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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-06-01 Info PacketCity Council Information Packet June 1, 2023 IP1.Council Tentative Meeting Schedule IP2.Work Session Agenda IP3.Email from Jim Throgmorton on behalf of the Northside Neighborhood Association's (NNA's) Steering Committee: Strengthening Iowa City's Central Neighborhoods IP4.Pending City Council Work Session Topics IP5.Memo from City Manager: Funding for Bus Rapid Transit Study IP6.Memo from Grants Manager: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Update IP7.Historic Preservation Commission: May 11 IP8.Human Rights Commission: May 23 IP9.Senior Center Commission: May 18 Council Tentative Meeting Schedule June 6 Work Session Miscellaneous Draft Minutes June 1, 2023 City of Iowa City Attachments:Council Tentative Meeting Schedule Item Number: IP1. June 1, 2023 Council Tentative Meeting Schedule City Council Tentative Meeting Schedule Subject to change June 1, 2023 Date Time Meeting Location Tuesday, June 6, 2023 3:00 PM Special Formal City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall Work Session 410 E. Washington Street 6:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, June 20, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, July 11, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Monday, July 17, 2023 4:30 PM Joint Entities Meeting TBD Hosted by Johnson County Tuesday, August 1, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, August 15, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, September 5, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, September 19, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, October 3, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Monday, October 16, 2023 4:30 PM Joint Entities Meeting TBD Hosted by Iowa City Community Sch Dist Tuesday, October 17, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Monday, November 6, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, November 21, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Tuesday, December 12, 2023 4:00 PM Work Session City Hall, Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:00 PM Formal Meeting 410 E. Washington Street Attachments:Work Session Agenda Item Number: IP2. June 1, 2023 Work Session Agenda Subject to change as finalized by the City Clerk. For a final official copy, contact the City Clerk's Office 356-5041 If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Kellie Fruehling at 319-356-5041, kellie- fruehling@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Iowa City City Council - Work Session Agenda Work Session June 6, 2023 - 3:00 PM Emma J. Harvat Hall 410 E. Washington Street www.icgov.org City of Iowa City Land Acknowledgment can be found at: icgov.org/landacknowledgement Meeting Rules can be found at: icgov.org/meetingrules You can watch the meeting on cable channel 4 (118.2 QAM) in Iowa City, University Heights and Coralville, or you can watch it online at any of the following websites: https://citychannel4.com/live https://www.youtube.com/user/citychannel4/live https://facebook.com/CityofIowaCity (The Work Session will begin following the 3:00 PM Special Formal meeting) 1. Discussion of an amendment to the RNS-12 zoning code 2. Clarification of Agenda Items 3. Information Packet Discussion [May 18 - no packet, May 25, June 1] Council direction needed on the following items: 1. (6/1) IP5 Memo rom City Manager: Funding for Bus Rapid Transit Study 4. University of Iowa Student Government (USG) Updates 5. Council updates on assigned boards, commissions, and committees Attachments:Email from Jim Throgmorton on behalf of the Northside Neighborhood Association's (NNA's) Steering Committee: Strengthening Iowa City's Central Neighborhoods Item Number: IP3. June 1, 2023 Email from Jim Throgmorton on behalf of the Northside Neighborhood Association's (NNA's) Steering Committee: Strengthening Iowa City's Central Neighborhoods Attachments:Pending City Council Work Session Topics Item Number: IP4. June 1, 2023 Pending City Council Work Session Topics PENDING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION TOPICS May 31, 2023 FY23-24 Strategic Plan Action Item Topics Requiring Council Discussion: • Explore legal steps to discourage or prevent bad faith and predatory property investors • Initiate a Comprehensive Plan update and subsequent Zoning Code review to more broadly incorporate form-based principles with emphasis on growth areas first and infill areas next, expanded missing middle housing allowances, minimum density requirements, and streamlined approval processes (Suggested Joint Meeting with Planning and Zoning Commission) • Advance prioritized recommendations in the 2022 Affordable Housing Action Plan. Work with partners to undertake significant-scale affordable housing efforts • Develop a vision statement for a singular regional transit system with metro Johnson County entities and obtain initial commitments to study a regional system from each entity’s elected officials • Explore opportunities to utilize the CRANDIC right-of-way for passenger rail, bus rapid transit, or pedestrian usage • Evaluate with the State of Iowa reverting Dodge and Governor to 2-way streets • Utilizing American Rescue Act Funds, execute on agreeable recommendations in the Inclusive Economic Development Plan with a particular focus on actions that build long-term support and wealth-building opportunities for systemically marginalized populations • Work collaboratively with Johnson County and other stakeholders to launch a community violence intervention effort in close cooperation with local law enforcement Other Topics: • Quarterly American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA-SLRF) update • Consider a strategic plan decision-making framework • Develop strategies to address equity gaps noted in the Parks Master Plan and plan for the equitable distribution of destination parks within an easy and safe distance of all residents. • Review of the 2020 Preliminary Plan to Accelerate Community Policing • Review urban chicken regulations Note: Some items on the Pending List may require staff research and information gathering prior to scheduling. Attachments:Memo from City Manager: Funding for Bus Rapid Transit Study Item Number: IP5. June 1, 2023 Memo from City Manager: Funding for Bus Rapid Transit Study 29TDate:29T June 1, 2023 29TTo:29T Mayor and City Council 29TFrom:29T Geoff Fruin, City Manager 29TRe:29T Funding for Bus Rapid Transit Study The MPO was recently directed to move forward with a Bus Rapid Transit Study for the CRANDIC Corridor. The goal of the study is to mimic the previously completed passenger rail studies in order to compare which travel mode (bus or train) provides the greatest benefit to the community. The MPO has now completed the consultant selection process and is ready to move forward finalizing the contract to initiate the study. Prior to finalizing the consultant contract, the MPO is seeking confirmation from funding partners. The estimated cost of the study is $250,000, which is similar to the cost of the previous passenger rail studies. If each MPO entity that helped fund the passenger rail studies participates evenly (Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Johnson County, and the University of Iowa), the cost will be $50k per entity. The MPO has asked that each entity confirm their financial commitment of $50k by June 