HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-17 TranscriptionIowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:00:21]
All right. Well, it is now 6:00 PM. And this is the City of Iowa City formal meeting for June 17th, 2025. I'm
going to call this meeting to order. Roll call, please.
[00:00:35]
Alter.
[00:00:36]
Here.
[00:00:36]
Bergus.
[00:00:37]
Here.
[00:00:37]
Harmsen.
[00:00:38]
Here.
[00:00:38]
Moe.
[00:00:39]
Here.
[00:00:39]
Salih.
[00:00:40]
Here.
[00:00:41]
Teague.
[00:00:41]
Here.
[00:00:42]
Weilein.
Page 1
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
(audio and video recordings can be found at https:,[/citychannel4.com/city-council.html)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription through Verbit: AI -Based
Transcription & Captioning Services. For greater detail please refer to the meeting
recordings.
[00:00:42]
Here.
[00:00:44]
So I want to welcome everyone into your city hall that's here with us today in person. And anyone that is
joining virtually, welcome as well. We're going to start with Items 2, which is proclamations. I'm going to
go to 2.b first, which is the LGBTQ+ Pride Month. And the proclamation reads. Whereas LGBTQ+
communities across the nation annually celebrate pride in their culture and community in the month of
June; and whereas the annual celebration of pride began as a collective protest for the rights of LGBTQ+
individuals and communities; and whereas the national tradition of celebrating pride in June is a tribute
to the Stonewall riots of June 1969 in New York City, which are remembered as the launch of the
modern LGBTQ+ rights movement; and whereas transgender persons of color, including Marsha P.
Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Storme DeLarverie were primary leaders in the Stonewall expression of just
treatment for the LGBTQ+ people and gave their work and lives to the cause; and whereas the City of
Iowa City recognizes the many LGBTQ+ lives that continue to be lost each year in pursuit of living out
their aut- authentic identities, in particular, transgender persons of color; and whereas each year, Iowa
City Pride brings together thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals from across Iowa and beyond to celebrate
their shared identities and experiences; and whereas Iowa City Pride is celebrating its 55th annual pride
anniversary and the 56th anniversary of Stonewall this June; and whereas Iowa City Pride will host its
annual Iowa City Pride on June 21 in downtown Iowa City, and I encourage all to attend the celebratory
event, which includes a parade. Now, therefore, I Bruce Teague, Mayor of Iowa City, do hereby proclaim
the month of June 2025 to be LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Iowa City and encourage all to reflect on the
ongoing struggle for equality members- for the equality members of the LGBTQ+ community face and
celebrate the contributions that enhance our city. And receiving this is Faraji Hubbard, accepting on
behalf of the Pride Committee. [APPLAUSE]
[00:03:48]
Thank you so much, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tern, counselors. This means a lot. Um, it means a lot. As- I'm,
you know, Faraji Hubbard. I'm Vice President of Iowa City Pride Board, and on behalf of the Pride Board,
just thank you for this support. You know, as many of you know, this has been a really trying time, you
know, for the community. Um, and the mission of the Iowa City Pride Board is to promote that positive
visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community, right. And we want to bring that joy, we want a place where
people can find that love, find that connection. And I can say that what you all have done, not just with
your generous sponsorship of, you know, our festival, but speaking out, right, standing up and really
supporting us because I feel heard. I know many of us feel heard because of you all. So thank you. Um,
but get excited because this is festival week, right. And if you're looking, you know, in terms of the
schedule of events, you can find us at iowacitypride.org, you know, the full schedule. But for Saturday,
you know, things kick off at noon. Downtown, we have a wonderful parade, and believe it or not, this is
going to be bigger and better than ever. It's already a record -breaker for us when it comes to the
entries. We have 40- 145 plus vendors so far registered and 75 parade entries, right. So yeah, come on
down, it's going to be a wonderful time. Again, parade kicks off at noon, and we have events all
Page 2
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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throughout the afternoon and into the evening. So get excited and thank you. Thank you so much for
your support.
[00:05:28]
Thank you. [APPLAUSE] Always good to see our nighttime mayor as well. [LAUGHTER] All right. We're
going to go to Proclamation 2.a, Juneteenth, the National Freedom Day. Whereas Juneteenth, the
National Freedom Day commemorates June 19th, 1865, when Major General Gordon Grainger led union
soldiers into Galveston, Texas, bringing news that the Civil War has ended and that the Emancipation
Proclamation declare all slaves to be free; and whereas in 1866, Juneteenth commemorations began to
be celebrated, consisting of prayer services, inspirational speeches, readings of the Emancipation
Proclamation, food, games, and dances; and whereas Juneteenth reflects our community's deep belief
in liberty and equality for all individuals; and whereas Juneteenth celebrates the strength and resolve of
African Americans throughout history and is an opportunity to honor African American culture, art,
history, and achievement as all benefit from a greater understanding and appreciation of the
experiences of others; and whereas the first major tun- Juneteenth celebration in Johnson County was
hosted by Club Kazi, a group in a group in 2007, whose name means to work in Swahili and was held on
June 26, 2011, at Mercer Park; and whereas, beginning in 2020, the City of Iowa officially recognizes
Juneteenth as a city holiday; and whereas this year's Juneteenth celebration includes multiple
community events from June 15th through June 21st, featuring a family picnic, live performances,
fashion showcases, community meals, and cultural reflections. The June 19th event is presented by the
Black Voices Project at the South District Market. For full details, visit icjuneteenth.com. Now, therefore,
I Bruce Teague, do hereby proc- recognize June 19th, 2025 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day in Iowa
City and encourage community members to participate in this commemorative event. All right. And
what I know is that, um, Roy San Porter will- was to be here to receive this, but she's stuck in traffic and
just wanted to, um, acknowledge all the folks that have been a part of putting Juneteenth events
together in our community, Black Voices Project, Dream City, as well as the Juneteenth Committee, uh,
appreciation for all the sponsors that have contributed, including the City of Iowa City, as well as the
county, and all the volunteers that go into making Juneteenth such a special time. So, uh, if she does
come during com- public comment, we'll welcome her during that time. Um, but we really do, uh, we're
really excited about the Juneteenth events that is going to be happening this year. All right. We're going
to move on to our, uh, consent calendar, which is Items 3-6. Can I get a motion, please?
[00:09:04]
Move to approve. Bergus.
[00:09:05]
Second.
[00:09:07]
All right. Move by Bergus, Second by Weilein. And anyone from the public like to discuss anything? If
you're online, please raise your virtual hand. This is anything on our consent agenda. Seeing no one in -
person or online, council discussion. Roll call, please.
Page 3
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:09:29]
Alter.
[00:09:30]
Yes.
[00:09:30]
Bergus
[00:09:31]
Yes.
[00:09:31]
Harmsen.
[00:09:32]
Yes.
[00:09:33]
Moe.
[00:09:33]
Yes.
[00:09:33]
Salih.
[00:09:34]
Yes.
[00:09:34]
Teague.
[00:09:35]
Yes.
[00:09:35]
Weilein.
[00:09:36]
Yes.
Page 4
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
(audio and video recordings can be found at https:,[/citychannel4.com/city-council.html)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription through Verbit: AI -Based
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recordings.
[00:09:37]
Motion passes 7-0. We're on to community comment. This is an opportunity for folks to talk about
anything that is not on our regular agenda, and this is Item Number 7. And we want to just remind folks
that the public, uh, comment is intended so that members of the public may be heard by council
because community comment is for items not properly noticed on the agenda. Council cannot engage in
discussion or debate due to open meeting laws. And if you're wanting to speak during this time, I invite
you up to the podium. There's a sign -in sheet, um, there, but there are also stickers at the back, uh, desk
that you can drop in the bu- bucket. Each speaker will be given up to three minutes to speak. Welcome,
please state your name and city you're from.
[00:10:28]
Thank you. Um, my name is Anthony Brown, and the city I'm from is Iowa City.
[00:10:32]
Great.
[00:10:33]
Um, [NOISE] council members, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. As you know, Iowa code
now expressly permits the use of comu- consumer fireworks on July 3rd and 4th, preempting local
ordinances to the contrary. While this legislative shift reflects a statewide consensus on the responsible
enjoyment of fireworks during our nation's Independence Day celebrations, the law is not retroactive.
As a result, individuals in Iowa City continue to bear the lasting weight of convictions under Ordinance 5-
8512, convictions for conduct the State of Iowa now considers entirely lawful. This is both unjust and
unnecessary. I urge this council to adopt a narrowly tailored ordinance vacating any prior municipal
convictions under 8512 wherein the alleged fireworks use occurred on July 3rd or 4th and wherein all
assessed fines have been paid in full. The remedy strikes a careful balance between accountability and
fairness, it ensures that those who have satisfied their penalties are not perpetually burdened by the
convictions for- for those acts, had they occurred today, would be entirely lawful. This is not about
excusing misconduct, it's about correcting an injustice. Continuing to brand residents with criminal
convictions for actions that are now fully legal under state law is punitive, irrational, and beneath the
values this city claims to uphold. To leave their record stained for behavior that the state now welcomes
on its most patriotic holiday is not only unfair, it is legally incongruous and morally indefensible. Laws
evolve and justice must evolve with them. Please pass an ordinance vacating any past convictions under
Ordinance 8512 that occurred on July 3rd or 4th and in which all fines have been paid in full. For any
persons who wish to further dis- for any persons who wish to further discuss, please contact me by
email, which is anthony.brown@live.com. Thank you.
[00:12:40]
Thank you. Anyone else like to speak during this time?
[00:12:45]
Page 5
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Is there a lady over here? No.
[00:12:50]
Welcome. Please state your name and city you're from. And there's a sign -in sheet or-
[00:12:54]
I've got stickers.
[00:12:55]
Perfect. Thank you. Welcome.
[00:12:57]
I've never done this before. I like that system. My name is Bob Teague, sometimes pronounced Teague,
so I've been looking up every now and then. [LAUGHTER] I'm from Cedar Rapids, but I'm here to speak
on behalf of my son, John, who lives in Iowa City, and I have a couple handouts. Could I give those to the
clerk? Is that right? Thanks. I appreciate that. Um, you may have seen my son, John, if you've ever gone
to Hawkeyes baseball game or Colonels baseball game. John's been the bat boy for the Colonels. This is
his 25th year. They're celebrating that on August 17th. He's been a volunteer bat boy with the Hawkeyes
since 2009 when he was in the Reach Program at the U of 1. If you don't know about that program, find
out about it, it's amazing. When John graduated from Reach, he decided he wanted to make Iowa City
his home. He lives in a condo on his own on Westside Drive. He's got a half-time job at Shields. Sorry.
John's on the spectrum, and this is kind of tough. But he pays his property taxes and he pays his sewer
taxes. And 10 days ago, we found out the City coun- the City of Iowa City said they're going to sue him
for a half month's wages. Did you know about that? I'm guessing, no. And here's what it's about. If you
turn to the second page, there was a detention pond before- behind four condo associations. Developer
back in the day had to build that and a few months ago, for the first time in probably 25 years, the city
dropped on us a letter saying, you have to clean up that area, you have to cut down all these trees, you
have to cut down brush, you have to trim the grass. It's not a park, it's a wildlife area. And they dropped
that bomb on us. And it's not just us, I found out, it's other associations and homeowners that have
detention ponds. I don't know who they are because they won't tell me. But the, uh, the problem is, is
John and the others, you know, didn't plan for this, don't have the money for it. The city waited 25 years
to bring this up. That makes it a little more expensive to have to do this. Now, I've got some issues
whether the- there are easements that are valid or not, and Sue and I have gone back and forth, and -
and there are arguments both ways, but I'm not here to talk about the legalities of the easement. Thank
you. Thank you.
[00:16:05]
Now, I have two other people that have deferred their time to me. Can they do that?
[00:16:10]
No, but they can come up and speak. But thank you. We appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you.
Page 6
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:16:17]
1 think they could.
[00:16:17]
Yeah.
[00:16:18]
Thank you.
