HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-11-15 TranscriptionPage 1
Council Present: Alter, Bergus, Harmsen, Taylor, Teague, Weiner
Council Absent: Thomas
Staff Present: From, Jones, Kilburg, Goers, Fruehling, Platz, Knoche, Havel, Sovers,
Liston, Whitmore, Walz
USG: Zeimet, LeFevre
1. Call to order
Teague: All right. Good evening, everyone. It is 6:00 PM on November 15, 2022 and I'm
going to call this meeting to order for the City of Iowa City and roll call, please. [Roll
Call] All right. And we didn't hear Mayor Alter.
Weiner: Yes she did.
2. Proclamations
2.a. Human Rights Day
Teague: Okay. Just wanted to make sure people knew that Mayor Alter- Mayor Pro Tem Alter
is joining us, ah, virtually today. And Councilor Thomas- John Thomas will not be with
us. All right. We're gonna move on to item Number 2, Proclamations 2.a., the Human
Rights Day and this is gonna be read by Councilor Bergus.
Bergus: (reads proclamation) And to accept this proclamation is the President of the Johnson
County Chapter of the United Nations Association, Barbara Eckstein.
Teague: And we welcome you to give some words. Yep.
Eckstein: Well, uh, I want to say again how grateful I am to the City for partnering with us
again on an event. Uh, we appreciate the Public Library support and always the
support of the City's Equity and Human Rights Commission.
Teague: Thank you.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
formal meeting of November 15, 2022.
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2.b. Transgender Day of Remembrance
Teague: 2.b. is Transgender Day of Remembrance, and this will be read by Councilor Weiner.
Weiner: So I actually asked to read this because, uh, it seems of particular importance given
some of the hostility at the State level, uh, right now. (reads proclamation) And
accepting this pro- this proclamation will be Human Rights Commissioner Doug
Kollasch.
Kollasch: Thank you. Um, my name is Doug Kollasch. I'm in the Human Rights Commission,
pronouns he/him. And on behalf of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, I accept
this pro- proclamation and wish to extend our sincere gratitude to City Council for
recognizing the Transgender Day of Remembrance. On November 20th we mourn the
transgender Americans we lost this year, as well as the countless other transgender
people around the world, disproportionately black and brown transgender women and
girls as the result of brutal violence, discrimination, and harassment. These victims, like
all of us, are loving partners, family members, friends, and community members. They
worked, they went to school, they attended houses of worship. They were real people,
people who did not deserve to have their lives taken from them. We have seen a
significant increase in anti -trans laws and rhetoric from political leaders- leaders across
the country and Iowa is not immune to this tragic and despicable wave of hatred. These
so-called leaders have taken aim at transgender children, a group that is already
marginalized. A group that is already struggling. Transgender children and LGBT
children as a group, are much more likely to commit suicide than their peers. The
American Academy of Pediatrics reports that more than half of transgender male teens
attempt suicide in their lifetime while one in three transgender female teens said they
had attempted suicide. These are students who are struggling to find a place to belong in
their school. And instead of being supported and allowed to participate freely, they've
been told they are not welcome or worthy of playing sports with their peers. The anti -
trans rhetoric has pervaded the public discourse and it seeks to dehumanize and
demonize our transgender friends and neighbors. The words and attitudes of political
leaders have the chilling effect of fomenting and encouraging violence against
transgender members of our community. When members of the LGBTQ community are
called groomers or pedophiles, or any number of homophobic and transphobic slurs. It
gives credence to hatred and lights the fuse of violence. In the recent election cycle, we
have even seen examples of this dangerous speech in our own community of Iowa City.
Therefore, I once again wish to thank the members of the City Council for issuing this
proclamation in remembrance of the victims of transgender violence. Let it be clear that
in Iowa City, we acknowledge and infirm this immutable truth, that trans men are men,
transgender women are women, and that all humans have the right to freedom, justice,
and joy. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
formal meeting of November 15, 2022.
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2.c. USS Iowa SSN 797 Submarine Day
Teague: 2.c. is USS, Iowa SSN-797 Submarine Day. And this proclamation will be read by
Councilor Taylor.
Taylor: (reads proclamation) And we very proudly say accepting is United States Navy veteran
Caleb Schneider. Caleb come up.
Schneider: First of all, I'd like to thank you all, uh, Mayor Teague, especially, ah, this means a
lot to me as, uh, an Iowa City native grew up here, ah, pretty much my whole life until I
left for the Navy back in 2012. Uh, moved back to the state last year with my family
and I live just down the road now in Tiffin. So, ah thank you all. Uh, being a submarine
veteran with Veterans Day just behind us, uh, this is a special moment and uh, with the
USS Iowa being the first submarine named after our state, and as was stated, the fourth,
uh, naval vessel named after our state. I think this is a very unique thing for us. Um, I- I
think it's safe to say that this is the first- first and last submarine that we will see named
after our state, uh, for our lives at least. And, uh, I think it really represents Iowa well
by, ah, they really had to do some re -engineering of the- of the ship to accommodate
the, uh, the male and female crews for both officers and enlisted crew members. So I
think- I think that really represents our state and I'm- I'm proud to be, ah, an Executive
Director of the Commissioning Committee. Um, so thank you very much and have a
great night.
Teague: Thank you.
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3 — 7 Consent Calendar
Teague: We will, um, move on to Items 3 through 7, which is our consent agenda. Can I get a
motion to approve the consent calendar?
Weiner: So move, Weiner.
Taylor: Second, Taylor.
Teague: All right. Moved by Weiner and seconded by Taylor. Anyone from the public would
like to discuss this topic? Please, ah, step up to the podium. If you are online, ah, please
raise your hand and I'll acknowledge you. Seeing no one, council discussion.
Taylor: I'd just, ah, very quickly I'm sorry, like to comment on 6.h., uh, the Willow Creek
stabilization since that's in my neighborhood there. Uh, Benton Street is a very busy
street and walkway. And the creek is very visible from the street and the walkway. So I
have been watching the progress of the stabilization and- and I have to admit the
erosion had been getting really bad along there and tree stumps and just wasting away.
And- and- so I was very impressed and- and- and, uh, I'm pleased with the results.
Weiner: And I- I just wanted to re- refer to Item 6.b., which is the formal appointment of our -
our, uh, undergraduate student government. uh, liaisons who really always bring, ah,
tremendous value-added and connect this community, the- the sort of town and gown,
of the town with the University community.
Teague: Okay. Any other comments? Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 6 — 0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
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8. Community Comment
Teague: Item number 8 is community comment. This is an opportunity for anyone to speak on
an item that is not on our agenda. Um, if you are present, we ask that you step to the
podium. There is a sign -in sheet at the podium, and there are also stickers in the back of
the room. For anyone online than wishes to comment, please raise your hand and I'll
acknowledge you. Seeing no one, we're going to move on- oh, sorry, there is a hand
raised online. Welcome, F. J. Pieper. Please state your name and the city you're from.
Pieper: Hi, my name is Felicia Pieper. I live in Iowa City.
Teague: Welcome.
Pieper: I- thank you. Um, I wanted to speak about our homelessness services, uh, in the City of
Iowa City, um, or lack thereof Um, I am increasingly concerned that, uh, I've still not
heard about a winter shelter being open now that there's snow on the ground. Um, I
would also like to, um, just speak a little bit more on, um, one story of one person who
is experiencing homelessness who has been, um, in the shelter house system now for,
um, several months, um, through multiple programs and not receiving, um, the services
that are described. Um, there is a lack of accountability and transparency, um, around
our homelessness services. And I would like to know what the City is doing to fill the
gaps, um, for our neighbors and residents that need those services and they're not
getting them. Um, I'd like to speak more on, um, one person's, um, story who started
off, um, by reaching out to Shelter House for, uh, eviction prevention services, moved
through that process, ah, really by herself without receiving those services. Um, she is
then transitioned into the rapid rehousing Services and, um, the permanent housing
services. Um, this has been going on for several weeks. And while I understand the
barriers to receiving these services and the fact that they are, um, uh, I guess, just like
not readily accessible. Like, I am sympathetic to that, but there are rules to follow. Um,
but I think that the way that, um, staff will, um, are not accountable to making sure that
they're being in contact with the people that they're serving. Um, I find this problematic
for many reasons, but one reason being that our homeless neighbors are some of the
most vulnerable neighbors. Um, and that it seems like someone needs an advocate and
multiple advocates to even be able to receive the services that are offered through
Shelter House. Um, I would like to see the City make tangible steps to creating
accountability processes, um, and also transparency among those services and once
again, considering that our un-housed neighbors are some of the most vulnerable. Um,
how are we ensuring that, um, those folks are getting connected and being treated with
dignity? Um, and I would like the City to take some ownership over this and make sure
that the accountability, um, is there. Thank you.
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9. Planning and Zoning Matters
9.a Rezoning — 937 E Davenpot St
Teague: Thank you. All right. Anyone else? Seeing no one, we're going to move on to Item
number 9, which is planning and zoning matters, 9.a. rezoning - 937 East Davenport
Street- ordinance rezoning property located at 937 East Davenport Street from medium
density single family residential zone to medium density single family residential zone
with a historic district overlay. And this is second consideration and staff is requesting
expedited action.
Weiner: I moved to the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for
passage at two council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally passed,
be suspended. The second consideration and vote be waived into the ordinance, be
voted on for final passage at this time.
Taylor: Second.
Teague: Moved by Weiner and seconded by Taylor. Anyone from the public who would like to
discuss this topic. If so, please step forward or raise your hand online. Council
discussion.
Taylor: I'm very much in favor of this. So pleased to see this, and I applaud the owners of, ah,
this property, ah, for seeing the historical value, uh, of this home and wanting to
preserve it. Uh, it's not a style we see these days obviously, but it reminds me of the- the
tiny homes that I envision for the city. So I am very much in favor of this.
