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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-08-18 Correspondencer ~t!_,,®~ CITY CJF IOWA CITY 2e1 ..III~~~ ,~®,,~ RA N D U ~ 1V1 EMD Date: August 4, 2009 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for August 18th, 2009 City Council meeting; Installation of (1) NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE sign and (1) NO PARKING HERE TO ALLEY sign on the north side of the 100 block of Wright Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (10), Install (1) NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE sign and (1) NO PARKING HERE TO ALLEY sign on the north side of the 100 block of Wright Street Comment: This action follows the recent installation of parking meters on Wright Street and will help ensure adequate sight distance at the alley and at the intersection with Dubuque Street. This action will also help ensure that on-street parking is limited to the metered spaces. jccogtp/memlactcomm-100WrightStreet8-09. doc 9 ~.r. ~ v . ~~ ;_i ~ '1 :.~.i .~ .~'. ~„,cJ _... {~ 08-18-09 2e 2 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 5:03 PM To: 'WALKSCREEN@aol.com' Cc: "City Council; Sam Hargadine Subject: RE: curfew Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding recent criminal activity in the Southeast Iowa City area. Some Council members do not receive their email messages directly. Your message will be forwarded to the Council and will be accepted as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. If you wish to contact any Council members directly, go to www.cgov.org and, under "C" in the alpha index, click on City Council for contact information. Since the first reports of the August 5 incident the Iowa City police department has assigned additional investigators and patrol coverage to the SE Iowa City area with the twofold purpose of both preventing further violence and identifying and apprehending the person(s) responsible in the shooting incident. That effort continues. The Police Department is working with, and receiving assistance from, nearby law enforcement agencies as well. This will help us maintain police protection in other areas as we reallocate more resources to S.E. Iowa City. The investigation is intense and progress is being made. However, we also understand the arrests alone will not resolve the situation. As in the past, we are prepared to dedicate the efforts of other City offices as well, to work with neighborhood residents in addressing the underlying issues that give rise to incidents like this. I believe there are very positive results that have come from the cooperative efforts that followed the confrontation that occurred in May, many of which are ongoing. Hopefully that can continue and we can build on those efforts. I realize that this may not answer all your questions specifically. More detailed information cannot be released given the ongoing investigation in progress. Nonetheless, every appropriate effort is being made to ensure the safety of all citizens in the area. Council members have assured me that they support the allocation of all resources needed for the police and other City offices to effectively address this matter. Thank you for your input and for expressing your obvious concerns. Sincerely, Dale Helling, Interim City Manager __ _ From: WALKSCREEN@aol.com [mailto:WALKSCREEN@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:41 PM To: Regenia Bailey; Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Ross Wilburn; Mike Wright; Council Subject: re: curfew After the incidents on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 in the neighborhood of Lakeside Drive and Regal Lane; I feel that it is time to impose a curfew on juveniles. Since this involves a range of ages I feel that the curfew should be 9:00 p.m. on Sunday thru Thursday and 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday for children 12 and younger. The curfew for ages 13 to 17 years should be 10:00 p.m. on Sunday thru Thursday and 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The curfew should apply to all juveniles unless they are accompanied by their parents and/or an adult over the age of 27 years. I realize this would be an added burden for our police department and extra patrolling of the streets but we 8/10/2009 Page 2 of 2 need to stop the groups of juveniles walking the streets in the area south of Highway 6. Thank you. Sincerely, Lorraine J. Bailey 8/ 10/2009 ~ r ~l..®~,~ "m~~'` ,~ A ~®1~~ ~'1.a1~_ ^^^^^^ ~ITY OF IOWA CITY www. icgov. org OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER Dale E. Helling Interim City Manager dale-hel I ing@iowa-city. org Kathryn L. Johansen Administrative Assistant to the City Manager kathryn-Johansen@iowa-c ity. org 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Phone: (319) 356-5010 Fax: (319)356-5009 August 11, 2009 :: ~ ' ~~, . ..,.. f`!S'~! Ms. Linda Davies ~ ~ . 1'°= ' 9 Regal Lane - ' .R 5't Iowa City, IA 52240 ~,,, T "'~' `3" `' .. r.. C7 Dear Ms. Davies: Thank you for your letter to the City Council regarding recent criminal activity in the Southeast Iowa City area. Your letter will be forwarded to the Council and will be accepted as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. If you wish to contact Council members directly, go to www.icgov.orq and, under "C" in the alpha index, click on City Council for contact information. Since the first reports of the August 5 incident the Iowa City police department has assigned additional investigators and patrol coverage to the SE Iowa City area with the twofold purpose of both preventing further violence and identifying and apprehending the person(s) responsible in the shooting incident. That effort continues. The Police Department is working with, and receiving assistance from, nearby law enforcement agencies as well. This will help us maintain police protection in other areas as we reallocate more resources to S.E. Iowa City. The investigation is intense and progress is being made. However, we also understand the arrests alone will not resolve the situation. As in the past, we are prepared to dedicate the efforts of other City offices as well, to work with neighborhood residents in addressing the underlying issues that give rise to incidents like this. I believe there are very positive results that have come from the cooperative efforts that followed the confrontation that occurred in May, many of which are ongoing. Hopefully that can continue and we can build on those efforts. I realize that this may not answer all your questions specifically. More detailed information cannot be released given the ongoing investigation in progress. Nonetheless, every appropriate effort is being made to ensure the safety of all citizens in the area. Council members have assured me that they support the allocation of all resources needed for the police and other City offices to effectively address this matter. Thank you for your input and for expressing your obvious concerns. Sincerely, Dale E. Helling Interim City Manager cc: City Council August 3, 2009 Linda Davies 9 Regal Lane Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Council Members: I would like to know what the City Council members aze doing to help the problem with crime on the southeast side of Iowa City? We have lived at our house on Regal Lane for 38 years and the list of police daily activity log is beyond ridiculous this summer. The problem was created by the city and City Council when people from Chicago were moved into Iowa City about 5 years ago. The city has bought up many houses in this area for Section 8 housing. People move in and out and leave the houses trashed. The city cleans them up and has someone else with section 8 housing move in to do the same. This is not a racial issue, these are the facts. I have been on the city bus numerous times listening to people talk about Section 8 this and that and listening to language that is not fit for anyone to hear. This was all done in the name of diversity. Please, we have people from every country in the world living here! It would seem that the city has only money in mind, as far as I can see, in this whole debacle. There is plenty of money for the city to be gained with this type of housing and also through federal grants. I say you can have these people live in your neighborhood and see how you like it. How long would this go on with you having to deal with the aftermath of every day? The city maintenance people clean up Fair iVleadows Park every day, because of trash on the ground and dented trashcans are replaced often. It is disgusting to see garbage on the grass and sidewalks everyday, while walking my dog. There were 19 police reports in our neighborhood on August 2, 2009. Nine of these had to do with juvenile complaints of fighting, blocking the street so cazs couldn't get through, and property destruction -bikes. What is going to be done about this? A neighbor called last week and reported loud and destructive behavior at Fair Meadows Park. When asked if the parents were called, she was told yes, but no one came to get their kids, so they had no consequence for their behavior. Of course, they are going to do it again. Who will prevent them from doing it again? Many times, a neighbor just a few houses from us has seen kids (some very young) out as late as 2:30 am roaming the streets. Where are their pazents and do they have any rules at all? I think that a curfew would be most appropriate for this behavior and that there needs to be consequences, whether the parent shows up or not. Shots have been fired twice within less than week within blocks of our house- one time at Fair Meadows Park. What is it going to take to have this change? I would certainly hope that someone getting seriously hurt or worse wouldn't be the deciding factor! Summer is not over yet. What about all of the law-abiding families that have lived here for many years and not had any problems with the law? Don't they deserve some consideration too? I would appreciate your serious consideration of these matters that affect the whole city. Also, I would suggest that these issues be discussed at the next City Council meeting on August 18, 2009. Sincerely, Linda Davies ~_ ~ -,<~ ; ~:..--~ _._. ..1 ~;;. .:: Y~° ~`J Page 1 of 3 Marian Karr From: mark edwards [households@yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 11:49 PM To: Council Subject: Fw: Police patrols SE Iowa City I wanted to make sure all council members received this so it becomes part of the public record. Our neighborhood is frustrated by what we see as a delayed reaction to an evolving situation of violence in the Grant Wood Neighborhood. This is not a NIMBY isue, it is simply an issue of NOT EVERY low income housing project, or at best a disproportionate amount, in our backyard. Respectfully, Mark Edwards 1754 Lakeside Drive Forwarded e-mails attached. --- On Thu, 8/6/09, mark edwards <household5@a yahoo.com> wrote: From: mark edwards <household5@yahoo.com> Subject: Fw: Police patrols SE Iowa City To: matt-hayek@iowa-city.org Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009, 5:59 PM Matt, I am glad that Chief Hargadine has decided to shift resources from downtown to supplement law enforcement efforts on the SE side of town. That idea was sent to you and other Council members on the September 22, 2008 that is attached. Here we are 10 months later, so I guess later is better than never. I appreciate your efforts on the moratorium on building additional low income housing in the SE Iowa City area, but it appears that many more units are on the way. How can this be? If we are going to continue to be a dumping ground for any less than desirable real estate developments, the least we can receive is adequate police protection Mark Edwards 1754 Lakeside Drive Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 330-9421 --- On Sat, 5/16/09, mark edwards <householdSa~yahoo.com> wrote: From: mark edwards <household5@yahoo.com> Subject: Fw: Police patrols SE Iowa City To: matt-hayek@iowa-city.org Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009, 5:55 PM 8/10/2009 Page 2 of 3 Matt, I am forwarding an e-mail I sent to you roughly 8 months ago concerning violence in SE Iowa City. This morning I awoke to find the back window shot out of our car with a bb gun. Enough is enough. Starting Monday at the city council work session, and until progress is made, I will be a fixture at any city and police department public meeting to address my concerns. I think more citizens from the SE side would be voicing their concerns as well, but they are quite frankly discouraged by the apparent inaction by the Iowa City police department and the lack of leadership shown by our city council on the violent crime happening in Iowa City. For example, the current riots that have occured and the burglary of the Creekside Market (twice in one night) come to the top of my mind. I know you worked on enforcing the scattered site housing promise layed out in the City Steps plan, and I applaud your efforts for that, being the lightning rod it was. But the recent approval of ADDITIONAL low income housing immediately south of Grant Wood school shows the residents of our neighborhood that the scattered site concept is not being applied. I would like an opportunity to discuss this matter with you further. Respectfully, Mark Edwards 1754 Lakeside Drive --- On Mon, 9/22/08, mark edwards <household5@yahoo.com> wrote: From: mark edwards <household5@yahoo.com> Subject: Police patrols SE Iowa City To: "matt-hayek@iowa-city.org" <matt-hayek@iowa-city.org> Date: Monday, September 22, 2008, 6:58 PM Matt, I know that you have enough on your plate already, but we're looking for some guidance in dealing with some recent incidences of violent crime in the Southeast section of Iowa City. On Saturday afternoon, several neighborhood kids witnessed a juvenile threatening others with a gun. The police responded, and a BB gun was found. This was at 4:44pm in the afternoon! A little over a week ago, an armed robbery occurred at the Creek Side Market, near the formerly named Lakeside apartments. After speaking with the Iowa City Police Department this morning, there have