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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-02-17 Correspondence City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM TO: Steve Atkins, City Manager Fosse, Director of Public Works--,~ FROM: Rick DATE: February 12, 2004 RE: Special Presentations at February 17th Council Meeting There are two special presentations on the February 17~h agenda related to the new Water Plant. The first is an aerial photograph to be presented by Dan Lovett of the Howard R. Green Company. This photo shows the entire Water Plant site including the traiJs and various water sources. The second is a check for rebates totaling $113,713 to be presented by John FuelJing of MidAmerican Energy. These rebates are for incorporating high efficiency lighting, HVAC and variable frequency drive systems into the new Water Plant. DATE: February 6, 2004 TO: City Clerk FROM: Anissa Williams, Traffic Engineering Planner ~ RE: Item for February 17, 2004 City Council meeting: Installation of NO PARKING BETWEEN SIGNS with arrow signs in the 1000 block of E. Bloomington Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(10) of the City Code, two signs with arrows indicating NO PARKING BETVVEEN SIGNS will be installed in front of the residence at 1007 E. Bloomington Street. Comment: This action is being taken to accommodate the pick-up and drop-off of an elderly resident who lives at 1007 E. Bloomington Street. The action was requested by the resident's physician. This action will be rescinded when the individual no longer resides at this location. jccogtp/mem/aw-actcom m2-3 doc Donald E. Sanders 1132 Village Farm Court, Iowa City, lA 52240 319-351-8612 - SANDMANPAR~AOL.COM January 31, 2004 Dear Council Members, The first purpose of this letter is to congratulate the newly elected council members and express my appreciation that all seven of 3~u are offering your efforts to make Iowa City an even better place to live and raise a family. The second propose is to share with you several personal observations I hope you wilt find worthy of thought as you continue the di~icult and vitally important task of building a financial budget. The list of my observations is enclosed. I believer that it is important for me to repeat that Iowa City is a wonderful community. But it could be even better. I took forward to obscuring what this council will do without th~ distractions of the past four years. With best wishes, Don Sanders End. List of observations Don Sanders' Observations Airport Subsidies - Eliminate all or most subsidies. The airport is not just another park that all citizens of Iowa City can enjoy. It should be entirely self supporting. Rental Assistance -- We're turning into a Mecca for out-of-state, high maintenance, welfare recipients. These often dysfunctional families are causing serious problems for our schools and police. City Owned Housing- The city needs to get out of the business of owning houses. The city owning 94 residential units puts it in competition with the landlords who pay property taxes and costs the taxpayers thousands of dollars in lost property taxes. Peninsula Project - Extensive staff time and support has been invested in what is so far a white elephant. The process is in direct competition with local and area developers, who understood the city's initial development plans were not marketable. Property Taxes - We need to stop the yearly increases in property taxes. I previously owned a 4-unit townhouse on which two years ago the taxes increased $1,000/year or $20.83 per unit, per month. That resulted in the first $185 of each tenant's monthly rent going to property taxes. As the city continually strives for more atYordab~ housing, do you really believe that landlords do not pass on tax increases directly to renters? City Bureaucracy --Bureaucratic nightmares impede business development. Thetwo most visible recent examples are the Midtown Restaurant and Fareway store. Uncontrolled Spending --Examples of extravagant spending are the skateboard park, over-priced library reconstruction, Iowa Avenue/sidewalk work and downtown kiosks costing nearly the price of small homes. Also, would a dog park require only a one-time expense, or would it involve staff time for maintenance, oversight, and the inevitable litigation. Salaries -- It is a delicate subject, but staff salaries and benefits need to be addresl~l. Based on published payroll data, I see jobs like parking attendants making as much as $30,000, and the number of administrators paid in excess of $90,000 and $100,000. Traffic Safety - There is a serous need for turning lanes and/or stop lights at he Scott Blvd. and Hwy. 6 intersection. It is a tragedy waiting to happen since long b~om the Fareway Store arrived. <: Iowa City Council RE Iowa City Public Library/Planning Commission Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing? The Public Library is expanding into a bigger building in order to accommodate increased traffic to the library. Now a 14 storey building been allowed for the lot next door - thereby effectively blocking out the sun through the multiple windows which the library built specially for natural lighting! Who oversees these plans? - the coordination is zero. Now there is a plan for increasing the parking rates near the library! What is the City Council thinking oP. What does the city value? Is it only business customers? Then don't expand the library! Has anyone on the council tried taking small children up and down a parking lot? This city needs to decide what are people friendly measures orthe city center will surely die. I might add that pedestrians welcome cover as they try to negotiate icy sidewalks. In Billings, Montana, all the shops have some sort of awnings which afford a little cover as one edges along.. If this city wants to compete with covered malls with flee parking, these user friendly measures should be uppermost in planning. I predict that the 14 storey building will be half empty and it will be an eyesore blocking out natural light locomotions o£town. Let us not forget what the essence of Iowa City should be - a people friendly city. We don't need more. icy sidewalks .and, windtunnels and we don't need empty offices//c~'(~cxol~l ~v~d h6q'~;~ ~,~, ~ If there were any way to rescind the permit for 14 storeys I wish it could be done! Let s get some real planning in this town! We have an Urban Planning Department in the University! RE Iowa City P/~blic Library/Planning Commission Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing? The Public Library is expanding into a bigger building in order to accommodate