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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-12-06 TranscriptionPage 1 Council Present: Alter, Bergus, Harmsen, Taylor (via Zoom), Teague, Thomas, Weiner Staff Present: Fruin, Jones, Kilburg, Goers, Fruehling, Hightshoe, Gripp, Nagle-Gamm, Rummel, Havel, Sovers Others Present: Zeimet (USG), LeFevre (USG) Teague: Well, welcome everyone. I'm gonna call this meeting to order. Today is December 6, 2022, and this is the Iowa City City Council formal meeting. Roll call please. [Roll Call] All right. Well, welcome to, uh, to your city hall. To everyone that is here present in the audience, and to anyone that is on Zoom, and other, um, social media outlets, welcome as well. Before we get started today, um, I wanted to do a few things. One, I wanted to announce that the, uh, do we have confirmation? Uh, that the Winter Shelter, at Guidelink Center is open. It opened yesterday, so I wanted people to be aware of that. Also, um, I know many of people who have heard in the news about what happened in Colorado Springs at Club Q, and so I wanted to just take a moment of silence. The last time we met was on the 15th of November. And during that- on that day I did a Transgender Day of Remembrance, which was on the- is the date of that is November 20th. And so Club Q, this is a gay club where five people were murdered and 22 injured. So I wanted to take - just take a moment of silence for those individuals. I will also say that I'm very- uh, Iowa City has been a very welcoming place for our LGBTQ+ members and, um, the federal government, as many of you may have heard, uh, or at least the Senate has, uh, it signaled for the same-sex marriage bill. And so I think that is a very positive movement. Um, we just have to wait to see how all of that plays out. Today is the last day, uh, for Councilor Weiner. Uh, she has been elected as many know, to a State Senate seat, and we're very proud of you. I wanted to just, uh, take some time to allow the council and staff to, uh, say any parting words to you. Weiner: I will- I'll keep mine until the end of the meeting. Teague: Great. Bergus: I'11- I'll start. Um, Janice, you and I of course, got the opportunity to join at the same time. And from election night forward, uh, I have learned so much from you and been so grateful for your leadership and your guidance and your willingness to stand up and speak out and act for what is right and just in our community, and we're very excited that you'll be representing us still in the State Legislature. Thank you so much for serving on council. Thomas: I certainly will miss our conversations and, uh, you know, your brilliance. So good luck in Des Moines. You will need it, I think, but - Alter: Well, uh, I second what has already been said, but, um, truly one of the things that I have, um, appreciated the most and I indicated it was- is the kind of determination and the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 2 follow-up that yo- you see something and you follow it all the way to the end and you find an answer, you pose a question, you dive in, uh, with both feet and all for the causes of how is this going to make our community better. And that's not something that you just put on. That's truly who you are and that was who you were before you ever got elected, and, um, I'm just thrilled that you're gonna be my senator. Harmsen: Uh, it- uh, I'm gonna miss having my, uh, partner here on this end of the dias. Um, it's been- been great working with you, not just this past year, but, uh, one of those people that was fortunate enough that we've gotten to work together on other sorts of committees and other bodies, uh, before we found ourselves up here together. Um, and so I'm - I'm well acquainted with your work ethic and your perseverance, and that's how you got here and that's how you're getting to Des Moines. Um, and I'd say we're gonna miss you, but we're actually going to be bugging you a lot so we won't miss you. Uh, we'll just be interacting in a different way, but I'm looking forward to see what you can do out there, um, and continuing our friendship for years to come. Weiner: Thank you. Teague: And Councilor Taylor. Taylor: Yes. I'd- I'd like to chime in. I echo, uh, Councilor Harmsen that I- I will miss sitting next to you, uh, in- in the council seats. I, uh, it's always hard when a new person comes on the council, you have no idea how they're going to function, how they work as team player, but right from Day 1, you came in with your boots on the ground and you've been an excellent team player, uh, and I'm- I'm certainly going to miss you on the council, but I'm so excited to see you going to Des Moines. Teague: Okay. And welcome any staff comments at this time. Fruin: Well, uh, Janice, it's been an absolute pleasure. Usually when council members, um, start, we have a ramp -up period of several months to get you kind of up to speed on a number of issues. We didn't really have that luxury in 2020 when you started, uh, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the, um, effort and time you went in, not only to the routine business of the City when maybe there wasn't the support and network with staff to- to help, um, get you up to speed on all those issues, but, um, you not only did that, you helped lead us through a- a very challenging time in 2020, and that gives me great confidence in your skills and ability to- to lead at the State level to, uh, I greatly look forward to working with you in your new capacity as State Senator. Goers: I'll just echo the comments of the other councilors. It's great to work with someone who's passionate about being a public servant. And that's been, um, you know, a part of your entire working career, uh, working for the federal government and now with city government and going on at the State government. I will just end by saying, it's great to have friends in high places and so like, uh, Councilor Harm- Harmsen said, we will be looking forward and talking to you with your new role. Congratulations. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 3 Fruehling: I just like to say it's- it's been nice getting to know you and- and working with you and you'll be missed. Teague: Councilor Weiner, in 2020 is when you started in, um, January seemed very normal and then the world shifted. And as the world shifted, I began to work with, um, all of the councilors very intently, but I have to say that, uh, Councilor Weiner, when it came down to COVID, she really did, uh, spend a lot of time doing a lot of research and ma- making sure that, uh, we were updated as a body, uh, and doing what we could to make sure that we took care of this community. Not only did COVID happen, but social justice happened as well, where there was an outcry within our community. And I have just really appreciated working with you. Now, she does dig her heels in the sand when she wants something on the agenda or when she wants us to get a message, and I really appreciate that. And I think what we've experienced here and have benefited here locally, uh, we're gonna continue to benefit with your work at the State level. So thank you so much and we have a few parting gifts for you. And we also have a- a picture of Iowa City. Great. Weiner: Thank you very much. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 4 2 — 6 Consent Calendar Teague: All right. Well, we're going to move on to the consent agenda, which is items two through six. Can I get a motion to approve, please? Weiner: So moved. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: Moved by Weiner, seconded by Alter. And is there anyone from the public that would like to address a topic that is within our consent agenda? If you are online, please raise your hand. If you are in the audience, please come forth. Uh, online, I'm going to welcome Latina Roberts. Please state your name and the city you're from and everyone is given up to three minutes. Welcome. Roberts: Thank you. My name is Latina Roberts. Can you hear me? Teague: Yes. Roberts: Um, good evening Mayor Teague. That's- you're the mayor, right? Teague: Yes. Roberts: Okay. I sent a email to you about a month-and-a-half ago, did you get it? Teague: Um, this is an oppor- opportunity for you to talk about anything that is on the consent agenda. If you want to come - Roberts: Um, yes. Teague: -back and talk about something that's not on the consent agenda, we'll- we'll be back at public comment in a second. Roberts: Okay. The email that I sent to you was about a situation that I was having with Shelter House, and I've been there. This is my second meeting coming to the council. I came in person and now I'm online. Teague: Yeah. So we'll- we'll get back to an opportunity for you to speak about, uh, your situation. Roberts: Okay. Teague: All right? All right. Anyone else want to talk about something that is related to the items listed on the consent agenda? Seeing no one, council discussion. Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 5 7. Community Comment (items not on the agenda) Teague: We are on to item number 7, which is a time for our community comment. Individuals will be given three minutes to speak. And there is a sign-up at the back of the room, as well as a, uh, sticker at the back of the room that you can sign, and then there's a sign up at the front of the room. We ask that you give your name and the city you're from. And we're going to welcome, uh, Latina if you want to speak at this time, this is your opportunity. And I also want to just acknowledge that, uh, council cannot respond, but we can certainly listen to and welcome anyone to make comments. Welcome, Latina. Roberts: Can you hear me? Teague: Yes. Roberts: Can you give me Mayor? Teague: Yes. Welcome. Roberts: Okay. Thank you. Um, I'm ca- well, I'm sorry. I- I'm corning to this meeting again because I, um, I've been having an issue with Shelter House. Um, This is a continuous problem. Now, I've been trying to still get help with funding with housing from them, and they keep trying to send me elsewhere instead of them helping me. Why is it that Shelter House is allowed to receive all this funding and they were- they are not helping the community? I'm a mother with five children homeless, living in a hotel for four months. I've come in and spoke my story. I lost two children this year, and I'm still homeless, and I've been trying to get help from Shelter House, and they still will not help me. And I really, well, even though I- you cannot answer that, but that is a question, not just for myself and my family, but the countless families out here, why aren't they helping us? There's no way they could get all this money and not place these homeless families. They will place a single person, but they will not place a family. That's an issue. The people is who make the county. I'm done. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address a topic that is not on our agenda? Welcome. Ross: What I want for Christmas. I'm asking Santa. I'll direct my Santa, uh, request to Mayor Teague, who could play Santa for tonight. Um, more affordable housing. What this woman spoke about is harrowing. We're all sitting around here wearing nice clothes, going home to nice places, but we do not have enough resources for people. More affordable housing, more shelter housing, and even a consideration like the Ecumenical Towers, we can do better. We can have another Ecumenical Towers in downtown where people who are handicapped or older can have the resources of the town. So Number 1 on my Christmas list, Santa Teague and your elves, one who's departing for bigger office over there, I'm asking for this because people have to live. We have- we can't live in fear and live in- being hungry, and that woman who spoke before me, I don't think you could This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 6 say it more poignantly. Number 2, Santa, please tasers are torture, are dangerous, people do not recover from them. The electric chair in our country is banned. There's a reason for that. The electric chair is considered torture. Driving electricity through a person's body. Iowa City police have tasers. I have seen them use the taser in person and it was one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen. I believe we should not spend money on those things in this town, and that we should work to eliminate tasers. Just because other people in other cities have those things, doesn't mean that we have to have them, and we can lead, we don't have to follow. I believe the taser is a brutal device. It is used to encourage compliance to make people just do anything that they are told to do whether it's their rights or not their rights. That's Number 2. Um, I have so many Santa and like a little kid, I would like so many things. Uh, I would like public utilities, so we wouldn't have to pay so much for them. Public hookups so we wouldn't pay so much for that. I would like public press. Why not a public press? Do you know all our papers are corporate? We have our friends back there from Gannett and, ah, and other places. That would be nice. There are so much things that we could have. Please help us out in the community. I appreciate it. Teague: Thank you. Online, we're gonna welcome Felicia. Welcome. Pieper: Hi. Can you hear me? Teague: Yes. Welcome. Pieper: Hi. Uh, my name is Felicia Pieper. I live in Iowa City. Um, I just want to echo, um, what Latina said. Um, I know Latina personally, I've been working with her for months, um, trying to get her, um, the things that the people who are paid to do things aren't doing. Um, I would like to see more transparency. I'm really glad to hear that the winter shelter is open. It's the middle of December in a colder winter. Um, people would already be freezing there. We've already had freezing days. Um, I'd like to see more transparency with our social services, particularly, um, our homelessness services in the community considering that, um, our homeless neighbors are some of our most vulnerable neighbors and I find it, um, just atrocious that we don't have any, um, public accountability to make sure that those folks are getting the services that, um, they deserve and that, um, uh, we're claiming that they're getting. Um, there's this whole string of problems, um, including not only the rapid housing but also the eviction prevention program, um, that multiple programs are failing folks. Um, I've witnessed it firsthand. Um, well, not firsthand but along as an advocate, um, I've witnessed, um, the way that staff treat folks over there. I've witnessed how just people are not receiving the services that they're claiming that they're receiving. Um, and just as, um, a community member, I'd like to see our neighbors be treated with dignity and that, um, we're putting a real emphasis on making sure that people are getting the tangible resources that they need. Um, I think that Shelter House does good work in the community and they're an important part of this community but it's also really devastating to see how they don't show up for some people, um, and seeing the effects of that. Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 7 Teague: Thank you. I'm gonna welcome Hannah, online as well. Welcome. Zadeh: Hi. Can you hear me? Teague: Yes. Welcome. Zadeh: Hi. Um, thanks. Um, yeah. My name is Hannah. Um, I- I'm also a community member. Um, and, uh, yeah, I just wanna echo what the previous speakers have, um, all been saying that I think it's- this all sort of revolves around the fact that, um, our ci- city could be doing so much more. Um, and it's- it's really easy to sort of profess these liberal ideals but, um, I- I, you know, I- I really like what the previous speakers have been saying that to so- like sort of push us to expand our horizons for what is possible. Um, and, um, like for us to think about the fact that like we don't have to be relegating these kinds of services to, um, private entities that we're not able to hold accountable, um, we don't have to be relegating them to, uh, corporate entities that are- are profit-seeking especially. Um, and- and we- we see time and time again, um, what happens when we do that. We, um, are not, uh, able to s- serve people in the way that works for them. Um, and we continue to see, um, uh, uh, unhoused populations, uh, you know, despite the fact that, you- um, like for the previous speakers have said like Shelter House gets a lot of money. Um, and, um, yeah, so I just would ask, uh, the city council to continue to consider that. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else would like to address a topic that is not on our agenda? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 8 8. Discrimination against Section 8 Tenants Teague: Seeing no one we're going to move on to Item number 8. Discrimination against Section 8 Tenants. This is an Ordinance amending Title 2 entitled Human Rights Chapter 1, entitled General Provisions to eliminate the pro- prohibiti- prohibition on landlords discriminating against Housing Choice Voucher holders. And this is the First Consideration. Can I get a motion, please? Thomas: So move. Thomas. Bergus: Second. Bergus. Teague: All right. And we're gonna, uh, welcome Eric Goers our city attorney to talk about this item. Goers: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, so this is one of those matters where we're cleaning up, uh, City Code as a result of state action that's, uh, been taken, uh, to preempt, uh, earlier action that the- the City took. In this case, uh, the City, uh, passed an Ordinance that protected tenants who were, er, paying with Section 8 or Housing Choice Vouchers from being discriminated against by their landlords. Um, the state legislature and- and we were one of I think three cities in the state that I'm aware of any way to pass similar protections. Uh, the state, uh, chose to preempt our ability to do that, and that'll be effective, uh, January 1st of'23. Uh, and so- so as not to leave, um, language that's, uh, void and unenforceable in, uh, the City Code, which might be a- a trap for the unwary, uh, we're, uh, asking the council to go ahead and repeal, uh, that portion. I'll be specific that, uh, we were I- I'll say surgical in the removal. The protections, uh, against discrimination are for a number of income sources and so forth, all of which will remain, um, in the Ordinance. We're only removing the part for which we've been preempted by the state, and that's the Housing Choice Vouchers commonly referred to as Section 8 Vouchers. So we're removing that part, leaving everything else as is. Um, and that's what we're doing with this. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Weiner: Eric, do you know if there are any protections under federal law for people who- who are- who are using Section 8 Vouchers that- that mirror this? Goers: I'll say I'm not aware of any I- I- nor have I researched that topic though. Teague: Any other questions for the City attorney? Bergus: I- I do have a question, Mayor. Um, so Eric, you mentioned this could be a trap for the unwary. What's- what's the risk or the harm to the City in leaving this in place? Goers: Well, a- are you asking, uh, politically or legally? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 9 Bergus: Both. Goers: Oh, okay. Fair. Uh, well, politically that we would have stuff on the books that's- that's wrong. Um, the example I use when explaining this is if you were to look to see in Iowa Code whether same-sex marriage is legal in the state, you would find that it is not because that's what the statute says. Of course, we're all aware of the 2008 Varnum decision which makes, uh, same-sex marriage legal in the United-, uh, in- in Iowa, uh, to say nothing of the subsequent, uh, uh, Federal, uh, US, uh, Supreme Court case. Uh, but, you know, it lingers there, and it- it, you know, it- it may serve to confuse people. Um, is there a risk to the City legally? Um, I'm not sure, um. Bergus: I mean, just as an example, our next item is something that's been unenforceable on the books for the last three years - Goers: Right. Bergus: - and they weren't in any hurry to clean that up. Goers: Right. That's a fair comment. Um, I think, uh, legal minds- reasonable legal minds will differ on this point. Uh, my personal preference is to clean up matters that are in the Code that aren't enforceable. I don't see any point in having them in the Code of Ordinances. I know of other, er, attorneys- other city attorneys, um, disagree and think, well, that's just fine. We'll leave them m place. Oftentimes there's not the political will to, uh, make a change, uh, particularly if, uh, they, uh, you know, the elected body strongly disagrees with being preempted. I think that goes without saying here, obviously, we- we the City Council, uh, passed this in order to provide this protection. I think everyone is aware that the- this council would prefer for that protection to remain. So I don't think there can be any confusion about that. But that's- you raise a fair point. Um, if, you know, council wishes it to remain in place, you know, certainly, we could do that. We would just, I mean, and to be clear, both with the next item that you've referenced, uh, Councilor Bergus, and this item, I mean, our staff has already made it clear to the staff- City staff that works in this areas, that the next item has not been enforceable for several years. The new item will not be enforceable as of January 1. So I- I- I think there's little risk that we will get in trouble that way. Bergus: Okay. I did want to just quick follow up if I could. Um, so do I understand correctly based on how the strike through is that landlords are still prohibited from discriminating based on source of income for all these other reasons except for the vouchers? Goers: That's correct because Senate File 252 spoke only to the Federal Housing Choice Voucher- Bergus: Because - This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 10 Goers: - and so it is only that that we're eliminating. We're leaving everything else. All the other protections in place. Bergus: And I think we really need to market that given how this agenda item reads, given the publicity around the law change. I mean, I- I really did think until you said that, that source of income had been eliminated as a way of, um, yeah, as a protected. Goers: We can certainly work with Communications to inform the public of that. Teague: If no other questions, anyone from the public would to address this topic? Seeing no one, city council discussion. Weiner: I'm- I- I was ho- horrified last year when- when the legislature passed this, essentially making discrimination legitimate. Um, I'm no less horrified now that- that we're faced with the- with the reality of- of- of presumably having to make sure that our laws apply with it. I'm grateful that we have a lot of these other items in here that are s- that- that s - still exist, at least so far. But the principle of legalizing discrimination just is horrifying. Taylor: I just think that this is just sad, sad, sad. I remember when this first came up and we as a council, agreed to put this in there about the Section 8 discrimination. And I was shocked to- to see in here that landlords actually had in their ads for their apartment- at their apartments, uh, Section 8 need not apply, and that just- that was just so sad and I just think this is horrible that we need to do this, but, uh, thank you, um, uh, Councilor Bergus for bringing up about, uh, the, uh, income guidelines set. That's good, that that's still in place, but it's just yet another indication why we are so happy to have Councilor Weiner going to Des Moines. T that- that'll be great to have her there, to try to avoid these kinds of situations. Alter: I have a question to- to the rest of council and- and to a certain extent to- to Eric. Um, it's an uncomfortable question. Do we need to strike this? And I know you said some city attorneys say no. Um, one of the things that I was struck by in your description, Eric, was about- talking about, um, you know, a council having the political will. We had the political will to put in the protection, right? Well, will there be the- if- if the language is taken out, is it gonna be remembered? Say that we finally flip at the state and this is removed and we can put this back in, right? I mean, there's a whole lot of if thens' and that's a lot of ways down the road. Isn't there an argument to be made to say, let's leave it in there that it's not enforceable now, but if and when the time comes, we already have it here and we can just start enforcing it instead of having to say, let's bring this to the council, whoever they might be, fmd out if there's the will, go through their language, change it, right? I mean, so I guess I'm asking the uncomfortable question of can we say no, we don't agree with this and we want the language to stay? And I don't- and I have not queried my other councilors. So this is Megan doing surprise, but it's a genuine question about wo- wo- where we're at with this. