HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-05-20 CorrespondenceMarian Karr
From: JH Chung [JH.chun§@ipmx.com]
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 1:21 PM
To: cou ncil@iowa-city.o rg
Subject: Finkbine Golf Course
Dear Sirs and Mesdames :
As a citizen of Iowa City, I would like to express my sincere appreciation
on your dedication and efforts to administration and management for the
better city and better citizen life.
The reason I am writing this letter is that I have some question and
complaint about Finkbine Golf Course Management.
I am not sure City Council is the right party to answer to this issue. But
the Finkbine locates at Iowa City, so I thinks you are the right party to
review and react on this matter.
I am a U.S. Citizen, a resident of Iowa City, working at Cedar Rapids, and
like to play Golf.
Every year I have been buying a golf season pass which is issued by City of
Cedar Rapids Golf Department. I can play golf at four different good public
18 holes golf courses with this season pass.
The reason I bought the season pass of Cedar Rapids is mainly that there is
no season pass to the Citizen of Iowa City like Cedar Rapids.
Iowa City has two 18 holes public golf courses, Finkbine and Pleasant Valley
course.
Pleasant Valley has no season pass system. But Finkbine has it which only
for U of I students and faculties. Finkbine don't issue the season pass to
public.
Finkbine is a part of U of I, so I can understand Finkbine provides season
pass to students and faculty with favorable discount.
However, I can not understand why Finkbine don't issue the season pass to
the Resident of Iowa City, even Finkbine provides the pass to visitors to U
of I - like visiting professors, medical doctors and students from
overseas - who stay at Iowa City for only several months.
Finkbine locates in the middle of Iowa City. I think it should be the golf
course not only for the UofI school but also for the Citizens of Iowa City
who are the taxpayer for Federal Government, Iowa State and Iowa City.
If Finkbine wants to be favorable to only the people who is related to
school, it should leave the current place which is in the very middle of the
Citizen of Iowa City residential area ,and should build a new course for
only his people out of Iowa City residential area.
As ~ar as Finkbine exists at the current place, Finkbine should respect the
Citizen of Iowa City. UofI exists on Iowa City not Iowa city exists on U0fI.
Thanks for your time to read this.
I am looking forward to having your opinion and answer on the issue.
Best Regards,
Jong Mo Chung
Marian Karr ~
From: Dh3580@aol.com
Sent: Monday, May '12, 2003 8:35 PM
To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org
Subject: Where is fiscal responsibility in your city budget plan?
It was reported that you planned to cut police and fire staff (which are essential departments for health, safety, and
welfare issues) and yet add a new position for a housing inspector? Does this make any sense? Where are the
priorities?
It is interesting that the complaints of neighborhoods that started the whole Nuisance Ordinance issue (before it took on a
life of its own) were criminal matters that the police said they did not have the staff to handle .............. so the landlords
were supposed to be responsible even to their own peril ............ now you want to cut police when they are the logical folks
to handle these matters and provide backup for the landlords. Is the Housing Inspector going to come out in the middle
of the night? Mr Boothroy said that only about 1% of the rental housing units pose a nuisance by even a broad
definition. Isn't there a better way to handle this 1% without adding another position? You want to generate revenue
by using a new position to impose an increase in rental permit fees again this year-----the proposed increase is a huge
increase compared to other fee increases. Is this reasonable? The fee increase last year that was worked outwith the
Landlord Assoc was a generous increase; where is the substantiation that the amount generated per year in fees is not
enough to cover the depa~ment salaries and expenses? Are there other measures that can be implemented in the
housing department to save staff time and not require a new position.
Some suggestions:
...... increase the amount of time between housing inspections if the landlord has had few or no citations the last
inspection.
...... ask the landlord to submit a checklist of units every year; then do some periodic spot checks for validation. If the
landlord is not in compliance, a regular inspection is done and a fee generated. This is a way to decrease the number
of inspections required by inspectors and still keep a tab on the safety issues of primary concern.
....... identify the points of concern for the 1% truly nuisance properties; identify some procedures, etc to remedy the
situation, and apply some of the proposed measures to this group on a PILOT basis for a year. Evaluate the results and
then come back with an ordinance that does not require a lot of unnecessary staff and landlord/management time, but one
that hits the target population. Iowa City always seems to write an ordinance and then worry about implementation and
any legal ramifications----isn't there a better way?
...... some smaller cities utilize the fire department staff to assist in housing inspections, but recognize that fire fighting has
the top priority.
There are methods that other cities have used in their inspection services-----some have worked, and some are on the
books and not implemented. There needs to be more work done on this issue before you propose that a new position be
funded, but essential city services that affect the total population are cut ....... the priorities are a little screwed up.
A primary industry in Iowa City is the rental housing business. Increasing fees has a negative impact on what the
market will handle. Be careful of the burden you place on this group of business folks. Remember some of these
landlords are small 'mom and pop' operations in which the revenue generated is vital for the senior landlords living
expenses.
Last, but not least, if you decide to fund a housing inspector (even with increased fees to the landlords) it will send a poor
message to the rest of the City staff asked to tighten their belts. A real morale issue could be created, This has
happened in other settings.
PLEASE be diligent in your exam[nation of the issues and get the priorities straight for the maiority of the citizens of Iowa
City.
Doris Houser
3580 Vista Park Dr
Iowa City, Iowa
5/12/03
............ Friday, May 16, 2003
City Council
City of Iowa City
410 E Washington St
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Riverview Square Dear Mayor & Council,
I am writing to express our serious concern over any proposed reduction in
hotel/motel dollars to the CVB.
408 First Avenue
I am troubled why city staff would recommend cutting organizations and
programs that are providing a healthy return to the city. For every $1 of
hotel/motel tax you gave us last year we booked meetings and conferences
Coralville, Iowa that will bring/have brought $6.96 back to this community. And...this is
completely separate from the hundreds of thousands of visitors we service
each year who inject a total of just over $193 million annually into Iowa City,
Coralville and all of Johnson County.
52241-2406
The Iowa City/Coralville CVB is the ONLY area entity charged with
maintaining and growing the hotel/motel tax Iowa City (and Coralville) has
become dependant on. Each year Iowa City collects roughly $550,000 in
319-337-6592 hotel/motel taxes, which are paid by visitors to our community who sleep in
hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts. This $550,000 is disbursed annually to
the following:
1-800-283-6592
· $275,000 to the Police Department
· $137,500 to Iowa City Parks & Recreation
· $137,500 to the CVB
319-337-9953 FAX
It is without question that both the Police and Parks/Recreation Departments
are vital to our community, but neither is working to "replenish the pool". The
visitor revenue they receive each year is not guaranteed, as it is not a property
CVB@icccvb.org tax. Without the city continuing to invest in our hotels, restaurants, attractions
and cultural entities (through CVB) you would be facing even more budget cuts.
Hotel/motel has continued to grow in large part because of our efforts. Area
h'~p:/A.~ww, icccYb.org hotel occupancy's are at, in some cases, the highest level they have ever been.
In fact, Iowa City has seen hotel/motel occupancy increase every month since
June of 2001 with the exception of March 02 (loss of NCAA Wrestling). You
will find this is unparalleled by any other market our size or greater in the
state...especially after September 11th.
CVB '
............ Iowa City/Coralville ..... ~
While I truly understand the situation your staff face, you must recognize that
the recommendation to cut not only the CVB, but also ICAD will result in a loss
Riverview Square of future revenue for the city. You are cutting organizations that only exist to
create revenue for the city...and both have been providing a significant return
to the city. This is completely different than cutting existing services.
408 First Avenue At a recent meeting, Councilman Kanner questioned the contribution the City of
Coralville is making to the CVB and how it compares to Iowa City's allocation. I
am happy to report that starting this July (FY 04), the City of Coralville is
contributing 26.01% of their hotel/motel collections to the CVB. I can also
Coralville, Iowa inform you that upcoming Coralville budget cuts will not include the CVB.
In closing, I ask you to review each of the attached letters from your local
hotels, motels, bed & breakfast's, attractions and cultural entities. These our
52241-2406 the bureau's direct partners in creating this hotel/motel tax and a cut in our
funding would greatly impact each of their businesses and organizations.
319-337-6592 Thank you for your review,
1-800-283-6592 ~ehc~ vSeC ~ emcbt ~ ;g e r
319-337-9953 FAX
CVB@icccvb,org
http://~vww.icccvb.org
Area
Hotels, Motels, and
Bed & Breakfast's
Sheraton
Iowa City__
HOTEL
May 14, 2003
City of Iowa City
City Council
410 E Washington Street
Iowa City IA 52240
Members of the City Council,
I have been following the resent stories surrounding the Budget reviews, and possible cuts occurring in
the state of Iowa and in particularly the City of Iowa City. I do not envy the position that you are in or
the decisions that you have to make. These are tough decisions and the consequences of the
decisions are a heavy burden to shoulder.
I am writing to urge you to consider not reducing the funding to the ICCCVB. This organization is the
only group tasked with replenishing the pool of Hotel/Motel tax and thus is a strong revenue generator
for the city. While the cuts proposed to the ICCCVB may be a quick fix to the current situation, we need
to look forward and make sure the consequences of our action will not effect this city harder in the long
term. For even] dollar invested by the city of Iowa City to the ICCCVB, their return is more than $6.96.
I don't know of any investment that pays that kind of retum.
I have worked side by side with Josh and his staff for several years now and I speak from experience
when I say there is no team more dedicated to bringing business to our fine city. The task they are
charged with is not an easy one and as we all know, if a sales team does not have the tools to do there
job, that team will not be able to provide results.
Hotel/Motel tax is not a property tax and I urge the council to continue to invest in organizations such as
the ICCCVB and others simply to maintain current levels of funding. Fudhermore I urge you to consider
increasing funding in order to see an even greater return on the investment.
Sincerely,
es Go dberg
General Manager
Sheraton Iowa City Hotel
210 SOUTH DUBUQUE STREET, IOWA CI1Y, 52240 · {319) 337 4058 · FAX: (319) 337-7037
Quality Inn & Suites
Highlander Conference Center
2525 North Dodge Street
Iowa City, IA 52245
May 15, 2003
City of Iowa City
City Council
410 E Washington Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Councilors:
As the new kid on the block, we are excited to join the Iowa City marketplace. To be frank, we
have some apprehension about the timeline that it will take to restore our hotel and conference
center to a level that will meet the projections we established as we analyzed and committed to our
investment in this community. Our property level marketing efforts as well as the community's
marketing efforts will be key to us becoming a commercially viable, long-term member of this
community.
