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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-02-07 TranscriptionFebruary 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget 9:30 ~M Council: Nov, Baker, Kubby, Lehman, Norton, Thornberry, Vanderhoef. Staff: Atkin$, Helling, Karr, Davidson, Logsden, Fowler, Dollman, Yucuis, Mansfield. Tapes: 96-23, all; 96-24, Side 1. Budqet Discussion 96-23 S1 Atkins/ What I would like to do is that I have the memos several of you prepared. I have your earlier memo that I out showing you the changes. that sent Karr/ Steve, do you want to turn on the mic- Arkins/ .... With last night's hearing fresh in your mind, I think there are two ways of approaching the discussion today. I do want to go through each of those items that you all raised. Do we want to do transit at the front end of this meeting knowing that some of the decisions... are going to affect? Or do you want to deal with some of the more general issues? .. pick up transit... move into that issue ..... How do you want to handle this thing? ...... Kubby/ If we spend money out of the General Fund and want to do something with transit, we have to go back to those things and revisit them .... Vanderhoef/ I would appreciate having an idea of what my tradeoffs might be. Kubby/ Atkins/ So what are you saying? Generalize and go back into transit later on .... First is a memo from Dee to all of you... Dee Norton .... 1- Increase in transit fares, the $22 charge and I would say let's skip that and move to the next one. 2-Parking. Support the changes we discussed last week... skip it because obviously that is going to be part of the transit debate .... 3-Human Rights .... Kubby/ Did we get a sheet that shows- Atkins/ I thought you did. Larry called me the other day perplexed. Let me write something down. You have a dated 29th that has human rights, paralegal- and was memo... Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscrlption ofthelowa City council meeting of Februa~ 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page 2 ( [On Board: Human Rights $43,600 paralegal/investigation $31,800 clerk ] That is the cost of salary and benefits for those positions ...... carve it up as you see fit. Clearly several of you have mentioned an interest in doing that. Kubby/ .... clerk for me is automatically scratch that. Arkins/ We have $6,000 in the budget now for clerical assistance. ..... It is all a General Fund expenditure. Baker/ Are we using paralegal and investigator as the same thing? Atkins/ Yes ..... generally speaking we think they are about the same. We would have to do a salary survey .... Baker/ Wouldn't an investigator be an attorney? Arkins/ Not necessarily ..... You can find someone with some general investigative skills ..... Remember Heather is the first attorney that we have had in that position .... Helling/ The temporary part time person that Heather had working for a while this past year was also an attorney. So we feel like there is a good possibility that there are people with law degrees in the community who aren't practicing lawyers who would be interested in that position ..... Kubby/ .... they were saying that even with that part time person they were just keeping even. So maybe we should look at 3/4. Helling/ I am not sure they are keeping exactly even. Nov/ Thornberry/ She feels fairly comfortable, I think, with a half time which means either half a year full time or half time for a year ....... I am not going to get involved in the hiring process. Norton/ You are talking about the professional salary and not the clerk salary? Nov/ Right. There was a clear preference for a paralegal type. Norton/ I am curious...$6,000. Is that just straight transcription This represents only a reosonsbly accurate transcription of the Iowa City council maettng of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page 3 help? I understood that they need somebody that is fairly sensitive to do some of the clerical work. Atkins/ What we tried to do .... get Heather some assistance. I learned she was doing some of her own transcriptions for meetings which I objected to .... Got to be some way to use Heather's time far more productively. And we use minute takers, transcribers fairly routinely... I am saying $6,000 will buy you X number of hours of time to do that kind of work. As far as the confidentiality, I would defer to Heather .... But if it is the routine minutes of the HR Commission, have a clerical person do it. Helling/ In most cases what we are talking about is .... portions of interviews she feels are important enough that need to be transcribed or summarized in detail for the investigation file. And it is very confidential. The ways it would actually work is that this is somebody who is working part time now for Document Services to do this kind of thing and Heather actually sends it to Document Services and the reimbursement is transferred from her account to Document Services. Baker/ ...decided not interested in a clerk .... Thornberry/ ...Sure would like to have a half time at least. Baker/ I suggested a 3/4 time. Vanderhoef/ I have got a question... Heather is our first attorney... I see this flow chart that they have for the Commission and it still goes .... they send everything that Heather does is still being reviewed by another attorney in Linda's Office and I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of it... is there any way that this can be used to our advantage .... relieving some time out of Linda's Office. Helling/ I think it does. I think Anne would tell you she spends less time now reviewing these because the cases she gets are put together in a way that are easier to review... focuses on the legal issues.. spending less time on these. While Heather is an attorney, she is not legal counsel for the city .... It certainly is a benefit that she brings to this position .... I think the City Attorney would tell you that she would want her office to review these cases before they go to the Commission. Vanderhoef/ Thisrepresents only ersasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page 4 Helling/ Anne and Heather work very closely together and so I think there is an improvement in quality, too .... Vanderhoef/ .... still has to all funnel through the legal office. Helling/ That is only a review after the work has been done. The investigations are done right with legal considerations in mind .... Kubby/ Bottom line is do we want to spend $20,000 or $30,000 more for the Human Rights Investigator, 1/2 or 3/4 time? Lehman/ Do we have any capacity on the City Attorney's office to do this now? Baker/ They are one short right now. Council/ (All talking). Atkins/ ... no, they cannot do that plus it is a different role. Heather does nitty gritty digging, finding facts. Anne's role.. is now that I have seen all of this information, is there a case or is there not ..... She is not shy and she will tell folks that. Kubby/ ...let's get back to the issue .... Atkins/ ...have to make some office arrangement... have to figure something out there. Nov/ We have seen Commission members working in the conference room .... Baker/ I would support either 3/4 or 1/2. Atkins/ .... you need to tell me .... Nov/ I think a 1/2. Norton/ I am a 1/2. Vanderhoef/ Let's go 1/2 and keep tabs on Nov/ CVB ..... Atkins/ Right now... Dee is letting CVB have full it. setting... (4-CVB) I am in favor of allocation. I think there are two Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. W$020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page 5 issues: Jazz Festival, Arts Festival. $10,000. Kubby/ ...Larry .... Dee V. saying they were hesitant about the Arts Fest ..... Baker/ It is one of those things where we give money out to department programming and they spend the money .... when I saw their budget and I looked at expenditures for local talent .... the way the thing is organized ..... As Liz, herself... wonderful opportunity for local people .... Philosophically... I have some misgivings about the way it was structured .... Kubby/ So only if you are a big name professional versus a local professional should you get paid? Baker/ If you are an outside professional coming in, yeah, you should get paid... but if you are a local, I have misgivings .... That was my misgiving. Lehman/ You feel that exposure that local groups get is basically advertising. Baker/ ... they want to increase that part of their budget for that.. makes me wonder about city participation .... Lehman/ They were funded at one time-How much money did the Chamber give? Kubby/ They were fully sponsored by the Chamber. Lehman/ Big big bucks and it gradually dropped off. Atkins/ Lehman/ I think the Arts Fest is a great deal but I think... the community should support the Arts Festival .... businesses and whatever should support it. I am not sure where you stop... Now you got Old Capitol Criterium is going to be coming to us and I think you are right, we have no criteria ..... I think we probably should fund them this year but I think we should indicate that this is not something that we are going