[00:16:18]
I- I think the council rules allow for one other person to give you their time, but they would need to be
identified so that they don't come and speak as well. I'm sorry, Mayor, to jump in. I hope that's all right.
[00:16:29]
All right. Okay. Yeah.
[00:16:30]
Thank you. I didn't know the rules.
[00:16:32]
Sure.
[00:16:33]
Maggie.
[00:16:33]
Okay.
[00:16:34]
Is one of the other residents there.
[00:16:36]
Okay. Great.
[00:16:36]
1 think she- you maybe know her.
[00:16:39]
Page 7
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Um, so what's happened is they've come in and say, you have to take care of this maintenance. My
question is, is that fair? Since this- the time all this happened, the city has established a stormwater
utility, and it charges everybody fees to take care of the drainage system. And that system says, those
fees are supposed to go to the maintenance. Well, it doesn't happen with the stormwater detention
facilities. And is that fair? You know, there are subsidies the city gives for people who get their lawns
aerated. They can get up to $2,000. For people who put in a rain garden, they can get up to $3,000. For
people who put in a green swale, they can get up to $3,000. Uh, for people who put in permeable
pavers, they can get $3,000. But the people with these detention ponds in their backyard can get
nothing. Is- I- I ask you, is- is that fair?
[00:17:54]
Considering, uh, the stormwater utility that didn't exist at the time, these things were built. Um, that
detention facility doesn't really help the people who live there. All the water doesn't come from our, uh,
parking lot. It comes from 850 acres upstream, homeowners and businesses that causes the runoff. It
protects thousands of people on hundreds of acres downstream from stormwater runoff. It's an
important structure. But the question is, it's part of the stormwater drainage system of the city. Now,
John pays if a storm sewer has to be fixed over by West High School. If somebody at West High School,
they don't have to pay for this drainage basin. There seems to be some inequity there. Um, the
stormwater funds had a surplus of $230,000 last year, is what I was told. This would cost John, like you
say, half a month's pay. And there are 24,000, 26,000 stormwater accounts for less than the price of a
diet coke. Those fees could take care of this problem, and rightfully should. So I ask, will you look at this,
please? Or what's- and maybe, Eric, will you at least hold off on Sue and John?
[00:19:42]
Thank you.
[00:19:43]
Until they decide.
[00:19:45]
Thank you.
[00:19:46]
1 appreciate it.
[00:19:47]
Thank you.
[00:19:48]
Thank you for your time.
[00:19:49]
Page 8
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Thank you- thank you. Would anyone else like to speak during this time? Yep.
[00:20:07]
My name is Mary Grab, and I live here in Iowa City. And I wanted to ask you a question about- that
occurred on- on the June 3rd, uh, agenda. Somebody- there was a speaker here from the wastewater
treatment facility digesti- digestive complex with rehabilitation. And he intimated that he was going to
get money from the redu- reduction- Inflation and Reduction Act, Phase 1 for the project. But DoJ or
how have you pronounced that, has stripped away so much money. So what happens if this project is
not financed? Does this person go to the Supreme Court or will you participate in a class action suit?
Because somehow the city of Iowa City is going to be responsible for that. And then the next thing on
here is about aid to agency. That was a question- that was question, uh, 11C on the same agenda.
What's no service- human services should be zeroed out, and some were zeroed out. And if you look at
these human services, they're connected to spider web- like spider webs to other human services. So
they shouldn't be zeroed out. So can't you go back and rework that finance agenda? So none- none of
them are zeroed out. And, uh, another thing that I hadn't intended to bring up because I'm not a
member of the police review board. And they were here and you spoke about them in- on your work
section. Why can't the Police Review Board be folded into the Civil Rights Board? Because most people
when they, you know, they don't like police and they call the cops, you know, want to complain, they're
complaining because they feel that their civil rights have been violated, no matter the trouble they've
been causing in the beginning to make the police act a certain way. And then some police act that way
because- and we were talking about the meetings. We did have meetings here at the- at the city library,
you know, down at the library, and they had a new police chief, but I didn't like him too much because
he thought that 14-year-olds should learn how to shoot. And 14-year-olds were attending the Iowa City
Public Library. So that wasn't very good. But, um, you know, it just certain things. Will the city be liable
for that wastewater treatment? And will that person who spoke come back and speak again and see -
and see if he has the money or he will get the money because if he's zeroing out the- the charities, you
need the money because they are so useful. Housing to homes is part of the charities, and they all spider
web in together. So something has to be done. Thank you.
[00:23:14]
Thank you. Anyone else likes to speak during this time? Please come forth. Welcome.
[00:23:27]
My name is Douglas Barrier.
[00:23:29]
If you use the mic, please?
[00:23:34]
The mic. Okay.
[00:23:35]
Page 9
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Thank you.
[00:23:36]
So my name is Douglas Barrier and you probably don't want to hear from me because I live at 102
Hilltop Trailer Court, part of the city you people like to ignore, you know. Uh, we have all sorts of crime
going on down there, transients coming through, breaking windows, breaking into people, robbing
people, destroying our property, walking on private property, and police come down and say, "Oh, we'll
make a report." You know, what kind of protection is that? You people caused the property- you people
caused the problem. Uh, Trailer Court was there long, long before any of this government welfare crap
was going on on the South Side. You refused to protect us in a Trailer Court. You could have put up a
security fence long ago. It isn't up to the owner to provide that fence. It's up to the city. You caused that
situation. I've been in the same place for 58 years. I seen what happened. You pushed all the welfare
crap down our throat. Valued our property. When I moved in there, that was middle- upper middle
income. The kid across the street was working on his doctorate. The guy across the street another
doctorate. Larson worked at Hawkeye State Bank as a teller. I was a union carpenter, and the guy down
the street was an engineering student that helped lay that place out. I want to know why the city
continues to ignore what's going on down there. You know, you have all these transient coming
through, like, they can't do any wrong. You realize, you know, there's drugs being dealt out in those
shelter houses. I can even point to the people that are doing. A woman came in the other night and
broke a guy's windshield. He report to the cops, he could identify her, and the cop refused to take the
report. "Well, we can't do anything about it." We're tired of your crap. Either report us or you're going
to have- have a civil lawsuit, you know, against the city. We're tired of it. You're tired of us. You're
ignoring us. You're tired of living in the armpit of Iowa City that used to be one of the upscale
neighborhoods. You know, you can do all this charity work you want to. Take it to your turf, okay? We
don't want it anymore. You know, first, it was MECCA which was okay. Then it was HCAP. Then it was -
then it was abused women with drug problems that have kids. Two weeks out open, some kid got
stabbed in there. Now you got all this welfare stuff down there, you know. You might think you're doing
a big deal, but you're not. You know, you're bringing inner cities people from here with absolutely no
morals, and it keeps getting worse. What are you guys gonna do about? That's my question.
[00:26:31]
Anyone else? Are you done? Sorry.
[00:26:33]
That's it.
[00:26:34]
All right. Yep. I think we have one more speak over here.
[00:26:40]
A couple more Mr. Mayor.
Page 10
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:26:42]
Okay, great. Welcome. Please state your name and city you're from.
[00:26:47]
I'm Craig Cornell. I'm from Iowa City. And like Bob Teague, I'm a resident of the Lake Pointe
Condominium Project on the retention pond, and I'm one of the owners that's going to be stuck with
what looks like a $20,000 bill, my share, my wife and I share. And, um, I don't really know what the
informal process is or the formal process, but one- one of the issues that Bob stated that I want to
repeat is the brush and the growth that's there has been growing for 20 years. So it's a big deal that we
are being asked to put the whole bill for fixing it now. And so, again, I'm not sure what the formal or the
informal process is, but I'd like to know, and I'm sure Bob would like to know or at least, um, appeal to
you for someone to look into it and, um, perhaps get back to one of us, or you can have one of your
administrative people get back to us. They all know Bob Teague, so, um, that can be- that can be done,
um, hopefully soon because we do have- we- every owner, and you can imagine the shock, received a
letter from the city saying that we're on the line for all that money and that, um, at some undisclosed
future date, they're going to bring a lawsuit against us. So please help. Thank you.
[00:28:20]
Thank you. Anyone else like to speak during this time? Yep. Can I have a hand of everyone that would
like to speak that is remaining? Okay. Great. So I see 1, 2, 3, 4. Great. All right. Welcome. Five, with the
person in front of us. Welcome, please state your name and city you're from.
[00:28:38]
Yes, thank you. John Kenyon from Iowa City. Good evening. Uh, I'm the executive director of the
UNESCO City of Literature Organization and the co-chair of the X Marks the Arts Marketing Campaign to
market and promote the downtown cultural and entertainment district. And I'm here on behalf of a
number of arts and cultural organizations and the folks who work in them to speak with you about the
proposed local option sales tax, and specifically to ask that you allocate to arts and culture a full 10% of
that revenue. We're glad to live in a community where arts and culture are a priority, and we're glad to
see that it was part of the proposal that initially came to you. But we also see that the plan calls for 10%
to be allocated to a number of different partnerships, arts and culture among them. This can lead to an
unwelcome situation where different worthy sectors compete for funds. This is not ideal, and we believe
it's unnecessary. We know from your earlier discussion that there's flexibility in how certain things are
categorized that would enable funding for necessary infrastructure, as well as dedicated funding for arts
and culture and social services and other partnerships while maintaining the amount earmarked for
affordable housing needs in our city. We know sales taxes are agres- are regressive. Support for arts and
culture can be an effective way to mitigate some of the regressive nature of that tax. Most of the
organizations and initiatives supported by city funds offer free programming, making the arts accessible
to everyone in the community regardless of income. In addition, the arts are an effective way to build
community, bringing people together and fostering engagement with key issues facing our city.
According to a recent arts and economic prosperity study of our area, arts and culture derive more than
$32 million in economic impact annually in Johnson County. They produce more than 500 jobs and
Page 11
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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generate spending from out of country- out of county, excuse me, visitors, that will directly contribute
to lost revenues, resulting in a net positive from this investment. And Iowa citians love the arts. The
results of a survey released by the city at the beginning of the year found that 92% of respondents found
that education, arts and culture were excellent or good, which was the highest rating for any sector, and
77% rated it as essential or very important. So there are many- very many good reasons to allocate 10%
of the lost proceeds to arts and culture. It would mitigate some regressive aspects of the tax, it would
help organizations to provide free programming for all residents and to build community, it would make
an investment with an extraordinarily positive rate of return, and it would support something that I Iowa
citians cherish. So we hope you will take this into consideration and welcome the chance to be a part of
the conversation as you work toward a decision. Thank you.
[00:31:34]
Thank you. And please. Please state your name and city you're from. Welcome.
[00:31:45]
My name's Isabelle Vine. I'm from Iowa City, and I forgot my notes, so please forgive if I'm just a little bit
disorganized. I'm here about the problems at Hilltop Mobile Home Park. I live there with my mother
because she cannot live alone. That place has become a disaster, a very dangerous disaster. There are
transients coming in and out continually. They hang out at the mailbox area in the front of the park. Use
the rest- use it as a toilet. You go in there half the time, you can find them engaging in sexual acts or
squatting to relieve themselves. Um, the mailman can't even stand it. We call the police all the time
because there is so much criminal activity, so much drug use that they bring in. They will stand at the
front of the park and actually heat up spoons of whatever. My daughter tells me it's probably meth. And
then they shoot it in their arms, and kids are around. Their own kids are there. Nothing is ever done. I
was actually told by the police once, "Well, I'm sorry, the city will not allow us to do anything. So don't
call us again unless it's a matter of life and death, okay?" The police told me that. This is not right. Most
of the people in that park are good people. There's always bad people somewhere, but most of them
there are good, decent people, and they have children. Because we're in the front of the park, I have
seen children ride their bikes up and down, and they get accosted verbally by all of these transients
saying, "Hey, give me that bike. Give me some money, kid." I had two people from the homeless shelter
come up, "Hey, do you know where we can get some drugs? You know, I'm clean, but I still need
something right now to get over it." Our house has been- they've attempted to break into our place
three times, police have done nothing. I watched my neighbor's car get busted up by someone who was
a total nutcase. Police would not even give him a copy of the report if they did anything at all.
