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Home My WebLink About1998-06-16 Correspondence JUN~ 01998 , CITY rv]AHASER'S OFFICE 1605 Teg Drive Iowa City, Iowa 52246 June 9, 1998 City Council City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Council Members: It has come to my attention that the City Council is reviewing the speed humps on Teg Drive. i support this traffic calming method and wish that the city would utilize other traffic calming approaches on Teg/Aber Drive. The city has created a potentially dangerous situation on Teg Drive/Aber Drive by installing traffic calming devices on only one end of the street, especially since there is no outlet on the street. On the section with the speed humps, vehicles drive close to the 25 mile an hour speed limit. However, on the other, more populated end, the street becomes a speedway with people trying to make up for lost time. In the past, I have twice seen two cars drag racing on the street, heard tires squealing as they go around the curves at high speeds, and seen cars pass others because they were driving the speed 'limit. In installing the speed humps on just one end of the street, it appears that the city did just enough to satisfy the concerns of one neighborhood association without fully considering the implications of its decision the rest of the residents on the street. I feel that it is incumbent upon the city to explore with all residents along the street other traffic calming methods in order to correct this potentially dangerous situation. As the weather gets warmer, more and more people are walking in the neighborhood. In addition, this summer construction will begin on Kiwanis Park which runs behind houses on Teg Drive bringing with it more pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Because there are still unsold lots, the sidewalk system is not complete, forcing people to walk (many times with children) in the street. I hope the city will take action soon to employ other traffic calming methods on Teg/Aber Drive so that we won't have to worry about speeding vehicles. Thank you for your consideration. Sinc/e~l~, / Dav~i ~.. a~ady cc: Doug Ripley June 7,1998 To: Iowa City Council Members Re: June 15th session and Kirkwood Avenue stop sign impact upon Highland Avenue Roughly a year or so ago my wife and I purchased a house on Highland Avenue, just south of and in parallel to Kirkwood avenue. Shortly after our purchase we began to notice what we felt was high volume traffic and unacceptable speeds for a residential area. In consulting with various neighbors (who have lived on Highland from seven to twenty plus years) we found that we were not the only individuals with this perception and unpleasant feeling. Proceeding to the next step I contacted a City Traffic Engineer, Doug Ripley, who put in place the appropriate resources and gathered statistics concurring with our assessment as to the excessive speed. At this point I worked with Marcia Klingaman, Iowa Cities neighborhood coordinator, in contacting individuals on Highland to setup a neighborhood meeting. The feedback I have received from both east and west ends of Highland Avenue in addition to the meeting feedback have continued to concur with the perception that residential speed limits are not being obeyed. As a result of this we are currently working with Doug Ripley to come up with a viable solution via Iowa Cities new Traffic Calming Program. Having pursued this speeding problem and taken the steps to move towards some viable solution I have had the opportunity to speak with numerous Highland Ave. residents. In so doing I have found there to be a perception that the Kirkwood stop sign placement is having a negative impact on Highland Avenue. (A perception I fervently agree with.) To be sure, Kirkwood Avenues stop signs in conjunction with the fact that Highland is a street parallel to it containing no traffic inhibitors (stop signs, lights, etc) make the results easy to see. After all, as we all know from our own driving experiences traffic will tend to take those paths of least resistance. As the council examines the traffic situation on Kirkwood, and the measures implemented to resist and/or reduce the flow of traffic (A decision that I understand was originally based upon political criteria and not traffic flow criteria.) I would ask that you take the interests of Highland Avenue residents into consideration. I ask that you consider implementing measures ensudng that resistance to traffic flow, at the very minimum, be the SAME for both Kirkwood and Highland. In this way traffic flow will be more evenly distributed and the residents of Highland Avenue will not continue to be negatively and unfaidy impacted. Jeff M. Gillitzer 911 Highland Avenue Iowa City, Iowa, 52240 Home: 3398216 Work: 384-9460 HandiMart Food Stores Julie 8, 1998 J. Patrick White Johnson County Attorney 417 S. Clinton Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Iowa City Council 410 E. Washington Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Johnson County Board of Supervisors 913 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Coralville City Council ! 