HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-02-10 TranscriptionFebruary 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 1
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session 4:10 PM
Council: Nov, Baker. Kubby, Lehman, Norton, Thornberry, Vanderhoef.
Staff: Atkins, Helling, Karr, Yucuis, Shank, Dilkes.
Tapes: 97-25, all; 97-26, all.
Introduction-New Itousin~ Director 97-25 S1
Nov/Doug would like to make an introduction.
Boothroy/I would just like to take a moment to introduce the new Housing
Administrator, Maggie Grosvenor. She was the Executive Director for the Fort
Dodge Housing Agency and she started last Monday.
Grosvenor/I am glad to be here .... hope to bring some positive changes as well as
interaction with the community ....
Boothroy/(Introduces council).
City Manager Announcements 97-25 SI
Atkins/I have three quick things that I would like to deal with ....We had an information
request that came in this afternoon from Osha Davidson. The request was the
number of claims and lawsuits filed against the police during my tenure as City
Manager. We have prepared a brief printout, that information has been sent to him.
I just wanted you to be aware that we did answer that information request.
Kubby/And we will get a copy, I assume.
Arkins/It is just a summary. That is all it is.
Baker/Is it available for Berlin's tenure?
Arkins/I am sure it is available for anybody.
Baker/Why don't you send that to him, also?
Atkins/Okay.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 2
Lehman/Steve... I would like to know the number of complaints that have been filed in
other large cities.
Atkins/I can't guarantee the information that we will receive. Some of these are still
pending.
Lehman/
Atkins/The second item... letter from Dave Moore asking for certain information about
the staff. About a week prior to that we had received a call from Carol deProsse
asking questions about my relationship with R. J. before he came to .... Iowa City. I
did not know the man. I met him for the first time at the interview. I wanted you to
know that.
Thirdly, we have somewhat of an informal-formal request from KXIC about
having some sort of discussion between Sergeant Mike Brotherton of our Police
Department and Osha Davidson to discuss issues. I spoke with Chris McCann
today and I kiboshed it up front and I want you to know why. 1-Mike Brotherton
is a good decent man, a good police sergeant but I am not so sure I want him
speaking to these issues. He just simply hasn't been on the department long
enough.
Baker/Why was he the person chosen?
Atkins/I am not sure. The most important issue .... is that early on in this debate, the
council had been criticized as had been the staff... You have, at least in my
judgment, deliberately said this issue is not yours and I want you to know that I
have instructed throughout the organization that this public comments should be
either by you or at your direction and I am not sending any city employees out to
debate this issue until I hear from you on whether it is acceptable to you. The
second element to that is that the report that you are to receive is not finished.
Since you don't have all the information, if you instruct me to go and have a
discussion with Osha Davidson on a radio program, I will certainly do so but I
don't have all-any of the information either and-
Kubby/It is just the 4th Amendment stuff that we don't have.
Atkins/I don't know... The important thing is this is your issue and I don't intend to me
doing anything unless I hear from you. So at the time being, that issue has been set
aside. I promised Chris that I intended to bring it to you so you know about it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 3
Thornberry/ .... my opinion that you have more to do than answer questions from
individuals throughout the city on an ongoing basis .... You have a lot more to do
than to spend a large percentage of your time on these that we have said we will
handle.
Atkins/This is your call.
Norton/ ....I don't understand the timing ....
Atkins/I am just simply reporting to you ....
Kubby/
Thomberry/ .... I just assume handle it ourselves ....
Norton/
Atkins/TNs is your issue ....
Kubby/I want to pursue this discussion a little bit because I think it is a really important
point but I don't want to take time from our budget deliberations ....
Norton/I have a point... process...
Arkins/Move on to budget stuff.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 4
Bud~,et Discussion 97-25 S1
Human Rights
Atkins/We sent you a memo summarizing the issues .... open floor ....Human Rights folks
are here. If there are any questions concerning the half time Human Rights ....
Karr/There are three handouts regarding that in front of you.
Atkins/I have not seen those.
Nov/We haven't read any of these ....
Vanderhoef/Can you summarize this?
Norton/I am not sure where we ended up ....
Heather Shank/One of the questions that was raised last time- First of all, Karen asked for
an updated version of a chart we made last year comparing the Iowa City Human
Rights Office with other agencies and other cities. So we have done that. The
memos that I drafted relate to an update on the funding from HUD .... I talked to
an individual in Washington, D.C. regarding the funding and if the ordinance is
passed by the city council and it is certified by HUD... the city could receive
$100,000 every year for two years ....It is all dependent on the budget ....So we do
not know actually what will happen ....It would be capacity building funds. We can
only use those funds for housing ....City Attorney's Office can have access to that
money as well.
Kubby/Can it be used for educational purposes?
Shank/Absolutely... outreach is a very important part of the capacity building process.
Kubby/The money for the half time person proposed in the budget you sent to us is
funded through HUD, not through General funds?
Arkins/Yes.
Norton/And that HUD person can only work on housing things? .....
Shank/That is correct .... they said a person could be hired as a 50% housing specialist
person only to be paid with HUD money and then the other 50% of the time could
be used to investigate complaints.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 5
Norton/Paid with other money.
Shank/Right... they really discourage it ....
Norton/ ....then they don't help you with this backlog.
Shank/That is correct ....
Vanderhoef/How many of your cases do involve housing? ....
Shank/We have not been investigating housing complaints except in the protected
categories that are not covered under the state or federal law .... We have had
maybe two in the last two years because we do not generally take those
complaints. The state has received a number of complaints from Iowa City
regarding discrimination in housing ....
Nov/
Shank/
We do the intake and then the Human Rights Commission is paid from the state as
the result of the intakes that we have done to assist them... They are individuals
from Iowa City ....
Kubby/If we would decide to do another half time... investigator or clerical help?
Shank/You were talking about another half person in addition to the half time person that
is-
Kubby/I am talking about a half time person with HUD money for housing .... another half
time position from city funds, what would be your priorities?
Shank/An investigator ....investigations are very important ....
Kubby/I don't like to pay an investigator to do those clerical tasks ....
Shank/I would much rather have the investigations proceeded with .... both.
Norton/What did we add last year? The half. Is it anticipated we are planning to add
another half this year, city funds?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 6
Atkin~/Heather's staff last year was Heather and a half time person, Casey. This budget
proposal has Heather, one, and another half time which we would assume Casey
would go to full time. So from 1 1/2 to 2 full time positions, plus a $25,000
estimate that we would receive some HUD money to help finance a portion of that
cost.
Norton/
Kubby/Going from half time to full time is strictly by HUD.
Atkins/The budget shows as a revenue, $25,000 for HUD. Casey's cost is $25,000, that
made the assumption that this new full time person would undertake certain
housing investigations .... doesn't cut into the backlog.
Nov/It also does not meet the requirements of HUD.
Atkins/We would charge that time off.... time spent dealing with the housing complaint ....
If we are going to have this Housing Ordinance, we ought to be prepared to
enforce it. How can we go about that? .... finance a portion of this position by
HUD's money .... Backlog issue becomes another issue.
Nov/Eleanor ....
Dilkes/It is not going to do the Commission any good to add another half time position
on the assumption that it is funded with HUD funds, if, when we pass the
ordinance, Casey has to spend half of her time doing housing ....
Nov/
Thornberry/Are you any further ahead getting caught up on backlog cases now than you
were a year ago?
Shank/No ....
Thornberry/
Shank/The temporary person who worked full time before Casey. Casey has worked 20
hours a week part time. She has not worked more ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 7
Norton/Looks to me .... housing... You have to get somebody top deal with that .... that
does nothing with your issues.
Kubby/I propose that we have a half time additional person that is paid from General
Fund .... on top of the HUD money.
Nov/
Baker/
Kubby/Casey could go full time as an Iowa City investigator and that a new half time
position be created to do Iowa City housing complaints.
Nov/If we do that... HUD money may not be there ....
Shank/We are able to hire what we think we need in the Housing Specialist area .... as
long as we use that money in order to facilitate housing ....
Nov/My concern is .... it may end up at $25,000.
Norton/We hire that much worth of housing worth.
Nov/
Kubby/We may end up doing more of that as backlog ....
Vanderhoef/We have got two years of this.
Shank/Then we would receive $1,700 a case after that.
Thornberry/What is the difference? .... every time you spend time on a housing case, you
are reimburse from the state .....
Shank/
Helling/The reimbursement from the state is just a small portion of what we do on that
intake. In the HUD program we would be reimbursed for each case at something
like $1,700.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 8
Shank/We received as a Commission $1,500 last year for all of the intakes and resolutions
that we actually completed... $30 and then you get a little more for resolutions... It
is not a big windfall ....
Norton/How would the HUD person be employed?
Shank/It would be up to us .... capacity building money .... education... then a lot of
complaints .... a lot of outreach and a lot of public education .... Then you are
required to spend $10,000 or a certain amount to send your staff to HUD
meetings .... You are required to purchase a computer and that costs $5,000.
Kubby/We should probably focus... do we want commit to a half time investigator that is
not housing specialist?
Thornberry/I think so.
Nov/I want everybody to understand what we are saying here before we vote. Did
everybody say okay? Do we understand how this is going to work?
Council/(Yes).
Nov/Okay. Are there four people who want to say go ahead and increase to one full time
assistance for Heather?
Council/(Yes).
Norton/With city funds.
Thornberry/And then a HUD guy.
Kubby/What is that amount? Do we know?
Council/(All talking).
Vanderhoef/Then go through it one more time-
Kubby/And confirm. I agree.
Vanderhoef/It is not that you don't need the help.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 9
Shank/I answered the query that you put to me last week .... informal survey about using
private attorneys to investigate complaints as opp9sed to a temporary staff person
and based on my discussion with attorneys in town .... problematic because of
conflict of interest that would arise and appearance of impropriety because almost
every attorney who has civil rights experience has a case representing someone
that is involved in a case in my office .... They generally indicted that a temporary
full time staff would avoid all of that kind of problem ....
Thornberry/
Nov/Thank you.
Kubby/Just so you are clear. We are going to put it on our wish list and go back through
it again an some things may be taken off.
Council/(All talking).
Shank/Thanks for listening.
1tospice Road Race $5,000 request
Nov/Does anybody want to do this?
Council/(No).
Nov/
Friday Night Concert Series $7,500 Request
Nov/Friday Night Concert Series wants an increase to $7,500.
Council/(No).
Nov/Okay, we just said no on that one also. There was an article in the Gazette recently
about high school age musicians being given time at the Rec Center. I can't see
any good reason why they shouldn't be given time at the fountain as well, Friday
Night Concerts.
Kubby/The DTA takes care of that.
Nov/I will call them ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Norton/Why did everyone jump on this so hastily to ignore the increase?
Nov/Because they can have musicians that are not as well paid .....
Thornberry/What does it cost?
Kubby/My saying not an additional $2,500 does not mean I don't value the program. I
think they can do some additional private fundraising ....
Nov/Okay.
Arts Fest/Jazz Fest/$5,000 Itotel Motel Tax/CVB
Nov/Arts Fest/Jazz Fest $5,000 each from Hotel Tax... when do we want to review our
Hotel Tax distribution?
Baker/Find the $5,000 from somewhere else.
Norton/That is my feeling, too.
Nov/Let him finish. I can't hear what Larry is saying.
Baker/$5,000 for each one of them from somewhere else. Leave the Hotel Motel alone.
Atkins/
Nov/Then the General Fund(GF) would have $15,000 for those three things because the
Friday Night is already from the GF.
Atkins/$10,000 from the GF-
Vanderhoef/And the full 25% to CVB.
Nov/I am not convinced but we will move along.
Thornberry/I would suggest .... after this year... putting the Arts Fest, Jazz Fest under
CVB.
Nov/They don't want it.
Thornberry/
page 10
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WSO21097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 11
Nov/They didn't want it.
Norton/I would like to propose some formal mechanism for making allegations of this
sort so they don't have to come to us directly ....subcommittee with CVB input .....
Like we do with Human Services ....
Lehman/Prior to us authorizing this money... CVB did look at Arts Fest... based on their
criteria .... they were not willing to fund this... So we said we feel this is so
important to his community ....I don't fault their reasoning... They have to spend
their money as they see best ....if these two events don't rate high... The only
reason they got it was because we mandated it ....I think I would like to let them do
their job ....
Nov/
Thornberry/Wasn't the CVB instrumental when RAGBRAI came through? .... those
people for the most part don't stay in hotels.
Nov/What they did was to give the RAGBRAI Committee a loan which was then
repaid ....
Norton/These other things we think are important, let's find a way to fund them .... I do
think if we want a subcommittee of this council... recommend to us... could be
other people in this category ....Hospice Road Race... Criterium ....I would like to
see a subcommittee of this council meet with somebox!y from CVB .... that
subcommittee would recommend to us ....
Lehman/Are you saying you are looking for more places for us to give money?
Norton/To be ready for this.
Kubby/We should have a pot of money for this purpose... spent on an annual basis ....
Nov/There is no reason why this pot of money cannot come from the Hotel Motel Tax or
some other place other than the GF .....
Kubby/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 12
Vanderhoef/ ..... advertise more to fill those beds... that much_ more in Hotel Motel Tax
moneys coming in.
Baker/... trend not unique to Iowa City... have agreement with them, leave them alone.
Norton/... possible to consider a rearrangement .... I suggest that we want a firm kitty for
these community spirit events and not have to worry ....
Baker/I actually agree with you about the necessity for having the fund. My first choice
would not be CVB ....
Lehman/
Baker/
Lehman/That 25% that they get, they probably get one of the biggest returns on their
dollars ....
Kubby/...if we can't find another place...
Norton/
Baker/
Norton/ ....I called it a community spirit fund.
Kubby/ ....economic development definition ....
Thornberry/I am talking about how many people are hired under economic development
as opposed to Arts Fest/Jazz Fest jobs.
Council/(All talking).
Atkins/(Can't hear).
Nov/We have just put in $15,000. $10,000 here and $5,000 for the concert. Your Arts
Fund has $15,000 this year.
Kubby/And we are directing him for next year.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 13
Atkins/What is the dollar figure that you wanted in there?
Kubby/$30,000.
Nov/Shush. We are not talking about next year. We are talking about this year. In this
year's budget, do we want more?
Council/(No).
Baker/Next year.
Nov/Okay, this is it for this year, in this budget.
Kubby/
Atkins/In the future it would come from those funds and you would set up some sort of
means by which they would be reviewed.
Nov/Okay, moving on.
Kubby/When do follow up about the mechanism, we have to have follow up about where
the money is going to come from.