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 11 Goers: Sure. If you're asking, le- legally can that be done? Yes, absolutely. Um, critics of that would say it's a zombie law or something that comes back from the dead upon, you know- and, uh, you know, the question is whether it's still appropriate for the times? I don't think there's much risk of that here. I mean, I think, you know, unless there's a change in- in the program or- or the federal program or how it works, I think that would be- I think that'd be fine. Fruin: If I may jump in on- on this one. The- I understand the political desire to- to not accept this or leave this on the books. I just want to walk through some of the practical challenges that the city code is a body of work compiled over decades and decades and decades. And, um, the staff here continue- when we- when we research items, we have to go back and try to understand what may have led to the creation of code items 50, 60, 70 years ago, and it's- it's- that's hard enough as it is. If we'll- if we don't clean up the code periodically and we leave things in there that are unenforceable, um, it can become a challenge. It wouldn't be a challenge in the short-term for your current staff, but as we turn over and a resident calls your Human Rights Office 15 years from now and says, "You know, I think I was discriminated against because of this voucher," that can cause confusion down the line. Um, one instance isn't a big deal, but I generally would urge the council not to try to make political statements in the code, um, uh, and look for other opportunities to voice your displeasure or advocate for changes. Um, that said, if you leave it in, it's not- it's not a huge deal. Goers: Yeah. I guess I would echo Geoffs comments to the effect that, you know, the staff who were onboard now and they've been trained by the people who are onboard now, know this and, uh, you know, know not to enforce it and so forth, but as Geoff says, you know, 10 or 15 years from now, if- you know, someone answers the phone, some staff member answers the phone to someone that says just exactly that, then there's a real risk that they just go and look at the code and give a quick answer and- and then, you know, we end up getting sued because, um, you know, they indicate that that's an illegal action on the part of the landlord when it's not. Alter: That's a helpful explanation. Goers: Yeah. Teague: Any other comments by council, or do we have public comment yet? I can't remember Yeah. That's what I thought. No one came up. All right. Um, I- I guess from- I agree with my fellow councilors here that this is very unfortunate. Um, you know, the- my mind thinks about, you know, how, um, with the- the state doing what they did. Uh, is there another option for housing choice vouchers to be distributed, uh, where it falls within the things that are still protected? You know, is it more of, you know, right now, it has to be given to the landlord. Of course, one example is, is there another, um, direct- indirect way, but of course, there's the- the Section 8 housing, um, review that has to take place. So there's a lot of elements to this at the end of the day. Um, I'm gonna vote to repeal this, uh, off our books, um, knowing that this is something that we need to continue to fight This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 12 for, um, and it's just unfortunate that our state did, um, kinda prohibit this, uh, here locally for us. Thomas: Yeah. We do- we do have later in our agenda that, uh, adopting our legislative priorities and this is really one of those- one of those aspects is trying to insist and advocate for home rule. So we have control over our own ordinances. That to me is kind of the political action that we- we need to do. Harmsen: Just want to agree with, uh, my council- members of the council. Um, that this is just - it's just kinda sick that we are in this position. Um, and it's- it's one of those things that makes me stay awake at night, being angry when I see stuff like this, that's being forced down our throats. And then when I realize too that not only does this a giveaway or- or whatever for that- that helps- that hurts members of our city, but on top of that, the same state legislature has made sure that these same landlords who refuse Section 8 get a nice tax cut. And so that just drives me nuts. So whether or not I vote for or against this, that's - you know, that's defmitely something that just- just sticks in my craw. Teague: If no more council comments, roll -call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 13 9. Repeal of Rental Permit Cap Teague: Item number 9 is a repeal of rental permit cap. Ordinance amending Title 17 entitled Building and Housing. Chapter 5 entitled Housing Code to Repeal the Rental Permit Cap Provision. This is first consideration. Can I get a motion, please? Weiner: Moved. Alter: Second. Teague: Moved by Weiner, seconded by Alter. And this is um, our City Attorney will talk about this as well. Goers: Uh, similar idea to the last item Mayor, um, although this one, as uh, Councilor Bergus mentioned, is a little older. And unfortunately we were not able to be surgical with this one as we were with the last one. Uh, the State preemption was, er, e- encompassed entire- the entirety of what we were trying to achieve, uh, which is to try to, uh, stabilize, uh, some of the single-family residents, uh, neighborhoods with single-family homes and duplexes, um, and the State was pretty explicit about, uh, preempting our ability to do so, saying a city shall not adopt or enforce any regulation, restriction or other ordinance related to residential property, rental permit caps on single-family homes or duplexes. Well, okay. I mean, that's what we were doing. So- so, uh a, again, there are a number of other uh elements to this chapter within our code, but the, uh, parts that refer to the rental permit cap, uh, are all going to have to be- uh, well, they're all unenforceable now and we're asking the council to repeal them for the same reasons I outlined earlier. Teague: Any questions for Eric? Anyone from the, uh, community want to address this topic? Seeing no one, council discussion. Thomas: Yeah this, this is same- same issues apply. We still have the instabilities and, uh, it's, it's a very nuanced and complex process, or not process, but issue to try to address, and uh, it remains with us. And we need to try to be as creative as we can be in terms of our, our policies in- in these areas that are affected to try to address the fact that we cannot control, uh, rental properties in the way we've traditionally done that. Teague: All right. Roll call please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 14 10. Sidewalk Cafes — Expand Locations Teague: Item number 10 is Sidewalk Cafes, expand locations. Ordinance amending Title 10 entitled Public Ways and Property, Chapter 3 entitled Commercial Use of Sidewalks to allow sidewalk cafes outside of the downtown and Riverside and Riverfront Crossings. This is second consideration and staff has requested expedited action. Weiner: I move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for passage at two council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally passed be suspended, that the second consideration and vote be waived that the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time. Taylor: Second Taylor. Teague: Moved by Weiner, seconded by Taylor. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one, council discussion. Roll call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7 - 0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt? Harmsen: So move, Harmsen. Weiner: Second, Weiner. Teague: Roll -call, please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 15 11. Sidewalk Cafes — Policy Changes Teague: Item number 11 is Sidewalk Cafe - Policy Changes. This is a resolution adopting a policy for use of public right -away and city plaza for sidewalk cafes and rescinding resolution number 21-133. Can I get a motion to approve, please? Thomas: So moved, Thomas. Weiner: Second. Teague: Moved by Thomas, seconded by Weiner, and we're going have staff comment from our Assistant City Manager, Rachel. Welcome. Kilburg: Good evening Mayor and City Council. Um, so the last item on your agenda, uh, was the code portion of those recommended sidewalk cafe, uh, changes that you first discussed back in September. Um, so this item is the policy changes. So as you'll recall, uh, our sidewalk cafe program is governed by both ordinance for so- for some things and, uh, policy for others. So, um, I'll briefly kinda recap, uh, what what the policy changes include and then I'll be happy to take any questions if you have those. Urn, so there's three primary changes. First, we plan to eliminate the collection of deposits for most sidewalk cafes. Um, so we'll still collect or retain any deposits that we currently have on cafes that are in a planter, or that would construct, um, or pour concrete, uh, some kind of a platform just because of that more invasive nature. Um, but for all the other sidewalk cafes, we would plan to either credit or, uh, return those deposits through this next renewal period in the corning weeks, um, and then we would not collect deposits going forward. Uh, the second change, um, would be that we are establishing a new minor cafe designation. So as you recall, this is kinda that concept targeting, uh, those businesses uh, who- who just need something a little bit smaller than that standard cafe. So, um, this would only be for uh businesses that do not have a liquor license, um, and they would just operate under a little bit of a reduced set of requirements. Notably, they, uh, would not need to have fencing, um, they'd have a little bit of a streamlined application process, um, and then would pay a nominal flat fee as opposed to that square footage fee. Uh, these minor cafes would be, uh, just limited to two bistro tables each with two chairs each, so really targeting, uh, you know, those smaller businesses. Your Which Wich on Dubuque Street or Yotopia on the Ped Mall would be good examples of- of maybe businesses that, that could qualify for a minor cafe. Um, and then the final, uh, change in this policy, uh, it was actually not recommend- was not included in those initial recommendations, um, in that memo you considered back in September. Urn, but we are recommending that we no longer offer the option for sidewalk cafes to be put in planter beds going forward. So any that that are there now, um, they'd still be allowed to op- they- they can continue to operate whether it's under this owner or if it sells and- and it's a new owner operating the restaurant. Um, but we would not, uh, consider or approve any moving forward. Again, this is just kinda recognizing the amount of investment that has This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 16 gone into our streetscape and amenity improvements in the downtown and in the Ped Mall and, uh, try to maintain those for- for just that vibrant environment. Um, so with approval tonight, uh, we would work on incorporating all of these changes into the 2023 renewal period, which staff would be, uh, beginning within the next couple of weeks. Happy to take any questions if you have any. Teague: None, thank you. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? If so, please come forth. If you're online, please raise your hand. [Roll Call] Seeing no one, council discussion. Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 17 12. ARPA UI Labor Center — Construction Apprentice Opportunity Program Teague: Item number 12, ARPA UI Labor Center Construction Apprenticeship Opportunity Program. This is a resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign a state and local fiscal recovery fund grant agreement with the University of Iowa Labor Center to administer the Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program. Can I get a motion to approve, please? Weiner: So moved, Weiner. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: All right. And we're going to welcome Cassandra. Gripp: Good evening Council. As you mentioned, um, as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the City was awarded the state and local fiscal recovery fund dollars to respond to the impacts of COVID-19. This resolution would authorize a subrecipient grant agreement with the University of Iowa Labor Center for $435,239 to administer the Quality Pre - apprenticeship Program, which would create a pathway for Iowa City residents to qualify for and secure careers in the building and construction trades. To provide a little bit more information on that, I'd like to introduce Robin Clark -Bennett and Paul Iverson from the University of Iowa Labor Center. Teague: Thank you, and welcome. Clark -Bennett: Thank you. Teague: Yes. Clark -Bennett: Good evening. And I want to thank um, Cassie Gripp and uh, Tracy Hightshoe and Geoff Fruin for all your work in helping uh, us prepare this. So uh, I'm Robin Clark Bennett and I'm the Director of the Labor Center at the University of Iowa. And I think all of you know this, but just as background, we just celebrated our 70th anniversary. The Labor Center's the only unit within the state region system that focuses on research and education for Iowa workers. And, uh, last year, for example, we taught 92 classes across the 99 counties for more than 2000, um, Iowans. And- so in addition to that programming, in 2019, we launched a new program with the Iowa State Building Construction Trades Council that makes tonight's program possible. Um, and really the - the program is designed to address both the acute need for- um, for skilled, uh, trades people in the construction trades because of retirements and the- the rise and infrastructure investments, as well as the urgent need for quality jobs in our community, particularly among people and communities that are historically underrepresented in building construction trades careers, and who were disproportionately harmed by the p - pandemic. So I'm going to introduce my colleague, um, Paul Iverson, who leads our quality apprenticeship- pre -apprenticeship. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 18 Iverson: Thanks Robin. Yes I'm the- um, the coordinator of the Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program. And one of the things when there were public comments on affordable housing, there are two different ways of working at affordable housing. One is building housing that is cheap enough for people to afford with the jobs they have. And another is to get people into jobs that pay them a family supporting wage and benefits, uh, so that they can afford housing. Um, and so the- the, uh, goal of the Department of Labor in establishing Quality Pre -apprenticeship Programs was to increase opportunities for underserved communities in the building and construction trades. I- as Robin said in 2019, we started our Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program and we are recognized by the Department of Labor as a Quality Pre -Apprenticeship program. Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program is what they call it. So I'm not bragging- we're not bragging on ourselves to call it a Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program. To be a Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program, you have to actively recruit from underrepresented communities. And the five communities that are a focus of Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program are women, people of color, youth ages 16- 24, veterans, and people with disabilities. Um, and we have actively recruited from those areas in the three years that we've been in operation. Uh, you also have to have approved training in curriculum, something that the industry recognizes. And with that, we worked through the North American Building Trades Unions and they're using their multi -craft core curriculum, something recognized nationwide. You have to have strategies for long- term success. And those include, um, our Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which is a five-week course that provides additional education and training to people. But it's also, out agreements with, uh, various, uh, joint- jointly trusteed apprenticeship programs that are registered through the US Department of Labor. So they meet strict standards of quality, uh, for the training that they provide and the jobs that they provide at the end of the training and at- at the end of your apprenticeship. So during the apprenticeship you will earn while you learn, at the end of the apprenticeship, you are given a card, Journey Person Card that allows you to go anywhere in the United States and in many trades also Canada and- uh, and work in your trade and be recognized as fully qualified. Um, we also- you also have to have access to appropriate support services and, uh, that is something that we work with, uh, all of our participants to try to access supports they need to lower any other barriers that they might have. And in this proposal, we are, uh, proposing to specifically, uh, work with two community partners that will help us in providing those support services. Um, also have to have meaningful hands-on training, which we do through, uh, uh, going to the training facilities of our- our partners. And they provide both a tour of the facility, but also a project that people do so that they can see what the trade is like. Um, and then, uh, uh, we- it also needs to promote the greater use of registered apprenticeship programs. And we do that through, uh, our partnerships with the- the building trades and, uh, a number of registered apprenticeship programs in the area. And finally, there's, uh, facilitated entry into, uh, registered apprenticeship program. So we do that through, uh, the connections that we provide, our articulation agreements with the number of trades, and our ongoing support in helping people, uh, to get into, uh, those better jobs. Uh, we work with jointly trusteed apprenticeship training programs because they have been shown to do the best job of training people and getting them through the program and having jobs afterwards, uh, that are- that provide family supporting wages and benefits. And so with, uh, COVID in particular, and the- the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 19 economic disparities, uh, within the Iowa City area, getting, uh, family supporting jobs to people that need them, uh, was a focus of our Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program. And partnering with the City of Iowa City we see as a wonderful way for us to work together to provide those opportunities. Um, we, um, leverage the- the, uh, resources that we have that had been devoted to the Quality Pre -apprenticeship Program. There's countless hours that are donated by, uh, industry professionals to help in our program, to provide, uh, uh, places to train. Um, we provide administrative support. Um, and- and frankly, I spend more time on this program than we- than we ask for in funding for this project. Uh, but we think that this is a great opportunity for us to take a program that's very important to us and that we've been involved with to try to bridge the gap between where people are and where they need to be to get into these high-quality jobs and to work with the City of Iowa City on some, uh, you know, in helping the people of the community. Um, and we would urge your support. Clark-Buttler: Yeah. And I'll just wrap up with a few other things because we've got people who, uh, have- can speak much more personally about what it's like to be in our programs here today. But just wanted to say that, you know, in addition to the things that Paul described, um, I'm really excited about the idea of a consistent four-year, predictable annual program because so far we've been able to provide the program only as grant Funding pops up here or there. And so knowing that year-round we can recruit for a fall course that will happen each year for four years, year-round, we can do placement with all the graduates as they're available to work, um, really means everything and not only that and to- beyond the individual placements, the idea that over the course of the four years, we can really strengthen relationships between non-profit community leaders and registered apprenticeship coordinators, union leaders, and industry leaders means that, you know, at one point we can step back and those relationships exist. They don't have to build those relationships through us. Um, but we've also got, uh, really fantastic infrastructure. This is no long- longer sort of an experimental program, it's a tested program that we've continued to strengthen. There's a- there's a tool library that we maintain that we make available. There are, uh, uh, you know computers to provide national career readiness exams, um, where people need them, when they need them. Um, I could go on and on, I run a, uh, convene Iowa Women in Trades Peer Networking Programs that meets monthly so that women can support each other who may be the only person on the job site like them and- and exchange ideas. So, um, we're really excited to be able to devote and focus a significant time in this program to the Iowa City community. Tha- that's also my home. And- and partner with the schools and the community groups, um, in this effort. So we look forward to any questions that you may have. Teague: Any questions? Thank you. All right. We're going to open this up to the public. If there's anyone that wanted to talk on this topic, please come up, uh, to the mic. There is a sign - in. We ask that you gi- give your name and the city you're from, and no one is online at this point. Gerhard: Thank you. Can you hear me okay? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 20 Teague: Yes. Gerhart: I'm Bill Gerhart, I live here in Iowa City. Uh, for 14 years, I was president at Iowa State Building Construction & Trades Council. Now I work solely for the local, I came out of the Labors Union. Uh, I want to say how important this program the Labor Centers put together is for the sustainability of the building trades. Uh, fourteen years ago, apprenticeship was our best -kept secret. Our goal is to get that out in front people. Uh, then our other goal was to diversify the building trades and this- this program helps us do that. Uh, they- the- the quality pre -apprentice program uses our curriculum is called the MC3, uh, the Multi -Craft Core Curriculum which means that no matter what trade you go into of the 15 different trades, there's sort of a common denominator of what you need to know and that curriculum helps provides it, so on. I'm really pleased with the City of Iowa City in supporting this. It's important, uh, I'm not sure anyone understands the amount of work that's going to be corning to the area. We've set through the meetings with the University on their 10 -year plan. We know the Infrastructure Act is going to pour tons of money into transportation and other areas. And also with the, uh, Inflation Reduction Act, that green energy projects you're going to take off. So we're going to be needing people and this program is a great conduit for us. So thanks to the City Council, the City of Iowa City for your support. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else would like to address this topic, come on forth. Welcome. Ross: Hey, Brandon Ross. I have a question for anybody who- who would answer considering low pay and, uh, at the rate that- that landlords parasitically take our- our capital from our working hours is does your center actually provide information about unionizing? Teague: Anyone- I'm assuming you just wanted to make that statement. Ross: No. I do- I do want to have the person answer if they can. I- I just was- I'm interested in- in knowing whether, uh, unionizing and labor. My father was a laborer, uh, construction, uh, union person and I'm just wondering how that- how that affects, uh, what you do or if it's included, uh. Yeah, that's all. Teague: And- and all comments from here on out is directed towards the council but thank you. Welcome. And if you're thinking about speaking, you can, um, get in a line and there's also some sign -in, uh, tabs on the- at back of the room, a sticker so you'll be able to place it there. Welcome. Washington: Welcome. Welcome. My name is Jasper Washington from Iowa City, and I'd just like to advocate for this program because I took it two years ago, uh, and it really helped out. Like I went into the program not really sure, I narrowed it down to two and it defmitely let me know that I wanted to be a carpenter, not an electrician. Uh, it really helped out with that. When I took the class, it was like the height of COVID, so there wasn't too much work. But recently I got signed on. I'm a carpenter now. I just left my second day of class recently, uh, today and I would say that Robin was huge open that This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 21 and I feel like just that outlet and being able to just reach out to her and her do the rest. And then just two days later I'm signed up for the- for the carpentry apprenticeship. So I really appreciated that. And then as I heard her talking about how she wanted to, uh, unite the non -profits and- and maybe I can be an advocate for that as well. I'm definitely excited about that. Hopefully, that's something I can do in the future but yeah, definitely suggest this program. It could really help me out a lot and so I would say yes, across-the- board hopefully. Teague: Thank you. Welcome and please state your name and the city you're from. Elton: My name is Cassandra Elton. I live here in Iowa City. Um, and I just wanted to express my gratitude for the quality pre -apprenticeship program. Um, working in the construction trades has been something that has interested me since I was a child and I just had no idea how to access that potential career. Um, and so when I saw the applications available for this program, um, I jumped on it, um, and I was very impressed with, um, the way that the program is structured to teach both hard and soft skills, um, to future applicants into, um, apprenticeship programs. Um, I love that we got to learn about so many different trades, that it wasn't focused on one specific area and it was really left open to us to learn more about different things and connect us with those in those trades that can teach us those things. Um, one of the things we talked about in class was that, um, the trades, like a lot of careers, you kind of have to know somebody, um, in order to learn, um, what that process looks like to enter those trades. Um, and so now Robin and Paul are the people that we know, um, and then they can introduce us to other people, um, to help us reach those goals. Um, coming from a background in non -profits myself, I completely understand how important predictable funding is to the success of a program. Um, and like Robin said, being able to know that you have funding for four years for a program like this so that you can be working year-round to really find that people that would benefit most from this, um, will just make this program even more successful than it already is. Thank you for your consideration. Teague: Thank you. Welcome. Peterson: Hi. My name is Royce Peterson. I reside in Coralville, but my office for the Carpenters Local Union 1260 is here in Iowa City. I'm a business representative there, have been for 15 years. Um, I'm also the chairman for our Five Rivers Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Training Center and we've worked closely with the Labor Center since the inception of this to get it going. Um, and it has served us very well since it started, um, not only with our partnerships with community organizations, but helping us get people into the trades. Uh, Bill spoke earlier about our need for skilled tradespeople. Um, currently, we have three locals in Eastern Iowa that- that have about somewhere around 800- over 800 members and we have 11 people on the bench. So that just goes to show the need for skilled trade people. Uh, we have had a few people come through this program that we've already placed and I've gotten nothing but accolades from our contractors, from the people we've placed because they're corning in with OSHA training, CPR training, if they need language- if they have language barriers and they need, you know, some- some This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 22 skills in- in learning construction language as a second language, you know, and English, um, they provide that as well. So, you know, I think this is gonna do nothing but help us to also serve as the contractors and the developers in the area to build infrastructure that serves this community. So thank you guys for your consideration in this and, uh, very nice talking to you guys tonight and allowing me to speak to you. So thank you. Teague: Thank you. Welcome. Peterson: I have to sign here. Teague: Yes, please. Welcome. Hearns: Good evening. How are you guys doing? Uh, my name is Greg Hearns. I'm from Iowa City. Uh, I'm the president of Iowa City Federation of Labor which is the, uh, Central Labor Council for this area. Um, I'm also a retired teamster. Um, I'm just here to say that, uh, as president of City Fed we totally, uh, are backing this. Um, you know, this- this is all about opportunity, you've heard this said many times, this is about opportunity. Um, when I was in school many years ago, we were introduced to us things like auto shop, woodshop, you know, metal shop, um, home economics, you know. These days kids are being sold the- the option of you go to college or you probably going to end up working in fast food or for some temp agency, and that's not acceptable. Um, you know, this program is going to give people an opportunity to be introduced to something that they may- may have not thought about, may have not- may have not ever dreamed about and it could put them in a position to, you know, move up in the community. And that's what we're all about, you know, trying to- to bring people up. You know, it's not about, you know, being greedy or anything like that, it's just trying to bring people up, trying to help people be better. Um, this program is going to provide you with some of the best workers you'll ever have, some of the safest workers you'll ever have and that's a fact. Um, and like I said, you know, I don't think that- um. I don't think that temp agencies should be the leading labor organizers in our city. So again, thanks for the consideration on this, and thanks for listening. Teague: Thank you. Welcome. Williams: Hello. Hi. Good evening. I'm Shawn Williams, I'm from Iowa City. I've been here 20 years. Teague: Can you bring the mic closer, please. Williams: I'm Shawn Williams, I've been here in Iowa city 20 years. I have eight kids and 15 grandkids. I took this program because I wanted my son to do something different with his life and so he was interested in it. So I told him that I go with them because I wanted to always try something different anyway. So me and my son graduated from this program and we really appreciate it because after he finished the program he entered the carpentry program. So I have an interview tomorrow, so I'm just to see what that's like This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 23 because I'm a teacher at City High. So this program was very educating and I just wanted to let women know that they can participate in this program. So it's not just for men. So I appreciate you and I thank you for the program and supporting it. Teague: Thank you. Welcome. Okey: Okay, My name is Ezinne, I live in Iowa City. Um, I just graduated from the pre - apprenticeship program on November 19, and I must confess the program is a helpful one. We get to learn about different trades and we study difference trade companies. Ah, it was really a helpful one because there are some trades we don't know about, but with the help of this pre -apprenticeship program, we get to know a lot about them. So I must say the trade is a helpful one and I would appreciate if um, the contract is continued. Thank you. Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one, council discussion. Taylor: Hello, Mayor. It's Pauline. Uh, I'd like to start. Uh, I'd like to, first of all, thank Robin and Paul for your presentation. It was very helpful in understanding the actual program. And also thank you to those students who- who are brave enough to stand up and speak. That- that really helps too, uh, to know that personal aspect of it. I've been familiar with the Labor Center for many years, probably at least 40 now, and have heard great things about all the programs that they have ever presented. As Robin rece- said, they recently celebrated 70 years of being in existence, which is an amazing milestone. I see this as a win-win for everyone involved, especially the individuals who will have the opportunity to enter an apprenticeship program that will help them to build a strong life and future for themselves. My late husband went through an apprenticeship program in the building trades and then on to be a journeyman so I have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who follows that path. I will very happily be voting in favor of funding for this program. Weiner: So I will speak as someone who also has skin in this game. Um, my daughter is fmishing up her first year as a carpenter's apprentice with the Carpenters Union. It is- it is a life -changing program that is giving her skills that she will be able to use her entire life wherever she goes. The- the other thing that- that's really tremendous about it is not only does it teach people skills and give them a true living wage, but it will also allow us as a community to staff a lot of these big projects from within our community without bringing in- without having to bring in people from other states. That these are really good jobs that will be in this community and as we fun- as we funnel people through these programs, we will have more qualified carpenters, pipe fitters, electricians, and so forth to be able to- to work on those job sites. Begus: I'll just thank you all for the presentation and for having it be so well-rounded, both the sort of technical aspects of what the program can be and has been, as well as those of you who have participated and- and can speak to your personal experiences. So I, I'm very much in favor of this and just want to highlight the family supporting jobs that- that Paul kept saying and the fact that Greg, you said bring people up, right? That's what we wanna This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 24 do and, you know, targeting these particular groups of people who historically have not had as many of those opportunities is phenomenal. And also as Jasper you said, you know, the opportunities for collaborating among non -profits, right? And just seeing that kind of just cohesion and synergy among all of those opportunities and kind of coming out of this program that will have some hopefully staying power, right? That's great. So thank you. Harmsen: I love any program that's a win, win, win, win all the way around and so it's great to have this before us. Since we first started the proposal or early- early mentions of this proposal, I've been looking forward to the day when it finally got to this point where we could vote on it and so I'm excited to be here and thank you for the presentation for all those who