Something needs to be done. There are right now, I counted 24 tents right there on the edge of the
lawn. All night, they party, scream, yell, fight. The police just should set up a community building there
because they're there most of the time. I know my time is up, but something needs to be done, and you
need to address this.
[00:34:50]
Thank you. Welcome.
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[00:34:56]
So I'm new also. I'm not good at public speaking, so I will do my best.
[00:35:02]
Please state your name and city you're from, and then there will be a sign in.
[00:35:05]
Okay. So Diane Weber I also live at Hilltop Mobile Home Park. I've been in there for at least probably
close to at least 45 years plus. Uh, it used to be a great park until they decided to build that shelter over
there, and it's become a living nightmare. I hate to say that, but it's the truth. I'd like all of you to put
your shoes in our feet and live there for one week and see exactly what we endure every day over there.
It's non stop.
[00:35:44]
1 take my dogs out every night. I have a, obviously a routine, I take them out every night, and I'm very
close to the shelter. And the business that's right behind me is Hawkeye Auto, and they obviously know
what's going on. Constantly people back there behind the business back there, going to the bathroom,
smoking their weed, doing whatever they feel like it, setting up wherever they want, you know, I hear so
many nights when I go out there, they're fighting, they're screaming, uh, every other word is a cuss
word, and you know how tiring that gets to listen to that almost every single day? I'm not exaggerating.
And I- I'm as as tired of it as I could possibly be. And I'm like, I feel like I should not have to move
because of how they behave. You know, they're behaving like a bunch of little I don't know what. I don't
even want to say it because I'm trying to be civil. But they just carry on and on, I mean, it's non stop.
Like, today, for example, I was going out of the park right past the tents, and a gentleman I stopped to
let him go by- to go in front of me with his bicycle, and he literally spit at my car. Like, is that okay? I
don't think that's okay. You know, I've also had instances where I've gone out of the park and a lady was
walking across right there at the stop sign right there at Southgate Avenue in Waterfront and I'm like, I
was waiting for two people to cross, and she had a cup of coffee in her hand. And I let them pass far
enough in front of me, and all of a sudden, she throws her cup of coffee at my car. I mean, good Lord. I
mean, these people are literally, I'm sorry, out of control. And like I said, it's a nightmare every day
because I hear it constantly because my trailer is so close to where the shelter house is, and a lot of
them hang out, like I said, right back behind Hawkeye Autos business, and it's like start- trying to start
wood on fire and pieces of wood on fire, and etc, etc. I don't know what they're all doing, but it's just
gotten out of hand. Anyway, I know my time's up. I hope you guys-
[00:38:01]
Thank you.
[00:38:01]
-do something about it. Thank you.
[00:38:03]
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Thank you. I mi- I think we have two more speakers. Please come up at this time. Welcome, please state
your name and city you're from.
[00:38:17]
Bonnie Neff, Iowa City. I also live at Hilltop. I've lived there 34 years. It has gotten very bad. Um-
[00:38:27]
Please use the mic.
[00:38:29]
Oh, I'm sorry. Can you hear me now?
[00:38:31]
Yes.
[00:38:32]
Um, it's gotten very bad. I'm afraid to go get my mail. One time I go in there, there's a lady sitting on the
floor, cold concrete. She goes, "Oh, it was cold outside, so I come in here." Another time, we have, um, a
brick ledge, and they're having a party there. There's about 20 of them, and they have a little grill. How
do I know they're gonna put out that fire properly? And the baby was playing in the- in the sand. As I
turned, I slowed down, and then finally, the mother grabbed her. But, um, it's just getting very bad. Last
week, I went in to get my mail about 7:00 A.M. Here's a grocery ca- cart and clothes, through it all over. I
told Scott that works for the court. He says, "Yeah, I'll go down and cl- clean it up." He says, "I haven't
been there yet." but why should he have to clean up after all this? And then I see today when I come in,
and that's the thing, we only have one entrance and exit, and it's past all those tents and people. And
sometimes when I drive up, they're just milling around. You don't know what they're gonna pull. You
know, I just want to get up to my house. And, um, now they're starting to congrega- gate over by the
mailbox, and, um, sit on the ledge there like they own it. And it just makes Hilltop look bad. And I hope
you can find some solutions.
[00:40:14]
Thank you. Welcome. Please state your name and city you're from.
[00:40:21]
My name is Joel Fagan. Is this okay? Yes.
[00:40:24]
1 haven't signed in yet, but I can- I can do that. Um, I'm here to say a few things, uh, about, uh,
essentially the same problem that all the folks from Hilltop are, uh, talking about. I- I don't live at Hilltop,
but I am a neighbor to, uh, the 501 Building, which is one of the buildings associated with the shelter
house, though it's not actually a shelter. My, uh, my- I have a commercial building at 505 Southgate. Um,
I'm- literally my- my property borders the parking lot of the 501 building. I'm there every day, some time
Page 14
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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between 6:00 and 7:00 to clean things up, um, so I have a very close up view of what happens in the
parking lot that belongs to the 501 building, which is part of the shelter house. Now, I- I don't have any
quarrel with the city in its effort and interest in establishing some kind of way of handling the, um, the
homeless population. I mean, that's something that needs to be done. It's a big problem. It's not even a
city problem or a state problem. It's a national problem, and we're in it. Um, I also don't have any
quarrel with the shelter -house attempting to do something good with that population. Indeed, the- the
24, uh, tents that I forget who- who mentioned, uh, those are, uh, as 1, uh, what it looks like to me and
probably the rest of the- the neighborhood is, that's overflow from the shelter -house, and they're not
able to take all that stuff. Now, the problems, the close up day to day difficult issues that I see is appears
to be due to the overflow population of homeless people and transient type people that seem to gather
in the neighborhood, namely next to the 501 building, next to and around the shelter -house building.
What I see is in the- the area behind the- my- my, uh, building is, uh, on the border both between the
501 shelter -house building and the mobile home park. Uh, it's what, uh, ap- seems to be an attractive
grassy area to, uh, the people that, um, need a place to be. So their trash accumulates there, human
excrement accumulates there. Indeed, in the parking lot next to my property, in the parking lot that
belongs to 501, the 501 building, there is, in fact, today, the remnants of a deposit, there's no way to put
this gently, a deposit of human excrement on a concrete slab. It's been there for over a month. The
remnants of it are still there now. I'll be there tomorrow between 6 and 7 to clean up other things on my
lot. If you'd like to have a tour and a view of what's happening there, I'll be happy to point things out to
you. Now, I- wha- what it says to me is, I- I think it's fine that the city helped the shelter -house find a
place to be and it's-
[00:43:28]
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:43:31]
Do you want to give me another minute?
[00:43:33]
I- I don't think you can- I don't think that's-
[00:43:35]
Is that an option?
[00:43:36]
-appropriate, but thank you. Thank you.
[00:43:37]
[inaudible 00:43:37].
[00:43:38]
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So we do ask for only three minutes. Thank you. All right.
Thanks to everyone that came to speak. The council did hear you all. We're going to move on to Item
number 8, which is planning and zoning matters. 8A is a rezoning north of East Foster Road, ordinance
conditionally rezoning approximately 2.69 acres of land located north of East Foster Road between
North Dubuque Street and Prairie Du Chien Road from high -density single-family residential with a
planned development overlay zone to high -density single-family residential zone. This is the second
consideration, and the applicant is requesting expedited action. And I'll have someone read that for us?
Yes.
[00:44:43]
1 move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for final passage at two
meetings prior to the meeting at which is to be finally passed be suspended, that the second
consideration and vote be waived, and that the ordinance be voted on for the final passage at this time.
[00:44:57]
Move by Moe.
[00:44:58]
Second.
[00:45:00]
Second by Bergus. [LAUGHTER] All right. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? If you're
online, please raise your virtual hand. Seeing no one in person or online. Council, discussion? Roll call
please.
[00:45:18]
Bergus.
[00:45:19]
Yes.
[00:45:19]
Harmsen.
[00:45:20]
Yes.
[00:45:21]
Moe.
[00:45:21]
Yes.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:45:21]
Salih.
[00:45:22]
Yes.
[00:45:22]
Teague.
[00:45:23]
Yes.
[00:45:23]
Weilein.
[00:45:24]
Yes.
[00:45:24]
Alter.
[00:45:25]
Yes.
[00:45:25]
Motion passes 7:0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt?
[00:45:29]
So moved, Moe.
[00:45:30]
Second, Alter.
[00:45:32]
Roll call please.
[00:45:33]
Harmsen.
[00:45:34]
Yes.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:45:35]
Moe.
[00:45:35]
Yes.
[00:45:36]
Salih.
[00:45:36]
Yes.
[00:45:37]
Teague.
[00:45:37]
Yes.
[00:45:38]
Weilein.
[00:45:38]
Yes.
[00:45:39]
Alter.
[00:45:40]
Yes.
[00:45:40]
Bergus.
[00:45:41]
Yes.
[00:45:41]
Motion passes 7:0. Could I get a motion to accept correspondence?
[00:45:46]
So moved, Moe.
Page 18
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:45:47]
Second.
[00:45:50]
1 think moved by Moe, second by Weilein. All right. Uh, all in favor say aye.
[00:45:57]
Aye.
[00:45:58]
Any opposed? Motion passes 7:0. So we did have- we did receive correspondence during community
comment. Um, can I get a motion to accept correspondence for this item?
[00:46:10]
So moved, um, yeah, I'm sorry.
[00:46:13]
Moved by Alter seconded by Salih. All in favor say aye.
[00:46:17]
Aye.
[00:46:17]
Any opposed? Motion passes 7:0. We're moving on to 8C.
[00:46:24]
B.
[00:46:24]
B? 8B.
[00:46:25]
Yeah.
[00:46:25]
1 thought that was weird. [LAUGHTER] Um, 8B is rezoning south of East Foster Road, ordinance re -
rezoning approximately 2.69 acres of land located south of East Foster Road between North Dubuque
Street and Prairie Du Chien Road from high -density single-family residential zone to a high -density
single-family residential with a planned development overlay. This is the second consideration. An
applicant is requesting expedited action.
Page 19
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:46:57]
1 move that the rule requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on for final passage at two
council meetings prior to the meeting, which is to be finally passed, be suspended, that the second
consideration and vote be waived and that the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time.
[00:47:10]
Move by Moe
[00:47:10]
Second, Harmsen.
[00:47:12]
Second by Harmsen. Anyone from the public like to di- discuss this topic? Seeing no one in person or
online. Council, discussion?
[00:47:24]
Roll call, please.
[00:47:25]
Moe.
[00:47:26]
Yes.
[00:47:26]
Salih.
[00:47:27]
Yes.
[00:47:27]
Teague.
[00:47:28]
Yes.
[00:47:28]
Weilein.
[00:47:29]
Yes.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:47:30]
Alter.
[00:47:30]
Yes.
[00:47:31]
Bergus.
[00:47:31]
Yes.
[00:47:32]
Harmsen.
[00:47:32]
Yes.
[00:47:33]
Motion passes 7:0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt?
[00:47:37]
So move.
[00:47:38]
Second.
[00:47:40]
Move by Salih, second by Alter. Roll call, please.
[00:47:43 ]
Salih.
[00:47:44]
Yes.
[00:47:45]
Teague.
[00:47:45]
Yes.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:47:46]
Weilein.
[00:47:46]
Yes.
[00:47:47]
Alter.
[00:47:47]
Yes.
[00:47:48]
Bergus.
[00:47:48]
Yes.
[00:47:49]
Harmsen.
[00:47:49]
Yes.
[00:47:50]
Moe.
[00:47:50]
Yes.
[00:47:51]
Motion passes 7:0. Can I get a motion to accept correspondence?
[00:47:55]
So moved, Bergus.
[00:47:56]
Second, Moe.
[00:47:58]
All in favor say aye.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:47:59]
Aye.
[00:47:59]
Aye.