We were concerned about the small percentage of the total industry specific local option sales tax
on lodging that Iowa City was directing to destination marketing as we considered investing in this
property. However, we were pleased with the effectiveness of the IC/CV Convention &Visitors
Bureau multiplying each dollar they received into almost $7. We strongly believe that
municipalities that adhere to the original intent of the legislation authorizing this industry specific
local option tax, which was to enhance event and destination marketing, the more return the entire
community can garner from increased activity. We feel it is key that Iowa City not siphon off
additional money, but in fact increase the funds devoted to destination marketing through the
Convention & Visitors Bureau. Since they are the most efficient as well as the only vehicle to work
directly to market Iowa City as a destination, your commitment to securing and increasing the
funds collected from this tax to the CVB is vital to our as well as the community's success. We ask
that you encourage and promote the "goose that is laying the golden eggs" by generating this local
tax by increasing this funding to the CVB.
We feel it is important that municipalities "voluntarily" apply the necessary discipline to keep these
special tax revenues committed to purposes considered when this taxing vehicle was authorized.
Please resist the temptation to consider this special taxing vehicle as a supplement to property taxes
that fund your General Fund needs.
Thank you for your work to make Iowa City all that it can be. Thank you for considering
preserving the CVB funding levels now and increasing the funding levels in future budgets.
Sincerely,
Joe Jordison
General Manager
THE GOLDEN HAUG
517 East Washington St.
Iowa Cih/, Iowa 52240 ' , .... :'- City of Iowa City
(319) 338-6452
City Council
f ' 410 East Washington Iowa
~ City, IA 52240
Dear Council Members -
I have learned of Steve Atkins' proposal to cut funding of the hote~ taxes
to the CVB by 27 %.
As the owner of a local bed and breakfast, I urge you NOT to reduce
funding to the CVB. The taxes we collect are not a tax burden to the local
residents, yet everyone in Iowa City benefits from the use of the taxes.
The CVB uses its 25% share of the taxes to market Iowa City and bring
overnight visitors to our town. These visitors are the source of the tax
which the city spends on police and fire protection, a benefit to all
residents.
To reduce the funding to the CVB, in my opinion, would be killing the
goose that lays the golden egg. This investment the City makes in the
CVB brings tourists and visitors who spend money at our restaurants,
shops, and lodging places. Business owners get customers, residents get
police and fire protection, and doctors, dentists, grocery stores, etc., all
benefit from the tourism dollars which come into our community. If the
funding is cut to the CVB, there will be less marketing, fewer visitors,
reduced receipts at businesses, which means fewer hotel taxes collected,
and less monies available to support the rest of the City functions.
Please logically reconsider where you make cuts in the budget. Keep your
commitment to the CVB and continue to receive the high rate of return on
your investment.
Sincerely,
Golden Hau§ B&B
ST [ET-
430 Brown Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52245
City of Iowa City
City Council
410 E Washington St
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Dear Council Members:
Janet and I urge you not to reduce funding to the CVB. A significant part of our business
results for the efforts of the bureau.
Attracting more visitors to Iowa City creates more hotel/motel tax. For every dollar of
that tax the city invests in the CVB, there is nearly a seven dollar return. Please do not
"starve the goose that is laying the golden eggs".
We realize that these are tough times. There are ma.ny demands for funding. However,
by investing in the CVB the city will receive a return in hotel/motel tax. Cutting the
funding to the CVB will result in less hotel/motel tax collection.
Yours truly,
Steve ?anSer
Iru~keeper, Brow~ Street Im
..... Original Message .....
From: Clarence & Dorothy Haverkamp [mailto:havb-b@inav.net] I i, ~, ~'~, ,- ,~--
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 1:50 PM
To: CVB@ICCCVB.ORG
Subject: L~I IERTO IC COUNCIL ' ,
Haverkamps B&B
619 N. Linn St
Iowa City, lA 52245
May 14, 2003
City Council
City of Iowa City
410 E. Washington St.
To the City Council members,
We are writing to ask that you consider very carefully and conclude to NOT
reduce the funding to the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Iowa City/Coralville
Clarence and I have been in the Bed and Breakfast Business for 15 years here in
Iowa City. We have Haverkamps Linn Street Homestay B&B. We have both
served On the CVB Board and Dorothy voluntered at the Bureau office in
Coralville for several years. We have been involved in numerous projects here in
Iowa City/Coralville and Des Moines to promote this area.
The CVB is the only organization that works directly with us and the
hotels/motels in attracting visitors to our cities, which in turn is the way the
hotel/motel tax is accrued. If anything, the percentage of the tax revenue to the
CVB should be increased instead of reduced so that more can be done to entice
outside people to our area. We are sure you know that for every $1 the CVB
receives, it is through the efforts of the CVB staff that has brought almost $7 back
into our area which helps everyone.
We know that money is also needed for police and fire protection but it should not
come out of the additional moneys now needed to bring more people/money into
this area.
Thank you for your consideration of this problem. We think you do a great job
and with little thanks.
Sincerely
Dorothy and Clarence
I laverkamp
Kinseth
Hospitality
Companies ,,, , ,. -,
May 14, 2003 ,,- ,, \
City Council
City of Iowa City
410 East Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Re: proposed CVB Cutback
Dear City Council:
1 am writing in regards to the proposed reduction in Convention and Visitor's Bureau funding.
While I do understand that the city is being forced to find areas in which to cut back, I believe
cutting back funding for the Convention and Visitor's Bureau is simply counterproductive.
Each hotel/motel tax dollar provided to the CVB has brought back $6.96 into our ama.
Hotel/motel taxes are not a static income. A reduction in dollars spent by the CVB translates
directly into dollars lost in hotel/motel taxes. A commitment must be made to the CVB so this
organization can continue to bring visitors to our community generating business not only to the
hotels and motels, but also all the other retail outlets in Iowa City.
There is no other organization in the area working directly with hotels, motels and bed and
breakfasts in order to attract more visitors to our area. Without their continued strong efforts and
funding, not only will they not be able to bring in new business, they strongly risk reducing the
levels of business we currently attract.
Again, let me emphasize thc importance of not reducing the funding to tho CVB. This hotel/motel
tax is paid by visitors to our ama. The CVB is directly responsible for attracting these visitors. It
is easy to see that reducing their ability to bring in visitors directly aPt¢cts the tax base brought in
by these visitors. Instead of reducing the funding for one organization (the CVB) you will reduce
ttic funding for all the city entities currently relying on the other 75% of the funds from this
hotel/motel tax.
1 would appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this budget cutback in CVB funding. I think
given a second glance you will clearly see how this move would be counterproductive for the
City of Iowa City.
Best Regards:
Bmce Kinseth
Vice President
2 Quad Creek Circle
Nm'th Llberly, IA 52317
o19 6_6-5600
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Iowa City, City Council ~-~' ' ''~
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Iowa City Council Members:
I am writing you in hopes this letter's contents may be of assistance in some of
the funding and tax decisions you are struggling with due to the current news
from the State of Iowa. I would like to say that all of us have had to look at
inventive ways to increase our revenues and cut our expenses in the last two
years and you must know we do feel your pain.
In being very active in hotel sales and management in the Iowa City area, all the
properties ! have been associated with have had a very substantial budget for
sales and marketing. This being said, I feel it is impossible for the Iowa City
area hospitality/tourism industry to influence future clients from our feeder
markets to enjoy our area without the marketing efforts an organization like the
CVB can provide. A prime example of this has been Nebraska, Iowa has
continually eaten their lunch on tourism business due to the difference in total
marketing dollars spent. I strongly feel other cities will be eating our lunch
(especially for conferences) if we do not step up to the plate and make sure our
future marketing efforts are protected from potential misdirection of the hotel
taxes brought in from local sales efforts like the CVB. In truth you could be
taking the chance of losing more tax dollars than gained through the lack of
tourism business if marketing is not maintained in this very competitive market
time.
I do wish you the best in finding a resolve with your current financial burden. !
urge you to look strongly at the cost of taking money away from an organization
that brings money in.
Respectfully,
Craig Simpson
General Manager
Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn & Conference Center
319-351-5049
HOTEL & GONFEFIENGE CEi~ITER
May 13, 2003
City of Iowa City ' '
City Council
410 E Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is in response to the proposed reduction in hotel/motel contributions to the
Iowa City/Coralville CVB. As the Sales & Catering Coordinator at the Ramada Inn, I
am in an ideal position to see the drastic effects this cut would have on our business, and
I urge you not to reduce funding.
We work very closely with the CVB, and it is our partnership that keeps people coming
to our town and sleeping at our hotel. For every dollar of hotel/motel tax that you have
provided to the CVB, they have brought almost $7 back into the area. I love this town
and love having a job where I can meet our visitors. I would hate to see us lose any
business due to this reduction.
The CVB is the only area organization that works directly with us local hotels and motels
in bringing in new visitors. And this is what is creating this hotel/motel tax. It is not a
property tax, and we must continue seeing it invested in organizations such as the CVB
just to keep business coming in. How can we possibly increase business without the
proper funding?
Please re-consider this budget reduction. I understand that times are difficult, and your
budget must be slashed, but we need our CVB to keep working with us to bring new
people to this area. Without them, our rdvenue will undoubtedly decrease, affecting the
entire city's revenue.
Thank you for your consideration in this issue.
Sincerely,
Emily Deacon ~-~
Sales & Catering Coordinator
Ramada Inn
2530 Holiday Rd.
Coralville, IA 52241
2530 HOLIDAY ROAD ' COR,aLVILkE, IOWA52241 . lEI (319) 3547770 ' FAX(319) 3379002
DATE: May 14, 2003 '" , '
City of Iowa City
CiW Council
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council Members,
I am ~witing in regard to the recent proposal by IC City Manager, Steve Atkins, to reduce the
Iowa City contribution to the CVB from $137,500 to $100,000. I represent one of the largest
hotels (the Heartland Inn) in the Iowa City/Coralville area. As a hotelier, I also represent one of
the lucky contingencies who get to collect the hotel]motel tax fi.om the overnight visitors to our
area. I also represent a contingency who knows the value of the dollars my hotel collects each
year.