Teague: Is always good to see the owners, as you mentioned, just be on board with this
because, um, sometimes that's not the situation which we respect, uh, anyone's, ah,
opinion and choice. But this is a great opportunity and we're- uh, I'm excited to see this.
Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 6 - 0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt?
Weiner: So moved.
Taylor: Second.
Teague: Mobile Weiner seconded by Taylor. Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 6 - 0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
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10. Sidewalk Cafes -expand locations
Teague: Item 10 is sidewalk cafes expand locations. Ordinance amending Title 10 entitled
Public Ways and Property. Chapter 3, entitled commercial use of sidewalks to allow
sidewalk cafes outside of downtown and at Riverfront Crossings. Can I get a motion to
give first consideration?
Bergus: So moved, Bergus.
Weiner: Second, Weiner.
Teague: All right. We're going to welcome Rachel.
Kilburg: Good evening, Mayor and City Council. So currently the sidewalk cafes are only
allowed in the downtown and in Riverfront Crossings zones. So this ordinance
amendment would allow sidewalk cafes without a liquor license to operate outside of
those districts. The cafes would be required to still abide by uh- our sidewalk cafe uh-
ordinance and policy as well as any other additional restrictions um that staff or the City
Manager ah, may see fit. So example, if you have a coffee shop operating in maybe a
more residential neighborhood, ah, maybe the hours of operation need to be reduced,
that kind of thing. So as you'll recall at your September 6th work session, you discuss
several other recommended changes to our sidewalk cafe program. This is the only one
that requires an ordinance change. So that first reading is before you now. Our sidewalk
cafe program is governed by both ordinance and policy, so ah- the other
recommendations will be brought to as a policy amendment at your next meeting on
December 6.
Teague: Alright. Any questions for Rachel? Thank you. Anyone from the public like to discuss
this topic? If so, please come forth. There's no one on line presently. Seeing no one,
council discussion. Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 6 - 0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
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11. Land Acknowledgement Statement
Teague: Item number 11 is land acknowledgment statement. Resolution adopting a land
acknowledgment recognizing indigenous peoples and their traditional territories on
which we live. Can I get a motion to approve?
Alter: So move, Alter.
Bergus: Second, Bergus.
Teague: Anyone from the public like to discuss this topic? Seeing no one, council discussion.
Taylor: The first few years of my life, I lived in a small town in Wyoming where indigenous
people lived, worked, and were all around us. And they were even celebrated on several
times throughout the year. Ali, so when my family moved to Iowa, which had cities,
counties, and rivers ah- with Native American names, I was surprised ah- that there was
hardly any mention of their heritage. Uh- in fact, they lived on uh- reservations and
were totally separate from most of us. So thank you, Councilor Weiner for putting this
before us to recognize the contributions made to our land by the indigenous people.
Winer: Thank you. It just we- it had been recommended by at least two of our commissions that
we- that we um- produce a land acknowledgment statement due on, basically material
that was already present at the University from the Native American Council as well as
from the Law School. It just seemed to me, as you said, that it was long past time that
we honor those on whose land we live and thrive and that it's an essential part of our
history and I think that if we've learned anything over the past few years that- it should
be that we must learn from, accept and acknowledge our past and allow it to inform our
present and our future.
Teague: Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 6 — 0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
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12. Filling Council Vacancy by Special Election
Teague: Item number 12 is filling council vacancy by inspect- special election. Resolutions
setting a special election to fill the council vacancy created by Janice Weiner's
resignation. Can I get a motion to approve, please?
Bergus: So moved, Bergus.
Alter: Second, Alter.
Teague: All right. Moved by Bergus, seconded by Alter. She was louder than you. Um- and
we're gonna welcome our City Attorney, Eric.
Goers: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So hopefully you've all had a chance to review uh- the staff
memo that came out on this topic. Um- as you will recall, there are two methods ah- by
which you'll need to fill the council vacancy that'll be created um- upon ah- Councilor
Weiner's uh- resignation, the effective date for which is the end of this calendar year.
The first is to appoint a replacement. The second is to call a special election to elect a
replacement for Councilor Weiner. As a result, there are two competing resolutions on
your agenda tonight. They are numbered items 12 and 13 respectively. One says that
you'll choose uh- to fill the vacancy via an appointment. The other says you'll choose to
fill it by special election. So obviously you will need to, or you will want to vote in
favor of one and to reject the other. This is a zero -sum game. Only one of those can be
the winner. As I've shared with Councilor Weiner and the rest of you, because
Councilor Weiner remains a seated member of council through the end of this calendar
year and has no legal conflict from participating in these discussions, she's free to take
part in this discussion and vote as she does with any and all other votes until the
effective date of her resignation at the end of this year. Um- while, to be clear, while
Councilor Weiner uh- may take part in determining the method by which this Council
will decide how to fill that vacancy, ah- because this council cannot appoint a
replacement, if Council decides to appoint, until the vacancy actually occurs, she will
not be in a position to vote for the specific individual who will fill her shoes. So your
task tonight is merely to determine how you wish to fill the vacancy by special election
or by appointment. Obviously, I'm happy to be here to answer your questions as they
relate to election costs or how we did it last time, any- or any other questions that you
can think of, at least to the best of my ability, given how rarely this happens.
Alter: Eric, this is Megan. I have a question and it may sound naive. Even though we have two,
um, separate agenda items, we can discuss them as sort of in play with one another in
order to be able to make a decision, correct? We don't have to sort of like go through the
first agenda item. I just- I want to make sure that we're not hamstringing ourselves.
We'll be able to discuss both the pros and the cons of appointment and special election
at the same time, correct? Even though we just end up with one decision, right?
Goers: Right.
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Alter: Okay.
Goers: A fair question and you're absolutely right. You can have a full-fledged discussion for
the first agenda item and they come in order and I should be clear, no particular order.
The order, uh, is number 12 is by special election. So yes, you, as a council, should
have a full discussion about whether you wish to have special election or appointment
and then- and then vote on this and well, and then both on the second one. And as I said,
hopefully one of those will pass and the other does not.
Alter: Thank you.
Teague: Alright. Council discussion.
Taylor: Personally, I'm not in favor of having a special election to fill the vacancy. I think that
comes with- from- you did- thank you, Eric. He did share some of the statistics on- on
the cost. Thanks also to the auditor's office, but, uh, that's a hefty price tag and a lot of
time and a lot of staff effort. Uh, I just, er, would say no to a special election.
Bergus: So when we first started. Oh, sorry, Megan. Go ahead.
Alter: No, I'm just gonna say you go ahead, Laura.
Bergus: I was just gonna reflect on when we first knew this would be likely, I guess when, um,
Janice announced her candidacy, um, at the time I was very much like Iowa City has no
option but an election. Like there's- there's no way that Iowa City would stand for
appointment of a- of a City Councilor. Uh, and then I went and looked at the, us, saw
what Coralville did for one, but also knowing that the- the school district made an
appointment and went and looked up some statistics on special City Council elections in
Johnson County in the last several years. So the last- I believe the last Iowa City one
was 2018, is that right, Eric?
Goers: That's correct.
Bergus: And so at that point, nine percent of our registered voters participated in that election.
And in 2019, the next year in North Liberty, they had a special city council election,
that was seven percent of the registered voters. 2020 in Coralville was better-43.8
percent of the registered voters. Tiffin in 2020 had a special city council election, 4.48
percent of the registered voters. And just this year in North Liberty, they had a special
city council election with 1.9 percent of the registered voters participating. So all of
those statistics are just to say, not very many people participate. And we know that the
timeline for a special election would be very short. And that a campaign, all of us up
here have gone through a campaign of one type or another, um, takes a lot of effort, a
lot of energy. It can take a lot of money, a lot of stress. And from an equity standpoint, I
think a low barrier application that is open to everyone with us having the opportunity
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to speak with individuals who would be interested, um, is actually a better process for
making it open to those who might be, um, wanting and capable of serving than having
a very, very low turnout, short time -frame special election. So I've moved in my opinion
to- to favoring appointment.
Harmsen: I think this is one that I've really, um, really still kinda struggle with because on
principle, I think, you know, I'm totally in favor of having the people, um, have a voice
in this decision and having, you know, help with other these short-term campaigns. I
like how it can, uh, opens things up a little bit more to somebody out there who might
be able to feel the campaign and can jump in. And- and, you know, this body here has
benefited from the outcomes of special elections and we've had some- some good
results with that. Um, I don't feel particularly a lot of, uh, a lot of problem with the
financial cost of a campaign because I think just- just democracy is worth it. All of
those things said, uh, I definitely can see the point of, uh, this is only going to be a year
term versus a longer period of time. If we do run an election- special election, quite
probably this new person wouldn't be on until we are through or almost through the
budget process, which was one of the things that I was originally concerned about. You
know, we're talking about the- the, you know, the- the amount of money to run an
election versus the- the- the amount of the budget that we're making decisions on. But
somebody who comes into a special election wouldn't really be part of that, probably
wouldn't be here in time for that process. So- so I'm still waffling back and forth a little
bit on this, but- but those are the things that I've been sort of weighing out in my head as
I do so.
Weiner: Well, it may seem a little bit odd for me to speak on this. The- the- I guess the thing
that- that- that I've been thinking about as you referred to democracy. Um, and I- and I
ended up wondering, I mean, I remember when- when Councilor Bergus and I were first
elected, the press came to us. And one of the things I said, it's- it's really great but I
really wish we had more than 15 or 16 percent turnout or whatever. As we need more,
this local- local government affects you and it would be really helpful if more people
would turn out to vote. And so when I- when I look at the possibility of a special
election and really low turnout, it seems almost anti -democratic. And that's- and that's
sort of my- my concern.