[00:48:00]
Any opposed? Motion passes 7:0. Now 8C, rezoning North Governor Street, ordinance conditional
rezoning approximately 5.49 acres of property located between North Dodge and North Governor Street
from medium -density single-family residential zone, high -density single-family residential zone,
medium -density multifamily residential zone, and multifamily residential zone to high -density single-
family residential zone with a planned development overlay for approximately 0.17 acres and to
medium -density multifamily residential zone with a planned development overlay for approximately
5.32 acres. And applicant is requested deferral to August 5th. Um, and could I get a motion to defer until
August 5th, 2025?
[00:48:54]
So moved,Weilein.
[00:48:57]
Second, Alter.
[00:48:58]
Council, discussion.
[00:49:02]
Can you- sorry. I think this is for the city manager. You explained it once before. Wh- why is the, um, just
sort of for clarity's sake, why the request for deferral is so that the plat could be finalized, is that
correct?
[00:49:17]
No, the- the-
[00:49:18]
O r-
[00:49:18]
-plat is also on the agenda, will also be requested to be deferred-
[00:49:21]
Oh.
Page 23
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:49:22]
-um, Jon Marner with MMS Consultants is here on behalf of the- the developer. It'd probably be best for
them to answer that if council's willing to-
[00:49:31]
Right, yeah, I'd like to-
[00:49:32]
It's fine.
[00:49:32]
-yeah.
[00:49:34]
Yeah.
[00:49:34]
O kay.
[00:49:36]
Welcome.
[00:49:39]
Thank you. Good evening. Jon Marner with MMS Consultants, representing the applicant. Essentially, it's
an effort on our part. I know there's been a lot of discussion about coordinating site plan design
concerns, sidewalk, uh, uh, the building design, a lot of those components. We're still ironing out some
of the details with city staff on some of those things. We're trying to line everything up together just so
we can have one unified packet. I understand site plans. Those are administrative staff approval only.
They don't come before council. We wanna make sure that we have everything buttoned up as- as one
package before it comes to you for final consideration and adoption.
[00:50:16]
All right. Thank you.
[00:50:18]
You're welcome.
[00:50:18]
Great. All right. I have no further council discussion. Roll call, please.
[00:50:25]
Teague.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:50:26]
Yes.
[00:50:26]
Weilein.
[00:50:27]
Yes.
[00:50:28]
Alter.
[00:50:29]
Yes.
[00:50:29]
Bergus.
[00:50:30]
Yes.
[00:50:30]
Harmsen.
[00:50:31]
Yes.
[00:50:31]
Moe.
[00:50:32]
Yes.
[00:50:32]
Salih.
[00:50:33]
Yes.
[00:50:33]
Motion passes 7:0. Can I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Page 25
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:50:37]
So moved, Salih.
[00:50:38]
Second, Bergus.
[00:50:40]
All in favor say aye.
[00:50:41]
Aye.
[00:50:41]
Aye.
[00:50:41]
Any opposed? Motion passes 7:0. 8D, final plats. Scarlett Point subdivision resolution approving final
plat of Scarlett Point r- re -subdivision of lots, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, Bacon subdivision in lots 49, 50, and 51
of subdivision of ea- southeast quarter Section 3-T79N-RN- I'm sorry, -R6W. Iowa City, Iowa. This
applicant is requesting deferral till August 5th. Can I get a motion, please?
[00:51:19]
So moved, Bergus.
[00:51:20]
Second.
[00:51:21]
Second.
[00:51:22]
Move by Bergus.
[00:51:23]
Alter.
[00:51:24]
Second by who?
[00:51:25]
Salih.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:51:26]
Salih. Uh, council discussion. Roll call, please.
[00:51:33]
Weilein.
[00:51:34]
Yes.
[00:51:34]
Alter.
[00:51:35]
Yes.
[00:51:35]
Bergus.
[00:51:36]
Yes.
[00:51:36]
Harmsen.
[00:51:37]
Yes.
[00:51:37]
Moe
[00:51:38]
Yes.
[00:51:38]
Salih.
[00:51:39]
Yes.
[00:51:39]
Teague.
Page 27
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[00:51:40]
Yes. Motion passes 7:0. We are on to Item number 9, which is our regular formal agenda, 9A, electric
and gas franchise fees, ordinance amending Title 12, Chapter 5, franchise fees to repeal the 1% franchise
fee and enact a 2% franchise fee on the gross revenue derived from the distribution, delivery, and retail
sale of electricity and natural gas by franchises including MidAmerican Energy Company or other natural
gas providers and utilizing the distribution system of Mid- MidAmerican to customers within the current
or future corporate limits of the City of Iowa City and to describe the purpose of the revenue collected.
I'm going to open the public hearing, and welcome.
[00:52:32]
Thanks, Kirk Lehmann, Assistant City Manager. Uh, just wanted to kinda remind you of why this is before
you again and talk a bit about why it's important, some of the logistics. So with the fare -free transit
project that we established in August 1st, 2023, uh, that was a pilot that really embodies a lot of what
Iowa City does. It embodies our, uh, climate action goals, our equity goals as well. Um, when we
established that program with two years, we knew that there was an end to that, and that was really
because it was originally funded by those federal funds from the- from government, the ARPA funds, um
and as part of your strategic plan for FY'23 and '28, uh, we wanted to look at alternative revenue
sources that would help continue to sustain, uh, that- that, uh, that program.
[00:53:23]
Before I get into it a little bit, I did want to share some fun facts about our pilot program, since we are
coming close to an end. It ends August 1st, 2025. In the first year, we saw 43% increase in ridership,
which is more than three times what we saw in similar agencies. And in our second year, we're
estimated to finish with another 17% ridership increase, again, more than three times higher than what
we see in other transit agencies. So it has been really successful in shifting ridership to our transit as it's
help mobility for thousands of residents across Iowa City. In total, we're expecting approximately
700,000 more rides on transit for a total growth of about 68% in ridership throughout the course of the
pilot. So lots of positive things that we've seen, that's equivalent to approximately taking more than
5,000 vehicles off the road or comparable to the annual energy use of nearly 3,000 homes. So really
successful in terms of our goals, our goal is to hit 1.9 million rides by 2030, and we're currently in 2025,
we shot over our goal by 10%, and this year, we're expected to again, overshoot our goal, so we're well
on track to hit our goals. Uh, it also has additional benefits, including on time performance, which
increased by 7%, so it's now at 75%, and it's put an estimated $3 million back in the pockets of Iowa City
writers. So lots of positives that we've seen, um, which really speaks to why it's important to look at
some of these alternative revenue sources. So as part of our revenue package that we've looked at, the
first step was taken in FY 25 with your budget where you increased some parking fees to help support
this as the lion's share of where that revenue would go. And in your FY 26 budget that you recently
passed, you also noted the franchise fee is a possibility. So that is included in your 26 budget, and this is
really implementing that fee and putting it into effect so that it can continue to support fair free transit
in the future. So I do want to temper that a little bit. So while, this will put us on firm financial footing
for the near future, um, what we have seen is that with franchise fees, those tend to be relatively stable
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incomes, a relatively stable revenue source, especially as we see homes become more energy efficient.
So there is a possibility that more funding will be needed in the future, but this should set us on a firm
financial footing for the near future. So moving away from that big picture topic, what is a franchise fee?
How does it work? Franchise fee is really a franchise tax that goes on the gross revenues for the sale of
natural gas and electricity. Cities are allowed to establish a fee of up to 5%, and changing the fee only
requires that council hold a public hearing, pass an ordinance, and that they purposely or that they state
the purpose of their revenues as part of that ordinance. So we currently have a 1% franchise fee that's
established. The goal of that fee or the purpose statement that we adopted for that fee was overseeing
the franchise, enhancing public safety, and funding public infrastructure to support economic
development. So what we are proposing then, is implementing that increase of 1% to 2% that would
allow us to help sustain fair free transit, and it's estimated to generate approximately $1 million in
revenue annually. The other thing I want to talk about is that revenue purpose statement. So currently,
the revenue purpose statement that was previously adopted is tied to those specific three topics that
were listed in the revenue purpose statement. It does need to be updated to allow any expenditures on
our transit system, which is an allowable use under state code, but staff does recommend increasing the
scope to include all of the allowable uses that are in state code. So in the ordinance that you have
before you, it does include all of those uses. The reason we recommend that is really because it does
allow that maximum flexibility in addressing council priorities with the ability to fund transit as part of
that. And that would be identified within your annual budgeting process. In terms of timing, our
franchise agreement requires 90 days notice, and that would mean that we are looking at having the
effect going into a change effect, the change go into effect, excuse me, I knew there was something
wrong there. The change go into effect on November 15th, 2025. And with that, I'm happy to answer
any questions you have.
[00:58:18]
Don't hear any questions. We're gonna go to public comment. If anyone would like to discuss this. If
you're online, please raise your virtual hand. See no one in person or online. I'm gonna close the public
hearing. Can I get a motion to give first consideration, please?
[00:58:37]
Motion moved.
[00:58:38]
Sorry, second.
[00:58:39]
Move by Alter, second by Harmsen. Counsel, discussion?
[00:58:46]
I'm so sorry, Kirk, but I just got a question. I'm so sorry. If that's okay.
[00:58:53]
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Absolutely, I ask questions.
[00:58:55]
The one million approximate $1,000,000 annually that we are getting, is this funding that is going to
exceed our ARPA allowances towards Fairfeet transit and would provide us with the ability to, uh,
expand routes or frequency.
[00:59:21]
So this is mostly kind of replacing that, in addition to the parking fees. So no, this is really maintaining
our current transit system fare free. That's what this allows.
[00:59:35]
Okay, thank you.
[00:59:36]
And if I could just tag on to it's likely that this won't be the forever funding source. It's probably going to
need to be supplemented again in the future. This tax is fairly flat. So even as our population grows, you
have energy efficiency improvements with appliances and just people being more conscious. So we see
this really being flat, whereas transit expenses typically are growing anywhere from 4% to 7% based on
operational inputs. So while we think that this will be combined with parking fees will be sufficient for
several years, it's likely a future council will have to look at this puzzle again and decide whether it
continues to be in our best interest to offer fare free.
[01:00:21]
1 hate to put you on the spot, but several years, is that 3, 4, 16, 20?
[01:00:26]
So much is going to depend on federal funding. A lion's share of our operational dollars come from the
federal government. So the next time there's a transportation reauthorization bill, which typically takes
place every five years, we'll know if there's a significant cut, it could be one or two years. If it's status
quo or increase in funding in the transportation reauthorization bill, it could last for a decade or more.
[01:00:52]
Thanks.
[01:00:52]
And to give you some context, for FY 26, we're estimating 1.1 million dollar in COVID relief being used
for this, but that is with $800,000 going towards the fare free program. And then moving forward, we'll
see how things shake out.
[01:01:12]
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Yeah, I was also, you know, when I was talking with some folks at the transit facility, you know, they said
that there were some ideas around different types of advertisement within newer models of buses that
might have some type of revenue potential in the future. I don't know if- if you've heard anything about
that or if that's like a future thing that we could look into, as well.
[01:01:40]
We've over the years discussed whether to open up advertising on our buses. We've done some limited
in the past with I can remember Daily Iowan being on the back of a lot of the buses advertisements. We
have a marketing agreement with Mint American Energy on our electric buses, and we've explored kind
of one off situations, but never a full blown advertisement. It's something that we could look at. What
we have been looking at in the meantime is a a campaign for those that want to contribute to sustain if
you have the ability to pay, and you're inclined to do so to be able to text, you know, while you're on the
bus, text a donation, that would go to a- a fund just to sustain it. So that's kind of where our initial focus
is, and I think that came up in council budget discussions a year or two ago. So actually originated with
the- the council. But we could look at advertising again, both on the buses, and you can also look at that
as we expand our benches and our, um, shelters. We'd want some council input because, you know,
people feel very differently about that. And the city also has, uh, restrictions on our ability to limit
content in a great way. So you have to be kind of open to a lot of different kinds of advertising, and that
can- that can lead to some interesting policy discussions.
[01:03:12]
So we couldn't just say no cigarette ads or something like that or.
[01:03:17]
That would be a discussion we would have to have.