16PthP. Regional transportation and the utilization of the CRANDIC corridor are both noted as specific action items in your FY23-FY28 Strategic Plan. Staff recommends supporting this study with a contribution of $50k. Attachments:Memo from Grants Manager: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Update Item Number: IP6. June 1, 2023 Memo from Grants Manager: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Update Date: June 1, 2023 To: City Council From: Cassandra Pierson, Grants Manager Re: American Rescue Plan Act Update The U.S. Treasury has allocated $18.3 million to the City of Iowa City in local fiscal recovery funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The City has spent or encumbered approximately $14.02 million to date. At the Sept. 7, 2021 Work Session, City Council signaled their support for the following expenditure priorities, categorized by emergent needs and strategic investments: Program 2021 Est. Range Funded Expended Status Emergent Needs: Direct Payments to Eligible Adults $1 - $1.5M $1,184,071.19 $1,184,071.19 Complete Eviction Prevention $1 - $2M $1,137,710.00 $14,763.09 In Progress Housing Repair / Relocation $500k - $1.5M $1,071,500.00 $1,071,500.00 Complete Emergency Non-Profit Assistance $500k - $1M $485,000.00 $161,234.59 In Progress Strategic Investments: BIPOC Business Support Framework / Infrastructure $4 - $6M $4M (pending) $0 In Development Social Service Needs Assessment, Capital Planning & Seed Funding $3 - $6M $3M (pending) $0 In Development Affordable Housing Initiatives $2.5 - $6M In Development Mental Health Services $1.5 - $3M $939,082.00 $528,296.22 In Progress Workforce Development $1.5 - $3M $535,000.00 $750K (pending) $23,865.22 In Progress Climate Resiliency and Hazard Assessment Planning $500k - $3M In Development Small Business, Arts, Culture, and Tourism Investments $1 - $2M $250,000.00 $171,470.02 In Progress Government Services and City Revenue Replacement $1 - $3M $676,146.49 Admin Costs: TBD $705,489.50 In Progress Total 2021 Estimated Funding Range: $18 - $38 million City’s ARPA Allocation: $18,325,190.00 ARPA Funds Encumbered (includes pending): $14,058,091.69 Total Unencumbered ARPA Funds: $4,267,098.31 May 30, 2023 Page 2 Program Status Update: Emergent Priorities Direct Payments to Eligible Adults Status: Complete Amount Funded: $1,184,071.19 The Johnson County Direct Assistance Program received 2,238 eligible applications from throughout Johnson County. Johnson County funded the first 1,428 applicants and the City of Iowa City funded 791 applicants (472 residing in Iowa City and 319 residing outside Iowa City). Eviction Prevention Status: In Progress Amount Funded: $1,137,710 Amount Expended: $14,763.09 The pandemic created and exacerbated housing instability for many populations. Shelter House developed the Housing Stability Pilot program for ARPA-funded community eviction prevention that will extend and enhance previously allocated federal, state, and local dollars . The proposal was presented to and accepted by Council on January 10th, 2023. Next Steps: The project is in progress. Agreement amendment completed to begin Landlord Risk Mitigation activities by July 1st rather than February 1st. Shelter House is in the process of hiring staff. Forest View Relocation Status: Complete Amount Funded: $1,071,500.00 As of February 1, 2023, all residents vacated by the deadline and were eligible for relocation assistance. In total, 80 Forest View residents received the full relocation amount of $15,750. The Center for Worker Justice worked directly with residents to assist them in obtaining affordable housing opportunities. Emergency Non-Profit Assistance Status: In Progress Amount Funded: $485,000 Amount Expended: $161,234.59 Nonprofit Operating Assistance Funding Round: Applications for operating assistance were reviewed and $400,000 in funding recommendations were approved by City Council at the October 18, 2022 meeting. Twelve non-profit agencies were awarded funding. All agreements have been finalized and projects are in progress. Some program highlights are: • Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Johnson County has recruited more than 80 new inquiries for Big volunteers and continues to work on the data migration into their new ARPA-funded Development software, Gravyty. • Inside Out Reentry has assisted 146 individuals with housing searches and financial resources to maintain or establish housing since the start of the program. • Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County has reinvigorated the Pheasant Ridge location by replacing furnishings. They have held several meetings and open houses to encourage community involvement. May 30, 2023 Page 3 • Open Heartland continues to distribute weekly food and necessity bags and report that “families seem to be very happy with the new foods we’re able to provide with this partnership”. • Table to Table has so far completed 1,171 routes that served Iowa City and delivered a total of 667,413 pounds of food to Iowa City partners. Wage Theft: In coordination with commitments from Johnson County, Coralville, and North Liberty, Iowa City allocated $85,000 over five years to the Center for Worker Justice for an expanded campaign to confront wage theft, promote worker rights, and hire a full -time Wage Theft Organizer. The CWJ Wage Theft program has assisted 17 workers and recovered $24,827.61 in lost wages since May 2022. Next Steps: Staff will continue to monitor each project monthly and provide quarterly updates. Program Status Update: Strategic Investments BIPOC Business Support Framework & Infrastructure Status: In Development Amount Allocated/Pending: $4 million The Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) funded an economic inclusion study led by Astig Planning to identify gaps in resources and opportunities for local marginalized businesses and entrepreneurs. The resulting Inclusive Economic Development Plan was presented to Council in September 2022. Additionally, City staff have been engaged in conversations with several local BIPOC business owners and entrepreneurs regarding projects and programs related to this effort. Based upon the recommendations included in the Plan, a proposed funding process and draft Request for Statements of Interest (RSI) was included in the March 2, 2023 Information Packet. With Council’s general consensus to move forward at the March 7 th Work Session, the RSI was published on March 13th. The funding program intends to award $4 million in grants or loans for capital projects or business support programs serving underestimated small businesses and entrepreneurs. Next Steps: Statements of Interest were due May 1, 2023. In total, 30 statements of interest were received. The review phase is anticipated to mirror the same process used for the Non-Profit Capital Grant program and is estimated to take about 60 days: • An internal team of City staff and Council representatives will evaluate submissions and interview one or more of the submitting agencies to learn more about the project. • The evaluation committee will develop preliminary funding recommendations and recommend to the City Council that the City work directly with one or more of the submitting agencies to develop a full proposal. • Upon initial approval by the City Council, staff will work with the selected applicant(s) to develop comprehensive proposals and grant agreements for final Council approval. May 30, 2023 Page 4 Social Services Capital Funding Program Status: In Development Amount Allocated/Pending: $3 million With Council direction, staff developed a Non-Profit Capacity Building Capital Grant Program and released a Request for Statements of Interest in December 2022. Eight nonprofit agencies submitted a Statement of Interest for consideration under the program. Councilors Alter and Bergus were appointed to review the submissions along with a team of City staff members. The review committee held informational interviews with a set of applicants in February 2023 and has developed preliminary funding recommendations to be included on the March 21, 2023 City Council formal meeting agenda. Next Steps: Preliminary funding recommendations will be included on the March 21, 2023 City Council meeting agenda. Upon City Council approval of the preliminary funding recommendations, staff will work with the selected agency or agencies to develop a full proposal and the corresponding grant agreements for final City Council approval at a future formal meeting. Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County’s complete proposal is pending ba sed upon identifying the appropriate property for acquisition, while Free Medical Clinic is working with a contractor to develop a detailed project scope and budget and anticipates a complete proposal to be ready for Council review by early Fall 2023. Affordable Housing Initiatives Status: Not Started ARPA-funded affordable housing investments will take a multi-pronged approach, including: • Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County: The City has initiated discussion with the Housing Trust Fund on their interest in administering an ARPA-funded Affordable Rental Housing Initiative targeting projects that will secure permanent affordability. • Other Projects: The Johnson County Board of Supervisors allocated $4 million in ARPA funding to develop the County-owned property at 821 S. Clinton Street for affordable housing redevelopment. Staff will continue to work with the County to identify opportunities for collaboration. Next Steps: “Advance prioritized recommendations in the 2022 Affordable Housing Action Plan. Work with partners to undertake significant-scale affordable housing efforts” has been added to the City Council Pending Work Session Topic list and this discussion (anticipated Summer 2023) will inform next steps on this ARPA priority. Mental Health Services Status: In Progress Amount Funded: $939,082 Amount Expended: $528,296.22 City Council approved a subrecipient agreement with CommUnity at the February 15, 2022 meeting to expand Mobile Crisis Outreach in response to the exacerbated mental health impacts of the pandemic. To date, CommUnity has hired three full-time counselors, purchased eight vehicles, and completed the remodel of the physical office space. May 30, 2023 Page 5 Next Steps: Staff will continue to monitor this agreement and will report as appropriate to City Council on the outcomes of this investment. Workforce Development Status: In Progress & In Development Amount Funded - Childcare Navigator (4Cs): $100,000 Amount Expended: $13,542.02 Amount Funded - Pre-Apprenticeship Program (UI Labor Center): $435,239 Amount Expended: $10,323.20 Amount Allocated/Pending: $750,000 Workforce Development: A $435,239 agreement with the UI Labor Center for a pre- apprenticeship program targeting underserved populations in the building and construction trades was approved by Council on December 6th, 2022. This program is underway and a progress update will be included in future ARPA status update memos. Childcare: In June 2022, 4Cs and the Iowa City Area Business Partnership presented an update on regional childcare efforts and needs to City Council and recommended Council consider funding a childcare navigator position. 4Cs applied for this funding during the Nonprofit Operating Assistance funding round, however Council agreed with the staff recommendation that the proposal be funded through the Workforce Development initiatives. 4Cs was awarded $100,000 in ARPA funds for the navigator position. This program is underway and a progress update will be included in future ARPA status update memos. Additionally, Johnson County, Better Together 2030, and other community partners presented a proposed Childcare Wage Supplement Program at the March 7, 2023 City Council Work Session. Staff have continued to work with Johnson County and Better Together 2030 in planning and development of the Childcare Wage Supplement program documentation and assessing eligibility of applicants. Next Steps: Staff will continue to monitor the agreements and will report as appropriate. Staff anticipates presenting an ARPA grant agreement for the Wage Supplement Program for Council review in June. Climate Resilience and Hazard Assessment Planning Status: In Development Discussion about the utilization of ARPA dollars for climate action-related projects was held at the March 21, 2023 City Council Work Session. Given demands in other ARPA priority areas, staff have advised that this project may need to be deferred for funding with local dollars or other federal funding opportunities rolled out through the Inflation Reduction Act . Council requested updated recommendations be received from the Climate Action Commission in order to determine the appropriate allocation for this priority. Recommendations from the Climate Action Commission were reviewed by Council at the May 16th Work Session. May 30, 2023 Page 6 Small Business, Arts & Culture, and Tourism Investments Status: In Progress Amount Funded: $250,000 Amount Expended: $171,470.02 At the June 6, 2022 City Council meeting, Council approved an agreement with Think Iowa City to replace $125,000 in lost hotel/motel tax revenue due to COVID-19 and to develop and administer a $125,000 tourism and visitor recovery grant program to spur tourism and economic activity in the Iowa City area. Of the $125,000 available through the grant program, Think Iowa City has awarded four projects to date: • $7,500 to the Iowa Golden Gloves to host the 2023 Iowa Golden Gloves Championships boxing tournament in Iowa City, organized by the ICOR Boxing Club. • $15,000 to the Refocus Film Festival hosted by FilmScene in Iowa City. • $30,000 to the Iowa City Downtown District to host the Winter Night Lights light display and winter programming in downtown Iowa City. • $5,000 to EntreFEST to host a two-day entrepreneurship and innovation conference in downtown Iowa City in June 2023. Think Iowa City continues to accept applications on a rolling basis. Additionally, some ARPA funds were tentatively set aside for the regional river activation proposal submitted to the state ARPA-funded Destination Iowa tourism grant program. However, staff was informed in March 2023 that the application was denied. Next Steps: Staff will continue to monitor the existing local tourism grant program and report updates to Council. Government Services and Revenue Replacement Status: N/A Amount Expended: $705,489.50 Revenue Replacement At the September 7, 2021 Work Session, Council indicated a hesitancy to pursue revenue replacement as allowed under the ARPA statue. The Final Rule simplified the revenue replacement process, allowing a standard revenue replacement allowance of up to $10 m illion. This change was intended to simplify the revenue replacement option for local governments and to expand eligible uses to government services that are not enumerated