512 ?th Street Coralville, loxva 52241 Dear Officials: I read with interest the article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette regarding plans to further develop the Iowa Code in Johnson County regarding tobacco sales to minors. Nordstrom Oil Company owns and operates three HandiMart Food Stores within the Coralville and Iowa City municipalities. We employ approximately 45 sales associates who reside in the area. Our company places the highest priority on educating staff regarding prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors. This education occurs in the form of many hours of training at the corporate office, automatic warning messages using sophisticated touch screen cash register technology, and very highly developed secret shopper monitoring. The changes you are proposing in Johnson County specifically pertain to the Adolescent Smoking Prevention Act passed by the Iowa legislature in 1991. It incorporates Iowa Code, Chapter 453.A22. A large aspect of this act is the concept of holding minors accountable ~vho purchase or attempt to purchase tobacco products. We would suggest that any changes made in the Johnson County laws take into consideration enforcing the penalty to minors who use, possess, purchase or attempt to purchase any tobacco. There are many citizens of legal age who enjoy and have the right to purchase tobacco products. Our stores sell legal tobacco products every day to these legal consumers. As hard as we try to control the sale of tobacco products to minors, the fact remains that if we are challenged often enough in extremely busy situations, one of our associates may fail to I.D. properly and make a sale to an underage person. It has been our experience in the past that some shoppers in stings are extremely mature-looking. Please consider liability to the underage minor as you contemplate making changes. l'm sure all tobacco retailers share this same philosophy. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further. Siwerelv., [~ ] David V. Nordstrom President DVN/td 1400 Sixth Street Southwest Post Office Box 66 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 Telephone 319-365-7594 Facsimile 319-365-FAXX June 2,1998 630 North Dodge Iowa City, IA 52245 JU q 0 1998 Dear City Council members, I am writing in regard to my show on PATV, which is hosted by Fiesta Dummy. My show is an entertainment show with a variety format. Fiesta Dummy is a SC~'~row who hosts the show. He occasionally interviews guests and sometimes bands play on the show. In no way or form is this show to be taken seriously, and 1 am very sorry that my poor judgement led to further attacks on the Public Access station. These attacks should be directed solely at me, the producer of the show. The reason I called Mr. O'Donnell at his business was to play a joke. It was my way of responding to his claim that child pornography was being shown on the channel late at night. I do not agree with his claim, but I understand his confusion. If I have offended him or anyone else through my actions I would like to formally apologize in this letter. I am sorry that he feels his rights were violated. By showing "a naked straw figure" I had hoped to make light of the situation. I was using my TV series at Public Access to make fun of an unwitting and innocent politician, I did not expect the show to be such a problem for him. I will not be calling anyone in the future presenting myself as a concerned parent of a young child. I have learned that the way to deal with my frustration is to address issues through the proper channels, such as this letter to the city government, or in other shows where I do not use noted text from phone conversations. It was my error and I want to take full responsibility for it. Fiesta Dummy had no idea that I would be doing something to jeopardize his show, it was all my own doing. Please accept my apology and sincerest wish to move on from this juvenile prank. Fiesta Dummy and I have learned our lesson. I would also like to take this time to invite any politician or council member to discuss the situation on Fiesta Dummy's show, which airs on Thursdays 9:00 to 9:30pm and Sundays 3:30 to 4:00pro, please contact me at the address above. Sincerely, Adam Burke ACC :SS Your Neighborhood Network Public Access Television Dear Members of the Council, JUi. ;'2 1998 CITY OFFICE June 1, 1998 The following is an editorial I sent on May 21st to ICON, the Press-Citizen, the Daily lowan, and the Gazette in response to a program which was cablecast on PATV in early April: Public Access Television teaches people how to make television. Public Access Television also teaches people how to watch and interpret television. This is known as media literacy. Unless you know how to watch television critically, you are unable to fully understand the message of the medium. In early April, a program was cablecast on Public Access Television (PATV) as part of the series called Free Speech Television. The controversial segment played after 11 pm and contained a viewer discretion message. It was found to not violate any laws or PATV guidelines. According to the county attorney, the context made all the difference. This is what media literacy is all about. There will no doubt be material subject to scrutiny on public access television from time to time, just as there will be similar material on other cable channels. From my perspective, we seem to be a society that doesn't object to allowing our children to see any number of simulated murders and adulterous situations on network television, even daytime network television, every day. But we draw a hard line when it comes to the content of public access programming. The fact of the matter is, it is against the law to censor programming on public access television. The staff at PATV does its best to inform each individual using PATV that PATV is a community service as well as an outpost for free and uncensored speech. PATV's guidelines help inform producers and viewers of their rights and responsibilities--even of their responsibility to be media literate. In this case, the provider legally exercised his First Amendment rights. Some people objected to the conten~ of the program. That's the nature of