spoke tonight. Thomas: Yes, thanks for the really comprehensive presentation on the program and, you know, highlighting some of the comments that you've made on the sustainability of building our local trades, diversifying at the same time, the building trades, forming the partnerships among the various entities involved and family supporting jobs, I think that's a really nice way of putting it. And then I would add that this is work with dignity. You know, I really- we have so many- so what seem like just a diminishing opportunity for being able to work with dignity and I think this is a path to that and it's just a critically important to our community to have those types of jobs. So thank you. Alter: I just going to- I heartily agree with all the comments that have been made and I am thrilled to support this project. But one of the things that struck me and that Robin has talked about, and Jasper as well, about sort of the- the way in which connections and relationships are forged and strengthened, right? So that at some point, there can be direct relationships, but it becomes this network and, sorry, I keep hitting that, sorry, a web that continues to get strengthened. And in another context in a meeting we were talking about the- the success of businesses. So much of it has to do with relationships, not about, yes you have to have a good business plan, but it's also about the relationships that are built and the trust and- and the way in which you can help one another, right? Relationships, beget relationships beget success. And this is also cooked into this plan over time. And so the- what you were talking about, the sustainability of it, um, this is just a fantastic program and there's so many other components of it that are coming out in the comments that the students have brought up, and thank you for talking to us about- about the program, and then from- from those who are saying where the pipeline, we can't get enough of them, come on. It's just, this is great and thank you so much for putting so much effort into making this and standing it up and I'm saying this isn't a pilot anymore. Let's keep this going so that it's right here, it's home grown in the community and it can just continue to be strengthened. Thank you. Teague: Well happy birthday to the UI Labor Center, 70 years, that's a long time and so. Really appreciated everyone that came forth. Of course, the technical part that Councilor Bergus talked about ah, really appreciated hearing that, but more- more so, I really appreciated seeing individuals come and talk about the program and their personal experience. And This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 25 what I heard and what I saw was diversity. What I heard and what I saw was that exposure to different trades and things that they hadn't ever thought about. Uh also, what I- what I heard very clearly is that opportunity as well as that fmancial pathway um, to some of the things that we're talking about on a daily basis here at the City, affordable housing. Well, if- if we can really, you know, have opportunities for people to get a job that can pay a living wage, then some of those concerns diminish um, with the stuff that we do here. Um, accessibility --it seems like it's very accessible. I know that the word still needs to get out and needs to be marketed to a lot of individuals um, should this pass. Um, and- and also something that I heard that I was excited about was, you know, this is something for four years and I- and I'm hopeful that this will be something that is self - sustain or transferred, you know in the future that it'd just be m the fabric of the community that this will not, you know, just be something that will happen. When we talk about the ARPA funds, um, one of the things that the federal government wanted was to make sure that we built resilient communities and this is the one perfect example of using funds to make sure that people and individuals are more resilient because we don't know what the future is going to hold for us as a- as a nation and as a community. So I will support this happily. All right. So I think we are ready for roll -call. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 26 13. Adoption of City Council FY2023-FY2028 Strategic Plan Teague: Item Number 13, adoption of City Council Fiscal Year 2023 through Fiscal Year 2028 Strategic Plan. This is a resolution to adopt an Iowa City City Council strategic plan, fiscal years 2023 through 2028. Can I get a motion to approve, please? Bergus: So moved, Bergus. Alter: Second, Alter. Teague: All right. And we will get comments from our City Manager Geoff Fruin. Fruin: Well, I'm going to jump right in and skip to Page 643, uh, which is, uh, in the weeds of your strategic plan. It says, uh, to partner with stakeholders, provide meaningful career development opportunities, pre -apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs. So we're well on our way with the strategic plan. Um, uh, so the actual item starts on Page 624 of your packet if you're, uh, following along. Um, this has been a- a more involved process than we have gone through with strategic plans in the past. I think council made a- a very wise, uh, and bold decision to move from a two-year strategic plan to a five-year. I think it allowed you to think a little bit more broadly. It allowed you to establish some long- term visions that I think will be very helpful in guiding future decisions at this, uh, at this table and, uh, within the- the staff room too. But what's, uh, what's before you is a new look strategic plan that builds on the foundation of, uh, your- your previous strategic plans. I'm not gonna go through it in detail, but we- as a reminder, we did identify values and those are partnerships and engagement, climate action, and racial equity, social justice and human rights. I think there's some great narratives, uh, along with those, um, uh, values that will, uh, guide our- our day-to-day operations going forward. You also identified four impact areas and related strategies that you really wanted to- to- to have, uh, some influence on in the next five years. Those are neighborhoods and housing, mobility, the economy and safety and well-being. So within each of those categories, we have strategies and specific action steps to help us achieve the vision that you set. And this plan also identifies, uh, the resources that are needed, uh, to- to carry those out. Not only the resources to carry out specific action items, but the resources needed to continue to invest in the core services that enable us to look at those value add items, uh, as, uh, as a city. So I'm happy to, uh, answer any questions, uh, that you have about the strategic plan. Um, but this resolution would formally adopt that and, uh, um, ah, allow us to move forward on that implementation piece, which I mentioned is well underway. Teague: Any questions for Geoff? All right, anyone from the public like to address this topic? Seeing no one, council discussion? Harmsen: I think this was such a interesting way to start a first-year on the council is going through this comprehensive strategic, uh, planning process. So I feel like, uh, um, you know, it was such a wonderful crash course in so many things beyond just the day-to-day. So it was really great. Uh, I'd like to thank all of other my fellow members of the council This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 27 and city staff and of course, our- our facilitators, uh, for the many hours of - of work in discussions and planning that we put into this. It was actually- I felt a very rewarding process, something that I think is going to continue to yield fruit for us for years. And it is a flexible documents so we- this is not written in stone as things change in our city, we are able to adapt and- and- but we're able to do it with some sort of course in mind at- at the outset. So just wanted to say to express my gratitude for- for all of those who are involved in this process. It was really rewarding to be on the inside of it. Bergus: I'm- I'm actually really grateful that it ended up being, um, I think the process maybe took a little longer than we first had anticipated, but I think all of the depth of that was really helpful. And then timing wise, it ended up giving us the opportunity to see the Better Together 2030 vision come out and the inclusive economic development plan and of course, the ECICOG, um, Envision East Central Iowa plan. And I think this just gives us the- the scaffolding to- or just, you know, the structure to really know if we're on target with so many of our actions. And I am very excited as we have difficult conversations that are ahead, particularly as we look at, you know, um, the budget challenges with changes in property tax legislation that are still- we're still feeling the effects of the- the headwinds, as it says in the plan that we have ahead. I just feel like this is such a good, like, guiding document and north star, where we can just really concretely check ourselves. Okay, we- we bought into this process, we think this is a good plan, are we on track or not? And to have that regular check -ins, um, and reporting, it's just really exciting. So I'm really proud of us and grateful for doing it. Alter: This is an enormous amount of work. And it's one thing to sort of see a lot of sticky notes on, um, glass walls, um, and then to have it emerged fmally, as this, with these, you know, a vision, a road -map, the how we're going to do it with dates., um, that will very much help guide our discussions, um, so that we don't have to feel like we have to grasp at every great idea, we have something that can help us along the way and we can kind of compare and think about great ideas as they emerge, and how does that fit in with what we have collectively decided our values and how we want to enact them in the city over the next 5, 7 years, what have you. Um, so I think it's- as Laura said, it's, it's a fantastic kind of guide for us. It's not written in stone, but it- it is so embedded in- in, um, some really deep conversations. And just good Lord, the amount of effort that this represents is tremendous and I want to thank everybody that was involved, but I- this seems to me such a great, um, document for us to be able to refer to and make it very well thumbed over, over the next five years so that we can keep seeing where we're at. And then it can work as a north star as you said, Laura, is a perfect description, and it's going to keep us honest, right? Um, and focused. So this is awesome. Thomas: Yes, it was, uh, having been through several of these, this is by far the most comprehensive strategic plan that, that has been developed since I've been on the Council. Um, I mean, we're facing just an over, in some respects, kind of, an overwhelming set of challenges, all of which are as- as I learned, through Black Lives Matter and COVID are interrelated- interrelated and systemic. So it really presents an extraordinary challenge to try to capture that, you know that array of issues that we're This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 28 facing in a comprehensive, in a strategic plan, urn, and to give it any kind of manageable time -frame. Um, so we shall see. I, you know, I -I appreciate its ambition. Um, you know, I think- I think we've all put our good faith into coming up with a plan that we're proud of and that I hope the community, not- not too many here at this point, and at least in person, I don't know how many are watching or listening in, but, um, I would encourage the public to- to read it, read the document. Uh, one of the- one of the, uh, insights I've been having since we've developed this, is the importance of trying to apply, uh, ecological principles to a strategic plan. And one of those- one of those principles would be feedback. And so feedback is critical in terms of how we think about this document, how we go about its implementation. Um, but I- I think that the framework is sound. Ah, again, I would like- I'm personally trying to- to understand it through the window or lens of, um, ecology, because