or otherwise eligible in U.S. Treasury eligible use guidance. Staff encourages Council to maintain revenue replacement as a viable option as it may provide additional flexibility to meet community needs. Utility Assistance Program Council approved the resolution authorizing Utility Billing Revenue Replacement on September 6, 2022 meeting, bringing utility accounts current as of June 1, 2022 and resuming regular collections procedures. Administrative Expenses Administrative expenses attributed to ARPA are charged to the category of Revenue Replacement. Attachments:Historic Preservation Commission: May 11 Item Number: IP7. June 1, 2023 Historic Preservation Commission: May 11 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MAY 11, 2023 – 5:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Kevin Boyd, Jordan Sellergren, Noah Stork, Deanna Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Carl Brown, Christina Welu-Reynolds STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Sarah Gardner OTHERS PRESENT: CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Boyd called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. STAFF PRESENTATION ON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN PROGRESS: Sarah Gardner, Climate Action Coordinator for Iowa City presented the progress that's been made in the last three years in implementing the City's climate action goals. In the progress report, the City established a goal of reducing emissions 45% by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. Gardner reported they are well on their way to achieving that first goal. They do annual greenhouse gas inventories that keep track of the emission sector sources across Iowa City and noted in 2020 they actually achieved the 2030 goal a little early but it went back up in 2021 which actually was an indicator of the impact of the pandemic and the impacts of the pandemic shows up in several data points. Gardner stated the goals they want to achieve are achievable, the pandemic actually gave them some important clues of some of the other levers they could be pulling to help bring it down and now they have a chance to do it in a way that doesn't destabilize the economy. She reiterated they keep track of emissions across sectors and pointed out that they've had reductions pretty steadily across the board, some larger reductions in the industrial and commercial and residential sectors, a little less so in the UI power plant, although that is largely because they had already made such large strides to get off coal. Gardner stated there are just a few remaining emissions to be addressed, that actually will be diminished when they make the final conversion of their last boiler. Another sector is transportation where there was a little pandemic related dip, in part because people were working remotely and now have started to return to the offices so there is a rise in those emissions again. Regarding waste, total emissions impact from the waste stream here in Iowa City only account for about 3% of the total emissions. The overwhelming amount of emissions in the City come from energy usage in the buildings, things that are related to heating and cooling and lighting and the electronic devices. When talking about climate actions the first thing often talked about is recycling which is an important part of the conversation but there were other larger interventions that they also need to be focusing on. Energy usage in buildings is HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 2 of 10 the largest source of emissions here in Iowa City. They are making strides to reduce it, in just a three- year period they’ve taken the tons per capita in residential structures down from just under three tons per capita to 2.3. Gardner stated the number one driver of energy usage in households is heating and cooling and she showed how they further break that data down by how much is electricity usage and how much of it is natural gas usage. The fossil gas usage actually accounts for the largest share of energy usage in households so for that reason, they have energy efficiency programs in the state, which are a core component of the work that her office does. Their office focuses on two things, one is reducing energy usage overall, that has a number of benefits, not the least of which is helping keep costs low as they transition to clean energy sources and the other thing they talk a lot about is electrification and how do they reduce that natural gas usage because with electricity there are cleaner options to tap into. Gardner noted they spent $80,000 last year on energy efficiency programs within residences in Iowa City. That was largely through the energy efficiency grant programs which are provided such things as increasing attic insulation, switching over to heat pumps and doing electrical panel upgrades in income qualified households. Those programs are really starting to take off and they’ve been doing some increased marketing around those programs to let people know that they're qualified. Gardner stated one of the ways that they've traditionally engaged with households is performing energy audits in Iowa City households, and people don't have to be income qualified to receive this. They have AmeriCorps members who are trained to go in and perform a blower door test and help identify areas of air loss which translates into heat loss in homes and then they can provide weatherization services. Also in the last three years they have begun what they call neighborhood energy blitzes, where they go into households in targeted neighborhood and deliver kits that contain energy saving devices like LED light bulbs, furnace whistles and oddly the most popular item is the sand shower timers which help people be a little more aware of how long they are in the shower. They then will come back and collect used lightbulbs and use batteries. The most recent event was just last month, and they collected over 120 pounds of material be recycled and about 80 pounds were batteries and the remaining 40 pounds were light bulbs. Gardner stated they also have grants for commercial and industrial entities to help decrease energy usage. For commercial and industrial entities it's largely electricity usage that's driving those emissions and so for these entities they focus on energy efficiency but also incorporate some clean energy interventions. Through that program they've been able to put solar panels on a number of businesses and done things like switch over to LED lighting. Recently they did a project with Procter and Gamble that replaced an air compressor that moved units along one of their production lines and the net realized huge energy efficiency gains. They also have grants for organizations and nonprofits, largely here in Iowa City, to pursue their own climate action projects related to the climate action goals. Increasingly, they’re seeing more of those projects come in that are focused on buildings and energy, which tells them the message is getting out and those are the interventions needed. For example, a grant that was given to Public Space One last year paid to help renovate the historic building they occupy to help rebuild sashes and reglaze the windows. In return for getting the grant, they agreed to host workshops to help area homeowners gain those skills as well and the workshops were so popular they ended up scheduling additional class. Regarding the work they're doing with transportation