HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-01-16 Transcription Page 1
Council Present: Alter,Bergus,Dunn (via Zoom),Harmsen, Moe, Salih, Teague
Council Absent: None
Staff Present: From,Jones, Goers, Grace, Platz, Sitzman,Havel, Sovers,Welter
Others Present: LeFevre,USG Liaison, Monsivais,Alternate
1. Call to Order
Teague: It is now 06:00 PM on January 16, 2024, and before I get started, I want to make sure
that Councilor Dunn is on.
Dunn: I'm good to go.
Teague: Awesome, and we can hear you perfectly. I'm going to call this meeting to order. Roll
call please. (Roll Call). Motion passes.No motion at all. It's a,uh, it is a fun-yeah, it is a
fun day. It is,yes. Well, welcome to everyone that is present in Council Chambers and
uh,virtually attending in this moment.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
formal meeting of January 16,2024.
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2. Proclamations
2.a Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Month
Teague: We're going to move on to item number 2,which is proclamations. We have 2.a Human
Trafficking Prevention and Awareness month. (Reads proclamation)And to receive this
proclamation,we have Teresa Davidson,who is the CEO and Co-founder of Chains
Interrupted, accepting it.
Davidson: Well,thank you to everyone who came out in this bitter cold. I'm always wondering
why National Human Trafficking Awareness Month has to be in January. But thank you,
sincerely,Mayor Teague and all the City Council members,thank you for the important
work that you do for our community. Thank you for caring about this issue that destroys
the physical,mental, emotional, and spiritual health of those victimized. Human
trafficking can happen to anyone. Every single person in this room fits the profile of a
victim, a buyer, and a trafficker. However, traffickers do tend to target those with certain
vulnerabilities, especially those who are young. They target desperation,which many of
the youth in our community feel right now,whether they are faci- facing abuse at home,
bullying at school,blackmail for a photo or video they sent, economic hardships, or just
feeling desperate to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and are promised an
adventure that turns into something that they weren't expecting. As a community,we
need to be aware of all parts of this heinous crime. Parents, guardians,teachers, coaches,
mentors, and more all need to be aware of how to prevent children from falling victim to
this, and signs to watch for if they do. Those on the front lines need to be aware of the
signs their clients may exhibit when involved in trafficking. It's going to take multiple
systems in our community working together to prevent this, free someone trapped in this,
and support those who experienced human trafficking to restore their lives. We have
some work to do. January has been declared Human Trafficking Awareness and
Prevention Month for Iowa City. Please reach out to us for education for your group,
business, organization, church,hospital, school, and more. We thank those of you who
have already taken this important step. Together,we can take even more steps. Thank
you.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
formal meeting of January 16,2024.
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3. - 6. Consent Agenda
Teague: Great,thank you. All right. We are going to move on to our consent agenda. I know
that during our Work Session our City Attorney talked about separate consideration for
6.a and 6.b.
Goers: That's correct your honor,Mr. Mayor. Got to remember which forum I'm in. The Public
Works has asked that we defer indefinitely 6.a and 6.b as there is still a little bit of work
to be done and certainly the weather conditions have made it difficult to complete some
of the punch list items on those two projects. So I'd ask that those be considered
separately and that a motion be made to defer indefinitely those two items.
Teague: Great.Could I get a motion to approve consent agenda items 3 through 6 while removing
6.a and 6.b for separate consideration?
Harmsen: So moved Harmsen.
Dunn: Second.
Teague: Moved by Harmsen, seconded by Dunn. I heard him. All right. Anyone from the public
like to address our Consent Agenda with the exception of 6.a and 6.b. If you're in person
please step to the podium, if you are online please raise your hand. Seeing no one in
person or online, Council discussion. Roll call please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 7-0.
Could I get a motion to defer items 6.a and 6.b indefinitely.
Moe: So moved,Moe.
Salih: Second, Salih.
Teague: All in favor say aye. (Voice Vote). Motion passes 7-0.
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formal meeting of January 16,2024.
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7. Community Comment
Teague: We are on to item Number 7,which is our Community Comment. This is an opportunity
for individuals to talk about anything that is not on our agenda. Um, and if you are in
person,please,um, step to the podium and there is a sign-in sheet where you can write
your name. Um, and if you are online,please raise your hand and I'll acknowledge you.
Welcome. You have up to three minutes.
Doolittle: Hi,my name is Kate. I'm from Iowa City. Um, the proposed City budget has just come
out and with the budget work session on Saturday, I wanted to discuss the police budget
for FY 25. It's up another 2.8% from the proposed FY24 budget. More than that,the
FY24 revised budget is over half a million more than what was proposed. Police spent
over half a million extra dollars on top of the egregious $1.6 million increase from FY23.
Why is that?Why is the Council allowed to vote retroactively to approve money that's
already been spent? Subsequently, last year in April,to quote City Manager Geoff Fruin,
he pointed out that the Police Department has ended each one of these years under budget
and has not required any supplemental funding. But according to the proposed budget this
year,that did not occur. FY24 has a revised budget accounting for expenditures that
exceed the proposed budget and this could happen again in FY25. Your constituents are
telling you that we do not want that. In 2019 custodial arrests made up only 40% of total
arrests, 37% in 2020, and it's skyrocketed to 74% in 2021 and 76% in 2022. Why is there
such a sudden increase in the proportion of arrestees taken into custody, especially since
most types of violent crime are trending down, according to the ICPD annual report?
How are your crime statistics gathered?Are the crimes listed the charges initially entered,
or are they the charges someone is actually convicted of?Furthermore,the FY26
projected budget is around 18.5 million. Yet the Strategic Plan wants less police response
by fiscal year 28. If our City's overall goal is to decrease the amount of police responses
in our community,why are we projecting that we will be investing more money into our
Police Department? Investing more money into the police seems to go against the City's
Strategic Plan that they pride themselves on. I'm here today supported by a group of
comrades to ask the City of Iowa City why?Why does this extra money go towards?
