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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-05-06 Bd Comm minutesMINUTES FINAL/APPROVED HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2003 6:30 PM. SENIOR CENTER, LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM Members Present: Jerry Anthony, Lori Bears, Amy Correia, John Deeth, Matthew Hayek, Morgan Hoosman, Rick House, Jayne Sandier Members Absent: Mark Edwards Council Members Present: Irvin Pfab Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Nasby, Linda Severson Others Present: Bob Anderlik, Al Axeen, Mick Bowers, Karen Kubby, Nancy Stensvaag, Stephen Trefz, Joan Vanden Berg, Alaina Welsh, Sherri Zostrae Call To Order Amy Correia called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM. Approval of February 20, 2003 Minutes The minutes need the addition of Linda Severson to "staff present", and correction of spelling of the names: Charlie Eastham and Lyle Hulke. MOTION: Deeth moved to approve minutes as submitted with correction of spelling for Charlie Eastham and Lyle Hulke, and the addition of Linda Severson. Hayek seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed 8-0. Public/Member discussion of Items Not on the A.qenda Hightshoe noted that the Policy for the Recapture of CDBG/HOME Funds the Commission submitted was passed by the City Council March 11, 2003 (6-0). Discussion ReqardinR FY04 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Requests Hightshoe reviewed the ranking sheets. The brown sheet has a break down of all the projects by category (e.g. housing, public facility, public services, and code enforcement). Each Commission member's score is listed as well as the average scores for each project. At the bottom there is a member average score for all the projects. The white sheet is sorted by average score. The highest rated project is first, followed by the second, third, etc. From the average score, the projects are divided into thirds and designated as high, medium, and Pow. The yellow work sheet includes recommended project allocations by each member. It includes the amount requested by project, the percent of request, the average allocation of all Commission members, and the project's ranking within its category. Correia stated that the Commission needs to discuss the rankings of the projects, and if there is a need for members to alter their scores. She also questioned if any investigation had been done for Eagle's Flight to access Economic Development funds for their grant request. Hightshoe had faxed the information and application to Eagle's Flight and provided information on CDBG-ED eligible projects to the applicant. Hightshoe said that the creation of one staff position in the Eagle's Flight application would be an eligible project for the ED funds. Correia asked how much is in the CDBG Economic Fund currently. Nasby responded $70,000 plus $145,000 in July, totaling $215,000. Correia questioned how the Elder Services program is unique from the City's rehab program. Also, are these projects eligible for funding through the City's rehab program. Nasby responded that ESI projects are eligible, but the ESI projects are usually between $500-$1,000. The staff from ESI does all the paperwork, verifying income, finding and negotiating with contractors, thus making the projects move much more quickly. The City and ESI do rehab projects, but the City primarily works with larger project requests and maintains a waiting list, therefore there is not really a duplication of services. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 2 Sandier remarked that it had been discussed previously that Habitat for Humanity recycles funds from the City, and she questioned how much had been received through various grants from the City, and how much had been put back into the Iowa City community. Stensvaag responded that she was unsure of the amount but all the money received up to date has been used to build houses, or purchase land and the majority is in Iowa City. Sandier asked how much money is currently in the City's Down Payment Assistance Program. Hightshoe responded there is approximately $7,000 to $9,000. Sandier asked how many people are not applying because of the lead based paint requirement. Nasby was unsure because many lenders know of the paint/mitigation requirement and the assistance is therefore not pursued. Of the phone calls the City receives, probably less than half follow through with an application. Correia noted that the Commission has an additional $30,000 to allocate to HOME eligible projects as the federal entitlement was higher than anticipated. She noted that these projects include Habitat for Humanity, Whispering Gardens, HACAP Transitional Housing, Successful Living, and Iowa City Down Payment Assistance. Anthony asked Successful Living if other options of funding have been explored. Successful Living said that they had tried for State funds but was declined because current needs were being met for the intended targeted population. IDED (Iowa Department of Economic Development) was unable to make the association that if it's not funded it will go away, because it is currently operating. Anthony said he would argue that the project should move up on the list because without the funding the project will not succeed. Currently they are ranked the lowest within the medium ranking on the white sheet. Correia noted it would be nice to have a break down of high-medium-low ranking of projects within housing projects only. Hayek noted the rankings, in terms of scores, and the Commission should try to follow the ranking within each category. The way the scoring sheets work, if an applicant does not have some kind of loan repayment system, as some of the public services applicants do not, they end up Iow on the ranking sheet. Sandier noted that Habitat, according to their guidelines, are not able to pay interest on the funds. If this is something that is going to be a requirement by Council (the 1% interest loan), and may or may not be waived (by Council), this affects how Commission members will fund each project. It would help to have this information in advance and might effect rankings and funding. Hightshoe noted that they had been told that each applicant would need to approach the City Council directly for a deviation from their set policy. Correia asked the Commission to look at Successful Living and its ranking. She questioned outcome data. Response was that the applicant has realized great progress in the last year. Applicant has doubled their staff and the outreach has grown from 3 to 23 within the housing community. The addition of a nurse has helped stabilize the mental health of the occupants. Hayek asked if the application is an either-or situation. If the total requested amount is not awarded, will the applicant be able to go forward. Response was that they would have to scramble, talk to Hills Bank about increasing their private loan and possible other sources. Applicant will review the options and report back to the Commission. Bears asked what are the differences between HACAP Transitional Housing and Successful Living. Response was Successful Living works primarily with individuals, people with mental illness and substance abuse issues. HACAP works with families. Correia asked the Commission to look at what the average allocation was for each project and what the ramifications would be if total funding were not awarded. Correia noted that Shelter House/Shelter Coordinator is Iow on the ranking list but that the position may go away without funding and funds are needed to match a federal grant (STAR) that provides approximately $350,000 in federal funds to our community. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 3 Correia asked Sandier why she scored the Shelter House/Shelter Coordinator so Iow. Sandier responded that the project did not show any private funding and questioned if they would be able to sustain the position or would they keep coming back for additional funding. Anthony noted that he felt Shelter House should be given more funding because the position has made a big difference and losing the funding would have a big effect on how the population is served. Commission discussed the Housing Inspector application. Bears stated that she is a renter and greatly values the job the City Inspectors do, but will respect the position of the Commission. Sandier said she also thinks the position is important but feels the department has not done enough investigation into other methods of funding. The applicant is not putting any funding of their own into the project or mentioning anyway they can secure funding in future years fer this position. Deeth said he felt the City should be looking at other revenue streams for funding. Correia noted that in order for everyone to strategically plan for next weeks meeting, the group should be aware that in the proposed City budget plan that was just passed, there was a housing inspector position funded by CDBG included in that budget. Regardless of what the Commission decides, the Council has the authority to amend the decision. Anthony explained why he ranked the City Inspector position the lowest. He stated that he thinks the Housing Inspector position is very important, and given X number of dollars, the first thing the City should do is fund the Housing Inspector position. A city such as Iowa City has zoning powers. These powers give the City the ability to maintain public health, safety and security. Housing inspection is one of the first things that should be done to ensure public health, safety and security. So before spending on anything else, the City should fund housing inspection from general revenues and fees. CDBG is not the way te go for funding and there are some serious ethical issues if the City does fund the position with CDBG funds. Deeth asked if it is likely that the decision will be made anyway, should the Commission adjust their thoughts accordingly or just forge ahead. Correia suggested they should strategically figure how they want to proceed. Perhaps prepare a memo to be included with the funding justifications that goes to Council. Hayek said that even though he gave the highest allocation to the project, the committee should move forward with their allocations, given the circumstances. Hoosman noted that Eagle's Flight has already been given some funding and should move up the listing in order to get them operational. Hayek noted the group consensus on Eagle's Flight was to award 75% of what they requested. Correia reminded that this is an average from everyone and not necessarily indicative of what will happen next week. Hightshoe noted the large discrepancy on funding recommendations for PATV. Sandier said she was not sure the group had thoroughly investigated the costs of the project. Correia said she thought the grant application did not demonstrate the number of people served. Bears said she had been at both PATV and at the Conner