public access. That's the nature of life. Now, let's get o~ with things. In an effort to address concerns and questions Council may have regarding PATV, and to help Council members better address the concerns of their constituents, Public Access Television would like to schedule a special Guidelines workshop at the Council's convenience. Please discuss a date (preferably after June 10th) and time (please allow two hours). ! will be calling Mayor Lehman to find out what the Council decides. Sincerely, Ren~ Paine, Director of PATV 123 South Linn Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Phone (319) 338-7035 Fax (319) 356-5494 e-mail: patv@avalon.net web site: http://www.avalon.net/~patv Date sent: From: Send reply to: Organization: To: Subject: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 15:47:05 -0500 Tammy Porter <tkporte@iastate.edu> tkporte@iastate.edu Iowa State University council@blue.weeg. uiowa.edu Sponsors needed from Iowa Our daughter, Aja Skye Porter, currently won her age division (3-4 year olds) for the state of Iowa at the New Star Discovery Beauty Pageant. She is now eligible to represent the state at the National Competition in Lisle, Illinois on August 7,8 & 9th. In order to get her there, we are asking for your help. Since she is representing the entire state of Iowa, we are trying to find sponsors from as many cities in Iowa as possible. Sponsors can be individual people, groups, businesses, etc. and they can donate any amount of money. All sponsors will have their name or business in the national program book, and afterwards will receive a photo and thank you letter stating how she did. If you would like to be a sponsor, or know of a business in your area that might be interested, please notify us before July 6th. We can be reached either by phone at (515)432-5800 or by e-mail at tkporte@iastate.edu if you have any questions or need more information. Thank you, Scott & Tammy Porter 1221 - 7th Street Boone, Iowa 50036 -- 1 -- Wed, 3 Jun 1998 08:00:54 IOWA CITY P.O. Box 64 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244-0064 (319) 354-0863 Iowa City City Council 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 May 26, 1998 Dear Council The Downtown Association of Iowa City would like to take this opportunity to voice our support for the proposed Library/CenterSpace project. The Iowa City Public Library has always been an important part of downtown. The very fact that it has grown out of its present building and needs to expand demonstrates the enormous popularity of the library. There is scarcely a segment of our community that does not use and enjoy it. The information age is now a vital part of all out lives, and out citizens deserve a state of the art library to keep educated, informed, and able to compete in out complex society. For many of out residents, the Library is their first exposure to the center of our city. Keeping the library expansion central is part of the critical mass necessary for the vitality and success of our downtown. It will be continue to be a true destination point for many citizens in our community and surrounding communities, bringing both adults and children downtown, where they can experience the best of our urban society. The CenterSpace capital construction project would finally complete the last piece of the downtown urban renewal puzzle begun more than 20 years ago. It is fitting that we select a project having the potential to enrich the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. A large community meeting place, providing space for exhibition of art and performance, is especially appropriate and desirable in Iowa City. There is nothing elitist in this project; rather is it a reflection of Iowa City itself. One need only look to the Iowa City schools to see the widespread interest this city has in the arts. Our children excel in all areas in the arts and the numbers of those participating is growing every year. Today, the schools regularly rent space at the University of Iowa for performances that would be welcome and very appropriate downtown at CenterSpace. Arts organizations in Iowa City are thriving, but often need space for exhibition. Come downtown on Friday nights throughout the summer and see for yourself how important the arts are to our citizens as they flock to hear the free concerts on the Plaza. Come see the crowds at Iowa Arts Fest and the Jazz Festival. CenterSpace would be an integral part of keeping these events downtown. But CenterSpace is not just an arts venue. Just as important is its function as a meeting and exhibition space for business, civic, and service organizations. The design of this building will allow use by so many sectors and interest groups in our community, that we feel it will truly become an important part of the downtown and the City of Iowa City. We have no doubt that within a short time, it will be hard to imagine downtown Iowa City without CenterSpace. It makes so much sense. As business people, we feel this will have a positive effect on the downtown business climate and could well invigorate our economic outlook and encourage private development. A design preserving the parking accommodation currently provided by the "library lot" would be an added and welcome benefit. We expect that these investments in our community will pay a handsome dividend to all Iowa Citians in the future and we heartily endorse this project. Sincerely, on behalf of the Downtown Association of Iowa City, Weingelst~ Executive Director, Downtown Association of Iowa City I O WA~' C I T Y P.O. Box 64 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244-0064 (319) 354-0863 /t///ty 2, ? 