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...
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February 7, 1996 Council
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[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
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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/
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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 ....
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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 ....
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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 .....
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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