Baker/
Kubby/
Atkins/The issue of a comprehensive review, a new contract with CVB is out. I can do
that. You are back at 25% and creation of a Community Spirit Fund.
Nov/When we pay off our Mercer Park Pool, we will have a chunk there.
Atkins/The Mercer Pool money goes into the operating budget, debt service.
Yucuis/You have the debt service to pay off the bonds and you have the Hotel Motel Tax
to go into recreation operation. It is not to pay the debt service, just to find
operations.
Kubby/... we haven't finalized ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 14
Atkins/You want that in the tickler file. You want that to come back for discussion.
Thornberry/The new Hotel Motel Tax... earmarked for CVB type stuff.
Norton/Yes .... many communities use it to support a Arts Commission.
Thornberry/
Norton/
Nov/
Parks and Recreation Commission -New Positions
Nov/P/R Commission... asking for $65,000 plus. What do people think about that one?
Thomberry/What is the budget?
Atkins/There are no new full time for those two. We did increase the temporary hours
from 4500 hours to 7400 hours. That is 2800 hours times $6.00 an hour. About
$20,000 in additional part time moneys in the CBD budget.
Thornberry/Who is going to oversee these part time temps?
Atkins/The intent was to extend them further into the fall ....
Thornberry/...privatize ....I don't think we need permanent city employees to do these
jobs ....
Nov/They are not talking here about permanent employees.
Nov/... couldn't we hire somebody permanently ....
Atkins/There is $20,000 of additional employee time in the budget .... The two positions
together are $65,000 ....
Lehman/ .... Talked about how well the city looks .... We have to maintain that parkland.
At some point in time we are going to have to give P/R some more people to help
maintain this property. I don't think it is strictly d.t .....keep the d.t. neater and
cleaner than it has been ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 15
Kubby/I think they figured out what they need .... they don't have anybody to supervise.
Atkins/They wanted two full time crews in affect ....
Norton/What did they get last year... zip ....I think it is time to add at least a half time...
let them figure out where it works ....
Baker/I got no problem adding one full time position in P/R but not two ....
Vanderhoef/That is what I am saying .....
Thornberry/The DT merchants should participate ..... cleaning up the front of their own
stores ..... personal responsibility for some of the area down there ....
Kubby/
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-25 SIDE 2
Kubby/...half time... d.t. and half time for maintaining open space ....
Norton/Is that too specific?
Kubby/That is what the two positions are... I want some of this time spent for maintaining
open space... we made that commitment...
Vanderhoef/Give that option to P/R... they do shift back and forth ....priority of keeping
the d.t. clean.
Atkins/I do think it is important to make a statement... authorize a full time position and
we expect attention to both the parks and the CBD to come from this position.
Kubby/When I ask .... Terry... CBD because that is what your priority is... I want them to
know that we do want more attention d.t. but we also want to fulfill our
commitment to open space.
Atkins/We are going to try something this summer... cross jurisdictional boundaries.
There will be times when I will take a Public Works crew and send them d.t. for
special maintenance activities ....special clean up day ....We are going to try that
this summer .....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 16
Norton/I think Dean's idea... possibility of finding some way to get assistance ....
defraying capital costs ....something we need to pursue... chicken and egg
question ....
Kubby/
Nov/I think this will be fine. The people who are not located on pedestrian area... we will
chip in ... but you better do this street, too .....
Lehman/I would be happy to talk to DTA... merchants need to take care of their own
sidewalks ..... swept... snow .... The rest of us know that we have to keep our
sidewalks clean and sweep up the broken glass. I believe the DTA could pressure
on our own members, maybe get some pride in these folks and help keep that plaza
area clean ....
Norton/
Kubby/So we are talking $33,000.9
Atkins/Yes. Have we said one full time position7
Council/(Yes).
Atkins/I will at least put one position up here.
Nov/Yes, put in one position for P/R.
Baker/Have we already agreed that the three positions in Police is a done deal?
Kubby/No, we have not ....
Nov/
Baker/I am trying to keep track of the total number of positions that are sort o£
materializing.
Thornberry/It is growing ....
Atkins/Did we settle in on this... the position, not how?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 17
Kubby/Direct them to do some of both and let them decide the hours.
Lehman/High priority d.t. and maybe somewhere else.
Heritage Trees
Nov/Heritage Trees wants funding .... between $8,000 and $13,000. There was a letter in
the packet.. spend this money in two years.
Kubby/I would like to keep them at same amount as last year.
Nov/I think it was $3,000 and no commitment about the rest of it.
Kubby/...let them have flexibility.
Nov/Specify that is would be used for Iowa City only because they said they were getting
out into the county ....
Thornberry/Is that also City Park?
Nov/...make sure they understand this is to be spent within the city ....
Thornberry/We have a City Forester for that. If he wants to put a name on a tree, hey-
Kubby/It is all done by volunteers... arborists are doing ...identifying ....maintenance
plan ....
Norton/
Nov/They can probably get some money from Project Green ....
Thomberry/We ask for a budget from everyone else that gets money ....
Norton/
Atkins/Before we release the money, we will send them a letter saying we need a letter
from you identifying how you intend to spend it. Have it documented in some way.
Nov/There was a letter in our council packet.
Kubby/Was that a total budget, you think?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 18
Nov/That is what it looked like.
Norton/Let them tell us how they spent it.
Nov/This started out as a neighborhood project .... just historical tree ....
Baker/What is the status of our information from ICAD?
Atkins/They should adopt a budget in the next- I am going to give you their budget as
soon as I get it. They should be adopting their budget at the next meeting. You
don't have to release a dime, I hear you. They just haven't finished it yet.
Council Pay Raises
Norton/I just think something systematic and I kind of thought $1,000 was rather too
large .... excessive.
Kubby/I like your idea for the systematic process.
Norton/...flat adjustment... $500 as of next spring and then from then on, have a
automatic adjustment every two years based on cost of living or consumer price
index.
Lehman/I will buy it.
Baker/You said last time-
Lehman/...I think your approach with a systematic adjustment .....
Nov/
Kubby/We work hard ....
Norton/
Kubby/
Norton/I am not ever going to catch up... $$00.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 19
Kubby/My original proposal should have been at the $7,000 range... reasonable and
doable proposal.
Vanderhoef/$500 next year and then every two years... cost of living.
Nov/Consumer price index, not cost of living ....just call it inflation ....CPI.
Lehman/Cost and living and inflation are exactly the same numbers, aren't they?
Nov/No, they are not.
Norton/Is there an official inflation number?
Arkins/There is a consumer price index ..... CPI is .... federal government. Cost of living
adjustments I think is a more localized term ....
Baker/You are looking for the system, how to adjust it... raise and system at the same
time... Suggestion .... We get what the Board of Supervisors get every year but not
to exceed the AFSCME raise that we give our employees.
Kubby/Why don't we just do the bargaining unit percentage?
Baker/
Vanderhoef/Board of Supervisors have the Compensation Board ....
Lehman/Cost of living is pretty simple.
Kubby/We have four people.
Thornberry/
Arkins/The easiest number .... The Consumer Price Index is prepared by the federal
government on a regional basis ....That is a commonly accepted number .....
Regional CPI.
Baker/$1,000 bump to begin with.
Vanderhoef/No, $500.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Nov/I hear four people saying $500.
Thomberry/I did say $500.
Kubby/3 people saying $500, 2 people saying $1,000. Where are you at? .....
Nov/Let's say $500 and let's move on.
Atkins/You made a fiat adjustment of $500.
Norton/That starts next January.
Kubby/I agree with you on the $500 but you are wrong.
Arkins/And a systematic review based upon a regional CPI.
Council/(All talking).
Baker/Not to exceed the AFSCME raise? ....
Nov/Just leave it.
Baker/
Nov/Not to exceed AFSCME.
Kubby/Are there four people for that?
Council/(No).
Lehman/ ....make it constant, the CPI ....
Norton/I want to make this clear. When you say every two years, is that 3% CPI in one
year and a 3% in the next, 6% increase?
Atkins/Right. That is what I understood .....
Norton/
Atkins/Acted on by each council?
p~e20
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 21
Lehman/No .....
Atkins/You vote on nothing. You have a policy in place, it is automatic ....probably have
to amend an ordinance. You do have to vote.
Kubby/It is automatic in that it comes before us ....
Norton/
Council/
Karr/Wouldn't it also be incorporated into the budget automatically .....
Atkins/...If it requires a separate ordinance, I would have to bring a separate ordinance
back ....
Karr/It wouldn't need a separate ordinance until after the budget-
Arkins/After the budget is adopted.
Kubby/
Karr/The State Code says it has to be by ordinance. The resolution is for budget.
Kubby/
Norton/I want to be sure that the Mayor's salary is set $1,000 above that for the regular
council members.
Lehman/That is understood.
Norton/
Kubby/
Atkins/Flat adjustment, $500.
Nov/Both getting $500 plus the CPI every two years?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 22
Norton/... figure the salary of a regular council member and lhen you add $1,000 to find
out what it is for the mayor. Other wise the mayor gets further and further ahead.
Karr/It is a council raise and the mayor to get $1,000 flat above that.
Nov/That is what he is saying .....
Thomberry/
Nov/
Flip Chart:
Human Rights:
1/2 to 1 FTE + $25,000 general fund
1/2 investigator - $25,000 HUD
Hospice - 0
Friday NTS - No Change $5,000
Arts & Jazz Fest - $10,000 general fund
CVB - full 25%
Pal-is Fund - FY98 - $15,000 NOW
Community Spirit - FY99 - ? - general fund
Comp Contract - CVB - future discussion
1 New P & R Position - $33,000 CBD/Parks
Heritage Trees - $3,000
(IC only) Document how to spend
Council
1/1/98 Flat Adjustment of $500
Systematic Review
Under systematic Review
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
COLA
Every 2 Years - CPI Regional
Add $1000 for Mayor
1 CSO (Investigator) $33,000
Fire Training Intercom $10,500
c/o - Cut Throughout Budgets
Animal Control Clerk $15,800
Library Sunday Hrs.
+$12,000
p~e23
Budget Highlights
Arkins/Those were the highlight pages on just the variety of things that were different...
things to target... page 15.
1. Kubby/Page 16, Police ...... investigation CSO to do the bad check stuff... let go in
order to do some of the other things .... P/R an even trade.
Thomberry/
Kubby/That work is getting done...
Baker/
Atkins/This is detective.
Kubby/...Police Department... employees... sacrifice in balance of the total picture.
Thornberry/I am not willing to take a patrol officer offof the streets to do paperwork.
Atkins/These are detectives... this would allow certain detective work to be done ....You
are correct, if you were to drop this position, the work would still get done ....by
the detectives already doing it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 24
Baker/
Atkins/... the idea was more time could be devoted to criminal investigation activities if
you have the CSO.
Baker/
Atkins/
Lehman/How much time are we spending on bad checks now?
Atkins/...busier activities ....
Lehman/
Atkins/It is tough...
Lehman/
Atkins/They still do a lot of work ....
Council/
Lehman/What I am hearing is freeing up the people who do this work now, freeing them
up is not going to have dramatic big change in what they are already doing.
Atkins/We can do the investigative process better with the position... internal evidence
control .... Right now we have a uniform officer doing it .... lab work, bad checks...
sworn officer now does .....
Baker/We are not suffering now? ....
Atkins/Depends on who you are talking to.
Kubby/
Atkins/We have good investigators ..... internal evidence control... property room ....
Lehman/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 25
Atkins/They will do their best to help you out .....it is under control now ....
Thomberry/Over-qualified person ....
Atkins/
Kubby/
Norton/Why don't we just put it off?. ....
Baker/... Is this part of the three?...
Atkins/If you take this position out, you have two uniforms positions in patrol and one
CSO. The budget proposal had two and two.
Kubby/Plus emergency communications and animal control.
Baker/I would suggest we take this one out.
Norton/Second that.
Lehman/I am very sensitive to the number of police officers we have and the amount of
work we give them to do ..... Do we have enough uniform officers? No.
Kubby/We are adding two beat people.
Baker/
Lehman/
Baker/
Nov/
Atkins/This is investigation. These are detectives ....
Nov/It is a uniform person handling the property room. That person could be released if
this CSO ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Arkins/And give assistance to the detectives.
Vanderhoef/We are hiring one CSO.
Norton/What is the plan next year for Police?
Atkins/I don't think you are going to see any personnel changes.
Kubby/
Atkins/In year 2000 ....
Lehman/I guess I would not favor taking the CSO out.
Kubby/
Lehman/I follow your thinking ....
Kubby/
Nov/Where will we find the money for P/R?
Thornberry/
Kubby/...we unbalanced it. We have a duty to balance it .... where are you going to cut?
Thomberry/Let's go back to Human Services .....
Baker/What is the feeling about this position? I see two people to eliminate it.
Norton/
Thomberry/
Council/(All talking).
Kubby/Ernie says no, Dean says no.
Nov/We have already said that we want to put some money into the Parks Department ....
page 26
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
Febmary 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 27
Baker/If they want to keep this in here and the CSO, where do they get the money?
Nov/Is there money from somewhere else?
Atkins/How do you answer from somewhere else? I take the $10,000 out of the Jazz Fest
and go back to their Hotel Motel Tax .... (refers to flip chart).
Council/
Atkins/The budget is balanced as proposed. When you make these additions, it throws it
out of balance .... Do you want to get fid of the half time clerk? Some of the new
stuff? I prefer you step through the whole thing... three of you that are at least
thinking it is going to go. Leave it there.
Norton/
Council/(All talking)
2. Lehman/Page 17, Fire Training. $10,500 for better communications .... that is $10,500.
Atkins/That is General Fund (GF) ..... it is a communications device... communicate while
on the way to a call ....
Norton/I would rather have that person than have the FATs Training ... there is $68,000.
Thornberry/How about live fire?
Norton/Looking for sources of money ....
Nov/We are talking facility and equipment money to fund an ongoing position. That is
what is bothering me.
Lehman/
Kubby/Do you know why that is in a training category?
Atkins/No, I don't ....
Yucuis/We are looking at a detail of an expense item that we think we want to buy 18
months from now and priorities change ..... If you are suggesting that you want to
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 28
cut out a certain dollar amount in capital outlay to fund something, then we can
come back to you and say that we can do that... go back to the departments ....
3. Norton/We were going to go over police? Are we done with police?
Baker/Let's go back to your question, Dee, about the FATS.
Norton/I understand that device ....
Bakeff
Norton/I am just looking at $68-
Vanderhoef/What is the pay out as far as renting it?
Atkins/About three years .....