What does this extra money go towards? The largest place that the police budget is spent
on is patrol. We do not want more patrol. Police patrol does not make our community
safer. Why are we not investing in the strategies laid out in the City's Strategic Plan for
safety and well-being? If we're following the strategies set forth,we would invest in
alternative models of public safety partnerships with nonprofits, fostering connections,
and developing safe and accessible public areas. It's my understanding that the Council
does not have all the power when it comes to certain aspects of the budget. But where
you do hold power is the general fund,which is where the police budget comes from.
You have the power to create material change in your community that's in alignment with
the vision of your constituents and the City's Strategic Plan. But you must act now.
Increasing the police budget will only further endanger the most vulnerable in our
community. We call upon you to end the cycle of upholding violent systems. When you
put more money into the police under the guise of public safety,you ignore all of the real
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intangible avenues that lead to safety and instead create a more hostile and militarized
environment. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address a topic that is not on our- on our agenda?.
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8. Planning& Zoning Matters
8.a Rezoning—1201 Benton St.—Ordinance conditionally rezoning
approximately 0.78 acres of land located at 1201 W. Benton Street from Low
Density Resident(RS-5)to Low Density Multi- Family Residential(RM-12).
Teague: Seeing no one in person or online. we're going to move on to Item 8 which is planning
and zoning matters. So 8.a is Rezoning 1201 West Benton Street, and Councilor Moe will
be recusing himself from this item. An ordinance conditionally rezoning approximately
70,uh 0.78, acres of land located at 1201 West Benton Street from Low Density
Residential to Low Density fa- Multi-Family Residential. The applicant is requesting
expedited action. Yeah, I think it's-yeah. It is requesting an expedited action. Yes.
Alter: I have it. I can-
Salih: Okay. Go ahead.
Teague: Wait, I'm sorry.
Salih:Not it right now.
Alter:Not right now?
Teague: Yeah.No-no. Go right ahead- go right ahead.
Alter: Okay.
Teague: Yeah.
Alter: I move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for passage
at two Council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally passed be
suspended,that the fust consideration and vote be waived, and that the ordinance be
given second consideration and vote at this time.
Teague: Moved by -
Alter: Alter.
Teague: -Alter.
Salih: Second.
Teague: Second by Salih. Anyone from the public like to address this topic. If you're online,
please raise your hand. If you're in person,please step to the podium. Seeing no one in
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person or online Council discussion. I think it's going to be great. Roll call, please. (Roll
Call) Motion passes 7-0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt?
Goers: 6-0 for the record here Mayor.
Teague: Oh, correct, 6-0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt?
Salih: Moved.
Harmsen: Second.
Teague: All right. Move by Salih, seconded by Harmsen. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion
passes 6-0. Can I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Bergus: So moved,Bergus.
Alter: Second,Alter.
Teague: All in favor say, aye. (Voice Vote)Motion passes 6-0. All right.
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8.b Zoning Code Amendment—Reduction of maximum allowable height in the
RNS-12 Zone- Ordinance amending Title 14,Zoning to reduce the maximum
allowable height in the Neighborhood Stabilization Residential(RNS-12)zone from
thirty-rive feet to twenty-seven (27) feet for single-family and duplex uses. (REZ23-
0005) (Pass & Adopt)
Teague: We're going to move on to Item Number 8.b,which is Zoning Code Amendment-
Reduction of maximum allowable height in the RNS-12 Zone. Councilor Moe is recusing
himself from this item as well. This is an ordinance amending Title 14,Zoning to reduce
the maximum allowable height in the Neighborhood Stabilization Residential Zone from
35 feet to 27 feet for single-family and duplex uses. And this is our motion to pass and
adopt. Could I get,um, a motion,please?
Salih: Move.
Alter: Second,Alter.
Teague: Moved by Salih, second by Alter. A- anyone from the public like to address this topic?
If you're online,please raise your hand and I'll acknowledge you. If you're in person,
please step to the podium. Seeing no one, Council discussion. Roll call,please. (Roll
Call) Motion passes 5-1.
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8.c. Comprehensive Plan Amendment-Resolution to amend the Comprehensive
Plan future land use map for property located north of I-80 and west of N.Dodge
Street at the end of Moss Ridge Road from Office Research Development Center to
Intensive Commercial(CPA23-0002)
Teague: 8.c Comprehensive Plan Amendment-Resolution to amend the Comprehensive Plan
future land use map for property located north of I-80 and west of North Dodge Street at
the end of Moss Ridge Road from Office Research Development Center to an Intensive
Commercial. Can I get a motion to approve,please?
Alter: So moved,Alter.
Bergus: Second,Bergus.
Teague: All right. And welcome Danielle.