been other robberies of this nature as well. We know that funding is an issue, but there is a definite need for increased police patrols in our area of town. If you look at incidences involving danger to citizens, meaning true 911 calls, I believe you would see the disproportionate amount within our section of town. It is our understanding that the neighborhood watch program is not currently supported by afull-time position within the police department. We believe that needs to change. After talking 8/10/2009 Page 3 of 3 with an officer this morning, it seems that by the end of the year, that position may again be staffed. Our concern is with the present. Our sincere belief is that too many resources are devoted to writing citations for underage drinking. If a large police presence is needed as the bars close downtown, so be it. But devoting a disproportionate amount of manpower earlier in the night to the downtown area would in our opinion, be better used to stop crime in other parts of Iowa City. On that note, why hasn't the city demanded MORE assistance from the University of Iowa Police in controlling the downtown area? I realize they do participate to a limited extent, but isn't this mostly their issue since 90% or greater of the bar patrons on any given night University of Iowa students? Just wondered what your opinion was on this issue. Respectfully, Mark and Marla Edwards 1754 Lakeside Drive Iowa City (319) 351-1751 I 8/10/2009 Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 5:05 PM To: 'trcfehr@aol.com' Cc: `City Council; Sam Hargadine Subject: RE: Broadway Neighborhood Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding recent criminal activity in the Southeast Iowa City area. Some Council members do not receive their email messages directly. Your message will be forwarded to the Council and will be accepted as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. If you wish to contact any Council members directly, go to www.icg.oy.org and, under "C" in the alpha index, click on City Council for contact information. Since the first reports of the August 5 incident the Iowa City police department has assigned additional investigators and patrol coverage to the SE Iowa City area with the twofold purpose of both preventing further violence and identifying and apprehending the person(s) responsible in the shooting incident. That effort continues. The Police Department is working with, and receiving assistance from, nearby law enforcement agencies as well. This will help us maintain police protection in other areas as we reallocate more resources to S.E. Iowa City. The investigation is intense and progress is being made. However, we also understand the arrests alone will not resolve the situation. As in the past, we are prepared to dedicate the efforts of other City offices as well, to work with neighborhood residents in addressing the underlying issues that give rise to incidents like this. I believe there are very positive results that have come from the cooperative efforts that followed the confrontation that occurred in May, many of which are ongoing. Hopefully that can continue and we can build on those efforts. I realize that this may not answer all your questions specifically. More detailed information cannot be released given the ongoing investigation in progress. Nonetheless, every appropriate effort is being made to ensure the safety of all citizens in the area. Council members have assured me that they support the allocation of all resources needed for the police and other City offices to effectively address this matter. Thank you for your input and for expressing your obvious concerns. Sincerely, Dale Helling, Interim City Manager From: trcfehr@aol.com [mailto:trcfehr@aol.com] Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 1:53 PM To: Council Subject: Broadway Neighborhood I was wondering what the Iowa City Council proposes to do about the Lakeside-Broadway neighborhood and the problems(shootings!)that are occurring there. I'm not interested in what has already been done because that is obviously not working. What's next and why is this being allowed to happen. Why so much of the focus on college freshman and sophomores drinking illegally (but not shooting each other) but what amounts to "tiptoeing" around this escalating situation? Thank you, Cathy Fehr 8/ 10/2009 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 5:02 PM To: 'Albert Gibson' Cc: *City Council; Sam Hargadine Subject: RE: Lakeside, Broadway, etc Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding recent criminal activity in the Southeast Iowa City area. Some Council members do not receive their email messages directly. Your message will be forwarded to the Council and will be accepted as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. If you wish to contact any Council members directly, go to www.icgov.org and, under "C" in the alpha index, click on City Council for contact information. Since the first reports of the August 5 incident the Iowa City police department has assigned additional investigators and patrol coverage to the SE Iowa City area with the twofold purpose of both preventing further violence and identifying and apprehending the person(s) responsible in the shooting incident. That effort continues. The Police Department is working with, and receiving assistance from, nearby law enforcement agencies as well. This will help us maintain police protection in other areas as we reallocate more resources to S.E. Iowa City. The investigation is intense and progress is being made. However, we also understand the arrests alone will not resolve the situation. As in the past, we are prepared to dedicate the efforts of other City offices as well, to work with neighborhood residents in addressing the underlying issues that give rise to incidents like this. I believe there are very positive results that have come from the cooperative efforts that followed the confrontation that occurred in May, many of which are ongoing. Hopefully that can continue and we can build on those efforts. I realize that this may not answer all your questions specifically. More detailed information cannot be released given the ongoing investigation in progress. Nonetheless, every appropriate effort is being made to ensure the safety of all citizens in the area. Council members have assured me that they support the allocation of all resources needed for the police and other City offices to effectively address this matter. Thank you for your input and for expressing your obvious concerns. Sincerely, Dale Helling, Interim City Manager -----Original Message----- From: Albert Gibson [mailto:albert.gibsonC~gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 12:56 PM To: Council Subject: Lakeside, Broadway, etc I'm sure you're getting email about the ongoing gunshots and general mayhem going on in the Lakeside and Broadway areas. What are you people going to do about it? Run and cower and hide because you're afraid to deal with the fact that Iowa City has made poor decisions over the past decade when it comes to importing criminal thugs, sociopaths, and their offspring? I remember that side of town 15 years ago. That never happened back in the day. Why are you letting the "thug life" hoodlums with guns take it over? Are you too busy busting 20 year olds having a beer downtown? Al Page 1 of 3 Marian Karr From: Regenia Bailey [regenia@baileyforiowacity.com] Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 7:48 PM To: 'Scott and Ros' Cc: Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Ross Wilburn; Mike Wright; Marian Karr Subject: RE: Crime and the lack of anything from you Importance: High Dear Mr. Hamlin: Thank you for writing to us about your concerns for our community. I am sorry that you feel that the council has not been responsive or effective in this matter. Police presence downtown gets a lot of press, as did the annual review of liquor license for two downtown bars. That media focus does not divert our attention from the serious events happening in your neighborhood. We have increased the police presence in the neighborhood this summer. The City's Neighborhood Services Coordinator has worked with individuals, the neighborhood association, and other community organizations to provide positive activities in the neighborhood. In the wake of what is happening, I know that progress seems slow. Unfortunately, there are no quick solutions. I will attend the meeting on Saturday, August 15 at 10 a.m. in Fairmeadows Park. I plan to attend to listen-not to talk just as I attended the last neighborhood meeting. Just as with any challenging and substantive issue in our community, it will take the neighborhood, as well as the council, the Police Department, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and others in the community to identify and implement solutions. We all must be involved in addressing the issues in our community-from residents supporting the work of the police by stepping forward to report criminal activity to developing community building events in our neighborhoods to help strengthen neighbors' connections to one another. Your disappointment with the council is clear. As you know, there is a council election this fall. The filing deadline for candidates is at the end of this month, which leaves time for you or someone from the neighborhood to enter the race. Information for council candidates is available in the City Clerk's office. Thanks again for your e-mail. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting on Saturday. Sincerely, ~eniA ------------------------------------------------------- Regenia D. Bailey Mayor, City of Iowa City 430 Church Street Iowa City, IA 52245 319.351.2068 (h) 319.321.1385 (c) 866.802.2854 (f) www. b_a_i le_y_foriowacity.._com Please note: any e-mails that 1 respond to may be subject to State open records laws and considered information available to the public. From: Scott and Ros [mailto:hamlin101@mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 6:36 PM 8/10/2009 Page 2 of 3 To: regenia-bailey@iowa-city.org Cc: amy-Correia@iowa-city.org; matt-hayek@iowa-city.org; ross-Wilburn@iowa-city.org; mike-wright@iowa- city.org Subject: Crime and the lack of anything from you Importance: High I wrote an email on Saturday evening addressed to the entire Council with this subject line. Come to find out that you didn't receive it and won't until Tuesday August 18. Well that is to late so here I have copied and pasted it into this email. Just to get my point across and to let you know I am serious about this I will say again, we the people of the Grantwood Neighborhood are tired of what is going on and want to see some very clear signs that things are being cleaned up in this area. Crime and the lack of anything from you Shootings, robberies, assaults, break ins, drugs, bombs at elementary schools. Am I leaving anything out? While all this is going on you people sit back and watch. Is this part time job to much for you to handle? When is one of you going to admit your selling one area of Iowa City out for the good of the rest of the City? I have an idea, let's take the liquor license from more university bars yet keep the license for the one bar that causes violent crime. Good thinking people. This council is the biggest waste of skin known to man. You all need to just resign. Especially Connie Champion. This is your area, and when we had the neighborhood meeting you were nowhere to be seen. Of course the Mayor didn't speak up either. She just sat there. When the one person had the nerve to speak the truth, the police department escorted him out. You really have no idea how to run a city do you? You want statues over public safety. You go after easy crime instead of cracking down on the heavy crime. Your Chief of Police don't want federal money to hire more officers because he don't have the capacity to figure out how to pay for it after the grant runs out. You have a public meeting and in this meeting your night shift police Lieutenant tells everyone we won't have an officer in our neighborhood from the hours of 11PM to 3AM so they can hassle drunk co eds. That's much more fun than doing real police work. We have people moving out of our neighborhood faster than you can get Section 8er's moving in. And trust me they move in fast. Your lack of doing anything is driving our property values down. This is the first year our property didn't increase in value. So you have two options. You either start doing something in this neighborhood. By that I mean a increased police presence. If the staff you currently have is not enough, then call the Governor and get the National Guard in here and establish Marshall Law. Oh yeah, and arm the guard, don't make them come in here empty handed. If you don't want to do that then you buy my house for its current appraised value. That way I can take my family to an area where we don't have to deal with the crap we are dealing with right now. This is not a email of complaint that I expect you to read and ignore. I expect a response from each and every one of you, and I expect it within 7 business days. If you feel like you don't need to respond then just resign your position. We the people of the Grantwood Neighborhood are tired of you not doing anything. We are tired of you selling us out. I have lived in a large metropolitan area and I see where this is going and trust me, it's going to get real ugly, real fast. Scott Hamlin 1902 Grantwood St in case you want to sick PD on me 8/10/2009 Page 1 of 3 Marian Karr From: Ross Wilburn Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 12:36 AM To: Scott and Ros; Regenia Bailey Cc: Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Mike Wright; Council Subject: RE: Crime and the lack of anything from you Dear Mr. Hamlin, Thank you for expressing your concerns about the criminal activity going on in your neighborhood. I am copying below this note a message that I sent to another concerned neighbor about the criminal events over the summer Just so that you know in direct responce to one of your concerns, while police complete coverage of an area is challenging, you may not be aware that there has been a police