In this fight economy, I realize that cities are looking for areas to trim their budgets. I urge you
not to cut the contribution to the ICCCVB. If ever there was a time not to cut a contribution, it is
now. Tourism has become one of the most sought after markets out there. Ever~ community in
Iowa is vying for those precious tourism tax dollars, especially since all cities/towns are in a
budget crunch. There are not very many investments upon which the return on the every $1.00 is
actually $6.96!!!! That is the very amount of the proven return of every tourism dollar spent in
our community!
Tiffs is not the time to cut the budget of an entity that brings such a return on the investment to
our community. Josh Schamberger and his staffhave worked very closely with the local
hotels/motels/B&B's to attract those "heads in beds". This not only helps us succeed as viable
employers in the community, but it also helps us add more tax dollars to the city tax pool. The
ICCCVB is truly the only entity who replenishes their own financial pool. To cut their funding
would most certamly negatively impact your budget as well as mine!!
In closing, please reconsider your thoughts on reducing the budget for Iowa City/Coralville CVB.
Help all of us keep our community front and center in the marketplace and to keep those
important tax dollars rolling in.
Respectfidly,
Debbie Bullion
General Manager
Heartland Inn HotelJCoralville
· Rescrwdons 81)) 334 3~7'? · w;vw
872nd,St~cct,Coralvilie, lowa 52241 31%55 -8 32 ·filx ~ 9-35 -29 6 ° s : - : = hea~dandinnscom
AMERICINN' OF CORALVILLE
2597 Holiday Road · Coralville, IA 52241
Phone: (319) 625-2400 ° Fax: (319) 625-2410 ,
To: Iowa City
City Council
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
I urge you to not reduce the fimding to the CVB. The Hotels and Motels in this
community really depend on this organization as it is the only one who works directly
with us in attracting visitors to our area thus creating the hotel/motel tax.
For every $1.00 of our hotel/motel tax provided, the CVB have brought back
almost $7.00 back into our area.
Please consider my letter of support for the CVB, and decide not to reduce their funding.
T1)apk you,
Laurie S. Calloway
General Manager
Quiet Nights, Rest Assured
Reservations: 800 634 3444 · www.americinn.com
Comfort Inn of Coralville
209 West 9th Street
CoraJville, Iowa 52241
(319) 351 8144 I,
May 14, 2003
City of Iowa City
City Council
410 E Washington
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is in regards to the recent proposal to cut the Coralvdle Visitor s Bureau
funding. On behalf of the Coralville Comfort Inn and the Coralville Fairfield Inn, I want
to make you, the council, aware of how important the C B ts to the hote/motel 'V
economy.
Every year their efforts bring many people into our area. Tbese visitors are the ones that
are spending the money and adding to the tax pool. For every dollar that we gave the
CVB, they brought $6.96 back into our community. The hotel/motel tax is not like a
property tax, and is not guaranteed to us in the future.
Why would you cut money from the organization that is creating all of the hotel/motel
tax pool? I understand funding has been cutback, however to reduce the hotel/motel
contribution would only cripple the CVB's ability to add to the pool in the future.
Please reconsider the proposal to reduce the hotel/motel contribution. It would only set
us back even further.
Sincerely,
Michael Welcher
Assistant General Manager
:
®u£Fr Inn 5~[ote£
..,~
HWY. 1 & 22
P.O. BOX 2OO
~ KALONA, IOWA 52247-0200
~ ~/~ ¢ ~ ~.~ PHONE319-656-3611 · FAX319-656-3614
I
INN
Ma), 14, 2003
City of Iowa City
City Council
410 E Washington
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is in regards to the recent proposal to cut the Coralville Visitor's Bureau
funding. On behalf of the Coralville Comfort Inn and tile Coralville Fairfield hm, I want
to make you, the council, aware of how important tile CVB is to the hotel/motel
econonly.
Every year their efforts bring many people into our area. These visitors are the ones that
are spending the mouey and adding to the tax pool. For every dollar that we gave the
CVB, they brought $6.96 back into our conm~unity. The hotel/motel tax is not like a
property tax, and is not guaranteed to us in the future.
Why wonld you cut money From the organizatiou that is creating all of the hotel/motel
tax pool? I understand funding has been cntback, however to reduce the hotel/motel
contribution would only cripple the CVB's ability to add to tbe pool in the future.
Please reconsider the proposal to reduce tile hotel/motel contribution. It would only set
us back even further.
Michael Welcher
Assistant General Manager
RED ROOF INN
200 6th Street ,
Coralville, IA 52241
Tel: (319) 337-9797 ~ ' ', ,, ~
Fax: (319) 337-9888
May 13, 2003
City of Iowa City
City Council
410 E Washington St
Iowa City, IA 52240
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter is to urge you not to cut the budget allocation to the Convention and Visitor's Bureau
as part of a long-term, permanent solution to the current budget cdsis. The CVB is one of the
best investments that you can make with a current rate of return of $6.96 for every dollar spent.
As you are aware, the CVB is the only organization that works with hotels and motels to help
bdng visitors to the area, thus increasing tax collections.
The current allocation of 25% already puts the CVB at a competitive disadvantage. Most other
communities fund their CVB's at a much higher level. Additionally, while Iowa City and Comlville
fought the national trend of significantly declining hotel occupancies, !hem is no guarantee that
will continue. In a community as dependent on state and federal spending as Iowa Cityl it could
be our turn in the barrel economically. A 27% "permanent" cut in the budget will result in feWer
visitors coming to this area. Combining that with a potential decline in occupancy that the rest of
the hotel business has been experiencing since 9/11 could be a fatal mistake. You may end up
with a lot less money than anticipated.
As a homeowner in Iowa City, I appreciate the predicament that you are facing, in business,
when times get tough, you work leaner and meaner, but you don't cut back on sales. The efforts
of the CVB directly and significantly contribute to the occupancy of area hotels, and make
marketing opportunities available that would otherwise not be possible. For years, the hotel/motel
tax has been the goose that laid the golden eggs because of the relief provided to local
taxpayers. Please don't starve the goose to death.
~Ja~ 'LeaVe~se~r
~ral Managb.~
Area
Attractions &
Cultural Entities
¢ 221 E, Washington Street ~ Iowa City, IA · 52240
........... Phone: 319-688-2653 ,~ Fax: 319-688-3494
N 0 W I S T H E T ! M E T 0 A C T E-mail: marquee123@aol.com * www.englert.org
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
CABINET
Oreg Brown, May 14, 2003
Honorary Chair
Frank Conroy, Dear City Council Members,
Honorary Chair
Maggie Conroy, I respectfully request that you reconsider an Iowa
Honorary Chair City/Coralville Convention and Visitor's Bureau budget cut. The
Vicki Lensing, CVB plays an important role in a healthy economic future for our
Honorary Chair fair ciW.
Dick Summerwill,
General Fundraising Chair Recently the CVB was instrumental in the organization of
Robert Sierk, the Johnson County Cultural Alliance (JCCA). This is an
Advance Co-Chair unprecedented collaboration of 44 non-profit cultural
Tom Ci~ek, organizations. These organizations collectively employ 1,100
Advance Co-Chair people and bring in over $32 million per annum into the local
LaDonna WIcklund,
Primary Gifts Chair economy. The CVB is vital to the continued growth of the JCCA,
Myrene Hoover, providing both clerical support and marketing power. These
Major Gifts Chair organizations wilt continue to expand upon bringing much needed
Jo Lavera Jones, tourism dollars into the commtmity.
Community Gifts Chair The Englert Civic Theatre is also collaborating with the
Michael Partridge, CVB in sharing a street level, satellite office and information
Board President
Dave Parsons, center in the soon-to-be renovated storefront on the east side of the
Treasurer building. This partnership will benefit Iowa City in many ways.
Mollie Schlue, The Englert will sell tickets for Englert and JCCA events. The
Public Relations CVB will provide tourist information for the surrounding area.
STAFF Located in the heart of Iowa City, it will be a destination point for
Justine Zimmer,
Executive Director both tourists and local citizens. Restaurants, hotels and local
Judy Houghton, businesses will reap the rewards of this partnership.
office Manager Cutting the CVB budget jeopardizes these golden
opportunities to capitalize upon Johnson County, Iowa City, and
IOWA DEP~'R~'M[N* OF Coralville's cultural merits. Please continue to support the CVB at
the current level.
13 May 2003
Music Director
Council Members
Iowa City Council
IJoard of Directors
410 E. Washington Street
: ? Iowa City, IA 52240
~rr'r?s,t'r? Dear Council Members:
El{za~'lh A~bmy
~,,~.~.~ ~ ~,~?~ I write to urge you to sp~e the Iowa City/Coralvi~e Convention and
Visitor's Bureau from budget cuts in your current de~berations. I rea~ze that you
Advisory Council must make some very hard choices, but I hope that you wffi consider the dke
~ ~k ,X~r. econo~c consequences of a cut in the CVB's operations. By provid~g ~formation,
Je~tme (::a,:l~,~e~ support, and promotion of local bus~esses and of arts and cultural organizations to
Pn~rici;~ Chin
~D~e~.~;t Cmbrey visitors and residents ~e, the CVB contributes ~easurably to the econo~c
1tc~Ii5' tlart vitahty and cultural ~e of our co--unity.
Mru-~?a~et l<e~ty~e: We at Musick's Feast have been particularly helped by the CVB's active
Meg K~ttkh? c.. involvement with and support for our concert series. As you know, our dual pu~ose
~ic~,~! ~<,~,~t~ is to present ~gh-qua~ty perfor~nces and to support local, as weU as glob~,
lc,yin ['~a~ne~ agencies that work to reheve hunger. Without the aid of the CVB, our efforts would
s31x. i:~ Marlins be less visible and we~ ~own, and thus the effectiveness of our musical
I>:~xidl.ame:~ l.ReckNu ~ .... contributions and of our donations to help the hungry would suffer.
I<~ ~s~ir, rhcL nde~ Tha~ you for your thought~d consideration of this ~portant matter.
Elizabeth Aubrey, Ph.D.
Founder and Dkector
Musick's Feast
1718 Wilson SI. Pho~m: 319-430 4165 Web sim:
P.O, Bex2177 ! Iowa Cily, iewa 522~14 I 319,354.6297 ~ www.granili-lheatre.cem
5/1503
Dear Council Members,
This week we received the news that there is a proposed budget cut of 27% to the CVB. I urge
you to reconsider this budget cut in lieu of the enormous impact the CVB has had on the
economic growth of arts and cultural organizations in Iowa City.