Atkins/
Vanderhoef/
Atkins/The actual equipment doesn't change... scenario can be changed ....
Nov/They can be local .....
Norton/... it will entail a lot of other things .....
Baker/... cutting here is not going to help us long term .....
Atkins/You are always better to trade position for position. That is always the safer
judgment on your part .....
Kubby/It also makes it difficult the next year .....
Atkins/...intercom system, notice it is a retrofit ....bid our future rolling stock, we would
just put it in as one of the specs ....
Baker/So we are leaving the FATs alone?
Kubby/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 29
4. Thomberry/(Page 18). HIS. How about a housing inspector? We don't need another
housing inspector. We can eliminate one.
Council/(No).
Kubby/We just finally got added another one a couple of years ago .... more customer
service to property owners.
Thomberry/ .... what does this person do for me? Why would I want to call a housing
inspector? ....
Baker/... the more we are on top of rental inspections, the safer this community is.
Nov/
Thornberry/
Council/
Lehman/We have talked to the Home Builders Association .... we have said .... we inspect
for a lot of things... We asked these people... tell us... what are the kinds of things
that are onerous... they have not responded to us...
Nov/They have said we are working on it ....
Norton/We got a big report from them .... big study...
Lehman/We have asked for specific things and have not gotten one.
Nov/Moving on. Anything else?
5. Baker/Page 17, Animal Control. 1/2 time clerk. That is a new position?
Atkins/Yes.
Baker/
Thornberry/Coralville can sponsor that one ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Atkins/They pay their share.
Kubby/And their share will rise as their number of acres that they build ....
Arkins/The county pays by animal, I think... something such as that ....
Nov/Does the county pay the bill?
Arkins/Yeah, so far they have paid the bill.
Lehman/If I find a little kitten... do they charge me to deal with that animal?
Arkins/We had a dog in the neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and Judy brought the
dog into the garage... and they came and picked it up for us. I don't think we were
charged for it ....
Kubby/ ....I had to wait for a really long time before I was next in line to do my
business ....
Thornberry/Background check ....they do that ....
Kubby/
Baker/
Nov/
Vanderhoef/What is the clerical situation at the shelter?
Arkins/They don't have one.
Vanderhoef/
Kubby/A 1/2 time wouldn't take care of it... we would still have officers.
Arkins/Just to put a dent in it.
Baker/Without that 1/2 time position we would maintain the same level of service?
Arkins/Oh yeah, nothing would change.
page 30
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 31
Nov/I would find it easier to eliminate a 1/2 time clerical position than some of the other
things we proposed eliminating.
Kubby/Why don't you buy that for the CSO... same thing...
Thomberry/It is what you are going to free up in the CSO ....
6. Thomberry/I have a question on the $150,000 capital renovation program that is to be
financed by an internal loan and transferred to the capital program. How is that
done?
Atkins/We borrow from ourselves. The capital project and the $150,000 was an early
estimate on the final renovation for the Animal Shelter. We would go to our
working capital, borrow the $150,000. You would bid, approve the project,
construct it, pay the contractor the $150,000... We then would budget in their
operating budget... 5-10 years... that amount that replenishes our cash reserve ....
These smaller capital projects it is not uncommon... Renovation of the animal
shelter back in '88 was done the same way.
Thornberry/On a new section of that are... they have some broken tile in the doorway.
Are they going to be replacing all of the tile in that hallway?
Atkins/I have not seen the proposal on that ....
Thornberry/They are looking to put in window air conditioners... the hole is already there.
Atkins/I simply don't know the detail.
Council/
Atkins/It was an old garage .....cinder block.
Vanderhoef/
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-26 SIDE 1
Vanderhoef/The flooring in the new section is not acceptable. It was poorly planned... It
is not fight .... It needs changing ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 32
Atkins/I am assuming they will fix it.
Vanderhoef/
Baker/... the 1/2 time clerk position.
Vanderhoef/I will eliminate it.
Kubby/So we are only halfway to the P/R position.
7. Vanderhoef/Page 19. I see a proposed increase from 40 to 52 Sunday open hours and a
$12,000 increase. I presume that is for personnel.
Atkins/Yes.
Vanderhoef/I think that one could be eliminated and we can find some way to open that
library for an extra 12 weeks.
Kubby/Without paying people?
Vanderhoef/Right now they are only increasing Sunday open hours for 12 Sundays ....
$12,000 for 12 additional Sundays, I am not sure that is a good use of money for
personnel.
Kubby/
Vanderhoef/...reorganizing staffing in a different fashion .....
Council/
Kubby/I think the Sunday hours are valuable.
Vanderhoef/...they may find some other ways to staff that.
Atkins/... If you cut this out, you go back to where you were.
Thornberry/... I don't know what other department... has more volunteers than the
library...
Council/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 33
Baker/... I base it on the space that they use and not the hours that they are open. I would
argue that we can increase space without the dramatic increase in personnel. I am
not sure you can increase time, hours .....
Thomberry/We did it in Transit.
Norton/We changed the routes.
Thornberry/
Kubby/
Council/
Baker/If we want them open more hours, that is going to increase-
Thornberry/There is a reason for them being 40 Sunday hours... It is 40 probably because
there aren't that many people suing the library on a Sunday on certain weeks of the
year.
Lehman/I don't know.
Thornberry/There is a reason for them being open 40 instead of all 52.
Kubby/Money.
Thornberry/...when students are gone ....
Baker/...they are using volunteers as well. Increasing this, they are going to have
additional volunteer time built into this...
Thornberry/
Kubby/More and more are doing things on Sunday.
Baker/I am quite willing ....
Thornberry/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Norton/There is a summary of positions...
Yucuis/Page 56.
Norton/Positions requested and dealt with... If we are going to talk personnel... computer
expenditures ....
Kubby/
Atkins/
Norton/
Atkins/You can go to your operations. You can choose to make certain reductions...
catch up with you... Last year... major upgrade to computer system in the Police
Department and spread it over four years. That is okay ....
Nov/And if we chose to take 1/2 of the position from Animal Control clerk and 1/2 of it
from Reserves, we could do that ....
Baker/We agreed that we were going up to full time in Human Relations ....
Norton/Humans Rights.
Baker/The 1/2 time position is $15,8- towards that at least. The CSO will get part of
that ....
Atkins/ ....remember we had about $33,000 right up front because of the minor
adjustments we made ....
Kubby/Does that include the $83,000 for the DARE vehicle?
Atkins/Yes. DARE vehicle is out ....
Nov/
Kubby/We actually then have $10,000 for Festival funding and about $15,000 or $18,000
left for the other half of the Human Rights position.
Norton/Nobody wants to rethink the CVB reallocation?
page 34
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 35
Nov/We may end up doing that.
Thomberry/
Nov/
Kubby/What do people think about saying the CSO should be 1/2 time?
Thornberry/I thought we were talking about funding the CSO .....
/ Karen is proposing cutting this to half.
Kubby/We are looking for about $25,000 more total. Half of the Human Rights position
and $10,000 for the festivals .... suggesting that we start... CSO is 1/2 time and
they should do the evidence room.
Vanderhoef/
Baker/
Kubby/Was there a fourth vote to completely eliminate the CSO? There is three votes .....
Norton/I want to ask .... You have some money in reserves .... Didn't you move some
from the health insurance reserve this year?
Atkins/Yes, we did.
Norton/If less is going into reserve, that same money is available routinely then ....
Atkins/We have $200,000 set aside for the next three years, each year from the reserve.
Draw the reserve down a tad bit.
Kubby/I don't want to get into our reserves for additional reserves ....I really feel an
obligation for us to find it ....
Lehman/
Baker/I would go to zero for the CSO and build in that cushion a little bit more.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Lehman/
Baker/...at some point it is a leap of faith.
Kubby/We are doing okay now.
Lehman/If we really need this person ....
Kubby/A lot of this is policy ....
Nov/Steve, council salaries.
Baker/... I don't feel that need... comparison to other needs I do feel.
Norton/We are saying continue to do it the you have been doing it .... for a while...
Lehman/The one thing we have done... solid city financially ....
Baker/We resist temptation .... cautious ....that is what we ought to do now is be cautious.
Arkins/(Flip Chart):
+$33,000 +$33,000
Human Rights - 25,000 + 8,000
Festivals 10,000 - 2,000
P &R 33,000 - 35,000
CSO 33,000 -
Fire 10,500 24,000
A/C Clerk 15,000
Salary CC (1/2) 3-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-5~ -
1,750 - 4g-,500
page 36
Vanderhoef/
Kubby/I would like to suggest that we X the animal control clerk and 1/2 of the CSO ....
Nov/
Atkins/... I am trying to think how a part time CSO would work.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 37
Kubby/
Thomberry/I don't think there is a consensus for part time CSO. I think there is a
consensus for a CSO.
Kubby/We haven't talked about a half time CSO ....
Arkins/... I just don't have a good feel for it.
Kubby/
Baker/I would say eliminate the position totally ....do it next year ....
Nov/
Arkins/
Thornberry/
Arkins/If you had a 1/2 time CSO, that same person could be a half time emergency
communications... blend those two together .... Don's secretary in his office is a job
share. There are two people to do one full time job .....
Thornberry/You can't say city council salary increases are in there because they are not in
there for this year
Atkins/They are subtracted, Dean .....
Council/
Norton/What did we have in there for the dispatcher? 1/2 time dispatcher.
Arkins/Yes ....
Nov/If we can get a single full time person who is willing to do 1/2 dispatch and 1/2
CSO ....
Kubby/We don't need to make that condition upon it ..... Police Chief....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Norton/
Atkins/
Nov/
Baker/We eliminated the Animal Control clerk.
Thomberry/So you can add back in $15- then.
Baker/Now we're down to $12,5-
Norton/
Thomberry/We could take out city council salary increases. The library thing would do it.
Council/
Norton/1/2 of CSO.
Thornberry/You want to open more hours for the library with another person. You are
adding hours, you are adding people as opposed to-
Baker/
Vanderhoef/We are adding a service and is this a service we can afford at this time? That
is my question.
Nov/If we are adding 12 Sundays... holidays .... So what about six more Sundays?
Bakeff
Arkins/If you start in January, that is only half that amount.
Vanderhoef/Half of the library thing?
Nov/Six extra Sundays ....
Vanderhoef/Instead of $12,000, say $6,000 for theirs.
page 3 8
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Norton/I would buy that.
Vanderhoef/We will give them $6,000 instead of $12,000.
Thornberry/I will come up to 1/2 for the library.
Baker/Give the library the 12. Look at the CSO.
Norton/IfCSO went to 1/2 .... good prospect.
Kubby/Is there a fourth person for 1/2 CSO?
Thornberry/1/2 of the library if any .....
Norton/1/2 of CSO and see if they can't combine it with the dispatcher thing.
Kubby/Ernie, did you say yes to 1/2 CSO?
Lehman/No.
Nov/No, I prefer that we gradually increase the library on this. Say 6 more Sundays this
year.
Kubby/We can do both of these things.
Vanderhoef/I think we got four votes on the Library.
Baker/You got five... cutting down to 6 instead of 12, right? What about CSO?
Lehman/Kind of like R. J. give us an opinion on the CSO.
Kubby/... we know he wants it .....
Lehman/ .... public relations... PR ....
Kubby/,. don't add people until you understand what you have going on there ....
Lehman/
Norton/Now we are down to five. You can round that off, Steve.
page 39
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 40
Nov/Yes, I think that is doable
Arkins/(Flip Chart):
+$33,000
Human Rights 25,000
Festivals 10,000
P & R 33,000
CSO 33,000
Fire 10,500
A/C Clerk 15,000
Salary CC (1/2) ;3-500
1,750
Library
+$33,000
+ 8,000
- 2,000
- 35,000
- 24,000
11,000
5,000
Baker/Steve, with that figure, what is the CSO?
8. Kubby/I have another issue. We use to have a full time solid waste supervisor who is in
charge of collection and the landfill .... Solid waste issues... larger part of our
budget .... Now that Floyd have lefL.. taken Sobaski in streets, head of collection
crew and taken our Waste Water Treatment Plant Director... in charge of the
landfill. I am uncomfortable with that.
Nov/Is this person uncomfortable with ....?
Kubby/...He says no, he is not uncomfortable with it ..... Two of our biggest
environmental protection things the city does is to make sure that we are putting
out effluent that is good into the river and that we are not contaminating ground
water ..... A lot of responsibility on one employee... I want to talk about this for
next year to replace Floyd to have somebody that is overseeing the landfill and our
collection...
Thornberry/...You asked him, he said I am happy and comfortable with it but you don't
believe him.
Kubby/I believe those are two huge responsibilities ....it will be difficult ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 41
Nov/I don't agree with the idea that picking up the trash at the curb side and managing
the environmental control at the landfill are necessarily as related as you do ....
Baker/There is a policy question here... which is the relationship of council to
employees ....I don't want employees negotiating with us for their job position
work duties.
Kubby/This is a policy decision made by staff that we would not replace our person and
we would change these duties ....
Baker/If it is not working, Steve is going to have to figure that out.
Vanderhoef/We had some other management changes this past year in Engineering...
Nov/I still think this person will complain to Chuck Schmadeke if he is not happy .....
Kubby/...My big point... I felt uncomfortable with the amount of responsibility that being
in charge of those two big things create ....
Lehman/I appreciate your concern .... a management decision, not a council decision.
Nov/Are we ready to move on?
Norton/ ..... special focus and take a hard look at it .... We can't review every department
in depth every year. Maybe we ought to take a special look at that one.
Nov/Is there anyone else who wants to talk about the budget?
9. Norton/I don't know what to say about computers. It is just a lot of money ....
Yucuis/We have been having a lot of requests. People want more technology. We have
been trying to phase them in over the three years... We try to prioritize them ....
The replacement or the updating of a lot of our equipment is a lot of what you are
seeing in there.
Norton/Have they got enough in their reserves .... Each individual department realizes
they have to set aside reserves to keep this up to date?
Yucuis/For existing equipment, we do set up a reserve ...... trying to get large area
networks... taking our time doing that .... We don't have the staff to support it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 42
Norton/There is a big jump this year, isn't there? .....
Yucuis/There probably is ..... we have more money in there to buy equipment .... We do
have a replacement schedule... for existing pieces of equipment.
Kubby/The reserve fund is not department by department but city wide.
Yucuis/It is funded department by department .....
Norton/
Yucuis/We started that program last year.
Norton/ ....16 different departments .....that is where it adds up.
Yucuis/The library is a separate issue. They are an operation separate from the
computer ....They are a separate entity ....They are replacing an old piece of
equipment .....Rather than replace it in one year, we are spreading it out .....