presence here in the South East side (I have seen patrols as I live on the South East side too.) as they are working on the most recent criminal activity. In fact, I observed two different squad cars intervening/questioning/interacting with some situations this evening as I rode around the Granwood area. If you read through the note below, you will see a few suggestion I made for resources for neighbors for reporting criminal activity as they observe it and encourage neighbors to continue to gather and discuss safety in general as the council continues to work with our police department around other ideas for all of us to try and get a handle on lowering criminal activity again as we have in past instances when this behavor occured. Respectfully, Ross Wilburn City Councilmember Aforementioned response to another concerned citizen: Dear "One of the many concerned residents of Regal Lane" (sorry that's all I had since you didn't identify yourself in your email). Thank you for making the council aware of your concerns about safety and criminal activity in your neighborhood. I live on the South East side of town and am very aware of concerns from neighbors. People should be upset & concerned. No one wants to have shootings or stabbings...any violent activity in our town. We don't want these things at any time of day, in any part of town, nor from any age group. I remember several years ago when the drive by shooting happened right next door to me. Police did their work, neighbors called into police, some formed neighborhood watches, in other instances, the housing dept held anyone who received any housing assistance that was involved in crime accountable. Then with time, police made arrests and criminals went to jail. All of those efforts (especially with citizen help) helped things calm down in our neighborhood and people felt safer. Those things all need to happen again and allow those systems time to respond (with help from citizens). Unfortunately, I've had some people say they won't call into police because nothing happens or they are understandibly scared. It's so important for people to continue to make reports as it helps police narrow in on the offenders. Unfortunately, there are no quick answers but dilligence and cooperation from concerned neighbors with police, will help hold the trouble makers accountable and keep crime rates down. Hopefully people will call in if they see anyone breaking the law. Months ago, city council approved the Crimestoppers tip line that people can call 358-8477 (TIPS) and/or they can look for other crimefighting tips/resources at: htt~://www.iccrime.or~/. Please do share that information with your neighbors. Those resources as well as neighborhood meetings such as the one you mentioned on the I S th are safer ways and more effective was to help the community reduce crime than the one you perhaps suggested in your email when you said,"You had better think of a solution because the neighborhood may try to take it back on it's own." 8/7/2009 Page 2 of 3 Just so you are aware, I rode around the neighborhood tonight (Lakeside, Regal, and Whispering Meadows) and saw most people going about their evening business (relaxing, working in their yards, jogging, walking their dogs, a few kids playing) and also a noticable police presence. I also saw one police car had someone pulled over questioning them on something they had done as well as another car speaking with a resident about something they must have observed a few blocks away from the other situation. I have noticed the increased police presence for several months and I'm certain the council will continue to support the police chief allocating more of a presence in the neighborhood as they work these recent cases. I'm sure the council will also continue to reassess balancing and allocating services as we approach the next budget session. It will be important for the city council to continue to look for effective ways for all of us to help reduce crime in town and not reactions that create a false sense of security. It is critical that neighbors contact law enforcement when they witness criminal activity and for neighbors to work with support each other with safety issues. If I am able, I will be at the meeting on the 15th at Fairmeadows to continue listening to concerns/ideas. I don't know who is organizing this meeting, but if they haven't already, I can request that the police chief or his designee attend and share any updates on the recent situations that they can share and updates on the patrol efforts in the neighborhood. You (and other emails we have received) have informed the rest of the city council about the meeting, but you may not be aware that no more than 3 council members can be at a community meeting/event and discuss issues because that would consititute a violation of the state of Iowa open meetings law. Respectfully, Ross Wilburn, City Councilmember __ _ _ __. _. From: Scott and Ros [mailto:hamlin101@mchsi.com] Sent: Wed 8/5/2009 6:35 PM To: Regenia Bailey Cc: Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Ross Wilburn; Mike Wright Subject: Crime and the lack of anything from you I wrote an email on Saturday evening addressed to the entire Council with this subject line. Come to find out that you didn't receive it and won't until Tuesday August 18. Well that is to late so here I have copied and pasted it into this email. Just to get my point across and to let you know I am serious about this I will say again, we the people of the Grantwood Neighborhood are tired of what is going on and want to see some very clear signs that things are being cleaned up in this area. Crime and the lack of anything from you Shootings, robberies, assaults, break ins, drugs, bombs at elementary schools. Am I leaving anything out? While all this is going on you people sit back and watch. Is this part time job to much for you to handle? When is one of you going to admit your selling one area of Iowa City out for the good of the rest of the City? I have an idea, let's take the liquor license from more university bars yet keep the license for the one bar that causes violent crime. Good thinking people. This council is the biggest waste of skin known to man. You all need to just resign. Especially Connie Champion. This is your area, and when we had the neighborhood meeting you were nowhere to be seen. Of course the Mayor didn't speak up either. She just sat there. When the one person had the nerve to speak the truth, the police department escorted him out. 8/7/2009 Page 3 of 3 You really have no idea how to run a city do you? You want statues over public safety. You go after easy crime instead of cracking down on the heavy crime. Your Chief of Police don't want federal money to hire more officers because he don't have the capacity to figure out how to pay for it after the grant runs out. You have a public meeting and in this meeting your night shift police Lieutenant tells everyone we won't have an officer in our neighborhood from the hours of 11PM to 3AM so they can hassle drunk co eds. That's much more fun than doing real police work. We have people moving out of our neighborhood faster than you can get Section 8er's moving in. And trust me they move in fast. Your lack of doing anything is driving our property values down. This is the first year our property didn't increase in value. So you have two options. You either start doing something in this neighborhood. By that I mean a increased police presence. If the staff you currently have is not enough, then call the Governor and get the National Guard in here and establish Marshall Law. Oh yeah, and arm the guard, don't make them come in here empty handed. If you don't want to do that then you buy my house for its current appraised value. That way I can take my family to an area where we don't have to deal with the crap we are dealing with right now. This is not a email of complaint that I expect you to read and ignore. I expect a response from each and every one of you, and I expect it within 7 business days. If you feel like you don't need to respond then just resign your position. We the people of the Grantwood Neighborhood are tired of you not doing anything. We are tired of you selling us out. I have lived in a large metropolitan area and I see where this is going and trust me, it's going to get real ugly, real fast. Scott Hamlin 1902 Grantwood St in case you want to sick PD on me 8/7/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 11:44 AM To: 'Scott and Ros' Cc: 'City Council Subject: RE: Crime and the lack of anything from you Dear Scott, Thank you for your recent email communication to the City Council. Council members do not receive their emails directly. Your message will be forwarded to them and accepted as official correspondence at the next Council meeting scheduled on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. If you wish to speak with Council members directly, please visit our website at www.icgov.org. Click on the link to City Council and there you will find names, phone numbers, and addresses of all seven Council members. Thank you again for writing. Sincerely, Kathi Johansen Administrative Assistant to the City Manager 319 356-5010 From: Scott and Ros [mailto:hamlin101@mchsi.com] Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 8:48 AM To: Council Subject: Crime and the lack of anything from you Importance: High This correspondence will become a public record. Shootings, robberies, assaults, break ins, drugs, bombs at elementary schools. Am I leaving anything out? While all this is going on you people sit back and watch. Is this part time job to much for you to handle? When is one of you going to admit your selling one area of Iowa City out for the good of the rest of the City? I have an idea, let's take the liquor license from more university bars yet keep the license for the one bar that causes violent crime. Good thinking people. This council is the biggest waste of skin known to man. You all need to just resign. Especially Connie Champion. This is your area, and when we had the neighborhood meeting you were nowhere to be seen. Of course the Mayor didn't speak up either. She just sat there. When the one person had the nerve to speak the truth, the police department escorted him out. You really have no idea how to run a city do you? You want statues over public safety. You go after easy crime instead of cracking down on the heavy crime. Your Chief of Police don't want federal money to hire more officers because he don't have the capacity to figure out how to pay for it after the grant runs out. You have a public meeting and in this meeting your night shift police Lieutenant tells everyone we won't have an officer in our neighborhood from the hours of 11PM to 3AM so they can hassle drunk co eds. That's much more fun than doing real police work. 8/3/2009 Page 2 of 2 We have people moving out of our neighborhood faster than you can get Section 8er's moving in. And trust me they move in fast. Your lack of doing anything is driving our property values down. This is the first year our property didn't increase in value. So you have two options. You either start doing something in this neighborhood. By that I mean a increased police presence. If the staff you currently have is not enough, then call the Governor and get the National Guard in here and establish Marshall Law. Oh yeah, and arm the guard, don't make them come in here empty handed. If you don't want to do that then you buy my house for its current appraised value. That way I can take my family to an area where we don't have to deal with the crap we are dealing with right now. This is not a email of complaint that I expect you to read and ignore. I expect a response from each and every one of you, and I expect it within 7 business days. If you feel like you don't need to respond then just resign your position. We the people of the Grantwood Neighborhood are tired of you not doing anything. We are tired of you selling us out. I have lived in a large metropolitan area and I see where this is going and trust me, it's going to get real ugly, real fast. Scott Hamlin 1902 Grantwood St in case you want to sick PD on me 8/3/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Regenia Bailey [regenia@baileyforiowacity.com] Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 7:05 PM To: 'Angela Klein' Cc: Sam Hargadine; Matt Johnson; Dale Helling; Council Subject: RE: Shooting Reported on Lakeside Dear Ms. Klein: Thank you for your e-mail regarding your concerns about the recent violence in our community. Many have been saddened, frustrated, and angry about what has been happening in our community. I know that the police presence downtown gets a lot of press and discussion about the bars received recent news coverage because the renewal for two liquor licenses was before council, but the council has been, and continues to be, concerned about and aware of the issues in the southeast side of our community. We have increased the police presence in the neighborhood this summer. We have worked with other organizations to provide positive activities in the neighborhood. In the wake of what is happening, I know that these seem like small actions. Unfortunately, we know that there are no quick solutions. It will take the neighborhood, as well as council, the Police Department, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and others in the community to address these issues just as it has taken a broad group of people to address any challenging and substantive issue in our community. We all must be involved in addressing the issues in our community-from residents supporting the work of the police by stepping forward to report criminal activity to developing community building events in our neighborhoods to help strengthen neighbors' connections to one another. I plan to attend the neighborhood meeting on Saturday, August 15 at 10 a.m. in Fairmeadows Park to hear ideas from others in the community. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about what the community can do to effectively address these issues. Thanks again for your a-mail. Sincerely, ~enia ---------------- Regenia D. Bailey Mayor, City of Iowa City 430 Church Street Iowa City, IA. 52245 319.351.2068 (h) 319.321.1385 (c) 866.802.2854 (f) www,_bailey..foriowacity Com Please note: any e-mails that 1 respond to may be subject to State open records laws and considered information available to the public. From: Angela Klein [mailto:ajklein7089@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 10:29 AM To: council@iowa-city.org; regenia-bailey@iowa-city.org; matt-hayek@iowa-city.org; mike-Wright@iowa-city.org; amy-Correia@iowa-city.org; ross-Wilburn@iowa-city.org 8/ 10/2009 Page 2 of 2 Cc: sam-hargadine@iowa-city.org; matt-Johnson@iowa-city.org Subject: Shooting Reported on Lakeside http:/__/www.pr_ess ci,hzen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/_article?AID.=/20090806/NEWSOI/90806001 I am wondering what the council is currently doing to help rectify the violence and sad demise of once safe and prosperous neighborhoods in Iowa City? I continue to see and hear your many concerns about University students and downtown businesses, but there doesn't seem to be the same concern about street violence. If you can forward to me a link to plans or discussions you intend to put into place, I would appreciate it. Angie Klein 39 year resident of Iowa City 8/ 10/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Ross Wilburn Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 12:18 AM To: Angela Klein; Council; Regenia Bailey; Matt Hayek; Mike Wright; Amy Correia Cc: Sam Hargadine; Matt Johnson; Council Subject: RE: Shooting Reported on Lakeside Dear Ms Klein, Thank you for expressing your concerns about the recent criminal activity in our town. Also, I want to thank you for identifying yourself in your email. I know it can be difficult for some to be willing to express a concern and to identify themselves publicly. I am pasting below this message a reply I sent to another community member that expressed similar concerns. I will share directly in response to your message however, that council has been kept informed of criminal activity in recent days as well as activity in other parts of the community. There has been a noticable presence of law enforcement in the neighborhood in light of this case and police can sure use your and your neighbors assistance in identifying criminal behavior. This type of behavior has appeared in our town before and through law enforcement and neighbors continuing to report criminal activity, we can help reduce this type of criminal activity in town again and help law enforcement hold individuals who break the law accountable.) hope in the note below you get a sense from me that crime is something that all of us need to be concerned about and we can use your and your neighbors help in working together to help reduce criminal behavior in Iowa City. Ross Wilburn City Councilmember Copy of Message to another concerned citizen Dear "One of the many concerned residents of Regal Lane" (sorry that's all I had since you didn't identify yourself in your email). Thank you for making the council aware of your concerns about safety and criminal activity in your neighborhood. I live on the South East side of town and am very aware of concerns from neighbors. People should be upset & concerned. No one wants to have shootings or stabbings...any violent activity in our town. We don't want these things at any time of day, in any part of town, nor from any age group. I remember several years ago when the drive by shooting happened right next door to me. Police did their work, neighbors called into police, some formed neighborhood watches, in other instances, the housing dept held anyone who received any housing assistance that was involved in crime accountable. Then with time, police made arrests and criminals went to jail. All of those efforts (especially with citizen help) helped things calm down in our neighborhood and people felt safer. Those things all need to happen again and allow those systems time to respond (with help from citizens). Unfortunately, I've had some people say they won't call into police because nothing happens or they are understandibly scared. It's so important for people to continue to make reports as it helps police narrow in on the offenders. Unfortunately, there are no quick answers but with dilligence and cooperation from concerned neighbors with police, will help hold the trouble makers accountable and keep crime rates down. Hopefully people will call in if they see anyone breaking the law. Months ago, city council approved the Crimestoppers tip line that people can ca11358-8477 (TIPS) and/or they can look for other crimefighting tips/resources at: http://www.iccrime.or~/. Please do share that information with your neighbors. Those resources as well as neighborhood meetings such as the one you mentioned on the 15 th are safer ways and more effective was to help the community reduce crime than the one you perhaps suggested in your email when you said,"You had better think of a solution because the neighborhood may try to take it back on it's own." 8/7/2009 Page 2 of 2 Just so you are aware, I rode around the neighborhood tonight (Lakeside, Regal, and Whispering Meadows) and saw most people going about their evening business (relaxing, working in their yards, jogging, walking their dogs, a few kids playing) and also a noticable police presence. I also saw one police car had someone pulled over questioning them on something they had done as well as another car speaking with a resident about something they must have observed a few blocks away from the other situation. I have noticed the increased police presence for several months and I'm certain the council will continue to support the police chief allocating more of a presence in the neighborhood as they work these recent cases. I'm sure the council will also continue to reassess balancing and allocating services as we approach the next budget session. It will be important for the city council to continue to look for effective ways for all of us to help reduce crime in town and not reactions that create a false sense of security. It is critical that neighbors contact law enforcement when they witness criminal activity and for neighbors to work with support each other with safety issues. If I am able, I will be at the meeting on the 15th at Fairmeadows to continue listening to concerns/ideas. I don't know who is organizing this meeting, but if they haven't already, I can request that the police chief or his designee attend and share any updates on the recent situations that they can share and updates on the patrol efforts in the neighborhood. You (and other emails we have received) have informed the rest of the city council about the meeting, but you may not be aware that no more than 3 council members can be at a community meeting/event and discuss issues because that would consititute a violation of the state of Iowa open meetings law. Respectfully, Ross Wilburn, City Councilmember From: Angela Klein [mailto:ajklein7089@yahoo.com] Sent: Thu 8/6/2009 10:29 AM To: Council; Regenia Bailey; Matt Hayek; Mike Wright; Amy Correia; Ross Wilburn Cc: Sam Hargadine; Matt Johnson Subject: Shooting Reported on Lakeside htip://wwwp__ress_-c,ttzen.._co_m/.apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2.0090806/NEW SO 1 /90806001_ I am wondering what the council is currently doing to help rectify the violence and sad demise of once safe and prosperous neighborhoods in Iowa City? I continue to see and hear your many concerns about University students and downtown businesses, but there doesn't seem to be the same concern about street violence. If you can forward to me a link to plans or discussions you intend to put into place, I would appreciate it. Angie Klein 39 year resident of Iowa City 8/7/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Regenia Bailey [regenia@baileyforiowacity.com] Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 7:12 PM To: CAMWAGS@aol.com Cc: Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Ross Wilburn; Mike Wright; Marian Karr Subject: RE: Southeast Side of Iowa City Dear `One of the many concerned residents of Regal Lane,' Thank you for your a-mail regarding your concerns about safety in your neighborhood. I grew up in this neighborhood; my parents still live in the neighborhood, so I am very aware of the concerns-from residents in the neighborhood as well as from people across the community. No one should feel unsafe in their home or on their property. No one wants violence in any part of our community. As you know, the council discussed your neighborhood and related issues with the Police Chief and our Housing Administrator a few months ago. The City has had an increased police presence in the neighborhood this summer. Our Housing Authority is strict in its enforcement of policies for anyone who receives housing assistance. Our Neighborhood Services Office has worked with residents to increase the number of positive activities in the neighborhood this summer. The council approved funding to support neighborhood events this fall. I recognize that in the wake of your frustration, none of these actions may seem like enough. The council continues to be concerned about and aware of what is happening in the neighborhood. We do not take the situation lightly nor have we ignored it, but unfortunately, there are no quick solutions. It will take the neighborhood, as well as council, the Police Department, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and others in the community to address these issues-just as it has taken a broad group of people to address any challenging and substantive issue in our community. We all must be involved in addressing the issues in our community-from residents supporting the work of the police by stepping forward to report criminal activity to developing community building events in our neighborhoods to help strengthen neighbors' connections to one another. I plan to attend the meeting on the 15th. If you can provide me more information about it, I'd appreciate it- there are others in the community who may also be interested in attending and I'd like to let them know about it if the organizers of the meeting are comfortable with that. Sincerely ~enia Regenia D. Baitey Mayor, City of Iowa City 430 Church Street Iowa City, IA 52245 319.351.2068 (h) 319.321.1385 (c) 866.802.2854 (f) www._baileyfo_riowacity.c_o_m Please note: any e-mails that I respond to maybe subject to State open records laws and considered information available to the public. From: CAMWAGS@aol.com [mailto:CAMWAGS@aol.com] 8/ 10/2009 Page 2 of 2 Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 2:45 PM To: regenia-bailey@iowa-city.org; amy-Correia@iowa-city.org; matt-hayek@iowa-city.org; ross-wilburn@iowa- city.org; mike-Wright@iowa-city.org Subject: Southeast Side of Iowa City Dear Council Members, So what exactly are you planning to do about these problems on the Southeast side of Iowa City? I think it's pretty ignorant to think this "problem" is going away on it's own. Grant Wood is the worst grade school in the district...why? Do any of you have Section 8 people living near your house? It's not a black problem...just to clarify that...skin color does not matter. I request that you to take a walk in my neighborhood about 9 PM ... heck you could even come around 8:30 to see it evolve into the late night drama. Sit up at the park or on the playground equipment, be sure to look for any bombs before you sit. Maybe you should read some of the comments on the Press Citizen's website regarding this particular incident it ventures into other incidents too. It's enlightening on the Council's view of our neighborhood. There is a meeting on Saturday August 15th, 10 AM at Fairmeadows Park. That would be the park adjacent to Grant Wood School, since most of you have not been in my neighborhood. I know that one of you made it to the last meeting (which I greatly appreciate)....maybe acouple more of you could find the time to make this meeting. You had better think of a solution because the neighborhood may try to take it back on it's own. One of the many concerned residents of Regal Lane. P.S. Does Iowa City still have an open invitation hanging up in Chicago? Once that train gets up and running that should help matters a lot..don't you think? 