Graffiti Theatre is a professional non-profit theatre company based in Iowa City. We present
original performances and workshops that tour throughout Iowa. To date we have performed in
31 cities in Iowa, and have received grants from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, the
Iowa Arts Council, the Iowa Women' s Foundation, the Alces Foundation, and the Third Wave
Foundation of New York.
This year, under leademhip and the initiation of the CVB, a new coalition of arts organizations
formed, under the name of the Johnson County Cultural Alliance (JCCA). Graffiti Theatre is a
current member of the JCCA. The JCCA has under/aken and successfully completed multiple
projects that have positively impacted the economic viability of many arts organizations in Iowa
City. Without the leadership, staff time, and budget that the CVB continues to put into the
development of the JCCA, many arts organizations will suffer economically.
Please take the time to review the positive impact that the CVB has made to Iowa City in the last
year, and reconsider the current proposed budget cut.
Sincerely,
Mara McCann
Artistic Director
Graffiti Theatre
IOWA CITY CULTURAL INCUBATOR
~ May 15, 2003
Steering Committee To members of the City Council of Iowa City: ',
John Hudson, Chair ]'" ~
Sandra Hudson, Director We urge the City Council to maintain the full budget allocation to the Iowa
Mike Carberry City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Your return on that
Karen Chappell investment has been and will continue to be exceptional. This letter will speak
David Collins
Margaret Eginton about the CVB's importance to the Johnson County Cultural Alliance (JCCA),
Dick Gibson which is only one program among many that the CVB helps to facilitate.
Mark Ginsberg
Bob Grmdfellow The CVB leadership was instrumental in helping create the environment which
Dermis Green made it possible for our small volunteer organization to bring a $45,000 grant to
Richard Koontz our community this month. The Iowa City Cultural Incubator will partner with
George Neumarm the Iowa Arts Council to design and implement a "Cultural Gifting Network."
Dettie Ray The network will recycle cultural exhibits, performances, and technical expertise,
Joshua Schamberger and thus extend their useful life. For example, The Iowa Children's Museum
Lisa Spellman might "gift" a retired exhibit to Algeria, or receive a "gift" from Ames. To
Serena Sfier
Joyce Summerwill succeed, the Cultural Gifting Network needs the JCCA, and the JCCA needs the
Pam Trimpe Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
LaDonna Wicklund
Permit us to share a few mileposts. In January 2002 the CVB took a leadership
position in helping to design and implement the Johnson County Cultural
Alliance. Within three months over filly non-profit cultural organizations had
come together with common purpose. Within six months we had collected
baseline data for a preliminary financial impact study. We estimated that 1,100
people me employed by member organizations of JCCA, with annual budgets
totaling more than $32 million. Within a year we had created one of the most
sophisticated interactive wehsites for arts and culture in the United States,
www. CulturalCorridor.org.
There were many small steps along the way also, for example our monthly
lectures on topics such as marketing or finding and recruiting board members, or
the two-day workshop on writing grant proposals. The dollars coming into our
city over the next year as the result of that workshop alone will be significant.
The Cultural Incubator's $45,000 grant is just the first to arrive.
The active leadership and support of the CVB is essential to the JCCA. A 27%
cut to the CVB budget by Iowa City will seriously compromise not only the
CVB, but the JCCA. This in turn would weaken each of more than fifty non-
profit organizations that rely upon the CVB for leadership and support. We urge
continued support of the CVB budget for the vitality of our community.
Sincerely, Sincerely,
Iowa City Cultural Incubator John. Sandra. Hudson(~,att.net
782 Westside Drive, Iowa City IA 52246
From: John & Sandra Hudson
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 3:01 PM
To: council @ iowa-cily.org , '
Cc: Joshua Schamberger "
Subject: Proposed budget cuts
We urge tile City Council lo reconsider ils proposed budget cut to tile Iowa City/Coralville Conveuhon
and Visitors Burean (CVB).
The Galleries Downtown at 218 E Washingtou Street is just one important addition to the life of Iowa
City, which wild help to bring new visitors and new business to downtown. Tile Galleries Downtown
will be the new galleW venue for Arts Iowa City, ooe of the members of the Johnson County Cultural
Alliance (JCCA). JCCA is a new cultural force in Johnson County, and has been receiving attention
statewide. The collaboration of the more than 55 member organizations of JCCA is made possible by the
active leadership and support of the CVB. A 27% cut to the CVB by Iowa City will seriously
compromise CVB support of JCCA.
We urge continued support of the CVB budget and downtown vitality.
John and Sandra Hudson
What's happening this weekend in Iowa City/Coralville?
Visit bttp://www.culturalcorridor.ore to find out!
CulturalCorridor.org is a joint venture of the Johnson County Cultural Alliance and the Cedar Rapids
Area Cultural Alliance.
5/13/2003
From: Gizmo jazz @ aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 3:18 PM , ,
To: joshua@icccvb.org - , I~ ,'.,, '.: ~:i~
Subject: Re: FW: Cultural Action Needed
(
Dear City Council,
It has come to my attention that there are proposed budget cuts to the CVB. I
k~ow that the state has made drastic cuts to the city's budget and this
creates a difficult situation for everyone.
However, I must argue that the CVB is a vital resource to many if not all of
the Arts organizations in Iowa City and the surrounding area. The Iowa City
Jazz Festival relies on support from the CVB every year to help us pay for
our national ad in JazzTimes magazine and starting this year the University
of Iowa Alumni magazine. The CVB has also been instrumental in the
development of Cultural Corridor Web pa~e and calendar which has already
received rave reviews and will only continue to enhance the prospects of
tourism and cultural awareness of our area.
And a final thought. Why would you cut or hinder any organization that
actually generates revenue for the City and it's businesses? It would seem to
me that this logic is counter productive and exactly the opposite of what
should be done. Please reconsider the proposed cuts to the CVB.
Sincerely,
Steve Grismore/Director
Iowa City Jazz Festival
From: John Loomis : , ,r ::: '.
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 4:55 PM
To: council@ iowa-city.org (~ ; ,',, ~ ,
Cc: joshua @ icccvb.org :F~, ,, ~
Subject: budget cuts
To the Cily Council:
12 May 03
I am writing to express concern over potential budget cuts lo the Iowa City/Coralville Convention & Visitors
Bureau and its adjunct organization, The Johnson County
Cultural Alliance. As President of Arts Iowa City, I recognize lhe impodant role these agencies have played in
our development over the last year. Just this coming
Thursday and Friday, we intend to open our new gallery downtown, once again visible on the street in Iowa City.
The CVB and JCCA have been major partners in helping
us redefine and reestablish ourselves as a cultural force in the area. And through their leadership and moral
support we have developed a web site designed to advertise
our events and to support our member artists in a way that links the artists to patrons as never before. The CVB
and JCCA have been an integral part of our
strategic plan to be an active player in this community. Please consider that the strength of The Bureau has a
direct effect on the strength of our organization and our
ability to keep the arts and culture a vital pad of the area's quality of life.
Sincerely,
John F. Loomis
President, Arts Iowa City
5/13/2003
I';l~C I ol I
From: Mike Carberry ] I ~ ....
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 3:08 PM
To: Joshua Schamberger r
Cc: JP Claussen; council@iowa-city.org '~
Subject: City Budget reducing CVB funds
$osh Scbamber~eL
] was shocked al hearing that the City of Iowa Cily is considerino~ slashing' ~ ', s contibution to he CVB by -97% or $:;7_ ,500
[o help balance the Cily budgel. Wilboul Ihe CVB's guidance and financing Ihe Johnson County Cultm'al Alliance and
culhnalcorrido~ .org would nielhe~ exisl nor be the Ihe g~eal forces that they are in generating cultural Iourism lo Iowa City.
The CVB has specifically belped tile Mud River Music Cooperative lhmngh pomotion of our music events and guiding us
Ih~ough om inJlia[ slml up pocess.
$1 Ihal goes inlo the CVB, $6 comes back and we are thinking about reducing that. That is a tough hit." 1 agree and think that
Ihe city must find other m'eas to trirn the budget. Slashing the contribution will not only hurt lhe CVB, but lowa City's quality
of life in general. We m'e the "Athens of the Midwesl' and the city can help maintain that reputation by continuing to fully
fund the CVB.
Good Luck and Best Regards,
Mike Carbe~Ty
Mud River Music Cooperative
5/13/2003
May I4, 2003
Iowa City City Council
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, lA 52240
Dear Iowa City Council Meinbers,
On behalf of the ~nembers, patrons and staff of The Iowa Children's Museum, we
respectfully urge you to reconsider cutting funds that are currently intended to assist
the imperative work of the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Iowa Children's Museum depends heavily on admissions to the museum. The
Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors bureau has been instrumental in
supporting our efforts to attract visitors. We are a unique attraction to the Iowa City
and Coralville area, as well as to Eastern Iowa. The potential to increase admissions
and visitors to the museum is profound and it is with the work of the Convention and
Visitors Bureau that we are able to do this. With increased admissions from visitors
we are able to offer more exhibits and programming at the museum, which benefits
not only future visitors, but also members and guests that live in Iowa City and the
surrounding area.
We understand the difficult financial challenges you are facing, and we certainly can
empathize with you. We do urge you to consider the repemussions a cut to the Iowa
City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau would create in economical
development. We believe the financial impact of visitors to our conanunity and more
personally to The Iowa Children's Museum would be substantial. Thank you for your
time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Deb Dunkliase Fran Jensen
Executive Dh-ector Director of Development & Marketing
Edwin K. Barker Ethel Di~Bark~
6 Lime Kiln Lane, NE Iowa City, IoWa 5224~0, '~
Phone: 319 354-2410 E-Mail: edwbarker~aol.com FAX: 319 354-02~3 "
May 14, 2003
Council Members, City Manager, Head Of Housing Inspection, City Attorney, City Clerk: --:~
First, let me express our appreciation for the reduction in water rates of approximately 5% that will
become effective on July 1, 2003. Members of the staff during open house were all very enthusiastic
about the new facility and were very knowledgeable in regard to their work. It is very impressive.