increased traffic to the library. Now a 14 storey building been allowed for the lot next door - thereby effectively blocking out the sun through the multiple windows which the library built specially for natural lighting! Who oversees these plans? - the coordination is zero. Now there is a plan for increasing the parking rates near the library! What is the City Council thinking of~ What does the city value? Is it only business customers? Then don't expand the library! Has anyone on the council tried taking small children up and down a parking lot? This city needs to decide what are people friendly measures or the city center will surely die. I might add that pedestrians welcome cover as they try to negotiate icy sidewalks. In Billings, Montana, all the shops have some sort of awnings which afford a little cover as one edges along.. If this city wants to compete with covered malls with flee parking, these user friendly measures should be uppermost in planning. I predict that the 14 storey building wilt be half empty and it will be an eyesore blocking out natural light for other sections of town. Let us not forget what the essence of Iowa City should be - a people fi'iendly city. We don't need more icy sidewalks and windtunnels and we don't need empty offices. If there were any way to rescind the permit for 14 storeys I wish it could be done! Let's get some real planning in this town! We have an Urban Planning Department in the University! Kyle Bingham 2326 Lakeside Dr IA City, IA 52240 November 14 2003 Iowa City Council 410 East Washington St Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Iowa City Council Members, My name is Kyle Bingham. I am a student at the Senior High Alternative center. For the past trimester I have been involved I a Local State Government course. One issue that concerned me a great deal was underage drinking. This happens to be a personal issue for me. In 2002 my sister (19) was driving a car while intoxicated. As a result of her poor choices she almost died. I believe that our community does not have enough to offer enough to do for young adults in Iowa City. Maybe better choices on my sister's part would have helped her avoid the car accident she was in. Instead of changing things for my sister I think it would be a better idea to change things for the kids that will be having to make the decision to drink or not. Underage drinking is going to happen no matter where you go or what you try to do to prevent it. I think that instead of trying to stop the young adults that are choosing to drink, we should be helping the young adults that are making the choice of not drinking. The best way to keep these young adults would be to put up a club for people 16 and over, that doesn't involve drinking. This would be a spot that would be recognized in the community for being a safe zone. It would definitely keep young adults off the streets where they get into trouble. It would also decrease the young adults getting picked up for PAULA (Possession of Alcohol under the Legal Age) Sincerely, Kyle Bingham Stephanie Peck 1417 Franklin Street C) Iowa City, IA 52240 November 14m 2003 Iowa City Council Members C) 7~ .~. 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Council Members, My name is Stephanie and I attend the Senior High Alternative Center. I am writing to you today to bring to your attention the growing issue of youth violence. This issue has been increasing rapidly. According to a report that I found the number of juvenile arrests, for assault in Johnson County, has almost doubled between 1998 and 2002. This information has shocked me something needs to be done about this. I just completed a paper on this issue and felt it my personal duty to have this issue addressed. A few issues that some believe are contributing to this are pretty basic such as having more parental involvement in a child's life or providing more or even better entertainment for our youth. Other issues, that could be contributing are, the influence of others, this includes music, peers, family, media and authority. Music has a huge impact on a teenager's life it sometimes can have a religious sort of impact on a person. So what I am saying today is that we have an issue that needs to be attended to as soon as possible. I suggest that Iowa City start with the entertainment aspect of this, give the youth a good place to be. UAY has done this already but UAY isn't the right place for everyone. I would like to see the skate park reevaluated, I have been to the new one and I can personally say it's no good. First off it's not in a good location, the park area across from the police station would in my opinion serve the youth better. It would be in a safe place and it would be closer to areas of largely populated youth, as well as be in eyesight of the local skate shop, The Full Kit. Also another large problem with the current park is the construction the bowls are way to steep and are too far into the ground. This practically eliminates the use of the park to youth 8 years and younger, that's not very fair to the younger people of our community. So I am asking you to please consider this issue and possibly do something to fix it. Thank you for reading my letter I appreciate the time you have taken to look at this issue. Sincerely, Stephanie Peck Marian Karr ~ From: Terry Dunlap [terry-dunlap@uiowa.edu] Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 9:41 AM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: City Park/theatre 1.) I am confused - I thought that we were trying to create venues that offered alternatives to 'drinking alcohol' in Iowa City? It's another prime example of tax payers money being spent irresponsibly, then hypocritically allowing alcohol to help bail it out because the thing ain't flying. I still think that a section of each show should be set aside as free seats for tax paying citizens who subsidized this albatross for those of us who can't afford to go otherwise. 2. We have this ordinance about cars being moved parked on street(I think) every 48 hours (non-metered). Could you drive up and down say Washington st or College st and explain to me how these cars that are now buried in the snow are going to move in and out of on street parking areas? I think Ehat we should be getting more for our money. Additionally, we don't do a very good job of keeping clear the cut-outs at intersections that are suppose to be handicap, wheel chair, user friendly. What is that all about? 3. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! We now have a parking dilemma concerning the public library. Who could have ever thought? Could you please give me your suggestion as to the best, most convenient and affordable parking available to library users. 