Harmsen: Well certainly I can see that in the time of year we're discussing too.
Teague: Mayor Pro Tern Alter.
Alter: Yeah. Um, I'm very much like, uh, Councilor Bergus and that I started off thinking and
you and- and I have talked about it Mayor, about like, well, of course Iowa City just got
special elections, but I too started to think about it. And there are several things that just
sway me towards an appointment. Uh, for one, it's not even a years appointment by the
time the person comes on. It's roughly nine months. Coralville, Iowa City School
District and the League of Cities, um, have, sorry, the- the former two conducted
appointments and then the League of Cities, and the memo that we saw from Eric
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shows that that's sort of the- the majority way that- that many cities have conducted
their business as well. For what that's worth. You talked about the timing of it, um, as
well as others. I think February is- that's- that's a brutal time of year for people to get
out. Uh, and we've just come off of a grueling mid-term cycle. And I think that people
are very tired. I don't- I think that that too is going to depress turnout. Um, ultimately
what sways me the most is that if in fact we go the route of an appointment, the public
can speak and say that they want a special election. They just have to petition it. So it's
not like we're cutting out the possibility of one. If people feel very strongly, otherwise,
the people can speak. And I think that, that- that's the great thing about the way that this
has been written. So I feel okay with putting forth an appointment, an RFP, if you will,
you know, for people to- to apply. I very much would like to be able to- to talk with
candidates as well. But that's kinda my thinking and where I'm leaning at this point.
Teague: So I appreciate all of the comments so far about do we do special election? Do we
appoin. Just like everyone, I've, you know, kind of gone through that process of this is
Iowa City. They will never allow a special election. I mean, they will never allow an
appointment. And so I started there and where we have to go to a special election in as
things began to unfold, many of the things that people processed here, I did determine
that an appointment would be in the best centers of this- of the City. I've had many
conversations with people in the community saying, hey, what are your thoughts?
What- you know, what are you thinking here? And surprisingly, some of the- some of
the political faces of those that are, you know, very prevalent when it comes down to
elections. Many of them kinda said, you know, I can be open to either. Which was a
little surprising. The timeline that many of you talked about is going to be short. If we
go to a special election, we're, you know, looking at not appointing someone- not
having someone in that seat for, you know, some time. And then if we do an
appointment, we'll have to talk about the, you know, when we want to end the
application process, um, I'm looking at how we typically do our- our commissions. So
it, like vacancies new on our agenda for today. That application closes Tuesday, January
3rd. And so I would say that we would have an application process that would end no
later than- no earlier than January 3rd would be my proposal. And then if we are to go
also with that appointment route, the question would be is, you know, what does that
application look like for those that are interested? And also, how do we make sure that,
as Councilor Bergus talked about, keeping the barriers low. More of a how- how do we
make sure that we ensure that we're asking, you know, some pertinent questions. But
also making sure that it's equitable to everyone in the community that is interested in
this opportunity. So I will be supporting the appointment route. And then I think at
some point we have to have a little more of the logistical conversations about how do
we make that happen. Any other comments on this one?
Harmsen: Actually, I was going to stay with- with that- with that approach, do we have an idea
for like how long it would take to put out an actual- like would that be something we'd
prepare and then vote on the announcement, the job posting, if you will at- at our next
meeting. And then can we even do that while there is still a vacancy? Like when can we
actually start that process?
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Goers: Yeah, we can start the process now. And so if you wanted to spend some time and/or if
you want to give some guidance to staff and we can present a draft perhaps for your
December 6th meeting. That'd be fine. Based on your remaining meetings schedule for
this year, I think it would probably be if council wants to provide input or to approve
the application form or any other part of the application process, we would probably
need to have that from you by December 6th or to have you vote on it on December 6th.
Taylor: I appreciate the application forms that you shared with us that the- the Coralville
utilize the school district. Of course, there are lot of things that would need to be
tweaked to bet. But otherwise, the format was, you know, what, I think we could utilize
and- and would be helpful.
Harmsen: And would we also have to set up now or- or decide when we finally make this
decision on the timing for like, are we going to set up a process that involves like a two -
stage application, then interviews and then timeframe for that. I mean, I'm just
wondering about some of those logistics that the Mayor was talking about just if- what
that might look like. I know some- I think some of this was in the memo, but I don't
know if all of it was.
Goers: Yeah. It mean I'm assuming that, you know, I'm hearing the consensus is to appoint.
And if that's the case and you'll want to decide on an application process. That's the
form. That's the process itself That is would you folks want interviews? Would you just
be doing it based on, you know, what you see in the application and/or, you know,
letters of reference, you know, whatever you're interested in and as a council. And then
it would again, be best if we nail that all down by December 6. So if- it's up to you if
you want to have some discussion about kinda your desires in that regard tonight, that
would give staff some direction. And- and again, we can present something to you that
you can react to. And then we can make changes on the fly at the meeting on the sixth if
that's your- if you want to make any. But then we'd have the process nailed down and
then the City Clerk and I can make sure we get the notices published and so forth,
consistent with the state law and all the other requirements that are there in that state
code.
Teague: I- I think the examples that you gave us were really good of other cities and their
application. And then we already have an application process that we use for our
commissions. And so I would, you know, propose that we either look at that right now
in a real time, look at our current commission application and maybe decipher what we
don't think is necessary for a council appointment. We know that the gender
requirement is a state requirement for people to, you know, answer that. And so I think
we can remove things that are not- you know, that aren't required.
Gloer: To be clear, the- the gender balance and so forth. It's for board and commission or
maybe that's what you're saying already?
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Teague: Yeah.
Goers: That would be required for, yeah.
Teague: You know, that would not be required, but it is required for our commission
applications. And so- and then if- if that is the case of if we want to, you know, go that
route that started in, you know, there. When I look at the city of Coralville the
information that they ask is what we ask for the most part within our commissioners.
Our application is just very long because we have some -we spell out a few things and
explanation of like tell us if you're on a city commission before, you know, that type
stuff so. And- and maybe we don't want to know that information unless they naturally
say that they've been on a- you know, on a- on a like for instance, Coralville, you know,
talks about experience and your activities which you feel qualify you for the City
Council. So maybe there are some tweaks that we can make somewhat on the fly. And
we can use what we already have as a standard. And then the question would be is if we
do make this determination, how quick can the city clerk office post whatever edits, you
know.
Fruehling: Are you wanting this to be online?
Teague: I think it should be online. I don't know how else we can make that possible to.
Alter: Is it possible, sorry. Is it possible actually to have paper copies of people if they're
interested, that could come get one at City Hall as well?
Goers: We certainly could. I mean, that's how we do it with boards and commission, there's,
you know, right. Yeah.
Fruehling: I just didn't know if they wanted it online also. I just don't know as far as IT. I'm
assuming if it's easy tweaks from the application, we already have that it wouldn't take
them a lot of time to do.
Bergus: You know, I like where- where you're going with that Mayor and I just pulled up the -
our current application. I think the experience and/or activities which you feel qualify
you for this position is an excellent prompt. The present knowledge of the council, I
think is also a good -a good question. I defer to Eric, but I think including something
relating to conflicts of interests might be helpful, necessary.
Goers: Well, yeah. I mean, again, since this is a purely political decision for council to make
insofar as who this person would be and if they have conflicts that are going to create
problems, then that's a fair question and it'd be good for you to know. Sure.
Bergus: And then I- I guess my- my biggest question is if we're not, I- I really like for
commission appointments when we have the demographic information, but that is like a
bit of a double-edged sword as well. So I don't know how people feel about requiring -
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not requiring it, but having it like we do on the commission application where it's
optional. But, you know, people can answer those- those questions.
Taylor: Age and race and all kinds of things.
Bergus: Yeah.
Teague: If we can expand it, um, to non -binary and- you know, and just be a little more
inclusive, I- I would be okay with that.So then the question would be, um, anything
else? Okay. So I guess the- the question would be is if this council is comfortable based
on the discussion today, if staff and I know that, um, Mayor Pro Tem, Alter and I, we
meet with, um, the City Manager's Office tomorrow, um, and we can also include our -
our attorney, Eric, if- if council was comfortable with us just kinda finalizing that
discussion real quick tomorrow and so that, um, staff could go forth and create the final
document. Um, and if you all are comfortable, we can just, uh, give it a thumbs up and -
and send it out electronically and have copies, um, paper copies in the city clerk's office.
Bergus: I would be comfortable with that.
Teague: All right. So seeing majority of head nods.
Harmsen: I think we still have to vote on that.
Teague: We do.
Goers: Well, we have to vote on the item, but this helpful discussion.
Harmsen: No. No. No. No. I- I think we- one thing too, I would add with that, um, just as- so
we've mentioned that using this as a safeguard, um, the ability of people to- the public
to gather signatures, just so that we make sure this process that- that we are like making
sure people know the time windows for that, their- their availability to do such a thing.
Um, because it is a little bit from the memo- memo, it's a little bit confusing. There's
like two stages I think to that and- and just- just to make sure that in the interest of if
we're going to do an appointment, that we are making sure our community, if they think
this is an unwise decision, they know what they need to do to -
Taylor: Eric, would we be published that in the newspaper or just in- on our web page?
Goers: Right. So if- if the council decides to make an appointment and so forth, then we have
to publish notice, and that's one of the state law requirements. And part of that, an
element of that is to point out to, uh, you know, the communities right to- to file that
petition and so forth. Exactly what you're addressing. Yeah.
Teague: All right.
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Bergus: And so I think the sooner we decide these details, the sooner that publication would
occur.