Norton/... I keep thinking, my God, are we going to have $500,000 every year for
upgrading computers. It seems unbelievable.
Yucuis/I wouldn't be surprised to say that ....imaging, GIS ....big sottware programs out
there... costly .....
Norton/
Thornberry/
10. Vanderhoef/ .... CIP... I wondered where we were on whether we were going to fund
for all of the upgrade requests at the library? .....
Nov/I thought it was on in the budget.
Yucuis/There are several resolutions on this council agenda tomorrow night to set p.h.s.
Included in that is funding to do all of the library projects... getting authority to do
that. We are requesting your authority to go up to a certain dollar amount which
includes those amounts. The final number that will be coming back to you will
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 43
probably just include the roof repairs unless you suggest that you want the HVAC
added into that. Phasing that in shouldn't be a problem.
11. Vanderhoef/The other thing that is in the packet in the parkway ....planning right now
for the South Sycamore Drainage System.
Arkins/Oh, the storm drain. You are going to hear that tonight.
Nov/That is something we can talk about at the next work session.
Vanderhoef/Okay. That would affect this '98 budget.
Yucuis/There is money in the '98 CIP budget for the South Sycamore Regional
Detention, approximately $800,000.
Vanderhoeff
Nov/In terms of the library, why did you take out the HVAC?
Yucuis/In talking with Susan, getting rid of the drips and moisture coming in through the
roof was a higher priority than the HVAC .... and talking about what we are going
to do with the library. If we decide to add it, it is easy enough to add it to this
bond issue .... We will probably be doing another bond issue a year from now ....
Lehman/If you are going to replace the roof, it is time to replace the HVAC at the same
time.
Norton/...what is the future of that structure? .....
Nov/Heating and cooling is very bad.
Thomberry/
Nov/We are going to just do the roof and think about the other one. This is it folks.
[Council break 6:15 -7:00 PM]
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 44
Review Zonint, Matters 97-26 SI
a.
Franklin/The first item is to set a p.h. for February 25 on a resolution approving a request
for annexation of 145 acres. This is the Streb property on the east side of Scott
Blvd.
Franklin/To set a p.h. on the rezoning of this property ....M1 in the county to CI-1 and
Franklin/The next two items are p.h.s on historic districts and Doug Russell, chair of the
HP Commission, is here to present these items.
Doug Russell/Mayor and councilors, I don't intend to give the speech tonight and the
same speech tomorrow night... ask you some questions on how you wanted us to
present on your schedule tomorrow. We have two separate historic districts and I
think the materials you have received... explains what is happening... what the
boundaries are... new areas... In the remarks that I will make to open the p.h.
tomorrow, is this considered a staff report or is this a five minute limitation public
comment? I can do it either way.
Norton/We have no limit on commission members.
Nov/How about a ten minute presentation ....
Lehman/ .... explain .... what are the ramifications of being listed as a historic district. What
does that actually do .... the requirements ....
Russell/I will make sure to make a statement of what the regulations are, what they apply
to ..... focus down to what the regulations are .... We have about a five minute slide
show with some pictures of buildings in this district ..... We also have a overhead
projector maps outlining the boundaries of the districts... we can present those ....I
would have opening remarks...
Nov/I would say opening remarks and a map would be very helpful.
Thornberry/Are all of the residences in a historic district under the same requirements?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 45
Russell/Yes.
Thomberry/I have a real problem with this.
Russell/They are under the same guidelines ..... standards... but each is dealt with on a
case by case basis .... rules are the same.
Thomberry/You have to get permission? .....
Russell/That is a very good council... Once the council designates a historic district, then
the rules apply to everyone within that district .... The rule is if you have a project
that requires a building permit or a moving permit or a demolition permit and it
concerns the exterior of the building, then you have to get permission from the HP
Commission to do it before the permit will issue. If it doesn't require a building
permit, which includes painting the outside, re-shingling, maintenance, gutters,
landscape, all kinds of stuff. If it doesn't require a permit, we are not involved.
And if it is interior, we are not involved either.
Kubby/
Norton/Let's take a house in the district... house as itself does not contribute to that
district .... and somebody there wants to fix the porch, do you, when they come in
to bring the permit for the porch, do they have to meet the same kind of standard
as would a conforming house, a house that did contribute?
Russell/Yes, they would have to have a porch that was in the Secretary of Interior
guidelines for a building of that type and period.
Norton/
Russell/We wouldn't say you have to do the porch at this particular way ....
Norton/In practice, would you be a little bit more lenient with somebody who already had
a non-conforming house? ....
Russell/We would not relax the standards... we would see what was reasonable in light of
all the facts and circumstances... variety that is allowed within the standards ....
Those gentlemen that are going to come and object from S. Johnson Street who
are landlords, I think we should remember that some of them have owned those
buildings for 30 years .... they are preservationism..
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 46
Norton/Can the district outlines be changed at all now? .....
Russell/This was not a quick decision. The way this began was with a paid consultant...
survey .... Jan Nash... her recommendation for what the district boundary should be
were based on her evaluation of the architecture and the history of those buildings
and what we call the fabric of the streetscape... deemed appropriate .... important
to keep blocks from being destroyed .... Look at the eats side of S. Johnson
Street... fine spectacular historic buildings there .... west side they are not
spectacular ..... feeling was that if you keep the older buildings there, it would
preserve the neighborhood better .... Af[er Ms. Nash completed .... then we had
separate consultants .... define the exact boundaries .... writing a National Register
of Historic Places nomination... consulted with our commission and with State
Historic Preservation Office .... they made that judgment... difficult choices...
Commission reviewed their reports and made their judgments based on those
recommendations.
Vanderhoef/North side of E. College...
Russell/We excluded all the mansard plexes that have sort of taken over a few blocks
there .... funny outline of College Green District .... not including 70's and 80's
apartment buildings that don't contribute at all. They are so different ....based on
architecture and history of those buildings ....
Baker/If property owners object... desire to pull them out of the district, doesn't ....
doesn't the district have to have contiguous boundaries?
Russell/The district by definition in the City Code is contiguous properties and I view
gerrymandering as political boundary drawing for political reasons .... We don't
think our boundaries to be gerrymandered because we have a rational basis for
them on the consultants reports ....
Norton/... are there any in front of us... need a 6 out of 7 vote?
Russell/No .... in a landmark situation, each landmark is its own zone .... In this case it
would take 20% of all the property owners in a district and neither one hasn't
come close to that ....
Nov/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 47
Russell/ .... In the College Green District, they are 47 properties, there are 41 in favor and
6 opposed .... owned by 4 people. In the E. College Street District, there are 27
properties, 25 in favor, one that we could not locate... one opposed for a reason
that we didn't make the boundaries broad enough... strong support ....
Thornberry/...isolated residences... spot historic landmark thing .....one disagreed with it.
RusselF The landmark ordinance and the historic districting ordinance do not require
owner consent. But by virtue of the zoning law that allows 20% of the owners to
object .... supermajority, in affect, that person opted out because he secured the
vote of the council on a supermajority basis ....he obtained a favorable vote
because his objection required a supermajority.
Thornberry/He had to go to extraordinary lengths in order to opt out of the thing ....
Council/(All talking).
Thornberry/
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-26 SIDE 2
RusselF
Thornberry/To force someone to be in a historic district that doesn't want to be .... usurp
the rights of the property and I think that the historic preservation .... committee
has become a design and review for residences and I just think that is over-
regulation.
Norton/
Thornberry/
Norton/We have seen those areas... lovely neighborhoods that kind of get destroyed.
Thornberry/
Kubby/It is status quo.
Thornberry/I have just got to voice my disapproval ....land rights you should get with
property ownership...
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 48
Nov/Let it be recorded that this is his objection ....
Russell/... Can the boundaries be amended now? The process that we have gone through
with a series ofp.h.s, neighborhood meetings. HP Commission, P/Z Commission,
State Historical Society have all passed on these same boundaries... they are
appropriate .... If council were to say to me would you accept if we just sliced a
block, I would say no, we would not ....
Norton/Will you make the point about the tax thing?
Russell/Yes I will .... a first step in the direction of financial incentives... We will proceed
tomorrow with some opening remarks... overhead projector with boundaries...
slide show?
Baker/I am all for a slide show.
Russell/It is about five minutes or so ....18-20 slides... benefit to the audience ....
Nov/... slides show up on camera .....
Kubby/...be able to see them well on TV but not here live.
Russell/We will let the staff do the projecting so they will get it right.
Baker/
Nov/Are there four people who want the slides tomorrow?
Council/(Yes).
Russell/
Norton/What happens to a person who ignores your guidelines?
Russell/The ultimate sanction... civil misdemeanor pursued by the city assessor.
Council/(All talking).
Russell/City misdemeanors, penalties and injunctions... remedies.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 49
Nov/Thanks, Doug.
Kubby/I have a quick question about item a. about the industrial and commercial
rezoning. Are discussions far enough along that there is a CZA? ...
Franklin/Yes, it came out of P/Z last Thursday.
Kubby/Is there storm water management and protection for Snyder Creek Bottom?
Franklin/Yes, that is a condition and it will be resolved through plat .... subject to a storm
water management plan that addresses water quantity and quality or something to
that affect.
Kubby/
Franklin/...trying to work through that... storm water detention basin, it takes the flows
from a very large area, not just the industrial park .... It is going to be a trick to do
that .... It comes for the creek... down through Sunrise .... to the east of there...
channel also that comes from BDI .... stream that empties out the Whispering
Meadows wetlands, too .... water runs north... east and then south again to get into
Snyder Creek.
Nov/
Kubby/
Franklin/It won't go through the regional detention basin ....
Norton/
Franklin/...one side of Mall Drive ....
Norton/What about...divided ownership of 420th?
Franklin/We are working through that, too... expect to get a letter before your meeting on
the 24th .... just going to be a progression of events in terms of getting approval..
from DOT, then some maintenance of that roadway... then the actual
improvements... RISE grant .... we will have to see.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 50
Vanderhoef/
Franklin/I think we will clearly be able to get cooperation on applying for the DOT
approval on the intersection .... County seems to be quite positive on taking care of
that road for a period of time. . . actual improvements... 420th Street is in our CIP
but it is out 2002 and beyond... We will need to look at moving that up .... There is
an access point off of Scott Blvd. also ..... We can have access to that from the
street that will come off.of Scott Blvd. and go to the interior of the subdivision.
Norton/Where does it cross the drainage ditch?
Franklin/ ....about midway between 420th and RR tracks .... big culvert.
Vanderhoef/How much of that intersection may be annexed? .....
Franklin/To the south. Scott Blvd. is in Iowa City right now, we will annex to the north
r.o.w. line ofHwy 6 and then to the centerline of 420th Street. We will also be
approaching... to talk about annexation of the r.o.w ..... We can build a road in
there within the existing easement if we have to .... We can talk to the property
owner about annexing just the r.o.w .... about annexing their entire property. We
can also talk to them about the acquisition of 7 more feet ofr.o.w on the south
side of 420th Street which is what we would need to 85 feet r.o.w for an arterial
street ....
Thornberry/Wouldn't the properties in the south part want to be annexed?
Franklin/I don't know ....farming, not any... incentive for annexing... I don't know what
their interests are.
Kubby/
Franklin/P.h. on an ordinance vacating Gable Street. This is on Lakeside Drive and in one
of the Mount Prospect Addition's that Bill Frantz is doing .... It will proceed a little
bit to the east .... large lot which a religious institution is interested in and what they
would like to do is vacate Gable Street because they need to have frontage on an
arterial or a collector and Lakeside is a collector ..... gain sufficient frontage on a
street to have a religious institution .... become the drive to the church. (Refers to
overhead projector plat map). So we are looking at an additional 10 feet of
r.o.w .... One of the issues here was access to the south for a walkway or a bike
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 51
trail .... With this change... make accommodations that that access point can be
shit~ed over to this side of the property owner's lot .... (refers to plat).
Nov/
Franklin/(Refers to plat). The easement will come down along here and work into the trail
green way system.
Nov/What was that pinkish area?
Franklin/That is an area reserved for storm water detention in case you don't say yes to
the Sycamore Regional Detention Basis.
Nov/ ....what would it be used for?
Franklin/It would just be part of the church property... possibly... parking area,
playground, green space.
Kubby/It is okay for the owner of lot 245 to have the access to the church on one side
and trail on other?
Franklin/Yes.
Norton/
Franklin/Lot 307
Council/(All talking).
Franklin/
Kubby/In staff report... having to relocate fire hydrants ....water lines... Who pays for all
of that?
Franklin/The developer of the church. I don't know what arrangement they have made.
Norton/Have people talked to the neighbors? ....
Franklin/I know the Grant Wood Neighborhood Association is well aware.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 52
Nov/They would have to go through the special exception ....
Franklin/People within 200 feet are notified.
Vanderhoef/Do you agree with the MMS Consultants on the price of that r.o.w?...
Franklin/Something to consider here is that this property was dedicated by Bill Frantz. He
is now having to buy it back because we can't give away public property because it
was dedicated once. I think it is fair ..... It is going to have easements over it ....
Kubby/It is kind of the cost of doing business.
Franklin/That is a judgment you are going to have to make when we dispose of it.
Kubby/...based on some subjective criteria... subtracting cost for the easement.
Vanderhoef/We have two things in this packet .... r.o.w. easement at another location at
$.37 a square foot and this is at $. 14 a square foot. It just brings up a question.
Kubby/
Thornberry/So there are extenuating circumstances.
Vanderhoef/
Franklin/
Norton/
Franklin/The last item is Walden Hills, first consideration. I need to ask the council have
you resolved the status of the road, Shannon Drive from Rohret to Melrose as to
what that road is to be in the long run?
Nov/We closed the p.h.
Norton/I don't think so.
Lehman/What is the impact if that road is an arterial rather than a collector as far as
number of lots?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 53
Franklin/Walden Hills will need to be redesigned so I can't tell you.
Nov/
Franklin/If you are talking about an arterial coming right straight down here on the west
high boundary, this is where Shannon comes out (refers to map) .... got to get those
connected ....Depends on what you are talking about for an arterial .....Reason you
wanted the arterial which Was... to get it away from the neighborhood, up against
the school boundary, give access to the school and not have that school traffic...
coming through a neighborhood .... (refers to map).
Kubby/If majority of council wanted Shannon to be an arterial, that it was known now ....
known factor on the front end.
Norton/I think it crucially depends on what West High needs.