The purpose of this letter is to express my views on the recently proposed fee increases of 42% or 66%
for rental housing inspections. Keep in mind that fees were increased last year by slightly over 40%.
The stated objective of the current proposed increase, according to a memo to City Council members
from the City Manager, is to "fully fund" the current inspection services requiring a 42% increase and,
as an option, increase the number of staff members by one requiring a 66% increase in fees.. Enclosed
is a copy of some of the information I provided you in November of 2001 as the 2002-2003 budget was
being prepared. We were pleased with the way we were able to work with staffmembers to arrive at a
satisfactory solution. We differed on how much of the actual cost of the inspections owners pay. I felt
that we were paying 100% of the cost of the inspections. I demonstrated that by analyzing the costs of
the inspection, salaries and benefits of the inspectors, and the income derived from the inspection fees.
If I recall correctly, the staff members indicated that they do other things that are not directly related to
the actual housing inspections and that is how they came up with the approximate 70% of costs. Not
knowing what those other duties might be, one could assume that owners should not be paying for
whatever those tasks are. This probably needs further discussion and clarification. If an additional staff
person is required due to the increase in the number of rental units, the additional fees generated should
cover that cost.
I would like to comment on the proposed Nuisance Ordinance. It is my understanding that the
"nuisance" properties make up less than one percent of the rental housing market. Perhaps part of the
rationale for the 66% increase would be to help fund the additional staff time required to monitor the
"nuisance" properties. What this amounts to, it seems to me, is that 99% of the "good folks" would be
paying for the additional costs of enforcing the Nuisance Ordinance. I question the fairness of this.
What are the nuisance properties doing to get into that classification? It appears to be disturbing the
peace, inside type seating being placed on porches or lawns, landscaping not adequate, cars parked on
lawns, and perhaps a few other things.
Disturbing The Peace: That is a police matter. It has nothing to do with the physical condition of the
property. Most owners' work very hard to prevent these things from happening and most of the time
are quite successful. When not, they take appropriate action to correct the situation up to and including
involving the police and or going through the eviction process.
Inside Type Seating Being Placed On Porches Or Lawns: It is my understanding that the Council
addressed this some time ago and decided that it was a personal choice as to what kind of furniture can
be placed on porches. This has nothing to do with the physical condition of the property.
Landscaping Not Adequate: This is an aesthetic issue that could or could not be defined as a housing
inspection issue.
Cars Parked On Lawns: If this is illegal, as police drive by and notice this type of violation, a parking
ticket would easily take care of it.
It is my understanding that staff and council members have been led to believe that the Greater Iowa
City Apartment Association endorsed and supported the proposed Nuisance Ordinance. The leadership
of the Association has informed me that that is not the case. Apparently the leader of the Task Force
indicated that the Association endorsed the proposal or she felt that a consensus was reached.
Conclusions: The solution to the housing fee situation seems to me could be a simple one. Study very
carefully whether a Nuisance Ordinance is necessary and, if not, enforce current laws and regulations
with high fees for those kinds of calls. Do not increase the number of staff members. Inspect the non-
nuisance housing every three years and the nuisance housing every year. In this way, perhaps you
would be able to reduce the staffing by one person that is much less than are the proposals for the
reduction in the police and fire departments. (Not percentage wise, however.)
In the proposed list of things to do in order to accomplish the goal of $1,800,000 reductions in the Iowa
City Budget over an eighteen month period of time, the Housing Inspection fees were by far the highest
increase proposed as a possibility. The next highest significant fee increase proposed was an
increase in Building Inspection Fees. This certainly seems strange to me. How can a 42% or 66%
increase for housing inspections and only an 8% increase for building inspection fees be rationalized? I
realize that the parking fines, based on Mr. Atkins proposals would increase parking tickets 66.67%.
However, this type of fine is an individuals fault totally and cannot be adequately compared with the
housing and building fees. The following chart compares the housing inspection fe~i~ropostit With the
building fee proposal: .
Current Proposed %
Income Increase Increase
Housing Fee $221,500 $ 90,000 42~/o:
Housing Fee (Add 1 Person) $221,500 $145,000 66%
Building Fee $800,000 $ 70,000 8%
Thank you for listening. I don't envy any of you, whether you are a policy maker or administrator, the
job of making such drastic reductions in the city budget through no fault of your own. You have a
formidable task and I wish you well in these most difficult times.
Sincerely yours,
Edwin K. Barker
Edwin 14. Barker
6 Lime Kiln Lane, NE Iowa C. ity~ Iowa 52240
Phone: 319 3S4-241~ E-Mail: cdwlm rkcrq~3aol.com FAX: 319 354-0213
Novcmbcr 7, 200 I
To All Iowa City Council Members: This is i)resemcd as an alternative lo Ibc I lousing Inspection I'cc
proposal presented to you by city officials. For the purpose oflhis p posa[, ll~c inspection I~cs and
rents [br ~mcrald Court Apartments have been used
Thc inspection took pla~e on Judy 18, 19, 20, 23, and 24 fi'om I:00 pm until around 4 p.m. Thc
inspection anti travel time dki not exceed 20 hours. The rc4nspec/ion dk] not take over 4 hours tbr a
total ot~24 hours inspecting and traveling.
If we double those hours to cover the time l%r preparing the rcporh wc have a tom[ of~8 hours. The
h~spection fee that Emerald Court paid was ~2,460 aud the current proposal ibr FY 2002 is for the fee
to be $3,910, an increase of 5a.94%. Lgt us assume that two thirds of that cost is associated with the
24 hours speut on inspections and one thh'd is l%r ofl~c~ space, uti[hies, administration, travel, etc.
(The Cky of Iowa City pays employees $.34 per mile For the use o~their personal automobiles. Even
if we assume a cost of ~1 per mile, the auto expense l~r iaspecl:h~ ~nmrald Court Apartmm~ts would
be $2820.) The hourly rate for thC current and two proposed fc~ sclmdul~s would bc as Follows:
FT 2001:$2,460 x 66.67% = $1,640.08 /48 hours = $34.17 per hour. (Cm'reut Fcc Sclmdul~)
FY 2~: $3,910 x 66.67% = $2,606.79 / 48 hours = ~54.31 per hour. (I lousing 1 ~sp~on Prb~osal)
FY 2~: $3,461 x 66.67% = $2,307.45 / 48 hours=: ~48.07 per hour (Barker lh'opos~DC
The salaries plus all fi-inge benefits for inspectors is as follows:
FY 2001 Assuming a 6% lucmasc . ,:::,
For FY 2001 :' '~ ' "
Head Inspector: $35.45 $37.58 -~>
luspector # I $18.19 $ [ 9.28
Inspector #2 $21.83 $23.14
Inspector #3 $23.52 $24.93
Inspector #4 $22.82 $24.19
A $3,910 fee as suggested by the Iowa Cily Housing Inspection l)epartment for the Emerald
Court Apartments would have required an ammal 6.845% increase since the last fee illcrease.
Considering that the cost of living during those years has been in the range of 3%, a more than fair
increase for the City of Iowa City would be based on an annual rate increase of 5%. That would result
in an Emerald Corot inspection fee of $3,461 which would be a 40.69% increase. Although that rate of
increase is considerably more than the Emerald Court rents have incrcascd on an aunual basis during
that period of time, 3.38% for a two bedroom apartment and 3. I I% tbr a three bedroom apaament, it is
ail increase that we could live with. Therefore, it is our recommendation that the inspection fees
be increased between 40 and 41% for the FY 2002 rather titan 58 to 59% as is being
recommended by the llousing Inspection Delmmnent.
Thank you tbr your consideration of this alteruative.
Entir~City - ~- --
Structures Units Bedrooms-- -~ Total ' °/~lncrease
Number 1,265 6,806 12,252
!Current Fee $56,00 $8.00 $2.00 .......
Total $70,840,00 $54,448.00 $24,504.00 _. ~1~-9,792.00
Number 1,265 6,806 12~25~.
lC Proosal $70.00 $12.00 $4.00
Total $88,550.00 $81,672.00 $49,008.00 ---- $219,230.~00 " 4~6.3-~o/~
Number 1,265 6,806 1~ ,25~2 ....... Total
~,ltemate 78.00 11.50 2.75
Total $98,670.00 $78,269.00 $33,693.00 $21~0,_632~0~0 _ 40.62%
Sample #1 ....
Structures Units Bedrooms --~otal % Increase
Number 4 16 18 -
Current Fee $56.00 $8.00 $2.00
Total _ $224.00 $128.00 $36.00 $3~88.00
Number 4 16 18
lC Proosa[ $70.00 $12.00 $4.00
Total $280.00 $192.00 $72.00~ $-544.--00- - 40.21%
Number,~ 4 16 -- 18
Altern~t~ 78.00 11.50 2~7~
Total 312.00 184.00 ~,~. 50 .... ~$5~5.50 40.59%
Sample #2 -
Structures Units Bedrooms .... Tota--I---- % Increase
Number 12 12
Current Fee $56.00 $8.00 $2.00
'Total $56.00 $96.00 ~24.00 ......... $:~ 76.-~)0
Number 1, 12 12
lC Proosal $70.00 $12.00 $4.00
Total _ $70.00 $144.00 $48.00 $262.00 48.86%
Number 1 12 12
Alternate $78.00 $11.50 $2.75
Total $78.00 $138.00 $33.00 $249 41.48%
RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING FEES FOR SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE IOWA
CITY HOUSING AND INSPECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS, the City of Iowa City Housing Cede provides for Inspgction and licensing of all multiple
dwellin§s, fraternity/sorority houses, rooming houses, duplexes, and single4amily rental dwellings; and
WHEREAS, the payment of the aforementioned fees is necessaW to offset the administrative costs of such
activities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, iOWA,
THAT:
1. The fee schedules for the services and activities of the iowa C'ty Housing and Inspection
Services Department shall be adopted and effective August 1, 2002.
2. The amended fees for rental permits and reinspections as pad: of the iowa City Housing Cede be
adopted as follows:
$ 78.00 per structure "~:~;?'
$11.50 per dwelling unit ;
$ 2.75 per bedroom
$ 40.00 reinspection fee
~ $ 0.00 No Show for Inspecbon fee ::
$100.00 FratemiySorority re-safetyinspection fee,::
3, This resolution repeal~ all previous resolutions regarding the schedule of said fevers.