Center, and if an individual were in a wheelchair, their disability would be an issue in accessing the buildings. Correia asked if any other funding was available fur a building upgrade. Hoosman said the need is there but was unsure of the cost estimates. Hayek questioned what the goal was for this meeting. Is the group trying for consensus, or debating the applications generally and returning with revised individual allocations. Correia answered that the goal was consensus around where the projects fall in the high-medium-low groupings because this will come into play when actually making funding decisions. Hightshoe requested that if anyone has changes in their proposed allocations or rankings, please email or fax them to her as soon as possible. Deeth said he still had questions about the Housing Inspector issue. He noted that a couple of the Commission's recommendations last year were over-ridden and it clearly appears to be Council's priority Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 4 this year to use some CDBG funds for the Inspector's position. Deeth noted that currently only 2 of the 7 members of the Commission have allocated any funding to the Housing Inspector position. He also questioned if the Shelter House would be targeted as it was last year or from which project will the funding be cut. Sandier suggested that if the Commission feels this strongly on an issue, and the reasons are justifiable, the Commission should include a memo in the packet submitted. Sandier asked Anthony what the problem is with funding the Housing Inspector position with CDBG funds. Anthony said that from an ethical standpoint the money should come out of City revenues. The City has the power to zone to ensure public safety for its citizens. One of the first things they should do for public safety is to ensure safe housing. If there is a resource constraint, the first thing a City, which has assumed the power of zoning should do, is fund Housing Inspection. If the City refuses to inspect its housing but wants to exercise its power of zoning, there is a disconnection there. With the authority to zone comes responsibility and this is the price one pays for the authority and responsibility. Hayek suggested that another way to look at the issue is that the City has utilized these funds in the past to build many rental units around the community and this has had varying impacts on the infrastructure of the community. The number of new rental units in the past 10 years is 3,110 and the total number of rental units is 15,000. Sandier stated that what concerns her is the fact that the Council has not raised rates/fees/fines in the past 3 years and instead intends to burden CDBG funds with an annual allocation. There should be a balance of where the funding comes from, and she feels these points should be outlined and explained in a memo to Council. Correia stated that the University has some responsibility as well, and should be carrying some of the burden. Hayek concurred. Hoosman noted that she had ranked the Compeer project Iow. She asked how others felt about the project. Correia said she had also scored Compeer Iow because she thought it was hard to see a measurable outcome from the money granted. Correia asked Bears why she ranked the program Iow. Bears responded she had participated in many like groups and did not feel they were effective. Hoosman likes the Big Brother/Sister model but has not seen it duplicated very well. Hayek disagreed and had ranked the program as high. He stated there is potentially a lot of "bang for the buck", and they have a relatively small request, use a great deal of volunteers, and expect good, measurable outcomes. Hayek suggested it might be helpful to stay within the three categories of the funding pool, talk about applications in each category and completely exhaust a category before moving on to the next. Correia noted the housing category may be misleading, there are HOME eligible activities under housing, but some housing activities are not HOME eligible and must be funded through the CDBG-public facilities pool of funds. Hightshoe suggested they call the public facilities category "other" because non-HOME eligible housing activities, public facilities and code enforcement all are funded from this pot of funds. Hayek clarified if the numbers he had were correct. Hightshoe said the amounts have shifted since receiving final numbers from HUD. The corrected numbers are: housing $569,803 of which $107,500 will go to HACAP (the only CHDO in this year's funding round - HUD requires 15% of HOME funds be allocated to a CHDO); public facilities $329,100; public services maximum allocation cannot exceed $21,900. The Commission does not have to fund public services at the maximum value. The money can be used for any CDBG eligible project. Correia clarified the $569,803 is for the following: HACAP (minimum of $107,500), Habitat for Humanity, Successful Living, Whispering Garden, and Iowa City Down Payment Assistance. The $329,100 is for the following: Shelter House Security Deposit, Elder Services Housing Program, and lC Housing Inspector. The $21,900 is for the following: Free Medical Clinic, Compeer, Furniture project, Shelter House- Coordinator, Eagles Flight-employee, lC Schools, Table to Table, and Family Services. Correia noted the break down of the HOME projects; there are 2 homeowner assistance projects, 1 rental housing project and 2 transitional housing projects. Hayek suggested they still debate the projects within their category. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 5 By Commission request, Hightshoe said she would break down the projects by funding pool for next weeks meeting. Sandier addressed the City's Down Payment Assistance Program. She stated that the money is not being used and not enough people are being served. Aisc, the program is not active due to the lead based paint issue, the cost and age of housing in Iowa City, and possible lending issues. House noted that there are now lending programs available to help with a down payment, thus filling some need. Anthony questioned if the money from the Down Payment program could be put to better use by having it help pay for the testing for lead based paint. Hightshoe responded that the testing and mitigation requirements are more costly than the Down Payment program can currently cover. Correia asked if there are HUD funding pools available to help communities deal with lead based paint issue. Hightshoe responded that there are competitive lead grants. Nasby said they applied last year, but we were not successful. Cedar Rapids applied for 6-8 consecutive years before they were awarded. Dubuque recently lost their grant, and they would likely be ahead of anyone else applying. Hayek voiced a concern about location of housing projects in the Iowa City community. Currently the projects are, or could be, in the same vicinity. Twain and Wood schools are overly burdened, noting the application of an after-school program at Twain. It is a difficult topic and one that the Commission should discuss and determine if they can encourage applicants to try to scatter their projects around the community. Correia noted that there are situations that create hardships for schools, and there might be resources that schools need to respond to in order to help children in a difficult situation. A lot of public services are located in the Southeast side of Iowa City and with widely scattered housing there could be an issue of adequate transportation to these services and employment. There is also the issue of the cost of land. If the land is cheaper, more units can be built. Joan Vandenberg addressed the Commission concerning scattered site housing. She thanked Hayek for his comments. Speaking from the school perspective, they have challenges with the high population of homeless children. The children are terrific but they clearly have some challenges being homeless; having gaps in their education, lack of stable housing, difficulty finding time to do homework, lack of sleep, difficulty of having to leave possessions, friendships and other things behind. These are issues that other children don't have to deaf with. Since January 1, 2003, Mark Twain has had 44 new children move into the school. The total number of students in the fall was 227; this is more than a 20% increase. She said that the City is making mistakes in where they are locating assisted housing, and by clustering the housing in certain neighborhoods they are creating stigma for those neighborhoods and children. Correia asked how many schools are involved with the HACAP program. Axeen said 2-3, including Twain and Wood. Axeen noted it is very important that the families be close to transportation, for proximity to childcare and employment. Corriea noted that in her experience, applications for building in some neighborhoods were met with a lot of community resistance. Aisc, zoning and covenants can be a problem and obstacle to building. Anthony stated that Habitat for Humanity worldwide is a fantastic organization doing great work for affordable housing. He questioned how they are doing in Iowa City and do they have the organizational capacity and can they realistically put in 10 units in one year. Historically they have been putting in I unit per year. Nancy Stensvaag responded that are ambitious but they have done up to 7 homes in one year. Their committees are growing and the goal is possible and realistic. Sandier asked if Council does not approve a waiver of the interest policy what would happen? Stensvaag responded that the planning office had suggested that they speak with the Council and Mayor Lehman, and they were asked to come back to the Council with the request. Nasby noted that Habitat is not the only group approaching Council for the same type of waiver. Sandier has a concern that the City is continually funding Habitat's funding, and the money is potentially going into other counties. Stenevaag stated that the money received is recycled back into the local Habitat community program and that actually more money has been reinvested back into the community than was received. Hayek asked that in the local three counties that the Iowa Valley Habitat serves what, if any, other communities receive these funding sources (CDBG/HOME). Hightshoe responded that others don't receive an annual entitlement like Iowa City, but they could competitively apply to the State for CDBG Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 6 funds. Iowa City is an entitlement community (population of over 50,000). As an entitlement city, Iowa City receives an annual allocation based on a formula set by HUD. Within the three counties the Iowa Valley Habitat serves, no other city is an entitlement city. Hayek stressed that there is a need, in the near future, to address and consider a recommendation to Council for scattered site housing. Correia noted the Council does currently recommend scattered site housing. House noted that at