Sitzman: Thank you,Mayor. Danielle Sitzman,Neighborhood and Development Services. As
you said this is an- a Comprehensive Plan amendment. There will be a separate rezoning,
uh,uh, case after this with the CZA that we have received. So,uh,the owner and
applicant in this case is Stephen Moss. They are interested in selling approximately 61
acres of property located north of Interstate 80 and west of Highway 1 North Dodge
Street. The applicant submitted, like I said, two applications to allow future commercial
uses. Here,ATI group is interested in developing the property for transportation and
warehousing facilities. The owner plans to accomplish this through a Comprehensive
Plan amendment to change the future use,uh,map designation and the Comprehensive
Plan from Office Research Development Center to Intensive Commercial and to also, like
I say,uh, accomplish the zoning map amendment. The Comprehensive Plan amendment
must be approved for changes to the zoning map to be consistent with the Comprehensive
Plan. That's why this point is coming fust. Um,the subject properties are in the North
Corridor planning district but there is no district plan,uh, for this area, one has not yet
been developed. Um, shown on the map is the location of the subject property. As I
mentioned, it's north of I-80 and west of,uh,North Dodge Street. In between it and North
Dodge Street is the former Pearson,uh,building shown there and the rest of the area is
largely undeveloped. Um,there is a street,uh, connection to this property in Moss Ridge
Road which the City did develop ourselves in 2015. And the City does own some of the
property that is undeveloped to the northeast of the subject property. This shows the
current Comprehensive Plan,uh, designation, future land use map designation.Northwest
corner,top left corner in blue is the subject area. The Comprehensive Plan serves as a
land use,uh,planning guide,policy guide and illustrates the configuration and location of
appropriate land uses in this map. Um,the subject properties were long ago identified as
appropriate for office and research park style development. Um,they have great access to
I-80 interchange,North Dodge Street,And then the City fust saw interest in this kind of
development as far back as- as the '60s and '70s. Since that time, every time we've
updated our Comprehensive Plan,we've kind of just memorialized what forces were
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already at work,uh, in this area and designated it as appropriate for Office Research
Development Center. And that includes the most recent Comprehensive Plan update
which was in 2013, occurring at about the same time there was last interest in
development in this area which was roughly 2010, 2015,the last time this area was
subject to,uh,rezoning or platting. Um,the proposals, like I said- like I said, concurred-
occurred during the Comprehensive Plan,uh,process, and so nothing was changed on the
map at that time. However,uh,nothing actually was ever developed. Um, in 2010, I sai-
as I said,there was a concept proposed,there was rezoning actions and planning in 12
and 15,um,but none of those plans ever came to fruition, and so the land is still
essentially va-vacant. In the currently proposed concept,which would be in that black
circle the purple area,um, does require a reevaluation of the,uh, future land use
appropriate in this area. When we do that kind of reevaluation,um, it's a Comprehensive
Plan amendment and we have criteria in our ordinance that we follow in conducting that
ana- analysis and applicants are,uh, able to request this kind of amendment as they
consider redevelopment. So we'll go through those criteria here quickly. And the fust one
is whether circumstances have changed or there's additional information since the last
time the comp plan was updated. And we certainly feel that's the case here for this
property. As I said,the development interest over time has changed, and the uses in this
area have changed. Pearson's no longer operating in this area and we've seen quite a bit
of,uh, demand drop for office space even most recently with the pandemic. Um,there's
certainly a clear shift to a different kind of working,working from home. and that the
major operators of office research park in this area have also accordingly changed their
operations,that includes the ACT campus farther south as well as Pearson.
Alter: Can I interrupt just for a minute just for like clarification? I know that the land is for sale,
but ACT has not closed its offices.
Sitzman: Okay.
Alter: Just- I just don't want people to freak out and like we're still out there.
Sitzman: Thank you. Um, so let me just back up here a second then. So either,regardless, office
demand is clearly changed and we see that there's,uh, certainly an overall because of
these trends of public interest in reviewing the property's future land use in this
circumstance. The second criteria is whether the proposed amendment is compatible with
other policies and provisions of the Comprehensive Plan. And we feel that it is, it fulfills
economic deve- development policies expressed throughout the-the plan itself,um,
trying to build a resilient economy, adjusting to changes in the economy as they come
along,um, looking for ways for development to be,uh, continue to be compact and
efficient and make use of good resources as it does so. As I mentioned,there is no district
plan for this area. There is a fringe area agreement for-that does control county,uh, land,
uh,the county's development policies and the city's interaction nearby. Uh,the proposed
amendment is consistent with the goals and strategies in the Comp Plan related to
building that resilient economy. Focusing on creating commercial nodes,um,to
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efficiently use resources like highways,while protecting valuable features such as open
space, farm land, and residential neighborhoods. Um,this,uh, development would allow,
uh, it would align with the expressed,um, desire for this particular area that was included
in the Comprehensive Plan, like I said in 2013, supporting redevelopment here in some,
uh, in some form. So this is the next steps where we're at. Like I said, there are two
applications. The first one we're considering is the one highlighted in orange, following
that would be the rezoning. This property actually has conditions,uh, included in the
rezoning that would require it to also go through a planning process. And then with all
commercial development,there would be site plan and building permits as well. So based
on a review of the relevant criteria, staff did recommend approval of the amendment. And
at its December 20th meeting,the planning and zoning commission concurred with staffs
opinion and recommended approval of the Comp Plan amendment by a vote of six to
zero. Um, applicant did not choose to-to use a Good Neighbor Policy in this case,but
staff has also not received any public comments regarding the proposed amendment. We
do still do our public notice and hearing that we're required to do regardless of whether a
Good Neighbor meeting is held. Um,tonight I do know representatives are in the
audience. If you have questions,um,you can certainly call on them to answer them. I
believe they may also be on Zoom, so keep an eye out for a hand raise there.
Teague: Okay.
Sitzman: That concludes my presentation on the Comp Plan.
Teague: Any questions for Danielle?
Dunn: I- I do have one. Uh,really,the question should be about whether it's,uh,proper to bring
up right now or during the proposed zoning amendment,um,which-which would be a
better time to have a conversation about the sensitive areas on the property?
Sitzman: I will say my presentation on the rezoning touches on the sensitive areas that are in this,
uh, on this property,um, it does,uh,really just end up being a matter that would be a
future review. So I don't know if you have specific questions about the sensitive areas
ordinance as it does apply to this property,but I would guess rezoning is probably more
appropriate to talk about it.
Goers: I would agree Councilor Dunn. I think the next item is probably the best,uh, form for
your questions.
Dunn: Okay. Thank you.
Moe: Is it accurate to say that regardless of what the Comprehensive Plan says- says about this
space, sensitive areas would still need to be reviewed housing-
Sitzman: Yes. Those are part of the zoning code and our regulatory feature.
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Moe:Yeah, I think it's, uh,very appropriate to talk about,uh,this as we, in our Work Dession
talked about amending the Comprehensive Plan. We have something in our
Comprehensive Plan that is not maybe what we need a whole lot more of in the future. So
this is a good case study for us.
Teague: All right,thank you. And I'm assuming none of the development team want to say
anything at this point,just available for questions. Okay,welcome.
Muhlenbruch: I'll sign in a minute. Uh, I'm Michael Muhlenbruch with McClure. Tyler Leo with
ATI is also on the call. Um, we know this is the first time this application has been in
front of you, and,uh,we're here for questions if you have them. I just want to say that
City staff has been great to work through this with. It's been an interesting property over
time and- and it's exciting to be moving forward. So thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? If you're online please
raise your hand. Seeing no one in public or in- in-person. Um, Council discussion.
Dunn: I would just say that I,uh, appreciate the work that's gone into this application,uh, as well
as the staff explanation that we got here before us. Um, I really don't have any- any
problem with anything that we're-we're looking at, I think it makes a lot of sense,uh,
with the-with the change in market conditions that we've all been able to see,uh, almost
certainly in our own lives.