Franklin/I talked to Barb Grohe today because I was under the impression from your last
meeting that the council had decided not to go with the arterial but that you
wished for me to still speak to the school district .... what I told ...Grohe...
Palmer... Arganbright... was that that decision had been made and that this route
would continue to the north and that the other opportunity that they would have
for looking at access to this road would be when thi~area was platted here. Dee
came into me and said nay, that is not her understanding, that... if the school
wanted access to a road, that road had to be an arterial. Now I did not hear that
from the council meetings ....
Norton/My understanding... school wanted everything to go west and did not want a
south entrance.
Franklin/The school board... discussed this... that school board said no they did not want
to have West High traffic integrated with residential traffic. We have a new school
board now... I think there is some sentiment that they may wish to consider it at
some time .....had not come to a decision about it ....issues for West High... (refers
to map) .....They will be glad to talk about it whenever. Your decision relates to
Walden Hills and if there is going to be an arterial through here, considering how
that is going to affect Walden Hills ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 54
Vanderhoef/When you are doing an arterial, then we would have a limited access onto
that road ....That to me to anyone who is going to purchase a house... lot... along
that road.
Franklin/Whether the intervening property understands... a road between the north south
and whatever entrance there was to West High ....
Kubby/Since we have already closed the p.h., if there are four council members who want
to change the road-
Franklin/Your options are to vote this project down; to defer it indefinitely an refer it
back to P/Z Commission for redesign considering an arterial street in there; or
approve it as presented. If you do want to reconsider this arterial concept... rather
than voting this project down, just defer it indefinitely... so developer doesn't have
to reapply.
Vanderhoef/If there are not four votes to make this an arterial, then I would like to put
onto the floor that this will preclude ever having the high school empty out into a
collector situation winding through a neighborhood.
Franklin/As much as anything like that means anything. It is not a law. It is a policy,
resolution of this particular council.
Nov/
Kubby/
Franklin/When there is a resolution like that on the books .... It calls the issue to
everyone's attention and some formal action has to be taken to reverse that
resolution. There has to be a much more conscious aware issue .... it should be
carefully discussed before it is changed.
Norton/When did Barb say about how soon they would consider this? .... If they ever want
out on the south end of their property to go south, they are surely going to have to
think about this pretty hard.
Franklin/I think the issue that is with the council right now is whether four of you believe
that if there is any exit from West High, it must go to an arterial versus could it go
to a collector. That is really the issue because school district doesn't care whether
you call it an arterial or collector or whatever. That is your issue .....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 55
Kubby/
Franklin/City High empties onto local streets except for the new parking lot ....Court
Street ....
Thornberry/...First Avenue ....
Nov/West High has two exits onto Melrose.
Thornberry/To get cars on an doff to the south... empty onto a street ....
Kubby/Are there four people who are thinking about wanting to do an arterial?
Council/(All talking).
Lea Sueppel/You were pointing at me? .....
Lehman/If in fact there will be an exit from West High onto the street, that perhaps the
standards of the street should be a little different .... times that that street would be
accessed by really heavy traffic .... What are the differences between the
requirements for an arterial and a collector and if we chose to make this an arterial.
What would that do to the subdivision as far as the number of lots, whatever? .....
Schnittjer/Other than redesigning the whole thing. Initially... (refers to map). Lots 1-4
would not be allowed .... same thing with the west half of those next 4-plexes ....
(refers to map) .... We would have to work out a design that allows for at least an
80 foot r.o.w. versus 66 .... straighten the street out .... quite a bit different utility
design.. impacting sensitive areas more ....
Norton/
Schnittjer/Wouldn't be enough room to make all those zigs and zags .... (refers to map).
Arterial streets have to be flatter curves ....
Norton/
Schnittjer/To get there we need to start back here, straighten the thing out (refers to
map). The pavement itself is of very little difference. If it is an arterial, we would
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 56
probably be expecting the city to pick up their share of it .... not just over-width.
Arterial streets the city pays for it, don't they? Rohret Road was done by the city.
Franklin/I know, yes. We wouldn't be doing any traffic calming on the road at all which
we are doing now. There wouldn't be any parking along it .... That is one of the
main reasons that we would not recommend it ....
Thornberry/
Franklin/First Avenue is an arterial.
Lehman/If we put this road in as a collector and West High wants access, they will have
to come to council to get that access. Is that correct?
Franklin/Right ....when we do that plat... consider it.
Lehman/
Franklin/
Council (All talking).
Lehman/If we are interested in West High having access in this road, I think it probably
needs to be build to a different standard than a collector street .....I think the
number of times ....
Kubby/Couldn't they have an access that had a gate on it that could only be open ......
events? ....
Lehman/We have 6 Iowa home football games a year. The traffic is absolutely
atrocious ....we live with it. If West High has 6-7 home games a year...
graduation ....4 events other than football games.. large amount of traffic... So it is
a little bit inconvenient.
Nov/
Norton/Thinking of the arterial thing, I can't imagine what the exits on Melrose would be
like .... complicated ....
Kubby/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
Febmary 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 57
Nov/I think a collector street is certainly the way to go for this particular area.
Thornberry/Close to a very large school .... used a lot ....closest.
Nov/... River Street is a collector that behaves like an arterial very often.
Norton/I have got other questions... Is it impossible to close either Coil or Irving?
Franklin/Nothing is impossible. It is if it is a good idea or not.
Norton/
Kubby/... let's just say that full development was that same pattern of development, they
can't expect to have zero traffic when they live next to an undeveloped zoned in
the city piece &property.
Norton/
Lehman/What is the name on the west side of Cae Drive?
Vanderhoef/Teg.
Lehman/ .... it was designed to be a collector street and it started doing the job it was
suppose to do. But the folks who lived there... enjoyed quiet... When traffic
started, they came to us and complained bitterly.
Kubby/... people drive fast.
Lehman/I live on Wylde Green Road which handled all of Sunset ..... carded city buses...
parking on both sides.. incredible traffic... Then they opened Sunset and now we
have a quiet street.
Norton/Yours is the opposite.
Nov/...They are building an arterial west of there ....We don't need two arterials.
Kubby/This is only 1/2 mile west to the current arterial ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 58
Franklin/You need to take a vote tomorrow night. What questions do you need to have
answered before tomorrow night?
Thomberry/What is the traffic going to be in 20 years?
Franklin/There will be no cars, we will all have jet packs.
Baker/Options .... collector street ......
Franklin/You could get the plat next year for that area.
Nov/
Council/(All talking).
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 59
Low Income Assistance Pro~,rams 97-26 S2
Nov/I can't tell you what to do. If we choose the uniform, the easiest way to do that is to
adopt a percentage of income. That is the easiest way. However, there are
objections from various people who think it is easier on the staff to do this because
the staff will say okay... certificate.. entitles them to food stamps. The various
programs here... are easy to prove. You walk into the Rec Department and say I
believe I am entitled to a discount and you show your certificate that says you got
food stamps. It is easy to verify. So we need to somehow to verify somebody at
50% of the current median income if that is what we choose to do.
Kubby/Rec Center... use income level... I am saying staff can deal with it .... The problem
with using things like food stamps is like with welfare reform, people who I believe
are income eligible receive these services at a differ rate are going to be on food
stamps some of the time and not on stamps some of the time ..... You have the
same income but for three months that you are on food stamps, you qualify for the
discount... then when you are off food stamps... going to have to pay more for city
utilities .....
Vanderhoef/How big an effort does staff put in to qualify for a level 1, 2, or 3? To verify
and give them an i.d. card?
Nov/I think that they don't have an i.d. card .... We don't do verification here on site ......
It might behooves to everyone go to our Finance Department or some central
location, get the verification to get an i.d. card which they then could carry to the
next department ..... we are not doing now.
Vanderhoef/...city verifies their eligibility .... If they are going in for one thing and get
verification on the city level, that is when they would get their card .....How big it
a deal is it for those people to go and get that verification? ....
Nov/They have to bring in an income tax form and a W-2 form and whatever else which-
Norton/Where do they take it now?
Nov/It depends on what program they are in.
Norton/Aren't there programs that require an income check now?
Nov/Yes ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 60
Kubby/At the Rec center... to the people at the window in the Rec Center .... people who
work at the Rec Center do that verification ....That is the way it has always been
done.
Vanderhoef/When it was approved... table for reduced fees for hot lunches at schools ....
Once they had that verification .... That was the guidelines that we used to
originally to set it up... Instead of every single location having to do verification,
one place, one card.
Kubby/
Nov/What we said is the same guidelines... have to show your income ....
Norton/DHS should be verifying income and certify them to the city.
Nov/DHS will verify income only if you have applied for one of their programs. You
cannot go to DHS and say I am eligible for a discount on my water bill.
Kubby/I would like to do 50% of the local median income and there is one central
location that let's you be qualified for everything .... good for a year.
CHANGE TAPE TO 97-27 SIDE 1
Nov/Elderly Services, they did not want us to go too low .....
Vanderhoef/What we had on our original letter from JCCOG, 0-30% local median
income amounted to $4,226 households... 19% of total households in the city. If
we jump up to the 50% of local median, we are at 7,500 households which is 34%
of households in the city would be eligible for the discount... concern about the
impact ....
Baker/We don't have 1/3 of households getting city discounts now.
Kubby/I don't believe people take it unless they need it.
Vanderhoef/
Baker/We are assuming a big flood of applicants because we are simplifying our
standards?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 61
Norton/
Nov/Mike Moran suggested that if we use income, we should update more often than
once per year.
Kubby/I think that is not necessary.
Nov/Elderly Services .... bank statement or income tax form .... monthly bank .... they will
accept either form.
Norton/How can we have 7,000 households out of 22,000 that are under 50% of the local
median. Is that what you are telling me7
Nov/Low income applicants here are not that high .... that is for P/R ....P/R would like it
more often ....
Norton/Question is what income level are we going to take and what impact is it going to
be on that office?
Kubby/ ....important community value.. monitor after a year.., see what the trend is ....I
think we should agree to that monitoring to see.
Council/(All talking).
Vanderhoef/...we could go up in increments ....
Nov/
Kubby/
Norton/In between the Level 1 130% of federal poverty is an in between figure, Dee .....
Nov/It is very low requirement for discounts on SEATS ....
Baker/Looking at 50% local median, $17,300 1 person... A person by themselves making
$17,300 or less qualifies for the assistance programs, right? Who is excluded from
that status? A student here? ......
Kubby/It matters if they are declared as a dependent.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Council/
Norton/Are you opening certain kind of flood gates .... ?
Lehman/
Baker/I don't know how this works ..... There has got to be some way to administer
this .....
Norton/Common policy... some of which are only applicable to families ....
Thornberry/30% of federal which brings it up higher than 30% of local median ....
Anything above one is more than two ....
Norton/I can see some virtues of column 1 .....
Kubby/...inconsistency is for Section 8... You will still have to figure out 50% of local
median ....
Norton/
Kubby/Trying to make them as consistent as possible ....
Nov/Section 8 ....
Kubby/50% of local median for Section 8 Housing.
Nov/
Kubby/
Nov/Almost all of the federal programs are 130% of federal poverty.
Kubby/
Atkins/I am going to have to check that ....
Baker/Transit pass... who qualifies for Transit passes? .... Seats? And we said there was a
list of programs and if you qualify for any one of these programs, you qualify for
the city discount. Okay.
page 62
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 63
Nov/That is this chart ....
Baker/Is the necessity for a standardized qualification program for city services assuming
that these people would only be asking for city services, they wouldn't be
qualifying anywhere else?
Vanderhoef/That is all we are qualified to set up is for our local-
Baker/My inclination is to say 50% and make it very simple ....
Kubby/The problem with certification eligibility is with the changing atmosphere with
welfare reform is that your income may stay the same but you may no longer
qualify for that program .... It may be that we choose... whatever we choose... I
think doing it by income is better than doing it by program...
Norton/I would like try Yearly 1...
Baker/One year, one location, one standard ....
Nov/That is awfully low.
Baker/50% or 30%?
Thornberry/130% of federal ....
Kubby/ ....If they are independent, I believe they should be eligible ....
Nov/My concern... elderly person on fixed income will have to have a very low income to
qualify for a discount on SEATS .....
Kubby/130% of federal policy? Will you go for 50%?
Norton/Problem... too many people .....
Baker/
Nov/It is easier to add people .....
Vanderhoef/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 64
Nov/We could put in two is the necessary percent of federal poverty except for a single
person ..... move it up.
Vanderhoef/I still like 2 Yearly Income and add to it a year from now if we need to ....
Norton/That is really down there.
Vanderhoef/There is so little different between 1 and 2 .....
Nov/I think it is very difficult decision.
Lehman/2.
Vanderhoef/2.
Baker/3.
Thornberry/3.
Nov/I don't want to go for the 50% .... The only time #1 is higher than the third column is
when you get to size eight family.
Thornberry/That is why I went 2 instead of 1 for the elderly single ....
Kubby/50% is out of the game. Okay .... Now we are deciding between 130 and 30.
Baker/130.
Norton/130, #1.
Thornberry/2.
Lehman/2.
Vanderhoef/130.
Nov/I have spent a long time on this ....
Council/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 65
Kubby/$400 is a lot of money when you are living on $9900 a year.
Nov/ ....50% feels high. Let's take the middle road, 130%.
Council/
Baker/130% federal funds
Nov/We are going to hear from staff members on this one, I know ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 66
Downtown Parking Study 97-27 S1
Davidson/Mr. Fowler is in Daytona .... vacation... We have Superintendent of Parking
assisting in Joe's absence .... Bill... You have a memo from Joe and I summarizing
what we did last time which was... staff was directed to continue negotiations with
the church... Steve just told me before the meeting we did not receive anything for
the church. We are expecting something... We will continue working with the
church. In case at some point... interested in Block 102 site, that is the Mod Pod ....
One thing to clarify is the numbers of the memo are the actual numbers we
calculated for going 3/4 of half block on Block 102, difference was 272 spaces
opposed to 407. One of you did contact Joe and I what about levels 3 & 4 going
over the newly christened Magna Bank .... they have done that. It is possible to
do... if you can drop the structural supports down ....We could explore it in the
future... if we can't make things work for the church ....For the time being we are
going to continue with the church. You also indicated you would like us to start
discussions with the University on the next facility... 4-5 years on north side of
CBD... Eastlawn site and two lots to the west.
Vanderhoef/Let's speed that up a little bit .....
Davidson/The only thing about speeding it up is when we can afford to do it .... when we
will have money available will be in 2003.
Vanderhoef/ ....make the request of the University... partnership ....
Davidson/As soon as Dick Gibson gets back from vacation we are going to start talking
to him ..... we need to start those discussions immediately ....