this level, the Commission can look at competing projects and chose to fund a program in a different area. He said that the Commission needs to remain flexible and not tie themselves up with a lot of rules. Applications from particular areas can be encouraged and information can always be obtained to determine concentration. Hayek stated that it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy if agencies continue to try hard to stretch their dollars without any sort of requirements or incentives from the City. Hayek also noted that he understands there are big obstacles and some of these issues are beyond the Commission's function. The Commission decided to discuss the "other" category of public facilities funding. Sandier opened the subject of Shelter House. She asked if the security deposit program, to avoid a duplication of efforts, has any other resources and are there organizations that offer deposit assistance service. Correia noted that the emergency assistance program that was administered through the Department of Human Services has been eliminated. Hightshoe responded that in the Staff Analysis, it was stated that Greater Iowa City Fellowship does offer a similar program, but the GIHF differs in that it provides a short-term loan. There are also probably pockets of organizations that offer some assistance but the level of help varies greatly. Sandier said that she ranked Elder Services-Small Repair Program on the Iow side and wanted to explain why. The availability of reverse mortgages is growing and the accessibility to home equity can be a source of funding for some repairs and the Elder Services program should be kept for those who truly need the assistance. This will not alleviate the need for some small repairs but this option of using home equity needs to be brought to the attention of all senior citizens. Sandier will supply this information to Hightshoe to be included in the recommendation packet. Anthony questioned if the Shelter House had identified a parcel of land and do they have to purchase it this year. Corriea responded that Shelter House has a purchase agreement on a property located on South Gilbert Street that is currently owned by Southgate Development. Hoosman opened the subject of the Emma Goldman Clinic application. There were no questions from the Commission about the application. Deeth opened the subject of the application from the Community Mental Health Clinic. Sandier commented that the application was great because they had looked at the project as a whole, they used other funding sources, volunteers and it was very well presented. Sandier had comments concerning the 4 C's application. Having visited the center, she felt that some of the repairs requested were not critical. The elevator system is a huge expense and questioned how many people would really be served. The lighting problem seemed to be more important than any other issue. Hoosman agreed with Sandier and said that considering the small percentage of people who would use the elevator, that the need is not great enough. The elevator seemed more of a convenience than necessity. Also, many of the 4 C's services can be accessed by telephone and some of their other services are located outside of the building, i.e.: the Toy Library in Sycamore Mall. Correia said that the Head Start playground had already raised some money, had volunteers and it is a good project for CDBG funds. Hayek asked for a time line from Shelter House concerning their land acquisition plan. The response was that there is a purchase agreement at this time. Staff noted they would ask Shelter House to provide a copy of the purchase agreement for the Commission. The Commission moved into discussion of the Public Services category. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 13, 2003 Page 7 Correia thought that the Eagle's Flight - staff position application should be redirected to the Economic Development Committee for funding consideration. Hoosman stated that she thought the Twain program is impor[ant and deserves some funding, even if it's not the full $15,000, any financial addition would be helpful. Hayek concurred, and said the program would be of benefit to children after school and would also be a benefit to working parents. Bears asked if the Broadway Center duplicates the Twain program. Hightshoe noted the application. Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County offers an after school program, however it can only serve 48 students twice a week. The demand is much greater at Twain than other schools in the district. Correia addressed the funding of the Free Medical Clinic. She ranked the clinic as high, but thinks the position is pretty secure and other sources funding would be accessed also. Sandier asked if the Furniture Project is covered under DVlP. Hightshoe responded that the project does not receive any other funding besides the Iowa City Landfill. Sandier suggested that by separating the Furniture Project from DVlP, they would be able to draw their own donations and funds. Stephen Trefz interjected information concerning the Compeer program. He said that the program had been a huge benefit to the mentally ill and that nationally there had been a 70-80% decrease in emergency room visits and an increase in medication compliance. These numbers represent pretty dramatic national outcomes. Hoosman leaves. Hayek asked if the Table to Table program is seeking other sources of funding. Table to Table responded that they are seeking various grants, and working on several fundraisers. They recently started BINGO night at the Sycamore mall and hope to continue this as a regular part of the fund raising effort. Sandier noted that she scored Family Services rather Iow, and needs to be convinced of its priority. She agrees that what they want the money for is good but is not sure that CDBG is the place to go for funding. Correia said that because financial/credit counseling is such a problem for many of the individuals seeking services, the program could be a big asset. Hightshoe asked that if there are any changes to allocations or scores, please get them in as soon as possible. Deadline is Monday, March 17 by 5:00 PM. MOTION: Hayek moved to adjourn the meeting. Anthony seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passes 7-0. Meeting adjourned at 9:20 PM. ****NEXT MEETING IS THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2003 AT 6:30, SENIOR CENTER LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM*** data on c~t yntJpcd/min ut es/hcdc 3-13-03.doc MINUTES FINAL/APPROVED HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2003 6:30PM SENIOR CENTER, LOWER LEVEL CLASSROOM Members Present: Jerry Anthony, Lori Bears, Amy Correia, John Deeth, Mark Edwards, Matt Hayek, Rick House, Jayne Sandier Members Absent: Morgan Hoosman Staff Present: Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Nasby, Steve Long, Linda Severson Council Members Present: None Others: Bob Andrlik, Al Axeen, Joe Bolkom, Jean Bott, Mick Bowers, Karl Dixon, Karen Kubby, Brad Langguth, Jack McMahon, Chris O'Hanlon, Sandy Pickup, David Purdy, Danielle Thompson, Stephen Trefz, Alaina Welsh Call To Order Amy Correia called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM. Public/Member Discussion of Items Not on the A.qenda Correia began the meeting by thanking everyone for the hard work dedicated to this project. Correia notified everyone that the Council public hearing for the action plan including the Commission's recommendations is scheduled for April 22, 2003. MOTION: Bears moved to schedule the next HCDC meeting on April 22, 2003. Sandier seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed 8-0. Hayek and Anthony volunteered to be present at the Council work session on April 21, 2003 to answer any questions from Council. Correia asked for volunteers to be a part of a justification committee. The committee provides a justification memo to Council regarding why the Commission choose to fund the projects presented. Anthony, Hayek and Correia volunteered for the committee. Discussion Re.qardin.q FY04 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Pro.qram (HOME) Requests Correia suggested that they begin the discussion with HOME projects and then move into other CDBG projects by category. This is how the Commission successfully conducted last year's meeting. Sandier asked what pattern has worked best in addressing each application within a category. Correia suggested that they go by category and use the ranking sheets to help determine priorities and how to fund. Hayek asked if it made sense to everyone to first look for apparent consensus on applications and then move forward. House agreed, by looking at categories and moving down the list, the group may move to allocate funds and then rethink allocations and adjust accordingly. Hightshoe suggested that if anyone had any questions for the applicants, to ask before moving into that category. Correia asked Long to tally the dollar amounts on the chalkboard. The beginning amounts being $21,900 for Public Services, $329,100 for CDBG and $569,803 for HOME. Correia asked what is the daily number of people served at Shelter House. Dixon said approximately 29. Correia asked about the number of children served. Dixon said 10-15 every day in the month of December, but there are also drop-ins that don't live at the shelter. Deeth questioned that if an applicant were to be given a small token amount of money, it might not be enough to benefit the project. Correia responded that it doesn't make sense to spread the funds around to thin. Deeth noted the strongest consensus is for the Shelter House and Free Medical Clinic, also Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 2 everyone seems to want to do something for the Compeer program but no one is putting it as a high financial priority as its average allocation is $650. He asked if $650 is enough to do anything with? Corriea thought the Compeer program needed to raise enough to match funding. House questioned if splitting funding between the Shelter House and Free Clinic will make either program viable, that is why he allocated all funds to Free Medical Clinic. Sandier thought the Free Medical Clinic representative had agreed that they could live with partial funding. Correia noted that Shelter House needed funds to go toward HUE) and a 4 to 1 match for the STAR program. Hayek asked if the other applications would also qualify for the HUD Supportive Services program. Response was no, the other Shelter House applications are not considered match for this program. Hayek asked how the Free Medical Clinic would move forward with less funding. Pickup said that they could but it would be better without a gap in funding. House questioned group if anyone is thinking of funding the Family Services project. MOTION: Sandier moved that they not fund Family Services this year. House seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed 8-0. MOTION: Sandier moved that they not fund the Furniture Project in this round of funding. House seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed 8-0. MOTION: Sandier moved that Eagle's Flight Childcare staffing position not receive any funding this round. Anthony seconded the motion. All in favor, motion passed 8-0. Hayek questioned the Compeer request. Response was that it is for partial support of a half- time director. MOTION: Deeth moved to fund the Free Medical Clinic $8,500 and $10,000 to Shelter House. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Sandier requested that the 2 items be separated. House agreed. Hayek responded that this ties up too much money in this category and the Twain program is a very needed program given that Twain has approx. 63% students eligible for free or reduced lunch and suggested that everyone keep this in mind. VOTE: 2-7 Deeth, Bears in favor. Correia, Hayek, Sandier, House, Anthony, Edwards opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: Deeth moved to fund $10,000 to Shelter House Coordinator. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Sandier reiterated Hayek's previous discussion and thinks the amount should be lowered to some degree. Correia noted that this is a difficult situation given the applications and amount of funds available. Hayek stated that he didn't think any apprication listed has indicated that they would be unable to function with partial funding, but there would be hardship for all. Edwards believed that each group could live with the average allocation currently listed. VOTE: 5-3. Correia, Deeth, Bears, Anthony, Edwards in favor. Hayek, Sandier, House opposed. Motion carried. Hayek asked if the Table-to-Table program, which had applied for $24,000 could go forward with the average allocation of under $2,000. They responded yes that they would continue and they would also continue to apply for grants and are very appreciative of any funding. House suggested that they move on to the Free Medical Clinic, as it is one of the higher ranked applications in this category. MOTION: Sandier moved to fund the Free Medical Clinic $7,500. House seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Hayek noted that this would only leave $4,400 for all other applications, and they would run out of money. Sandier asked if once a section is completed, can there be revisions? Correia responded yes, a motion could be made concerning any item before the meeting is adjourned. VOTE: 5-3. Sandier, House, Correia, Bears, Anthony in favor. Hayek, Edwards, Deeth opposed. Motion carried. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 3 MOTION: Hayek moved to allocate $4,400 to the Iowa City Schools- Mark Twain application. Sandier seconded the motion. VOTE: 7-1. Hayek, Sandier, Deeth, House, Bears, Edwards, Correia in favor. Anthony opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Sandier moved to reduce funding by $1,000 from the Shelter House -Shelter Coordinator, and fund the Compeer program $1,000. Hayek seconded the motion. VOTE: 3-5. Sandier, Hayek, Bears in favor; House, Correia, Anthony, Edwards, Deeth, opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: Deeth moved, with regret, to fund Table-to-Table and Compeer at $0.00. House seconded the motion. VOTE: 2-6. Deeth and House in favor. Sandier, Bears, Edwards, Correia, Anthony, Hayek, opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: Sandier moved to reduce the Shelter House funding by $500 and fund Compeer $500. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Hayek was in favor of making some allocation to the Compeer program, as it is a new program, one that should be encouraged. The program is addressing important mental health issues in the community and is largely volunteer-based and the Commission should send a message that they are supportive. Sandier noted that the program had been listed a high priority and some funds should be allocated to back up their support. VOTE: 3-5. Hayek, Sandier, Bears in favor. Correia, Deeth, Edwards, Anthony, House, opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: Deeth moved to reallocate $500 from the Iowa City School-Mark Twain program and fund Compeer $500. Bears seconded the motion. VOTE: 2-6. Deeth, Bears in favor. House, Correia, Anthony, Edwards, Hayek, Sandier, opposed. Motion failed. House and Correia suggested the group move on to the HOME category. Correia questioned Welsh regarding the Whispering Garden project. The FY03 project, Prairie Garden, did not receive the Low Income Housing Tax Credit from the State. Welsh stated they appealed the decision and are awaiting a response. Sandier asked if it is possible for them to apply in a second round of funding. Response was that they did ask for that in the initial application and believed that their contract states that they can. MOTION: Sandier moved that they not fund the Iowa City Down Payment Assistance Program this round, as it is a Iow priority. House seconded the motion. VOTE: 6-1-1. Sandier, Correia, House, Bears, Edwards, Deeth in favor. Hayek opposed; Anthony abstained. Motion carried. Hayek stated the issue of scattered site housing was addressed last week, and current funding trends are potentially creating concentration of subsidized housing in certain areas. He also noted he was interested in pursuing a discussion on this topic and wanted to know what the Council has done on the issue, and how they may help applicants in the future to address the stated City objective on scattered site housing. He also noted that he realized that this meeting is not the time to discuss the subject, he wanted to raise the issue now as the discussion of HOME eligible projects begins. In Hayek's view, all of the proposed projects exacerbate the concentration trend. He would like to seriously address this issue at a future meeting. Staff will place it on the agenda for future discussion. MOTION: Hayek moved to fund Habitat for Humanity $175,000. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Hayek noted that he is a big fan of Habitat and has worked with them in the past and they have shown they can generate and produce in the Iowa City community. They are a sound entity, and it is important to foster home ownership in the Iowa City area as there is a lot of subsidized rental units. Anthony agreed that Habitat is a great organization. Anthony stated that all 4 applications/proposals that remain are good. One proposal is for acquisition of housing which might be lost without financial support. In the ranking scheme there is no differentiation between preservation and new construction. It is Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 4 important to fund preservation because once affordable housing is lost, it is very difficult to get it back. Looking at the funds and projects available, Anthony strongly recommended looking at preservation of existing housing first. VOTE: 1-7. Hayek in favor. Sandier, Correia, House, Edwards, Anthony, Bears, Deeth opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: Sandier moved to fund HACAP Transitional Housing $107,500. Edwards seconded the motion. VOTE: 3-5. Sandier, Edwards, Correia in favor. Hayek, House, Deeth, Anthony, Bears, opposed. Motion failed. Hayek suggested looking at the per-unit cost of each project, i.e. to fund 2 of 4 units proposed and adjust the allocation accordingly. MOTION: Sandier moved to fund HACAP Transitional Housing $128,000. Anthony seconded the motion. VOTE: 7-1. Sand[er, Hayek, Correia, Bears, Deeth, Edwards, Anthony, in favor. House opposed. Motion Carried. MOTION: Sandier moved to fund Successful Living $150,000. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: House suggested giving more that $150,000. In the memo Successful Living recently submitted, they have made efforts to show other ways to supplement funding and this is an existing project. He did not consider it for funding initially because he didn't think they had shown this effort. He suggested increasing the funding to $187,500. Hayek suggested amending the motion to $187,500 and he also agreed with Anthony's suggestion of preservation of existing housing. AMENDED MOTION: Sandier moved to amend the previous motion to fund Successful Living $187,500. Bears seconded the motion. VOTE: 8-0. All in favor, motion passed. MOTION: Hayek moved to fund Habitat for Humanity $110,000. Sandier seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Hayek stated that funding $110,000 represents 4 units. There is only one other application that goes to home ownership, which is Down Payment Assistance, and that has been voted to not receive any funding. VOTE: 6~2. Hayek, Sandier, Anthony, Deeth, Edwards, Bears, in favor. House, Correia, opposed. Motion Carried. MOTION: Sandier moved to allocate the remaining funds, $144,303 to Whispering Gardens. Edwards seconded the motion. VOTE: 8-0. All in favor, motion carried. Correia stated the next section up for discussion is CDBG - Public Facilities, Code Enforcement and non- HOME eligible housing activities. MOTION: House moved to fund the Community Mental Health Center $9,500. Edwards seconded the motion. VOTE: 8-0. All in favor, motion carried. MOTION: House moved to fund Headstart/HACAP playground $9,800. Anthony seconded the motion. VOTE: 8-0. All in favor, motion carried. MOTION: Sandier moved to remove PATV from this round of funding. No one seconded the motion. MOTION: Sandier moved to eliminate the Iowa City Housing Inspector position from this round of funding. Bears seconded the motion. VOTE: 7-1. Correia, Sandier, Deeth, Edwards, Anthony, House, Bears in favor. Hayek opposed. Motion carried. Correia noted that the justification committee would construct a memo to Council in order to explain the reasoning behind the Commission's voting position regarding Housing Inspection. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 5 MOTION: Sandier moved to fund Shelter House Security Deposit at $3,500. Anthony seconded the motion. VOTE: 8-0. All in favor, motion carried. Sandier questioned a feasibility study about the land acquisition for Shelter House. There were CDBG/HOME funds for this study that was to be done and are there any results published? Hightshoe said the study was not funded with CDBG funds. HCDC recommended funding last year for the study, but the Council did not fund the project in the Annual Action Plan. The Shelter House received a private donation to proceed with the study. Dixon said that the feasibility study is not complete. Shelter House completed focus groups to look at what the community will support, location of the facility, type of facility, etc. Shelter House provided a transcription of the minutes of these meetings and a site plan. Sandier questioned if the study is not done, why is the land acquisition going forward. The response from Shelter House was that they are moving ahead with fund raising no matter what, because what they have currently have will just not do. Correia asked about the possibility of working with the school district and not sending all the shelter children to one school. The Shelter House response was that their goal was to keep the kids at the same school they were attending before they came to the shelter. However, once the family finds a permanent residence it is usually in the Twain area. Hayek asked how big the property is that the Shelter House is considering. Response was an acre and a half. Hayek questioned if $360,000 is comparable to other properties located elsewhere. The response was that it is comparable, especially if considering location. MOTION: Hayek moved to fund Eagle's Flight $14,389. House seconded the motion. VOTE: 7-1. Hayek, Correia, House, Deeth, Sandier, Bears, Anthony, in favor. Edwards opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Sandier moved to fund the Emma Goldman Clinic application $20,000. Deeth seconded the motion. VOTE: 7-1. Hayek, Sandier, House, Edwards, Bears, Deeth, Correia, in favor. Anthony opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Sandier moved to fund Elder Services $22,000. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Sandier explained the reason why she funded the project at this level is because reverse mortgages are available, and while not all will have the ability to access this service, many will. Sandier also noted that Hightshoe had been given information on reverse mortgages. House noted that the idea of reverse mortgages is a growing market. Hayek asked if most of the people the project helps are homeowners. Response was that the average income was $700. Many do own their home, but have little income. Many need small repairs, have little financial means and need assistance hiring and managing the construction project. VOTE: 7-1. Hayek, House, Sandier, Edwards, Deeth, Bears, Anthony, in favor. Correia opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Deeth moved to fund the Shelter House Land Acquisition $235,000. Anthony seconded the motion. VOTE: 6-2. Deeth, Anthony, Bears, Deeth, Edwards, House, in favor. Hayek, Sandier opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Edwards moved to fund PATV $1,000 and $13,911 to the 4 C's. Bears seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Sandier said that in her opinion, the PATV project had not completely investigated costs and installation, and they have not looked into other sources of funding. VOTE: 6-2. Correia, House, Bears, Anthony, Edwards, Hayek in favor. Sandier, Deeth, opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Hayek moved to reallocate $5,000 from Shelter House - Land Acquisition to Elder Services Small Repair Program. DISCUSSION: Hayek stated that a $230,000 allocation to Shelter House is more than everyone had initially allocated and is still very generous. He is sympathetic to the Elder Services program and even though reverse mortgages may be a part of this community's future, it is not now. The idea of this private market service may not be entirely accessible or appropriate to someone with small repair costs. Housing and Community Development Commission Minutes March 20, 2003 Page 6 VOTE: 6-2. House, Bears, Edwards, Sandier, Hayek, Anthony, in favor. Deeth, Correia opposed. Motion carried. MOTION: Hayek moved to increase the funding to Mark Twain to $6,400 and decrease the funding by $1,000 from both Shelter House and Free Clinic. Sandier seconded the motion. DISCUSSION: Sandier said that this program is for children in need and this program is helping a significant number. The program is also a match and it would help them immensely to get more funds. Hayek noted that Twain has about doubled the number of children receiving free and reduced lunches in the past few years, and their need is great. VOTE: 2-6. Hayek, Sandier in favor. Correia, House, Bears, Edwards, Deeth, Anthony, opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: Anthony moved to allocate $500 to Table-to-Table and reduce funding by $500 for Free Medical Clinic. VOTE: 3-5. Anthony, Bears, Hayek in favor. Correia, House, Edwards, Sandier, Deeth, opposed. Motion failed. MOTION: House moved to adjourn. Sandier seconded the motion. All in favor 8-0. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 8:45. PROJECT ALLOCATION TOTALS: CDBG - $329,100 Community Mental Health Clinic 9,500 Head Start/HACAP 9,800 Shelter House-Security Deposit 3,500 Eagle's Flight-Building Improvements 14,389 Emma Goldman Clinic-Rehab 20,000 Elder Services-Small Repair 27,000 Shelter House-Land Acquisition 230,000 PATV-Accessibility 1,000 4 C's 13,911 PUBLIC SERVICES - $21,900 Shelter House 10,000 Free Medical Clinic 7,500 Iowa City Schools-Mark Twain 4,400 HOME - $569,803 HACAP/Transitional Housing 128,000 Successful Living 187,500 Habitat for Humanity 110,000 Whispering Gardens 144,303 MINUTES FI'NAL/APPROVED IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION CIVIC CENTER, EMMA J HARVAT HALL MARCH 6 AND MARCH 7, 2003 MARCH 31,2003 MEMBERS PRESENT: Mike Kennedy, Lyra Dickerson, Jim Anderlik STAFF PRESENT: Sylvia Mejia, Karen Jennings, Sarah Holecek, Fire Chief Andy Rocca, Detective Richard Wyss, James Humston, Bob Henry, Larry White, Steve Dolan, Lance Carolan, Dan Buser, Glenn Pauley, Scott DeValk, Richard Childs, Dan Smith, Steve Julius OTHERS PRESENT: Chris Lacy, Cystal Usher, Tracy Lamp SUMMARY OF RELEVANT DISCUSSION: Kennedy opened the public appeal hearing in the matter of the disciplinary discharge of Christopher Lacy at 8:30AM on March 6, 2003. A court reporter was present during the public hearing and provided a complete transcript of the hearing which is on file in the City of Iowa City Personnel office. Upon the conclusion of testimony from witnesses on March 7, 2003, the Commission viewed videotaped police interviews entered into evidence before continuing the hearing to March 31,2003 for deliberations. On March 31, 2003, Kennedy called the meeting to order at 1:30PM, reopening the Lacy appeal hearing. Kennedy noted that Lacy had filed a motion to close deliberations of the Commission in the matter of his appeal. The Commission asked for the legal opinion of outside counsel Steven Greenleaf on this issue. Kennedy asked Greenleaf to summarize his legal opinion, which had been provided in a memo to the Commission prior to the start of the meeting, for the benefit of all present. Greenleat's conclusion was that deliberations could be closed under Iowa Code Chapter 21 commonly referred to as the Open Meetings Act. Chapter 21 provides that upon the request of an employee and if there would be needless and irreparable injury to an employee's reputation, the meeting can be closed. Greenleaf further explained that Iowa Code Section 400.26 governing Civil Service proceedings states that the trial of all appeals shall be public. However 400.26 applies only to the trial, not to the deliberation of the Commission. Greenleaf stated that in his experience doing work for municipalities over the past 20 years, closing meetings on the request of the employee is the norm. Based on the circumstances in this case and the record he reviewed, Greenleaf believed that there were facts that justified the contention of the employee that there could be harm to his reputation. Greenleaf also noted that the employee raised the issue that there could be harm to the reputation of the Chief or others involved in the investigation, however, he did not find that to be a valid reason and discounted it. He noted for the record that his advice is in conformity with an opinion by the Iowa Attorney General's office issued in 1979 and the decision of the Iowa Court of Appeals entered in Feller v. Scott County Civil Service Commission issued in 1998. Greenleaf advised that the Commission may, at its discretion, move to close the meeting. Kennedy moved that pursuant to Lacy's request and pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 21 that the deliberations portion of the hearing be closed. Dickerson seconded the motion and a roll call vote was taken. Dickerson, Anderlik, and Kennedy all responded "yes" and motion carried. Commission convened to closed session at 1:40PM. Commission reconvened in open session at 4:10PM. Kennedy stated that closed- session deliberations had concluded. The Commission found the following by a preponderance of the evidence with respect to the City's specification of charges: 1. There was a violation of Article 3 (C) of Iowa City Fire Department General policy Number 014. The cellar nozzle was misappropriated by Christopher Lacy. 2. City of Iowa City Personnel Policy 8 (B) (8) was violated. Christopher Lacy acted in a careless manner with respect to the cellar nozzle by willfully removing that equipment from an Iowa City fire engine. 3. City of Iowa City Personnel Policy 8 (B) (16) was violated. Mr. Lacy was not candid or forthright in these proceedings. The commission concluded that they were not provided with accurate or complete information on what happened with respect to the cellar nozzle. Having found that these policies were breached by Mr. Lacy, the commission concluded that there was misconduct within the definition provided in Chapter 400 of the Iowa Code. The next step of the Commission's analysis was to determine whether the discipline imposed by Chief Rocca was appropriate under the facts and circumstances. The Commission found that the personnel file showed an outstanding employment record with the exception of a couple of oral reprimands and that there were no aggravating circumstances in this case with respect to Mr. Lacy's past employment record with the City. Commission concluded that the appropriate discipline in this case was suspension without pay for 90 calendar days which commenced December 5, 2002 and ended on March 5, 2003. Any benefits during the period of suspension were to have been provided in accordance with the unpaid leave requirements in the collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Iowa City Firefighters. The Commission also required Lacy to find and enroll in an anger management course to be completed at his own expense on his own time. The course was to be mutually agreed upon between Lacy and the City of Iowa City within the next 30 days. Proof of completion must be filed with Sylvia Mejia within 90 days of the ruling. As part of the anger management course, the Commission required that Lacy complete an interpersonal relations management course. The Commission also ordered that Lacy pay the City of Iowa City $400 restitution for the cellar nozzle within 90 days of the ruling. The Commission ruled that if there is another disciplinary finding of misconduct within 12 months of Lacy's return to his job with the City of Iowa City, that would constitute grounds for termination of employment with the City of Iowa City. In closing remarks Kennedy stated that the Commission unanimously concluded that the Commission did not feel that Mr. Lacy was candid with the Commission or that he was candid throughout the process and that the Commission did not feel that they heard the truth. The Commission chose the discipline that they did because his prior record was quite good and that they believe with the stipulations they've attached to the discipline that there will not be a repeat of this type of incident. Kennedy called for a roll call vote to affirm the findings of the Commission. Dickerson, Andedik, and Kennedy each responded "Yes" when asked if these, in fact, were their findings. Kennedy noted that either party has the right to appeal the decision to the Iowa District Court in accordance with Iowa law and that the record was closed this matter. Dickerson moved to adjourn, Kennedy seconded, and all were in favor. Meeting adjourned at 4:20PM. AGENDA FINAL/AP P ROVED IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION EMMA HARVAT HALL 410 E. Washington St. March 25, 2003 MEMBERS PRESENT: Lisa Beckmann, Nick Klenske, Keri Neblett, David Short, Paul Retish, Bob Peffer, Billie Townsend MEMBERS ABSENT: Rick Spooner, Alice Mathis STAFF MEMBERS: Heather Shank 1. CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 7:02 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF REGULAR MINUTES: Beckmann asked for approval of or any changes in the minutes from the February meeting. Motion to approve minutes by Neblett and seconded by Peffer. Motion: Minutes unanimously approved. 3. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None 4. INTRODUCTION OF ELLEN RAMSEY-KACENA-HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTIGATOR: Ramsey- Kacena was introduced and members introduced themselves to her. Ramsey-Kacena is an attorney and will work part time for the Human Rights office as an investigator. 5. GUEST-TUYET NGUYEN FROM STUDENT GLOBAL AIDS CAMPAIGN: Nguyen gave a history of SGAC which is mainly a student led network devoted to global AIDS. They ara currently working on an educational event on April 1st with the goal being two fold. First the group wants people to realize that HIV/AIDS has an impact beyond the impact in the medical community. Nguyen feels that working with the Human Rights Commission would be a good fit for the work that the HIV/AIDS advocates do. The second goal is to lead up to the presidential campaign. Tuyet would like to see the university and the community work together and forge a ralationship in their effort to work on the myriad of issues relating to HIV/Aids. She would like to see HIV/AIDS as not only a university issue or a student issue, but also a community issue. She added that the State of Iowa does not have a high rate of HIV/AIDS but Iowa is not exempt from caring, mobilizing or taking action to make sura that HIV/AIDS is a platform issue in the next election. Nguyen believes that people living with HIV/AIDS or people who live with people who have either HIV or AIDS should be afforded the same basic human rights that any other individual is afforded. This includes access to medication, treatment, education, information and protection from discrimination whether in the work place or in civil society. She believes that there is a great deal of social stigma connected with HIV and AIDS, but it can be changed with education. The help she would like from the Commission is a cooperative agreement to work together and brainstorm and develop ideas to help advertise the educational events. Nguyen stated that the group still needed funding. Short asked about the Bush administration's budgetary commitment and whether it is going to be bilateral or multilateral and what the arguments are for making sure that it gets to the UN. Nguyen explained that there were several issues with Bush's proposal first being bilateral versus multilateral funding. With bilateral funding then over half of the money goes to administrative costs. Multilateral funding is UN sanctioned and 80 - 90% of the money gets to the people it is intended to help. Other countries per capita give more money to the global fund than the United States. If the US wants to be a leader in the area of Human Rights, it has to be willing to take a leadership role in this araa. Bush, however, is not scaling back on the money he indicated he would give to eradicate the global AIDS epidemic. With bilateral funding, the US is making payment contingent on certain things. For instance before money is distributed, the nations requesting the funds have to prove they are democratic nations and they will abide by US policy. Originally Bush wanted to enforce a gag order on where the money would go. He didn't want it to go to any clinic that offered family planning. Nguyen stated, "The sad reality is that in Sub-Saran Africa they do not have separate clinics for HIV and AIDS and family planning, and ophthalmology and foot care like we do in this country. It is all one-stop shopping type of thing. To not give funding because these clinics provide family planning would be devastating for these countries." In addition the money is not going for prevention. Instead it is going for infrastructure. Bush and the faith-based agencies are advocating abstinence and want to avoid education regarding condoms. Beckmann stated that she understands that SGAC is in need of three things: (1) a relationship with the Commission, (b) sponsorship and (c) financial support. Beckmann asked if the SGAC's funding has exceeded their budget. Nguyen said no. Beckmann stated that a relationship with the Commission is not a problem and Nguyen can attend Commission meetings any time. Shank asked if SGAC was looking to the Commission to sponsor the April event? Nguyen said SGAC was looking for the stamp of approval from the Commission. Beckmann asked what other groups were co-sponsoring her? Nguyen stated that the SGAC had support from student gay/lesbian transgender union. ICARE donated 200 safe sex kits. The American Red Cross and Emma Goldman Clinic provided financial support and a university student group provided additional funding. Beckmann asked whether the Commission wanted to lend its name and did it want to donate money? Shank reminded the Commission that several university groups recently requested donations and the Commission had not planned or been involved in the program's organization so the request for money was denied. Shank said that as a Commission it could not decide to give money to some university groups and not others. The Commission receives requests all the time for assistance and it has to be careful not to be perceived as discriminating against one group in favor of another. Nguyen explained that the program on the 1st of April was mostly educational. She also added that the program was not just for university students. She believes the community should be involved in this event. SGAC cannot depend on the transient student population alone to persuade politicians. The ultimate goal is to influence the presidential campaign. SGAC plans to pressure politicians to follow through with campaign promises and make this issue a platform issue. Nguyen stated that on April 4th and 5th SGAC was giving a workshop at Luther College about the HIV/AIDS issue, the presidential campaign and how the students can become involved. She stated that SGAC is also involved with Coe College, Iowa State University and Cornell College. She hopes to use the college groups to expand into the community. Beckmann indicated that the Commission normally chooses to endorse things like this, but not give financial support. Shank replied that generally that is true. Klenske believes that since the Commission is trying to change its direction maybe giving donations to other groups that are involved in educational programs. The Commission members have limited time but they can encourage others to get involved. Beckmann agreed with Klenske regarding encourage others to get involved but she discourages monetary donations unless the Commission is involved in the planning of the program/event, etc. Shorr indicated that it was apparent from previous discussions that the Commission did not have a great deal of money. He would like to serve as a liaison to the SGAC. Shorr believes the Commission should sponsor the program as it deals with an incredibly important issue. Beckmann agreed but added that for future events the SGAC should contact the Commission earlier and request the Commission become involved in the planning process. If this is done, the Commission might be able to provide at least some financial assistance. Beckmann hoped that the SGAC would understand the financial limits of the Commission. Shorr made a motion to lend the Commission name for the April 1st event. Neblett seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. 6. NEW BUSINESS: Co-sponsorship of documentary entitled Discovering Dominga. This movie documents the journey of an Iowa housewife who discovers that she survived one of the most brutal massacres in Guatemalan history. The violence and brutality was directed at the Mayan Indians that resisted a dam project funded by the World Bank. Dominga Sic Ruiz was nine years old when the massacre took place. Her parents escaped and Dominga escaped with her newborn baby sister. Dominga was eventually taken to an orphanage and adopted by a Baptist minister and his wife in Iowa. The film documents Dominga's search for information regarding her past. It also explores her growing self-discovery and political awareness. April 23, IMU. Shank believes the movie will be shown at 7:00 p.m. but those planning to attend should check the paper to verify the time. Peffer indicated he would attend and ask Spooner to go along. Beckmann would like a report at the next meeting about any event sponsored by the Commission and attended by Commissioners. Beckmann added that Neblett and Klenske have agreed to attend the April 1s* event. Beckmann stated the Commission was asked to co-sponsor the documentary and she agreed to do so. She also asked for any willing attendees since the Commission is sponsoring the event. Retish would like to have guidelines regarding sponsorships. He thinks the groups ought to be told that the Commission needs at least one or two weeks notice to make a decision to avoid pressuring the decision-maker. Beckmann stated that last year the Commission asked the requesting group to wait until the next meeting for a decision. If unable to wait, the group needed to contact Shank and Shank would contact the Commission Chairperson. Shank stated that the people that usually contact the Commission are usually repeats from prior years. Retish wants a standard deadline for all, no exceptions. Beckmann expressed concern that it would take a lot of time to discuss each request at the meetings. Beckmann would prefer to outline the reasons the Commission would agree to sponsor an event or not sponsor an event. In addition Beckmann indicated that the same thing should be done with the issue of financial support. She is not comfortable with bringing everything to a meeting unless there is a guideline to follow. Retish asked Beckmann what guidelines she follows in her decision making process. Beckmann indicated that she did not give money to a group that requested only the financial support but no additional Commission participation. She didn't feel the Commission should donate funds unless the Commission is involved and the program is educational in nature. 