Teague: Okay. Roll call,please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 7-0.
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8.d. Rezoning—Moss Ridge Rd. - Ordinance conditionally rezoning
approximately 61.72 acres of land located North of I- 80,West of N.Dodge
Street,at the end of Moss Ridge Road from Research Development Park (RDP)
zone,Interim Development Research Park (ID-RP) zone,and Highway
Commercial with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/CH-1)zone to Intensive
Commercial(CI-1)zone(REZ23-0009).
Teague: Item 8.d,Rezoning Moss Ridge Road - Ordinance conditionally rezoning approximately
61.72 acres of land located North of I-80,West of North Dodge Street at the end of Moss
Ridge Road from Research Development Park zone, Interim Development,Re -Research
Park,zone, and Highway Commercial with a Planned Development Overlay zone to
Intensive Commercial zone. And I'm going to open the public hearing and welcome
Danielle again.
1. Public Hearing
Sitzman: Thank you,Mayor. As I said, this is the second of two applications. This is the
rezoning for the same subject property for the same purposes. The proposed rezoning is
aimed at development of an intensive commercial use,which aligns with the current
changes and trends that we mentioned, I mentioned we are seeing today. Furthermore,
this location is near other warehousing uses and has few neighbors. It's appropriate for
considering a more intensive land use. The property has three existing zoning districts
applied to it, shown here in this exhibit, including an overlay zone - so that O-district that
you just saw in the introduction there - and has a variety of conditions applied to it
through the previous rezoning process,through a conditional zoning agreement. It was
based on a previous development concept and a master plan approved, like I said, in the
2010, 2015 time frame. Um,no development ever occurred other than the City to build a
street network to connect to this property. Really, at this point, those conditions are no
longer relevant and are not being proposed to be carried forward. The conditions that are
included in this rezoning,um, case at the end, are irrelevant to the proposal of concept as
far as we know it and I'll go through those as we get to them in the presentation. So the
proposed rezoning is to Intensive Commercial(CI-1)Zone. It's the least intense
commercial zone, or it's also not an industrial zone that allows the type of use
contemplated by the current developer. Staff worked with the development team to
identify that zone for them to request to make sure that,um, it was what is needed for the
concept that they had in mind. But not any more intense or expansive than what we
thought was appropriate and identified in the Comprehensive Plan amendment change
that you just approved. It does require,because it's a commercial zone, a commercial site
development standards to be reviewed and approved. We think that's a good thing. The
commercial site development standards are more stringent,more expansive than those for
industrial. Industrial tends not to be as design,um, focused versus commercial,which is,
and we think that's important for the site. Um, if you're interested in what other uses
would be allowed that was included in the staff report,um,there are a variety of other
uses besides what the applicant's considering. I will say that even though there's quite a
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few of them,they all do still have provisions usually attached to them. So while it is
opening the door to commercial,um, our code does have backstops built into it for things
that would be impactful, and we do go through additional reviews for standards for
anything happening outside. So the outdoor display -there's landscaping and screening
requirements built into our code to address those. This is the concept so far that they've
developed. They really don't have to have a concept at this point. They are not requesting
an overlay zone, so no OPD as part of their rezoning. They do not need to request that O
rezoning because they're not impacting sensitive areas. If they were proposing impacts to
sensitive areas that would have triggered an OPD rezoning. Um,the previous rezoning
conditions, as I mentioned, are no longer really relevant. They were focused on creating a
cohesive design as part of that master planned office park that did need an OPD rezoning
to have certain waivers from base standards. They're not requesting that as part of their
proposal or the rezoning. As I mentioned, future development would also need to be
reviewed to the criteria applicable to commercial site development standards. And the
commercial site development standards ensure, like I said,that commercial development
is compatible in scale and intensity to surrounding development. It does have standards
for screening of outdoor elements visible to the public. It also ensures safe pedestrian and
vehicle circulation. The criteria that we use for rezoning review are fairly basic. We look
at the consistency of the Comprehensive Plan and compatibility with the surrounding
neighborhood. Consistency of the Comprehensive Plan,uh,was,uh, ensured through the
last action that you just took,the Comprehensive Plan amendment. Um,the
Comprehensive Plan background acknowledges that the City has taken steps to direct
employment growth into this area and has made investments ourselves here and we
specifically see the Moss Ridge location as a beneficial place for businesses that require
close access to Interstate 80. Regarding compatibility with the existing neighborhood -
this particular property is bordered by agricultural, other warehousing and office,the
interstate, as well as light industrial, indoor recreation, and some City owned property as
well. The commercial site development standards serve as a way to manage future
commercial development here, as I mentioned. The staff does find the property would
have minimal impact on the existing neighborhood character due to the majority of the
land to the west of this and the north being undeveloped. There is still a developable land
to the west of this particular property before it is abutting to any residential areas. As I
mentioned,because they're not impacting sensitive areas,there's no sensitive areas plan
included with this rezoning as there would be typically. We can address sensitive areas.
We do review sensitive areas in a couple of different ways, different steps of
development. One of those steps could be at site plan. If a commercial site plan were to
come in,we would simply look at the sensitive area on that site. Staff is actually
proposing a condition that would require the prelim and final plat. That's a stage earlier in
the development process with a more holistic approach to sensitive areas. We think that's
a better way to actually make sure that the sensitive areas throughout the entire property
are addressed earlier in the process,rather than waiting on a site by site analysis. So that
condition is included in the recommended conditions here,that they do a preliminary
plat. Another element of previous development here was the filing of a traffic study in
2012. That was based on that former master plan,which is no longer the development
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concept. And so we do also want to see an update to that traffic study before we would
get into the approval of specific developments. That is also included as a condition on
this,uh,rezoning. As I mentioned,this is the second of two applications where this is the
rezoning stage, including those three conditions. The third condition having to do with,
er,water main design and extension of a water main. Based on the review of the relevant
criteria, staff did recommend approval with those conditions. At their December 20th
meeting,the Planning and Zoning Commission concurred and also voted 6-0 for the
rezoning to proceed with those conditions. We have, as I said,received the conditional
zoning agreement signed tonight. That concludes my staff report and I'm happy to answer
questions.