8/10/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Ross Wilburn Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 12:00 AM To: CAMWAGS@aol.com; Regenia Bailey; Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Mike Wright Cc: Council Subject: RE: Southeast Side of Iowa City Dear "One of the many concerned residents of Regal Lane" (sorry that's all I had since you didn't identify yourself in your email). Thank you for making the council aware of your concerns about safety and criminal activity in your neighborhood. I live on the South East side of town and am very aware of concerns from neighbors. People should be upset & concerned. No one wants to have shootings or stabbings...any violent activity in our town. We don't want these things at any time of day, in any part of town, nor from any age group. I remember several years ago when the drive by shooting happened right next door to me. Police did their work, neighbors called into police, some formed neighborhood watches, in other instances, the housing dept held anyone who received any housing assistance that was involved in crime accountable. Then with time, police made arrests and criminals went to jail. All of those efforts (especially with citizen help) helped things calm down in our neighborhood and people felt safer. Those things all need to happen again and allow those systems time to respond (with help from citizens). Unfortunately, I've had some people say they won't call into police because nothing happens or they are understandibly scared. It's so important for people to continue to make reports as it helps police narrow in on the offenders. Unfortunately, there are no quick answers but dilligence and cooperation from concerned neighbors with police, will help hold the trouble makers accountable and keep crime rates down. Hopefully people will call in if they see anyone breaking the law. Months ago, city council approved the Crimestoppers tip line that people can call 358-8477 (TIPS) and/or they can look for other crimefighting tips/resources at: htt~//www.iccrime.orq/. Please do share that information with your neighbors. Those resources as well as neighborhood meetings such as the one you mentioned on the 15th are safer ways and more effective was to help the community reduce crime than the one you perhaps suggested in your email when you said,"You had better think of a solution because the neighborhood may try to take it back on it's own." Just so you are aware, I rode around the neighborhood tonight (Lakeside, Regal, and Whispering Meadows) and saw most people going about their evening business (relaxing, working in their yards, jogging, walking their dogs, a few kids playing) and also a noticable police presence. I also saw one police car had someone pulled over questioning them on something they had done as well as another car speaking with a resident about something they must have observed a few blocks away from the other situation. I have noticed the increased police presence for several months and I'm certain the council will continue to support the police chief allocating more of a presence in the neighborhood as they work these recent cases. I'm sure the council will also continue to reassess balancing and allocating services as we approach the next budget session. It will be important for the city council to continue to look for effective ways for all of us to help reduce crime in town and not reactions that create a false sense of security. It is critical that neighbors contact law enforcement when they witness criminal activity and for neighbors to work with/support each other with safety issues. If I am able, I will be at the meeting on the 15th at Fairmeadows to continue listening to concerns/ideas. I don't know who is organizing this meeting, but if they haven't already, I can request that the police chief or his designee attend and share any updates on the recent situations that they can share and updates on the patrol efforts in the neighborhood. You (and other emails we have received) have informed the rest of the city council about the meeting, but you may not be aware that no more than 3 council members can be at a community meeting/event and discuss issues because that would consititute a violation of the state of Iowa open meetings law. Respectfully, Ross Wilburn, City Councilmember 8/7/2009 Page 2 of 2 _. From: CAMWAGS@aol.com [mailto:CAMWAGS@aol.com] Sent: Thu 8/6/2009 2:44 PM To: Regenia Bailey; Amy Correia; Matt Hayek; Ross Wilburn; Mike Wright Subject: Southeast Side of Iowa City Dear Council Members, So what exactly are you planning to do about these problems on the Southeast side of Iowa City? I think it's pretty ignorant to think this "problem" is going away on it's own. Grant Wood is the worst grade school in the district...why? Do any of you have Section 8 people living near your house? It's not a black problem...just to clarify that...skin color does not matter. I request that you to take a walk in my neighborhood about 9 PM ... heck you could even come around 8:30 to see it evolve into the late night drama. Sit up at the park or on the playground equipment, be sure to look for any bombs before you sit. Maybe you should read some of the comments on the Press Citizen's website regarding this particular incident it ventures into other incidents too. It's enlightening on the Council's view of our neighborhood. There is a meeting on Saturday August 15th, 10 AM at Fairmeadows Park. That would be the park adjacent to Grant Wood School, since most of you have not been in my neighborhood. I know that one of you made it to the last meeting (which I greatly appreciate)....maybe acouple more of you could find the time to make this meeting. You had better think of a solution because the neighborhood may try to take it back on it's own One of the many concerned residents of Regal Lane. P.S. Does Iowa City still have an open invitation hanging up in Chicago? Once that train gets up and running that should help matters a lot..don't you think? 8/7/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 5:02 PM To: 'ED JEN PANTHER' Cc: *City Council; Sam Hargadine Subject: RE: SE Iowa City -needs attention Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding recent criminal activity in the Southeast Iowa City area. Some Council members do not receive their email messages directly. Your message will be forwarded to the Council and will be accepted as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. If you wish to contact any Council members directly, go to www.icgov.org and, under "C" in the alpha index, click on City Council for contact information. Since the first reports of the August 5 incident the Iowa City police department has assigned additional investigators and patrol coverage to the SE Iowa City area with the twofold purpose of both preventing further violence and identifying and apprehending the person(s) responsible in the shooting incident. That effort continues. The Police Department is working with, and receiving assistance from, nearby law enforcement agencies as well. This will help us maintain police protection in other areas as we reallocate more resources to S.E. Iowa City. The investigation is intense and progress is being made. However, we also understand the arrests alone will not resolve the situation. As in the past, we are prepared to dedicate the efforts of other City offices as well, to work with neighborhood residents in addressing the underlying issues that give rise to incidents like this. I believe there are very positive results that have come from the cooperative efforts that followed the confrontation that occurred in May, many of which are ongoing. Hopefully that can continue and we can build on those efforts. I realize that this may not answer all your questions specifically. More detailed information cannot be released given the ongoing investigation in progress. Nonetheless, every appropriate effort is being made to ensure the safety of all citizens in the area. Council members have assured me that they support the allocation of all resources needed for the police and other City offices to effectively address this matter. Thank you for your input and for expressing your obvious concerns Sincerely, Dale Helling, Interim City Manager From: ED JEN PANTHER [mailto:edjenpanther@msn.com] Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 2:31 PM To: Council Subject: SE Iowa City -needs attention Importance: High Good Afternoon. My name is Jenny Panther and I am a resident of Iowa City, on the SE side. I live at 116 Hollywood Blvd and am very worried about what is happening on our side of town. I know that many of the SE area residents want to blame you and your lack of interest, or the fact that the council voted for so much Section 8 housing, for all of our problems. However, I believe that most of our problems could be solved by setting a curfew for anyone under the age of i8. 8/10/2009 Page 2 of 2 I would also like to become involved in turning this area of town around. I believe that this part of town is worth saving and reestablishing as an excellent part of town to live in. Maybe the police department should be working more in relationship with the University Police and University Heights to share the responsibility of policing downtown to free up more patrols in other areas of town. I must admit that my part of Hollywood is very quiet and we have not had one ounce of trouble, but I don't want to just sit idle by and wait for the problems to come our way. My biggest concerns are the kids out late at night, riding their bikes or walking in the middle of the street (we are talking about kids maybe 12 or 13) or those flying down our street not caring about kids out playing, not gunshots (at this point). I feel that my family is always having to defend our part of town to others when they find out where we live. We shouldn't have to do that. We are proud of where we live but are finding that unless the council and the residence of SE Iowa City work together the problems will never go away. So I guess my question to you is, what can we do to help? And what will you do to help change this image being created by a choice that you made (allowing more Section 8 housing than any other part of town)? Unless we work together, events like what happened last night (August 5th) will continue to happen. And before we know it, someone (or someones) may get killed. Thanks for listening, Jenny Panther 1716 Hollywood Blvd. Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 341-5937 8/ 10/2009 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 5:04 PM To: 'Craig Thompson' Cc: "City Council; Sam Hargadine Subject: RE: Southeast Iowa City violence. Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding recent criminal activity in the Southeast Iowa City area. Some Council members do not receive their email messages directly. Your message will be forwarded to the Council and will be accepted as official correspondence as part of the consent agenda for an upcoming formal Council meeting. If you wish to contact any Council members directly, go to _w_wvv.icgov.org and, under "C" in the alpha index, click on City Council for contact information. Since the first reports of the August 5 incident the Iowa City police department has assigned additional investigators and patrol coverage to the SE Iowa City area with the twofold purpose of both preventing further violence and identifying and apprehending the person(s) responsible in the shooting incident. That effort continues. The Police Department is working with, and receiving assistance from, nearby law enforcement agencies as well. This will help us maintain police protection in other areas as we reallocate more resources to S.E. Iowa City. The investigation is intense and progress is being made. However, we also understand the arrests alone will not resolve the situation. As in the past, we are prepared to dedicate the efforts of other City offices as well, to work with neighborhood residents in addressing the underlying issues that give rise to incidents like this. I believe there are very positive results that have come from the cooperative efforts that followed the confrontation that occurred in May, many of which are ongoing. Hopefully that can continue and we can build on those efforts. I realize that this may not answer all your questions specifically. More detailed information cannot be released given the ongoing investigation in progress. Nonetheless, every appropriate effort is being made to ensure the safety of all citizens in the area. Council members have assured me that they support the allocation of all resources needed for the police and other City offices to effectively address this matter. Thank you for your input and for expressing your obvious concerns. Sincerely, Dale Helling, Interim City Manager From: Craig Thompson [mailto:antares141@hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 6:06 PM To: Council Subject: Southeast Iowa City violence. I'm writing to express my outrage about the level of violence in Southeast Iowa City. There have been numerous shootings, a pizza delivery person robbed at gunpoint, a riot between families, a violent fight between roofing companies to mention just a few. I'm a resident of this area and I fear for my families safety. It's especially galling to see our mayor say tonight that she's not ready to vote for a curfew. We're past community interactions with the populace and we need to give the police tools to control this problem. Pass a curfew with teeth, enforce it and put a constant police presence in this area immediately! When the problems subside then back off. I realize that police will be busy soon with the out of control drinking that is allowed in Iowa City but nobody should have to die before something is done. 8/10/2009 Page 2 of 2 Please do something about this and do it with great speed. Craig Thompson Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail~. Try it now. 8/10/2009 Page 1 of 1 ~ ~-~~J Marian Karr From: Bennis kowalski [mayflyd@yahoo.comJ Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 9:59 AM To: Council Subject: southeast Dear Council, I have written a couple of letters to you over the last couple of years, warning of the problems that will arise on the southeast side. It did not take a genius to realize that the main problem is poverty, along with long standing cultural racism, which appears to have been quite naively transplanted here, by whoever. Rather than a natural evolution, which would have occurred, perhaps more successfully and slowly. Some teachers refer to that side of town as the ghetto. Why was a ghetto created, as it appears to have been. I have lived for sixty four years mostly in Chicago, but also in NY, Washington and Baltimore, where, while in the Army, although it was not my MOS, we were being trained in riot control, as riots were going on there in 1963. Fortunately, I never had to point a bayonet at a fellow citizen. In Chicago, I could hear the gunfire, sirens and see the smoke rise from nearby Cabrini Green after Martin Luther King was murdered. So, here on the west side, it's is not exactly with a sense of nostalgia, that I see gang banger types with an attitude, hanging at the Kum and GO. Relatively benign by Chicago standards. Iowa City is probably the least racist place I have lived. If anything, it suffers from an over patronizing and naive attitude towards race and poverty. The problems on the southeast side are national and cultural in scope and most of what can be done here will be cosmetic and police controlled. Similar to Iraq and Afghanistan. Winning hearts and minds. There is only so much acting locally can do. We have the problem here now and I'm used to it, but Good Luck!! in dealing with this. I will be gone from here in less than a couple of years. While nice this town is still too unrealistic for me, in spite of it's newly acquired big city problems. Building academic islands in the middle of nowhere was an idea at the time, that is no longer relevant. Sincerely, Dennis Kowalski 1932 Haforo Dr Iowa City 8/17/2009 T=~ ~~-~ ~ o~nson. fount BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Rod Sullivan C;:' S Iowa City City Council and Staff - - ~'a~ R .