Goers: Uh, well, yes and no. There's a window in which we need to publish and, uh, that's
between 4 and 20 days before the actual appointments.
Bergus: Okay.
Goers: I targeted January- the January loth meeting, uh, for council. Um, I- I figured maybe at
your budget meeting was maybe not the time when you want it to do this, uh, correct
me if- if that was not right. Uh, but the next meeting is the January 10th meeting. And
so we would need to track back between, you know, the publication would have to be,
you know, no fewer than four days, no more than 20 days before January loth.
Bergus: Got you. What do people think about interviewing versus evaluating them like we do
commission applications or putting the onus on us to contact people who we want to
speak with. How do we want to do that?
Harmsen: Good question? Do we want to do depending on the number of applications? Do it
like, uh, stages, like, you know, try and- by looking at applications, narrow it down to a
smaller number. And then I think then at that point, group interviews would probably be
more efficient than somebody trying to answer seven different phone calls or you know
what I mean? I'm just in terms of- or maybe that's not- not the way, but that's just my
first thought.
Taylor: Go ahead.
Alter: I was just gonna say if we were to do it as a group interview, this would have to be
open meetings, correct?
Goers: Yes. Right. Right. And I think that's how Coralville did it. Not that that means that's
how you have to do it, but, uh, that would be my recommendation is that you folks do it
as a group, as a whole council. Yeah.
Teague: I- I did see and no disrespect to, uh, Coralville, I did see that process. Um, and I think
there was a great value there. Um, but as I look at what we do now for our commission,
for, you know, uh, commission selections, there are some commissions where, you
know, we're all in and we're- you know, people are contacting us, having those one-on-
one discussions or we're contacting individuals. Um, I- I think, you know- we can, you
know, bring people into a meeting and have them each, you know, give their comments.
But personally, I- I think I will find it more, um, advantageous for me to talk one-on-
one with individuals and- um, and then we come back and we make our selections that
way, but that's just me. And- and I do understand the you know, it won't be public,
right? That I'm having these one-on-one conversations, but.
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Purdy: Who cares about the public hearing? We don't care about the public hearing.
Harmsen: So I- I wonder if that's even something we have to nail down the actual
Purdy: We don't give a crap about public opinion here.
Harmsen: We've nailed down to that level of detail at this point, so.
Taylor: I think it's a good point though, Mayor. Because like during the normal process
special- regular election process, we hear from the candidates and we hear what their
priorities are. And that's one thing that wouldn't be on that commission application is
what do you see as your priorities? And that might be something we might want to add
on there so that we know if affordable housing is their priority or- or transit or what it
might be. So we kind of know where they're coming from.
Purdy: You got to get the hit.
Teague: I think we can have both and. So we could potentially have, as you were talking, I
heard, um, more like that, um, when we were all cam- you know, going for our
candidacy, we sat in a forum, you know, and we all get- had three minutes of whatever.
Um, but what I- what I would suggest is that maybe we have, um, people come up for
3-5 minutes that apply and they just share whatever they want.
Purdy: And you threaten to remove me by force?
Bergus: What about the question of winnowing, like you were saying, Sean? You know, if we
get 100 applications, um, are we committed to three minutes for each person? Because
obviously any selection to get to the top 10 or something- who knows, and wouldn't
have to be public as well. Megan, go ahead.
Alter: I think that- I mean, I'm definitely in favor of winnowing, uh, you know, to- to get to
kind of, uh, you know, uh, a manageable number. Um, that honestly is respectful of
everyone's time, including the candidates, right? Or the applicants. Um, if someone does
it on a whim and- but really it's sort of like, "Wow, I didn't expect I was going to have
to talk about this," you know, on the one hand, I don't want to make assumptions for
anybody if they could find they're serious about it. But, um, ultimately, if we have a lot
of people applying, I think there does- it just makes sense, um, to me, um, to, to get it
down to a manageable number, I think in some regards that's mirroring the way a
primary works. It's mirroring certainly how it works for job interviews, um, so I don't
think that we're really doing anything unusual by approaching it in that way.
Harmsen: Would that be just two different consecutive meetings then? Like a public- one
meeting to say these are our top five, and then another one that we would have, I missed
part of what you said, but three to five minutes where they would...
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Taylor: Forum
Harmsen: ...where they would have a forum?
Taylor: Like a forum where they would tell what the priorities are.
Harmsen: You know and if by some reason we get five or less or whatever that number is plus
applications, then we don't need that Bust round of meeting. We can always cancel a
meeting maybe. You know, I don't know how that would.
Goers: Well, sure, that's my question I mean- I'm assuming that the winnowing will be done by
the whole council as opposed to anyone else. Um, and then that could be done any
number of ways. I mean, if you- I mean, it's a kind of matter of time manage- your time
management. I mean, obviously, you could do that at the meeting on the 7' if you all
just came in with these are my five candidates. We're just kind of, you know, going to
see from each of you who your five are and add them up and whoever, you know, the
five candidates are with the most votes is the ones- are the ones that'll be interviewed by
the Council, um, on the loth or you could have a special meeting and have a, you know,
broader discussion or a lengthier discussion about it. Or you can have a lengthier
discussion on the seventh if you'd want, but I'm- I'm guessing that you- neither you nor
staff probably want to do that, and for that, will already be a long meeting. Um, but
yeah, scheduling a special meeting, whatever you wanna do or it doesn't have to be the
10' like I said. I picked that rather arbitrarily figuring it would be the earliest one and
you'd want that person to be as involved in the budget process as they can be. But, you
know, we could schedule it out if- if that's the process you folks chose.
Harmsen: Could we reverse engineer that just slightly and do the going through the narrowing
down our applications if necessary on the loth, and then having a special meeting like
two days later to make a final decision? Like have them and speak. I mean, I'm just
trying to think about options here. Maybe that spit -balling a little bit.
Bergus: I think, so the 7' is our Saturday budget work session, right?
Goers: I believe I think it's a Saturday, but yes.
Bergus: Kellie saying yes, so if.
Goers: I trust Kellie.
Bergus: I mean, I- I think what Eric was saying, if- if we have whatever it is our top ones and
just, you know, I think there's a high likelihood there will be a relative amount of
consensus so that we'll be able to say, you know, these are the people who we want to
say we would like to hear more from you. I really liked the idea of setting that date,
whether it's January loth or another day. I liked the loth, that's my birthday. But, um, I
liked the idea of setting that like definitively as soon as possible so that anyone who's
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thinking about it would know that we're talking about having a process where they may
want to come in and speak to us, um, so yeah, I- I'd be in favor of kind of what Eric
proposed that we have, you know, we just get them numbered or something like that,
um, if we can make that work timing -wise, and then we just- like we did with strategic
planning, we don't just.
Harmsen: Carve 10 minutes out of the 7th and, or 15 minutes or whatever out of the 7th to do
that part of the p— Is that what you're saying?
Bergus: Yeah.
Harmsen: Yeah.
Teague: So, um, if we had the applications due by the 3rd, we can even move it to the 5th if,
um, that week, um, well, it would -it would have to be by the 4', Wednesday.
Goers: Let me try to think this through. Uh, well, are you thinking about the published notice
issue, or the how much time you folks have to consider and review the applications?
Teague: Right.
Goers: Both of those? In two days does not leave a lot of.
Teague: No, and that is true, so certainly we can go I mean- when I went for a special election,
it was literally about a month, so.
Goers: Well, I mean, just thinking back, if- if you would like to make the ultimate selection on
the loth and are willing to do the winnowing on the 7th, then that's fine. We could- if
we publish closer to 20 days before, that would be, you know, December 20th, 21st,
something like that, so I think you would be fine. I mean, that would allow between,
let's say the 21st or 22nd and- and we don't have- that's not as flexible as we would like
it to be. It happens to be whenever the Press Citizen does their legal notices, uh, but
there would be at least a week in there, uh, maybe a little more time if you made it due
on January 3rd. If you want to do in January 5th, we could that would not leave a lot of
time to, um, for us to get you all the applications and for you to consider them before
the 7th, but that's- that's kind of your decision as to how much time do you think you'll
need.
Harmsen: Two days is tight
Taylor: That's tight. The 3`d.
Bergus: I think the 3rd is good.
Goers: Do the 3`d?
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Bergus: If Kellie, is that feasible for you and your staff?
Fruehling: Sure.
Bergus: Thank you.
Purdy: That was a good funny joke.
Teague: Okay, all right, and then the 7th we'll have- we'll come with our top numbers.
Although I mean, there's a- there's a chance that there, you know, may not be more than
seven people.
Bergus: Right- right.
Teague: So if in- so I don't know, if we say, you know, if there's seven or more, you know, we
will select. If not, I think we can certainly invite seven people
Harmsen: Seven is a reasonable...
Bergus: Sure, sounds good.
Teague: And then allow everyone that opportunity at that point all right, and then, um, and
then we'll have that meeting on the 10th.
Purdy: Everybody, the opportunity to tell their story.
Bergus: The publication, so just in thinking about this timeframe is when can the application
be live? I understand the publication, but like when can we actually start accepting
applications?
Goers: Oh, Uh, I think your question is, can we begin accepting the applications before the
actual vacancies?
Bergus: Correct
Goers: Yes, I believe we can.
Bergus: Okay, or before the publication.
Goers: Yeah, I'm sorry. Yes.
Bergus: Yeah, before the publication and before the end of the calendar year both.
Goers: Oh, yes, yes, right.
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Bergus: Both. Okay
Goers: Right, yeah, both. Sorry. It's- it's the publication is just ensuring that folks who are
getting their word of this through the publication, and then let's concede that that's
probably not very many of them, um, have the opportunities to still put in their
application prior to the deadline, which we're seeing is the 3rd.