Dunn: I guess,um,just start with my question,uh, about the sensitive areas. Um, I noticed the
staff report mentioned,um,there was a certain section of it that could potentially be
considered for the National Registry of Historic Places. Would you be able to go into
some detail on that,um, as well as, um,you know,what section of the property it is and
also any archaeological,um, aspects of the property.
Sitzman: So that is in reference to archaeological resources. Um, anything having to do with
historic is in regard to archaeological sites. I don't have that study in front of me. We tend
not to actually divulge that information because it can lead to those resources being
prematurely removed by people who trespass. So,uh,what we do is we require those
resources to be,um, studied and catalogued by the Office of the State Archaeologists, and
then they determine whether they should be,uh,removed or mitigated, or left in place. So
I don't have that information with me tonight,but if you're interested in it, Councilor
Dunn,we can provide it to you.
Dunn: But we've been assured that those,uh, sites will not be affected by this development.
Sitzman: Right. They're regulated,um,through our sensitive areas ordinance and they're required
to contract with the qualified third party to study those. It ends up tending to be the Office
of the State Archaeologist.
Dunn: Okay. Thank you.
Teague: Any other questions for Danielle?
Alter: I'm pretty sure that I'm, as is my theme for the night,putting the cart before the horse a
little bit,but can you go to the visual of what the proposed,just there yeah.
Sitzman: This is just a rough concept.
Alter: Exactly. Totally understand that.
Sitzman: Yeah.
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Alter: So,um, I'm interested in that in relation to the traffic study because it looks like there's
only that one road,Moss Road—
Sitzman: Right.
Alter: - Moss Ridge Road, sorry,that then empties out onto Dodge, is that correct?
Sitzman: Right.
Alter: So,would part of the traffic study be only looking at existing,the existing traffic study,the
patterns. Sorry.
Sitzman: So the purpose of a traffic study is to determine whether there are off-site
improvements that need to be made up to some other part of the road network to ensure
that it functions. The 2012 traffic study actually probably was looking at more intense
traffic uses because of the nature of the mix of commercial and support services versus
what may ultimately end up being here,which is more of logistics use with very little
office or very little customers coming to the site. So the scope of the traffic study would
certainly extend beyond the site. It would look at the entire street network and whatever
road design they end up proposing,the connections and the potential generation of traffic
on site and how that traffic would disperse into the rest of the network. So until they
identify those uses or a more concrete, ah, street network,we really can't say for sure.
Alterr:No, but even that explanation helps contextualize it for me. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? If you're on line,please
raise your hand,your virtual hand. And if you're in person,please step to the podium.
Seeing no one in person or on line. Before I close the public,um,hearing, I just wanted to
see with my fellow Councilors, if you're inclined to vote with P&Z. All right. We have
nodding of some heads. All right. So, I'm going to close the public hearing. Could I get a
motion to give fust consideration?
2. Consider an Ordinance(first consideration)
Salih: Moved Salih.
Moe: Second Moe.
Teague: Council discussion.
Alter: I think it's an interesting way to kind of have a new lease on life for this area that kind of
had one direction essentially go stagnant and then with the way that everybody is doing
business at this time, I'm excited that there's um a possibility for it moving forward.
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Teague: Yes.
Harmsen: Yeah, I agree.
Teague: Roll call,please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 7-0.
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9. Regular Formal Agenda
9.a 2023 Sanitary Sewer Repairs -Resolution approving project manual and
estimate of cost for the construction of the 2023 Sanitary Sewer Repairs Project,
establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to
post notice to bidders,and fixing time and place for receipt of bids.
Teague: We're onto our regular formal agenda and we'll start with 9.a, 2023 Sanitary Sewer
Repairs -Resolution approving project manual and estimate of cost for the construction
of the 2023 Sanitary Sewer Repairs Project, establishing amount of bid, security to
accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and fixing time and
place for a receipt of bids. I'm going to open the public hearing. And welcome Joe.
1. Public Hearing
Welter: Joe Welter from Engineering. So this is one of uh several projects that we do on an
annual basis to uh continually uh repair and uh fix our sanitary sewer system. And this
particular project uh focuses this year on 10 different locations. The locations are often
spread around town. So uh we have a little bit of a concentration in kind of the east,
southeast side of town,but also heading towards downtown a little bit with the
Washington Street repair. Um in this project this year,we're going to be mainly focusing
on some manholes. We'll be installing a new manhole um that's on the Highland location.
There's several um manholes that are damaged that are going to be repaired. Several um
lamp holes which are just basically a way to look down into the sewer but not really
access it,um very well. We're going to be replacing those with actual manholes so that
we can get our equipment and personnel down in the sewers if need be. We do have a
couple of the locations where we're removing and replacing damaged pipes. Of course,
we restore any private sanitary sewer services that are encountered. And when we're all
done,we'll be replacing pavement and our grassed areas. Um $313,000 is our cost,the
estimated cost for this. We look to award open bids next month and award bids,the
project starts in April and we're planning on completing that at the end of September,
which is the end of the seeding- seeding deadline. Stanley Consultants design this project
and again, it's part of our regular maintenance and repair of this system every year. Any
questions.
Bergus: Joe,how do you determine the locations for these repairs?
Welter: Yeah, so our sewer collections crew goes around with their camera on a regular basis,
televising,videotaping the sewers,um and very interesting videos, captivating videos.
Um but-but we find different areas of town and it's like, this is something that we really
need to address um soon,this is something that can wait, and so we make a priority list.
We have roughly a budget of$500,000 a year. And so we also have to think about,well,
we have some repairs to make. We also on the same CIP,we often line sewer pipes and
manholes. So the pipes are going to stay in place,the manholes are going to stay in place.
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The sewer is going to stay active,but we're going to lign them. And then we've also been
in recent years using that same CIP to abandon some pipes that are going to stay in place.
We're not going to dig them up and- and remove them,but we want to fill them so that
they don't cause issues in the future. So,we kind of have to weigh,what are we-what are
we going to do in each of those different areas and so, as we go along,we decide, okay,
this is-this is becoming more of a priority or this-this needs to move up and this moves-
needs to move back and those kind of things. So.