[01:03:19]
Okay, in to it, sorry.
[01:03:24]
All right. Any other comments? Roll call, please.
[01:03:30]
Alter?
[01:03:31]
Yes.
[01:03:31]
Bergus?
[01:03:32]
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Yes.
[01:03:32]
Harmsen?
[01:03:33]
Yes.
[01:03:33]
M oe?
[01:03:34]
Yes.
[01:03:34]
Salih?
[01:03:35]
Yes.
[01:03:35]
Teague?
[01:03:36]
Yes.
[01:03:36]
Weilein.
[01:03:37]
Yes.
[01:03:37]
Motion passes 7-0. Nine B, fiscal year 26, stormwater Improvements project, Resolution improving
project manual, and estimate of costs for the construction of the fiscal year 26, stormwater
Improvement project, establishing amount of bids, 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, Tim.
[01:04:11]
Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Tim Schmadeke and I'm a civil engineer here in the
Engineering department. The fiscal year 2026 stormwater improvements project is an annual project
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done to repair badly damaged stormwater infrastructure that includes storm water pipes, intakes and
manholes. There are currently three locations for this project that are in need of repair. There will be
additional locations added throughout the fiscal year as issues arise. The first location is Greenwood
Drive. This location will be constructed when football is out of season as there is a parking area that is
used and there's a storm sewer that needs to be removed and replaced there. There are also four
intakes that are in rough shape, and there are two legs of storm sewer pipe that connect both intakes,
so those all need replaced there. The second location is Wild Green Road. There are three intakes there,
and there will be two legs of stormwater pipe that connect all three intakes that are going to be
replaced. The third location is Clover Street. There are two intakes there that- that are in need of repair,
and there is one leg of storm sewer pipe- storm water pipe, excuse me, that connects both intakes, and
then a second leg that goes from one intake to nearby Creek. The estimated construction cost of this
project is $350,000, which is based upon the three sites that we currently have. The bid opening is July
2nd, and the contract will be awarded July 8th. The construction schedule is set for at the earliest
beginning in July of this year, and then we'll finish in June of 2026. Here's how I can be contacted. That's
all I have. Are there any questions?
[01:06:05]
Do you have a basically, you said that, excuse me, one of them would not be done based on its location
because I know exactly where it is because of football season. But do you have a schedule of places
first?
[01:06:21]
What places first.
[01:06:22]
Yeah.
[01:06:22]
That would be up to the contractor. Understanding from where they could, uh, based on their timeline,
the work needed to be done and then how long that would take. So that's really up to the contract. Any
other questions?
[01:06:40]
All right. Thank you. Great. Anyone from the public like to address this topic?
[01:06:46]
Questions.
[01:06:48]
If you would like to address this topic, you'll be invited. You can come up and you can speak. The council
will not be able to answer any comments, but during council deliberations, should a council member
choose to address anything mentioned, that would be at the discretion of the council.
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[01:07:07]
I'm sorry. I thought with the public hearing, I could ask the presenter the questions.
[01:07:11]
No, you can speak at this time.
[01:07:14]
Oh, okay.
[01:07:14]
All right, welcome.
[01:07:17]
Thank you. I was wondering where the manual is. It says a manual is a project manual is going to be
approved, and I couldn't find that online. Do you know where- have you seen it? Can you tell me why it's
not online or it's not in the materials in the packet today? So I can't comment on it because I haven't
seen it. I tried to find it. The other thing I was going to ask, um, if there are it says other sites could be
added. I wondered how sites could be added. And you won't talk about that. Is anyone willing to discuss
this with me since you can now, since it's a public hearing, and under open meetings, you're free to
discuss it. Is anyone willing to answer my questions?
[01:08:16]
1 think, as Mayor said, we're going to discuss this during discussion, and maybe we will bring what you
said.
[01:08:25]
So those are my concerns. I haven't seen the project manual. I've asked for another project manual that
the city site said is being developed, and I was told it won't be given to me because it's still in draft form.
I'd ask that you provide that to me. You don't have to hold that back if you don't want to. And since it's a
draft, it would seem logical to make it available as it's being considered in draft form. Usually, it's easier
to fix something before it's been set in stone. So that's another request. I made that request to the city
engineer, and I talked to Miss Dudek tonight, and she said, she wouldn't give it to me. But the council
has the authority. So I would ask that you would give that to me so we could look at. Just trying to work
through these things. I also wanted to know what the surplus funds were in the utility fees. Again, I had
information it was over 230,000 from last year. I don't know where we are this year. Obviously, my
interest is not just this detention pond behind John's place, but the others and whether utility fees really
should be paying for that, like they are for these sewers that are way across town from John's place, but
John's paying for those. But the people buy those sewers aren't paying for this detention pond. And that
strikes me as something at least that deserves consideration. And if you say, this is what we decide.
That's your decision. But I would at least ask the council to make that decision. Um, as you know, the
goal is to govern fairly, and that's all I'm asking. Thanks.
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[01:10:23]
Thank you. And I just want to read this for clarity. Sometimes I take for granted that we have new
people and don't know all the council rules. I'm gonna read this. Counsel cannot engage in discussion or
debate until the appropriate time for council discussion. However, once the commenter has left the
podium, counsel may ask staff to respond to a concern or question posed by the public or to follow up
with the speaker. So I just wanted to read that, and I'm sorry for not reading that for our newbies. And -
and this is posted on our agenda at the top of our agenda, and it's on every one of our agendas. All right.
Anyone else like to address this topic? If you're online, please raise your virtual hand.
[01:11:20]
Alright. Seeing no one else in person or online. I'm going to close the public hearing. Uh, can I get a
motion to approve, please?
[01:11:31]
So I move.
[01:11:32]
Second.
[01:11:33]
Moved by Salih, seconded by Weilein and council discussion.
[01:11:37]
Yeah. Can we answer- can the staff answer the question, please?
[01:11:42]
Uh, I'm sorry.
[01:11:44]
Which there were a number of questions that Mr. Kellie raised
[01:11:47]
Yeah, that project manual and the spare bras. That's what I wrote here. Is it is another question
[01:11:52]
Uh, typically, that's available in the city clerk's office. No. I have not viewed it there myself, uh, so I can't
swear to that, but that is typically how it's handled.
[01:12:01]
And is it, like available for the public?
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[01:12:04]
1 believe so.
[01:12:05]
Okay.
[01:12:06]
So just walk into the clerk's office and ask for it or email them?
[01:12:11]
Uh, Well, normally, those files are such a size that it would be difficult to email, but certainly they could
walk in and view it you know, under normal circumstances during office hours.
[01:12:21]
For the public's benefit, could you explain what a project manual is?
[01:12:24]
Well, I could, but I suspect that any number of the engineers at the back of the board probably do a
better job than me. Uh, no one's taking the bite [LAUGHTER] Bate.
[01:12:33]
Sure.
[01:12:33]
Maybe one of the engineer Jason or Ron could come up.
[01:12:38]
Jason, I can see you there. How are you? You're very quiet.
[01:12:44]
Jason Iowa, city engineer. So the project manual typically includes the plans and specifications for the
project. So it's what the contractor uses to submit their bid.
[01:12:53]
And do we use a pla- public plan room, typically for city public bids?
[01:12:58]
So, we use um-.
[01:13:01]
Techno graphics Rapids and Dodge.
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[01:13:02]
Yep. So that's- and then we post the link on our website, and then it's on the um, I'm drawing a blank,
but the- the state builders site as well.
[01:13:12]
Yeah, MBI.
[01:13:14]
Yeah.
[01:13:14]
So you can look at it from home or come into the clerk's office to see them.
[01:13:19]
O kay.
[01:13:21]
Uh, I think there was another question about um, there were three affected sites. I think there is a
question of uh, how to add additional sites or um, a process in which? Was that your question, sir?
[01:13:37]
Yes, sir. That was one. Thank you.
[01:13:38]
Okay.
[01:13:39]
Do you want to uh, just come back up and explain what circumstances might arise throughout the year
that would allow us or um, have us add to this contract?
[01:13:50]
Take this one. So if- if we discover a sinkhole or damaged pipe, we can um, issue a change order to the
contractor, and we can have that pipe and pavement repaired at the unit prices that were bid as part of
this project.
[01:14:06]
And this contractor is what.
[01:14:07]
Mr. Victor the mic please.
[01:14:09]
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Ye p.
[01:14:10]
Yeah, so if- if we award this contract based on, you know, bid prices um, if a new site happens to come
up, let's say, a sinkhole develops overnight and we need to repair it right away, we can have that
contractor make that repair under those unit prices. So it would be added as a change order.
[01:14:29]
And just please state your name for that?
[01:14:31]
Yeah, my name's Ben Clark with Engineering.
[01:14:33]
Thank you.
[01:14:34]
Also, how much we have in the surplus. Last year, he said 200,000, even I don't know that. So how much
is now?
[01:14:43]
Yeah, so I'm looking at the adopted budget, which is available on our city website. Um, the 2025 fiscal
year in which we're wrapping up uh, right now uh, to at the of -the end of June, that'll close out. We
project uh, total revenues of 3 million and total expenditures of 2.87, so a little- little over 100,000 in uh,
surplus, which was projected by the budget. Um, uh, where we will officially end. We won't know that
until probably October when we close the books because we use an accrual accounting system.
[01:15:21]
So, for example, this project is estimated at $350,000, but it could be $450,000.
[01:15:28]
Yes.
[01:15:28]
When bids come in for it.
[01:15:30]
Not sure. Fair enough.
[01:15:34]
Yeah, looking ahead uh, to the fiscal year'26 budget, we project $3 million, $3,023,800 in revenues, and
we expect expenditures of 3.3. So we anticipate running a deficit in fiscal year'26.
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[01:15:58]
1 guess when I ask the city attorney uh, I know the subject that we are dealing with is completely
different than the complaint. So do you think we can just handle this different or we can speak about it
now, if we have any question about the issue that arising and the people was talking about it, even
though it have nothing to do with this.
[01:16:18]
Oh, I would- I would suggest that you could not address anything other than this item at this time, if
that's what you're asking. Yeah.
[01:16:24]
Yeah, that's what I'm asking.
[01:16:30]
Anything else by council?
[01:16:32]
No.
[01:16:34]
Roll call, please.
[01:16:35]
Burgess?
[01:16:36]
Yes.
[01:16:36]
Harmsen?
[01:16:37]
Yes.
[01:16:37]
Moe?
[01:16:38]
Yes.
[01:16:38]
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Salih?
[01:16:38]
Yes.
[01:16:39]
Teague?
[01:16:39]
Yes.
[01:16:40]
Weilein?
[01:16:41]
Yes.
[01:16:41]
Alter?
[01:16:42]
Yes.
[01:16:43]
Motion passes 7-0 9C, Iowa City Senior Center BAS project. Resolution approving project manual and
estimate of costs for the construction on the Iowa City Senior Center BAS project, establishing an
amount of bids, 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, Ben.
[01:17:09]
Ben Clark, Engineering Division. Um, so this- this project um, is going to attempt to fix some of the
heating and cooling issues at the Senior Center. So the base bid includes um, just integrating the
controls of the equipment there to the city's um building automation network system. I don't have a lot
to show you for what the project looks like, but this is sort of a screen grab of the user interface of the
building automation system. And you can see there are a number of buildings on the left already hooked
up to that system. There are two slots at the bottom for future expansion. So one of them would be for
the Senior Center. And if you, um- just for an example, if you were to click on City Hall, it'll bring up this
screen. You can see on the left, you can take a look at what's going on in the different floors. On the
right, you can drill down to different equipment. So this would be an example of the first floor of City
Hall. I'll show you what- what temperatures the different rooms are at. Um, if you select on a piece of
equipment, it'll show you what's going on with that piece of equipment, you can see it'll send alarms if
things go bad um, you can program different schedules, change the temperature, that kind of thing. So
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that's what we're hoping to do at the Senior Center. Um, the estimated cost is 278,000. We'll take bids
July 23rd, and basically hope to have it done this fall with sort of testing and balancing in the winter. I
should add too, we're adding there are three bit alternates that we hope to select that include sort of
energy improvements. One would be rearranging some of the duct work in the kitchen that'll- that'll
reduce the amount of outside air that that system brings in. Um, the second one would be adding some
variable speed um, drives to the pumps for the boiler system. And then the third would be um, rezoning
the rooms on the northwest corner of the building. They have sort of a hard time keeping up with um,
temperatures in the wintertime. So- it's all I got.