Nov/We ought to wait until the actual expansion of Biology is finished ....
Vanderhoef/We needed it ten years ago .....
Lehman/...Concept of air rights over the bank... along with Frieda's project which is not
progressing... Another project... interest of building a new hotel. If we could put
together a package... commercial .... parking above it... steam that would make the
Southside grow .... walkways across Buffington Street .....
Nov/
Lehman/Across Burlington Street... possibilities here that I don't think we have really
looked at .... I think those things should be looked at ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 67
Davidson/..is there anything you would like staff to do with any of those property
owners?... same rumors .... Those are certainly all possibilities for that area.
Norton/What about the Rebel and Goodyear Building?
Davidson/We have had some discussions with Johnny Rummelhart .....
Norton/A parking structure that faces towards Court Street... Southside ...CDB .... right
on the access ....
Davidson/Let's see where things with the church go and then you have got a more
concrete decision before you. If you want to set a deadline... we certainly at
anytime can shift gears .... You are probably talking about at least one if not two
unwilling sellers on Block 102 ....
Davidson/We haven't heard you tell us quit working with the church. I assume you want
us to still at least keep working with the church.
Nov/I really think we need to do something south of Burlington ....
Norton/
Kubby/Didn't we .... have this conversation... we decided to go with the church.
Lehman/Because of the number of parking spaces... we hadn't considered air rights...
Davidson/...area displaced by the bank...
Lehman/Could be done in conjunction with the rest of that block?
Davidson/We have not explored that Ernie ....
Thornberry/What do you tell the Press Citizen when they say why are you looking at
parking when Iowa City is going to dry up and blow away after the Mall is built
anyway7 Why are we even discussing it7
Davidson/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 68
Baker/The February 5 memo about the number of spaces available to us. The 272- the
footprint?
Davidson/..having 3/4 of a 1/2 block rather than a full half block and the topography of
the site. Those were the two things that were not as good about Block 102.
Baker/272 is the most you could get on that block?
Davidson/Yes... told the consultant we wanted to be comparing apples and apples ....
Baker/Cost per space is basically the same?
Davidson/...it would be higher... smaller structure...
Nov/
Norton/Could you eyeball a number on the Rebel lot over the Goodyear Building?
Kubby/
Norton/
Davidson/The Goodyear Building, I believe, is part of Phase I of Hieronymous Square ....
The Rebel Motel is a separate property owner. We can talk to him again .... We will
check and see if there is anything.
Nov/Don't forget the federal lot.
Davidson/That is always out there, too.
Thornberry/There is three for the federal lot and a heartbeat ....
Franklin/The federal lot. We do have some property owners.. interested in selling a
property there ..... way for us to expend some of this money we have.
Davidson/We may need to do that... deadline... money we got from impact fee .....
#2 Monthly parking permits, we have made some progress since 1988 .... We have
increased the number of monthly permits d.t. 64% .... free up spaces in closer in
facilities for short term parking .... We had a fairly considerable waiting list for
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 69
permits in '88, that is gone .... Joe and I... we do get requests .... firm that had asked
for 15 or 25 permits and we cannot offer them... Big stumbling block to the leasing
of office space d.t ..... Question for you... Do you want to increase the capacity of
monthly permit parking system?
Norton/Yes.
Vanderhoef/Yes.
Norton/You have 400 spaces sitting here.
Davidson/There was four there, wasn't there. Do you want to do that with the existing
facilities that we have knowing that then decreases the amount of shorter term
shopping spaces that you do have available?
Baker/Is there some way to force permit parking to the top?
Davidson/Yes .... Capital Street ....
Baker/Force them to the top ....
Norton/ ....
Davidson/Do it with a pricing incentive ....possible ....
Kubby/
Davidson/It is possible to accomplish that ....
Lehman/
Kubby/Have you ever had a problem finding a parking space in the sanctified area?
Lehman/
Norton/...behooves us to do as much as we can to get them in there.
Davidson/So we will start this immediately and expand the permit system and use some of
the existing capacity we have in all of the facilities?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Nov/
Davidson/We have a number of spaces over here that we could start with.
Lehman/Over here.
Davidson/Over here first.
Council/(Yes).
Davidson/Okay.
Bill Dollman/You have a chart on page 39. Swan Ramp is about 78% utilized right now.
Norton/
Dollman/... we have 350 permits in there right now ....
Davidson/We have 350 permits sold... not all in there at onetime ....
Norton/Relate that to vacancy rate of levels 2 & 3 ....
Davidson/They are not all there at one time.
Dollman/Senior Center permits...handicapped spots...restriction on spaces 205 or 253 ....
for hourly parkers. Permit... cannot park there .... leaves about 60 spaces.
Davidson/Assuming that all 350 permits are in there at one time... they are not all in there
at one time ....
Norton/
Thornberry/If you got a full size car and you park in a compact space, do you get a
ticket7
Norton/No, they compact your car.
Council/
Dollman/There really is no definition of a compact car.
page 70
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 71
Davidson/
Kubby/...I would like to...horde back... allow office use of them ....have some in our back
pocket...
Davidson/How aggressively do you want is to market this as an economic development
tool? ..... We can get pretty aggressive if that is what you want to do. even to the
point of subsidizing them. And that is a specific question ....do you want to
subsidize them to try and attract people d.t.?
Thomberry/
Davidson/The comments we have gotten has not been about pricing. Griping about
availability.
Thornberry/
Vanderhoef/We can talk subsidy later if that seems to be appropriate.
Baker/To market available space... they really want Capital and Dubuque Street.
Davidson/
Nov/Cheaper to park here .....
Baker/
[Tape Problems]
Lehman/We need high turnover .... I walk two blocks and park here. It doesn't bother me
a bit .... It is a lot different for a shopper who goes in for an hour .... and has to park
here and walk two blocks. They won't do it .....
Baker/ ....75 permit increase, is that really going to affect the shoppers.
Lehman/It is if you put them over in the Dubuque Street Ramp or Capital Street Ramp ....
Norton/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 72
Nov/It appears to me that Capital Street is empty on top ....
Davidson/
Kubby/Can we distribute them among the ramps?
Norton/You can distribute them ....
Davidson/I think we have the general direction from you ....
Kubby/So we want more, we want them on top and we want to save some back for
economic development purposes.
Davidson/Right, that is what I heard. Okay.
#3 Meter Feeding. We did show in our meter turn-over study that there is a certain
amount of meter feeding going on, especially at the 60 minute meters .... If we are
going to increase enforcement of meter feeding .... doing nothing more than
enforcing regulations that is trying to cause turn-over of short term parking spaces.
Vanderhoef/
Davidson/Bill and I discussed this... If you want to increase enforcement of meter feeding
and continue the existing enforcement that is being done d.t., we will need another
person to do that with or you can decrease some of the enforcement in the existing
areas that we are doing and we can increase some enforcement of meter feeding.
Any ideas?
Thomberry/It is illegal to do that? You can put coins in somebody else's car meter?
Kubby/Because that is considered feeding it.
Nov/If it says one hour limit, you can't go back at~er one hour and put in more coins.
Davidson/If you park your car at a 60 minute meter, it is not to be there longer than 60
minutes ..... Enforcement people.. chalk your tires ....
Norton/The meter feeding must be particularly on Iowa Avenue ....
Davidson/That is certainly, Dee, what is happening on Iowa Ave.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 73
Norton/You can't afford to have those two hour meters? ....
Davidson/Of course they can be changed ....
Thomberry/
Davidson/... they will park in an area that is designated for longer term parking.
Vanderhoef/...third block of Iowa Avenue... five hour meters ....
Davidson/I didn't get that information from him ....
Arkins/I told him to wait 5-6 months ....On Iowa Avenue ....
Vanderhoef/...want to see what is happening there.
Davidson/In 1988 study we did a survey of people who worked d.t. and we found... a
very high percentage were parking within two blocks of where they worked ....in
short term parking areas and feeding the meter ....We know that a certain amount
of it is occurring ....
Baker/It is not a big enough problem.
Norton/...
Vanderhoef/The hurry up on the Iowa Avenue Ramp is important.
Lehman/I have had a number of folks .... complain to me about 1/2 hour meters .... What
would be the impact if we changed those 30 minute meters to one hour meters at
$1.00 an hour? ....If those were hour meters where they could put in four
quarters ....
Thomberry/Wholehearted agreement from business owners and disagreement from the
employees who plug the meters.
Davidson/We are talking about a real pricing-make the most convenient spaces definitely
by far the highest price.
Thornberry/That is correct.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 74
Nov/Are 30 minute meters... the most convenient?
Davidson/Yes .... diagram on page 5 shows you where the 30 minute meters are ....
Thornberry/
Davidson/Is there four that want to change the 30 minute meters to 60 minute meters?
Thornberry/Yes.
Davidson/And $1.00 per hour and quarter for 15 minutes?
Lehman/I really think that might work ....
Davidson/This is all assuming we can make it work mechanically .... For now let's see, do
you want it? Two, three, four.
Nov/Are you going to allow something less than 15 minutes...?
Norton/15 minutes for a quarter.
Davidson/Okay, I have four.
Norton/
Davidson/No stepping up (of enforcement) of meter £eeding7
Council/(No).
Nov/Would the tickets pay for the person7
Davidson/I have no idea ....
Thornberry/Hire somebody on a percentage basis?
Davidson/The operation of the Parking system... comes out of general rate structure ....
clearly excess revenue generated .... right now it goes in the General Fund ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 75
Lehman/Commercial loading zones... very very seldom every occupied by commercial
vehicles. They are occupied by people ....I really like to see meters put in there.
The same thing in the loading zones.
Nov/We have cars parked in the loading zones and we have UPS delivery tmcks out in
the middle of the street.
Norton/...difference between commercial zoning and a loading zone ....
Council/(All talking).
Lehman/Why don't we collect for parking? .... Why not have loading zones have meters?
Bakeff
Davidson/Then your trucks that do need it for commercial loading, there will be a car
there .... Washington Street, there are trucks there all day long ....
Norton/Two types of loading zones ....
Dollman/On Iowa State Bank side is commercial loading zone .... other side... first area is
a loading zone... 15 minutes ....
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-28 SIDE 2
Norton/Anybody can stop briefly to unload ....
Lehman/Other thing that we have... some businesses d.t. who have had signs made for
their customers, they pull up into a commercial loading zone ....they are not
loading, they are shopping ....
Davidson/The enforcement...time restriction, not the type of vehicle?
Lehman/...owner of the business had the sign made that sticks to the side of the car ....
Davidson/The downside of putting meters in loading zone... commercial vehicles will
never have spaces.
Lehman/ ....cars are parked there all of the time.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 76
Norton/Why can't you have distinctly different signs for the commercial loading zones? ....
Davidson/When we get into//8... suggesting opportunity to simplify some of the parking
regulations d.t .....
Norton/Clear sign that differentiates .....
Vanderhoef/Commercial zones.. people know what the pattern will be .... If we want to
load anything in our loading zone after 4:15 in the afternoon .... get someone to
come and tow away because they pull into... lined up with cars starting at 4:15 in
the afternoon ....
Nov/Why is there a magic hour?
Vanderhoef/They have figured out parking meters have all been read and they are
working their way back to city hall.
Davidson/...I will relate.. concerns raised about the signage and let us take a look at that.
No to meter feeding, right, increased enforcement? Correct.
Vanderhoef/Also parking in alleys .....alleys listed as tow aways.
Davidson/City code for alleys is 20-15 minutes ....One of the functions of the alley is to
allow loading and unloading of vehicles .... If a vehicle is just sitting there, then it
will be ticketed ....
Vanderhoef/One alley .... park there every day ....
Davidson/We did put up tow away placards throughout... can be enforced.
//4 On Street Parking. This is an issue that has been raised... by DT Strategy
Committee .... on street parking is the most convenient and most preferred .... It
may be possible to increase our supply of on street parking by converting some
areas from parallel parking to angle parking .... It is not without some negative
impacts... angle parking... backing into the traffic stream .... right now all of our
angle parking areas are on one way streets .... Is there room physically .... what are
the impacts... We do think ....may be possible... Linn and College and do you want
us to investigate it?
Thornberry/Where on College?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 77
Davidson/East of the Library.
Thomberry/
Davidson/
Norton/Take a look.
Council (All talking).
Lehman/...Dubuque Street between Washington and Iowa Ave, they couldn't park the
beer trucks in the center any more.
Davidson/That is absolutely true ....Dubuque Street wasn't suggested.
Nov/I would like to see them not have the beer trucks in the middle of the street.
Vanderhoef/ ....Dubuque Street .....making it one way ....
Davidson/There are going to be some things coming out of your DT Strategy Committee
about... considering changing some traffic patterns ....
Norton/..angle parking.
Davidson/We will take a look at it an come back to you ....
Lehman/A relationship between cost and benefit.
Davidson/... we can summarize it for you.
#5 Average Auto Occupancy. Page 29 is a map showing some updated
information... number of people in each vehicle .... numbers are fairly low .... Out of
every ten vehicles, 9 had one person and the 10th one had 2 people .... Trend has
been for lower and lower number of people per vehicle .... demographic reasons for
that... does cost city more to provide more parking for the same amount of
people .... Are you interested in... permit system .... Way you enforce it is by having
spot enforcement as the vehicle comes into the facility ....
Lehman/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 78
Davidson/Those are the kind &complaints .... The person who usually rides with me is on
vacation.
Lehman/
Nov/
Davidson/...we can't enforce it if you drop the person off two blocks ahead and then you
are coming in by yourself.... That is really the only way we know of enforcing ....
Council/(All talking).
Davidson/In the larger communities it most definitely does work... It is mandated...
enforced with a very stiff....
Council/
Kubby/By not trying this... can make a huge difference in the number of parking spaces
that we need in the future ....incentives ....are these enforcement mechanisms
doable ....
Nov/I don't think the enforcement is going to be doable ....
Norton/Let's try...
Davidson/If you want to do this we can do it at the next meeting .... You directed staff
about 18 months ago to look into this... It is ready to go if you want to talk about
it.
Norton/Let's hear it.
Davidson/All right. #6 New Financing Ideas. On page 41-42 is a summary of the existing
status of the parking system and we feel fortunate.. system is healthy .... time line ....
Nov/Can we save some of this for next time?... We will begin with #6 .....
[Council Break 9:05 PM]
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 79
Reuional Solid Waste Manapement Plan 97-27 S2
Davidson/You received a summary of what the Johnson County Committee... number of
recommendations ..... If the Plan were approved, you would ten subsequently be
asked to consider these recommendations. Approval of the Plan doesn't put them
into affect. You, as landfill owners, are the ones that have to put them into affect.