Bergus: Great, Thank you.
Teague: Sewer backups - does- does that also configure into the locations?
Welter: Sewer backups in the main or in services?
Teague: I would say in the main.
Welter: Are very rare.
Teague: Okay.
Welter: Um most of the time, if we're getting a sewer back up in the main, it's usually because
there has been a pipe failure in some way or there's a sag,pipe has sagged in some way.
Those tend to be, dig them up completely replace them. Sometimes they fit into this. This
is usually small sections, like we're replacing 10 feet a pipe or 15 foot of pipe. Sometimes
what you're talking about that ends up being more of an emergency situation or it ends up
being something where we have to plan out a whole project that involves sort of a whole
block or a half a block. Those end up tending to be either we got to do this right now, it's
an emergency, or we need to sit and think about how to do this. We hire a consultant for
that and go through a whole process. This tends to be more of,these are small little
repairs. We're going to hire one consultant, or one consultant, one contractor, get unit
prices for all of that so that instead of dividing this up into 10 small projects,we get some
economy of scale by putting them together.
Teague: Thank you.
Moe: I appreciate the use of technology to make these repairs surgical as opposed to whole
replacement of old pipes. And I know this is not what we're looking at today,but I am
curious, is there a long list of these that you guys have a prioritized list coming up?
Welter: We don't run out of opportunities, so yeah. We have about a three-year schedule,two to
three years that we're working on. So we kind of have an A list, a B list, and a C list. So
the A list kind of ends up being the most highest priority, and then- and then down from
there. So often the B list becomes the A list for the next year. But not-not always, some
things come up and we don't get around to every pipe,but on about a three-year cycle. So
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as our crews are televising that,they're finding new things that maybe they didn't see
three or four years ago, and so that can move something up or down on the list as well.
The access to the repair also significantly impacts what makes this type of project and
what might become a bigger CIP. If it's right in the middle of the street,that's great,that's
fine. If it's in the back of a property and there's fences and sheds and all kinds of different
things in the way or it's down in a ravine,those kinds of things make it more complicated.
Those often don't make it onto this project. They might become a bigger CIP, individual
CIP project.
Moe: Thanks.
Alter: I might be—
Teague: Go right ahead.
Alter: Actually my question is simply, it was working off from what you were talking about with
those like when it was a main line or something and I'm assuming that's like if there's a
water break or something. Right. Like we had on Court not long ago,right. And simply
because we're coming up on budget season, are there two different kind of like for- like
money for emergencies, for that type of thing, or is it coming out of one big pot?Does
that impact then the money that you have for these more planned events?
Welter: I believe you're talking about a water main break.
Alter: Yeah. Oh, and you're talking about sanitary sewer. Sorry.
Welter: Which is a little bit different,but-but you are correct in the sense that this project is also
used for emergencies with sanitary sewer repair.
Alter: Sorry about my mixing-
Welter: That's fine. And- and then the water similarly has- okay,we're going to replace this
whole run of pipe because the pipe needs to be replaced versus we have a break,which
often we're either making those repairs with our crews or we're hiring a contractor. That
has one CIP and then we have a separate CIP that's for like the surface restoration. So a
lot of those repairs get made in the wintertime and we can't put down new concrete or
asphalt at that time, and so a lot of those surface restorations are being done on a separate
CIP.
Alter: Okay. Thanks.
Welter: Yeah.
Alter: Especially for working through where I was getting things conflated. Thanks.
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Welter:No, that's fine. It's- it's-there's a lot of different places where we're using the same funds
to-but different CIP numbers,but it's- it's kind of the same enterprise funds.
Alter: Great.
Welter: Yeah.
Teague: Hearing no other questions for you. Thank you.
Welter: Thank you.
Teague: Anyone-yes. Anyone from the public like to address this topic. If you're on line and you
want to address this,please raise your virtual hand. Seeing no one in person or online, I'm
going to close the public hearing.
2. Consider a Resolution
Teague: Could I get a motion to approve,please?
Bergus: So moved,Bergus.
Moe: Second.
Teague: All right. Council discussion.
Moe: I'm glad we have a good sewer system.
(Overlapping)Yeah. Keep up the good work there,Joe.
Teague: All right. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 7-0.
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9.b. 2024 Parking Garages Maintenance and Repair—Resolution approving
project manual and estimate of cost for the construction of the 2024 Parking
Garages Maintenance and Repair Project,establishing amount of bid security to
accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders,and fixing time
and place for receipt of bids.
Teague: 9.b is 2024 Parking Garages Maintenance and Repair-Resolution, approving project
manual, an estimate of cost for the construction of the 2024 Parking Garages
Maintenance and Repair Project, establishing amount of bid, security to accompany each
bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and fixing time and place for receipt
of bids. I'm going to open the public hearing, and welcome again,Joe.
1.Public Hearing
Welter: Thank you. So this is also an annual repair project,just on our parking garages. And um,
this year we are focusing -we have six different ramps. This year we're focusing on the
Capitol Street ramp. Er, and it's structural work that we're doing this time around. So
sometimes these projects will have electrical work, or HVAC work or mechanical work.
This year we're really focusing on this one ramp and all structural repairs. We'll have
areas that we're resealing, areas we're filling with epoxy, or putting new membrane down.
Um,we do have a couple of stem repairs which are going to involve a fiberglass
reinforced plastic mesh. There's some flashing that needs to be redone, some spalls, and
some broken concrete that's going to be removed and then replaced. Um,this is also
doing some stairwell maintenance in that ramp. The project that's going on right now,the
`23 project, is um, similar types of things on the stairwells at Dubuque Street and Tower
ramp, and so this is going to be very similar to that. The last thing that we get quite often
on the type of ramp that Capitol Street is the plates,the joints are welded together, and
the weld brakes. And so we got to take the joint out,reweld the joint together, and then
reput the joint back together. So that's often um, done and we have to bring in welders to
do that. So that's the type of things that we're doing this year on the annual maintenance
project. The estimated cost is 366,000,um. I coordinated this, so I'd have the same
Council night and the same bid opening and the same award night so I don't know. But
all right, same dates there,but the construction is going to start in May. It's a relatively
compact schedule,but it's also the work is,um, doesn't involve a lot of subs, it's going to
be one contractor primarily. And so we're hoping to get that done, and completed before
students come back for the University schedule so starting in late May,hopefully ending
in mid-August. Shive Hattery is our designer on this, and they did-been our designer for
several years now and did an excellent job on this. Questions?