to continue to fund. Norton/ Is this separate for the CVB? Or are we talking General Fund at the moment? Atkins/ Let me tell you exactly where you are right now. This Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscrlption ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page 6 budget has $5000 for Jazz festival, $5,000 for Arts Festival from Hotel Motel Tax, $5,000 in General Fund for Friday Night Concerts, $3,000 for Johnson County Museum, General Fund. That is where you are right now. Norton/ How do we approach this? Do we deal with the CVB issue first or do we deal with the funding first? Vanderhoef/ The CVB, their dollars are to bring in people to the community, not support as much what is already here. I don't see the local festival bringing in outside people like the Jazz fest ..... a difference in what was happening between the two festivals .... Kubby/ I would disagree because I am involved in the Arts Fest as an artist and I see people from all over the mid-west as artists who come in ..... who stay in hotels .... I have customers ..... who come from out of town as participants and as performers. Vanderhoef/ When we talk about Iowa City Arts Fest, I am thinking local people .... I am not hearing that we are hiring people from outside the area to come in and perform and so fourth. Nov/ .... We know there are people who come that far. Kubby/ Visual arts .... Vanderhoef/ Baker/ With that as a given, then wouldn't it make sense that CVB would fund them. Norton/ I do not think so .... I don't think you can justify either one of those in terms of the number of motel and hotel dollars they bring in ...... Wendy defends her budget by how much it actually brings to hotels and motels. Nov/ .... That is not our concern at the moment. Norton/ ...We are planning her budget for her... when we take the money we give to these festivals right out of her- Lehman/ ...What is her budget? Atkins/ It's about $250,000. They get $110- from us. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page 7 Thornberry/ ...We are giving her $110,000. our position last year was Arts Fest brings a lot of folks to Iowa City... to d.t ..... But we know it is important to Iowa city ..... last year... we said hey, we feel you should fund this out of your budget along with the Jazz festival because they are both big events for Iowa city. Her Board felt hey, we can't let council tell us how to spend out money .... If we are giving her $110,000 and we have two really special local events that we asked her to help fund, I don't think that is unreasonable .... Norton/ Nov/ We did not make a commitment. Kubby/ The big problem here is that we said we will do it this way... and in the interim we will figure this out and we haven't. Nov/ We offered this opportunity to CVB .... They declined... I have heard some of them say to me .... they may have regret having done it that way... We have some way here I think to encourage them by saying we will go back to 25% but we want you to commit $10,000 to some kind of grant program. You may not spend less than $10,000 but you may decide which organizations will get this money ..... We are delegating the decision to them .... give them some limit or some way that they have to participate in these kinds of things. Baker/ This is sort of the direction that I was leaning towards ..... I also told her that I really hoped the council this year studies the whole allocation formula for that Hotel Motel Tax and indeed we may say all right, here is your X% for CVB... we are taking X% for arts and culture as a separate budget item... some sort of citizen commission ..... make recommendations on how that money should be spent ..... I have no problem giving them the 25% and finding the money somewhere else for these small things ..... I would like to re-look at that allocation. Nov/ They claim they will go back to a grant program ..... Council/ (All talking). Nov/ ... They haven't proposed exactly what they are going to do with it. Based on the fact that we told them that this was a one year commitment .... we expect you to spend $10,000. Thlsrepresents only areesonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page8 Norton/ Nov/ Vanderhoef/ They had a $10,000 budget at one time and they spent $7,000 of the $10,000 as I recall. That was the last year before they discontinued their grant program. Kubby/ It was a long list .... Vanderhoef/ And the list was a lot of things ..... for small organizations .... Kubby/ And the grant was just for promotion whereas the funds that we give, we see their whole budget and then they use it to spend wherever they choose. So it is a different way of funding. Lehman/ My position would be that we would offer them full funding, not this year, but next year if they present to us a program that shows a commitment to local activities. Let them come up with their own program. Kubby/ So you are saying take the $10,000 for Jazz Fast and Arts Fast this year again and next year go back to Wendy. Lehman/ Absolutely. I really don't think that money should come out of the General Fund. It should come out of convention and tourism. Nov/ It would be my interest in getting some money out of the General Fund for these kinds of things because I don't understand why, for example, the Friday Night Concerts is something that belongs in the General Fund and the Arts Festival does not. Kubby/ They are economic development activities ..... People are coming into Iowa City. Thornberry/ Karen, in the Arts Fest, what are people paid for? Kubby/ For performing, doing workshops, teaching and sometimes giving ..... Thornberry/ Kubby/ On the art fair, artists aren't paid. We pay money to have Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of Fabruary 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Page9 a space and then people buy stuff. Thornberry/ Like Walk of the Stars. They pay to put their little booths there. Kubby/ ...for the other parts where there are performances and workshops, during lunch time... that is where some people are getting paid. Nov/ Somebody like the puppet group .... they could get paid for that... they could donate a good part of what they would have been paid... Baker/ ...full funding with direction that they spend a certain amount of money this year? Nov/ That was one idea .... I think this year they are more amenable to accepting this .... Baker/ I can certainly live with that but I really would like us to look at reconsideration of that formula and having a separate fund from that source for arts and culture... local committee or commission. Lehman/ Wouldn't it be a lot simpler to have-to give them some guidelines that we ant a certain percentage spent on arts an culture than from another damn committee. Nov/ I would delegate this at least for now ...... Baker/ So we are going to tell CVB that they get their money but we are going to tell them to spend X number of dollars for these festivals. Nov/ ...I said grant program. I didn't say particular festivals. Norton/ I just don't think we should take 40% of what we are allocating .... I think we should give them their money. If we want to give them some guidelines... If we are going to do that we need to come up with some General Fund money which I find a reasonable solution since these are as vital as streets... I think people do tailor themselves to a July 4 Festival... and Arts Festival... It was kind of too quiet .... Thornberry/ It was all over town wasn't it. Kubby/ It is only a one day fair. It is on a Sunday .... Thts represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Nov/ It is only one day. Norton/ Vanderhoef/ At this juncture I am not in favor of taking money out of the General Fund for the festivals. Kubby/ ... you are basically saying to the Jazz Festival you are not going to get any money .... CVB .... saying .... you are out except for maybe a 1/3 of what you requested. Vanderhoef/ Let's go ahead and go with our $10,000 this year to the two- from CVB and request that they put together a grant program ..... we can revisit whether we want to continue supporting that also from the General Fund. Nov/ I am not happy with some of the proposals that came to us from both of these groups .... We are going to have bigger and better festivals. I think that both of them need to do more in raising private contributions ..... they are not working as hard as they could be and we are giving both of these festivals a good deal of in kind contributions ..... I think if we add up the in kind contributions we ought to cut the cash contributions to $3,000 ...... Kubby/ If you look at the information they gave us, they raise a lot of private money .... Nov/ ... They do not have a little container out there for everybody who comes to the Jazz Festival to put in a dollar or two ..... Baker/ Ernie, tell me again what your suggestion was .... Lehman/ My suggestion was we fund both of them this year out of (can't hear). We indicate to CVB if they can come up with a program to guarantee a certain amount of money, that is their discretion .... what we spend on local activities that we