Bergus: January 3rd.
Goers: Yeah.
Bergus: Okay, good.
Purdy: I have an important story and you guys are shutting me up.
Teague: I£ Yeah, all right. Anything else?
Bergus: So just to- to recap, maybe we could recap what we are doing?
Goers: Would you like me to- to try to spell out the chronology as- as I understand it?
Teague: Yes.
Bergus: That'd be great
Goers: So we'll publish a notice, ah, around December 21st, again, depending on when- I don't
know what day of the week that is, you know. Yeah. Well, we'll check with the Press
Citizen, and it'll be- it'll be no earlier than the 21st. It'll be the first available date after -
on the 21st or after. And then applications will be due by January 3rd. If there are more
than seven applicants, uh, we will do- you will do the winnowing, um, at your meeting
on the 7th, and then on the loth, you will make the final decision.
Teague: Great.
Bergus: And prior to that, I think we've- have we given enough input as far as what should be
on the application so that you and Mayor ProTem, Mayor can get that finalized and get
it published as soon as possible, not published in the newspaper, but put online and had
copies available as soon as possible?
Goers: Well, here's my question. Would you like, uh, you know your next meeting is on
December 6th, and, um, you know, maybe you feel like we've had enough discussion
now an- and you've laid it out and we can certainly just go forward with it or you can
approve kind off all of this, in- in an item on the 6th, including the application itself. It's
entirely up to you. If you want to get it out sooner, then there should just be a consensus
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that you know as you- as the Mayor indicated that the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, City
Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney will get together, finalize based on the input that
you provided tonight, and we'll put it out there so that folks can start applying.
Teague: To answer your question. I think I feel confident- confident that we'll be able to, um,
review and- and get an application that we know that this council would approve.
Bergus: I'm comfortable with that. Yeah, I just wanted to clarify that with -
Teague: I think we get it out as soon as possible
Bergus: Yeah, as soon as soon as possible.
Teague: One other thing I would ask, um, for council to consider is every 'Thursday, and I don't
know how big of a deal this might be, but we, um, upload any applicants that come in -
in our info packet. One, it would give us opportunity to speak to anyone and give the
public opportunity to know who is actually applying. Typically, we wait for
commissioners to all be published, um, you know at one time when there's an opening.
So, for instance, if applications are due January 3rd, we wouldn't post until January 5th.
So I think just to have it a little more transparent to the public, every Thursday in our
info packet, as applications come through, we would just upload them, um, in the info
packet.
Harmsen: Once they start coming in?
Teague: As they start coming in and then because we also want, you know opportunities for -
I'm sure people will reach out if they're interested in being on this council. Um, they'll
reach out to each of us, but I think it'll just a -
Alter: I do have one question, does that in any way uh, coming from like tough taking
backgrounds, so to speak. Does that disadvantage anyone, um, who is brave and
submits right away, then others haven't had opportunity to be able to see what they've
written, um, and can- they're working off of them- but they have- they have a model in
front of them that they can work from? I don't mean that negatively, it's just that, you
know, if somebody is doing this and it's a blank slate then others can see it and go, oh,
right. okay. I can do da da. It just it can jog a memory or what have you I'm just
wondering if that would unfairly disadvantage someone who was brave.
Teague: If- if- if- and I hear what you're saying and I- I would agree. I- then I would suggest
that we move it up just one week to December 27th, that the applications are due and
then we'll have- it'll be posted Thursday, the 29th, and that'll give us, you know, 10
days, something like that.
Harmsen: So I mean, I didn't think -
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Teague: Nine days.
Harmsen: That's fine, I was going to say to Megan make, ah, the Council Member Alter makes
a good point. Um, but, you know, if we were doing this as campaigns, it's the same
dynamic. You know, if somebody were to launch a campaign, somebody else wants to
launch a week later, they could see what the first, I mean, that's- I -I think that we're not
in a- in quite a- the same kind of testing situation. Um, you know, it's not that different.
So I'd be comfortable with either just like a week or two earlier starting to collect or- or
whatever. But I think that's probably just the way that- that's the way this cookie
crumbles I think so.
Alter: That makes it good- you make a really good point. I think it's more like I just want to- if
anything, for us to be aware of it is were thinking about it. So, um, yeah, no, I didn't
mean it as like okay so you got to take that off the table, just raising it for- for
conversation. So, but I think you're right, Sean, it definitely makes sense like, you
know, this is a campaign situation, just it'll be a- in a different mode.
Bergus: So do we want to just push the deadline a week earlier and have more time to review
them all, or are we talking about doing sort of the rolling posting. Or maybe both?
Goers: Here's- here's my one concern about that. So as I mentioned, we're going to try to
publish as close as we can to the 21st. I'm a little uncertain whether that'll be the 21st, or
22nd, or 23rd, something like that. And, so you would want to leave some time and so
I'm concerned if, if you're talking about having the due date be the 27th with- with, of
course, um, you know, some holidays in-between there, um, that might not leave a lot of
time for applicants, but that's a political decision, not a legal one.
Bergus: We could publish on the seventh.
Goers: Uh, we could. Uh, no we could not. If- not if you run into appoint on the loth because
it needs to be at least four days.
Bergus: Oh, sorry. Okay, see, this is why you're here. Thank you.
Goers: Sure.
Bergus: Okay.
Teague: So January 3rd.
Bergus: Back to January 3rd. So the question is rolling posting, right? or rolling dissemination
of applicants versus all at once. Right?
Alter: And I'm fine taking my- my comment off the table, rolling is fine.If that- if that lends
itself to the process that we've been talking about, that's fine by me.
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Teague: No, I think it was important to bring up so that we just acknowledged it, and um- and I
think what Councilor Harmsen said is, is like campaigning in a way, you know, people
roll out whenever, and I think, um, having as much, um, transparency with the public as
possible on these applicants, it's probably beneficial.
Bergus: So for Kellie's sake, is it cumulative? Like each week it's everyone who's applied that
gets stuck in the packet or just new ones, or do you care?
Teague: I think we keep it rolling or it's cumulative.
Bergus: Okay. That- that seems a little easier for us to handle, yeah.
Teague: And maybe at the top, um-.
Purdy: From the top on down.
Teague: I was going to say just, there're submission date, you know.
Bergus: Yeah.
Teague: Where you have like, these are the applicants and the date they submited.
Bergus: Cool.
Teague: Any other?
Goers: All right, so what- what I'm hearing is that I think we've got a timeline laid out. We're
going to defer to the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem and staff for the application process.
So a- at this point, I don't see any reason to bring it up again on the 6th unless there's
anything that you folks think it remains unresolved. I- I think staff and look at staff
here, I think we've got the information that we need.
Harmsen: Just need to vote.
Goers: We- so we needed to vote. And again, I'll remind council that the Bust item is to fill
by special election, and the second item is for appointment.
Teague: All right? So roll call for the special election. [Roll Call]
Alter: For special election? No.
Goers: Special election? Yes. Uh, I'm sorry. I acknowledge your vote is no
Teague: Motion fails, 0 - 6.
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13. Filling Council Vacancy - Appointment
Teague: Item number 13 is filling council vacancy - appointment. This is a resolution given
notice of intent to make an appointment to fill the council vacancy created by Janice
Weiner's resignation. Could I get a motion to approve?
Bergus: So move Bergus.
Taylor: Second, Taylor.
Teague: All right. Any additional staff comments?
Goers: Not from me. Thank you.
Teague: All right. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Please state your name
and city, and there is a sign in there.
Purdy: Joe Purdy. Marengo, Iowa. Joe Purdy. Marengo, Iowa.
Teague: Welcome.
Purdy: Hi. How are you doing?
Teague: Hearing no further comments.
Purdy: I got three minutes. I got two -and -a -half minutes left.
Teague: Hearing no further comments, council discussion.
Purdy: I got, I got two -and -a -half minutes left, Bruce.
Teague: You can speak on this item.
Purdy: Then be quiet when I'm up on the stand then please, respect me for once. Thank you.
Teague: This is filling a council vacancy appointment and you're not talking about that item.
And we're going to end your time now. Council discussion.
Bergus: Um, Mayor, just looking at what's in the packet of the notice. Okay, there's the
resolution. All right. Sorry. I was trying to determine if we are actually approving the
language of the notice, or do you?
Goers: I believe the language I put in the resolution says something substantially similar or
something, we'll certainly make sure everything is compliant given our discussion this
evening.
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Bergus: Perfect.
Teague: All right. Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 6 - 0.
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14. Council Appointments
14.a. Board of Adjustment
Teague: Item Number 14 is Council Appointments. Applicants must reside in Iowa City and be
18 years of age unless specific qualifications are stated. 14.a. is Board of Adjustment.
Board of Adjustment one vacancy to fill a five-year term, January 1st, 2023 through
December 31st, 2027. We, council discussion at this point. Um, so the Board of
Adjustment -
Purdy: You become invisible just like me.
Teague: -has one vacancy with no gender balance required.
Purdy: They'll do the same to you, I'm trying to help you guys.
Taylor: First I was a little confused by this one. Um, because one of the applicants, Mr. Baker,
talked about that he wouldn't mind just filling it- to bridge. And- so I actually called him
today, uh, to see what he meant by that, whether he would be interested in doing a full
term then. And he said, oh, yes, he would definitely be interested in doing a full term,
that at the time of that application, I think that was when we were. Oh you -
Teague: One second.
Taylor: Okay.
Teague: We're we're in a council meeting and please -
Purdy: I'll see you at six in the morning.
Teague: Please.
Purdy: I'll be asleep on the sidewalk in front of the cop shop..
Teague: We are having a discussion.
Taylor: You are the one that's being rude.
Purdy: I'm being rude?