Moe: How many parking spots get lost during the construction?
Welter: We limit it,uh, so, uh, generally, it's limited to 60 spots at a time. There are times of the
day or days of the week that sometimes Parking,we'll say, okay,well, we can-we can go
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a little bit over that 60 spaces. Um,the parking ramps haven't generally been full since
the beginning of the pandemic. Um,the one exception is sometimes Capitol Street gets
fairly- fairly full,but sometimes we just have to push people up a little bit further to that
fourth or fifth level,which haven't been getting as much parking in recent years,but it
doesn't tend to be an issue that we run out of spots. It's more-the issue tends to be that
people park in the spots that we've said not to park in and then we have to move the cars
around, and then people are confused where their car went to. So that tends to be more of
the issue,than the spots that are-that are taken.
Moe: Are there any penalties for the contractor to not finish on time?
Welter: Yes, er, there are,-there are liquidated damages on this project. The contractors that
we've had bid in recent years, and we've had about three different contractors do this type
of work,have been excellent to work with, so I don't anticipate issues with that. Um, so,
and again,we kept this project relatively to a safe, er,things that they're used to doing
regularly. There's not any kind of weird different things that we're doing on this project
so.
Moe: And then last question,um,this parking garage I assume has a lot of life left in it. Like the
investment is absolutely worth it,there's many many many more years of life in this
parking garage. Is that true?
Welter: We hope so.
Moe: Okay,you hope so?More confidence.
Welter: We uh,we just got done. Shive Hattery did a new planning document for us, and all of
the ramps,were-went from fair condition up to excellent condition. So, and a lot of that
had to do with the age of the ramp. So Capitol Street and Dubuque Street are our oldest
ramps,they have more of a fair condition. Harrison Street is a relatively new ramp,being
5, 6 years old, and it got an excellent rating. So as they get used mor as the wear and tear
goes on it,the condition of the ramp is going to degrade over time as well. So there isn't
any thought that the ramp is going to be out of commission anytime soon so.
Fruin: I will use that opportunity to preview your CIP meeting because the annual budget for
these repairs is going up considerably. We generally looked at that $500,000 range, and I
think by the end of the five years,we're trying to get to about 1.5 million, so we do
project some larger needs in order to maintain those ratings that Joe's talking about but
we'll get into those details next week.
Welter: Yeah,part of that is-part of that planning document that we just did was looking at
chloride levels in the pavement, concrete itself, and how much intrusion there is of
chlorides which are coming directly from application of brine and salt materials this time
of year, and then that penetrating down into the cement which tends to deteriorate the
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concrete. And that's one of the things we really wanted to look at. To address your
question in more in depth is how do we know,how well the concrete's doing or how well
do we know that the penetration of those chlorides isn't getting to the metal inside of the
concrete, and that's one of the things that we really wanted to do so.
Teague: Thank you much.
Welter: Thank you.
Teague: Anyone from the public like to address this topic, if you're online,please raise your
virtual hand, and if you're in person,please step up. Seeing no one in person or online,
I'm going to close the public hearing.
2. Consider a Resolution
Teague: Could I get a motion to approve please?
Alter: So moved,Alter.
Bergus: Second Bergus.
Teague: Council discussion.
Alter: I just think that as with all of our projects,the more communication and public
announcements we can say, including maybe even just some signage about like just keep
going up, go up,you know, so that people know that they can park but that they don't.
Dude,where's my car?
Teague: All right. Roll call, please. (Roll Call) Motion passes 7-0.
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11. City Council Information
Teague: We're at Item number 11,which is City Council information.
Alter: Can I just do a huge thank you to our Parks and Rec and our,um,road crews for just-
probably not tirelessly,probably in a very,very tired fashion,but by keeping at it and
trying to make sure that people are safe and that the roads are clear and,um,working to
get trees out of roads and yards, and so I just heartfelt thank you.
Harmsen: I think piggybacking off of that, I actually had sent the City Manager a request for
some storm by the numbers,um,to put together some numbers. So if I missed something
here, Geoff,you want to chime in but I'll hit a few highlights. Um, 250 miles of streets
that have to be plowed. To do those 250 miles of streets,there are 26 staff in- in the
Streets Department that do snow plowing. Um,they have 14 plow dump trucks, 11 end
loaders and a motor grater. Um, I believe they were doing some of 16 hour shifts,two
different teams essentially on 16 hour shifts during the height of our two back to back
snowstorms. Um, let's see some of the things,uh, still calculating the number of hours of
overtime plus the-the cost in salt, sand, extra fuel,um, and extra maintenance. Um, our
other departments, in addition to the wonderful work of our Streets Department-you
mentioned Parks and Rec and Forestry also clears all kinds of trails, um,they have staff
that do that. Uh,we have our emergency departments,Fire Department, and, uh, Iowa
City Police Department. Um, it looks like they had 74 different accidents ICPD
responded to in this time period although,uh,this doesn't break down whether or not,
how much was weather and how much were injuries,Um, let's see. It looks like ICPD
had 208 calls for motorist-pedestrian assists from the morning of the 9th to the morning
of the 16th. It says several calls were for officers to give rides to unhoused individuals or
bus patrons with no other mode of transportation when the buses were not out. I also
heard a little rumor that we had other members of City Staff, some who might be in this
room,who when we had to cancel the,uh,bus service for safety reasons during the fust
snowstorm,they happened to have a big old four wheel drive pick up truck.Redmond's
one of them,who were-there were several people who were stranded at the downtown
hub, and then spent several hours,uh. And Redmond, if you want to shout out to
anybody else who was doing this or Geoff knows,um,just with their personal vehicles,
were giving people rides home. So excellent,uh,neighborly,uh,kind of behavior. Um,
Iowa City Fire Department, of course,was also helping calls,um, sounds like they had
235 different incidents,um, for various things over the- over the time when everybody
else was hunkering down inside and so they were out,um, still doing their jobs,um, and
we'll probably get- I'm sure we'll probably get,uh, some more information.Um, and- and
certainly the Shelter House busy keeping a number of guests in the emergency shelter and
winter shelter. I think ranging from, depending on the day, 130 to over 150,uh, different
people who are taking advantage of those services. Uh,there was also an effort by Shelter
House and with some help from various entities including the City,to provide,uh,people
who were refusing shelter,providing them extra fuel for warmth and things like that. So
this was all happening,um, again while many of us were comfortably safe and warm.