1,998 CITY .4flg ,Ey$ OFFICE May 26, 1998 Iowa City City Council 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Council Members, The Downtown Association of Iowa City would like to take this opportunity to express our support for the Iowa Avenue Streetscape Project and the associated north side parking project. For more than twenty years, the north side of our central business district has been sorely neglected. As the main entry point into our city, it certainly deserves our attention and this is a particularly good time to address its problems. A visitor's first impression of our unique downtown should not be narrow sidewalks, congestion, and what essentially amounts to a three block parking lot. Though we venture to suggest that no one loves a parking garage, such a structure would be a major improvement over the present situation. The proposed streetscape plan is more than a cosmetic makeover of Iowa Avenue, It will provide an exciting entry into downtown, pointing the way to a truly unique city center. The design also presents an opportunity for a new and appropriate venue for the arts and music festivals that we would like to have continue to have their home in downtown Iowa City, and have added to its attractiveness and uniqueness as a destination for our own citizens and visitors from throughout the region. In addition, the plan promotes a dynamic interface between the University of Iowa and the downtown. It allows for a free flow of pedestrian interaction between our central communities in an attractive and positive way, and preserves the best parts of one of the most unique urban corridors in the State. It will surely encourage private investment in the properties on Iowa Avenue. We feel that replacing the parking spots that will be lost in the redesign of Iowa Avenue is absolutely essential. The proposed parking structure would break new ground in combining a public parking facility with private businesses. We are, of course, most anxious to see the final designs of the structure and the facade it represents to Iowa Avenue. We realize that you feel pressure from other perspectives and constituencies, but we encourage you to continue to look to planning and improvements providing the maximum opportunity for enhanced enjoyment as well as sustained growth downtom. We applaud your decision to do this one right! The project is indeed an investment in our future. Sincerely, on behalf of the Downtown Association of Iowa City, Executive Director, Downtown Association of Iowa City IOWA CI T Y P.O. Box 64 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244-0064 (319) 354-0863 Iowa City City Council 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 26, 1998 Dear Council Members The Downtown Association of Iowa City would like to take this opportunity to express our support for the Downtown Investment Initiative and Renovation Plan. Your plans will help protect Iowa City's investment in the central business district and insure growth and vigor well into the next century. The vitality and uniqueness our business and cultural center brings to the quality of urban life in Iowa City is a legacy for future citizens. We are encouraged by your decision to include Clinton, Washington, Dubuque, and Linn streets in your renovation plans. This will expand the ambiance of our Downtown over a much wider area. We feel it is extremely important that, as you "fine tune" the design, you choose the best materials available. After more than 18 years with the existing design, we should be in a position to learn from past errors. Please do not sacrifice durability and attractiveness in the long run to save a bit of money in the short run. New benches, planters, fountain, play equipment, lighting and information kiosks can only improve on our already successful streetscape. Visitors and residents alike constantly tell us how much they value the character of our downtom. This initiative tells all of us that you are looking to the future with optimism and confidence, ensuring that we will be able to serve our diverse population with a truly unique downtown experience. Sincerely, on behalf of the Downtown Association of Iowa City, Catherine M. Weingeist Executive Director, Downtown Association of Iowa City From: To: Subject: Date sent: "Isaac Burns" <cadsi.com!isaac@cadsi.com> <council@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu> Iowa City Skatepark Mon, 1 Jun 1998 16:17:51-0500 CITY S OFR£E City Council, Before building the new ramps for the Iowa City Skatepark, I was told City workers would be moving the ramps every morning before the parking lot was opened to cars. Sharing a skatepark with a parking lot is not possible without some kind of management. Someone needs to be in charge of setting up the ramps when the skatepark is opened and removing them when it is closed. Leaving it up to the ones using the facility is not always successful. Many of the kids who use the skatepark are not ready to accept the responibility of moving the ramps. It takes one person about five minutes to move the ramps to the side of the parking lot. I purposly built the ramps to be modular so that they could be easily moved. This should work for the rest of the summer or until the plans for the permanent skatepark have been finalized. The work you have done for the local skate scene lately has been excellent. We can't let it go to waste because of poor management. There is a way to make this work, to keep everyone happy. Isaac Burns 318 N. Gilbert St. Iowa City, IA 52245 (319) 358-8402 (Home) (319) 626-6700 #240 (Work) Please contact me with any questions or information about the temporary and/or permanent Iowa City Skatepark. Sincerely, -- 1 -- Tue, 2 Jun 1998 07:58:33 