One of them is for an advisory committee ..... where recommendations from a
committee made up of people throughout the county would go for you .... All you
are doing tomorrow is approving the Plan that has these elements in it for your
subsequent consideration. Any questions about it? Okay, thank you.
Norton/Why do we charge $53 a ton and everybody else is $40?
Kubby/Because we offer great leachate control... toxic clean up days ....We are a
responsible landfill owner ....
Nov/We are also planning for expansion... set aside fund...
Norton/How do the rest of them do it for $35?
Atkins/... they also don't have any recycling program to speak of. ....all the things that
Karen rattled off....
Lehman/Also... liability.
Atkins/Ours are strictly services... provide a broader array of services.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 80
South Sycamore Regional Basin 97-27 S2
Fosse/Notion of a regional storm water management basin down there... how do we
provide storm water management to an area... topographical .... How do we
provide storm water management that is sensitive to the downstream features...
Snyder Creek Bottoms .... We put together a multi-disciplinary team working
through MMS to tackle it ....turn it to Ed Brinton of MMS Consultants ....
Ed Brinton/The plan is the product of a cooperative team... City Public Works staff,
Planning staff, and P/R staff as well as engineers and surveyors and landscape
architects with MMS... and Lon Drake, professor of Geology at University of
Iowa. Also had assistance from Army Corps of Engineers biologists and NRC
Service .... working through Johnson County Soil .and Water Conservation
District... Amy Bouska ....
Kubby/
Brinton/Lon Drake... lead professional scientists on this project... he is a local expert of
wetlands, soils, wildlife and vegetation .... directed most of our efforts ....
Lon Drake/Supplement our report with a little tour .... explanations as to why we designed
it the way we did .... move through this fairy briskly (Slide projection
presentation) ..... problem we have here is drainage .... puddles everywhere ....
farmers in the past has tried to deal with this and hasn't been too successful ....
There are ditches all over the place .... they don't drain too well .... There are failed
farm tile systems ....Drainage is the problem .....great pools of water ....To deal
with the drainage part of the problem, we have designed this system .... features ....
(refers to map) .... Our general design is to design a corridor... that will provide
storm water drainage by simply deepening the whole thing to begin with...
providing a series of wetland cells within it .... that will process storm water...
another set of retention dikes down here... old sewage lagoons... dismantling the
sewage lagoons .... then we will put in a series of deep water habitats here .... So we
will treat small storm flows through here... corridor is wide enough.. put in trails ....
linear park... We want to divert the water... pull that into here... trying to get a
fairy complete treatment package and in addition... trying to come up with a park
system .... (refers to cross section of wetland cell) ..... series ofberms .... each one of
these wetland cells will be about two feet lower than the one above... small drops
along the way. There are some models for doing this .... Constructed wetlands
already exist in Iowa .... propose making a whole string of these... We have to deal
with the larger floods as well ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 81
Thomberry/If you go to the slide... that water does not flow... just sits there? .....
Drake/
There is a drain in here .... sets right in... by adjusting the position of the drain, you
can design this to either go completely dry after some short period of time or you
can make it fairly deep. To manage mosquitoes... make them quite deep to that the
predators of mosquitoes can live there or to make them so they go dry .... We
haven't decided how to manage this at this site... how deep will also reflect where
they set on the landscape with regard to the water table ....They are just plain dirt
bottom...
Vanderhoef/How are you draining them to where?
Drake/Into the next cell .....down into the one below ....(refers to slide) ....In the
illustrations in your report ....tubing that runs underneath there ....control water ....
Lehman/
Norton/
Drake/Whenever you get a new flow, the flowing water itself is warm enough ....
Nov/Every time it thaws ....
Drake/
Thornberry/What have you suggested for this area?
Drake/
For the upper part of the corridor, we haven't decided on it yet because the final
elevation survey is not completed ..... (refers to slides). For size, why 200 feet?
(refers to slides) .... Here is the center of the valley... it will be about this wide in
this valley... you can find things .... driftwood .... If you look at the debris in the
valley, you get some idea of how far in the valley walls the major floods have
come .... We had a 50 year storm last year in May .... That is one criteria... the
width that is already naturally flooded. The other is anything less than about 200
feet wide doesn't really serve very well its habitat .... There is a little bit of habitat...
single strip of trees... fence line... 80 year sold... silver maples... for cavity nesting
creatures it is very good habitat... there is a long strip of trees... young... growing
on abandon farm land .... so wet so often that you just couldn't farm it anymore...
goldenrod ....brush and shrubs ....One of my basic design criteria is kids. This in
10-15 years ....children ....latchkey kids... design a system where they have some
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 82
place to play... bikes .... extend trail system .... promoting a trail system especially
for kids .... There are other critters that live there besides kids...
Norton/
Drake/We have got a little bit of experience in doing this at whispering Meadows last
spring .... like to extend this concept ....
Thomberry/200 feet wide?
Drake/Most of that green strip is 200 feet wide .... flares out at the north end .... Already a
bunch of storm sewers coming in... funnel shaped ....
Thornberry/
Drake/... smaller budges are sediment traps .... It is Amy's job to keep the amount of dirt
to a minimum .... during the construction phase it will get a little dirty in there and
have to be cleaned out .... will become wetlands also.
Norton/... Are you going to try to pick up more drainage from that other area, too?
Drake/Yes. An awful lot of water comes down from those little small ditches .... So we
are trying to catch all that water ....
Lehman/Much of the problem we are experiencing.. development .... own specifications
were not right?
Drake/In part, that is true .... Your storm sewers have to go downhill but you are running
out of downhill .... the ability to do that .... We have take that whole green corridor
and lower it on the landscape.
Fosse/The upland portion of this watershed was developed before there was storm water
management .... drainage problems ....
Lehman/My concern .... I don't feel cities should subsidize development ....
Fosse/For the majority of this water shed that has yet to develop, we plan to recover the
costs of this just as we do for a tap on fee .... We would be paying the share of the
cost for that portion of the watershed that is already developed ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 83
Lehman/
Thomberry/Is there any federal funds that we can get to alleviate some of this project? .....
President has been talking... funds for this type of project .....wetlands and
preservation.
Fosse/It is certainly something we can pursue especially in a new program ....
Thomberry/Wetlands Preservation I believe they called it.
Amy Bouska/One of the things our office has been involved with since April is we
received a three year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to begin
addressing construction site erosion from an urban perspective .... to get
conservation practice out on the development sites .... One of our key
components... demonstration projects .... bring developers... contractors...
government officials... We do have some cost share money available to help with
the installation costs .... There is a little bit.
Norton/It does sometimes feel like we are going to considerable trouble to further our
sprawl southward ....
Lehman/If we contributed to the problem... then I think we probably have an obligation to
correct that problem .... 2/3s of this will be recovered .....
Kubby/This is were development is happening .... To the city's advantage to be
cooperative ....
Lehman/
Nov/The currently developed property... was developed without good storm water
management .....
Lehman/Those folks who develop will be paying $1900 an acre for the development.
Fosse/The regional approach is the way to go after it here ....
Vanderhoef/Can you give us a ballpark idea of cost to developer .... cheaper for the
developer... because of what we have created here?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 84
Brinton/The answer is yes. The best indication we have is from Bill Frantz .... Part VII,
stopped for two years now... This is a good deal for the land ..... lower plateau that
Lon identified to you that doesn't drain. In that area storm water on site
management is prohibitive... There is a sanitary sewer through there .... Sycamore
Avenue can not really be widened and paved because there is no outlet for the
water .... Best feed back we have is from Bill Frantz who says this is a good deal ....
Other thing about the cost sharing... getting cost sharing by assistance from
Johnson County, Corps of Engineers and NRCS and we think we will be able to
get from others ....
Thornberry/What do we do? Do you want an approval?
Fosse/Next step? On tomorrow night agenda is the contract for the design phase of this
project... We have already had one meeting with the property owners... another
meeting for the 26th.., We would really like to at least begin construction this
year ....
Thornberry/...Does this need to be completed before development occurs?
Fosse/No ....
Thornberry/Bill called me Saturday from Key West and was interested in this project .....
Fosse/We talked about this...
Brinton/This project, it is an out of sequence project and we are looking for ways for
individual pieces to be out of sequence .... have interim solutions ....
Norton/ ....number of jurisdictional questions ....
Bfinton/
Kubby/Are Country Apartments in the City of Iowa city or are they in the county?
Norton/They are in the city.
Kubby/
Brinton/I think they are in the city ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 85
Norton/I think this one shows them in the city.
Brimon/The Country Lane Apartments and the Country Lane Lagoons are in the city.
Norton/Page 5 ....
Nov/
Brimon/Red means existing subdivision .... The only ones... in the county are Fox, Micata
and Langley, that one house there.
Council/(All referring to a map).
Franklin/Country Land Apartments are in. They came in when you did the Sycamore
Farms annexation.
Thornberry/Anything north of this line is in the county.
Vanderhoef/(Refers to map).
Kubby/I am looking at page 6 at the wooded wetlands section .... talking about relocating
existing waterways. Is there a specific reason?
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-28 SIDE 1
Lon Drake/Also, in your Sensitive Areas Ordinance that filled in ditch is listed as a
rycarian woodland or something like that. That is pushing it a little bit. It is a farm
ditch.
Norton/When will this whole project .... '98 CIP?
Fosse/It has been in ....
Norton/What is the history?
Fosse/It was when Frantz's last one or two subdivisions were proposed... storm water
management...
Woito/1993, March.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 86
Fosse/We put the sanitary sewer in at the same time and it was a sloppy job ....It has been
such a difficult job to get a handle on. How do we approach this? ....We think we
have a very good plan in front of us here.
Norton/I am very impressed .... trying to get a handle on this is such a broad scope.
Fosse/I agree. I am very much an advocate of regional storm water management. To do
that we have got to be a player ....
Nov/
Norton/
Fosse/If you look at the performance of the north and south branch detention basins on
Ralston Creek and they really do a wonderful job for us .... We are getting to the
point... need to remove some of the sediments from the storage area we are finding
out.
Norton/ .... drainage in a pipe? 30 years from now they will be pushing a pipe through
there.
Thomberry/Not if the mosquitoes are down.
Kubby/I have a question for Karin about the Sycamore Farms conservation easement ....
Are we at all in anyway in conflict with the conservation easement with this
reconstruction?
Franklin/No, in fact I would think that it would be a compliment to the conservation
easement because we are dealing with water quality issues here.
Lehman/Pretty impressive.
Drake/The Corps of Engineers is fairly happy with it also.
Thornberry/I thought this was a very organized report ....I don't understand why it had to
be 200 feet wide.
Brinton/I had the same question 3 months ago... Abbey Lane... Willow Creek .... 250 feet
to 300 feet between those houses... that neighborhood has a 500 acre upstream
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 87
watershed. This is a 600 acre watershed. That is what it takes ....the idea is to keep
the velocities low and the depth pretty shallow.
Nov/We are talking about kids playing there ....
Thornberry/
Norton/
Nov/Thank you everybody.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
Special Budget Work Session
February 10, 1997
Utilities BackBi!liw, Discussion 97-28 S1
Nov/Utilities and backbilling.
Kubby/Yes to the memo.
Lehman/Yes to the memo.
Nov/We are going to say okay, don't back-bill and we are going to move on.
Woito/Are we talking about backbilling?
Lehman/Yes.
Woito/Do you go along with Eleanor and my recommendations and finance?
Kubby/Yes.
Norton/Wait a minute. I have some questions.
Lehman/If we screwed up then somebody shouldn't have to pay for our mistakes ....
Woito/As you recall last summer... We didn't realize the magnitude of the problem until
Dianna Furman took the time to sort out by hand that there were 200 of these ....
Atkins/15,000 to 16,000 accounts.
Woito/ ....in terms of fairness, that is our recommendations ....
Norton/
Woito/
Norton/I think the amnesty thing is right ....variety of rates may apply.
Woito/That is listed in our recommendations.
Kubby/
Dilkes/If there were different rates during that period of time, they apply.
page 88
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 89
Norton/What are we going to do about... person has two dwelling units but uses only two
cans and one recycling container? Is there any way to give them a break?
Kubby/I leave my garbage out once every eight weeks. Do I get a break?
Woito/That is an entirely different set of questions.
Norton/
Nov/There are people who go away for the entire summer .... pay a minimum bill every
month.
Thomberry/You can make exceptions ....
Norton/
Woito/You have to have a certain amount of expected revenue in order to run the
operation.
Thornberry/
Woito/
Atkins/We collect 4-plexes and smaller.
Norton/
Woito/
Thomberry/I think if we find an error, we should not start collecting until after we find
the error.
Woito/The series of questions that you are raising, the staff'is still recommending... We
still need to see down with Chuck and Don and Steve and talk about it at the staff
level about the three and four units ....
Kubby/Wait a minute, my neighbor could go together .... we would only put out only once
every third week ..... They still have to drive by the house.
Yucuis/The cost to us is still there ....all the personnel and equipment.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 90
Thornberry/
Atkins/The problem is how to you prove who has got what and where .... They will
double up and do all sorts of things ....
Thornberry/
Atkins/We owe you a report on multi-family.
Thornberry/If someone has a 4-plex, can they go private?
Atkins/Not now they can't...
Norton/The HIS is tied in with Treasury so we know how many dwelling units are in a
place?
Yucuis/We are working that out right not. Yes... we have worked it out .... to make sure
we get updates monthly.
Norton/
Woito/We decided it was easier to do it by hand right now ....
Nov/
Vanderhoef/How many of these rental places that have two and three apartments in them
are on one water meter...?
Woito/For the older buildings, that is what happens .... mislead...old system was based on
water meters and we abandon that years ago and went to per dwelling.
Lehman/We have tons of buildings with one meter .... and apartments ....
Council/
Woito/Finance is going to cross reference with HIS Department on a regular basis.
Norton/ ....several complaints pending... are those amnestied also?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 91
Woito/That is what we recommend.
Yucuis/We have corrected the billing as of that time... moving forth from that point
forward ....15 customers... made arrangements... we will go back and credit those
accounts ....
Woito/The period of the amnesty, you want that to start? ....
Dilkes/Make sure we get all the kinks worked out of this cross checking system.
Nov/Work the kinks out by July.
Vanderhoef/Then you will bring us an ordinance?
Dilkes/We will drat~ an ordinance.
Vanderhoef/Let's go for July 1.
Woito/Okay, thanks.