4. What is the name of the grocery store that is going to be coming to downtown Iowa City? 5. What is the status of OUR peninsula development? Last time I checked with our city manager he told me to call developer Stamper and he would fill me in on the details. Could someone please respond to these questions? Or not? Thanks, Terry. P.S. I just don't think that we are getting our money's worth. Although I suppose if you ask Moen he would probably disagree. 915 Fairchild, Iowa City, Iowa February 2, 2004 City Council Civic Center Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Gentle persons: The Press Citizen mentioned that Riverside Theater would like to sell liquor as fund raiser at their productions in city park. Please, please do not allow that. There is too much liquor in Iowa City already. Alcoholic drinks are not necessary to the enjoyment of the plays. Let Shakespeare continue to be the attraction. Say no to drinks. .~ ~ .~ ~'~. Nlarianne K. Michael Marian Karr From: Dale Helling Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 10:49 AM To: 'bevplatz@mindspring.com' Cc: *City Council; Jann Ream Subject: RE: sidewalks Ms. Platz, Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding sidewalk snow removal. I have forwarded the information to our Department of Housing and Inspection Services staff who enforce our snow removal ordinance. Hopefully you will see better compliance in these areas in the future. Dale Helllng, Assistant City Manager cc. Jann Ream, Code Enforcement Ass't. ..... Original Message ..... From: bevplatz@mindspring.com [mailto:bevplatz@mindspring.com] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 8:48 AM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: sidewalks Hello. Please excuse this e-mail as I am reluctant to ask for assistance for something that is not a major issue. This however affects me personally and the City has ordinances already which would alleviate this safety problem. On my daily walks from my home on Oakes Dr, I encounter three areas where the sidewalks are not cleaned, EVER! On Rochester Ave, between 7th Ave and Winsor Dr, two homes side by side have not cleaned their sidewalk. Also, the new construction of Condos on 1st Ave, east of Regina High School have never cleaned their sidewalks. In addition, they park their personal vehicles and construction vehicles on ~he sidewalks. This makes it very dangerous as you either have to walk through this maze or cross 1st Ave in the middle of the street. The last area is just North of the Park's new parking lot on 1st Ave. Here the 8 ft sidewalk is cleared by the City then ends at the beginning of the hill, then starts back up again. There is about a 500 ft section of this new sidewalk that is not cleared making using the sidewalk impossible, especially with the snows we have had lately. Thank you for your time on this matter. Bev Platz Marian Karr From: bevplatz@mindspring.com Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 11:03 AM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: sidewalks Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Hershey, (my Chocolate Lab) and I want to thank you for your quick response to my previous e-mail cencerning the sidewalks en Rochester, First Ave and Scott Blvd. It is greatly appreciated. Bev Platz, 1229 Oakes Dr, IC Blank Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Radosevich, Stephen J [Stephen-Radosevic@uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 10:14 AM To: co u ncil@iowa-city.org Subject: Snow removal Dear Councilors, I write to you because of my dissatisfaction with snow removal in our city. 1 do understand that the city's streets, in winter, will never look like an Arizona street in July/August. What concerns me is that I see the city plows driving down the streets with their blades up. An example was this past Monday, 02/02/04. It was approx 4:30 in the afternoon and the snow was coming down fairly heavy. As 1 walked by the University of Iowa's (empty) president's house, heading East on Church St, I counted three plows going North on Dubuque St. They were not right behind each other, but were in close proximity...and not one had their blade down despite the fact the streets were full of snow. Many places I've been, once the plows hit the streets, their blades NEVER come up. It would be a point of efficiency to continuously plow if the trucks are already out driving the streets. This is an observance I had seen before and thus believe it must be policy/technique related. 1 have to wonder what the policy is for snow removal. Is it that only the worst spots will be plowed, salt & sanded until the snow ends? When an area receives as much snow as we did this past week...the trucks, if out, should be plowing. The name of the process IS snow removal! Sincerely, Steve Stephen J. Radosevich Grant Accounting The University of Iowa B5 Jessup Hall Iowa City, IA., 52242 Ph: 319.335.0650 Fax: 319.335.0674 stephen-radosevich~uiowa.edu 2/9/04  Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Alexis Park Inn & Suites [AlexisParklnn@mchsi.com] Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2004 2:04 PM To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org Subject: Excess Noise by City Equipment and Personnel To the Council, We are the new owners of the Alexis Park Inn & Suites, 1165 S Riverside Drive, as of the Fall of 2002. As many of you know, we have embarked on a multi-year program with the intent of converting this old, formerly dying hotel into an utterly unique aviation destination -- equal parts museum and hotel. In our first 18 months we have come a long way. Business has grown steadily, and we have attracted national media attention. Virtually everyone who stays with us loves the place, and repeat business is booming. Every nickel we make is being poured back into the business, with additional artwork, decor, and new suites comin9 on-line monthly. In short, we are having great success (and fun!) sprucing up the southern entrance to our fair City! However, we have run into a major roadblock with the City itself, and we hope you, as our elected officials, can help. The Problem Directly across Riverside Drive from us is city-owned land. Since we purchased the hotel, the city has embarked on several new (and unexpected) projects with this land, none of which are conducive to running a luxury suites hotel. These projects have included using the land as a massive land-fill dump site. Apparently from a University of Iowa building project, the