Passed arid approved this __ day of ___ ,2001
MAYOR
CITY CLERK CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
It was moved by and seconded by the Resolution be adopted, and upon
roll call there were:
AYES NAYS ABSENT
__ Champion
__. Kanner
Lehman
.... O'Oonnell
Pfab
Vanderhoef
Wilburn
ncale$'citynr{u:!resclulion orfeeincrease Poet-It~ Fax Note 7671
1729 Louis Place
Iowa City IA 52245
May 19, 2003
Iowa City Councilors
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
RE: Neighborhood Improvement Program
Dear City Councilors:
I have recently been requested by the Oak Grove Condominium Association to carry out
the initial steps necessary to organize a neighborhood association in the Peninsula area. I
have been working with Marcia Klingaman of City staff for several weeks now on this
process and we were almost ready to hold our first meeting. I am writing to support the
request of the Neighborhood Council that the Neighborhood Improvement Program be
continued at some reduced level of funding.
The Peninsula neighborhood is a very diverse community and promises to become even
more so over time. Additionally, there are public improvements - road and intersection
improvements, as well as others - that already are of concern to my neighbors. The idea
of forming a neighborhood association so that the City will not be besieged with
individual requests is a good one, of benefit both to the neighborhood and the City.
Because of the perceived need for these improvements, I would urge that the PIN grants
be maintained at some funding level as well.
We recognize that, once the association is formed, we may well need to find the
resources to carry forward on our own. There are a number of skilled individuals in this
area who are willing and able to do that. I don't believe that you would need to worry
that your initial investment in the Peninsula neighborhood would be wasted.
I appreciate very much your attention to the concerns of the Neighborhood Council and
urge that you support their recommendation.
Sincerely,
Susan Boehlj e
May 14, 2003
Dear Members of the Iowa City Council,
I am writing to you in support of fullest funding possible for Iowa
City's contribution to the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and
Visitors' Bureau. The ICCCVB has engaged in very impor~nt work
on behalf of downtown Iowa City. It serves as an advocate in ways
that no other organization or local governmental agency is currently
capable of. (Under its current structure, the Downtown Association of
Iowa City's membership-driven budget barely supports a part time
director.) Executive Director Josh Schamberger is unusually capable
and has undertaken significant projects which directly impact
downtown, of which the formation of the Johnson County Cultural
Alliance and its impressive website, www.culturalcorridor.org is one
of several examples. As a downtown business owner-manager, I see
the importance of developing downtown as a destination experience
for out of town visitors and conferees as well as locals, and the
ICCCVB plays an important role in this. With its marketing efforts,
the 1CCCVB has also played an important partnering role with the
Downtown Association, on which I serve as a volunteer Board
member. A healthier local economic climate is a positive boon for
local social service budgets. To put it in a nutshell, the ICCCVB
relieves some of the burden that the City of Iowa City might otherwise
need to undertake. It seems that the City is getting a great bargain in its
support of the ICCCVB. I urge you to consider carefully the level of
cuts in funding.
Sincerely,
Astrid Bennett
Owner/manager, Iowa Artisans Gallery ~
CONTEMPORARY ,
AMERICAN CRAFTS ::, "
SPECIALIZING IN WORK
BY MIDWESTERN ARTISTS
Marian Karr
From: Judith Jensen [Jensen. Judith@iccsd.k12.ia.us]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 1:30 PM
To: councir@iowa-city.org
Cc: Carolyn White; Jeanne Bancroft; Linda Nelson
Subject: ICPD funding cuts
Dear Mr. Lehman and Council members: I am a teacher in the school district and also the
Health Mentor for my elementary building. I am very concerned that the community relations
program in the ICPD is going to be cut next year without any thought to the larger
community repercussions. I believe the proposed deletion of the Community Relations post
is a poor choice for many reasons, especially in light of the increased violence we are
seeing at both public high schools this year. And in the important area of prevention,
when you put an end to ICPD's work on Asset building, which is what your officers in the
schools are actually doing, you are saying that the proactive work the ICPD is doing ±s
not important. Is this the correct interpretation: we only want p
olice to lock folks up, not put any bit of energy into keeping folks from going to jail in
the first place?
It takes a long time to build proactive relationships with children in the school setting.
At my school, we have been working over the entire year in many ways to get our children
to understand the police are a resource for us. Kids put notes in the "Ask ~n Officer" box
in the office for Officer Mebus to answer. Officers come to read the morning
announcements; to do sexual abuse prevention work; to present parts of the health
curriculum; to speak with children about stealing and to hang out on the play grounds
before school. Although I only work with one class of children, I know personally of two
instances when children requested time with an officer to speak about things that
concerned them: one was about sexual abuse and the other was about a criminal a
ctivity.
In my experience any change takes a long time to come into it's fullness. When the school
district dropped the DARE curriculum to create a new partnership with officers in using
the new health curriculum, we anticipated that it would take some time to get into gear.
Well, it has indeed taken time. I do not want the relationships we have been forging these
last two years to go to waste. We are doing important work in our ICPD partnership. Let us
continue. Fund the Community Relations program. Find a way to keep us doing preventative
work that builds up our con, unity.
Sincerely, Judith Jensen
Lucas School.
Haverkamps B&B
619 N. Linn St
City IA 52245
Iowa ,
May 14, 2003
City Council
City of Iowa City
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, IA. 52240
To the City Council members,
We are writing to ask that you consider very carefully and conclude to NOT reduce the funding to the
Convention and Visitors Bureau of Iowa city/Coralville
Clarence and I have been in the Bed and Breakfast Business for 15 years here in Iowa City. We have
Haverkamps Linn Street Homestay B&B. We have both served On the CVB Board and Dorothy voluntered at
the Bureau office in Coralville for several years. We have been involved in numerous projects here in Iowa
City/Coralville and Des Moines to promote this area.
The CVB is the only organization that works directly with us and the hotels/motels in attracting visitors to our
cities, which in turn is the way the hotel/motel tax is accrued. If anything, the percentage of the tax revenue to
the CVB should be increased instead of reduced so that more can be done to entice outside people to our area.
We are sure you know that for every $1 the CVB receives, it is through the efforts of the CVB staff that has
brought almost $7 back into our area which helps everyone.
We know that money is also needed for police and fire protection but it should not come out of the additional
moneys now needed to bring more people/money into this area.
]~hat~k you for your consideration of this problem. We think you do a great job and with little thanks.
Dorothy and Clarence Haverkamp
"~ ~. (D~) Page l ofl
Marian Karr
From: Phfrhb@aol.com
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 3:46 PM
To: co u ncil@iowa-city.org
Subject: Budget
As an Iowa City resident, and a member of Johnson County Cultural Affairs (JCCA), which has been developed through
the ICCCVB, I was distressed to learn of potential cuts to this budget. To grow we must invest in what makes our
community worthwhile. With all the possiblities for downtown, JCCA and the ICCVB are essential partners in developing
these possiblities with the Downtown Association. I understand these are difficult times, but I encourage you to consider
ICCVB as integral to the success of cultural tourism, one ofthe most significant areas in tourism, as you evaluate where
to make cuts. Thank you for your consideration.
Patricia H. Forsythe
1806 East Court St.
Iowa City
(Membersh~ Chair, Johnson County Cultural Alliance)
5/19/03
Downlown Association of Iowa City
May 16 2003
Iowa City City Council
410 E. Washington Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council Members,
The Downtown Association of Iowa City understands the current financial situation. We
appreciate the struggle to balance the needs of the all citizens, with a budget problem not
of your making. Your hard work does not go unnoticed.
In your deliberations, please consider maintaining the current rates at metered parking.
These rates largely affect customers, whose largest complaint is often the parking
situation in Downtown Iowa City. Our members encourage ramp parking and transit
riding through our Park and Shop/Bus and Shop program. Businesses that use the
program pay for parking or transit fides for their customers. Some customers just prefer
metered parking. While our member businesses and our organization can and does
encourage alternatives to metered parking, with an increase metered rate some shoppers
may choose alternative shopping locations.
The other proposals from the Parking Department that increase monthly fees and
increased fines in illegal parking zones will have less impact on customers than the
increase at the metered parking.
We encourage you to maintain current rates at metered parking.
Thank you,
Kevin Boyd
Executive Director
Downtown Association of Iowa City
I'O Bt~x 64 · Ioxx,x CTT¥, IA 522444)064 · VO~¢:E: 319 354-0863 · IMAIL: dta(a~iowacity, ncr. www. downtowniowacity, ncr
Downtown Association of Iowa City
May 15, 2003
Iowa City City Council :: --
410 E. Washington St. ~'~'
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council Members,
Our organization appreciates you efforts to remedy the current financial situation with the
budget. The proposal that decreases the funding to the Iowa City/Coralville Convention
and Visitors Bureau (ICCCVB) concerns us.
Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau is an integral part in supporting the
Downtown Association of Iowa City. Each year many of our events are supported
through grants given by the ICCCVB. Those grants will be even more important now that
the Iowa City Community Events and Programs Grants funds have been reduced. The
ICCCVB initiated the Johnson County Cultural Alliance, which encompasses the entire
community but greatly supports the Downtown, which is home of much of the
community's culture.
We encourage you not to reduce the amount of funding for the ICCCVB.
Thank you,
Kevin Boyd
Executive Director
Downtown Association of Iowa City
I'O Box 64 · It)xx',~ CIIY, IA 52244 0064 · VOICE: 319-354 086:~ · EMAIL: dta(g~iowacity, net· www. downtowniowac~ty, net
Marian Karr ~. ,e._ ~'-.'.z._) Page 1 of 1
From: Phfrhb@aol.com
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 3:46 PM
To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org
Subject: Budget
As an iowa City resident, and a member of Johnson County Cultural Affairs (JCCA), which has been developed through
the ICCCVB, I was distressed to learn of potential cuts to this budget. To grow we must invest in what makes our
community worthwhile. With all the possiblities for downtown, JCCA and the ICCVB ara essential partners in developing
these possiblities with the Downtown Association. I understand these are difficult times, but I encourage you to consider
ICCVB as integral to the success of cultural tourism, one of the most significant areas in tourism, as you evaluate where
to make cuts. Thank you for your consideration.