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: May 26, 1998 City Clerk Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner ~ Parking prohibition on the 900 block of N. Gilbert Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after June 9, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(12) of the City Code, signage will be installed indicating "NO PARKING ANY TIME" on the east side of the 900 block of N. Gilbert Street and "NO PARKING 8 AM-5 PM MON-FRI" on the west side of this street. Comment This action is being taken at the request of neighborhood residents citing concerns of long-term vehicle storage and the lack of adequate space for parking on both sides of the street. This portion of N. Gilbert Street is only 18' wide with no curb or sidewalks. City Public Works crews have also requested action be taken in this area. All four adjacent residents were contacted and concur with this action. CC: tp3-3dr.doc 900 N. Gilbert Street Residents City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: June 3, 1998 To: City Clerk From: Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re; Installation of Yield Signs on Western Road at California Avenue As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after June 22, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(5) of the City Code, signage will be installed indicating traffic on Western Road must "yield" to traffic on California Avenue. Comment This action is being taken at the request of a neighborhood resident, to better define the right-of- way at this intersection. Stop signs were initially requested, but traffic volumes did not warrant such action. Yield signs are consistent with other intersections in the area. Im\mem~r6-22.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: June 3, 1998 To: City Clerk From: Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner ~ Re: Modification of Two-Way Center Left Turn Lane Melrose Court to S. Grand Avenue on Melrose Avenue from As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after June 22, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(2) of the City Code, pavement markings will be installed changing the existing center two-way left turn lane on Melrose Avenue from S. Grand Avenue to Melrose Court to a left turn lane only for westbound Melrose Avenue traffic. Comment This action is being taken in response to neighborhood concerns about the frequent cases of left turning vehicles for eastbound and westbound traffic facing off in the short distance from Melrose Court to S. Grand Avenue. Removal of the left turn lane for eastbound traffic will not have a significant impact on capacity since this movement has the right-of-way. The Melrose Avenue Neighborhood Association concurs with this action. jw/mern/dr-mel r. doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: June 8, 1998 City Clerk Doug Ripley, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Lane designation changes at the intersection of Kirkwood Avenue and Gilbert Street As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Unless directed otherwise by the City Council, this action will occur on or shortly after June 22, 1998. Action Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A(2) of the City Code, pavement markings and signage will be modified to remove the "Left lane must turn left" designation on Gilbert Street north and south of the intersection with Kirkwood Avenue. Comment Last September lane designations and signal timings were modified to include designated left turn lanes and protected left turn arrows for northbound and southbound traffic. This action was in response to high left turn collision rates and left turn delays. A follow-up study revealed the accident rate did not decline and traffic delay was being shifted to the through traffic, causing considerable congestion north and south of the intersection.. The former "left lane must turn left" on Gilbert Street will now allow both left turns and through movements. The traffic signal will be modified to allow protected left turn movements while also allowing additional through capacity. Kirkwood Avenue will remains as is. jw/men~dr-kirk2.doc May 27, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination INSPECTOR I CONSTRUCTION We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Construction Inspector I. Creston Turnbull IOWA. CITY CIVIL CO~SSION M~ael W. Ken.,n~dy, SERVICE Chair ATTEST: arian marr, city Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council RE: Civil Service Entrance Examination - Fire Battalion Chief We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) in the order of their standing as eligible for the position of Fire Battalion Chief. Larry Kahler - tie Dan Smith - tie John Grier Jerry Blank Steve Dolan IOWA CITY CIVIL Michael W. Kenny, Chair · Dickerson Date Certified ATTEST: City Clerk 410 EAST WASitINGTON STREET * IOWA ('ITY, IOWA 52240-1826 * (310) 356-511011 · I. %X (319) 356-5009 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council RE: Civil Service Entrance Examination - Fire Captain We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) in the order of their standing as eligible for the position of Fire Captain. Larry Kahler John Grier Steve Stimmel Steve Dolan IOWA CITY CIVIL Chair Date Certified ATTEST: Marman Karr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IO%¥A ('ITY, IOWA 52240-1826 " {319) 356-5000 " I' %X (310) 356-5009 May 15, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHER EMERGENCY We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Emergency Communications Dispatcher. Merry Rooks Katherine Navara IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION Michael