7. OLD BUSINESS: Tickets-20 donated by the City of Iowa City to cover persons that cannot afford the price of $15.00/person: Beckmann reported that $300 was donated by the City of Iowa City to cover the cost of tickets for those who cannot afford it. Beckmann suggested the Commission advertise that the tickets are available at a reduced rate, possibly $5-$10 so the donation will benefit more people. Beckmann said the Commission needed to decide on the ticket price. Retish asked whether there were written guidelines to assist the Commission in its decision to sponsor or not sponsor an event. Shank replied that written guidelines have not been drafted. However, the Commission cannot solicit money from businesses due to the appearance of impropriety and/or conflict of interest. Kacena stated that at any time there could be a potential conflict of interest because someone could file a complaint the next day. Retish asked about the possibility of having an individual or a group of individuals buy a table or even sponsor the entire event. Beckmann indicated that the advertisement for the breakfast could encourage the purchase of a table by individuals or groups. Kacena stated that any one can buy a table and it is not sponsorship of the event. The ticket buyer would be getting something of value for their money. She further added they are getting something back for their money and are not beholding to you. If they give cash and do not receive anything in return that that is where conflict of interest may occur. Beckmann asked what the difference would be whether an individual is buying a table or the City of Iowa City is buying a table. Shank stated that the difference would be that the Commission does not sue the City of Iowa City, but individuals could be involved in a potential suit. Retish asked what happens if a person wears two hats, the private individual and the businessperson. Kacena stated that the concern goes either way because the Commission can sue an individual. The gist of it is that the customer must get value back for their money. They can give tickets away if they want to. Beckmann liked the idea of soliciting in a different way where individuals and employers are encouraged to consider buying a table. Beckmann suggested that the price remain at $15 per ticket. She also thought the Commission ought to have the same meal. Finally the Commission can encourage the purchase of a table. Retish thought it might be possible to have a surplus this year and lower the price next year. Short wondered whether the goal was to make a profit. Shank said the intent of the breakfast is not to have a profit, but never to have a deficit. Beckmann reminded everyone that the original intent was to make it more affordable for the entire community. Shank said that if there were a little money left over after the expenses are paid, it would remain in the account for next year. Motion made by Beckmann to keep the $15 breakfast, same meal, use the $300 donated by City of iowa City and encourage individuals and or businesses to sponsor tables through flyers, etc. Motion seconded by Townsend. Motion passed unanimously. Breakfast keynote speaker-nominations: Beckmann brought up the choices from last month. Neblett said that she had suggested Salome Raheim. Townsend suggested University of Iowa President David Skorton. Beckmann asked Shank about the writers workshop people. Shank said that she made contact and Chris Merrill was not sure how many of the writers would be available in the fall. He indicated he would get back to Shank. Beckmann asked for any other nominations. Retish brought up the possibility of Tom Harkin because he has padicipated in human rights efforts including the Americans of Disabilities Act. Beckmann asked for a brief synopsis of the possible speakers. Neblett gave a brief history of Salome Raheim. Raheim is the Director of the School Social Work and teaches cultural diversity and is a dynamic speaker. Shank agreed that Raheim is a great speaker and person. Townsend would like to see David Skorton speak. It would introduce him to the community. Beckmann asked the Commissioners to put their choices in order so that if the first choice cannot make it, Shank will call the second choice, and so forth. Motion made by Peffer to invite Tom Harkin, then Salome Raheim and David Skorton, in that order. The motion was seconded by Retish. Voting outcome was 2- 5 against. Beckmann called for another motion. Motion was made by Neblett to nominate Salome Raheim first and David Skorton as the second choice. Second by Townsend. Motion passed 5-2 Building Blocks to Employment-Rescheduled for Tuesday, April 15th at 7:00 p.m.: Beckmann announced that the event has been rescheduled. Beckmann, Shorr and Retish will attend. Youth Awards: Beckmann would like us to reconsider the idea of giving awards to young people for their human rights efforts. This group would be under the age of 18. She would like this put on the agenda to discuss for next month. Survey Results: Beckmann stated the original intent of the survey was to help the Commission with programming ideas. A total of 111 were received. Beckmann tabulated and summarized the surveys. She believes the survey results can lead to ideas for the Educational Outreach. Beckmann is also in favor of continuing to hand out surveys at future events. She went on to explain the results. One interesting thing that Beckmann noted was the large number from the 41-65 age group that complained about landlord/tenant issues. She thought the younger age group would do the most complaining in this area because they are more likely to live in rental units. Also the survey showed that white people found that discrimination exists more than the non-white people do. She also listed the following areas where the Commission could focus its attention and or seek improvement: (1) landlord tenant relations; (2) employment; (3) City Council/city government; (4) sexual orientation; and (5) race. In closing she added that a survey of 111 people is not a statistical sample and we cannot do any real statistical analysis other than looking at the trends. 8: EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH-PROGRAM IDEAS: Retish stated that he would like to see more surveys completed by the citizens. If the surveys show consistent areas of concern, especially in the areas of city government/City Council, the City Council should be made aware of this and encouraged to start some outreach programs. The Council should consider programs to teach people about themselves. Shorr would like to see a more scientific sampling but he understands that we cannot afford it. Retish suggested that the surveys be sent out with the water bill. Shank believes this might be possible. Discussion was held about how the Commission could get the surveys back. Retish stated that the surveys could be returned with payment of the bill. Shank said she would check on this. Beckmann thinks it is a good idea. Klenske would like to see a program relating to the Housing Task Force or Neighborhood Housing relations and possibly create communication in this area in the residents. He believes there is a lot of anti-student sentiment in the neighborhoods. Klenske believes city government is interested in facilitating communication between the two groups. Beckmann suggested the idea of a forum with landlord/tenant issues and lawyers that know all about landlord/tenant law. Shank suggested Jan Rutledge from legal services. Klenske volunteered to organize and facilitate the event. Dates to consider would be sometime in February or March of 2004. Shank informed the Commission that testing took place to determine whether there was housing discrimination in Iowa City. The results of the study showed that housing discrimination based on race was occurring in Iowa City. In 1995, Shank asked for funds from the Johnson County Coalition of Governments so the study could be repeated but there were too many demands and the study was not a priority. She also added that at one point the Iowa Civil Rights Commission was doing similar testing but stopped. Beckmann asked Retish about the possibility of listening posts. This would require Commissioners to go to different places in the community and just talk to people about how they feel the city is doing in the area of human rights. Retish said that the Commission should do this as a group so that the Commission can listen to concerns and citizens will get to know the Commissioner. Peffer asked if there was going to be advertising? Retish thought there could be some kind of notice of the Commission's intent to create listening posts. Beckmann and Retish agreed to go to the Senior Center, maybe in the summer around June or July. Peffer volunteered to go to the Broadway Neighborhood Center and Neblett will go to UAY since she knows the staff and some of the kids. Beckmann suggested that Commission members should talk before the next meeting and determine the Commissioners that will accompany the others as well as the dates and times the events will take place. With the information, Shank will contact the various places, get permission, and set up advertising. Retish would also like handouts explaining the human rights mission. Beckmann would like to see the dates for the visits spread out. Peffer would like to see a way to celebrate diversity in the community, possibly setting something up at the Johnson County Fair. Beckmann asked if he was referring to a booth and staffing it? She feels that it could work for one day or so. Beckmann asked Peffer to check into in and get back to us. 9. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS: Neblett announced that April is child abuse prevention awareness month. Retish stated that he hopes there is peace in the world soon. Klenske no report Shorr no report Neblett no report Peffer no report Townsend no report 10. STATUS OF CASES: Shank has case decisions for Commissioners to sign and she reminded everyone to try and read their assigned cases in a timely fashion. 11. ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 8:53, r, IINUTES Agenda item 3A IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING - 2® FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM THURSDAY, March 27, 2003 5:30 PM Members Present: Linda Dellsperger, Shaner Magalh~es, Lisa Parker, Pat Schnack, Jim Swaim, David VanDusseldorp (left at 6:05 pm) Members Absent: Linda Prybil, Jesse Singerman, and Tom Suter Staff Present: Barbara Black, Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Barbara Curtin, Debb Green, Kara Logsden, Heidi Lauritzen, Martha Lubaroff Others: Joel Miller, Building Project Manager CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm PUBLIC DISCUSSION None APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The regular minutes of February 27, 2003 were approved unanimously after a motion by Swaim/Dellsperger. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Miller distributed a copy of his weekly progress report. The project is still on time, and we are about 47% into the project. There have been no recent cost adjustments to the contract. Pictures on the first two pages showed progress on the external portion of the building and the grading for playground equipment, which is being re-installed starting Monday. Once playground equipment is installed and the rubber bottom is placed, the brickwork will be done. The fence will stay up until work on 64 I-A begins. Craig prepared a document for the Board, which outlined the income for the project, which included bond sale, income from rental property, interest, and a payment from Qwest for redesign of the back wall to accommodate their equipment. Total income is approximately $18,707,289. She then listed current actual and estimated expenses, which included pre-construction, and construction costs, equipment, art and furnishings. There were some expenses that were not originally in the budget, like taxes on the property purchase and hazardous Board of Trustees Agenda item 3A Page 2 materials abatement. Some items were over budget and some were under. Craig estimates we still have an uncommitted contingency of about $589,000. Hopefully this will see us through Phase II of the project. Phase II is a more complicated construction project because it is remodeling. She wanted the Board to have a level of comfort with the budget as we begin to get requests for additional items. For example, Marvin Bell wants to work on a poem to honor the library for our grand opening. He is not asking for a fee; however if the Board approved it, he would like to see it reproduced in a meaningful way and hung in the library. Bell is the Poet Laureate of Iowa and a library user. Actual cost would not be high. The Board was excited by this offer and directed staff to ask Bell to proceed. Approve contract for moving library furnishings: We received three responses to the Request for Proposal. The lowest price and most responsive RFP came from Maher Bros a local firm. Swaim moved approval of the contract as recommended. Schnack seconded. All in favor voted Aye. None opposed. NEW BUSINESS Policy Review: Discussion Rooms This policy is a regularly scheduled review and no changes were recommended. Board reviewed. No action was necessary. STAFF REPORTS Departmental reports included in packet this month were from Circulation, Adult Services, and Information. There were no questions. Development Office report: Curtin reminded Board members about the Volunteer Recognition, Friday April 11; the Open House for donors on April 27, and the rededication of the playground on May 10. Security Measures: Information from the City of Iowa City was included in the packet, regarding plans for heightened security for local governments. Craig said that she would call for emergency measures as recommended by the Police or Fire chiefs. County Funding: Johnson County is funding all requests from the libraries of Johnson County for the coming fiscal year except the new library in Tiffin. Swaim encouraged trustees to show up at the County's public hearing for the budget. He explained that up until the certification, changes could be made. He encouraged us to keep in mind that the final public hearing is as important as all the pre-budget meetings. Swaim recommended that during the year we continue to monitor the meetings of the Supervisors. He suggested that the libraries approach them as a group early in the next fiscal year in an effort to Board of Trustees Agenda item 3A Page 3 encourage and support their job of trying to find a way to fund libraries. Craig said that the next meeting of Public Libraries Association is coming up and she will put it on the agenda. Craig has been asked to speak at the American Book Exposition about AIR (All Iowa Reads). PRESIDENT'S REPORT Singerman, Suter and VanDusseldorp agreed to serve on the committee to evaluate the director. Singerman will chair. ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MEMBERS Swaim announced that United Action for Youth received a grant for $200,000/year to fund a transitional program for youth who are pregnant. Iowa Women's Foundation is having a sale at Unitarian Church. 3-7:30 pm on Friday. COMMUNICATIONS Foundation: Reaching for New Heights naming committee met about revising the policy. They will be bringing recommendations for next meeting. No further action on the retail space. Magalh~es reminds Trustees about contributing to the Annual Fund if they haven't done so. A second reminder mailing will go out in May followed by a phonathon. The community group meeting to discuss the homeless situation in Iowa City has put together a position paper. It will be included in a Board packet. DISBURSEMENTS Visa expenditures for February, 2003 were reviewed. Disbursements for February, 2003 were approved unanimously after a motion by Swaim/Dellsperger. We meet in April in the Lobby Conference Room of the Civic Center. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm after a motion by Magalh~es/Parker. Minutes taken and transcribed by Martha Lubaroff MINUTES FINAL IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2003 - 5:30 P.M. CITY CABLE TV OFFICE, 10 S. LINN ST.-TOWER PLACE PARKING FACILITY MEMBERS PRESENT: Saul Mekies, Jim Pusack, Kimberly Thrower, Terry Smith MEMBERS ABSENT: Kembrew McLeod STAFF PRESENT: Drew Shaffer, Mike Brau, Bob Hardy, Andy Matthews, Dale Helling OTHERS PRESENT: Beth Fisher, Rene Paine, Jon Koebrick, Kevin Hoyland RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIl, None at this time. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION Pusack was unanimously elected chair and Smith unanimously elected vice-chair. Koebrick reported that Mediacom has begun to upgrade the system to 750 MHz. It is anticipated that it will be completed by the end of June. The upgrade will add capacity for video on demand and faster cable modem speeds. About 60 nodes will be added. Brief service interruptions of about 1 hour will occur between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the system Subscribers will be notified by newspaper ads, notices on the cable system, and mass email to cable modem subscribers. In addition, phone calls will be made to affected subscribers the day before the anticipated interruption. Paine reported that PATV recently hosted a group of children from the city recreation center. PATV was approached by a class from the University of Iowa who offered to develop a public relations program for them. The class will be conducting a viewer survey for PATV. The chili dinner and Thai Flavors fundraisers garnered about $1,000. April 15 will be proclaimed PATV Day by the City Council. Koebrick said Mediacom donated about $1,000 worth of airtime to promote PATV's fundraisers. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Smith nominated Pusack to serve as chair. Thrower seconded the nomination. Pusack was unanimously elected chair. Thrower nominated Smith to serve as vice-chair. Mekies seconded the nomination. Smith was unanimously elected vice-chair. APPROVAL OF MINIUTE$ Smith moved and Thrower seconded a motion to approve the February, 2003 meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS Thrower said she was honored to serve on the Commission and thanked the City for her appointment. SHORT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None. CONSUMER ISSUES Shaffer referred to the complaint register in the meeting packet. Shaffer reported receiving a total of 54 complaints during the past month. All the complaints that could be resolved, have been. There were 14 complaints that the rates are too high or have been increased too often, 8 about the lack of competition, 6 about no notice of the channel lineup change, 4 complaining about service representatives not being well trained or treating subscribers poorly, 3 about cable modem technical problems, 3 about being placed on hold for extended periods of time and improper transferring of calls to Des Moines, 4 about poor customer service, 3 about confusion over the $10 coupon with one about the coupon not being honored, 2 about not getting repairs in a timely manner, 2 about the change in the channel lineup, 1 that the cable modem service is not as fast as advertised, 1 about needing to be able to get a cable drop buried, 1 about a TV technical problem, 1 that the cable modem price is too high, I that the platinum package is no longer available and the service representatives not being informed, 1 about graphic images on EWTN of late term abortions, 1 about defective digital equipment, 1 about changing channel lineups without proper notification, and 1 about the need to re-wire an apartment at the subscriber's cost because the existing wiring is too old and has interference problems as a result of the upgrading of the cable system. MEDIACOM REPORT Koebrick reported that Mediacom has begun to upgrade the system to 750 MHz. It is anticipated that it will be completed by the end of Jnne. The upgrade will add capacity for video on demand and faster cable modem speeds. About 60 nodes will be added. Brief service interruptions of about 1 hour will occur between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. throughout the system Subscribers will be notified by newspaper ads, notices on the cable system, and mass email to cable modem subscribers. In addition, phone calls will be made to affected subscribers the day before the anticipated interruption. Pusack said that the cable modem email might have indicated that the upgrade will increase speed. Pusack asked if there will be any upgraded cable modem packages as a result of the upgrade. Koebrick said that a guaranteed bandwidth service will be offered primarily to business. Changing digital converter boxes will not be necessary, but a different box will be needed for high definition TV when it is available. That box will incorporate a number of other improvements as well. UNIVERSITY OF IOWA REPORT No representative was present. PATV REPORT Paine reported that PATV recently hosted a group of children from the city recreation center. PATV was approached by a class from the University of Iowa who offered to develop a public relations program for them. The class will be conducting a viewer survey for PATV. The chili dinner and Thai Flavors fundraisers garnered about $1,000. April 15 will be proclaimed PATV Day by the City Council. Koebrick said Mediacom donated about $1,000 worth of airtime to promote PATV's fundraisers. SENIOR CENTER REPORT No representative was present. ADJOURNMENT Due to an unexpected event the remainder of the meeting was tabled and the meeting adjourned at 6:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Wm. Drew Shaffer Cable TV Administrator