Patricia H. Forsythe
1806 East Court St.
Iowa City
Membership Chair, Johnson County Cultural Alliance)
5/19/03
Jennifer Wilson
2610 Bartelt Rd lC
Iowa City, IA 52246
May 1, 2003
Iowa City Council
410 East Washington St
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Council:
One thing in Iowa City I feel that needs to be improved is the Iowa City Transit bus
service. As you already know, they do an excellent job in the established areas. However,
the problem that we have is that Iowa City is expanding. This means that the bus service
needs to expand their service into new areas, such as LakeRidge neighborhood and Scott
Boulevard.
The bus service needs to expand to new areas because more and more people are starting
to move into these areas. They have to walk to get to a bus stop, or have to leave 15
minutes early to catch a bus in another area. This is a concern because the highways are a
very dangerous area for young children that catch the bus in this area. There are always
trucks coming in and out of the business or on coming traffic that runs between 50 and 55
miles per hour speed limit. The highway is especially dangerous in the winter when the
roads are to icy. For example, the people in LakeRidge have to walk more than a half
mile from their house, across the highway and over a railroad just to get to the bus stop.
But Iowa City Transit can make the lives of the people in LakeRidge a little safer if they
just make a route through the area. The bus can make a small loop through the
neighborhood and come right back to the highway.
On Scott Boulevard, there are new homes, clinics, and stores. There is a bus that runs
down Washington St. back up to Amherst St. Since there are new clinics and homes I
think that the bus should at least travel to Lower West Branch Rd. ,down through Scott
Boulevard, and back up to Washington St.(see map) so that people don't have to walk
three blocks just to get to Scott Boulevard.
Most Importantly, I think that Iowa City Transit does a great job. I think that they need to
make it safer and easier for people to catch the bus. Iowa City is expanding more and
more. . and this means that the bus service needs to expand. I think that it's something that
~s ~mportant to meand oth~ cit,.'zen~ ;,, T ..... c~;~,,
Yours truly,
Je ifer Wdson :.q .'~ _v:
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 2e~)~
ROCK ISLAND DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
CORALV[LLE LAKE PROJECT
2850 PRAIRIE DU CHIEN RD NE
IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-7820
May 1, 2003
Mayor Emie Lehman and City Council Members
Civic Center
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Dear Mayor Lehman and City Council Members,
The Corps of Engineers at Coralville Lake will be honoring twelve military veterans on
Memorial Day, May 26, 2003 at 1:30 PM. Our selections for this year's honor are as follows:
Richard T. Feddersen
John H. Fenstemaker CD
Charles Hromidko .-~ -< -<
Victor R Kostiw
David Mitchell : '~: ~Z~ '5-]
Merle J. Nevenhoven
Charles F. Plymale
Richard P. Reihman
Anthony E. Rocca
Roland D. Schump
Gary D. Spevacek
The Corps of Engineers would be honored to have you in attendance at the dedication
ceremony. The ceremony will be conducted at the East Overlook Picnic Area located on the east
side of the dam. In the event of rain the ceremony will be conducted in the ranger storage area
adjacent to the visitor center.
Should you have any questions please contact Park Ranger Jeffrey H. Peck at 319-338-
3543 ext. 6310.
Sincerely,
Operations Manager
Coralville Lake
Veterans Trail
Dedication Ceremony
May 26, 2003
1:30 PM
Dedication ceremonies will be conducted at the
East Overlook Picnic Area located on the east
side of the dam adjacent to the Veterans Trail.
Marian Karr 2e
From: Caroline Dieterle [caroline-dieterle@uiowa.edu]
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 4:03 PM
To: council@iowa-city.org
Subject: Fwd: Sobering thoughts
Council members:
Please read this before dismissing my request that you pass a resolution
regarding limiting the local use of the Patriot Act II.
- Caroline
............... Text of forwarded message ...............
>>Excerpt from They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer
>>
>> But Then It Was Too Late
>>"What no one seemed to notice," said a colleague of mine, a philologist,
>>"was the ever widening gap, after 1933,between the goverrunent and the
>>people. Just think how very wide this gap was to begin with, here in
>>Germany. And it became always wider. You know it doesn't make people close
>>to their government to be told that this is a people's government, a true
>>democracy, or to be enrolled in civilian defense, or even to vote. All
>>this has little, really nothing to do with knowing one is governing.
>>
>>What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by
>>little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated
>>in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the
>>government had to act on information which the people could not understand,
>>or so dangerous that, even if he people could understand it, it could not
>>be released because of national security. A~nd their sense of
>>identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen
>>this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.
>>
>>"This separation of government from people, this widening of the gap, took
>>place so gradually and so insensibly, each step disguised (perhaps not even
>>intentionally) as a temporary emergency measure or associated with true
>>patriotic allegiance or with real social purposes. And all the crises and
>>reforms (real reforms, too) so occupied the people that they did not see
>>the slow motion underneath, of the whole process of government growing
>>remoter and remoter.
~>
>>"You will understand me when I say that my Middle High German was my life.
>>It was all I cared about. I was a scholar, a specialist. Then, suddenly, I
>>was plunged into all the new activity, as the universe was drawn into the
>>new situation; meetings, conferences, interviews, ceremonies, and, above
>>all, papers to be filled out, reports, bibliographies, lists,
>>questionnaires. And on top of that were the demands in the community, the
>>things in which one had to, was "expected to" participate that had not been
>>there or had not been important before. It was all rigmarole, of course,
>>but it consumed all one's energies, coming on top of the work one really
>>wanted to do. You can see how easy it was, then, not to think about
>>fundamental things. One had no time."
>>
>>"Those," I said, "are the words of my friend the baker. "One had no time to
>>think. There was so much going on." "Your friend the baker was right,"
>>said my colleague. "The dictatorship, and the whole process of its coming
>>into being, was above all diverting. It provided an excuse not to think
>>for people who did not want to think anyway. I do not speak of your
>>"little men", your baker and so on; I speak of my colleagues and myself,
>>learned men, mind you. Most of us did not want to think about fundamental
>>things and never had. There was no need to. Nazism gave us some dreadful,
!
>>fundamental things to think about - we were decent people - and kept us so
>>busy with continuous changes and "crises" and so fascinated, yes,
>>fascinated, by the machinations of the "national enemies", without and
>>within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were
>>growing, little by little, all around us. Unconsciously, I suppose, we were
>>grateful. Who wants to think?.
>>
>>"To live in this process is absolutely not to be able to notice it - please
>>try to believe me - unless one has a much greater degree of political
>>awareness, acuity, than most of us had ever had occasion to develop. Each
>>step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion,
>>"regretted," that, unless one were detached from the whole process from the
>>beginning, unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle,
>>what all these "little measures" that no "patriotic German" could resent
>>must some day lead to, one ne more saw it developing from day to day than a
>>farmer in his field sees the corn growing. One day it is over his
>>head."How is this to be avoided, among ordinary men, even highly educated
>>ordinary
>>men? Frankly, I do not know. I do not see, even now. Many, many times
>>since it all happened I have pondered that pair of great maxims, Principiis
>>obsta and Finem respice - "Resist the beginnings', and "consider the
>>end." But one must foresee the end in order to resist, or even see, the
>>beginnings. One must foresee the end clearly and certainly and how is this
>>to be done, by ordinary men or even by extraordinary men? Things might
>>have changed here before they went as far as they did; they didn't, but
>>they might have. And everyone counts on that might.
>>"Your "little men," your Nazi friends, were not against National Socialism
>>in principle. Men like me, who were, are the greater offenders, not
>>because we knew better (that would be too much to say) but because we
>>sensed better. Pastor Niemoller spoke for the thousands and housands of
>>men like me when he spoke (too modestly of himself) and said that, when the
>>Nazis attacked the Communists, he was a little uneasy, but, after all, he
>>was not a Communist, and so he did nothing: and then they attacked the
>>Socialists, and he was a little uneasier, but, still, he was not a
>>Socialist, and he did nothing; and then the schools, the press, the Jews,
>>and so on, and he was always uneasier, but still he did nothing. And then
>>they attacked the Church, and he was a Churchman, and he did something -
>>but then it was too late."
>>
>>"Yes," I said.
>>
>>"You see," my colleague went on, "one doesn't see exactly where or how to
>>move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than
>>the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You
>>wait for the one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a
>>shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow. You don't want to
>>act, or
>>even to talk, alone; you don't want to "go out of your way to make
>>trouble." Why not? - Well, you are not in the habit of doing it. And it
>>is not just fear, fear of standing alone, that restrains you; it is also
>>genuine uncertainty."Uncertainty is a very important factor, and, instead
>>of decreasing as time goes on, it grows. Outside, in the streets, in the
>>general community, "everyone is happy. One hears no protest, and certainly
>>sees none. You know, in France or Italy there will be slogans against the
>>government painted on walls and fences; in Germany, outside the great
>>cities, perhaps, there is not even this. In the university community, in
>>your own community, you speak privately to you colleagues, some of whom
>>certainly feel as you do; but what do they say? They say, "It's not so
>>bad" or "You're seeing things" or "You're an alarmist."
>>
>>"And you are an alarmist. You are saying that this must lead to this, and
>>you can't prove it. These are the beginnings, yes; but how do you know for
>>sure when you don't know the end, and how do you know, or even surmise, the
>>end? On the one hand, your enemies, the law, the regime, the Party,
>>intimidate you. On the other, your colleagues pooh-pooh you as pessimistic r
>>even neurotic. You are left with your close friends, who are, naturally,
>>people who have always thought as you have.
2
>>
>>"But your friends are fewer now. Some have drifted off somewhere or
>>submerged themselves in their work. You no longer see as many as you did
>>at meetings or gatherings. Informal groups become smaller; attendance drops
>>off in little organizations, and the organizations themselves wither. Now,
>>in small gatherings of your oldest friends, you feel that you are talking
>>to yourselves, that you are isolated from the reality of things. This
>>weakens your confidence still further and serves as a further deterrent to
>>- to what? It is clearer all the time that, if you are going to do
>>anything, you must make an occasion to do it, and then you are obviously a
>>troublemaker. So you wait, and you wait."But the one great shocking
>>occasion, when tens or hundreds or thousands will join with you, never
>>comes. That's the difficulty. If the last and worst
>>act of the whole regime had come immediately after the first and the
>>smallest, thousands, yes, millions would have been sufficiently shocked -
>>if, let us say, the gassing of the Jews in "43" had come immediately after
>>the "German Firm" stickers on the windows of non-Jewish shops in "33". But
>>of course this isn't the way it happens. In between come all the hundreds
>>of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not
>>to be shocked by the next. Step C is not so much worse than Step B, and,
>>if you did not make a stand at Step B, why should you at Step C? And so on
>>to Step D.