W. K~nnedy, Chair ATTEST: r, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 May 27, 1998 CITY OF I0 I/VA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination - MAINTENANCE WORKER II - LANDFILL We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Maintenance Worker II - Landfill. Tony Worrell Phil Lewis IOWA ~CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION Michael W. Kennedy, Chair ATTEST: Mar~-an Karr, City Clerk 4t0 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-$000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 June 4, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CI TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination - MAINTENANCE WORKER III - PARKS We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Maintenance Worker III. Jarret Meade IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMmiSSION Michael W. Ke~edy, Chair ATTEST: Mar~an Karr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 3:56-5000 · FAX (319) 356-:5009 May 27, 1998 CITY OF I0 WA CITY TO: RE: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council Civil Service Entrance Examination - SPECIAL PROJECTS INSPECTOR I We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Special Projects Inspector I. Chris Gilstrap IOWA CITY CIVIL COMMI S S I ON Michael W. Kennedy, SERVICE Chair ATTEST: Mai~ian Karr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET * IOWA CITY. IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 ~' FAX (319) 356-5009 May 27, 1998 CITY OF I0 W/I CITY TO: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council RE: Civil Service Entrance Examination - SPECIAL INSPECTOR II PROJECTS We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission of Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Special Projects Inspector II. Shaun Bradbury IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COM~4ISSION ael W. Kennedy, Chair ATTEST: an Karr, City Clerk 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-$000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 Date sent: From: To: Subject: Sun, 14 Jun 1998 22:19:32 -0500 (CDT) Raymond Crowe <rcrowe@blue.weeg. uiowa.edu> council@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu Teg Drive Iowa Citians need to strike a balance between the usage of their streets for the common good and the needs of the neighborhoods where the streets are located. Portland Oregon, which has had arterial(collector) traffic calming since 1992, has learned the importance of this balance. Their program has two primary goals: the first is to enhance residential livability, and the second is to maintain, to the extent possible, the arterial integrity of the roadway. In the case of Teg Drive, the speed humps calm a street segment; i.e., a portion of a neighborhood collector that connects two arterials (West Benton and Sunset). Neighborhood collectors are residential in nature, so it is important that the livability and safety of their respective neighborhoods be maintained. To allow deterioration will only increase the speed on Teg. Other traffic calming options for Teg are costly and will remove parking. I view the humps as a necessary preventative measure, not a hazard. Sally Crowe -- 1 -- Mon, 15 Jun 1998 07:58:05 From: To: Subject: Date sent: Lawrence Karniski <Lawrence-Karniski@mail.int-med.uiowa.edu> "'council@blue.weeg. uiowa.edu'" <council@blue.weeg. uiowa.edu> Attn: C. Champion, K. Kubby, E. Lehman, D. Norton, M. O'Donnell, and D. Thornberry Tue, 16 Jun 1998 11:10:06 -0500 Dear Council Members: I would like to thank you for your recent vote on the speed humps along Teg Drive. Even though some of you may not think this is the best option, I believe Karen summed up the feeling of many in stressing the need to maintain some degree of continuity in the bureaucratic process. If the rules keep getting changed, individual neighborhoods will get frustrated and give up. The lack of neighborhood involvement might make things easier but would be harmful in the long run. Thanks again for bringing this to a vote and for your support. Larry Karniski 1948 Hafor Drive -- 1 -- Tue, 16 Jun 1998 11:51:25 Date sent: To: From: Subject: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 14:56:45 -0500 council@blue.weeg.uiowa. edu Harold Adams <harold-adams@uiowa. edu> TEG DRIVE I want to thank you for your decision to maintain the speed humps on Teg Drive. My family and I have lived on Teg Drive for approximately 20 years. We were very concerned about the increased traffic, especially the speed of the vehicles, that developed when Teg and Aber Drives were connected. While the concerns of the Iowa City Fire Department are appreciated, I believe the Iowa City City Council is making the right decision to protect the children in the neighborhood and at Willow Creek Park. Thank you again for your decision. Harold Adams -- 1 -- Tue, 16 Jun 1998 15:22:06 To~ From: Date: Iowa City City Council Johnson County Task Force on Aging Housing Preference June 16, 1998 We have read that you are considering a suggestion that families with children be given priority for public housing assistance. We gather at the present time you give "homelessness" a priority. We would like to suggest, with a limited number of units, that by establishing priority for broad categories you may, for all practical purposes, exclude the elderly and the disabled. We believe that families with children need housing, but we also believe that many elderly and disabled persons need housing. Please remember when you establish a priority, you may in fact be excluding other segments of the population. When the housing assistance program was started in Iowa City a priority system was developed that utilized