~W~ 410 E. Washington St. -_ " v ;.:~. Iowa City, IA 52240 ~'~ ~ s`~ . r~~ ~, ~. -~ .. -- August 17, 2009 Dear Iowa City Councilors and Staff: My name is Rod Sullivan, and I am an Iowa City resident and member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Please allow me to clearly state that in this correspondence I am speaking for myself, and my opinions do not necessarily represent those of the majority of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. I want to speak to you about the proposed curfew that has been mentioned for Iowa City. My concerns are less about the curfew itself, and more around the details of implementation and enforcement. Specifically, my concerns are as follows: Johnson County spends a great deal of money every year on the local youth shelter. Johnson County spends even more on Juvenile Detention. Johnson County also commits a substantial amount of tax dollars every year to Juvenile Crime Prevention. Much of this money is spent on programs and services that benefit residents of the southeast side of Iowa City. Obviously, some initiatives work better than others. Whatever the case, it would seem to make sense that Iowa City communicate with Johnson County on this matter. A more coordinated effort will surely be a more effective effort. 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE STREET, SUITE 201 • IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-4207 • PHONE: (319) 356-6000 • FAX: (319) 356-6036 2. Enforcing a curfew will have a big impact on the ICPD. Once a child is picked up -then what? A trip to the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center requires a great deal of officer time -time in which that officer is not patrolling the street. A trip to the youth shelter is quicker and easier, but there are a limited number of beds. Foster families are in short supply. We may need to explore alternatives to using shelter and detention for curfew violations. The Juvenile Court services in the Sixth Judicial District have been working diligently to limit the number of children who go to detention. Studies clearly show that while Juvenile Detention is a necessary evil for some youth, detention can have a very negative impact on many others. The efforts of the Juvenile Court folks have been extremely successful, and I believe it is vital to consult with them prior to implementing any type of curfew. Again, there may be alternatives to shelter and detention. Locally, you can reach Juvenile Court Supervisor Chris Wyatt at 356-6076; Chris can also put you in touch with Chief Juvenile Court Officer Candace Bennett. 4. I know from personal experience that many of the children who would be picked up under a curfew would end up in Foster Care. Putting a child in Foster Care prematurely can have devastating consequences. No decisions of this type should be made without first consulting the local Department of Human Services. 5. I believe that it is vital that any curfew ordinance be free of financial penalties. Imposing fines for curfew violations will simply lead to a failure to pay fines, which leads us down the path of further criminalizing poverty. Please avoid this at all costs. 6. Councilor Correia and I have discussed these matters previously. As you know, Councilor Correia serves as the Social Services Coordinator for Johnson County. In this capacity, she oversees Juvenile Crime Prevention, shelter, detention, and many additional services. We are very fortunate to have a sitting Council member with such a strong background in this area. I hope you will see fit to utilize her expertise as you go through the decision making process. It would make a great deal of sense for Iowa City to consult with both Johnson County, the County Attorney, DHS, and the Juvenile Court system prior to implementing any type of curfew. I hope you will see the benefits to doing so. Sincerely, Lc-t7.u~ I 1l.JC_.~ e ., .~ - .~ Rod Sullivan - `~ Johnson County ~ ~~' i'°r ~. °~ ~: Board of Supervisors ~~ ='' ~- .~, ,~ .. a „~ ~O Page 1 of 1 a ~,C~_) Marian Karr From: Hanevill@aol.com Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:35 PM To: Council Subject: GRANTWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD 08/17/09 I was the vice president and my sister was the president of the Grantwood Neighborhood Till she moved and then I was the President and I still live here. This was in about 1991 till about 2007. I have seen this neighborhood go from bad to good and now back to real bad. I am sick of it and Both Mary Lewis and I told the City council back then, no more we can not take it, you are putting to many low incomes on one side of town and it is going to get bad. We were known a the NIMBY'S. Well I think it is about time for you all to do something about it, after all the city did it. We told you, you had to be more diverse. Now I am not saying all low income is bad but I saw the so called Mothers Day Riot in fact it was in front of my house. It was baseball bats then and now it is guns. What are we waiting for drive by's or someone to be killed! It is time to start cracking down. FIRST STOP putting all or most of the low income on this side of town. This would include Sec. 8 Low housing and Habitat housing. Second and this is very important make the parents take responsibility for their kids. Start a curfew and enforce it, make the parents reasonable for what the kids do. If they are out after curfew then have the police pick them up take them home and the next time a fine and the third time they are out of housing. No if and or butts. I know when I was growing up we were not allowed to get into trouble and if you did you had to pay. I think if more of the parents were responsible for what their kids do then this would not be such a big problem. The City has got to get tough, or we can all hang it up. Also there should be more inspection on the city housing, and the same thing there 3 strikes your out. You can tell the ones that take care of the property and the ones that just don't care just by driving by. I know they thought the kids need more to do well this maybe true but the ones that are causing the problems do not want constructive things to do that does not make them happy. Yes it may take some time but it has to start NOW!! My son and his wife and my 2 Grandchildren live just 2 door up the street from me and there is one house between us and yes I am worried if they go out side to come to my house. I won't even let them walk to and from school and my kids did from first grade on. This just is not right and you are the only ones who can do something about it! Don't be sitting on your thumbs, we need help and we need it NOW before it does get worse. You can call me I do work from 8-5 M-F or send me an email but I would like to hear back from you on this. THANK YOU Jane Klitzka 2305 Hollywood Blvd Iowa City, la 52240 319-337-4027 8/17/2009 2e 3 Marian Karr From: KayNMary@aol.com Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 9:06 AM To: Council Subject: downtown Iowa City Attachments: IC city council.doc Friends, Please see attached letter regarding our recent visit to Iowa City. Thank you for your attention. Ambassador Mary Kramer (Ret.) 93598 Village Court Clive, Iowa 50325 515-224-7613 8/3/2009 Kay Kramer 13598 Village Court Clive, Iowa 50325 July 30, 2009 To: Mayor Regenia Bailey and Members of the Iowa City City Council, Dear Honorable Mayor and Councilpersons, Two University of Iowa graduates (BAs 1957 and 1957 and MAs 1965 and 1971), returned to Iowa City last week on a "nostalgia" tour. My wife, Ambassador Mary Kramer (Ret.) graduated from Iowa City High School and is a proud member of the school's Hall of Fame. We were married at First Presbyterian Church (Old Brick) and have lived and worked in Iowa since that time. Both of our children graduated from the University of Iowa, and when our granddaughter graduates this December, she will be the fourth generation Hawkeye, as Mary's Father received his MA in the mid 1930's. All this to let you know the family traditions and the great affection we have for Iowa City and for the University of Iowa. During our short stay we found Hamburg Inn #2 to be as we remembered -great! And a newer restaurant the Motley Cow (#1 in Iowa City according to Internet reviews) provided an excellent dinner for us and our guests. Linn Street is a renewed and interesting venue. Then we came to our walking tour of downtown. Horrors! First, great old places like Bremers, Things & Things and Jacks.ons Gifts are gone -surely not a fault of city government. They have all been replaced by restaurants and bars. We accept and understand so goes the way of a university community. But, we cannot excuse the filth that covers the area. Cigarette butts, paper trash and garbage from fast food, abandoned junk, and disgusting as it may seem, vomit, are all present in the pedestrian mall. Friends what is the problem? It appears the city is uninterested in the impression it makes on visitors. Large banners welcoming freshman students and their parents to orientation activities were widely displayed. What sort of impression do newcomers take away as they walk around downtown? We've been coming to Iowa City for Hawkeye football and basketball games for years. Since we come in and out of town from the west, perhaps we have just missed the decline of the area. But it has such possibilities, such potential. It began as a lovely and inviting place. We can only hope you have some ideas and strategies for the massive cleanup and restoration the area deserves. Perhaps public service projects engaging students in the ownership of this area would help. We enjoyed breakfast with several friends who still live in Iowa City and shared our feelings with them. They encouraged, actually pleaded with us to write to you. At any rate, we felt compelled to share our thoughts. Thank you for your attention. Mr. Kay F. Kramer 2e 4 Marian Karr _ .~n__ ....___ ... __~. From: Connell@inavia.net Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 6:40 PM To: Council Cc: doug@johnsgrocery.com; Rick Fosse Subject: thoroughfare Council Members, Doug Alberhasky has been in contact with you and Rick Fosse, Public Work Director, regarding a problem with the alley between Gilbert and Van Buren Streets and Market and Jefferson Streets; perhaps you know it as the alley behind John's Grocery. This thoroughfare is in terrible condition and requires the city's immediate attention. Why so, you ask? Traveling at even a snail's pace, the ruts can take out part of the front end of a car. Barely moving and braking, I lost the inner to d me that the week before) he orepaired Friday, July 24. John at Russ's Northside Auto a young woman's car whose front axle broke while being gently maneuvered through the rutted stretch. Her car had to be towed for repairs. In April 2008, Rick Fosse wrote in an a-mail to Doug, "I am familiar with the alley... and agree that it has been in poor condition for a number of years." That was last year! Rick went on to say "The best long term solution for this alley is to repave it." He is absolutely correct. The good folks at John's paid years ago to have their section of the alley repaved. I understand that the city seeks the cooperation of adjoining property owners to solve problems like this. I suggest, however, that this problem is different. This is not an alley. It is a thoroughfare on a block with a well established business and a considerable church. It is adjacent to Mercy Hospital and its parking ramp. It is a block away from St. Mary's Catholic Church, Mercy Medical Plaza, and the vibrant block of the northside neighborhood. The city should bear the cost and extend the paving that John's has already completed on its own volition. On July 25, 2008, one year ago, Regina Bailey wrote to Doug to say that the council was asking for an "alley inventory to provide us a sense of the condition of the various alleys and how many of them we have. Again, I suggest that this problem is different; it is a thoroughfare that requires immediate attention. But even if you want to classify it as an alley, it has been terrible for too long. The best long term solution is simply to repave it. Thank you for your attention to this problem. Michael Connell . This correspondence will become a public record. 