Kubby/...200, it would be nice to send something out to them as a brief history and what
our conclusion is and what the new dates are and what their new bill will be.
Atkins/We owe them a communication ....
Woito/Karen, we promised to send the ordinance to all of the people who complained and
we back-billed.
Kubby/ ....they need to be forewarned ....If we can do that now so that they know ....
Yucuis/Sounds like we are going to notify the people that we have found to be mis-billed
and we have corrected that. We will notify all those people .... We are verifying
records with HIS... we are catching any changes that occur in that month... If we
catch them as they occur... billing them properly from that day forward ....
Nov/
Kubby/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 92
Yucuis/We believe we have corrected the 200 and some... so all of those have been
corrected... they have been notified that they had a backbilling problem .... We are
going to get back to them ....Everything prior to that date is not going to be back-
billed.
Vanderhoef/If you are in a 3-plex or 4-plex...one of them is empty ....
Woito/Charge them.
Yucuis/Unless they officially change the number of units with HIS, it is still considered a
4-plex.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 93
Two Bills ?er Two Water Meters 97-28 S1
Thornberry/I do have one question .... On your memo regarding two bills for two water .
meters .... Do you want to explain that to me in a nutshell?
Arkins/I told you so ....
Yucuis/It is less than a one page memo and you can't understand it .... Manually we are
going to get the bills in a sequence so we can put the two bills in one envelope,
that is for a house that has a second meter and then I am going to have Information
Services work on it... get the information on one bill ....
Thornberry/Eventually one bill with two lines ....
Yucuis/That is our intent .....6-8 months ago... sequence of bills with like addresses ....one
envelope ....
Thornberry/
Council/
Thornberry/Is that for residential and commercial uses?
Yucuis/... correct.
Thornberry/Thank you.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 94
A~Dointments 97-28 SI
Johnson County/Iowa City Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment - Karen Countryman
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Council A~enda/Time 97-28 SI
1. Vanderhoef/Are we going to bring pedicabs back? ....
Karr/That is your call. What do you want to do?
Vanderhoef/I think we need to talk about it ....he is still asking for no regulation ....
Nov/
Norton/Process of licensing... take a look at the thing...
Karr/Yes, they are all inspected. The issues are still back to you for the political question.
You have already had the staff's recommendation on it. Do you wish to retain
them in the present code as a vehicle for hire and the normal coverage? Do you
wish to delete them in their entirety? They would not be inspected. Or thirdly,
create a separate restriction or a different dollar amount for the insurance?
Norton/I favor the third option.
Vanderhoef/
Baker/(Can't hear)
Norton/Not bother, Larry?
Kubby/I agree.
Norton/... just ignore it.
Karr/That is two to delete them entirely.
Lehman/There is no requirement for people who drive cars, who ride bicycles, whatever.
Karr/There is if they carry passengers... is the difference.
Lehman/
Norton/I think we ought to inspect them and license them and require some insurance.
Nov/You are going to check its brakes?
p~e95
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 96
Norton/
Karr/We have inspections right now for all of our vehicles for hire and we do it right now
for pedicabs. That is how he is currently licensed. The question simply is one of
insurance.
Nov/So if we license...require insurance...How do we fit into the next step if somebody
gets hurt?
Woito/It doesn't matter. Are there four of you to lower the insurance requirement?
Thornberry/No ....
Woito/That is what Dee is asking is to lower the dollar amount.
Kubby/Lower insurance levels or no licensing and insurance. We have got two people to
not deal with it, with no insurance. One person with less insurance ....
Thomberry/I think a responsible person ought to have insurance .... I would like to see
them not licensed... just say have you got insurance and how much.
Woito/
Nov/You cannot ask if you do not license.
Lehman/
Kubby/
Woito/We got two less Kubby.
Vanderhoef/That is where I was headed.
Woito/That is three. Four?
Nov/$100,000 instead of what?
Council/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 97
Woito/Pick a number.
Karr/...you requested nothing... he came back with $100,000 but prefers deletion ....
Norton/If we license, we can specify the insurance requirement?
Woito/Yes.
Nov/
Kubby/
Nov/I really think $500,00 is the way to go.
Thornberry/License less than $5-
Kubby/We have got four people.
Norton/$250,000...be done with it and license it.
Council/(Okay).
Lehman/
Karr/So you got one reading on deletion. Now you want to come back with $250,000.
Council/
Nov/How many passengers can he carry?
Karr/That depends on the driver and the size of the passenger.
Council/
Karr/So you want us to bring it back to you at $250- Okay.
2. Vanderhoef/Looking at the letters that were returned... not responded to emergency
contacts and their businesses.
Thornberry/They are working on that and Fire Department is working on that as well.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 98
Vanderhoef/
Thornberry/Fire Department ....
Vanderhoef/Are we going to do any follow up letters on those, on the 500 that haven't
responded?
Atkins/We are going to do as thorough of follow up as we can .... We don't have a
business license program ....
Lehman/
Atkins/Make sure they understand ....
3. Thornberry/I asked last summer about a traffic count on Gilbert and Kirkwood.
Atkins/I have the report on my desk. There is a recommendation to put a turn lane
signal... I just got it the other day.
4. Norton/I want to urge us to go ahead and take action to get our detailed minutes on
the internet. We had a lot of communication about that ....
Karr/I am totally confused on detailed minutes. I don't know what minutes that means...?
Kubby/I think it means transcripts.
Karr/Okay, that is very different from minutes.
Kubby/Yes, because our minutes don't say very much.
Norton/
Karr/Transcriptions for work sessions or formals or both?
Kubby/Both.
Karr/Because we are talking volumes.
Council/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 99
Nov/Look at the stack that we had from the February 1 meeting ....
Thomberry/ .... transcriptions are available.
Kubby/A lot of people hook into the Auditor's electronic availability of Johnson County
board of Supervisors transcripts .... We could as the Auditor... consistent... issue of
accessibility... it is just sending them electronically ..... It is already on a disk.
Norton/
Vanderhoef/But we don't do minutes that way.
Karr/We would be sending out something that council wouldn't be seeing .....
Thomberry/Pass on that.
Karr/I think it is a valid request... they are available now and you don't see them ....sell
hard copy and we do sell them on diskette also.
Thornberry/
Baker/I will say yes ....County ....
Karr/They have detailed minutes.
Nov/County minutes have more detail .... You are asking us to put something on internet
that is not in the newspaper ....
Council/(All talking).
Karr/We do some sharing .... joint minutes ....
Baker/I have seen copies of our transcripts ....
Kubby/You can follow the flow of the evolution of the conversation.
Karr/We used to do minutes like that many years ago... now... direction only minutes on
work sessions. Our formals are action only ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City conncil
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session
Norton/
Baker/Any additional staff time to-
Karr/That additional staff time would be in two areas. 1-minimal staff time to transmit
them .... and there would be some staff time in storing them and keeping them. The
real staff time would occur if you direct us to change minutes and go to more
detailed minutes. That is not what is before us.
Norton/Well, we don't have four votes.
Baker/We prepare them anyway.
Karr/No, I am talking about if you were to compare and change the minutes, not the
transcription.
Baker/The transcriptions ....
Karr/They are done.
Kubby/So it is just sending them electronically.
Norton/
Baker/We only do verbatim transcripts of the formals or informals?
Karr/We do verbatim of the formals and we do what we call lazy man transcriptions for
our work sessions .... edit it, it is not verbatim ....
Norton/They would be available under the proposal I was suggesting .....We don't have
four votes, what are we waiting for. All right, my next item.
Kubby/We are so behind on this.
5. Norton/I wanted to propose that we get a systematic plan established for thanking
departing commissioners and board members.
Karr/We are working on one.
page 100
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 101
Norton/And also for council to talk briefly with people...departure interview ....to get
feedback... what was working... I think each council member.
Nov/Why not staff7.
Norton/I think we ought to know how they feel.
Thomberry/Do you do exit interviews?
Atkins/For employees, yes.
Norton/With people who leave commissions?
Atkins/No, no.
Norton/...don't get proper public thank you's ....
Nov/A thank you, yes. The interview ought to be done by the staff person .....
Thomberry/They are not appointed by staff. They are appointed by council...
Norton/...if we pass it around...give them a break.. I think we ought to hear... let's find
out what is happening ....
Kubby/
Nov/Boards and commissions ....
Karr/You get notice on your announcement of vacancies.
Norton/Let's try it for awhile. See what it looks like in terms of workload.
Kubby/Yes ....
Norton/...assign them any old way...
Thomberry/You could pick an choose.
Norton/It is just a proposal...
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 102
Nov/We will think about it.
6. Norton/I am still concerned with getting such a pile of commission minutes for a year
at a time. It is hard to swallow.
Karr/We are playing catch up with some of those ..... We are also working on continuity .... formatting.
Kubby/There are some comments at the end of the Animal Control Advisory Board
minutes... I think that our minutes should be much less judgmental than that ....
pass that along ....
Norton/
Karr/We are also trying to get a standardized format so the recommendations are at the
top and are easy to read. So we are trying.
Nov/You need to write a little handbook.
Norton/Did you notice the little thing in the Airport where the communicate
communication wants to be west of the airport, stick 65 feet into the protection
zone. Here comes the towers.
7i. Norton/I was concerned with the letter from Officer Stika. I found that quite
distressing. Can anybody enlighten me?
Kubby/You are either ten feet away from the steps or not.
Lehman/If you have been a policeman for 23 - 25 years and you have written tickets...
You shouldn't be parking closer than that. And if you do, pay your fine.
Norton/
Baker/
Norton/Other aspects of that letter.
Kubby/... we do things because of who people are.
Lehman/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 103
Kubby/I am not saying it is right.
8. Norton/Clarification on where we proceed on Thursday. I am responding... letter from
Moore, very thoughtful letter because.. there are questions that we didn't finish
questions... Some of them have not been aired fully .... Where do we go beyond
that? ..... Are we done once we have done those questions?
Woito/Do you want a status report on my report?
Kubby/Yes.
Norton/
Woito/I am working on my last edit of the report. My attorneys got it today. Tomorrow
morning I should get their input...faidy decent draft to you tomorrow night. It is
not going to be perfection... longer...you can work with for Thursday ....Summary
conclusions are right up front and are fairly clear.
Norton/We need to think sometime as to where we go beyond Thursday .....
Baker/
Kubby/We had three dates .... having public input part of this after the personnel
evaluations ....uncomfortable about that .....might be something that the public
says ....
Norton/Fix that that we get their input before we go to personnel matters ....
Council/
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-28 SIDE 2
Council/(Discussed meeting format and schedule): 13th- 9:30 AM general questions
19th- 7:00 PM general questions, public discussion-sign up sheet, future
procedures/proposed changes
20th- 10:00 AM formal/executive session (personnel)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 104
9. Kubby/My other question...what has been the response from Pat White about releasing
the DCI report.
Atkins/I spoke with Pat... he is still giving some thought to the information to be released.
He has spoken with a representative from the Attorney General's Office who
represents the DCI... they do not wish to have this document released .... they
pledged the confidentiality of the interview within the report. I talked to him again
today... I said I would really like to give something to council... He said he would
do his best to get a letter to me by Thursday ....
Kubby/That is an interesting response ....
Thornberry/
Kubby/
Baker/
Woito/Chapter 23 applies to states as well as us.
Thornberry/We couldn't say a whole lot pending litigation .... it is still in limbo and in
process.
Woito/The FBI will have their own report.
Thornberry/The DCI report is complete? ....
Woito/Yes. It is finished.
Thornberry/
Woito/I haven't had a discussion with Tom Miller yet ....
Kubby/We need to hear from Pat White ....
Bakeff
Thomberry/We asked Steve to ask Pat.
Atkins/Your first step, you asked me to ask Pat.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 105
Thomberry/
Baker/
Kubby/
10. Baker/I don't think we have to apologize for being reluctant to talk as long as there is
pending litigation against the city. Now we can talk about...question about
possibility of civil rights charges against Gillaspic. Are we still in a position where
the federal government brings charges against him, we are defending him?
Woito/No, they would be federal criminal charges and we are not obligated to defend him
against those.
Baker/The city's obligations have ended as far as-
Woito/Civil defense, yes.
Thornberry/Are we ever obligated to defend on criminal charges?
Woito/No.
Baker/
11. Kubby/I just wanted to request that the charitable contribution discussion be
scheduled for some informal in the not to distance future.
12. Nov/I have a couple of calendar things... Susan Craig... meeting on Library/64-1A...
add ......
Kubby/
Nov/ ....February 20, 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the library
Karr/It is being posted as a joint meeting .....
Nov/Those are the dates that were selected ....
Council/
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 106
Karr/It is not alternate dates, It is all preparation for the March 19.
Nov/February 20, 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the library. March 5, 4:00 to 6:00 at the council
chambers ....
Council/
Karr/
Kubby/Can we get some kind of synopsis of what happened? .... Ask the library board to
provide that to us ....
Karr/I can tape it .... If there is not a quorum going to be there, I wouldn't go myself to sit
there and tape it if there is not going to be four of you there.
Nov/
Kubby/How many people will be on February 20?
Karr/So there is going to be five... I will be taping it.
Kubby/March 5? ....
Council/
Karr/Look like there will be for both times ....
Kubby/So there will be.
Thornberry/Marian, you have got to go both times, then?
Karr/IfI have a quorum I do.
Thornberry/~lesus ....
Vanderhoef/We don't know what they are presenting.
Karr/ ....there were a know of questions they felt needed to be answered ....all to preface
and save you time on March 19 ....
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097
February 10, 1997 Special Budget Work Session page 107
Nov/I assumed from the memo that they are not covering the same thing twice.
13. Nov/Tuesday, February 25, I will not arrive until 7:30. We got two people out of
town ....
Karr/It is Tuesday's formal meeting
Baker/I will be celebrating my first wife's birthday ....
Lehman/
Nov/Do we want to change to 7:307
Baker/No, keep it the same time.
Nov/Okay... a risk ....
14. Kubby/FYI .... meeting with student senate on February 18, meeting starts at 7:00 but
there is a 6:30 half hour social time that is optional.
Norton/Each of you is at a table ....Main Ballroom upstairs...
15. Woito/In response to Karen Kubby's question, this memo from Dennis Mitchell really
doesn't need to be confidential. It is all public information, the partial litigation
update talking about the CliWs, etc. It is public.
Thornberry/Have the Yeggy's decide they want to go with arbitration?
Woito/I don't know.
Nov/
Kubby/I suggested mediation.
Thornberry/He did not want to do mediation ....
Adjourned: 11:10 PM
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of February 10, 1997
WS021097