Taylor: Yes.
Teague: Please.
Purdy: How am I being rude?
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Teague: All right. We're going to continue with our council meeting at this point.
Taylor: Speaking over people and interrupting people. Yes.
Purdy: Well I didn't get my three minutes now, did I?
Taylor: You didn't speak. All right. That's all right, okay.
Teague: Uh, Councilor Taylor you can continue.
Taylor: Okay. I will continue with what I was saying. I spoke to Mr. Baker.
Purdy: And I'm being rude?
Taylor: He's well-known in the community, and- and has served- served a lot of, uh, positions.
But, um, apparently at the time when he filled this out in June, I believe was- there was
an unexpected vacancy, and he was willing to serve them for temporary, but we didn't
utilize him. Uh, but I would recommend, uh, putting him in this term now, because he
said he would do a full term.
Teague: Okay.
Taylor: Be willing to.
Purdy: At the top of the chain of command.
Bergus: I'm comfortable with that, with Larry Baker.
Purdy: The police department does whatever Sue Dulek wants.
Teague: So Larry Baker is a- is on the table for now. Any other consideration?
Purdy: She don't care about you, she don't care about any y'all.
Alter: I would go with Baker as well, although I could only hear part of it because there
was a lot of yelling.
Teague: All right, I will support Baker. So we have a majority of support there. So we'll go
ahead and vote each one of these as we go. And so can I get a motion to appoint Larry
Baker?
Taylor: So moved.
Weiner: Second.
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Teague: Moved by Taylor, seconded by Weiner. All in favor say aye. (voice vote) Any
oppose? Motion passes 6 - 0.
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14.b. Climate Action Commission
Teague: All right. Onto 14.b. Climate Action Commission. Climate Action Commission,
they're three vacancies to fill three-year terms, January 1st, 2023 through December
31st, 2025. And this is council discussion. There is a gender balance requirement and
it's three females that we have to appoint.
Alter: I just want to open it up and say that this was an extraordinary batch of applicants, um-.
Harmsen: Yeah.
Alter: It— very difficult and we would be well served by all of them, honestly. So,um, thank
you to everybody who applied. Um, a couple of names that rose to my attention, uh,
were Elizabeth Fitzsimmons and Rebecca Nielsen. And, um, there's a few others, and
I'll just put those two out as- as candidates that I think could really add um, unique
perspectives, um, while fitting into a more cohesive role- for the Climate Action
Committee. Commission.
Weiner: Is climate action one of the- one of the commissions that's open to people outside of
Iowa City?
Alter: Yeah.
Teague: Correct.
Alter: Yeah.
Bergus: I liked Michelle Sillman, as well.
Taylor: I also liked Michelle Sillman. Although I had- had a question about her, Eric, um, she
mentioned working for that North American Energy Company, ENGIE. Would there be
any conflict of interest with that? I mean, we have a Mid- American energy person. So
would- would there be any problem with that?
Goers: Right. I don't think so. Certainly, if any issue would come up that would address her
employer, she would need to recuse.
Taylor: She'd have to recuse herself.
Goers: But, you know, much like we have a lot of people who worked for the University, yeah
I mean, that would be fine. We can work around that.
Alter: I liked her as well and have the same question. So it's nice to have that answered in the
positive or in a good.
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Taylor: And Councilor Weiner, I believe you're the one that asked the question about, uh, Iowa
City requirement. It's recommended, but as long as you're in Johnson County, and I
believe which one is it? Who is that was it that's -
Weiner: Rebecca Nielsen who works in emergency preparedness lives in Tiffin.
Taylor: Oh, okay. And- but I- I was thinking- I think it was Jamie Gade lives in North Liberty.
So there was nor- a North Liberty person, and Tiffin person. And either one of those,
I think would be good. They might, uh, provide an additional perspective -
Weiner: Agree.
Taylor: To the commission. So either one of those would be good.
Teague: So which names that you just give. I know you said Michelle Silhnan you agreed
with.
Taylor: Uh, there was.
Teague: Fitzsimmons, I think was one of the names that was mentioned.
Taylor: Nielsen and-
Bergus: Jamie Gade, I think you said.
Taylor: -and Jamie Gade.
Teague: Okay.
Taylor: Jamie Gade was the North Liberty person and -
Teague: Okay.
Taylor: -and Nielsen was the Tiffin.
Weiner: Yeah. And there's Michelle Silhnan. Is basically -
Taylor: Silhnan.
Weiner: -four out of five of the women seem- seem quite qualified at this.
Harmsen: But now we have to pick three women.
Teague: Yes.
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Alter: And what it's worth just to- and again, we have an embarrassment of riches here. The
reason why I was interested in with Fitzsimmons is because she's younger.
Weiner: Yeah.
Alter: -honestly, and, um, you know, has is- is graduating out of UI. And it just seemed to me
that there was kind of like younger energy, as well as a wealth of knowledge and she
has a lot with prairie conservation. So again, that's a kind of a different angle than some
of the other candidates. Um, but again, each each brings strengths. But I was kind of
taken by the fact that she was younger. And it seems that, um, you know, the level of
interests from generations that are just coming up now, um, might be able to bring a
certain something.
Harmsen: Kind of on a similar note. One of the things that jumped out at me with Jamie Gade's
application, was the, um, her background in Health Outcomes. And I think that's, uh, to
me that just, I mean, they all had good stuff in them. So it's -
Weiner: She's worked with climate stats.
Harmsen: -but that- but that one did sort of- sort of jump up me a little bit. And I thought that
might be an interesting part of the mix because I think that's, you know, obviously when
we're talking about climate action and health outcomes and resiliency, so it'll sort of
plays together.
Teague: Go right ahead.
Weiner: Yeah. I was just — what would people think about Fitzsimmons Gab- Gade and
Nielsen?
Teague: That's kind of where here the majority and leaning towards and I can support those
three.
Bergus: My number I was Michelle Sillman.
Harmsen: Oh.
Bergus: But I have no objection to the three you just named.
Teague: Sillman is one of them?
Bergus: Oh.
Harmsen: No.
Weiner: The first four, so far so good. I don't know which, which -
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Teague: I'm sorry. Which one did you say?
Weiner: I was- I said what I was hearing was Fitzsimmons, Gade and- Gade and Nielsen but,
um, I that- that may not be the case.
Taylor: We- we talked about Sillman.
Bergus: I had Sillman, Fitzsimmons, Gade as my top three.
Teague: I want to make sure that I heard Councilor Weiner correctly. Sillman.
Weiner: No, I have not initially said Sillman. But- but -
Teague: What name did you say then?
Weiner: I said Fitzsimmons I was hearing from people.
Teague: Oh, okay.
Weiner: Gade and then it seemed- it sounds as if the difference is between Nielsen and Sillman
which- which of those for the number three to- for the number three because it sounded
like most people were interested in Fitzsimmons and Gade.
Alter: For- for what it's worth, as the Mayor said, uh, earlier in the meeting, I have a loud
voice, so I think I'm the only one who's actually been bringing up Fitzsimmons. I don't
know if there's been head nods or- or not. But g- given that, um, Sillman has come up
for several, you know, I don't have a problem with that. Again, this has been an
embarrassment of riches and it's wonderful and there'll be other opportunities. So I don't
have a problem with, um,-.
Harmsen: Oh, I was going to bring up Fitzsimmons, you just beat me to it. Um, but I- I hear
somebody say that between kind of Nielsen and Sillman.
Weiner: Is it- Well, now I'm sort of hearing more of Fitzsimmons, Gade- Gade and Sillman. Is
that correct?
Harmsen: I mean, I'm okay with either one of these. Laura, you said that was your number I
pick. What was- could you ellaborate a little more on that?
Bergus: I had- I had Sillman, Fitzsimmons, Gade. If I had- if I had to rank them, which I tried
to make myself do.
Taylor: I would agree with those three.
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Teague: So I do hear a shift to Fitzsimmons, Gade, and Sillman.
Weiner: Yeah.
Teague: Alright. Majority for those? Alright. So can I get a motion to appoint? Elizabeth
Fitzsimmons, Jamie Gade, and Michelle Sillman.
Bergus: So moved.
Taylor: Second, Taylor.
Teague: All right. Moved by Bergus, seconded by Taylor. All in favor say aye. (voice vote)
Aye. Any oppose? Motion passes 6 - 0.
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14.c. Human Rights Commission
14.d. Human Rights Commission
Teague: Item number 14.c. is Human Rights Commission- Human Rights Commission. There
are three vacancies to fill a three-year term, January 1, 2023 through December 31,
2024, and council discussion.
Taylor: I just had a quick question for Kellie. Uh, how does 14.c. affect 14.d. with the gender
balance?
Fruehling: Um, wh- when we did the cover sheet for- for both, they're identical. So it's one
female, two male, and one none. So that that balances out of you appoint all four
people. So the three full terms and then the one is an unexpired. I think you could
probably look at it altogether and just decide who you're going to do with unexpired.
Taylor: Oh, okay- oh, okay. Which one- which one of them would be the unexpired one. I see.
Okay.
Teague: So maybe I'll read, um, the next one as well because I think that might be helpful for
us to discuss all at once. So 14.d. is Human Rights Commission. Human Rights
Commission one vacancy to fill an unexpired term upon appointment through
December 31st, 2024. So we'll talk about the three vacancies to fill a three-year term
and then the one vacancy of unexpired term and we'll have to determine, um, who takes
what. Now the one that is unexpired, do we know what that gender?
Weiner: So a woman who stepped down [OVERLAPPING].
Teague: Yes, it is.
Bergus: I think Kellie said it doesn't matter. [OVERLAPPING].
Teague: As long as yeah.
Fruehling: The requirement
Taylor: As long as the group is three female, one male.