many factors. Some of the factors that were built into the priority system were: age, availability of housing, length of residency in Iowa City, condition of ones' housing and the percentage of ones' income being paid for housing. This was before federal preferences. Some of these may no longer be options, but it does suggest that you may wish to consider multiple factors in establishing your priority system. We thank you for your consideration of our concern. .8CGTFY JOHNSON COUNTY CITIZENS FOP, TOBACCO FREE YOUTH Dedicatod to reducing doath and dis~as~ b~, keeping Johnson Count~ ~,outh tobacco free Dear Council Members, Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the US today, yet every year over 400,000 people die from tobacco related disease. Tomorrow's victims in the cycle of addiction, disease and death are being recruited today, from among our children -in Johnson County, 18% of high school students report using tobacco. The Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth (JCCTFY) is a grass-roots coalition of parents, educators, health professionals and prevention specialists united by a common concern for the health and safety of our children. We have spent the past eighteen months talking with citizens and elected officials in Johnson County about developing a tobacco prevention program for our community. What emerges from these conversations and from the experience of other communities in Iowa, and elsewhere, is that community awareness is a key to success. However, reducing teen smoking rates also demands strict compliance checks for merchant sales violations and enforcing minor possession laws. Accordingly, we propose that the City of Iowa City adopt the following measures to deter the youth of Iowa City from using tobacco: Provide information to accompany the retail cigarette permit holder's license which informs merchants that the administrative civil penalty, as required under Iowa law, will be imposed if their employees sell tobacco products to minors. The first offense is a $300 civil penalty with license suspension or revocation for additional violations (Code of Iowa, Chapter 453A.22). Request the Police Chief to conduct regular compliance checks of all Tobacco Permit Holders and ensure that violators are subject to the mandatory civil penalties as set out above. Enforce possession laws for minors who use, possess, purchase or attempt to purchase tobacco products. Provide minors cited for a tobacco violation with the option of attending a Tobacco Diversion Class. The citizens of Johnson County support these actions as evidenced by the 1000 signatures on the attached petition asking that the cities of Johnson County enforce Iowa's Adolescent Smoking Prevention Act of 1991. The Iowa City Community School District, the Johnson County Dept. of Public Health, the Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse, Mercy I.C., and The Univ. of Iowa Dept. of Preventive Medicine also support these recommendations. We believe that the time has come for Iowa City to again show that it is a national leader and to adopt these measures to protect the health of future generations. Respectfully submitted by: The Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth Eileen L. Fisher, Chairperson ° 3722 Hummingbird Ln SE · Iowa Gt~j, IA 52240 o 31Q-338-14Q4 o Fax: 31Q-330-3831 Tobacco Facts Tobacco Kills. Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of avoidable death in the United States. Causes of Death Cigarettes kill more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs, and fires combined. Tobacco- related diseases are the number one preventable cause of death in this country, killing over 4,800 Iowans every year. Tobacco use begins early. For any cross section of adults who smoke daily, 89% began using cigarettes and 71% began smoking daily by or at age 18. Smoking Alcohol Car Every day 43 Iowa youth under the age of 17 start smoking. Tobacco is a "Gateway Drug". Studies show that young smokers are 3 times more likely to use alcohol, 8 times more likely to smoke marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. Minors can easily buy tobacco. Over one billion packs of cigarettes are illegally sold to children in this country every year. Among estimated 2.6 million U.S. smokers who are 12-17 years old, about 1.5 million (58%) usually buy their own cigarettes (CDC, 1992). 1997 compliance checks in Iowa City found a 33% failure rate of licensed tobacco merchants. A February 1997 compliance check performed by Iowa City West High School students found that 9 of 15 retailers (60%) sold to an 18 year old without seeing an ID and 13 of the same 15 retailers (86.6%) sold to a 16 year old without seeing an ID. Woodridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago (pop.25,200) greatly reduced the incidence of merchant sales to minors (from 70% to 5%) in just 1.5 years by conducting quarterly compliance checks, resulting in the percent of eighth graders who reported being regular smokers decreasing from 16% to 5%. THEREFORE, THE JOHNSON COUNTY CITIZENS FOR TOBACCO-FREE YOUTH RECOMMEND THAT: The Cities of Johnson County, Iowa should take measures to enforce the 1991 Adolescent Smoking Prevention Act, by conducting regular compliance checks of licensed tobacco permit holders and issue fines for violations, with the permits suspended and ultimately revoked for additional violations of the law (Iowa Code Chapter 453A.22) and by issuing citations to minors for use, possession, purchasing, or attempting to purchase tobacco products with the option of a tobacco diversion class for the 1st offense. L. GRAHAM DAMERON, MPH DIRECTOR June 16,1998 Johnson County Department of Public Health