dirt from this project forced us to deal with six months of red dust and dirt throughout our hotel. At one point the City's dirt piles were taller than our 3-story buildings, and presented not only a serious health and cleaning hazard to our guests, but also created an incredible eye-sore to all who stayed with us. Despite this, we persevered, knowing that - sooner or later - the dirt would be gone. We had high hopes that the end result would be an improvement, with the land leveled out and seeded, rather than left in its formerly deplorable condition. Now, however, we're facing an even graver problem. It seems that the city is now using this land as a dumping place for all the excess snow from downtown, as well as a repository for salt and sand. While this would be a terrible eyesore no matter how you cut it, we could live with it -- except for the fact that they insist on dumping snow there ALL NIGHT LONG. And we're not talking simply dumping snow. City dump trucks must back quite a distance into the property before dumping and -- as we all know -- dump trucks have incredibly loud "beepers" which activate automatically. Then, after enduring THAT noise, the drivers "bang" their dumper several times, in order to knock off any excess snow. As you can imagine, the noise is incredible, incessant, and (in my humble opinion) illegal. Please refer to the City's own noise ordinance at: ht~;l166.113.195..234/INIowa%20City/index, htm. 2/9/04 Page 2 of 2 These ordinances plainly state that ANY loud noises between 10 PM and 6 AM are illegal, and perpetrators are subject to fines and imprisonment. So, in keeping with these ordinances, we have complained directly to the Department of Public Works, speaking with Bud Stockman and John Savotsny. Incredibly, they have informed us that the City is exempt from their own noise ordinances, and that we are powerless to prevent this disruption to our business. We then checked with the Iowa City Police Department, and were told basically the same thing. In short, the current law states that City personnel can literally make any amount of noise, anytime, day or night -- and we are helpless to prevent it. As you can well imagine, this is not an acceptable situation. Our clientele has gone quite a bit upscale from the "old" Alexis Park Inn, with an average guest now paying over $100 per night. Needless to say, when you are paying that kind of money for a luxury suite, you do NOT want to listen to a dump truck banging and beeping all night long! Because of this, we have been forced to issue full refunds to several VERY irate guests, despite the fact that this attack on their senses was completely beyond our control. We desperately need your help with this problem. Anything you can do to alleviate the noise between 10 PM and 8 AM would be very much appreciated. Conclusion Prior to our purchasing the hotel in 2002, the Alexis Park Inn had descended into "resident-hotel" status. It was known locally only as "Frat-Party Central," and as a den for drug dealers and prostitutes. Now, in just 18 short months, the Inn has become known nationally as a top-of-the- line, luxury suites, fly-in hotel, and we have attracted guests from as far away as New Zealand. We have worked extremely hard to get to this point, but we do not intend to rest on our laurels. Over the next few years we intend to add a restaurant, improved landscaping, and a museum -- but for any of this to happen, we cannot have a giant, round-the-clock dump-station located directly across the street. Sincerely, Jay & Mary Honeck Owners/Innkeepers The Alexis Park Inn & Suites www. AlexisParklnn.com "Your Aviation Destination" 2/9/04 Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Tom Schnell [thomas-schnell@uiowa.edu] Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 4:41 PM To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org Subject: Airport Commission Meeting Dear Mayor Lehman, dear members of the Iowa City Council, First and foremost, let me state that I think that Iowa City is truly one of the best places to live. Thus, the wellbeing of this city is dear to my heart and I consider it a matter of absolute importance to keep this city one of the best to live in. For me personally, a thrivin9 Iowa City airport is an important term in that equation. My mail to you concerns a potential proposal by Baron Thrower to convert the airport commission to an advisory group without any decision making power and to have the airport run directly by the city. I am strongly opposed to that notion and I wanted to voice my concerns about that to you. I am a tenant at the Iowa City Airport and I make many trips using my aircraft to visit research sites and to meet with research partners or funding agencies. The use of my aircraft has generated a considerable amount of externally funded research dollars in that I am able to attend distant meetings at offthe path locations at short notice. I can also bring my research team with me to these meetings at a cost that is far less than going commercial. I can haul my research equipment directly to the research locations. Last but not least, all that saves me and my research team a lot of time when compared to commercial air transport. It is much more productive for our team, the university, and this community if we spend our time writing grant proposals and research papers when compared to hanging out at large hub and spoke airports such as O'Hare, waiting to make a connection on the airlines. Sometimes, we go to places such as Rochester, MN. That takes me about 40 minutes in my aircraft (one way) but no less than 3 hours by car. Again, the time savings are tremendous and the payback is quite considerable. We really need a thriving airport here in Iowa City to accomplish this level of productivity. The research money has provided many a benefit to graduate students and research engineers who work in my lab. I also buy fuel at the airport and get my aircraft maintenance taken care of at a facility at the airport. Thus, this money is all getting to work right here in Iowa City. I also run an aviation research laboratory at the airport (building H). We bring in folks from all over the world to see the state of the art technology that we co-develop with Rockwell Collins, NASA, and the USAF. I assume that this outlines in enough detail that I really think that the Iowa City airport is an important asset that needs to be protected. As a user of this airport, I am very much concerned of a scenario similar to what happened at Meigs field in Chicago. As you may recall, Mayor Daley and the city of Chicago took it upon themselves to