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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-02-06 Public hearingNOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the CiW Council of Iowa City, Iowa, at §:30 p.m. on the 6th day of February, 1996, in the Civic Center Council Chambers, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, Iowa; at which hearing the Council will consider; 1. Increasing transit fees from $.50 per ride and 918 per month up to $.75 per ride and 925 per month. 2, Decreasing the current hours of service up to suspension of ser~/ice at 7:00 p.m. Mon- day through Friday. 3. Increasing paratransit fares from 91.00 up to $1.50 per ride. 4. Increasing outlying parking meters from 9,30 up to 9.40 per hour. 5. Increasing outlying parking permits up to $45 per month. 6. Increasing the hourly fee in the Dubuque Street Ramp from 9.45 to 9.50 per hour, Copies of the proposed resolution are on file for public examination in the office of the City Clerk, Civic Center, Iowa City, Iowa. Persons wishing to make their views known for Council consideration are encouraged to appear at the above-mentioned time and place. MARIAN K. KARR, CITY CLERK ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 3, ENTI- TLED "CITY FINANCES, TAXATION AND FEES", CHAPTER 4, ENTITLED "SCHEDULE OF FEES, RATES, CHARGES, BONDS, FINES AND PENALTIES," SECTION 6, ENTITLED "PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION" OF THE CITY CODE BY AMENDING THE GENERAL FARES AND RATES CHARGED FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. WHEREAS, federal operating assistance is currently received by the CiW of iowa City to subsidize and support public transportation; and WHEREAS, the federal operating assistance currently received by the City of Iowa City to support public transportation is scheduled to be phased out over a three-year period beginning in Fiscal Year 1997; and WHEREAS, to compensate for this reduction in federal funding supporting public transporta- tion, the City of Iowa City must adjust the general fares and rates charged for the provi- sion of public transportation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA: SECTION I. AMENDMENT. Title 3, entitled "City Finances, Taxation and Fees", Chapter 4, entitled "Schedule of Fees. Rates, Charges, Bonds, Fines and Penalties," Section 6, entitled "Public Transportation" of the City Code be amended as follows: General Fares and Rates Standard Fare, General Public - $0.75 Saturday Fare, General Public - t~0.75 Monthly Pass, General Public - $25.00 SECTION I1. REPEALER. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with the provi- sions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed. SECTION ill. SEVERABILITY. If any section, provision or part of the Ordinance shall be adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional, such adjudication shall not affect the validity of the Ordinance as a whole or any section, provision or part thereof not adjudged invalid or unconsti- tutional. SECTION IV. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordi- nance shall be in effect after its final passage, approval and publication, as provided by law. Passed and approved this MAYOR ATTEST: CITY CLERK ~^~o~n~c~.~ 0 RECEIVED JAN 3 0 199§ ) Y-ecAoc ¼o~, i~ tO c.~x--e S 5 4 February 1996 -~ ~ ~ To the City Council, ~.< ~,~ I am unable to attend the February 6 transit heating but would like to take this oppo~:a~{y t~: ;: make a winten submission. My thoughts on the transit matter reflect discussions witt~;friend.~"~and colleagues in Iowa City, and some experience with the transit problem in other settings I do not ride the bus regularly (I live four blocks from work), but ! keenly the appreciate the value of affordable and convenient public transit to the public life ofthis community 1. Increase revenues by increasing ridership. In my mind, solutions (such as rate hikes or service cuts) which do not increase ridership will slowly strangle our public transit system. There are a number of options in this respect, most of which revolve around making the pass system cheaper and more flexible. * Many Iowa Citians are on academic schedules (MWF or TTh) which make monthly passes a poor choice. A punchcard or strip ticket system would make transit more attractive for those whose trips per month are more sporadic or uneven. * Aggressively promote an employment-pased travel allowance program. Encouraging employers (I understand Mercy Hospital does this) to allow employees to exchange subsidized parking for a bus pass or a straight cash-out. There is no reason why the City could not offer heavily discounted bulk sales of bus passes to employers willing to participate. The big prize here, ofcourse, would be the University. * Offer heavily discounted bus passes to those paying monthly parking in outlying lots: $35.00 gets you a month of parking; $45.00 gets you a month of parking and a bus pass. * Increase parking rates in downtown lots substantially; not so much for the direct revenue as for the inducement to take the bus instead. The common concern here is that higher rates might discourage downtown shoppers, in this case you could discount the first hour and have the increase (to $1.00/hr?) apply to the second hour and after. 