[01:19:25]
Okay. Any questions for Bid?
[01:19:28]
I'm just curious what city staff is? Like, who- who controls that? Who sees the interface, and has to learn
how to use it.
[01:19:36]
Yeah, it would be the um, government building staff. So like Josh Whirl and some of his maintenance
staff control that. Yeah.
[01:19:44]
Thank you.
[01:19:45]
Seemed to be the most powerful man on staff at City Hall.
[01:19:49]
Very selfishly, you know, we have it. We got this.
[01:19:54]
Thank you. Anyone from the public like to address this topic?
[01:20:00]
Mary.
[01:20:02]
Please state your name and city you're from. And also, if you're online, please raise your virtual hand
and I'll call upon you if you wish to address this topic.
[01:20:11]
My name is Mary Gravitt, Iowa City, and I'm a member of the Senior Center. If you go above the ground
floor, you'll freeze your ass off [LAUGHTER] That building is never warm. And I remember when the air
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conditioner was replaced, then it got hot. I mean, it got insufferably hot because the building is so old,
you know, old post office and everything. But the sooner, the better because believe it or not, winter in
Iowa lasts until after June. To July, you got summer. But we fool ourselves with all these outdoor
festivals, the art festival. You can't stay there half a day or the wind will blow you away. The senior
center is for seniors. And that's old folks need some heat. We don't need any excess air conditioning
because when you- when you can tell when something is going on there with the system, the door on
the ground floor has to be propped open so they can get some air in there. But like I said, we need that
and we need it right away. And ever since Craig retired, he used to nurse all the systems along. And
when the- and in the uh, assembly room, it's got a falls ceasing ceiling. And so one- one winter the wa-
the pipe burst and the water came down and flooded out everything. But he took care of all of that. But
the idea is that it's old, it needs attention, and we don't need that much air conditioning. And this time,
if you get somebody to do the work, don't let the software disappear. I have heard, you know, the lines,
all false gossip, that the reason there's so much trouble there is that the software is lost. But we need
some heat. And I mean, not everybody needs heat, but I know I need heat it's cold in this room for me.
So when you hire these people and they bid and they give you all these cheap bids, you got to watch
them. And- and I hope we get this work done soon before I die anyway, so cause I like to visit there. All
my friends are there, and we socialize there, especially on Monday when we have our food bank. And
that's because Natasha opens it up to the public, everybody and table to table come you know,
contributes, and we go there, and we gossip and you know, you got to have uh, your age group
company. Young people don't understand. They don't remember nothing. If you bring up a conversation
with them, they know a little bit, but they don't know the real story behind anything. But I hope you
treat the Senior Center right and get the job done and be careful and don't lose the software at this time
so that we can keep the system going. Thank you.
[01:23:11]
Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic? Seeing no one in person or online. Council,
discussion? It's good stuff.
[01:23:26]
Hopefully improve operational efficiency, energy efficiency, and also alert us if something's not working.
So-.
[01:23:32]
Mayor, I'm not sure we have a motion on the floor.
[01:23:34]
Moved.
[01:23:35]
Moe
[01:23:36]
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Seconds.
[01:23:37]
Oh, wait. Sorry. That's right. This is a public hearing. So I'm gonna close the public hearing. After no one
else is speaking. Alright, now can I get a motion to approve?
[01:23:49]
Happy to move for approval.
[01:23:51]
Having too. Second.
[01:23:53]
Alright. Moved by Moe. Seconded by Salih. Council discussion. What he said.
[01:24:00]
Yeah.
[01:24:00]
Still good stuff.
[01:24:01]
Yeah.
[01:24:02]
Alright.
[01:24:02]
What she said?
[01:24:03]
Roll call, please.
[01:24:04]
Harmsen?
[01:24:05]
Yes.
[01:24:06]
Moe?
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[01:24:06]
Yes.
[01:24:07]
Salih?
[01:24:07]
Yes.
[01:24:08]
Teague?
[01:24:08]
Yes.
[01:24:09]
Weilein?
[01:24:09]
Yes.
[01:24:10]
Alter?
[01:24:10]
Yes.
[01:24:11]
Berg us?
[01:24:11]
Yes.
[01:24:12]
Motion passes seven to zero. Started talking about heat and elderly people, you know? It's important.
Nine D, Mercer Pool Roof replacement project, resolution approving project manual, an estimate of
costs for the construction of the Mercer pa- Pool Roof replacement 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 bid again.
[01:24:44]
Okay. Ben Clark engineering division. So-.
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[01:24:47]
You raise the mic up now? Yeah.
[01:24:50]
There you go.
[01:24:50]
Traveling mic.
[01:24:51]
So it's a pretty straightforward project. We're just going to replace the roof over this pool at Mercer
Aquatic Center. So it'll be complete tear down uh, new insulation, and new roof. Um, the cost is 655,000
estimated, and bid- we take bids July 1st, hoping to award on your one meeting in July on the 8th. And
then one important milestone date would be the September 5th. So in order to do this work, they'll
have to drain the pool for regular maintenance, and we want to have it filled back up uh, for the
swimming season. So that's all I get.
[01:25:33]
All right. Any questions?
[01:25:36]
How long's the warranty?
[01:25:38]
It's a good question. I don't remember if it's 10 or 20 or 30. There is a warranty.
[01:25:43]
Yeah.
[01:25:45]
It's a bid.
[01:25:46]
1 apologize. You said the milestone date, is that the start date?
[01:25:50]
The milestone date is the date that they have to have all of the work done any work that would produce
dust so that they can fill the pool by that date.
[01:25:59]
Okay. So approximately how long will the pool be closed?
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[01:26:02]
Um, I believe it'll be closed for maybe a couple weeks, and at that time, they'll be doing routine
maintenance, anyway, cleaning the pool.
[01:26:10]
Okay, thank you.
[01:26:14]
No other questions. Thank you. Anyone from the public like to address this topic? Please come forth at
this time. If you're online, please raise your virtual hand. Seeing, no one in person or online. I'm gonna
close the public hearing. Can I get a motion to approve, please?
[01:26:29]
So moved. Alter.
[01:26:30]
Second.
[01:26:32]
Moved by Alter, seconded by Weilein. Council discussion?
[01:26:36]
Um, I guess my only thought regarding this is, I think it's kind of unfortunate that we have two pools
closed at the same time over the summer um, with you know what I mean? Um, if the roof needs to be
replaced, it needs to be replaced. I'm not saying don't replace it. Um, I guess I don't know. It's just
something I thought about when I read through -through the packet, and, um, if we think that that is
something that, you know, members of the community are gonna be exceedingly mad about, uh, I don't
know.
[01:27:16]
Okay.
[01:27:18]
Any other comments?
[01:27:19]
You're not wrong. I'm just thinking, like, what are the risks of not, you know, leaks are actually the least
problem getting water in your walls and in your electrical conduits and stuff is really problematic so-
[01:27:31]
1 think tiles fall on you while you're swimming?
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[01:27:33]
Yeah.
[01:27:34]
Yeah.
[01:27:34]
I'm not- that happened-
[01:27:36]
You're not wrong [OVERLAPPING].
[01:27:36]
-old field house.
[01:27:40]
1 guess I'll just have to go to Coralville.
[01:27:42]
Oh, well, Robert [OVERLAPPING].
[01:27:45]
Oh yeah, the Robert Alli Center.
[01:27:47]
Yes - yes. Yes. Alright. No other comments? Roll call, please.
[01:27:55]
Moe?
[01:27:55]
Yes.
[01:27:56]
Salih?
[01:27:56]
Yes.
[01:27:57]
Teague?
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[01:27:57]
Yes.
[01:27:58]
Weilein?
[01:27:58]
Yes.
[01:27:59]
Alter?
[01:27:59]
Yes.
[01:28:00]
Bergus?
[01:28:00]
Yes.
[01:28:01]
Harmsen.
[01:28:01]
Yes.
[01:28:02]
Motion passes 7-0. 9.e Water Service Agreement Hidden Lakes. Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign
and the City Clerk to attest an agreement to provide water service to the proposed Hidden Lakes
subdivision. Can I get a motion to approve, please?
[01:28:19]
So moved. Moe.
[01:28:21]
Second, Alter.
[01:28:23]
Alright. Then Geoff Fruin. Welcome.
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[01:28:27]
Uh, thank you, Mayor. Uh, so I'm going to start with a little bit of history here. And back in 2017, the city
council approved a water service agreement with the Lacina Meadows subdivision. Lacina Meadows is
not located in the city limits of the city of Iowa City. It's a rural subdivision south of town in Johnson
County. It's not contiguous. Uh, it was not contiguous at that time. It still is not contiguous, uh, with the
city, and it's outside of our designated growth area. So I think you all probably have seen um, before
with various items that not only do we have our corporate limits, but we also have, uh, expected growth
areas. And those growth areas have meaning on the types of regulations the county puts on, uh,
development. So we're anticipating that those will eventually come into the city. Um, again, Lacina
Meadows was outside of our growth area at the time. At the request of the Department of Natural
Resources back in 2017, we were asked to um, allow for city water to serve the Lacina Meadows, uh,
subdivision because uh, of radionuclides being present in their water wells, essentially a public health
concern, uh, that uh, they did not feel that there was another solution to be able to address. So, uh the
way that worked in 2017 is that Lacina Meadows property owners paid for, along with the DNR. The
DNR, I think, provided some sort of loan or grant to the subdivision. They paid for the extension of the
city water main. We didn't have any capital expenditure. They paid for it to be extended from the city
limits down to, uh, their subdivision, and uh, we agreed to maintain that over time. Uh, the residents
there, uh in rural Johnson County that are uh, utilizing our water pay 1.5 times the rate that, um,
residents in Iowa City pay. So they're -they're paying a premium for um, that water. Um, so that brings us
to today. That's the- that's the history. We have a water main that extends down Naples Avenue south
of town. Um, there is a, uh, new subdivision in rural Johnson County that's being planned. It's called
Hidden Lakes. Uh, it is just north of Lacina Meadows. So it's adjacent to Lacina Meadows, um, and it
happens to be located right next to where that water main was extended. Um, just like Lacina Meadows,
Hidden Lakes is not contiguous to the Iowa- to Iowa City. They do -they do not have the ability to annex
into our community. They're located about a half mile outside of our uh - outside of our jurisdiction. And
similar to Lacina Meadows, they are uh, not, uh, the Hidden Lakes area is not in our growth area. Um, as
the subdivision was being planned, um, the DNR stepped in. We had a meeting with -with DNR, and they
said, uh, you know, it would certainly prevent a lot of problems down the road, if they could- if they
could tap into the water main and not risk that future wells would become- become contaminated with
the similar types of problems that -that their neighbors at Lacina uh, Meadows had. So, um, staff
considered it, and, uh, we ultimately, um, worked on the agreement that's in front of you, and I'll just
tell you a little bit about that agreement. Again, the city is not paying for any water main extension. So
the water main that needs to be, uh, tapped into is already there, was paid for by Lacina Meadows. They
will uh - the Hidden Lakes developer will pay all the, uh, costs associated with building the mains to
serve the -the future residents of this rural subdivision. Uh, the residents will pay the 1.5 times the water
rate that Lacina Meadows pays. And then there's, uh, two additional fees, uh, that are in this, uh, water
service agreement. The first is $225,000 payment, uh, to the water fund, uh, that will, uh, offset the cost
of a future, uh, loop. All right? So when you're -when you're constructing a water system, uh, you try to
avoid dead ends uh, as much as possible because you can get stagnant water, uh, in those. You kind of
have to maintain those a little bit more. So you would like to have constant loops, as well. Um, we don't
have a loop on that south side, but we do have a plan for how we would like to loop that basically under
218 over towards the Ryerson Woods area is the ultimate south loop that we'd like to create. So they're
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going to contribute 225,000 towards the future construction of that loop, and then a similar $225,000
fee that recognizes that the residents of this future subdivision, uh, will take advantage a lot of the -the
city amenities that are funded with property taxes. And -and yet acknowledging that they won't be
paying city property taxes. They'll be paying county property taxes. So that second 225 would go to the
general fund, uh, to help support all of the services that we would provide. Uh, that's a basic overview of
the agreement. Um, we do have, uh, one change to the agreement, and I'll let the city attorney, uh, walk
you through that.