would consider increasing their funding to 25% next year. Baker/ We are going to give them the 25%? Lehman/ Yeah. They will tell us their commitment locally and if they tell us and we like it, we will fully fund them and discontinue funding these two events. Kubby/ Next year though. So we give them $100,000 and keep $10- for Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription oftholowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget those two programs. Lehman/ Right, for this year. And I think we should probably indicate to the Arts Fest and to Jazz Festival that this is what is going to be happening and they should be approaching the CVB as to a commitment they can get for next year. Nov/ We told them this last year though. Kubby/ Nov/ It is the CVB's fault because we told them we were going to do it that way for one year and they have to come up with a grant program for next year. We said to them last year pretty much exactly what Ernie is saying today and they didn't do it. Kubby/ But we said we would figure out how to fund local festivals and we didn't ..... Norton/ The grant program that they put together is never going to find these festivals in my judgement .... Lehman/ We have got to remember that until last year we gave them absolutely nothing. Norton/ Do you not regard these as a legitimate effort on the part of the city to stimulate activity d.t.? Lehman/ I think these should be self supporting .... people in this community should support them. Kubby/ How about if we give ICAD $40,000 and give $10,000 of their dollars .... to these festivals from the General Fund and give CVB the full $110- . ..... Lehman/ I view ICAD's funding as totally different. Baker/ Fund the two $5,000 out of CVB money. CVB work something out in the future ..... Council out to some up with another source of arts and culture funding... talk about that later. Seems like the majority of council is willing to fund the two major projects are $5,000 each right now. Nov/ ..... I would be willing to go $3,000 on each of them... General Fund .... and tell CVB to put $10,000 into grants. Thornberry/ I wasn't privy to the conversation last year ..... The Thisrepresents only oreasonebly accuratetranscription ofthelows City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget council has to look at what they said a year ago ..... If they had direction last year to do a certain thing and they didn't do it, shame on them... why tell them the same thing again this year ..... Baker/ We have to decide right now... Kubby/ Nov/ In terms of what we said last year is that we would give them 25% minus $10,000 and Wendy said on their budget they did not get $100,000. So in affect they had a true cut .... we expected an increase and we didn't receive the same increase .... Thornberry/ How much comes out of Hotel Motel? Atkins/ .... CVB's budget from the Hotel Motel Tax, our contribution, is $110,000 a year. Yucuis/ Steve, $114,158 $110,000. the actual amount that we sent to CVB last FY was less the $10,000. This is the first year of the So $114,158 is what we sent to the CVB, FY95. Nov/ What are we doing now for F¥967 Yucuis/ Every quarter we get the check in we subtract $2,500. Over the 12 months we will subtract out $10,000. Nov/ For the first six months do you have a figure about what we sent to them because Wendy had explained that it is actually going down. Vanderhoef/ It is flat is what I saw on the budget. Nov/ Atkins/ I may be out of out mind but we are spending 20 minutes .... Thornberry/ I just as soon not take any money out of the General Fund for this. Kubby/ What are you saying the amount for CVB should be? $100- or $ii0-? Yucuis/ Just the amounts that came in this FY, first two quarters that we sent, .... received $210,000 last year totally. We sent 25% less the $2,500 and we have received $246,500 so far this Thisrepresents only ereesonebly accurate transcription ofthelowa City council meeting of Februa~ 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget R~_ ~ year. So our receipts are above what they were last year at the same time. Kubby/ I would go with Ernie's suggestion which is $100- for CVB; $5,000 each for Arts Fest and Jazz Fest. Deb Mansfield/ Can I clarify you on that? The policy has been that the CVB got 25% of Hotel Motel Tax and it is better to tie them to 25% less a dollar amount then to say $100,000 .... Kubby/ With that clarification, yes. CVB gets 25% of Hotel Motel Tax minus $10,000; $5- of which will go to Arts Fest and $5- of which will go to Jazz Fest with the direction to CVB that we would like to see their grant program restored for next year. Lehman/ And I think an indication to Arts Fest and Jazz Fest that this money may not be available from the city next year. They should make their pitch to CVB. Vanderhoef/ Kubby/ Nov/ Could I inquire ..... might decide to change that formula .... Baker/ Don't wait until next year to do it. Kubby/ So there are three people who are interested in doing that. Nov/ I am sorry, I don't know that there are three people. Kubby/ There are three people. Nov/ Are there four, okay. I heard Karen and two more and I am trying to figure out if we had four. Atkins/ Bottom line, is that you are doing what was recommended in the budget. Lehman/ Right. Kubby/ We need to talk to CVB... Jazz Fest and Arts Fest and we need to commit to having that discussion about how we divvy up Hotel Motel Tax which we need to direct Mayor and City Manager to schedule way before budget time. Thisrepresents only sreasonably accuratetranscription oftbelows City council meeting of February 7,1996. W$020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Norton/ We didn't say anything about Friday Night Concerts in this process. Atkins/ Friday Night Concerts is $5,000 from the General Fund in the budget. $3,000 in the budget for Johnson County Museum. Those are the four groups we normally consider at the same time. Nov/ While we are on Johnson County Museum, do we have time to mow the lawn at Plum Grove? Arkins/ Laurie asked me a year ago and I told her no ..... we had an expanding park system of our own ..... unless you are willing to sacrifice it somewhere else and I think the state is abdicating their responsibility. Nov/ Atkins/ ...Thing at Plum Grove is we are willing to help out but they wouldn't allow us to program any activity on the thing .... we are expanding our inventory of parks which is okay but that is a biggie... that is more manicuring than mowing. Kubby/ So $3,000 for the museum as budgeted? Council/ (Yes). Atkins/ Nov/ We made a promise for three years and I don't see a need to break it. Arkins/ Sensitive Areas. (Norton's #5-) I don't see anything in the budget for implementation... What is to be done? Here is what I did. I pumped up the Contingency Account by $40,000 knowing that this was probably going to be a debate of some consequences. There is money to fund one position for the Sensitive Areas Ordinance in this budget. It has always been there so you have money in the budget to pay for a position to administer and enforce the Sensitive Areas ordinance. The Contingency Account is normally in the neighborhood of $240- or $250-. It is $290- this year. You are fretting unnecessarily. I apologize ..... CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 96-23 SIDE 2 Atkins/ There was a tremendous variety of opinion. Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa CIw council meeting of February 7,1996. W$020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Lehman/ Atkins/ My point is there is money there. Staff ..... need help in HIS. That this is not a complaint based enforcement. That we have to be on top of this thing all of the time ..... The Engineers feel the need to have some staff because of the complexity of the review of enforcement .... I believe the bottom line, the most important thing, is the ability to move immediately on enforcement action. We have got to get out there if we are going to make this thing work. Kubby/ ...I thought Public Works was going to ask via the City Engineer for $7,000 over two years for training and that is not in this budget .... Arkins/ ...That is not a major amount of money ..... We are going to have to move on this fairly quickly. There is the ability in the budget to fund one full time position whether it is a planner inspector .... engineer and a planner together .... We had a number of ways of approaching the thing. Enforcement is the most critical and getting the staff familiar with the complexity of this ordinance .... You must staff to make this thing work. Baker/ Atkins/ I put in for one year but I did carry it forth ...... Norton/ ... Atkins/ This is an ordinance, it is in place and 2-3 months from now things are going to start popping in town. We are going to have to get somebody on board to do it. Kubby/ Two parts. We have got to fund it in here. It doesn't mean we have to spend it. In the mean time we can go ahead with our budget and then make sure... Atkins/ I will schedule- Nov/ ...We had better advertise this position now. Kubby/ We have to decide what it is and what we are doing. Atkins/ I can schedule it for separate discussion. Enforcement is the thing. That is where you are going to get hammered the most ..... Bring this back to you no later than next month. Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate transcription ofthelowa City council meeting of Februa~ 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Kubby/ Norton/ Atkins/ I think council made it very clear they understood the commitment they were making and that it is going to cost something .... You discussed this certainly enough... developers are fully aware that there is going to be some enforcement. Kubby/ Do people want to make a specific decision now or what? Norton/ Arkins/ I will prepare a formal recommendation and get it on the agenda and you can have at it. Lehman/ When you do that... look at possibility for at least initially, if we have a firm in town that is capable of doing it, hiring an engineering firm to start out with until we see what is really involved .... Atkins/ An engineering firm is about 2 or 2 1/2 times the per hour rate that we might pay. Lehman/ Norton/ You make a recommendation. Atkins/ That is fine with me. Airport. (Norton's #6-) Can the FBO contribute more to this budget? Absolutely but it is subject to negotiation. They are due up before too long. Traditional I can't imagine getting any more money out of Iowa city Flying Service. Is an airport tax levy a possibility? The answer is yes. You can levy up to $.27 which is about $400,000 a year but I think there are obligations on the law where you can change it from a commission to an authority which means you would be granting them far broader powers than they have now. A year ago we briefly talked about is and council kind of went no, I am not interested. Kubby/ I guess I want to know what does that mean? Broader powers. Because if we still control the purse strings, we still have a lot of say. How much more power? I mean, what specifically is what I would like to know? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Atkins/ Don had asked Ron to prepare a memo to kind of do that for you. It is budgeted now. We have a General Fund subsidy at the Airport of about $120,000. Remember $.27 would be an increase in taxes ... What about privatization? We'd buy it. I mean we have a privatization element in the sense that you have a fixed base operator. How far you want to extend that, you need to give me some guidance on that .... Kubby/ Arkins/ To put it up for sale, you would have to put it up at it's market value .... $5-6 million just for the assets alone .... Kubby/ When we talk about the value of the airport for the community, the #1 thing people are talking about is how important it is for economic development. Yet the private sector is really not contributing very much. Thornberry/ What do you mean? I know what I am paying. Kubby/ You are renting your hangar but you are getting a service. You are getting space for your aircraft. Thornberry/ I am also buying gas which comes back to the city. Kubby/ That is not very much in total per year ..... Maybe it is getting the private sector to help with the improvements ..... How can we get the private sector to contribute more when they say they have so much at stake? Thornberry/ The private sector would contribute more if we thought we were getting something for our money ..... No place in the state that has got higher gas prices than Iowa City .... People don't buy gas here. We don't set the prices, he does ...... The way the operation is operated right now ..... It is horrible .... Kubby/ I am saying we decided to do renovations at the airport... Where is that money going to come from? ..... Thornberry/ It is still a municipal building ..... Kubby/ Thornberry/ Kubby/ The number of people who walk in this door is much Thisrepresents only ereasonebly accuratetranscrlption ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Fa~ ~ greater .... Lehman/ Thornberry/ To go along with this they were the facilities that we have now ... other facilities to that area of the airport. Boy, I think that should be done ..... That goes along with the airport and no, we should not pay the airport since we own the ground ..... Norton/ Nov/ I don't think we are going to solve this one. We are going to keep it has proposed in the budget. Thornberry/ What are we going to do with that terminal? Atkins/ I moved to a new list, Dee Vanderhoef's. Council/ (All talking). Norton/ They are all the same. Everybody has a similar list. Thornberry/ Is that the answer to my question. Nobody gives a shit? I had a question. Are we doing anything at all with the terminal building? Lehman/ It is part of the Master Plan. Norton/ The renovations in side. Council/ (All talking). Norton/ The pilot lounge and all of that are just in bad shape, terrible. Baker/ With this budget discussion we don't have to decide anything right now. Norton/ Would it Kubby/ It wasn't Atkins/ What is that again? Kubby/ Any renovations internally at come in this budget? requested. the terminal building. talking about moving Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1995. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Atkins/ It was discussed in the budget review but I didn't put any money Kubby/ I think the private sector should take on that responsibility. Arkins/ With negotiating coming up I thought well, let's try to take another run at it. Norton/ At least split it with them .... Atkins/ Remember, the Commission operates somewhat independently .... If you want to go on record telling them things you want to see done, then you as a council need to say we want you to do this .... Nov/ The person paying the rent is getting an excellent deal ..... Thornberry/ It is not in his contract, Atkins/ I think if you want to take this issue on and they are your commission appointed by you, you need to tell them what you want out of this deal and what you are willing to- Thornberry/ The Airport Commission hasn't had any direction from council. Lehman/ It is the landlord's job. Norton/ I keep looking for a way to split the difference .... It is to the city's advantage ..... Thornberry/ ....... he has got a five year option .... Is the Airport Manager a city employee? Atkins/ He is an employee of the Airport Commision. For all practical purposes, all benefits... is through our system of compensation .... The airport chooses to pay him within that range of what they want ..... It is both a yes and a no, He is not my employee. I do not supervise him. He doesn't participate in our staff .... His salary is in this budget. It is in the Airport's Enterprise Fund budget. Kubby/ We have an hour and a half and we haven't done Transit yet. Atkins/ I told everybody at Transit to be here at 11:00. Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowe City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Arkins/ Senior Center. (Norton's, page 2, #1). I'm not satisfied with the... We need an in depth report for BTC. My understanding .... is BTC ... is doing what you suggested. That they are there to make a recommendation to you. Now, you do have in the Senior Center Commission... also asked for another staff person .... While I have Dee Vanderhoef's in front of me. To prepare to look at the $.50 for- Now the question to you is do you want to make that decision now or do you want to wait and see what BTC has to say? Kubby/ I think the big decision we need to have is about the communications specialist which would have nothing to do with BTC. Norton/ Atkins/ You can fund it that way. Traditionally, cable revenue is for cable services, period ..... Kubby/ I would support 1/4 time communications specialist at $10,720. Norton/ Kubby/ Nov/ They would supervise volunteers who are pasting up the copy for the Senior Center Post before it goes to the printer. Lehman/ This is a philosophical question... What is the obligation of the city to provide the Senior Center? I don't think there is an obligation. We have chosen to do this and I think it is a wonderful thing .... I don't think this is right. If we provide the administrator, some staff. This should be a fee based down there for some of the things they do... They should be able to pay for some of the services they get down there and I just think we are doing a wonderful thing there but I don't see us doing right now. Nov/ When we hear from the Senior Center staff .... They do require people to pay for classes. Kubby/ Bottom line, are there people who want to do it or not? Norton/ I don't want to do it. Nov/ Okay, move on. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Atkins/ Johnson County Museum. I think we have taken care of that one. Police Computer System. (Norton's, page 2, #3). Kubby/ Too much money. Atkins/ ...hopefully I represented your interests well .... Let me explain to you as best I can ..... The computer system and software and other needs in the Communication Center/Dispatch Center have about a five year technical life. When I received the request for $400,000 .... can't afford to do this .... In going back they put together a program over the next three years .... generalized memo .... more hard numbers. In the first year we have to install a number of changes at a cost of $137,000, second year, $140,000; third year, $154- That is how we divided it up. Now within each of those three years $50,000 a year is a contribution to the Information Service Fund so that we don't have this technological obsolescence come up and bite us again ..... Kubby/ Why is that the only choice? ..... Atkins/ To my knowledge... we have certain obligations we have to do if we are going to run a dispatch service under the state regulations. 2-That we are trying to do an upgrade ..... I can assure you I share your frustration about this big expense .... It is in the budget that way. If you choose to reduce it I would just as soon set it aside and bring the technicians in and let you hear what they have to say. Norton/ ...looks like substantial errors made in the past. Thornberry/ What basically they are doing... taxing the current equipment to the point where it is slowing it down to the point where it is just not doing the job and what they are trying to do is speed this up and what they need to do is get some additional... software... To make it run faster .... Nov/ Need some more hardware .... Norton/ .... looks like to me we ought to have a good data base... Thornberry/ .... It is overloading the system basically. Kubby/ If we say you have X amount of money, figure out what you have to do .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Thornberry/ Kubby/ Atkins/ The laptop is clearly new... better in the field .... Kubby/ How much is that? What does everything you want to do. Atkins/ Don and I will get that for you. Council/ (All talking). Norton/ One or two to get started. trying to make that cost? the officers ...Can't do Nov/ Means they are coming in and putting their information into a desk top computer. I feel strongly about putting some money aside... Lehman/ Atkins/ I don't want to get us caught... in a bind... trying to create a little extra General Fund room to do some of the things. Thornberry/ That is what they did for the water. Put it aside. Norton/ Thornberry/ Put some of it away for this planned obsolescence... Kubby/ I think there is agreement. we live out that philosophy in transit and fire equipment as well. Nov/ ...We can bond for those things. I don't think we can bond for computers. Atkins/ You cannot bond for computers because of the five year life ..... Your bond has to live out the life of the asset ..... I recommend against borrowing for computer equipment .... Norton/ Kubby/ I think less on the police computer and less for the fund. Atkins/ Do you want to pick up number? .... give me a dollar figure Thisrepresents only areasonably accurmetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget to work with. Vanderhoef/ My request was really to stretch it out one more year if it is possible. I am not a computer expert to know .... Yucuis/ We can do that. I think we can phase this in if you want. That is what we tried to do after we got the initial request .... recommending another phase next year... We want to make sure it is needed. The numbers that are in there are as good as numbers as we could get from one vendor. When we do this we are going to go out for a bid on it. Norton/ Nov/ The only problem with stretching it for a year is the obsolescence. we may end up with a purchase this year that is no longer compatible four years from now. Kubby/ Yucuis/ We have also looked at what is going to be able to be added on .... not a single source item... that we can expand onto it without having to scrap it and buying a whole new system. Kubb¥/ By stretching it out we would also be reducing the amount per year for the reserve fund? Nov/ Norton/ Atkins/ If you were to go four years and we still make a contribution in the fourth year at or about $50,000, we can take $25,000 out of this budget right now and then you go fourth year. Fourth year, by taking the $25,000 out of this budget you are talking about spending at the rate of about $115,000 a year over four years as opposed to spending at rate of about $140,000 a year .... same program and you add a year. Still at $50- per year even into the fourth year. Kubby/ Nov/ I would leave it that way .... Council/ (All talking). Arkins/ Parks and Recreation. (Norton's, page 2, #4). They have This represents only areasonably accurate transcription ofthnlowa City council meeting of February 7.1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget indeed expanded .... In the budget of staffing changes in P/R for a 1/2 time maintenance person and I proposed that simply because we are expanding the number of parks and acreage that we have to maintain. There was a request for a recreation supervisor. That was not recommended. That is where you are. Vanderhoef/ Where are we on the part time person for park design? Atkins/ That was not recommended .... I have asked Terry over the next year, you calculate for me... kind of money you spend on park design .... council/ (All talking). Vanderhoef/ Risk program is an important program and we truly are in a bind for space to do things like this and it will have to come soon is my way of thinking .... If we can do this in partnership with schools .... I am putting notice out there that I am not going to forget it. Atkins/ Can I skip ICAD for a moment? Housing. (Norton's, page 2, #6). Is the administrator position to be filled. We have recruited. We will be interviewing within the next week to ten days. Kubby/ Atkins/ It is underway. Kubby/ I talked to Doug about this... encourage us to hire someone who might push us a little bit... Atkins/ Back to #5. ICAD. Are we getting our $50,000 worth? .... It began-just a quick history. Mary Neuhauser... stirred this thing up back in '84-85. We were paying $40,000 a year... from UDAG moneys .... they went belly up. They asked for an increase. It went to $50- It has been a General Fund expense for the last 5-6 years. That is where we are right now. Baker/ Kubby/ .... we get generalized information. And if we are 25% of their budget, the least of what we could do is access- Atkins/ .... members of the Board on that. I will provide you with whatever you like. If you like .... distribute it to you. Thisrepresents only areasonebly accu~atetranscrlption ofthelowe Citycouncil meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget R~3~ ~ Norton/ Nov/ Can we just put it off? I haven't been to one meeting yet. I will be happy to evaluate after I have seen a little bit more. Atkins/ I can assure you, Naomi, your strength on budgeting... will percolate very quickly there .... Library. (Norton's, page 2, #7). A major resource. Let's find enough for a 1/4 time position .... absolutely. Nov/ We love it. We don't have the money. Atkins/ They have asked for 1.25 FTE at $61,000. Fire Department. (Norton's, page 2, #8). It seems a little inconsistent to do water and wastewater improvements ..... Kubby/ Even though we can bond for it... It was $100,000. Last year it went down to $50,000. Now we are going down to zero. We bond 100% which means we pay twice. Lehman/ This is opposite rationale we have for the water plant. Norton/ Kubby/ Maybe it is not all or nothing .... Nov/ We lost a lot of money on the residential roll back .... Kubby/ We need to be lobbying hard, kicking and screaming. Nov/ I say for this year I would be willing to go along with no set asides for anything but computers and reevaluate next year. Kubby/ If we also make a commitment to lobby hard about the rollback I would go along with that .... for one year ..... Atkins/ Cemetery. (Norton's, page 2, #9). Do we need to consider getting city out of this activity? Baker/ No. Norton/ Nov/ Good question, another day. Thls represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of February 7, 1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget I~ Atkins/ We must decide this issue. Heritage Trees. (Norton's, page 2, #10). They asked for $10,000. How about $5,000. Nov/ How about something? Atkins/ Terry Robinson has $2500 a year for tree purchases. We have about $10,000 in the budget for tree purchasers throughout the P/R budget ..... So we do .... do tree purchases. Nov/ This is not purchases. Norton/ Seems to me it is crucial to have it. Lehman/ Iowa City is over 150 years old .... people love trees .... I really don't see the urgency of something like this .... If they want to raise funds privately, I have not problem with that. This city is absolutely a forest. Nov/ They are going to document just historic trees .... large old trees that have some historic value. Kubby/ To maintain them... inventory how to take care of them .... Nov/ I really would like to do something .... how about $3,000. Thornberry/ Norton/ ...They are giving us a lot of money in a way. Baker/ This is a one time request? Nov/ No, this is a continuing request .... I can't see the need to do $10,000 a year... $3,000 a year... take them a longer time to do the area that they want to do .... not something that is urgent. Thornberry/ I don't want to fund this is an old tree project. Kubby/ We have decided. Let's do the next thing. Norton/ What did we decide? Nov/ We decided the $3- Kubby/ ... we are moving too slow. Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription of thelowa Citycouncil meeting of Februa~ 7.1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Arkins/ Engineering. (Norton's, page 2, #11). Have we planned anywhere in the budget for costs of creating a modern database? ...The answer is yes. We have a number of small budgets .... I understand our instructions from what I heard from you on GIS, you want that pushed up and I will need to get back with you on a lot more detail about that. Kubby/ It should be this group that tells you to push it up, right. Arkins/ She said we want something back from you .... Nov/ Don't spend any money yet .... JCCOG... ought to be working on this. This is a county wide project. Atkins/ Next budget I have is Dee V. #1 is taken care of. #2 is taken care of. #3- I need to be convinced that we need a $30,000 consultant for the peninsula. The $30,000 is intended to buy whatever expertise we might need with respect to putting together the plan for ultimately the sale... Karin also reminded me she did not budget any money for 64-1A ... also need to purchase some additional time. It is a General Fund expense. There is no magic to $30,000... that is where it is. Baker/ Let's budget it for that and d.t ...... Atkins/ It is an expense .... Baker/ Arkins/ (Vanderhoef's #5). A 3.6% increase in Aid to Agencies seems high given the budget constraints. I am looking at 2%. Quick arithmetic. If we did 2% we would save about $6,000 ..... Nov/ I don't think it is worth it. Kubby/ Do people want to approve what Dean and I- Thornberry/ No more time on this ...... and I stretched to the limit folks. Kubby/ And I cut to the limit .... Thornberry/ Nov/ I asked Linda when she was going to present this because there has always been a staff presentation from Human Services Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget I~ 28 Planner. She never got back to me. Atkins/ That hit me this morning. Don will check that and we will get you an answer .... Nov/ I did ask her .... Could we defer it until the meeting that we have that discussion .... because there is no real need to make that decision today and we need the time to do other things. Kubb¥/ Dean and I have gone to the hearings. book. Nov/ We have studied the Atkins/ To answer Dee's position... that would be $6,000 to the good. Norton/ We are moving here before the final has even happened .... hasty here. They their work .... Nov/ allocations committee haven't even finished Atkins/ (Vanderhoef's #6). #6. I am in favor of keeping policy put money in transit capital fund of $60,000 a year. Norton/ Did we decide on Human Services at that level? Kubby/ Well, Ernie and Larry and us. I guess I just assumed- Nov/ to We are not likely to change this unless we get a different recommendation from Linda Severson .... I want to postpone the discussion. Atkins/ $60,000 a year transit. Norton/ What is going on here? The rush? Let's take it easy and if we have to have another meeting... I don't feel I want to me so compressed. Nov/ We would like to finish by noon for today .... Norton/ Anytime anything comes up you chop it down. Think about this .... Kubby/ Are we approving the Human Services budget right now? Thisrepresents only areasonebly accurate transcription efthslowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Nov/ Human Services should recommendation from presentation. be deferred until we have a staff Linda .... Let's do the formal Atkins/ $60,000 a year transit capitol fund. Nov/ We took care of that. Atkins/ (Vanderhoef's #7). ~7. Support SEATS. That is coming up. (Vanderhoef's #8). #8. I noticed we received Road Use Tax moneys .... We are receiving more in the future... That is true. We have been doing pretty well on that ..... personnel .... That answer is sort of a yes and sort of a no. You can only use it for very specific personnel doing street, storm water, sewer. storm sewer related projects ..... those people that support those services. We have proposed the addition of two people and the two people are intended to do some additional street maintenance work as well as creating a 10th snow route. That is all Road Use Tax money. It is receipted into the General Fund but it is specially earmarked for that purpose. Vanderhoef/ Thank you. Atkins/ ..... (Vanderhoef's #14). Sale of peninsula. For your information we have had a number of discussions. The Elks are wonderful people...slow .... whole variety of issues. I participated in three meetings... ongoing discussion with them. They know of our interest... what they are willing to pay for .... Lehman/ Atkins/ They are presenting their interest and I am trying to represent yours... (Vanderhoef's #15) Marketing of urban renewal property. We understand... Friday afternoon, Karin has arranged a meeting from Center Space. talk about what is next .... (Vanderhoef's #16) SEATS is the next one. (Vanderhoef's #17) Parking Fund. (Vanderhoef's #18) A policy to create a reserve for computer Thlsrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthe iowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget equipment. We have done that. (Vanderhoef's #19). City Plaza needs work .... that. I had my first task force meeting some answer is yes to time ago .... We are going to try and arrange to get them in here at noon time, buy them a lunch, and work on this project because we have got to get recommendations to you. So we will get that one back on track. (Vanderhoef's #20). I am comfortable with the Airport. Kubby/ So we will do Larry's and my memo another time? Arkins/ That is fine. [BREAK] Atkins/ Transit. Nov/ Based on what objections to way? Council/ (Yes). Nov/ Done. Okay. objections to $25. Kubby/ No. Baker/ No. Nov/ Let's discuss that. CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 96-24 SIDE we heard yesterday, there were very few $.75. Can we immediately get that out of the In terms of the pass, there were very few Could we also go with that? Thornberry/ $24? What does Coralville do? Norton/ $25. Kubby/ I don't think Coralville should dictate what we do. They are a much smaller system .... Nov/ Kubby/ They are saying they are going to go to $30 a year after. Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate transcription ofthelowa CiW council meeting of Februa~ 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget I~ Arkins/ They don't have a second hearing next year. Thornberry/ Vanderhoef/ $25- Nov/ $25- Kubby/ You are starting the slow death. Norton Any considerations of reductions? Low income policy there? .... Arkins/ If you would like us to .... Lisa... can we offer low income policy if folks can demonstrate certain circumstances whereby the $25 would be reduced .... Fowler/ That program could be administered but it would probably limit the number of places they should buy those passes .... But through the Civic Center or through our own pass sales at 01d Capitol. Norton/ I sure would like to see a $20 discounted pass for those qualifying people. that is fine. Vanderhoef/ Yeah, Baker/ Vanderhoef/ I would also like you to take a look at children's fare, riding with their parent ...... teach them how to use the bus. Atkins/ Fare increase to $.75; pass to $25 and an applicable low income policy not unlike some of the things ..... Kubby/ $20 pass for low income? Nov/ We are not talking about how much discount today. Let's get a proposal together. Atkins/ The principle of Title 19... if you can demonstrate that... Nov/ While we are here can we also ask for some human service agencies contributions to these kinds of things. Other people have said if you want to charter a bus .... SEATS .... we expect a little bit better contribution ..... Thlsrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Kubby/ ADA has said it is not the agencies responsibility to provide public transportation to people with disabilities. It is the city's responsibility .... Nov/ I am asking for donations. Davidson/ When we looked at the list of how other cities are handling human service agencies, we are being told that human service agencies either have their own van or are contributing to the costs of their para-transit. Nov/ .o.I am asking do you think we have a chance of asking these agencies to help? Davidson/ That is certainly not the trend .... the trend right now with Goodwill and Systems being the big ones in this community... they are feeling that it is the municipality's responsibility .... to provide their transportation under ADA. Where it gets a little sticky is that they are probably entitled to the same level of service that any other member of the community receives for para-transit .... higher amount of service .... If they are receiving a higher level of service, then probably they should contractually be paying for that. There is $25,000... that Systems... they are phasing it out over time. Fowler/ I had a conversation with Larry Olsen last week and Larry said that he would be willing to go to