close the airport simply by bulldozing it. The FAA was not able to prevent this from happening. Airport users must have an active representation in the organization and management of an airport and the autonomous airport commission fulfills this charge. To remove the autonomy of the airport commission and provide direct control is, in my humble opinion, a step in the wrong direction and I urge this city council not to bypass the users of this airport. As pilots and citizens, we care for this airport, we care for this city. It is a great place to be. Keep it that way. Best Regards Tom Schnell +++++++++++++++++++++4-+++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tom Schnell, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Director of the Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) 2135 Seamans Center The University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 52242-1527 Phone: 319 631 4445 Fax: 319 335 5669 URL htt~)://arrow, win.ecn.uiowa.edu and http://opl.ecn~uiowa~edu +++++++++++++++++++++4.+++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2/6/04 SouthGat¢ February 9, 2004 Honorable Mayor Emie Lehman City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 7ss Mormon Trek Bird RO Box 1907 lo'va Cil% lo,va 52244 Dear Mayor Lehman: Phone: (319) 339 9320 After viewing the Council meeting of February 5, 2004 1 feel compelled to generate [o×: (319)339 4201 this correspondence. I find it very encouraging to see how the new City Council is working together for the common good. The coUncil's unanimous decision to waive the second reading and go directly to the third vote of the Conditional Zoning Agreement for Sandhill Estates was very much appreciated. Southgate and other applicants will view this new cooperative spirit as a refreshing change from previous City Council which has been noted for dissention. The Council's current makeup with two new members joining the five previously serving members now appear to work as a team where the concern is for the good of the community. This CoUncil seems certain to avoid the meaningless bickering which in past years resulted in delays and needless cost to the City and to members of the public. We look forward to working together on other projects for the mutual benefit of Iowa City. Sincerely o,o.-,. · Glenn R. Siders MHAWKEYE AREA COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM, INC ~ a help up, not a hand out Earnest Lehman February 5, 2004__ City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street ~C~ "~ Iowa City, lA 52245 ..., co 'TI Regarding: HACAP withdrawal of the FY-05 funding request. 7< _ Dear Mr. Lehman: Due to financial pressures from all levels of government and unprecedented increases in insurance costs the HACAP Board of Directgrs will be downsizing our service operations, as well as reducing the administrative staff and financial complexity of this organization. This will necessitate a simplification of our grant writing, contracting, and reporting systems in the future. HACAP has always used 100% of the local funding provided by Johnson County' the City of Iowa City, and United Way of Johnson County to extend child care options to Head Start and Transitional Housing families within the county. For the past decade these resources have been applied to offer full-day full-year toddler care at Head Start sites. The relative declines in local financial support, the unpredictability of DHS child care awards, and increasing labor cost have gradually eroded the level of this service from three classrooms of 12 children to one classroom. We now know this last group will not be financially viable even if our current FY- 05 request is fully funded. Thus we plan to close the remaining classroom at the end of May when current funds will be exhausted and forego future funding. As most of you are aware HACAP has pledged $40,000 per year of funding to Shelter House as part of the HUD match requirement to maintain the STAR program in Johnson County. In light of the financial realities we are facing we do not expect to be able to continue this support after 6/30/04. The STAR program is the financial anchor to the collaborative case management and direct service network for the homeless in the county. Our contribution leverages $160,000 in HUD funding to the county annually. HACAP does not receive any funding from the STAR grant, however the residents in our local transitional housing units receive support services through this effort. Most of the families currently served in our toddler classroom could potentially receive childcare assistance from other providers through the STAR program in the future. 1515 Hawkeye Drive g PO Box 490 ~ Hiawatha, Iowa 52233 ph 319-393-7811 .~fx 319-393-6263 . email hacap@hacap.org ~ www hacap.org AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AGENCY ,~ A MEMBER OF THE UNITED WAY Last year HACAP received $41,810 in combined allocations from Johnson County, the City of Iowa City, and United Way of Johnson County. While we understand that it may not be consistent with your established funding procedures, we would ask that you transfer any funds you may have planned to provide HACAP next year to Shelter House to preserve this $160,000 of federal resources for the homeless in Johnson County. HACAP will continue to provide Head Start, Transitional Housing, Energy Assistance, and Weatherization services in Johnson County through our three Family Resource Centers and through three of our community partner sites. The Food Reservior will continue providing thousands of pounds of food to the 22 member agencies in Johnson County for their programs that serve those in need. We also plan on continuing to work closely with the City of Iowa City to expand the number of transitional housing units for homeless families with young children. We appreciate the support you have provided HACAP in the past, and look forward to working together in the future to address the needs of low-income residents of Johnson County. Sincerely, Marty Cutter, HACAP Board of Directors President Don W. Maniccia, HACAP Executive Director ~> .'77 cc: Dick Schwab, United Way of Johnson County Terrance Neuzil, City of Iowa City Marian Karr From: Dale Helling Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 11:08 AM To: 'ih$ beans@hotmail.com' Cc: 'pink2703@hotmail.com'; *City Council Subject: Abandoned Car Shop To: Tim Fitzgerald From: Dale Helling, Assistant City Manager Thank you, Tim, for your recent email to the City Council. The building and location you referred to are not familiar to the City. The roads you mentioned (Wycome and Stratford) are not