[01:33:45]
Thank you. So the version of the agreement in your packet was inadvertently presented in that it is an
older version of the agreement. Uh, there has since been, uh, changes, so, uh, we apologize for that.
Um, what I'll be doing is, um, offering or asking council to offer a motion to amend to the revised
version, a copy of which is already in possession of the City Clerk and which has been signed by the
developer. Uh, who is present, uh, if there's any questions about that. Um, if - if I may, if this is the
appropriate time, you may or, I don't know if you want to kind of discuss the, uh, agreement in a more
holistic way first, and then hear uh, my proposed change, or if you would like to go ahead and have me
address that now.
[01:34:35]
You can go ahead and address it now.
[01:34:37]
Okay, sure. So there are two -two changes, uh, to the agreement as presented. Uh, the first is in, uh,
paragraph 10. There's some language in the second paragraph that reads as follows, "Owner and city
shall enter into a water main easement agreement for such access within 60 days after the county
supervisors approval of the preliminary plat for the proposed subdivision of the property. The location
of the easement area shall be within the "utility" utility easements", as shown on the preliminary plat.
We propose to remove that well -the agreement is to remove that language as that is essentially
addressed in the second to last sentence of paragraph 8. The other is, uh, I'll say more significant, and
that's, uh, the insertion of a new paragraph 15 entitled voluntary annexation, which reads as follows.
"Owner agrees to voluntarily annex all property within the subdivision into the city when the corporate
limits of the city are adjacent to the subdivision, and the city in its sole discretion, is able to provide city
services to the subdivision. Like all other provisions in this agreement, this provision shall run with the
land and bind successors in interest." So what I would ask of council is to approve a motion to amend
those two changes as just outlined.
[01:36:03]
So moved. Moe.
[01:36:05]
Second, Harmsen.
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[01:36:06]
Okay. Move by Moe, second by Harmsen and any we'll get to our council discussion in a little bit. Um,
wondering if there's anyone from the public that want to address this at this time.
[01:36:24]
And you're talking about the motion to amend, uh, Mayor, or the agreement [OVERLAPPING]. Okay
[01:36:29]
Yep. Okay, seeing no one in person or online? Great. All right. So council discussion.
[01:36:39]
Just about the amendment?
[01:36:41]
Yes. Hearing none. All right. Roll call, please.
[01:36:49]
Salih?
[01:36:50]
Yes.
[01:36:51]
Teague?
[01:36:51]
Yes.
[01:36:52]
Weilein?
[01:36:52]
Yes.
[01:36:53]
Alter?
[01:36:54]
Yes.
[01:36:54]
Bergus?
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[01:36:55]
Yes.
[01:36:55]
Harmsen?
[01:36:56]
Yes.
[01:36:56]
Moe.
[01:36:56]
Yes.
[01:36:57]
Motion passes 7-0. Alright. So essentially, we have to- because we just did the amendment, now we
have to go back to the original amendment.
[01:37:09]
Yes, that's right. Okay. That's amended. That's right.
[01:37:11]
Yes. Alright. Any further discussion by council?
[01:37:15]
1 probably had an inappropriate amount of conversations with our city manager about this just because I
don't think any of us want to create a non city component within the city someday in the future, but I
think this is crafted in a way that'll prevent that and help neighbors out. But, um, whenever we have -
the reason it's such a big deal is because we have parts of the city that are now adjacent to us. It's
[NOISE] nearly impossible to incorporate because they don't meet our standards. And when they install
less than standard infrastructure and we have to attach to them, it just is disastrous for the people who
purchase those properties in the future. Um, and you end up with a very difficult situation. So this feels
like a- we're set up for success for both parties, so I'll be voting, yes.
[01:38:02]
1 was just going to ask if you can speak briefly to how you came up with the or how we how the
agreement was reached for the 225,000 sort of acknowledging use of services.
[01:38:15]
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Yeah, it's -it's difficult. There's no great way to quantify it, but it's um- was determined, I think, to be a
reasonable charge, knowing that, um, ultimately, the developer, uh, is going to pass that along to the
residents, and I believe um, we'll look for a head not here. Fifty lots. Is that what is planned? Fifty lots.
So on a per lot basis, uh, we just felt like that was a -a fair contribution. There's no standard for doing
this. We've never -we've never done this before. We didn't ask of this of Lacina Meadows because they
had the capital cost of extending the main. Uh, so, uh, just felt like it was, uh, a reasonable, uh, number
to request.
[01:39:00]
Seems like a good deal for the developer. I'll just say that. [LAUGHTER]
[01:39:05]
Um, I was just asking when I looked at the Hidden Lakes neighborhood, it looked like, uh, this is mostly,
uh, single family homes that seem to be all very much the same, correct?
[01:39:22]
It's not- it's not a built subdivision right now. The plan - the plans are still going through the Johnson
County approval process, so nothing is constructed now. Uh, the developer, uh, is here and can answer
questions about the future development, but there's nothing built at this time.
[01:39:41]
1 was just curious about kind of, like, the target demographic of people who are going to be buying
these, uh, homes. Um, what types of homes are going to be, uh, if.
[01:39:54]
Yep, you could request Aaron Klosterman is the developer and then Ron Amelon from MMS, both here,
uh, and probably best for them to answer.
[01:40:04]
If you don't mind, I would thank you.
[01:40:11]
Hi, I'm Aaron Klosterman, one of the developers of Hidden Lakes. Um, to answer your question on what
types of homes, you know, originally, the goal was to try to address the housing needs for, like, the West
High School district. It's pretty close in proximity to several elementaries and the high school there.
Whether or not, you know, teachers and administrators with that school, it just looked like a great place
to, you know, do some infill and address some housing needs. Um, the houses that will be there will be,
you know, the single family residences associated with, you know, somebody that maybe would like to
be a little bit further away from -from the hustle and bustle of the city, you know, kind of, you know,
country setting, so to speak. And then to Ms. Bergus, to address your it's actually more inexpensive to
do, like, a public well, um, in that location because your standards are- are less as far as water main and
things like that. What happened was when -when we went through the research to do- to do this, we're
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so far into the project. And what we ran into was that the DNR strongly recommended that, you know,
this -this type of contamination will not show up. It could not show up for a year to two years and things
of that nature. So, you know, what I was wanting to do is prevent a problem for future residents and -
and, you know, getting a chance to understand a little bit more about what the -the neighboring
properties had went through to do that. It was one of those things where- would be the best use of our
funds would be to contribute it to the city of Iowa City since the water main is already there. And so, you
know, it was actually more of an expensive venture for us, but I think it's going to prevent a lot of
problems for 50 people or 50 families down the road. So hopefully, that answers the questions you
might have if anybody else has any.
[01:42:20]
No, thank you.
[01:42:21]
O kay.
[01:42:22]
And that doesn't cause the city anything, right?
[01:42:25]
Correct. We -we are not paying any infrastructure cost. Uh, the developers will pay all the, uh, typical
fees that -that they would, connection fees, meter fees, all that sort of thing, and they'll pay all the
infrastructure costs. So the benefit to us is not only the two fees that I described, but we'll actually be
getting more water revenue for our water fund. Uh, and then I think I mentioned this in the staff report.
There are some maintenance benefits. Uh, again, this is a long dead end main that doesn't have a whole
lot of users at the end. Uh, the more users, the more water circulation there is, and that's ultimately
better for, uh the maintenance of the main as well. So a lot of positives for the city, uh, but acknowledge
this is a very non traditional situation, and this is not something that absent the public health concern
that arose in Lacina Meadows that we have ever considered before, nor that I would recommend that
we consider in the future. Um, obviously, when there's public health concerns, I think in 2017, and I
would stick with that decision today, we felt if we have an ability to help, we should. Yes.
[01:43:34]
Um, oh, sorry, go ahead.
[01:43:36]
God ahead.
[01:43:37]
Um, what I was getting at is, uh, you know, it -it seems like this is, uh, I feel like as a city, um, we would
love to be able to do some uh, more progressive taxing. Uh, but, you know, we are beholden by the
state government to do more like local option sales tax, and per conversations, a bunch in the past, Eric,
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we can't uh, discriminate when it comes to housing, different types of housing, having different, um,
expenses.
[01:44:13]
Right, I think- I think I know you're speaking about utility charges and so forth. And you're right, there is
a state code provision that indicates that we cannot charge the term they use a discriminatory rates that
is charging different people, different rates based on some characterization of them.
[01:44:29]
Which is what I was saying. It seems like this is a type of neighborhood where, you know like what was
said, like administrators of, like, a school might be living in just a little bit, like, higher cost. So I was
wondering uh, because it is outside of the - because it is outside of Iowa City, that makes us able to
charge them more for water. Or is it just because it's part of a private agreement?
[01:44:55]
Oh, I'm sorry. I think I follow now.
[01:44:59]
That's an interesting question. I haven't researched that, but I- I think the answer to your question is yes,
because it's not, um, anything that we're required to provide. They're not within the city limits and so
forth. And so I think we have the ability to charge as we wish.
[01:45:11]
Okay. Um, have we considered, uh, looking into, uh, uh, a a looking into the 1.5 number and discussing
what that, if that could, you know, if it's appropriate to raise it, if it's appropriate where it's at, um, just
due to the fact that, uh, we have the ability to do it at this time?
[01:45:35]
Yeah. I don't know that I can answer that. That's not my call. Um, a different number would be legal, uh,
but I'll- let city manager address, uh, how we came to that number.
[01:45:43]
Yeah, so, um, that's what the residents of University Heights pay as well that access our water. When we
did the 2017 agreement with Lacina, I can recall having those discussions whether 1.5 was enough. And,
uh, at that time, we landed that one point, you know, 50 per- 50% increase of the water, uh, rate is
reasonable. Uh, I think I'd stick with that. Yes, we could do more. I think if we- if we do that, I'd want to
think about how that can or can't apply to the, um, Lacina folks and the University Heights, uh, residents
as well, uh, but generally, we felt 1.5 was fair. It's significant, uh, you know, uh, a 50% increase. But, uh,
um, I understand where you're- you're coming from, as well.
[01:46:37]
Okay. Uh, we can talk about that more. I just- something I was thinking about.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:46:43]
And I guess I remember we talked about it at, like, our small meeting. I- I remember also there is a
reason why we cannot even annex them because there is an another community in between?
[01:46:57]
Yeah. They're not contiguous to the city. So the boundaries from- from Hidden Lakes, if you take the
northern boundary of- of the- what will be the future Hidden Lakes subdivision, you've got to travel
about half a mile north to hit the city boundary. So you can only annex property that is contiguous to the
city, meaning that there's multiple, uh, property owners in between that would have to say yes as well.
And frankly, we're not ready to annex down there. If you think about just the services we'd have to
provide, running fire, police, and, uh, snow plows and that sort of thing, we're just not quite ready for
that as a city. We're probably decades off. Um, and again, that's- that's kind of how we start to look at
that growth area I talked about. What is that kind of next level of city growth, and this is falling outside
of that. So this would be far, far down the road. But, at some point in time, there probably will be
annexation considerations, and that's why the amendment that you approved earlier just
foreshadowing that situation was really important to us.
[01:48:03]
And the- the houses or the property, like you said in between, are they using city water or are they going
to-.
[01:48:10]
No.
[01:48:11]
Tho- those- those are agricultural fields, and they're not using any city water. Um, the only, uh, uh, uh,
residence using this water main that was extended down Naples is from that Lacina, um, subdivision. It
also, uh, moves in. I think there's, uh, I think the subdivision changes names as it crosses Dane Road.