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Um, and so I just kind of-kind of want to do that, and I'll go ahead and pause and Geoff
or Redmond,what did I forget?
Fruin: Yeah,jump right in.
Harmsen: Thank you,Redmond for being part of that. That was above and beyond the call and it
is appreciated.
Jones: I was just going to add that Darian,uh,was also using her personal vehicle as well as,um,
Mark.
Fruin: Mark.
Jones: Mark,yes thank you,was also,uh,using his personal vehicle to get,uh, folks around, so it
was- it was very- actually very,uh, enjoyable to-to meet folks and- and get them to their
home, so,uh, it was a pleasure.
Teague: Great.
Harmsen: Thank you for doing that.
Fruin: Yeah, I appreciate the-the kind comments and our staff has certainly been working hard,
um, and it's really,um, all- all hands on,you know. You've got Water staff that are taking
care of breaks and then maintaining the sidewalks at the- at the different water facilities.
Our facilities, uh, staff here taking care of,uh,the sidewalks around City Hall,uh, also
dealing with a roof leak here at City Hall. Jason Havel left,but he no longer has an office
here because of the roof leak. We had a pipe burst at the Rec Center,we've got
temperature issues at Senior Center and Terry Trueblood. So it's kind of all hands on
deck. The Transportation staff is not only driving folks around,but,uh,they're clearing
curb ramps downtown, clearing the parking decks at the upper levels,uh, as well. So it's
been,uh, exhausting for many-many staff members responding. And then there's a lot of
folks behind the scenes that are working hard. Our Communications staff are on call
pretty much at all times,uh,waiting for those updates and trying to get those out to the-
to the community as well. So I appreciate Council's,uh, support and,um, I know the
public works crew will be downtown the next two nights hauling all of the snow out,uh,
and taking it over to our old Public Works campus where it'll probably be there until July.
Um, and that's,uh, certainly,um, a long, exhausting effort too as we do that primarily in
those midnight to 3:00 AM hours.
Harmsen: I think it's worth pointing out too with the extreme cold,uh, a lot of streets are still
packed snow and ice because it's too cold for the salt to do-be very effective. Um,but I
did-because I work in Cedar Rapids, I did have occasion to drive through Cedar Rapids
and North Liberty. Um sometimes detouring around blocked 380, and it's very consistent.
Like different municipalities are all kind of in the same boat where done the best they
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could to get it down to pavement but sometimes it hasn't been possible yet. Hopefully, as
we get a few degrees warmer,we'll see some more of that pavement reappearing in our
city streets. I would also as one side note,just to underline what this has been like. So
from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids this morning, I counted 67 cars and trucks in the ditch
along 80 and 380,um,just in that- that stretch of highway. So it was a, you know,pretty
big reminder of what it's like to live in the upper Midwest.
Bergus: Yeah. I'll just echo the thanks to all the city staff, and speak a little bit to my transit
experiences the last week or so. So on Tuesday I believe was the day that-that service
had to be canceled part way through the day,but I took an early bus in and I will just say
that every transit operator has been so cheerful throughout and staying so close to
schedule or on schedule, is just phenomenal. And I had-um,that morning there was
someone who on the number five bus who hopped on with his dollar, and the driver just
said,no,no, it's free. And the little exchange between them and the guy being like, I
should ride the bus more often. I'm like,yes you should. So big thanks to our transit
operators keeping that going even when, I mean, so many days I thought,boy they're
going to have to cancel service but it was just that one half day, so well done.
Teague: Councilor Dunn,your hand is raised.
Dunn: Yes, sorry. I was having some technical difficulties. Um, I just also,you know, in addition
to all of the,uh, commendations that we're giving to City staff, and,you know, everyone
else who stepped up when things got tough,um, I also want to commend,um, a couple of
people in the community,um, community groups. The Catholic Worker House,uh,that
did some major work,uh,with support for Shelter House serving meals,um, as well as
members of the [inaudible} community who,uh, showed up and were able to help out,
uh, distributing,uh,you know, food, fuel and other necessary,uh,resources for survival,
again,to a lot of unhoused people during a time of great need and struggle. So just
making sure that we-we thank everyone,you know,that we possibly can. Um,there's
many more people that also stepped up during this time,but I just want to make sure that
the people that I know,uh,you get the recognition that's deserved.
Teague: I want to,um ,remind,uh, fellow Councilors that I'll be going to Washington DC
tomorrow,uh,through Friday, and that's for the US Conference of Mayors, and also for
the Mayor's Innovation Project. On Saturday we,um, are very fortunate that Iowa City,
um, is being recognized nationally by some of the,uh, climate action innovative projects
that we're doing, and so Sarah Gardner, she's going to be going to represent Iowa City on
Saturday,um, at the Mayor's Innovation Project, and share what we're doing right here in
little old Iowa City. So I'll be very proud of- I'm very proud of the- of this opportunity
and happy that Sarah was able to step in.
Salih: Yeah. And while I will be the Mayor during that time, so if you have any questions the
best time to reach out to me is like phone call or maybe text message. That I think the
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best way because sometimes emails will be delaying a little bit, so you have my phone,
and if you don't have it, it's in the website of the City of Iowa City website.
12. Report on Items from City Staff
Teague: Great. If not other updates, item number 12, and this is a report from our City staff.
We'll start with our City Manager's office.
Goers: Uh,briefly Mr. Mayor you may recall, I think at our last meeting that in response to a
question Councilor Bergus posed about,uh,the,uh, Charter Commission, I retorted that
lawyers are good for any assignment. It turns out that lawyers are not high in the draft
board for blizzard response. We went about our business of course, as usual but did not
contribute much to the cause.
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