7/30/2009 2e 5 Marian Karr From: Jean Walker [walkersic@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 9:57 PM To: Council Cc: Jean Walker Subject: Renaming Sand Lake Recreation Area for Terry Trueblood Attachments: TerryTCounci109_07-28.doc Dear Council Members, Attached is a copy of what I was going to say at tonight's Council meeting concerning the renaming of the Sand Lake Recreation Area for Terry Trueblood. Unfortunately, Mayor Bailey read through the item and closed its discussion so fast that there was no time to speak up. After she read the item, she said "Discussion" and looked at the other Council members but not out at the citizens in attendance. When the councilors said "No", she immediately said the discussion was closed. It would be helpful in future to pause and look out at the citizens when "Discussion" is said, as many people are unsure of procedure and might be intimidated, especially if they have witnessed other speakers being curtly reprimanded for procedural rules in the past, as happened recently. I know of three people who had intended to speak but were unable to. I appreciate that this item came near the end of a long meeting, which might explain the haste. However, we had also waited patiently through that long meeting for the chance to speak and were unable to due to the haste with which the item was handled. Jean Walker 335 Lucon Drive Iowa City 7/28/2009 Iowa City City Council Meeting July 28, 2009 Terry was a truly dedicated man, revered by countless people, who served this community for many years and who essentially built the Iowa City parks and recreation programs as we know them today. And in building them, he set an extremely high standard of hard work and excellence. I hope that everyone using Iowa City's parks and recreation programs, now and in the future, will remember that their enjoyment of these wonderful facilities is largely due to this humble and dedicated man. I am happy to see that you have before you a resolution to rename the Sand Lake Recreation Area as the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. The only regret that I (and others) have is that this renaming, which was passed unanimously by the Parks and Recreation Commission on Apri18, was not accomplished by the Council while Terry was still living. Delay of this tribute to such a dedicated man goes against the very essence of Terry. Here was a man who, when citizens came to him with requests that he thought were worthy, made sure that those requests were met, and in a timely fashion. For myself, I can speak to how helpful and timely he was in the Melrose Neighborhood's successful efforts to develop a Masterplan Concept for the renovation of Brookland Park and then his efforts, alongside those of the Parks & Recreation Commission, and the City Council, to actually get the park renovated the next year. Amazing! And he was a joy to work with. Although you, as Council members, indicated your intent to name the park after Terry at your June 30 meeting, you decided to wait for a naming policy to be developed before a resolution would be passed to formally bestow this honor on Terry. In my opinion, it is not clear whether such a policy is desirable, given that it is unlikely to cover every situation that might occur and it might be too restrictive. Certainly, when the citizens of Iowa City desire to honor this beloved person who has done so much for us, I believe this is not the time to stop and try to develop such a policy. I was glad to see that the statewide Iowa Park and Recreation Association made sure to rename their highest professional award to honor Terry -and in a timely fashion so that Terry would know of it. The IPRA states that "to be considered for this award, the nominee should be a person who has given of themselves as they work with their clientele. Their everyday life should exemplify outstanding, dedicated and unselfish service to the profession, community and to this Association". This reflects Terry's character and the IPRA knew and appreciated Terry's worth and made sure he knew of it. We, in Terry's hometown of Iowa City have wanted to add our voices to the appreciation of this man. So I urge you, as our representatives, to now pass this resolution to rename the Sand Lake Recreation Area for him, without further delay. It is obvious that Terry is absolutely deserving of it. Thank you, Jean Walker, 335 Lucon Drive, Iowa City Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: John Westefeld [jestefeld@mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 11:06 AM To: Council Cc: Mike Moran Subject: remarks City Council Members--Below are the remarks I was going to make at last night's (July 28) meeting: "My name is John Westefeld and I currently serve as Chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission. As you know, the Commission is on record as supporting the naming of Sand Lake Recreation Area for Terry Trueblood. In our view this is a very fitting manner in which to honor a person who has left a lasting mark on our community and its people. His numerous contributions have been well-documented and I am sure you are familiar with them. It is my understanding that a concern some of you may have is the lack of a naming policy. I can understand why such a policy could be useful. However, in my opinion, this does not preclude naming the park for Terry. I do not see these ideas as mutually exclusive. We can work on a naming policy, if some feel this is necessary, while also moving now to name the park for Terry. There is precedent for this. I believe we have recommended naming in the past. The process we utilized was that the idea originated, we discussed it, voted on it, and if voted on affirmatively we forwarded the idea to Council. Perhaps this is enough of a policy. In my opinion it is. However, I am open to developing a more formal criterion-based policy if others believe this is important for the future. I wish this naming could have been accomplished while Terry was alive. But this is not now possible. I ask you tonight to make this happen--so we can honor the incredible servicde of Terry Trueblood." 7/29/2009 2e 6 Marian Karr From: ajhood@q.com Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 8:02 PM To: Council Subject: location of arts campus I have been a citizen of Iowa City since August 1965. I live at 26 Rocky Shore Drive, Iowa City 52246. I am currently the general manager of the Hancher Showcase, a sales area connected with Hancher Auditorium. Our sales area is run completely by volunteers who give time during the day and at evening performances. All of our proceeds are donated to the educational programs sponsored by Hancher Auditorium. Over the last five years, we have donated a quarter of a million dollars for this purpose. During the holiday season, we are open three days a week. Volunteers also park (free) at designated spots outside of Hancher during daytime hours in the week while they unpack merchandise, price, arrange displays, and do various other tasks to support the sales area. I want to express my concern about the apparent push that is being made to locate the Arts Campus of The University of Iowa to a downtown location -that of an area surrounded by Burlington Street, Madison Street etc. The publicity seems to indicate that there is a feeling on the part of the mayor and the city staff that this will help revitalize the downtown area. I don't feel it is the function of the university to revitalize the downtown -that needs to be up to the city! We need to have creative planners to do some visioning about how this can be done. Whether the University buys the land, the city donates it, it still costs the tax payer money. Why add to our tax burden when the University already owns the current location? Burlington Street is already a heavily traveled access from downtown to the west side of town. Why are you supporting a plan to add more traffic to a street that is already busy during peak hours? You can barely get across the street now due to the amount of traffic! The public doesn't need to be in a bumper to bumper situation waiting to park. Where are you thinking people will park for performances, to come to Hancher for shopping, to volunteer? From experience, I don't feel that anyone is going to give free parking spots in a ramp - the revenue needed to support a ramp is too great. I currently come downtown every six weeks and can barely find a place to park in the current ramp off Clinton Street and Burlington. Hancher will undoubtedly have food service as they currently have and will encourage patrons to come to the Auditorium for dinner preceding shows. It has been fun to eat together and then go into the show. Why would people go to dinner downtown? The Arts campus has been an inviting view for people coming into Iowa City from Interstate 80 via Dubuque Street. it is easy for people to come to Hancher to attend the performance. They don't have to wind their way downtown -find their way when Dubuque Street dead ends, over to Burlington Street and back to the block under consideration. These are just a few of the reasons I wish you would put your energy into other projects. Let's develop the land we already have adjacent to Park Road. Jean Hood This correspondence will become a public record. 7/24/2009 08-18-09 2e 7 Marian Karr From: Rick Wyss Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 3:57 PM To: 'marshallpoe@gmail.com' Cc: Dale Helling; Sam Hargadine; Matt Johnson; Council Subject: Housing code enforcement/Illegal parking Mr. Poe: In regards to your concerns stated below, I have looked into the matter and feel that we clearly owe you an apology. Although the information that you were given was correct, in that Housing and Inspection Services enforce the codes related to these specific nuisance violations, if we are able to do so our Department does and will continue to respond to document and attempt to address those situations when Housing and Inspection Services is unavailable. We are currently taking steps to address the manner in which this call for service was handled, and to ensure that that future concerns are addressed in a more appropriate manner. We are aware of the problems that your neighborhood is experiencing, and are committed to working with the neighborhood and Housing and Inspection Services to address those problems. I would encourage you to continue to call the Police Department when there are violations or problems that need to be addressed. If we are not the agency that has the authority or ability to handle the problem, we will make the appropriate referral and do the best we can to resolve the issue. We may not be able to resolve every problem, but in this case we clearly could have done a better job. If in the future you experience a similar problem, please ask to speak to the on-duY_y supervisor, or feel free to contact me directly at (319) 356-5272. Again, I apologize for the manner in which this call was handled. I will follow up with a phone call to discuss this matter in further detail. Capt. Richard D. Wyss Iowa City Police Department 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 (319) 356-5272 -----Original Message----- From: Marshall Poe [mailto:marshallpoeCgmail.com] Sent: Sat 7/25/2009 11:24 AM To: Council Cc: Sam Hargadine; Dale Helling Subject: Housing code enforcement/Illegal parking Dear City Council (cc: Sam Hargadine and Dale Helling): The renters at 336 N. Gilbert often park their cars in their yard. That is, if I understand it correctly, an "unauthorized surface." I went into the police station this morning and reported an ongoing violation. Two cars were parked in the yard (and the yard was strewn with red cups, beer bottles, and trash--a keg party had been held the night before). The attendant said he would send an officer out. He did. The officer called me and left a message. He said that unless I owned 7/27/2009 Page 2 of 2 the property, he would report it to the housing code enforcement office and do nothing else. I called to see why citations were not immediately issued. The attendant said that the police do not handle the enforcement of "ordinances," only "laws." I asked what the difference was and she said she did not know. I then asked if, as a favor to a good neighbor, an officer could be sent to the house simply to inform the renters that they should not park in their yard (of course they already know this, but do not care and have no fear of being issued tickets). The attendant said that she would not do this because the police don't handle things like this. Again, they only enforce "laws," not "ordinances." I was under the impression that this sort of thing a regular part of community policing, but apparently I was wrong. I certainly understand that the police are busy, and we all appreciate the good work they do. But as a citizen, I cannot understand why they cannot take action to stop obvious ongoing violations of city rules--call them what you like, "ordinances" or "laws"--such as parking on illegal surfaces. How is parking on an illegal surface different from any other parking violation? And is it not the case that the police can issue tickets for parking violations? I would be happy to have the housing officers issued tickets in such cases. The problem is that they don't work on weekends or holidays. This being so, we are In essence saying "You can't violate city ordinances Monday through Friday, but on weekends and holidays go ahead. Just make sure all is in order by Monday or Tuesday." Moreover, when you report parking on an illegal surface (or any other visible violation) to the housing officers, they often don't get to it for at least a day. This is understandable, as they are very busy. But by then the cars will be gone (parties happen on weekends). The same goes for trash in the yard, etc. Certain code violations need to be stopped immediately if we ever hope to prevent people from committing them. If you lived in Northside (or any part of the city where many student renters live), you know what I mean.My only point is this: we in Northside need help, and sometimes the police are the only one's available. If they can't help us, then we are left without recourse and have no choice but to "put up with it." That just does not seem fair, at least to me. Perhaps some mild change in policy would be in order? Warmest Regards, Marshall Poe and Family 416 N. Linn 7/27/2009 2e 8 Marian Karr From: John Neff john-neff@uiowa.edu] Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 12:46 PM To: Council Subject: FYI: Field House Bar is not a cash cow. Attachments: Field House Bar.doc =field House Bar.doc (34 KB) The Field House Bar is not a cash cow. The argument has been made that the habitual law violations by the owners and customers of the Field House Bar should be ignored because it is a cash cow for Iowa City government. This argument ignores the public safety costs. The city assessor web site lists the assessed value of the Field House Bar as $994,600. The property tax revenues from the Field House Bar were about $7,350 for Johnson County and $17,750 for Iowa City out of a total property tax of $40,400. To estimate the cost of providing public safety services to the Field House Bar I have used • $75 per inmate day as the minimum cost of booking and detaining an arrestee at the Johnson County Jail. • $75 as the minimum cost of making a custodial arrest including transportation to the jail. • $15 as the cost of writing a PAULA citation. • $50 as the average cost of a call for service to the Iowa City Police to quell a disturbance or for some other public safety incident. The 130 custodial arrests of Field House Bar customers cost Johnson County $9,750 to incarcerate or $2,400 more than the property tax revenues. Field House Bar customers were responsible for Iowa City public safety costs of $2,150 for 130 PAULA citations, $9,750 for 130 custodial arrests, $11,450 for 229 calls for service for a total of $23,350 or $5,600 more than