[01:48:33]
1 think Meadowview. Yeah.
[01:48:36]
Meadowview Lane. I think it's Woodland Ridge or something like that. Um, but it's- it's- for intents and
purposes, it's just kind of looks like Lacina extended across Dane Road.
[01:48:48]
Yeah, Woodland Ridge. Sorry about that.
[01:48:52]
Thank you.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:48:54]
All right. Any other discussion? Roll call, please.
[01:49:01]
All right. So again, this is your underlying motion as amended.
[01:49:04]
Teague?
[01:49:05]
Yes.
[01:49:05]
Weilein?
[01:49:06]
Yes.
[01:49:06]
Alter?
[01:49:07]
Yes.
[01:49:07]
Burgess?
[01:49:08]
Yes.
[01:49:08]
Harmsen?
[01:49:09]
Yes.
[01:49:09]
Moe?
[01:49:10]
Yes.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:49:10]
Salih.
[01:49:11]
Yes.
[01:49:12]
Motion to pass a seven to zero. Item 10 is counsel appointments, 10.a is Housing and Community
Development Commission. So this is two vacancies to fill an unexpired term upon appointment through
June 30th. Now, we just did the, I think it was 6.a.
[01:49:36]
Yeah.
[01:49:36]
Under, yeah.
[01:49:38]
Six.
[01:49:39]
Consent Agenda.
[01:49:40]
Under the consent-.
[01:49:42]
Oh, 6.c under the consent agenda with the staggering terms. Um, so we're going to be at seven
members. And in this first one, 10.a, we only have to appoint one person. And there are- and then when
we get to 10.b, we'll have to appoint two people.
[01:50:00]
And Mayor, I apologize. I didn't say this during, uh, clarification of agenda items. One of my colleagues is
on the list, so I believe I should recuse myself.
[01:50:07]
Yeah. Okay.
[01:50:14]
All right. So why don't- and then there's two different -
Page 58
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:50:24]
Lists of people.
[01:50:24]
- list of people as well that we have to consider. So we'll do these separately. So let's work with, um,
10.a, and there are-
[01:50:39]
That their news from one-
[01:50:41]
One person. One from [inaudible 01:50:42].
[01:50:45]
Normally, I put forward, like, because there's- we have engaged people who want to be on these
commissions to try to rotate, but there has been a difficult patch of getting people to, um, get to
quorum, so o I would actually recommend Kayla Benning. Uh, he's served on ECDC before. He's been a
consistent member. I believe he actually served as chair at one time. Um, I think he would be a good
candidate, but-
[01:51:11]
If I may, I believe he would be an excellent candidate, but he's such a good candidate that he was just
appointed to planning and zoning.
[01:51:17]
That's right. Yeah.
[01:51:19]
1 thought the same thing, and I was like, "That sounds so familiar.".
[01:51:22]
Alright.
[01:51:23]
Yeah.
[01:51:23]
It completely. Oh, you know why? Because I was not at that one. I was listening to my daughter in a
concert, so I missed that meeting.
[01:51:30]
Yes.
Page 59
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:51:31]
Thank you for helping.
[01:51:32]
Lots of really good applicants, say. I also noticed, uh, Sarah Murray's application, public health, um,
expert. So sort social determinants of health might be closely related to HCDC work, um-
[01:51:46]
Good point.
[01:51:49]
That's Daphne Daniel then also has, uh, legal work with Iowa Legal Aid, and those came to the top in my
mind. But there's also lots of other great. Indeed. But I'd be okay with either one of those. Uh, I do think
I agree with you. I think the, uh, uh, social determinants of health and environmental conditions is
interesting.
[01:52:10]
That's Sarah?
[01:52:11]
Yeah, Sarah.
[01:52:12]
Sarah, okay.
[01:52:13]
Okay.
[01:52:13]
Here. Sarah Murphy?
[01:52:14]
Yes.
[01:52:15]
Murray.
[01:52:15]
Yeah.
[01:52:17]
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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Murray. Yes. Sorry. Alright. Sound like we have a majority for Sarah Murray.
[01:52:25]
Murray, yeah.
[01:52:28]
Now could I get a motion to approve her or them, um, for the, um, HCDC, um, this will be for 10.b. Uh,
and this would-
[01:52:40]
10.a. Oh,10.a.
[01:52:43]
Yes, 10.a.
[01:52:45]
And this is going to be from appointment through June 30, 2026. Can I get a motion to appoint?
[01:52:54]
Please.
[01:52:54]
Move.
[01:52:54]
Move. Q.
[01:52:56]
I'll second.
[01:52:57]
All right.
[01:52:58]
Move by Salih, seconded by Moe. All in favor say aye.
[01:53:01]
Aye.
[01:53:01]
Aye.
Page 61
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:53:02]
Any opposed? Motion passes six to zero. Now we're on to 10.b, which is the Housing and, uh, Housing
and Community Development Commission, two vacancies to fill three terms. Um, and this is going to be
July 1, 2025 through June 30th, 2028. This is for two people.
[01:53:24]
1 really want to do Tom Rocklin.
[01:53:27]
Yes.
[01:53:27]
Too.
[01:53:28]
1 agree.
[01:53:28]
1 like Tom very much and Maryann Dennis also.
[01:53:33]
And actually, sort of same reason she's been stalwart and fantastic on the commission.
[01:53:40]
Ye p.
[01:53:41]
Yeah desk was my second one, too.
[01:53:43]
Good.
[01:53:45]
To Maryann Dennis.
[01:53:48]
So it sounds like do we have a majority for those two? Sounds like, yes. Alright. Great. So we will get a
motion to give the two appointments to Tom Rocklin and Maryann Dennis. Got to get a motion, please.
So move to Harmsen. Second, Moe.
[01:54:08]
Sure.
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Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:54:09]
All right. Second by Moe. All in favor say aye.
[01:54:13]
Aye.
[01:54:13]
Any opposed? Motion passed six tot zero.
[01:54:16]
[inaudible 01:54:16]
[01:54:33]
10.c Public Art Advisory Committee. Public Art Advisory Committee has one vacancy to fill an unexpired
term upon appointment through December 31st, 2025. And council discussion, there are four people.
[01:54:46]
1 was just want to say this was, like, a knockout for people. Like this is tremendous. Each person really
brought, uh, a host of experience that would be really welcome on the committee.
[01:54:58]
1 agree. We recently appointed James Davis or David Davies to planning and zoning, so we can-
[01:55:05]
Okay.
[01:55:05]
- work through the list that way.
[01:55:07]
Yeah. I liked Stephanie Brunia.
[01:55:10]
1 liked her a lot. I also thought Erin Mosley, uh, is that he has a perspective with, uh, work that he does
with, um, adults and art therapy that I thought was interesting. But I also really appreciated Stephanie
Brunia.
[01:55:24]
Uh, Erin Mosley definitely reached out to me for the same- for- for the same reason. So either, uh, Erin
or, uh, Stephanie is good with me.
Page 63
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 202S
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[01:55:43]
Yeah, uh, again, I think it's going to be, um, really hard because of all the different-
[01:55:48]
Yeah.
[01:55:49]
- you know, things that they bring, but I can support either one, but I think since, um- yeah, it's hard. But
I can support Stephanie if we're looking for majority vote at this point.
[01:56:03]
Yeah. I would be okay with that.
[01:56:05]
Ye p.
[01:56:07]
So Stephanie Brunia, can I get a motion to appoint, please?
[01:56:12]
So Moved.
[01:56:13]
Second.
[01:56:14]
Move by Burges seconded by Alter. All in favor say aye.
[01:56:17]
Aye.
[01:56:17]
Aye.
[01:56:18]
Any opposed? Motion passes seven to zero. All right. We are on to item Number 11, announcements of
vacancies previous Community Police Review Board. One vacancy to fill an unexpired term until upon
appointment through June 30th, 2027. Human Rights Commission will vacate it to fill an unexpired term
upon appointment through December 31st, 2025, applications must be received by 5:00 PM Tuesday,
July 1st, 2025. Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment, one vacancy to fill a five-year term. Airport Zoning
Commission one vacancy to fill a six -year term, Board of Appeals HVAC Professional, one vacancy to fill
an unexpired term, Historic Preservation Commission Brown Street, one vacancy to fill a three-year
Page 64
Iowa City City Council Formal meeting of June 17, 2025
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term, Historic Preservation Commission Jefferson Street, one vacancy to fill a three-year term, Historic
Preservation Commission Jefferson Street, one vacancy to fill a three-year term, Historic Preservation
Commission Summit Street, one vacancy to fill a three-year term, Historic Preservation Commission
Woodlawn Avenue, one vacancy to fill a three-year term. Vacancies will remain open until filled, and we
are at Number 12 City Council information.
[01:57:33]
Um, I had an opportunity to travel with Greater Iowa City Inc and the Cedar Rapids Economic Alliance
and discuss regional priorities with our, uh, federal representatives. Um, we did meet with Senator
Grassley and Representative Miller Meeks. Ms. Ernst did, um, did not join us. Um, but, um, they did give
us time, and we were able to talk, um, about things that are important to our area, um, and I do feel like
they are advocates for infrastructure spending, so that was a place we can talk about that. And I also
seem to be allies for NIH, NASA, and NSF funding, which are really important to the University of Iowa.
There's, of course, some catches there, um, but they were, um, willing to listen and understand the
value of those priorities to our community.
[01:58:25]
Okay, I would like to talk if you don't know, this is, uh, this week is refugees week. It started on the 16
and ending on the 20- the refugees day ends on the 20. I'm speaking not only as a city council member,
but as someone who once walked the very past, so many refugees walk today. I know what it means to
arrive in a new place with hope, fear, and uncertainty, and how much is better when a community
chose- choses to welcome you, not just with word, but with action. The theme this year is Community as
a Superpower. I have seen the power, I have lived it, and it is the reason I'm here today. When we show
up for each other, when neighbors, teachers, face leaders, and city staff come together to help someone
find housing, job, or simply a sense of belonging, we are not just supporting individuals, we are
strengthening our whole city. So today, I ask of all the- all of us to set up a super- to set up support
refugees and immigrants communities. You can donate to local organization, volunteer your time is big
up for inclusive policies. Because in a time when division and fear are too easy to reach for, community
is the boldest super power we have. Let us use it to lift each other up and to make Iowa City a home for
all. Thank you.
[02:00:11]
Thank you.
[02:00:11]
Thank you.
[02:00:15]
Um, I recently went to New York City for the conference on, uh, advancing the field of alternative
response. It was an extremely, uh, informative and, uh, refreshing event to go to lots, uh, of questions
when we talk about mobile crisis response. Uh, so many of those issues were addressed at this, and I'm
still working through typing up a more, uh, uh, a long form summary, uh, but lots of important
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connections, I think were made. I think Iowa City was put on the map by our presence being there. Uh,
lots of- like I said, lots of connections with, uh, professionals that are, you know, ahead of us, and can
give us really, really good insight on, uh, best practices moving forward with, uh, implementation.
Specifically, you know, we're talking about, uh, embedding, uh, folks within the [inaudible 02:01:22], and
there's many places that have already done that, and they know what's worked, they know what hasn't,
and so I'm just happy that a lot of this work has already been done, and we can learn from it. So, yeah, it
was very fun.
[02:01:43]
All right. We're going to move on to Item Number 13, reports on items from city staff, city manager's
office. City Attorney?
[02:01:51]
Nothing for me. Thank you.
[02:01:52]
City Clerk. All right. Item Number 14. Now, remember we're adjourning back to work session, but we will
take a 10 minute break.
[02:02:04]
Yes. All right.
[02:02:04]
Uh, so can I get a motion- motion to adjourn, please.
[02:02:08]
So moved.
[02:02:09]
Second.
[02:02:10]
Move by Alter, seconded by Salih. All in favor say aye.
[02:02:14]
Aye.
[02:02:15]
Any opposed? We are adjourned from our formal meeting.
Page 66