City streets. Thus I can only conclude that the abandoned car shop is outside the corporate limits of Iowa City, and the City would thus have no jurisdiction there. Assuming it is in Johnson County, you might wish to contact the County Board of Supervisors with your suggestion. Have a good day. Marian Karr From: Tim Fitzgerald [i_h8_beans@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 11,2004 12:04 PM To: council@iowa-city.org Subject: Annoying unused abandoned car shop I am e-mailing about the the old unsed car shop in hall green. It should be used some how. It's right around the corner from Wycome road and on the stratford road. I (Tim Fitzgerald) and my friend {Chris Szemla} are Extreamly annoyed with the sight as we walk home every wednesday. Why not make it into some thing useful like a new somerfeild of a skate park. If they had a new shop they could go there without having to travel a mile (o.k now I'm over reacting} but however if it was a skate park, it would stop vandalism around the area. If it was somthing usful, it would be very popular and raise alot of money for the company and would use a large space of land that is not being used. The only reason i can think of that you are not using it is that you are thinking of a way to use it. Please respond to i h8 beans@hotmail.com and think pink2703@hotmail.com p.s please on the second e-mall address put as the subject "for chris" Express yourself with cool new emoticons http://www.msn.co.uk/specials/myemo Marian Karr From: Tim Fitzgerald [i_hS_beans@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 12:04 PM To: cou ncil@iowa-city.org Subject: Annoying unused abandoned car shop I am e-mailing about the the old unsed car shop in hall greet should be used some how. It's rkght around the corner from Wycome r, and on the stratford road. I (Tim,Fitzgerald) and my friend (Chris are Extreamly annoyed with ~e sight as we walk home ever, y. Why not m~e it into some thing useful a new somerfeild of a skate park. If they h~,a new shop they ceul¢ there without having ',, to travel a mile (e.k now I'm"ever reacting) bu however if it was a skate " park, it would stop vandalism aT,nd the are~ If it was somthing usful, it would be very popular and raise aloe, of m/ for the company and would use a large space ef land that is net ed. The only reason i can th k of that you are not using it is that you are thinking of a way te u~ Please respond te i h8 beans@hotmail.cem and think pink2703@hetmail.com p.s please on the second address put as ubject "for chris" Express yourself with cc new emoticons http://www.msn.co.uk 'emo POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD A Board of the City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City IA 52240-1826 (319)356-5041 February 11, 2004 Mayor Ernest W. Lehman 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor and Council Members: At the February 10, 2004 meeting, the PCRB voted in open session to request a 60-day extension in addition to its regular 45-day reporting deadline for the Public Report according to the City Code for PCRB Complaint #03-13 for the following reasons: · Further investigation by the Board · The Board wishes to interview the complainant. · Public Report presently due March 1, 2004 60-day Extension request - Report would be due on April 30, 2004 The Board appreciates your prompt consideration of this matter. Sincerely, Loren Horton, Chair Police Citizens Review Board cc: City Attorney CIG27.TXT CONTINUING DISCLOSURE CERTIFICATE This Continuing Disclosure Certificate (the "Disclosure Certificate") is executed and delivered by Iowa City, Iowa (the "Issuer") in connection with the issuance of $7,305,000 General Obligation Bonds, Taxable Series 2004 (the "Bonds") dated March 1, 2004. The Bonds are being issued pursuant to a Resolution of the Issuer approved on February 17 ,2004 (the "Resolution"). The Issuer covenants and agrees as follows: SECTION 1. Purpose of the Disclosure Certificate. This Disclosure Certificate is being executed and delivered by the Issuer for the benefit of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the Bonds and in order to assist the Participating Underwriters in complying with S.E.C. Rule 15c2-12(b)(5). SECTION 2. Definitions. In addition to the definitions set forth in the Resolution, which apply to any capitalized term used in this Disclosure Certificate unless otherwise defined in this Section, the following capitalized terms shall have the following meanings: "Annual Report" shall mean any Annual Report provided by the Issuer pursuant to, and as described in, Sections 3 and 4 of this Disclosure Certificate. "Beneficial Owner" shall mean any person which (a) has the power, directly or indirectly, to vote or consent with respect to, or to dispose of ownership of, any Bonds (including persons holding Bonds through nominees, depositories or other intermediaries), or (b) is treated as the owner of any Bonds for federal income tax purposes. "Dissemination Agent" shall mean any Dissemination Agent designated in writing by the Issuer and which has filed with the Issuer a written acceptance of such designation. "Holders" shall mean the registered holders of the Bonds, as recorded in the registration books of the Registrar. "Listed Events" shall mean any of the events listed in Section 5(a) of this Disclosure Certificate. "Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board" or "MSRB" shall mean the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, 1900 Duke Street, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314. "National Repository" shall mean any Nationally Recognized Municipal Securities Information Repository for purposes of the Rule. The National Repositories currently approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission are set forth in Exhibit B. "Participating Underwriter" shall mean any of the original underwriters of the Bonds required to comply with the Rule in connection with offering of the Bonds. "Repository" shall mean each National Repository and each State Repository. "Rule" shall mean Rule 15c2-12(b)(5) adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as the same may be amended from time to time. "State" shall mean the State of Iowa. "State Repository" shall mean any public or private repository or entity designated by the State as a state repository for the purpose of the Rule and recognized as such by the Securities and Exchange Commission. As of the date of this Certificate, there is no State Repository. SECTION 3. Provision of Annual Reports. (a) The Issuer shall, or shall cause the Dissemination Agent to, not later than