Teague: Alright, great.
Taylor: I'll echo what- what's been said. I don't remember if it was Councilor Weiner or
Harmsen who commented on the number of qualified individuals that just never ceases
to amaze me here recently the number of passionate, qualified individuals that have
been applying for these boards and commissions, uh, and their willingness to serve
their- their community in this manner, uh, it's quite obvious that they- they aren't
applying just on a whim. They really- really want to do this. So I just wanted to make
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that comment. Uh, and I guess on that note, uh, I think there was a- as far as the male
one of the males, uh, Mark Pries has spent just- just finished his first term, I believe.
And I think this- this particular commission, I think, has a big learning curve when it
comes to some of the grants and things that they, uh, that they make. I know some that -
some of my fellow commissioners are council members, uh, like to spread the wealth as
far as, uh, membership on these but I think it would be invaluable to keep him on for
another term.
Teague: I did have, um, two that I wanted to throw out there. Suyun Channon is one and the
other is a Badri Ku- Kuku. Um, and if you read on both of them, they have huge
community ties that I think really speaks to representing, uh, various people, uh, that the
Human Rights Commission deals with and I will just throw their names out there for
consideration.
Bergus: I don't know if others were contacted but TJ Dedeaux-Norris contacted me and I was
very- very impressed with the conversation that we had. So I'd recommend them.
Teague: Yes. I can support TJ.
Harmsen: I would throw uh- Kiran Patel's name up in there into the mix.
Teague: Kiran Patel.
Taylor: Thank you Councilor Harmsen I had her name checked too. I know her through -
through other things and I know or to be very responsible person, very dedicated and if
she sets her mind to something or if she has an assignment, she- she's very dedicated to
whatever she- she does. I know she probably wasn't on other people's radar, so I- I
appreciate you bringing her name up, Shawn.
Weiner: The two others that really stood out to me or- I may not be pronouncing it right, it was
Wifag Mohammad, and Jahnavi Pandya.
Teague: And then Jahnavi?
Weiner: Yeah.
Teague: Alright.
Weiner: Okay. Jahnavi, I think maybe Jahnavi.
Teague: Any other names people want to throw out?
Bergus: Um, Ahmed Ismail.
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Teague: Alright, so we have a lot of names out here today. Alright. Um, I think, you know
maybe we go through, I'll read the names really quickly while people try to determine
where their support wants to be. Um, of all of the names that's been submitted.
Although I would agree there are a lot of great people here. Um, so I'll just read the
names and then we'll go back through and then, um, I'll just ask for people to where
your support is. So we have one female Suyun Channon. One female, uh, TJ, um, Deck.
I don't know how to-
Bergus: Dedeaux-Norris?
Teague: Dedeaux-Norris. One male Ahmed Ismail, a male Badri Kuku, female Wifag
Mohammed, female, Jahnavi Pandya, female, Kiran Patel, and the last one I have is a- a
male Mark Pries. So we have a requirement for two males. So maybe I'll start with the
males first. So we have- I count three males. Ahmed Ismail, and Badri Kuku, and then
Mark Pries. So we'll start with the, um, Ahmed Ismail. So how many people support?
Alter: I support them.
Weiner: I support them as well.
Teague: And I can support them. So we have that as, um, majority. And then we'll go down
to Badri Kuku. And I support him.
Bergus: I support him.
Taylor: I support him.
Weiner: I do as well.
Teague: Okay.
Alter: I support him. He actually, um, attempted to reach out tome just as council was
beginning, so I was not able to talk to him, but in and of itself, I know that the fact that
you know there are people who are reaching out um, shows initiative. So- and I was- I
liked what he had written in his application.
Teague: So we won't go to Mark under the, um, male, but we do have one non. And so we'll
throw Mark in that category. Okay? So we'll start with the females. There are two, five
females that we have listed. So I'll just go through their names, uh, first names Suyun,
TJ, Wifag, Jahnavi, and Kiran. So we'll go to Suyun. And I support Suyun.
Harmsen: Now that we've narrowed it down, would it make sense to chat about since we have
a larger number to help us?
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Teague: I guess we have an opportunity to either, um, choose. I mean, we can throw Mark
Pries in this unless um,
Harmsen: Well I like your idea of keeping him because we have two male, one has to be
female, one can be -
Teague: None.
Harmsen: I think maybe- maybe do this one first and then- um, and then we can do Well don't -
I don't care. It doesn't matter to me.
Bergus: We need ranked choice voting.
Harmsen: Yes. There we go.
Teague: Um.
Bergus: Cause like I would support uh, Suyun, but my number one was TJ. So I sort of have
one and two with TJ and Suyun.
Teague: So in a way, since Mark Pries is the only one left, naturally, if he's elected, he's going
to be on the none.
Harmsen: Yes. He would absorb that spot.
Alter: And I think that that works really quite nicely because he can help, as- as Pauline said,
and actually very um, convincingly like this can help sort of what continuity and
transition um, you know and help- help people kind of get on board.
Weiner: I- I am a huge Mark Pries fan and I think that we have so many- and at the same time,
my view is that we have so many really well -qualified people who always come
forward with human rights. But there- there I'm going to have um, as much as I- I love
Mark Pries, I'm probably- I'm not going to support him. Because I think we need to give
some of these other folks a chance.
Teague: Yeah. And I love Mark Pries as well. I think he has done an outstanding job with the
Human Rights Commission. Um, very dedicated, always in attendance, on time, on top
of it. Um, but we have been faced with a lot of applicants- great applicants. This is a
highly desired commission. Um, and I think we've made some hard decisions before.
How- I'll just bring up V was one of the ones that, you know we- we absolutely will -
would have loved to have obtained them, um, on a commission, but it was a hard
decision that this council made and um, you know look at them now. So, always a hard
thing, but, um, I absolutely love Mark Pries, but I won't, uh, support, with all of these
great applicants.
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Taylor: I- I can understand what all of you are saying, but I would caution you to realize that
it's a total of four people and it would be a total of four brand new people on this, this
very I think stressful, uh, wonderful commission. But four new people on there, that's a
big learning curve.
Bergus: How many total are on the commission?
Fruehling: Nine.
Bergus: Okay. Thank you for -
Taylor: So I still stand for Mark Pries.
Teague: Okay. Alright. So -
Taylor: For the none position.
Teague: Sure, sure. Alright. So we'll go through people, say where they are and then we'll add
up at the end. So we'll go with Suyun Channon. So I support Suyun and I guess we get
two votes. How about that? People get two votes.
Bergus: Okay.
Harmsen: Sure
Bergus: Then yes. I'll go with her as well.
Teague: Okay.
Harmsen: Yes.
Teague: So I hear three. Um,
Bergus: Yes.
Taylor: Yes.
Teague: Okay. So I hear [OVERLAPPING].
Alter: I'll support her.
Teague: So I hear six. Alright. So we're down to one other vote. Um, and it can be a none since
we already did the female. So TJ, and I support TJ.
Bergus: I support TJ. They're really amazing tou guys, just so you know.
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Harmsen: I believe you.
Teague: Okay. We will move to Wifag.
Weiner: Really long narrative, just hard to imagine. I mean, it's hard to imagine what
everything that she's been through to get where she is just seemed to me like she wasn't -
when I looked at her and- and the one who came immediately after her, an alpha -
alphabetical order, that they both have a tremendous amount to offer. I just don't even at
this point know how to choose between them.
Teague: We all have one more vote. Well, wait a minute. I used up my- I guess if- if it didn't
pass, we have one more.
Bergus: That's why we need ranked -choice?
Teague: Yeah.
Bergus: back through.
Teague: So if- well. Alright, we'll see where we end up. Yeah. So Jahnavi?
Weiner: I think she will be my other choice. If they- if I- if I supported um, Suyun, I think I
would support Jahnavi just sort of this combination. At only about 25, services to
refugees and immigrants, sponsors of the Native American population, um, anti -racism
advisor, psychologists, Hindu, sort of a- a- a- a mix of stuff that I don't think that I've
ever seen together in one person, which is what impressed me so much.
Teague: So I guess, so I guess the question is, since TJ didn't move forward, can we now vote
again or- or is it possible that no one will get four?
Harmsen: I think you can just move- move it forward.
Teague: So we can vote?
Harmsen: I don't know why not. Otherwise it's going to be down to one and- one and one or
something like that. So.
Teague: Well, I can- I can support um, Jahnavi.
Bergus: Sure.
Weiner: Mrn-hmm
Alter: Yes. You do.
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Taylor: Me too.
Teague: So I hear majority. Okay. Alright. So for now, let's determine who will get the shorter
term? Do we flip a coin? How about, uh-
Weiner: I mean, council's practices has often been if someone serves a partial term, then we'll
consider the attempt. So it's almost an advantage to have a partial term. Usually, in the
past, at least, if someone wanted to continue to serve.
Harmsen: I mean, if we're looking for some rationale, but do we, uh, Jahnavi is a PhD student,
which indicates to me that they might- I don't know where they are in their program, but
they potentially- and this is a grasping at straws for just some sort of a rationale, right?
Potentially would be, you know, if they're not done with the program and wanted to
continue on, that'd be fantastic, but they also might have, uh, you know, be at a point in
the program with what they're looking. I mean, again, this is -
Weiner: That's fine. I mean, I think we've- we've literally just sort of like throw- throw a coin
up in the air.
Harmsen: Yeah.
Bergus: Sounds good tome.
Teague: All right.
Harmsen: Yeah. Okay.
Teague: All right. We're good. All right. So for the Human Rights Commission, the three
vacancies to fill a three-year term, we will have- Suyun can I get a motion for- to
appoint Suyun Channon, Ahmed Ismail, and Badri Kuku? And then for the one -year -
I'm sorry, for the one vacancy for an unexpired term upon appointment through
December 31st, 2024 also will need a motion to appoint, and you said it better than I
did.