2. Integrate Cambus, SEATS, Coralville and Iowa City bus systems. It is ironic and troubling that our current public transit features one substantial public good (the free Cambus), two struggling fixed route systems (Iowa City and Coralville), and one booming (in compliance with ADA) paratransit system (SEATS). Integration might accomplish the following' * The establishment of a progressive, integrated transit system with free buses in the downtown core. * Combining SEATS and conventional transit would put the welcome pressure of the ADA mandate on the public transportation system as a whole; it would remove the stigma of running a segregated systems for the disabled; it would allow the two services to blend management and maintenance; and (perhaps most importantly) it would allow the paratransit vans to provide service to points on the fixed route system, to supplement and support the public transit system rather than compete with it. * Combining Cambus and IC transit would allow lhe City to lean on the University for downtown service, and the University to lean on the City for spur lines. Imagine a deal with the University in which a $10.00 transit levy on student fees would make a UI student card into a bus pass and provide an infusion of nearly $300,000 into local transit 3. Don't give up on federal funding. The collapse of federal funding is lamentable and, in the short-term, irreversible. But we should not simply accept this like it was a unfortunate turn in the weather. The City should investigate and publicize the exact process by which these funds were cut, and the voting record on this issue of our local legislators. Here, it seems to me, is a clear cut example of what the "Contract on America" means in local settings. We are not, as is routinely promised, seeing government lifted off our backs. We are seeing new fiscal pressures on local governments without the tax base to deal with them, and the slow collapse of public services which virtually all of us value or need. Colin Gordon 225 Church Street Iowa City, IA colin-gordon~uiowa.edu 351-4515 American Federation of Teachers Local 716. AFL-CIO P.O. Box 177. Oakdale, IA 52319 The City of ~owa City City Council February 5, 1996. Dear People, The American Federation of Teachers, Local 716 of Iowa City, would like to express our deepest concern over the proposals of the City Council to increase the fares for patrons of the city transit services. Public transportation is an integral pad of the provision of services to members of the community. For primary users, public transportation is the only means of access to the downtown and other areas of the city. Mass transit helps people get to and from work. The price of the fares and the cost of monthly passes should not be too high. In fact the cost structure should encourage the use of public transpod and thereby reduce the level of auto traffic in a congested Iowa city downtown area. There is also a need to manitain services at night. The Council should be examining policies that promote increased ridership and thereby increased revenues. We urge the Council to reject the quick fix price increase solution and explore real public serving alternatives. Sincerely, Laurie Clements, Secretary. SYSTEMS UNLIMITED INC. An Iowa Not, profit Corporation provld~g commu~ty support services for people with developm~tal dlsabilltlez. 1556 1st Ave. S. · Iowa City, Iowa 52240-6039, (319) 338-9212 Iowa City Council Civic Center 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 February 6, 1996 Dear Council Members: All services dependent upon government funding will be pressured to deliver the same services with less funding. With the decrease in federal funding available for transportation, it is inevitable that some changes will need to be made. However, as you carefully review your alternatives, on behalf of Systems Unlimited, I ask that you make every effort to avoid the elimination of night time transit routes. Many iowa City residents are dependent on the buses to get to and from there places of employment. This certainly includes many of our employees as well as people with disabilities who we serve. I am quite certain that most residents who ride the buses would be willing to do their part by paying for some increase in the transit fees. However, the elimination of the night time transit routes would have far reaching impacts. We ask that you view the elimination of the night time routes as your lowest priority. Very truly yours, William L. Gorman Executive Director DtEAR CITY Cou/v'ClL; ~T W~LL Cost PEop~g ~ ~,. ~Lso FEOPLk PSY ~ LoT P~~NO~ ~o~t~ CTTY 5'CHooL~ uS~ ~ RouTES C.--z ul~5 C~TV I~E~FT--TX Ff~'~ ~O~r C~'TY c :zT. zZE~_~ / // PHO,xJ~. f ........ . .,~.__L .~-~--.~-~_ ~__--~.~, ............7:.~--~'~-~:~-.~ ...................