, um, shout also to the Rotary Heart and Kerber HeartSafe Program. Dick Kerber was a, was a physician for many years, um, at, at the University of Iowa. And I know that his wife has continued his efforts on this. Jones: Yep, absolutely. Teague: Great. All right. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council formal meeting of February 15, 2022.