Weiner: Jahnavi Pandya.
Teague: JahnaviPandya?
Weiner: Yeah
Teague: Could I get a motion, please, to appoint them as mentioned?
Alter: So moved. Alter.
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Teague: Move by Alter seconded by?
Harmsen: Harmsen.
Harmsen: Okay. All in favor say aye. (voice vote) Aye. Any oppose? Motion passes 6 - 0.
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14.e. Parks & Recreation Commission
Teague: 14.e. Parks and Rec Commission. Parks and Recreation Commission two vacancies
to fill a four-year term, January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2026. Council
discussion. I will point out that-, um, I mean this is another one where there's a lot of- a
lot of great applicants. Um, Rachel McPherson, one, she's a phenomenal person, and it
has a lot of uh- I think she can contribute a lot to this commission, but I also wanted to
point out that- and this isn't giving her any, um, advantage here, but McPherson Park,
um, that James McPherson Park, that's her father. Um, she was very involved, um, with
a lot of the things that took for- that to take place, for the renaming of that park, I think
she'll be a great candidate, ah, for this park. And while I'm also there's thrown out
names, I will just throw out Doloris Mixon. I, you know, look at her application, um.
What we're used to seeing on applications, hers just didn't actually have. So, um, I've
talked to her about her application. She called- and I think she called, um, the majority
of us, if not all of us, um, and I think she would also be a great person to be on the on
this commission. Other names.
Alter: I agree with you as well Mayor, um, but I would also just to sort of throw out another
name for just to talk over if nothing else to say, wow, this is a really interesting
individual, Aaron Broege or Broach, and I believe that he came up before us, uh, in an
earlier cycle, Parks and Rec, and, um, this may not be a cycle either, but I just- I think
he has a lot of interesting experience that would be very suitable. So just to make it so
that, you know, because we didn't have enough to talk about in the last commission. So
I just bring that up.
Teague: And the gender balance requirement here is one female and one male.
Weiner: Right.
Teague: Any other names to throw out?
Weiner: The only other name I threw out sort of for consideration. So sort of bringing
somewhat into the fold is Carin Crain.
Taylor: I was also considering her. She seemed to have a really good understanding of the
commission.
Teague: Any other names? So we have four names, three females and one male. So maybe
we'll start with a none first and then see where we end up. Well, I think we can
probably just go through all the names and see where we end up. So Aaron
Broege, Carin Crain, and I guess I'm looking for people that support.
Harmsen: Oh.
Taylor: Oh.
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Teague: So I'll go through all the names- I'll go through- let me go through all four names one
more time. All right. I'll go through all four names on time. So Aaron Broege, Carin
Crain, Rachel McPherson, Doloris Mixon. So we only get two votes. So Aaron Broege.
Begus: Mayor, would it make more sense to go ask each of us what our top two are?
Teague: Oh, that works is only four, right?
Bergus: Yeah.
Teague: Yeah. Okay. We'll start on the- well we're going to start with you, and they were
going to you Mayor Pro Tem.
Bergus: I would say Rachel McPherson and Carin Crain.
Teague: All right.
Weiner: And I got out of order and say I agree.
Taylor: And I will also say, those are my top two. I like your argument about McPherson.
That's, that's kind of interesting, nice connection there. So Crain and McPherson, for
me.
Teague: Your idea just went down the drain, but all right.
Bergus: Sorry, I tried.
Teague: All right.
Harmsen: I- I would've gone with McPherson and- and- and Mixon.
Teague: Okay.
Harmsen: So overlap but not exactly the same.
Alter: And ultimately that's who I would have, or will support, I guess. My choices were -
were the same as Shawn's.
Teague: All right. McPherson, I- I support, so that makes it, um, Mixon, I have- so that's three.
And then it's three for Carin Crain. And we're kinda- so, um, which is- is narrowed
down. So I guess the question is, where do we want to be? So anyone willing to flop?
Weiner: I'll tell you that, uh, you know, I don't- I don't feel strongly. The- the main reason that
I put forward Carin Crain is because of, um, of all the- the folks who are- who are
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dealing with the- the swimming in the pools and so forth, um, in discussions with her
and also seeing her outside in the community, uh, really able to- to talk with her and-
and- and have conversations. And I thought it'd be really good to have somebody who
se- seemed- could- could to have those conversations as part of the process. And that
was why I, um, was interested in her but the -
Taylor: That was also why I was interested in her.
Weiner: But I don't know- because she had so little and I did not end up talking to her, I don't
know anything about Doloris Mixon because there was really [inaudible]
Teague: Yeah.
Alter: I guess from that same vantage point that was partially- I know Doloris and I mean,
she will throw all in to, you know, get involved and to understand what's going on. But
she also has a voice, um, and some experience, um, throughout the city, um, in- in
groups that- that typically Parks and Rec doesn't really reach. So, um, that's part of the
reason why I think that her interest is really important and her voice.
Begus: I'll switch to Dolores.
Teague: Okay. So we have a switch to Doloris, which, um, that's the majority there.
Weiner: Yep..
Teague: So for Parks and Rec commission, could I get a motion to appoint Rachel McPherson
and Doloris Mixon?
Harmsen: So move Harmsen.
Weiner: Second Weiner.
Teague: All right. All in favor say aye. (voice vote) Aye. Any oppose? Motion passes 6-0.
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14.f. Public Art Advisory Committee
Teague: We are onto Public Art Advisory Committee. Um, item number 14.f. Public Art
Advisory Committee, one vacancy to fill a three-year term, January 1, 2023 through
December 31, 2025. Council discussion.
Weiner: There's only one. It had to be a female and the only person of the two, uh, who- was
also well qualified.
Alter: Yes.
Weiner: Willing to serve again is Andrea Truitt.
Teagaue: Yeah.
Alter: Yep.
Taylor: I agree.
Alter: She's fantastic.
Teague: And- and- and this is one of those examples where there's- they served an unexpired
term or they took over a term. Um, so this will be an opportunity for a full term which
council typically has leaned towards, but not all the time. So I can support and sound
like majority is there. So can I get a motion to appoint Andrea Truitt to the Public Art
Advisory Committee?
Taylor: So moved.
Bergus: Second.
Teague: Moved by Taylor, seconded by Bergus. All in favor say aye. (voice vote)Aye. Any
oppose? Motion passes 6 - 0. Item number
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17. City Council Information
Teague: Item number 17, City Councilor information.
Weiner: I had the, um, the- the great pleasure of attending the- the Iowa National Guards, um,
sort of, civilian leadership day this- this morning. Um, really learned a tremendous
amount about the National Guard. The huge amounts actually a federal funding that
comes into it. Uh, the- that they don't just work overseas, and they- they were
instrumental in helping out in particularly in Cedar Rapids after the derecho, clearing
roads so that then the- to allow the utility companies to get in afterwards. Um, and I
think the piece that many of us may not re- realize is how much work they did, uh,
during COVID. Uh, there- it was their headquarters in Des Moines that was ended up
using- was used as the command center, including for the governor. They were busy
transporting tests all the way by air, all the way from Sioux City to the hygienic lab and
Coralville. Um, they were- they- they actually did a huge amount of work in COVID.
So really- really helpful, um, and informative session.
Taylor: I'd like to remind, um, folks that this Thursday, the 17th is the employee appreciation
lunch, uh, from 11:00-1:00 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. Uh, I hope to see many
of our City employees there. It's always been very enjoyable do that and we've kind of
had, uh, a few years not doing it. Um, so each and- each and every one of you
employees, those that are listening and- and then here this broadcast you, uh, you play,
uh, a valuable part in the City's ability to provide necessary services to the community
and I look forward to seeing, uh, as many as I can, uh, this Thursday. And just a quick
note. I'd be remiss if I didn't, uh, mention that it's my granddaughter's birthday, eight
year old birthday, and so happy birthday to her. I don't know if she's watching, but save
me a piece of cake.
Teague: All right.
Bergus: Last Thursday on the loth, uh, there was the Better Together, uh, 2030, I'm forgetting
the name of the event where they gave out the Bravo and Sizzle awards. It was just a
really, really good event, really good time. And a number of City employees and
community, um, leaders and volunteers were recognized there. So it's just exciting to
see the work that so many put into project Better Together that came out of COVID.
Um, moving forward and really, uh, keeping energy going.
Teague: On Friday there was the Truthsgiving at the Englert, um, and that was put on by Great
Plains Action Society, which is- the executive director is Sikowis Nobiss, uh, who was
on our, um, Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Um, this was really a great
organized event. Um, there are people from out of the state that came in to share, um,
some stories, but the music was phenomenal. Um, people were dancing the night away
and so was I. It was- it was a lot- it was a great time of both, uh, history telling as well
as, um, enjoying some of the tribal music.
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Teague: All right. If no other comments. Looking above the voice and the air. Our Mayor Pro
Tem. All right.
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18. Report on Items from City Staff:
Teague: We'll go on to item number 18 which is a report on items from City staff. We'll start
with our City Manager's office?
Fruin: Nothing tonight Mayor.
Teague: City attorney's office?
Goers: Uh, one brief housekeeping matter,uh, Mayor. Um, you may recall that at your last
meeting you deferred the UI Labor Center agreement to this meeting. There were some
kinda late breaking requested changes and so as a result, we weren't ready to bring it
forth today. Uh, we hope to have it for you at your December 6th meeting. That's all.
Thanks.
Teague: Thank you. City Clerk?
Platz: Nothing from us. Thanks.
Teague: All right. Awesome.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
formal meeting of November 15, 2022.