>>
>>"And one day, too late, your principles, if you were ever sensible of them,
>>all rush in upon you. The burden of self deception has grown too heavy,
>>and some minor incident, in my case my little boy, hardly more than a baby,
>>saying "Jew swine," collapses it all at once, and you see that everything,
>>everything, has changed and changed completely under your nose. The world
>>you live in - your nation, your people - is not the world you were in at
>>all. The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses,
>>the shops, the jobs, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema,
>>the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed because you made the
>>lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed. Now you
>>live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not
>>even know it themselves; when everyone is transformed, no one is
>>transformed. Now you live in a system which rules without responsibility
>>even to God. The system itself could not have intended this in the
>>beginning, but in order to sustain itself it was compelled to go all the
>>way.
>>
>>"You have gone almost all the way yourself. Life is a continuing process,
>>a flow, not a succession of acts and events at all. It has flowed to a new
>>level, carrying you with it, without any effort on your part. On this new
>>level you live, you have been living more comfortably every day, with new
>>morals, new principles. You have accepted things you would not have
>>accepted five years ago, a year ago, things that your father, even in
>>Germany, could not have imagined.
>>
>>"Suddenly it alt comes down, all at once. You see what you are, what you
>>have done, or, more accurately, what you haven't done ( for that was all
>>that was required of most of us: that we do nothing). You reme~er those
>>early meetings of your department in the university when, if one had stood,
>>others would have stood, perhaps, but no one stood. A small matter, a
>>matter of hiring this man or that, and you hired this one rather than that.
>>You remermber everything now, and your heart breaks. Too late. You are
>>compromised beyond repair.
>>
>>"What then? You must then shoot yourself. A few did. Or "adjust" your
>>principles. Many tried, and some, I suppose, succeeded; not I,
>>however. Or learn to live the rest of your life with your shame. This
>>last is the nearest there is, under the circumstances, to heroism:
>>shame. Many Germans became this poor kind of hero, many more, I think,
>>than the world knows or cares to know."
>>
>>I said nothing. I thought of nothing to say.
>>
>>"I can tell you," my colleague went on, "of a man in Leipzig, a judge. He
3
>>was not a Nazi, except nominally, but he certainly wasn't an anti-Nazi. He
>>was just a judge. In "42" or "43", early "43", I think it was, a Jew was
>>tried before him in a case involving, but only incidentally, relations with
>>an "Aryan" woman. This was "race injury", something the Party was
>>especially anxious to punish. In the case a bar, however, the judge had the
>>power to convict the man of a "nonraciat" offense and send him to an
>>ordinary prison for a very long term, thus saving him from Party
>>"processing" which would have meant concentration camp or, more probably,
>>deportation and death. But the man was innocent of the "nonracial" charge,
>>in the judge's opinion, and so, as an honorable judge, he acquitted
>>him. Of course, the Party seized the Jew as soon as he left the courtroom."
>>
>>"And the judge?"
>>
>>"Yes, the judge. He could not get the case off his conscience ~" a case,
>>mind you, in which he had acquitted an innocent man. He thought that he
>>should have convicted him and saved him from the Party, but how could he
>>have convicted an innocent man? The thing preyed on him more and more, and
>>he had to talk about it, first to his family, then to his friends, and then
>>to acquaintances. (That's how I heard about it.) After the "44" Putsch
>>they arrested him. After that, I don't know."
>>
>>I said nothing.
>>
>>"Once the war began," my colleague continued, "resistance, protest,
>>criticism, complaint, all carried with them a multiplied likelihood of the
>>greatest punishment. Mere lack of enthusiasm, or failure to show it in
>>public, was "defeatism." You assumed that there were lists of those who
>>would be "dealt with" later, after the victory. Goebbels was very clever
>>here, too. He continually promised a "victory orgy" to "take care of"
>>those who thought that their "treasonable attitude" had escaped
>>notice. And he meant it; that was not just propaganda. And that was
>>enough to put an end to all uncertainty."Once the war began, the government
>>could do anything "necessary" to win it; so it was with the "final
>>solution" of the Jewish problem, which the Nazis always talked about but
>>never dared undertake, not even the Nazis, until war and its "necessities"
>>gave them the knowledge that they could get away with it. The people
>>abroad who thought that war against Hitler would help the Jews were
>>wrong. And the people in Germany who, once the war had begun, still
>>thought of complaining, protesting, resisting, were betting on
>>Germany's losing the war. It was a long bet. Not many made it."
4
Marian Karr
From: garry, klein@act org
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 'i:04 PM
To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org
Subject: Public library accessibility
Council Members,
Two of my friends are wheelchair-bound. They pointed out to me that the
accessibility to the remodeled library is far from ideal. The handicapped
button at the exit of the library, for instance, is unreachable because of
how the book return is set-up. There is literally not enough space for a
wheelchair to squeeze in to press the button. This causes them to ask
others to hold the door for them or ask the library staff. Also, they
pointed out that the reference/information desk is on the second
floor--which as an able-bodied person I find a nuisance--for them, it is
quite a trip to get help.
I can understand if this is a temporary snafu caused by the renovation, but
the exit issue is particularly troubling--from the stand point of public
safety.
Garry Klein
628 2nd Ave.
Iowa City, IA 52245
Marian Karr
From: Susan Craig [SCRAIG@icpl.org]
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 2:54 PM
To: garry.klein@act org
Cc: cou ncil@iowa-city.org
Subject: Public Library Accessibilib/
Mr. Klein,
I understand the issues of accessibility at the Public Library you have
raised concerns about. I have spoken to one of the people you were with
in the library and I have also visited with Councilmember Steven Kanner
and Marilyn Belman from the Johnson County Coalition of Persons with
Disabilities about similar issues. We are currently figuring out how to
relocate the button that needs to be pushed to automatically open the
door for exit. When it was installed the desk was not there because we
relocated the desk from the old building after it was closed. In the
rush of getting things installed we have not had an opportunity to
relocate the button to a more accessible location. It will be
improved.
Both of the people I have spoken to have not realized that the current
entrance is only temporary. In fourteen months things will be greatly
improved when the entrance moves back to Linn Street. Both entrance
doors will be automatic and the meeting rooms return to a permanent
location right off the main lobby. I am concerned about any
accessiblity issues and will try to address them promptly. However, the
conditions in the temporary quarters are not ideal and the cost may be
prohibitive to make every correction for a relatively short period of
time. I expect to visit with representatives from the Coalition soon to
review both the temporary facility and gather input for the final
building.
The location of the reference desk is a permanent change. The second
floor of the Library is where most of our additional new space will be
in the completed building and a major service area needed to be moved to
the second floor. After careful consideration we chose to move the
reference collection, the reference desk, magazines and newspapers, and
computer access to the second floor. In the completed building the
second floor will be easily reached by a new elevator and stairway just
inside the entrance to the main library.
I hope you find the temporary facility usable during the next fourteen
months. Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns and please
let me know if you have any other issues.
Sincerely,
Susan Craig
Library Director
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
(319) 356-5200 x 153
Marian Karr
From: garry, klein@act.org
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2003 4:19 PM
To: Susan Craig
Cc: cou ncil@iowa-city.org
Subject: Re: Public Library Accessibility
Susan,
Thank you very much for your responsiveness and actions. I~m very glad to
know that things will be better in the future (e.g., I know I wasn't the
only one trying to locate the "after hours" book return). I~m glad that you
are getting input for the final layout from the Johnson County Coalition of
Persons with Disabilities. While those of us without physical disabilities
often take for granted universal design features, most of us enjoy the use
of them, e.g., Moms and Dads with kids in their arms, people with a huge
stack of books and so on.
I can see how frustrating it must be to the library staff that in the
interim some patrons will be put out by inconveniences. Still access to a
building is critical for public safety, so I hope something can be worked
out even temporarily.
Incidentally, my job with ACT involves developing surveys and conducting
focus groups and allows me to study usability as we develop products and
services. If I can be helpful in any way /as a volunteer) to collect
information, please let me know.
Please know that I am very excited about the library expansion. It looks
good on paper and from the small peek I saw last night, I~m sure it will be
great in reality when the dust settles.
Garry
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: April 29, 2003
To: City Clerk
From: Beth Pfohl, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner ~
Re: Item for May 20, 2003 City Council meeting: Installation of two TOW-AWAY ZONE
signs on the south side of Iowa Avenue
As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City
Council of the following action.
Action:
Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(19), two TOW-AWAY ZONE signs will be installed on the south
side of Iowa Avenue in front of 943 Iowa Avenue. The two signs will be installed under two
existing NO PARKING BETVVEEN SIGNS signs.
Comment:
This action is being to allow the Police Department to tow away vehicles that park illegally in
this space. A legally blind woman lives at 943 Iowa Avenue and needs the space clear to be
picked up and dropped off. There is currently a chronic illegal parking problem.
Jccogt p\rnemos\iowatowaway doc
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: April 29, 2003
To: City Clerk
From: Beth Pfohl, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner /¢~
Re: Item for May 20, 2003 City Council meeting: Installation of a bus stop sign on Court
Street
As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City
Council of the following action,
Action:
Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(19), one bus stop sign will be installed on the south side of Court
Street near its intersection with Peterson Street,
Comment:
This action is being taken at the request of Iowa City Transit,
jccogt memos\courtbusstop.doc
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: May 14, 2003
To: City Clerk
From: Beth Pfohl, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner
Re: Item for May 20, 2003 City Council meeting: Removal of two NO PARKING 8 AM -
5 PM MONDAY - FRIDAY signs and installation of two NO PARKING ANYTIME
signs on the north side of Grove Street
As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3A of the City Code, this is to advise the City
Council of the following action.
Action:
Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(10), signage indicating NO PARKING 8 AM - 5 PM MONDAY
- FRIDAY will be removed from the north side of Grove Street between Beldon Avenue
and Ferson Avenue. These signs will be replaced with NO PARKING ANYTIME signs.
Comment:
Grove Street is a 12-foot wide one-way street between Beldon Avenue and Ferson
Avenue. On-street parking should not be allowed on a street this narrow.
jccogtp/mem/bp-grovest.doc