two hundred-ten (210) days after the end of the Issuer's fiscal year (presently June 30th), commencing with the report for the 2002/2003 fiscal year, provide to each Repository an Annual Report which is consistent with the requirements of Section 4 of this Disclosure Certificate. The Annual Report may be submitted as a single document or as separate documents comprising a package, and may cross- reference other information as provided in Section 4 of this Disclosure Certificate; provided that the audited financial statements of the Issuer may be submitted separately from the balance of the Annual Report and later than the date required above for the filing of the Annual Report if they are not available by that date. If the Issuer's fiscal year changes, it shall give notice of such change in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(c). -2- (b) Not later than fifteen (15) business days prior to said date, the Issuer shall provide the Annual Report to the Dissemination Agent (if other than the Issuer). If the Issuer is unable to provide to the Repositories an Annual Report by the date required in subsection (a), the Issuer shall send a notice to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the State Repository, if any, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit A. (c) The Dissemination Agent shall: (i) determine each year prior to the date for providing the Annual Report the name and address of each National Repository and the State Repository, if any, and (ii) (if the Dissemination Agem is other than the Issuer), file a report with the Issuer certifying that the Annual report has been provided pursuant to this Disclosure Certificate, stating the date it was provided and listing all the Repositories to which it was provided. SECTION 4. Content of Annual Reports. The Issuer's Annual Report shall contain or incorporate by reference the following: 1. The audited financial statements of the Issuer for the prior fiscal year, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board as modified in accordance with the governmental accounting standards promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board or as otherwise provided under State law, as in effect from time to time, or, if and to the extent such financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, noting the discrepancies therefrom and the effect thereof. If the Issuer's audited financial statements are not available by the time the Annual Report is required to be filed pursuant to Section 3(a), the Annual Report shall contain unaudited financial statements in a format similar to the financial statements contained in the final Official Statement, and the audited financial statements shall be filed in the same manner as the Annual Report when they become available. -3- 2. Information of the type contained in the final Official Statement under the captions: "General Obligation Debt Annual Maturity Schedule" "Revenue Debt" "Debt Limit Computation" "Overlapping Debt" "Statements of Revenues and Expenditures for the General Fund" "General Fund Budget" "Cash and Investments" "Property Valuations and Taxes" "Actual Value by Class" "Tax Collections" "Tax Rates" "Principal Taxpayers" Any or all of the items listed above may be included by specific reference to other documents, including official statements of debt issues of the Issuer or related public entities, which have been submitted to each of the Repositories or the Securities and Exchange Commission. If the document included by reference is a final official statement, it must be available from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. The Issuer shall clearly identify each such other document so included by reference. SECTION 5. Reporting of Significant Events. (a) Pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, the Issuer shall give, or cause to be given, notice of the occurrence of any of the following events with respect to the Bonds, if material: (1) principal and interest payment delinquencies; (2) non-payment related defaults; (3) unscheduled draws on debt service reserves reflecting financial difficulties; (4) unscheduled draws on credit enhancements reflecting financial difficulties; -4- (5) substitution of credit or liquidity providers, or their failure to perform; (6) adverse tax opinions or events affecting the tax- exempt status of the security; (7) modifications to rights of security holders; (8) bond calls; (9) defeasances; (10) release, substitution, or sale of property securing repayment of the securities; and (11) rating changes. (b) Whenever the Issuer obtains the knowledge of the occurrence of a Listed Event, the Issuer shall as soon as possible determine if such event would be material under applicable federal securities laws. (c) If the Issuer determines that knowledge of the occurrence of a Listed Event would be material under applicable federal securities laws, the Issuer shall promptly file a notice of such occurrence with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the State Repository. Notwithstanding the foregoing, notice of Listed Events described in subsections (a) (8) and (9) need not be given under this subsection any earlier than the notice (if any) of the underlying event is given to Holders of affected Bonds pursuant to the Resolution. SECTION 6. Termination of Reporting Obligation. The Issuer's obligations under this Disclosure Certificate shall terminate upon the legal defeasance, prior redemption or payment in full of all of the Bonds or upon the Issuer's receipt of an opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel to the effect that, because of legislative action or final judicial action or administrative actions or proceedings, the failure of the issuer to comply with the terms hereof will not cause Participating Underwriters to be in violation of the Rule or other applicable requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 193~, as amended. If -5- such termination occurs prior to the final maturity of the Bonds, the Issuer shall give notice of such termination in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(c). SECTION 7. Dissemination Agent. The Issuer may, from time to time, appoint or engage a Dissemination Agent to assist it in carrying out its obligations under this Disclosure Certificate, and may discharge any such Agent, with or without appointing a successor Dissemination Agent. The Dissemination Agent shall not be responsible in any manner for the content of any notice or report prepared by the Issuer pursuant to this Disclosure Certificate. The initial Dissemination Agent shall be the Issuer. SECTION 8. Amendment; Waiver. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Disclosure Certificate, the Issuer may amend this Disclosure Certificate, and any provision of this Disclosure Certificate may be waived, provided that the following conditions are satisfied: (a) If the amendment or waiver relates to the provisions of Section 3(a), 4, or 5(a), it may only be made in connection with a change in circumstances that arises from a change in legal requirements, change in law, or change in the identity, nature or status of an obligated person with respect to the Bonds, or the type of business conducted; (b) The undertaking, as amended or taking into account such waiver, would, in the opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel, have complied with the requirements of the Rule at the time of the original issuance of the Bonds, after taking into account any amendments or interpretations of the Rule, as well as any change in circumstances; and (c) The amendment or waiver either (i) is approved by the Holders of the Bonds in the same manner as provided in the Resolution for amendments to the Resolution with the consent of Holders, or (ii) does not, in the opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel, materially impair the interests of the Holders or Beneficial Owners of the Bonds. In the event of any amendment or waiver of a provision of this Disclosure Certificate, the Issuer shall describe 'such amendment in the next Annual Report, and shall include, as applicable, a narrative explanation of the reason for the amendment or waiver and its impact on the type (or in the case of a change of accounting principles, on the -6- presentation) of financial information or operating data being presented by the Issuer. In addition, if the amendment relates to the accounting principles to be followed in preparing financial statements, (i) notice of such change shall be given in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(c), and (ii) the Annual Report for the year in which the change is made will present a comparison or other discussion in narrative form (and also, if feasible, in quantitative form) describing or illustrating the material differences between the financial statements as prepared on the basis of the new accounting principles and those prepared on the basis of the former accounting principles. SECTION 9. Additional Information. Nothing in this Disclosure Certificate shall be deemed to prevent the Issuer from disseminating any other information, using the means of dissemination set forth in this Disclosure Certificate or any other means of communication, or including any other information in any Annual Report or notice of occurrence of a Listed Event, in addition to that which is required by this Disclosure Certificate. If the Issuer chooses to include any information in any Annual Report or notice of occurrence of a Listed Event in addition to that which is specifically required by this Disclosure Certificate, the Issuer shall have no obligation under this Certificate to update such information or include it in any future Annual Report or notice of occurrence of a Listed Event. SECTION 10. Default. In the event of a failure of the Issuer to comply with any provision of this Disclosure Certificate, any Holder or Beneficial Owner of the Bonds may take such actions as may be necessary and appropriate, including seeking mandate or specific performance by court order, to cause the Issuer to comply with its obligations under this Disclosure Certificate. Direct, indirect, consequential and punitive damages shall not be recoverable by any person for any default hereunder and are hereby waived to the extent permitted by law. A default under this Disclosure Certificate shall not be deemed an event of default under the Resolution, and the sole remedy under this Disclosure Certificate in the event of any failure of the Issuer to comply with this Disclosure Certificate shall be an action to compel performance. SECTION 11. Duties, Immunities and Liabilities of Dissemination Agent. The Dissemination Agent shall have only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Disclosure Certificate, and the Issuer agrees to indemnify and save the Dissemination Agent, its officers, directors, employees and agents, harmless against any loss, expense and liabilities which it may incur arising out of or in the exercise or performance of its powers and duties hereunder, including the costs and expenses (including attorneys fees) of defending against any claim of liability, but excluding liabilities due to the Dissemination Agent's negligence or willful misconduct. The obligations of the Issuer -7- under this Section shall survive resignation or removal of the Dissemination Agent and payment of the Bonds. SECTION 12. Beneficiaries. This Disclosure Certificate shall inure solely to the benefit of the Issuer, the Dissemination Agent, the Participating Underwriters and Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of the Bonds, and shall create no rights in any other person or entity. Date: ;:'~ /,~'~ '- ' ' / ~ ,2004 IOWA CITY, IOWA Mayor l'rd ATTEST: City'Clerk -8- EXHIBIT A NOTICE TO REPOSITORIES OF FAILURE TO FILE ANNUAL REPORT Name of Issuer: Iowa City, Iowa Name of Bond Issue: $7,305,000 General Obligation Bonds, Taxable Series 2004 Dated Date of Issue: March 1, 2004 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Issuer has not provided an Annual Report with respect to the above-named Bonds as required by Section 3 of the Continuing Disclosure Certificate delivered by the Issuer in connection with said Bonds. The Issuer anticipates that the Annual Report will be filed by Dated: IOWA CITY, IOWA By: Mayor ATTEST: By: City Clerk EXHIBIT B Nationally Recognized Municipal Securities Information Repositories currently approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission: Bloomberg Municipal Repository 100 Business Park Drive Skillman, New Jersey 08558 Phone: (609) 279-3225 Fax: (609) 279-5962 http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/municipal-contactinfo.html DPC Data Inc. One Executive Drive Fort Lee, NJ 07024 Phone: (201) 346-0701 Fax: (201) 947-0107 http://www.dpcdata.com Standard & Poor's Securities Evaluations, Inc. 55 Water Street, 45th Floor New York, NY 10041 Phone: (212) 438-4595 FAX: (212) 438-3975 www.jjkenny.com/jjkenny/pser descrip data rep.html FT Interactive Data Attn: NRMSIR 100 William Street New York, NY 10038 Phone: (212) 771-6999 FAX: (212) 771-7390 (Secondary Market Information) (212) 771-7391 (Primary Market Information) http://www.interactivedata.com 399016.1\10714081