Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-02-03 AgendaSubject to change as finalized by the City Clerk. For a final official copy, contact the City Clerk's Office, 356-5040. ~ AGENDA IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING - FEBRUARY 3, 1997 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS ITEM NO. 1 CALL TO ORDER. ROLL CALL. ITEM NO. 2 q?- ~7 q~ CONSIDER A ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 14, CHAPTER 6, ENTITLED "ZONING," BY CHANGING THE REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO CHILD CARE FACILITIES. (pass & adopt) Comment: At its December 19 meeting, by a vote of 6-0, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of amendments to permit child care facilities in all zones as accessory uses, provisional uses, or special exceptions. Staff recommended approval in a memorandum dated December 19. ITEM NO. 3 Action: CONSIDER A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING. page I Item No. 2 Consider an Ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled MZoning," by changing the regulations pertaining to child care facilities. Kubby/Moved for adoption. Thornberry/seconded. Novick/Any discussion? Norton/I have just a little. Novick/OK Norton/Mercifully brief. I am going to support this because I think the changes we're making regarding where centers can locate under different conditions some- times the Board of Adjustment making a special exception, sometimes the staff reviewing a provisionary, I think that's desirable and appropriate. And I think its OK that we have change the collapsed the two categories of home care into one, the two categories the DHS identifies into one category, but I still think there's a good deal to be done about registration and inspection of those kind of facilities, those home care facilities. Now that's a big issue for the City alone, it would have to be County / and Coralville? Norton/Well I've already talked to Dick Meyers about it. The State is concerned and I think some of the providers themselves are concerned that we need to try to figure out some way to deal with that matter. Now obviously it entails some ex- pense but its not all that long ago that some pretty grizzly have occurred. AI Axeen and I were talking, in Coralville fifteen years ago there were some serious problems and I'm sure them some here. So I think we need to be really very cau- tious and I think that needs to be revisited substantially and I want to just get on record that I intend to pursue that and present some options. Kubby/The other thing that we could do as a City since we are kind of opening up where these smaller care centers can be that aren't going to be inspected, That we could put out an educational brochure to people looking for daycare to help people figure out what are the appropriate questions to be asking or be sure the 4C's or other community resources out there are available here at the Civic Cen- ter, What Kind of insurance do you have, what kind of training do you have, just helpful questions that parents can ask to make sure that they can illicit information to give them indicators of quality and training, This represents only a reasonably accurate accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of February 3, 1997 page 2 Norton/I think that would be very appropriate and I certainly don't want to do anything to discourage, we're going to need plenty of these, but I don't want to do anything to discourage them, but I think those who do a serious job of it are also concerned that some control may be in their own interest. Novick/I had'a similar conversation with someone who runs a daycare program, she said her plan was to talk to both 4C's and the legislature, so we are getting community support on the issues that you are concerned about. Thornberry/I agree there needs to be some monitoring of the home daycare cen- ters. Norton/And right now there's absolutely none. There's a registration but there is no one actually visit unless they happen to be getting food assistance of some kind. Thornberry/Some kind of monitoring network. Norton/It's fairly complicated, but we'll get at it. Kubby/It's easy to say, if we decided to do it, it would be very expensive. Norton/That's the problem Thornberry/Depends on how its done. Norton/Well there may be ways, even random visits, I mean there's lots of ways that there might be, I haven't looked at those. And I know that Dick Meyers talk- ing about it because the State may want to, he feels the same way as the State level, that the State is kind of, we are one, as I understand from Sandy Kuhlman, one of seven states that don't do anything in this area. There are seven that do nothing of which we are one. Which is not a matter to be proud of given our boost of our concern with the young. Thornberry/Is there fire inspection of home business. Norton/There's only inspection if there's a complaint about traffic or noise or something. But there's nothing, no even what we do for rental permits or any- thing. Most of it could go on totally unknown. Novick/The State does license them, but This represents only a reasonably accurate accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of February 3, 1997 page 3 Norton/ No, no they don't license home care. They license centers. Novick/They register them, Norton/The registering doesn't mean any visits. Its just a set of self-imposed guidelines to follow. Be sure you have the medicine away from the kids or the stairwells protected. But those are just guidelines that you can hand out to any- body. So the only inspection occur by 4C's under a contract with the government if they're providing food assistance of some sort, So that some of them register for that reason but its a big area, lots of complications, but I think there's a, I talked with Sarah Holecek about it today as well as Sandy and they (can't hear) Lehman/'l t'hink we all share your concerns. Norton/I'm sure you do. So we'll Thornberry/If'they had a complaint about a home care center, if a parent had a complaint about a home care center, who would they go to? Kubby/Probably DHS. Novick/yes, DHS. Lehman/As of right now, I'm not sure they can go to anybody. Norton/Not for sure where. Novick/They can go to DHS. The way we have defined this, if you have fewer than six your okay but if somebody's taking in ten or twelve or sixteen, yeah the DHS will close it down. Lehman/Okay. Thornberry/That should be put out to the public Norton/Well anyhow there's no use, it needs a good deal of study and I'm sure will be putting together some kind of a task force to see what we can do. But it does need, I emphasize, be done jointly, I think with Coralville and the County in a 28E of some kind so you don't force these enterprises out of town or something like that. It needs to be a collective manner and I think it would be wise to get at This represents only a reasonably accurate accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of February 3, 1997 page 4 it. And will talk to the State too, be down there next week you know, on the 12th, many of us are going down. Novick/And speaking of that if anyone needs to change it, this is the week to withdraw if you have to. Norton/You mean from the visit to Des Moines. Novick/From the 12th right, the registration deadline is this week and its also the withdrawal deadline if you want your registration fee back. Okay, everybody ready, Roll call. All ayes. This ordinance was adopted on a 5/0 vote. Kubby/Moved to adjourn. Lehman/seconded All ayes. This represents only a reasonably accurate accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council meeting of February 3, 1997