Gardner stated one of the big goals in the climate action plan is to increase transit ridership, it actually calls for doubling transit ridership over the 2018 levels. She noted this is one of the areas where they can really begin to see the impact of the pandemic and is one of the most lasting impacts. Transit ridership dropped off dramatically at the beginning of the pandemic and never fully recovered. So one of the challenges in the coming years is rather than doubling transit ridership now they're really looking at tripling it. Sellergren asked if some of the routes were cut, like there was a there was a route on First Avenue that HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 3 of 10 went past the high school that may have been eliminated completely during the pandemic. Gardner stated there were some routes that were reconfigured, and actually now as they're configured are able to cover a wider area in Iowa City. She was a bit of a skeptic as her own transit route was one of the ones that was rerouted to go out into Windsor Heights, and they’ve picked up a number of riders. Also it was just announced two routes are now going from 30 minute service to 20 minute service, which is huge. Sellergren asked why the transit ends so early, like 7:30 on the weekends or something like that. Gardner replied that is probably a question better fielded by the transit director. They conducted a transit study and are looking to address many things brought up in that study. One of the other things they’ll bring to City Council is piloting free fare on the buses, which will also make a difference. Gardner pointed out between 2018 and now the transit ridership was reduced down to 3% of the total mode share here in Iowa City but almost all of that reduction went to work from home so from a climate perspective it actually may be an even trade because those folks aren't out driving instead of riding the bus. That could possibly create more capacity on those buses because now there are more empty seats to hopefully try to get the folks who are driving alone to think about taking the bus instead. Gardner stated while they want to increase transit ridership, they also want to increase walking and biking and advocate for electric vehicles, which switches over to a cleaner and lower form of emissions for vehicles. The City has begun switching over to electric vehicles and also have electric buses going around town. They continue to pursue grants and other funding strategies to add more electric buses to the fleet. They are also getting ready within their office to begin working with contractors to develop a fleet transition plan for the entirety of the city fleet, so it won't just be light duty vehicles but also what other kinds of heavy-duty vehicles that could be reasonably converted to electricity going forward such as electric dump trucks and electric fire trucks. Gardner stated in Iowa City there's increasing demand for electric vehicles, and she showed chart of the number of unique users at the electric charging stations in the public ramps in Iowa City. The fleet transition plan comes on the heels of an electric vehicle readiness plan that was worked on about two years prior. One of the interesting findings was that to really tip the scales toward electric vehicle adoption municipalities need about 450 charging points per million people. Iowa City doesn’t have a million people so they had to adjust that number downward and when they did they found they were already at the 450 charge points per million and since then actually risen to 650 charge points per million equivalent. Gardner shared a map of where all the different charging stations that are in Iowa City. They have some level two charging stations, those are the ones found in the parking ramps for normal charging and then also some DC fast chargers that are able to take a battery that's been fully depleted to fully topped off within 40 minutes. Those super-fast ones particularly serve interstate travel very well and allows Iowa City to continue functioning as an interstate served community and the level two stations actually serve local residents much more. Stork asked how the charging stations work and how do people pay for them. Gardner replied that currently, and through the end of June, they are free in the parking ramps. The State a few years ago passed legislation saying that starting July 1, 2023, all stations that aren't serving residences need to start assessing 2.6 cent per kilowatt hour tax on vehicles. So when that tax goes into effect in July the City will start charging a per kilowatt hour fee at those stations to recoup the tax to pay the State. Iowa City is thinking ahead to that tax and also thinking about how electric vehicles actually get used by the people who own them. They know the data is pretty clear that 80% of charging actually happens at home, it doesn't happen publicly, that public charging is important for peace of mind so someone is not driving around and not have a way of recharging their vehicle. Also charging at home avoids paying that tax. Iowa City, as part of an EV readiness study, engaged with landlords to talk about what can the City do to help get charging stations located at multifamily residences so that renters are able to have HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 4 of 10 the same kind of convenience in using EVs and not disproportionately pay the tax by being forced to charge at public charging stations. Last month they signed the very first contract with a condo association to put in electric vehicle charging capacity for their residents. Stork noted it’s interesting to hear that stat about 80% is the number because he would argue that having more accessible charging stations is a key to the EV movement expanding. He’s heard anecdotal stories of just people's hanging out with the charging stations so how is that going to be handled going forward. Gardner agreed and stated it's another example of the above strategy, why they’re working with multifamily units to try to get charging established at those rental units. Additionally, part of the energy efficiency program is to also help cover the cost of electric panel upgrades to make homes EV ready. Another positive of upgrading the electric infrastructure, particularly at the lower to moderate income households, is it involves undergrounding the service lines which makes them less prone to disruption during storms. While they are working on the residential component of EV stations, they are also continuing to pursue installing additional charging stations that are public, but the priority has been to enable people to access EV where they live to the extent possible. Next Gardner discussed waste and stated they do work in collaboration with the resource management staff on recycling initiatives such as initiatives to decrease food waste and organic material being sent to the landfill, because the emissions from the landfill are from organic material that is breaking down in an anaerobic environment and creating methane. They also are working on programs to divert construction and demolition waste. Jen Jordan, the landfill superintendent, just announced a partnership with a local company focused on construction and demolition waste. They also talk about reducing single use plastics and just hosted a really lovely discussion at Big Grove two weeks ago where they invited people to come and talk about the