the property tax revenues. In FY08 Johnson County District Court collected $7,463,000 in fines, surcharges and court costs. The distribution of these revenues was State of Iowa (93.7%), Iowa City (2.5%), Coralville (1.5%), Johnson County (0.2%) and North Liberty (0.2%) and a pittance to Solon. If we assume that the vast majority of the charges against Field House Customers were simple misdemeanors the fines, surcharges and court costs for 273 charges would amount to $90,000 (if all persons were convicted and paid what they owed). A reasonable estimate is that about $70,000 was actually collected and about $140 distributed to Johnson County and $1,750 to Iowa City. This comparison shows that the Field House Bar is not a cash cow and the State of Iowa takes the lion's share of the fine, surcharge and court cost revenues. It is in everyone's interest to reform bars that habitually violate the law. 2e 9 Marian Karr From: Daniel Rupkey [drupkey@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 12:37 AM To: Council Subject: Revocation of liquor license. Dear members of the Council, I attended University of Iowa for the past four years and received a political science degree in May 2009. I am attending law school in Chicago beginning this fall. I am writing you in regards to the recent decision to not renew Third Base and Et Cetera's liquor licenses. I understand that they are in violation of law by exceeding a ratio rating of one. I am trying to understand the reasoning behind setting this standard, and what it seeks to accomplish. At face value, it makes sense that if a PAULA is issued at least once every time police go to the bar, then the bar is inadequately enforcing legal drinking age laws. However, this should not permit a punishment so harsh as to blatantly interfere with business because the punishment fails to properly address the underlying issue. The fundamental issue at hand is underage drinking. If, by this standard's logic, "ratio standard" may decrease the establishment's incentive to serve minors, it does not mean the individual's incentive to drink will decrease. We, as the public, as students, as people, make the decision to go to a bar and drink. Speaking from first hand experience, when a bar appeared to be uninviting to minors (by harsh enforcement of drinking laws), i did not decide to stop drinking. I decided which bar would be the most inviting alternative. You can systematically dismantle bars in downtown Iowa City, for any reason, but it would not dismantle the students' incentive to drink. They will simply find a new place to drink (plus they'll pay more for liquor at a bar than anywhere else, why not let them support our city's economy if they are going to drink anyways). One obvious objection is that most violent offenses occuring in Iowa City arise from a context involving alcohol. First of all, while this may provide some motivation to support the "ratio standard," not every drunken assult and battery involves minors and/or occurs downtown. Once again, the fundamental issue at hand is binge drinking. The "ratio standard" maybe seen as reasonable because it could only help to prevent these occurances. However, this is far from the truth. Drunken disputes arise in drunken contexts, and downtown is not the only context where drinking occurs. Therefore, it does not prevent violent actions, it just gives people less incentive to commit them downtown. I am telling you honestly, as a student who has had excessive first hand experience with how the student body operates, minors will drink no matter what. Making this problem disappear from downtown will not solve the problem, it will simply move it to other areas of the city. Most likely, it will happen abundantly in the residential areas of the West side. The Council must consider what unintended consequences may follow. No longer will the drunken masses assemble in downtown, a controlled public area, but in a more private, residential area. Less supervision and a decentralized location may add to the risk of drunk driving and to the success of violent acts. Downtown has many witnesses and usually contains on duty police officers during drinking hours. The popular residential party areas are not confined to a few blocks. Hence, the problem will be spread out, and will be less naturally noticeable. Moreover, any experienced and competent person will tell you that bars (or any public entity), will be better equipped to control a drunken crowd and to control the crowd. In most cases, the hosts of residential parties are at least as drunk as most of their guests, and have less manpower to enforce rules. Regardless of where underage drinking takes place, it will take place. Iowa City law 7/29/2009 Page 2 of 2 enforcement can control underage drinking, more successfully and efficiently, when it is concentrated downtown moreso than scattered among residential parties. It is no secret that many University officials feel that students' drinking habits hurt academics, and that the school's drinking reputation hurt its image. While drinking certainly impairs one's ability to meet their potential, it is a responsibility of an individual to learn this. Simply telling someone drinking is bad for them will not deter them from drinking, and many cases, may encourage it. While it is the University's responsibility to protect their students, it is also their responsibility to sufficiently prepare someone for the professional world. Because people my age have a natural inclination to drink, we must learn for ourselves what the negative effects are. Furthermore, being from Naperville, a suburb of Chicago, I will tell you that Iowa's reputation as a party school is in fact beneficial. UI is popular in my hometown, and especially at my high school. Large numbers of competent and ambitious individuals from public and private schools in the Chicagoland area choose UI for this exact reason. Not only do we have a respected and successful University, which is an obvious incentive for anyone, but we also have a reputation for being a party school. Having a reputation as a party school maybe considered "bad" by popular society, but it's considered "good" by most anyone from my generation making a decision about attending college. Of course, going to a good school should be a priority to anyone, so let's say someone is choosing between two prestigious schools, UI being one of them. The decision will be based on many competing factors, but having a good experience will be one of them. If UI's reputation is that of partying, most people my age would consider that a pro (and allow me to speak quite honestly, whether or not this should be criteria for choosing a school, it most definetely is). People go to school for a good education, but if you can get a good education and have a fun partying experience alongside, incentive is higher. Regardless of how simple and foolish this may seem to you, it does not make it less true. In so many words, punishing bars in an effort to fight underage drinking is futile. Statistics maybe interpreted in a way that convinces you that it helps, but I am giving you an expert opinion as a veteran UI student with extensive social experience: don't fight it, control it. And by allowing it to remain confined to downtown, it is more easily controlled. I give you my word, I firmly and reasonably believe that we should be proud to be a city/school that is prestigious and a crazy good time. It helps more than it hurts, and should it be prohibitted, it would hurt more than it would help. The issue of underage and/or binge drinking will surely persist, but it is time to take a new approach. Target the students. Encourage them to have fun, but provide proper academic incentives when trying to influence their habits. For example, by increasing academic standards in classes, people will naturally have less time to party because they will need to devote more time to school. Moreover, unintended and beneficial consequences could easily follow: an enhanced academic performance, and a more academically prestigious reputation. Point being, the same goals can be accomplished by more beneficial means. Don't punish the institutions of downtown, which have helped to build an attractive reputation for this great city, due to the actions of the foolish. Closing a bar downtown is more of a political coup than it is a positive step towards solving the problem. Seek new, bilaterally beneficial avenues for curbing the underage drinking issue, while maintaining appreciation for downtown bars' role in making this job easier by providing boundaries. 7/29/2009 2e 10 Marian Karr From: Kathryn Johansen Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 11:06 AM To: '`City Council Subject: FW: Unenforced city codes From: Sam Hargadine Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 10:12 AM To: 'Terry Tlcdude ' Cc: Dale Helling; Kathryn Johansen Subject: Unenforced city codes Mr. Croson, Our records indicate that you have called 36 times regarding issues in your neighborhood. I request that as issues come up you continue to call and encourage your neighbors to do the same. For the Petsel Place address you listed we actually have 45 calls to that address. The results of which are: 9 unable to locate, 3 cancelled by complainant, 2 warnings, 2 arrests, 4 handled, (1 suspects fled on arrival). The rest of the calls include criminal mischief reports, warrant service (2 arrests, 1 unable to locate), foot patrols, drug & narcotic calls, impounds, assault reports, thefts, and fireworks calls. For the Pheasant Ridge calls we have been in recent contact with the complex management. We have increased our presence in the area and expect it to continue to improve. Iowa City's police force is busy and understaffed; I've been saying that since I got here four years ago. You mentioned Red Oak, Iowa as a place that enforces their ordinances and they enjoy piece and quiet. Red Oak has a population of 6,230 and 11 sworn police officers. Additionally, Red Oak doesn't have 30,000 college students that add to the dynamic in Iowa City. Red Oak's officer to population ratio is 1.77 officers for every 1000 citizens. Here in Iowa City we have 75 officers for 63,000 which is 1.19 officers for every 1000 citizens. For Iowa City to have 1.77 officers per thousand residents would require a police force of 112 sworn or an increase of 37 police officers to reach the same ratio of officers to population as Red Oak. Together I hope we can improve your neighborhood, for that to occur we need residents like you to stay aware and continue to call in nuisance type complaints to the police department. Sincerely, Scunue~ E. 3Eau~adirae Chief of Police 8/7/2009 Page 2 of 2 Iowa City Police Department 4io E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240-1826 From: Terry Tlcdude [mailto:tlcdude0l@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, July 26, 2009 9:56 AM To: Council Subject: Uninforced city codes My name is Terrance Croson & i live right here in Iowa city, ia. In the past 6 months the police dept have been called over 40 times to have to deal with 2510 pheasant ridge apts. and also 2437 petsol place here in Iowa city. Anywhere from violent fights, fireworks at lam, loud parties, & also loud car stereos any time night or day. Nothing has ever been done after all of us call police....MY QUESTION: Why make such city codes or ordinances if nobody is going to have to abide?? We have had lots of hard working people move out of thier 90 thousand doller homes in the past 2 months because of the uninforced city issues, im ready to give up on Iowa city and move to a different city or state where city codes ARE inforced such as RED OAK. ia. in montgomery county because...id say for peace and quiet that home owners are intiteled to. Imagine not being able to get your 2 or 3 year old to bed because of nothing going on but PURE noise 24 hours a day & 7 days a week, and noise from renters at that. Respectfully, Terrance Croson 464 samoa dr. Iowa city & 319-338-5369 8/7/2009 2e 11 Marian Karr From: Cari Malone [carijm@mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 4:28 PM To: Council Subject: Forum at the Senior Center Dear Mayor and City Council Members, In the aftermath of a newspaper article regarding the Senior Center and the letters to the editor and blogs which followed, it became apparent that there was considerable misinformation and confusion concerning budgets, programming, staffing, room usage and the role of the Center in the lives of senior citizens in area. A committee was formed to organize a public forum to address these issues and to seek input from members and the general public in how the Senior Center meets the needs of citizens today and what our goals might be in the future. The committee is comprised of a cross section of the Center membership and is chaired by Dianne Day. No staff or commission members are involved in the planning or implementation of the forum, although they are available to answer questions and provide information, and will be encouraged to attend the forums. In light of this, two public forums on the state of the Senior Center now and its future will be held on Wednesday, September 9th at 7:0o p.m. and on Friday, September i8th at 2:3o p.m. Both forums will be held in the Assembly Room and are free and open to the general public. The meeting will begin with information regarding the areas of concern and will then be opened for questions, comments, and discussion. It will be emphasized that this is a discussion, not a debate and personal attacks will not be allowed. The committee extends an invitation to Council Members and encourages you to attend one of the forums. If you have any questions concerning the forums, you may contact me by e-mail (cari~m mchsi.com) phone (354- 1373) or Dianne (da, ear msn.com) or (337-2$31)• I would again like to express my appreciation to Mayor Bailey for meeting with Dianne Day and myself to discuss the Center and issues of concern. Sincerely, Cari Malone Member, Curriculum Committee Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center Home address: i84o B Street, Iowa City This correspondence will become a public record. 8/5/2009