I think we can arguably say that nature, uh, presents us with a model of what sustainability- sustainability, and resiliency truly is. And so by adopting those principles and making sure that our actions in the strategic plan are consistent with those principles, I think will advance the- the program, um, successfully as we move forward. So thanks to all for- for the effort. Weiner: I- I;d say briefly, this was a really rigorous process, um, but it really required a lot of everyone. Um, one of the things I really appreciated was this- was framing it with this environmental scan, ah, which I don't think we've done before to that sense so that we can really- really take a look at all the different factors that are going to be putting pressure on, um, changing, affecting this as- as- as- as Council and the City move through it. And mostly things over which, um, Council has very little- very little impact. So I think it's very useful to have that in the frame so that you can see- you can see as you go forward, what, uh, what impact, um, the- the workforce had, what impact racial income equality had, what- what impact the legislature has. The- the what the- what is- what is done with funding that- and it's really a key to acknowledge that, that this is not an island that- that all these other factors apply. Teague: Councilor Taylor. Taylor: Oh, can you hear me? Teague: Yes. Taylor: Oh, okay. Well, I echo what all my fellow councilors have said and also especially what Councilor Thomas said because, I, like him, have been in on this type of planning for the last seven years now. And this certainly was the most rigorous uh- uh and strenuous episode of- of planning that we've been through. Uh, but it forced me to take a real serious look at- at what my vision for the community is for over the next four or five years. So I think it was very helpful that way and I think our facilitator was excellent in - in drawing that out from people. Say what is it that you really want, what- what do you think we can- can and should accomplish so. So I'm- I'm pretty proud of the document and we'll just see where it goes over the next few years. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 29 Teague: So when I heard about all the post -it notes, I had that vision of us you know putting them on both sides of the- of the wall where we were. And there were a lot of ideas- lots of ideas. Um and then when we got the document to where it um, combined, not only the council thoughts, but also the staff thoughts. And- and again, it was a lot of things that were there and we know that the community was at the heart of all of these. And so what I want to do is really say thanks to ECICOG, Karen, and all of the team there for making it happen, for really corning alongside council and the Iowa City community to create this document. I want to say thanks to our staff because I know that this was not an easy undertaking. For them to feel comfortable, I think to really share some of the um needs that they see um, for this community and even for our fellow councilors, thanks to each of you because I know that this was not an easy one, right? We had homework um, that we had to prove that we did, right? It was- it was- it was a great exercise. But I think at the end of the day what I've- what I've heard is that this was different. This was an opportunity for us all to maybe step back and reset what those priorities were. We were used to coming in on a yearly basis um, and maybe there was a little pressure to get it done within a certain amount of time. But we took our time and stepped back and really dove into this and I really appreciate all the work that's gone into it. Ultimately, I think this is- is- is really when I look at the City of Iowa City strategy map and the components that are there, it talks about the values and the impact and the resources that we have. This is so- I think this is very critical as we move through this next phase that we really do pay attention to the elements that are there because it will help guide some of those priorities that our city want and deserve. And so ultimately thanks to the City of Iowa City community for ensuring that this is the- the- really the values that we hold and that we work towards as really as a community. So with that, we will take roll call. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 30 Item 14. City of Iowa City 2023 State Legislative Priorities Teague: Item number 14 is City of Iowa City 2023 State Legislative Priorities. This is a resolution establishing the City of Iowa City's 2023 state legislative priorities. And can I get a motion to approve, please? Alter: So moved, Alter. Harmsen: Second Harmsen. Teague: All right move by Harmsen and seconded, I'm sorry. Moved by Alter seconded by Harmsen. You were a little slow there, I'm sure it was the delay. All right, we're going to welcome our Deputy City Manager, Redmond Jones. Jones: Thank you, Mayor, Council. I'd like to take a couple of moments to go over our- our legislative priorities. But before that, I'd like to share a real quick little story about myself. So I had the opportunity to be a part of the team that took a neighborhood idea and followed it through to actually turn it to a state law here in Iowa. It took two years to do that. And um I was told that was like warp speed. I can tell you from the neighbors' and the constituents' standpoint, it took forever. So I share that story with you just to- to let you, but also the public know that- that a lot of these priorities that probably we would be covering briefly is ideas and priorities from previous years, but it takes time uh, and you have to stick with it. I think that is the- the important piece to actually trying to get things actually passed through the legislature. So um, bear with me if these sound familiar because they are. And for our new council I know that you went through these, but our- our priorities are really focused in six major categories. And I'll take those categories and then talk about some of the brief points in each one of those categories. So to start off, demonstrated leadership in climate action. So we're going to continue these priorities, well continue to encourage the state to adopt a 2021 international energy and conservation code and provide the cities the ability to make local amendments. This is - the City also encourages the state to initiate a statewide climate action plan and invest directly in environmental and ecological efforts that will support all Iowans. Our priorities also will encourage legislation that will allow investor-owned utilities the ability to implement community solar projects. This will allow for rate users to actually get credits to use towards utility bills. This is an item that has been a new one added to a previous- previous um, category. Moving onto the next one, advanced social justice and racial equity and human rights. In that area uh, we want to continue to push the Governor and- and the Legislature to take those governor's uh, focus Committee recommendations for criminal justice reforms. We also encourage legislation to provide adequate funding for crisis intervention and mental healthcare. Next category is to update our public facilities and infrastructure financing laws. This is something that we've been working on and I think we're getting some traction on this year. We expect to have it, at least we have some folks that are willing to sponsor it in legislations, which is the first time. And- and essentially this is going to update a 30 -year-old municipal bonding loss. And as you know, with the recent events of supply chain issues and inflation issues, not to mention This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 31 the normal cost of adjustment that comes with construction costs go up every year on average years 4 to 7 and it's even been higher than that, 4% - 7% , it's even been higher than that. So it's time for that to happen and now with the- the environment of- of all these other issues, I think we might actually be able to make some inroads in that area. Also, we want to continue support with DNR uh, and the REAP funding that's helped us in- in many of our- our parks and rec projects and so we want to continue supporting that. Next area is, again, we've been hearing this theme a lot tonight. Foster healthy neighborhoods and affordable housing throughout the City of Iowa City. We want to continue to press for protecting home rule. We also uh, support the efforts of our um, USG and want to support a bill that was introduced last session that protects tenants against unfair withholdings and requiring landlords to use clear documented checklist at the start and ending of lease agreements. We also support legislation and protecting the rights of manu- manufactured home uh, housing residents and prob- and promote equitable access to high-speed Internet, broadband and- and those type of infrastructure needs. Going- moving on to um the next major area is promote an inclusive and resilient economy throughout the City of Iowa City. And in- in this area, we- we want to advocate for additional education funding for including early childhood education and care. We also support continued use of federal funding to support residents and businesses in recovery from COVID-19. Our last area is strengthening community engagement and - and intergovernmental relations. Iowa City had a history and longstanding working relationship with Iowa League of Cities and their agenda and also the Metro Coalition, and we've continued to work in those efforts. So if you have any other questions, or want to delve in deeper on any of those I'd be happy to try and answer those questions. Alter: I think it's sort of a question/comment. One of the things that I noticed under the uh, it was an early category uh, concerning social justice. And 1 noted that it was um, a continued priority to um, encourage the state to review sort of it's oversight or its regulations and stipulations for Community Police Review Boards. Um, and the language that I noted was, um, in order to ensure that individual boards have sufficient oversight powers. Um, so can you just expand on that a little bit? I think I understand what that means, but can you? Jones: Well, I- 1- 1 think there's some, there's some limits to what the police review boards can do. Right? And a lot of that has to do with what the, uh, state law allows. So I think there's- there's been a push to actually have some boards be able to have a little bit more control over being able to get in a little deeper into what is the ultimate, um, outcomes that some of their de- decisions, because a lot of times they're personnel type of issues and they don't really see what happens to the end of those, so they like to see it maybe they're little more transparent in seeing those issues in those areas and get a little bit more into the outcomes outside of just looking at what actually happened to- to- got them to that decision. So they're constantly looking at ways. I- I actually had been involved in some research in this area early on in my career. And those boards are always looking at more ways to get more involved. But there's also a bill of rights for police officers, so you have to weigh all those issues and I- 1 think they're finding that perfect balance is- is always a- a concern back -and -forth looking at those kind of things. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 32 Alter: Is it fair to say right now that the- the State, at any rate, is, it's- it's- it's not exactly at a perfect balance because the State is pretty much saying, you can look at this, but in terms of being able to see what happens, um, that's not in the purview. And so there's a certain amount of um, interest to be able to say, can we put a little more teeth in a sense in the same way of home rule. I mean, I- 1- 1 don't want to get into where it's but I'm trying to understand it just to say that. Jones: Well and I haven't, in full disclosure, I haven't researched the full recommendations of the- but from what I've been able to see, they're just constantly pushing to get more authority in those areas. So and I'm sure delving into it, there'll be more specifics as what they would like to see. But it's pretty fair that most of the review boards want to have a little bid of say. Alter: Want to have a little bit more control over. Okay. Thank you. Fruin: If I could add on to that real quick. Just as a reminder, uh, Iowa City was the only community with the Community Police Review Board for a couple of decades. And then after 2020, you saw interest from a number of other cities um, in creating review boards and in- in cities, I think Cedar Rapids, Coralville even went through this. A number of them were considering how to move forward and with this priority speaks to is now that there is statewide, more statewide interests in creating these boards, the- the state should really take a look and- and have some discussions about the- the authority. We- we- we can learn from other communities that are exploring this here in Iowa, but we can also learn from communities across the country. But historically, um, when we were that only community with the CPRB, there were calls almost annually for additional legislative power, um, or not legislative power um, oversight for the- for the CPRB so we just recognize that our community has made that call several times. There is uh, a state restriction there and we're not suggesting specific legislation other than the state should probably take a look and do a comprehensive study. Alter: And to be clear, there was kind of- you put it way better than I did, but that was kind of my question was just that this is something where the state has to be really blunt about it, has more authority and has hamstrung abilities of individual boards to perhaps have a little bit more control. And this is just something that we want to look into, but it's- it's not, it's not us that's doing it, in other words, this is for us to have as a- a state -led a priority. Fruin: Yeah. I think you- you- you saw it, it was part of your work session today. It seems like every couple of years at least we're- we're tweaking our CPRB ordinance here and we're trying to do the best that we can. That balance that- that Redmond talked about is still there. The officers have rights, they should have rights. And- and it's just something that hasn't been analyzed on the state level because there was an interest outside of Iowa City for so long. It's- it's a good time, in my view, for a statewide entity to look at it through a broader lens. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 33 Fruin: If I were to add to or you may recall that the CPRB actually, I think it was part of the Black Lives movement,uh, Matter movement, came forth with a number of recommendations to City Council in kind of toward the same thing to try to get a little more oversight, a little more power, a little more,uh, review. And our office had to issue a memo and basically say, we can do this, we can try this. We can't do this, can't do this, can't do this, can't do that because of state law either. Well, mostly the peace officer Bill of Rights in Chapter ADF. Teague: All right. No further questions? Anyone from the public like to address this topic? I see no one council discussion? Harmsen: Well, you've got your work cut out for your Janice. Thank you to the staff and everybody. And- and I know that we're all- will all be diligent watching what's going on in Des Moines because it really does have such profound effects on what we can do for our community and the quality of life in our community. So important stuff and defmitely will be keeping a close eye. Weiner: I- I would say that in addition to what you have on the wishlist here, and I've actually, I- 1'll let you know that my number one ask is for local government as a committee --they haven't made the assignment yet --we have to keep a really close eye on what they want to do with property taxes because that's the future of every city, municipality, County in this- and school district in the state right now. Teague: Roll call, please. [Roll Call]. Motion passes 7 - 0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 34 16. City Council Information Teague: We are at council- city council members, um, information and updates. Weiner: So I'm gonna- I'm gonna take the opportunity to- to speak a little bit now to- to thank you all. Um, it's a little bit of an odd moment, but it's been, um, it's been a huge honor to serve. Uh, and I see our job has really being that of public servants. We serve you. Any of you who are still watching, um, to- to any of you, and all of you who listen to meetings and engage, thank you. We need community engagement. This is the level of government that has the most direct effect on your lives. Uh, and even though we don't respond during public comment, we really do listen. Uh, we may not always agree, bu- but you often bring salient points to us. You help educate us and can shift how we view issues. Um, to all my colleagues on council, both current and past, uh, I could not have asked for better, more committed people with whom to work. We test each other. We come at things from different angles and we bring different experiences. And I view the -the- this diversity of viewpoints as a strength. Um, but I'm co- I'm convinced that we are all passionate about our desire to make Iowa City the most welcoming, vibrant, diverse, thriving, walkable, sustainable community that we possibly can. Um, to City staff, you care about this community. You work really hard often with no recognition. Uh, and one of the things for which I'll always be grateful is the opportunity to learn from you and work with you. It's sort of- it's like alo- so much goes into the working of a city and making city services run that you'll learn from be- behi- once you have a view behind the scenes, um, it's remarkable. You make it work. You've all been through a lot these last few years, and you continue to give it your all. Um, I think particularly like if Kellie and like moving us around, moving us to the Senior Center because like there's - there's always a ton of, le- learning Zoom from the beginning. Um, the- everyone who serves on a city commission or board, who- who takes the time to apply for them, who serves on this- on- on all of these different organizations, we're lucky to have you as committed citizens. And also to colleagues and other levels of local government we've served together on boards, worked together for the good of the citizens of this county, um, and I'll still be serving with you when I'm in Des Moines. It definitely was an unexpected few years. We spent the majority of it on Zoom or, and, or masked. Um, I really appreciated the opportunity to work with colleagues to try and keep us as informed and safe, as safe as possible during the pandemic. Pushing out information, if you remember the earlier days pushing out information and pushing out videos in multiple languages, I was actually your imperfect French speaking voice. Um, we worked with different levels of government, both behind the scenes. We worked with- with student government, with - with USG, with the University, with County Health. Um, and it was all for, to try and keep people well. We also, you referenced Mayor, learned and are continuing to grow and learn and struggle from the social- summer of social justice in Black Lives Matter. Uh, and our business community has made a lot of progress. I mean, I think that- that COVID in some ways really catalyzed people at all different levels to work together. We look at Better Together 2030, that wouldn't have- its- and what's happening also with ICAD, and the Iowa City Business Council, I don't think any of that would be happening had i -ironically had the pandemic not happened. And that- and then we have a new This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 35 SSMID, and we have all this vibrant activity in the city. Um, we also have an abundance of amazing committed non -profits here in Johnson County. We've talked about them some this evening. They serve our citizens in so many ways in concert with local government. They've shown themselves to be resilient and nimble during the pandemic. But I have to say to me, the foundational purpose of government is to provide the resources so that we can all succeed and so that all citizens have the chance to s- to thrive. And I see the state is pushing more and more onto the shoulders of local government and non -profits while limiting the resources available to both. That's not how it should work. I would love to see the state supporting Iowans rather than pushing unfunded and defunded mandates down to the local level. We're really fortunate to live in a community that supports these services and goals. Not everyone has- has that ability. Um, so finally, we've endeavored to craft a strategic plan that- that really follows and - and is based on inclusive values. And we're doing that at a time when we're witnessing actions around this country and in the state that are working against inclusivity and diversity. When people, whether in a position of power, groups or individuals punched down on already vulnerable communities or propagate hate, they hurt us all. And what endangers one group, as we've discussed, Mayor, we won't end there. We just saw it in Colorado Springs, at Club Q. We saw it in Buffalo,New York, the supermarket, in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life synagogue,we saw it on January 6th and at Charlottesville. Rights. I sort of ba- base my views on the fact that rights don't get sliced and diced and reduce like pie. They're not limited. They expand, they grow, they uplift, and they enrich us all. So thank you all. You can't get rid of me. I look forward to- my- my- my senate district is approximately the same as my city council district. So I look forward to continuing to represent you and work with you all just in a different capacity. It's been a real honor. Thank you. Teague: Well, on behalf of the Council, we absolutely do, uh, certainly appreciate all of your contributions. And as it was mentioned earlier, you will be missed. And we look forward to continuing to work with you, um, as a, uh, a city body, uh, in your new role. Yeah. All right. Any other updates by council? Alter: I do have one. It's just a reminder to people, um, that the, um, survey for the senior center has opened. And if you go to icgov.org and then in the search box, hit- click in Senior Center, it'll take you to the online survey. Um, but then there are also a couple of, um, input sessions as well. One of them is, uh, tomorrow at Mercer between 5:00 and 6: 30. And then there are two Zoom sessions, one on Friday, December 9th and one on Sunday, December 11th. And the information specific to those and how you get the links is actually through that icgov.org senior center page. Um, I just mentioned it because, um, we are at kinda ground zero here. We have had, um, LaTasha DeLoach came earlier in the year to sort of say, here's what's needed. Here are options, here's, you know, what are the desires, here's what we know right now. But we need more input. And that's- this is what this is. And so I just heartily encourage everyone, um, to go fill out the survey. It won't take a lot of time, um, but it really is a way for your voice. We've had a lot of discussion about feedback and input. Um, and this is going to be a way for us to be able to, um, sort of co -create what the future is going to look like for the senior center. And, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 36 urn, so anyway, go to our website and, um, take the survey or sign up and give some, uh, input in person or on Zoom. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022. Page 37 18. Adjourn Teague: Then we're on to item number 18. And your last meeting here on City Council for the City of Iowa City. So could I get a motion to adjourn? Weiner: So moved. Bergus: Second. Teague: Moved by Weiner, seconded by Bergus. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any oppose? We are adjourned. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of December 6, 2022.