Systems Unlimited and request that they continue paying $25,000 a year for the service .... that they do continue with some form of contribution ..... Those would be considered a county contract .... count them as county rides for state funding assistance rather than counting them as iowa City rides. That would result... in an $8,000 increase in funding to SEATS... apply to our yearly contract .... Larry did make the offer that he would be the negotiator with Systems. Davidson/ Is there any question about the agency passes and tickets that we distribute? Kubby/ I am interested in having strip ticket pass... strip of ten .... I ride pretty frequently but not enough to make a pass worth the money. Nov/ Kubby/ I am suggesting... discount .... Some small thing. Thisrepresents only areasonabiy accurate transcription ofthelowe City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Norton/ Some incentive .... Thornberry/ Kubby/ Vanderhoef/ Kubby/ They would get a small discount. Nov/ Give them a ...discount on a ten strip Ron Logsden/ We sell the most... December... when students are here for partial months and they buy a strip ticket rather than a monthly pass... Goodwill clients ..... Kubby/ Logsden/ They are not dated at all. They sell them at Econofoods Nov/ So the strip of ten tickets could sell for $7.00 ..... we wouldn't have to worry about making change. There would be a small discount. Something like that. Atkins/ We hear you. Kubby/ I would like to make sure we have some sense of where we are going generally. If we make too many changes... fares increasing.. decreasing service. It really puts us on a road to having a transit system that is not very viable .... If ridership starts to plummet another level from ten years ago, we are going to look at the numbers in a couple of years and say people aren't riding... we can't be supporting it with the general tax money. It is just going to keep spiraling down to not very much ..... I agree with some of the increase... some change in service .... One of my goals would be to increase ridership as a way of keeping the system viable for everybody Thornberry/ You have got to do both... how much service to do cut? It is hard to tell. When you are consistently losing money, you can't make it up in volume ..... Kubby/ But this is not a private business. Thornberry/ It is a service. I understand that. But it is a service Thisrepresents only a reasonably accurate transcrlptlon ofthelowe City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget that everybody in town is paying for and we are doing a lot of that .... We all want more services but we are not willing to pay for it ..... We also can't run an empty bus from 7:00 to 10:00 ..... Providing the service for that person or those 2-3 people and reduce the fares... to hope more people ride the bus, can't do it. Kubby/ It was a 7-0 suggestion that the fares go to $.75 ..... I am concerned that the monthly pass, going from $18 to $25 that we will go down from that 1000 people who buy passes every month .... A lot of those monthly pass holders are peak time people .... more cars coming down to the CBD. Lehman/ There will be some decreases to start with. But we are increasing the passes by approximately 1/3 and increasing the fare by 50%. I honestly don't think it is going to make a significant difference in number of passes because you can't drive your car d0t. for $1.50 a day. Kubby/ People are also saying .... drive to Cedar Rapids. Lehman/ What we are doing is trying to keep the system viable .... We are still subsidizing this thing to an incredible degree. We have gone too long without an increase ..... We may have to change a route... we do have to increase the fares... concerned... keeping it viable. Norton/ I would like to suggest to support the notion of increased ridership ...... Are there other markets?... discounted passes to an employer. All of those things. Are we doing that? Norton/ Lehman/ Norton/ A discounted rate for bulk buyers ..... Logsden/ We have a program for businesses that can get the passes for $16 .... for their employees. Norton/ Will that be some function of $25 now? Nov/ Yeah. Norton/ Somebody said can't we attract more student riders on it? Is there any market there? ..... To make it attractive to insure that we increase ridership. Thlsrepresents only e reasonably accuratetranscription ofthe Iowa Citycouncil meeting of February 7,1996, WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Baker/ .... don't put a lot of stock in that... increase in ridership solving your budget problems. Kubby/ ...If you increase prices... decrease services too much... you have such little ridership that there is no justification for the continued investment ..... Change your service .... less inconvenience, then you at least keep your numbers and you have some justification for keeping your system .... Norton/ Do I understand you are going to work out the children's fare and all of those details you guys will work on? All right. Nov/ We have pretty well have discussed fares and discounts .... Talk about what kind of route changes we want to discuss. Baker/ Assume ..... we are going to get to connection between meter revenues and meter rates and transit .... Atkins/ If you choose to keep any night time service... how do I pay for it? Thornberry/ On route changes, I would like to see all the routes looked at. The whole city looked at. The route changes have not changed since when? ..... Atkins/ We make minor changes all of the time .... Plaenview ..... Davidson/ There have been two times since I have been here, 15 years, that we have gone back to council with a discussion of a major re-doing of the route structure and in both of those instances .... A decision was made by the city council that they wanted to keep sort of a blanket level of transit service over the whole city of Iowa City ..... That is not the way it is done in Coralville Transit .... put sits transit service in those areas where we know the ridership will be the highest. The City of Iowa City has never been willing to do that and I think that is the critical policy issue that you will be faced with if you want us to look at that. Is-are you willing to have transit service go where the ridership will be the highest and perhaps not have transit service in areas of Iowa City where we know the ridership is the lowest. Nov/ I think it is time to reevaluate. Thornberry/ I do, too. Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of Februa~ 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Norton/ ...We have got to focus the night service where the action is. Lehman/ I would like to talk about the night service and leave this for another day. Thornberry/ One thing that needs to be looked at. Another thing that needs to be looked at... Is the amount of overtime spent .... Every single bus driver scheduled overtime. I don't think that needs to be ..... I think that is a way of cutting some costs there ...... If we cut some of the night buses and have skeleton routes... go with more part time and have fewer full time overtime people .... Fowler/ The reason the overtime is in there is the length of service that the transit runs in a day ..... No way they can do it in two eight hour shifts. It was done during previous reductions .... Kubby/ That is was cheaper to do overtime than to have another full time position? Fowler/ I am not sure what the reasoning was ..... Thornberry/ It would be actually less expensive to go with more part time people than to have full time people getting guaranteed overtime. And they are scheduled for guaranteed overtime every single- Baker/ Contract obligation or just policy? Fowler/ It is scheduling. A full time driver relieves a full tie driver. Helling/ One of the arguments that Joe is talking about that was made before was that you need to, if you want to keep drivers, you need to have some full time positions .... If you reduce all of your positions back to 3/4 time... you will have problems with recruiting. Nov/ Thornberry/ I really can't see scheduling someone every single full time driver scheduling for overtime .... Nov/ That was one of the items the driver had mentioned. Thisrepresents only ereasonably accurate transcription ofthelowe City council meeting of Februery 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Lehman/ Why don't we discuss the evening thing and see what that does? Baker/ Is it possible for us to find a figure that we can live with for a reduction in night time service .... and tell them to come back to us with the options that we can get with that money figure ..... Lehman/ We got this memo from Steve or from Joe. Baker/ ...We just have to decide the money thing. Lehman/ I would be willing to indicate that one option is preferable over another and let him work. One thing we heard for sure... we have to have some sort of service. Kubby/ Instead of having... I am concerned about saying we are only going to go to centers of population .... ! would prefer to have us say we are going to have fewer buses on the road and that the routes may end up being a little longer ..... But still servicing the same kind of geographic area without having people to walk eight blocks to get home. So that we are still serving the community... Nov/ Can we get some designs of routes?... Option 3... option 4... We have to redesign, put out a new map .... Can we get this kind of thing? We are getting nods of heads from staff and I think that is about what we have to do. We have to decide is it our preference that we have three buses running... or two buses or whatever .... Thornberry/ When they make their new route proposals, they will have to take into consideration where these riders are coming from .... Council/ (All talking). Vanderhoef/ The figures that we saw on ridership for Saturday ..... option #5... could the Saturday route be designed so that it would look something similar to maybe one of our night routes. Decrease the number of buses totally. Fowler/ The number of buses could be decreased quite a bit by running the Saturday service like we currently do the night service in combining routes. Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate trenscrlptlon ofthelowe Ci~ councll meeting of February 7,1996, WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Vanderhoef/ And what kind of dollars could we save with that? Fowler/ Probably 50% of what a saturday costs. Vanderhoef/ I would appreciate looking at that. Nov/ So if we are dealing with the combined, we will deal with the combined on 7:00 to 10:30 and all day Saturday? Lehman/ Try it. Nov/ I would like to at least look at these kinds of things. Baker/ ...look at option #2 and #3 on this list here ..... If we could just direct the staff to say look, round it off to $100,000 and you come back with options within that range, variations... more details about #2 and #3 .... agree on the figure and start for there. Thornberry/ I think we have to include #4. Baker/ For budget purposes, take the top range ..... Nov/ Problem I have with that is we are ending too early. These buses that leave d.t. at 8:30 will not take in the people that work until 9:00 and won't take in the University Hospital. Baker/ I understand that. If we agree on the money figure and then take into consideration those questions .... Kubby/ .... We have to tell them what time we want service to end ..... Norton/ ...the last hour was really thin ..... I thought we might be able to cut off an hour .... Baker/ Pin down the range for budget purposes and work out the details later. Thornberry/ You are looking at it from the money standpoint .... We are still trying to get to the same point. Kubby/ I hear what Larry is suggesting... you have this amount of money, can you configure some routes that still...cover the city and make it a viable system ..... catch the ridership and decrease costs. This represents only a reasonably accuretetranscfiption of thelowa City council meeting of Februe~ 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Baker/ ..... Vanderhoef/ I would like to see it drop down from $100- I would like to see $90- as our figure. Kubby/ Don't you think in a budget of $3.1 to $3.5 million .... we could find $10,000 internally? Council/ (All talking). Lehman/ I would rather see couple of proposals showing routes and the kind of service we get... price tag .... Put together a couple of three options for us ...... It the level of service that we deliver .... Fowler/ If you want us to address the Saturday service... combinations there... Baker/ For purposes of our budget, let's pick the figure that we can fund and decide the service within that figure in the process .... make sure we budget for this X number of dollars. Norton/ I want to see a low side of this... I want to see what we can get for $75,000 with two routes. Council/ (All talking). Vanderhoef/ .... the last hour of service and if we cut. Would we be willing to cut one hour off of the ending time of our night service? Fowler/ More buses out for a shorter time .... But if you say show us what you can do until 9:00 or until 10:00 ..... Kubby/ Is there a way to think about making a bus cover more area in enough ways?... to even stretch out the time .... shift change at the hospital... way to decrease how much as it costs... efficiently as possible internally... expand the hours... even on only certain routes .... Is that possible to spend less money but to provide more service? Lehman/ ...put a number in for budget purposes. Give Joe all the flexibility... come up with whatever plan you think is going to work. Come back with options. Nov/ We are hearing somewhere between $80-$100,000. Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Thornberry/ Between $80- and $100- Nov/ This is what people are saying here. Thornberry/ ... we can't do less than $80- with two buses .... Nov/ Publishing $100,000 for night time service .... find $100,000 of we need it. Norton/ ...Sunday .... Kubby/ I would love to hear what Steve thinks. Atkins/ The way I understand it is that the fares, that issue is behind us. That you do not wish to accept the recommendation for elimination of night time service. That you wish to fashion a night time service and that in fashioning this night time service it is intended to be a very practical application. That is we want to maximize the folks that we know are going to ride the bus. Let's get them on. But at the same time at least have an appreciation for the ongoing policy of trying to cover as much of the city as we practically can. Another element to that, in financing the night time service, you are giving us some latitude on Saturday. That there is the ability to tweak that service in some fashion. But this $100,000 figure is a financial target and that we will try to fashion a night time service within that budget. That is what I heard you say. Nov/ Let's add re-design Saturday also to put it on the list in writing. Kubby/ We didn't really give a clear answer about ending time service. Does that mean we could get a couple of options? Atkins/ What I suspect we will do .... we will try to get it down to a block of time .... Kubby/ When we get these options back, what will be really helpful for me is to see a map of the city and what our current bus routes are and what we are talking about. Atkins/ You are potentially creating some what of a administrative problem .... we will draw a map ..... Kubby/ ...other thing... find $20,000 worth of efficiencies that don't change service or some amount .... Thisrepresents only areasonebly accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of Februe~ 7.1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Thornberry/ ... going to have to look inside the department... Atkins/ We deliberately overlapped the management... so we could cross train our employees .... I promised myself I wasn't going to get upset about this Couchman letter but when you propose firing other people, I have a lot of trouble with that. Thornberry/ .o.I understand where the guy is coming from... If there are two supervisors .... one supervisor can supervise more than three people. Kubby/ ...say where internally .... what would 10% efficiency bring us? ..... Thornberry/ What did you pay in overtime last year? Fowler/ Little over $40,000. Thornberry/ Kubby/ Lehman/ Could I suggest .... your operation to see money ..... I have no problem asking Joe to look at if there is some place you can save Fowler/ I would like to respond... Last year compared to the year before .... we reduced our operating costs $4.00 and our current operating costs are $10.00 less than Coralville's. I think if you think that we are running inefficiently and we are not looking for savings, that is a misconception. Kubby/ Thornberry/ I have done it... If you don't look at it all the time .... it is a constant goal. Kubby/ Steve, does out three year-it incorporates less next year in federal operating ..... We about SEATS at all .... that $200,000 haven't talked Nov/ We need to schedule another meeting. Can we pursue the idea of combining Coralville and Iowa City transit operations? Atkins/ I can assure you folks, it is not that we haven't talked to them about it. I have not sensed an interest on their part .... Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796 February 7, 1996 Council Work Session-Budget Nov/ I would like to talk to Jim Fausett and bring up this idea if council members have an interest in it. Council/ (Yes). Arkins/ Council/ (All talking). Thornberry/ ...University .... Kubby/ Norton/ Vanderhoef/ SEATS... I am not convinced that we should be leaving University out of this ..... It concerns me as a citizen that we are running four transit systems in this metropolitan area .... all being funded by federal funds ..... We are all tax payers .... Nov/ You have to add one more, the school buses. We have multiple transit systems. Vanderhoef/ Thornberry/ When is our next meeting? Council/ (Schedule discussion). Nov/ Does Wednesday morning work next week? ..... 9:30. Atkins/ 9:30 the 14th, we will make it work. Nov/ ... we are adjourned. Adjourned: 12:05 PM. Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of February 7,1996. WS020796