difficulties in recycling plastics, the challenges faced and how reducing actually is a more effective strategy than reusing. It was a full room and a lively conversation which shows how engaged this community is. They also help support other recycling initiatives, including recycling more paper, glass and metal. They did work with the resource management staff to look closely at the numbers from the most recent rate waste characterization study and the lion's share of these items is organics which accounts for about 24% of what goes to the landfill. Other times are consumer products of different forms, paper and plastic, and then there's construction and demolition debris, which accounts for about 18% of what's going to the landfill. Gardner added when they further break it down the largest share of the construction and demolition debris is actually made up by furniture going to the landfill, which is not something she thinks of as construction and demolition debris. The City does have a robust network of reuse stores and organizations like Houses into Homes to divert furniture from going to the landfill. Also Jane Welch recently pivoted from hosting what used to be called Rummage in the Ramp to drop off donation events and through the drop off donation events she was able to divert one ton of material from the landfill for every hour that event was going on. She's planning on hosting a series of those events again this summer as students move in and out of apartments. Additionally, while recycling is great it does use energy and generates emissions in transporting the material to and from the places. It is encouraging to see both recycling and organics diversion grew during the course of the pandemic, but so did the tonnage of material being sent to the landfill. Additionally a pandemic impact that was seen during that time was a change in the waste stream and a lot more disposable items going to the landfill, and there's an unbelievable number of masks that went to the landfill. The City also needs to get more aggressive about the cardboard ban because so many people were ordering so much more from Amazon and other online stores. A dock manager for Amazon has said on average in Iowa City there are 25,000 deliveries a day made out of that hub, which is just a stunning amount of material. Gardner noted one of the things that's unique about Iowa City's plan is it's not just a climate action plan HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 5 of 10 that looks at lowering emissions, it also recognizes that there are some climate impacts they're already experiencing in Iowa City and realistically will continue to experience for decades to come until they're able to stabilize the climate, so the plan also includes an adaptation section. The adaptation section is what do they need to do to prepare for impacts such as higher heat events and heavier rainstorms. A project she worked on early in her tenure at Iowa City was looking at the tree canopy and the ecosystem benefits of it to the City. Gardner shared a high-level heat map showing how heat is unevenly distributed across the City and not surprisingly those areas correspond with the concentrations of tree canopy. Iowa City got a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be one of about 15 cities nationally to engage in a citizen science project where they're going to be equipping residents in Iowa City with heat sensing devices to get ground level data about the heat disparity. Iowa City is doing this in collaboration with Cedar Rapids which is really wonderful and the first step towards larger initiative to develop a Corridor Climate Action Plan because even if Iowa City did every single thing right and stopped emitting greenhouse gases, it wouldn't do any good if all the other areas around continue to generate emissions. Collaborations across jurisdictions is going to become increasingly critical. Beck asked if they have enough volunteers for the citizen science project. Gardner acknowledged they do not so if anyone is interested, please volunteer by going to the website ICgov.org/spot-the-hot. They will have a kickoff event at Mercer Park on June 10 and are collaborating with the County Public Health Department on the project. Gardner stated when they think of climate change and extreme weather events, they think of things like the derecho that happened. While the derecho was terrible for so many reasons, nobody died whereas there are high heat related deaths year after year and one of the future impacts projected is to go from about nine days a year over 90 degrees in Iowa City to 90 days a year over 90 degrees. So getting out ahead of that heat and understanding where the most vulnerable parts of the community are and what they can do to begin building up resilience to that is important. It takes a long time to grow trees so they really need to know where to be planting them now. Some of the other community initiatives are a program called the climate resilience core, which involves taking area youth and training them on the projected impacts of climate change in the area and also educating them how to effectively talk with other people about climate change and hear what their concerns are to make it a real dialogue. Those youth are charged with going out and going door to door in their two-block area in their own neighborhood. An interesting change in American society that has corresponded with moving away from things like houses that have front porches is fewer and fewer people know their neighbors, so that is why they asked these youth to go out and talk to everybody who lived in a two block area and create this really wonderful zone that included information that they thought was most useful to their neighbors based on those conversations they had. Then the youth built resilient starter packs, that included things like a solar powered phone chargers because one of the things they heard from neighbors is that after the derecho people struggled when the power was out to keep their phones charged and to keep in touch with their family members, so they put these kits together and went back out into the neighborhoods and delivered the kits to the same households that they had spoken to in the two block area. This was a great opportunity to empower the youth to take real meaningful change within their own neighborhoods and help increase the resilience here in Iowa City. Gardner talked about some other ways they work to engage residents here in Iowa City. One of them is a monthly newsletter that highlights climate activity and different things going on. They keep track of the messaging by topic, so it is a pretty balanced newsletter. They talk about buildings and energy and feature things like recycling resources, transportation events, upcoming sustainability topics, etc. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 6 of 10 Subscribers have continued to grow since that newsletter was first instituted in 2018. It recently got rebranded with Goldie, the climate action mascot rolled out in the last year, and one of the great things about Goldie is, it can be difficult to indicate what is a climate action so just being able to have a mascot to put on it has helped with that branding. Another area they’ve been fielding a lot of questions about in recent months is incentives under the IRA and how they can be put to good use for Iowa City and for its residents. Staff has reviewed all the rebates and all the tax incentives that are out there for weatherization and for the home energy systems and took a look at the income caps and came up with a 10-year strategy for Iowa City residents. They’ve just begun going out into the community and talking about this but have a great checklist they've developed to distribute so folks know what to do. Gardner noted the Public Works Department is going to be the site of a solar installation going in later this year. The City is also continuing to pursue clean energy strategies for municipal buildings as well. After they get this array up on the Public Works building, they’ll be putting in an array at the airport next. Boyd was really struck by the comment about the reuse of things because they’re not going to recycle their way out of these things and the transportation cost of those things. He is particularly concerned about construction waste because the City permit for demolition is $100 and what they're contributing to the waste is significantly more than that cost. It seems like a very easy way to capture some more of the cost of demolishing things and putting it to good use to help existing buildings and disincentive to demolish something is to raise that amount. Even if they demolish a building and build the new greenest building, the transportation costs of all those materials is going to be generations before that's recaptured. Gardner agrees, when talking about embodied carbon she did a calculation on how long a building needs to be in place before energy and efficiencies for that building catch up with it, which is hard to calculate because building technologies are always changing, efficiencies are always changing, but a very rough metric with the materials now would take about 70 years to catch up. Overall it's an excellent suggestion to be very thoughtful about the costs they’re charging for people to send things to the landfill, because a landfill is forever but they also need to be engaging a lot of those consumer decisions that have a higher degree of turnover (like new furniture, remodeling, etc.). Beck was wondering if there's any realistic way to figure out for example of the furniture that goes to landfill, how much of it is genuinely still usable with declines in quality across all kinds of material goods. Gardner agreed that is difficult data to collect but as they've gone around the community and talked to landlords about putting electric vehicles in place, the biggest thing landlords have wanted to talk about is move out season with their students, because what they have is a high percentage of the student population that establishes an apartment in Iowa City and then leaves the apartment fully furnished, and it falls to the landlord to clear it out. Most likely a lot of that furniture is still usable. Yes more furniture today is not like furniture 40 years ago, like Ikea furniture, there are moving companies that won't even move it to a second location because it's so likely to fall apart and they don't want the liability. So how do they encourage the purchase of more durable goods that are meant to be reused over and over and to stand up in the test of time. Wagner wanted to comment to what was said about maybe having a higher fee, he does demolition constantly on old buildings and not an ounce of metal goes into the landfill, it gets recycled, every piece of wood either gets reused or gets recycled. He was out at the landfill the other day, and there's a giant sign that says no cardboard in the landfill and he’s out there watching 130-yard construction dumpster roll off and they're dumping wood that he then put in his truck to reuse, they were dumping 55 gallon buckets from a painting job, and the kicker was a 30 yard dumpster with a complete load of cardboard. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 7 of 10 Gardner doesn’t want to speak for another department so highly recommends bringing Jen Jordan in to speak with them, Gardner is so impressed with Jen and her commitment to creative solutions. Boyd noted when they talk about how furniture was just built more durably a generation ago, the same is true for houses. Homes that were built pre-World War II generally were just built differently, they were built to be maintained and restored by the owner for generations. Unfortunately, often the energy saving kits that come are designed for houses built post World War II so have they thought about that and how to address that. Gardner appreciates the thoughtfulness of the question but the things that go into their kits, because they're going to an entire neighborhood in one day, must be generally applicable. They did talk about including weather stripping but ultimately decided against it because of the difference in so many houses. Instead, what they tried to do is encourage people to engage the AmeriCorps team to come in because they will do that weather stripping and have training to do so. Boyd asked if the AmeriCorps folks approach properties differently, do they have training in older homes. Gardner explained the training they get is they are BPI (Building Professional Institute) certified and go through extensive training. Iowa City has committed over the last several years to make sure that every member of the team has that training. They also see it as a green jobs initiative as the number one resume builder for people on those AmeriCorps teams is having that professional certification. She’d be happy to find out the extent to which they're trained specifically on older homes, but she has been very impressed with the breadth of their knowledge and the way they do approach each home as its own entity and don't just go in with a checklist. They really do take a thoughtful approach whether they're looking for the air leaks or talking to the homeowners about what other innovative interventions are available to them. Beck noted she is not a landlord and doesn’t know what the process of getting a rental permit is like but are there any standards that the property has to meet specifically things around energy efficiency as a way to encourage landlords do things. Gardner noted in the climate action plan there is an item calling for the City to try to increase energy efficiency requirements for landlords. Unfortunately, the legislative environment in in the State at the moment makes it a little difficult to make that a hard and fast requirement so instead they have been thinking about ways to incentivize landlords. She just came across a pilot program in Charlottesville that offers to cover the cost in full of energy efficiency upgrades for rental property in return for that rental property agreeing to accept Section VIII vouchers. That is a potential way of incentivizing increased energy efficiency without driving up the cost of those rents and also meeting another need in the community. The previous legislative session last year made it forbidden for cities to require landlords to take Section VIII vouchers so a program like this could be a potential win/win and create an incentive to take those vouchers by increasing the value of the property and increasing the energy efficiency. Villanueva noted going back to the energy audit, they did one on her house which was built in 1882. It did flag a lot of the things that you would expect in an old house, like the attic and basement. It also caught like a miniscule gas leak. So they are now thinking of potentially a targeted approach towards older homes as they're not the most energy efficient homes and maybe list resources that homeowners can look into to think about are those specific needs that might need to be addressed by owning an older home and wanting to make it more energy efficient. Gardner stated they haven't looked into doing a flyer or a mailer but certainly are very open to having that conversation and perhaps do an energy blitz in Longfellow neighborhood. They have held off doing an energy blitz in that neighborhood because those houses have very specific needs that the energy kits they've been distributing thus far may not adequately address. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 8 of 10 Villanueva stated homeowners that are buying older homes just don't necessarily walk in realizing the energy efficiency needs are going to be so different compared to more modern homes. To just replace the windows is not going to make a home energy efficient, there's so much more to be targeting and really small things that can help as well. Stork asked about the grants to income qualified candidates, it seems like the historic districts is a slightly tougher sell because if they're very high value homes it is harder to justify giving a grant. Gardner stated that's why they are being fairly aggressive in messaging around the IRA incentives, because they're accessible to all homeowners. One of the things that can get funding under the IRA are tax credits and rebates for replacing windows and doors. Boyd stated it might be worth to point folks to resources and the types of incentives that are available to historic homes that help with energy efficiency. Maybe it could be timed around one of the neighborhood blitzes or something. Stork asked if the City tracks or likes to communicate what they're spending yearly per budget towards the 2050 goal or what part of the City's budget is dedicated toward climate. Gardner stated as a unit of government all expenditures are tracked and one of the things they tried to do with the progress report is capture spending but they don't have a great way of tracking what individual residents are spending on their own buildings. Sellergren noted they have a 1920s house and don't have an air conditioner and they just make it work. They understand that part of the design of an older home was it wasn’t designed to have air conditioners so they closed it up in the morning and open it up at night and people could use that reminder of if they want to save money, or they want to be more efficient if they close up they can really manage a lot of the heat accumulation. Gardner also grew up in a house that was built in 1882 and did not have air conditioning. But it's tricky given the varied housing stock in Iowa City and how differently those houses were built. It is something they're increasingly contending with when there are nine days above 90 degrees but when they start getting into 90 days above 90 degrees it will be an issue, those houses will have been built for a different climate than they currently exist in. Thomann thanked Gardner for her work and is glad she pointed out the connection with Public Space One and the workshops to repair the windows. Boyd noted they want to be willing partners if there's opportunities for this Commission to engage let them know. He noted one of the biggest challenges is they get siloed with what they do and don’t always know what other commissions are doing. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Minor Review -Staff review HPC23-0017: 325 North Gilbert Street – Northside Historical District Under new ownership - roof shingle replacement. HPC23-0019: 112 South Governor Street – College Hill Conservation District Synthetic Siding Removal and Wood Siding and Trim Repair HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 11, 2023 Page 9 of 10 Bristow stated this house has aluminum siding on most but not on the front gable or front porch. HPC23-0020: 439 Clark Street – Clark Street Conservation District Synthetic Siding Removal and Wood Siding and Trim Repair, Front and Rear Step Reconstruction. Bristow stated this is a little bungalow on Clark Street and the owners decided on their own that they're going to remove the siding. This one does have a lap siding with mitered corners and the owner might remove the metal themselves and then hire contractors to do the repair work. Thomann asked if aluminum siding is recyclable. Bristow said that it appears that Peterson Iron and Metal in Coralville will drop off a dumpster in the yard for metal siding. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR APRIL 13, 2023: MOTION: Wagner moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's April 13, 2023, meeting, as written. Thomann seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0 (Brown & Welu-Reynolds absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION: Annual Property Owner Mailing. Bristow noted this was sent out, she was not aware it was sent until she started receiving emails and phone calls but it is sent out this time every year. Boyd stated it has been a pattern of behavior of the development services staff just sending things out, there was a zoning amendment related to preservation that they were not going to bring to this commission until he basically asked the Planning and Zoning Commission to defer so that they could have a chance to weigh in. Because he is leaving the Commission, he just wanted to point out this pattern of behavior so when they see something or don't see something or see something in a way that you don't feel works, speak up. Bristow noted voting for chair and vice chair will be the very first thing on the first meeting in July. She also noted to try to recruit more Commission members because there's only 9 out of 12 currently and it takes 7 to be here for a quorum. If they don’t have a quorum then that means no official business. Bristow noted the Preserve Iowa Summit happens the week they normally publish the packet and she will be at the Summit so it might publish it while she’s gone. ADJOURNMENT: Sellergren moved to adjourn the meeting. Wagner seconded. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0 (Brown & Welu-Reynolds absent). The meeting was adjourned at 6:36 pm. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2022-2023 NAME TERM EXP. 5/12 6/9 7/14 8/11 9/8 10/13 11/10 1/12 2/9 3/22 4/13 5/11 BECK, MARGARET 6/30/24 X O/E O/E X X O/E X X X X X X BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/23 X X X X X X X X X X O/E X BROWN, CARL 6/30/23 O/E X X O/E X X X O/E O/E X X O/E DEGRAW, SHARON 6/30/22 X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ECKHARDT, COLE 6/30/24 -- -- -- -- X X -- -- -- -- -- -- KUENZLI, CECILE 6/30/22 X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- LARSON, KEVIN 6/30/24 X X X O/E O/E O -- -- -- -- -- -- SELLERGREN, JORDAN 6/30/22 X X O/E O/E X X X X X O/E X X STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 O/E X X X X X X X X X O/E X THOMANN, DEANNA 6/30/23 X O/E X X X X X X X X X X VILLANUEVA, NICOLE 6/30/25 -- -- X X O/E O/E X X X X X X WAGNER, FRANK 6/30/23 X X X X O/E X O/E X X X X X WELU- REYNOLDS, CHRISTINA 6/30/25 -- -- X X X O/E X X X X X O/E KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a member Attachments:Human Rights Commission: May 23 Item Number: IP8. June 1, 2023 Human Rights Commission: May 23 Attachments:Senior Center Commission: May 18 Item Number: IP9. June 1, 2023 Senior Center Commission: May 18