Dear Members of the Iowa City Council: Board of Health Richard C. Dobyns, M.D., M.S. Kelley J. Donhain, D.V.M., M.S. Diane Joslyn James H. Martinek Anita Sehr On behalf of the Department and the Board of Health, I would like to address the issue of tobacco. For many years, the Department has been involved in smoking cessation clinics and community awareness campaigns; the use of tobacco is a very important public health issue to us. As you might know, tobacco is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in our nation today, yet every year over 400,000 people die from a tobacco related disease. It also has been estimated that over 3,000 children begin smoking each day in the United States and I'm sure that a few of them, in a year's time, are unfortunately from Iowa City and Johnson County. In Johnson County, a coalition called The Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth (JCCTFY) was formed approximately eighteen months ago. The coalition comprises of parents, educators, health professionals, and prevention specialists, including the Director of the Public Health Department. This Coalition has spent the past year or so reviewing local tobacco prevention programs which have been successful in reducing teen smoking rates. The key factors to the success of these programs is by using strict compliance checking for merchant sales violations, enforcing minor possession laws, and developing a community awareness campaign. The Department and its Board supports and applauds the efforts of JCCTFY and will continue to work with them to deter the use of tobacco among our youth. In addition, the Department is working in cooperation with the County Attorney to detail the procedures for administering the civil penalty to retail permit holders who violate Chapter 453A, Code of Iowa. We ask the City of Iowa City's cooperation with JCCTFY and the Department in these efforts. Thank you. Sincerely, L. Graham Dameron, MPH Director Copy: Jim Martinek, Chairperson, Board of Health Eileen Fisher, Chair, JCCTFY J. Patrick White, County Attorney 1105 GILBERT COURT · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 · PHONE (319) 356-6040 · FAX (319) 356-6044 recycled paper Barbara Grohe, Ph.D. Superintendent IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT 509 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 339-6800 (319) 339-6890 FAX June 4, 1998 Dear Council Members: I am writing you to offer this letter of support of the Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth recommendations to the Iowa City City Council. I had an opportunity to visit with the high school principals regarding the proposed measures recommended by the Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth. They and I are very supportive of the actions they recommend. 1. Provide information accompanying the retail cigarette permit holder's license that the administrative civil penalty will be imposed if their employees sell cigarettes to minors in the future. The first offense penalty is a $300 fine with the license suspended or revoked for additional violations as required under Iowa Code, Chapter 453A.22. 2. Request the Police Chief to periodically conduct compliance checks (quarterly, if required) of all Tobacco Permit Holders. 3. The City Council subject violators to the civil penalties in the Code of Iowa, as indicated above. 4. Strictly enforce minor possession laws for minors who use, possess, purchase or attempt to purchase tobacco products and permit minors cited with their first tobacco violation with the option of attending a Tobacco Diversion Class in lieu of the fine. Use of tobacco by our youth is an issue about which school personnel have been very concerned. Because of the increasing problem of tobacco usage in the younger populations of Johnson County, I am proud to offer my support in this important effort. Sincerely, Barbara Grohe BG/hik MID-EASTERN COUNCIL ON CHEMICAL ABUSE COMPREHENSIVE SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION SERVICES SERVING: CEDAR, IOWA, JOHNSON, AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES omC,rE mU'LY TO: - June 15, 1998 TREATMILNT and FACILITY 430 Southgate Avenue Iowa City Council iowa Ctty, 1owa 52240 319 3514357 City of Iowa City FAX: 319-351-4907 Civic Center 410 East Washington Iowa City, IA 52240 [] CF-DAR COUNTY BRANCH OFFICE 519 Cedar Street Tipton, Iowa 52772 319-886-3468 RE: Recommendations for Johnson County for Tobacco Free Youth [] IOWA COUNTY BRANCH OFFlICE Grinnell State Bank 1101 Court Avenue, Suite 10 PO Box 366 Marengo, Iowa 52301 31%642-5528 FAX: 319~-42-3263 [] WASHINGTON COUNTY BRANCH OFFICE 314 McCreedy Drive Washington, Iowa 52353 319-653-7597 [] ItI~TH IOWA BRANCH OFFICE Student Health Services Steindior Building University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 52242 319-335-8392 [] OWI PROGRAM John R. Stzatton Center 2501 Holiday Road Coralville, Iowa 52241 319-351-1090 Dear City Council Members, MECCA has worked in collaboration with Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth, Johnson County Department of Health, Iowa City Community School District, and the Iowa City and Coralville Police Departments over the last two years to decrease the numbers of youth who are becoming involved with tobacco products. Our goals through collaborative efforts have been to increase public awareness to the health risks associated with teen tobacco use and to provide support for enforcement of laws regarding tobacco sales to minors. We have worked cooperatively with the Iowa City and Coralville Police Departments to conduct tobacco compliance checks and to provide information and education to retail tobacco license holders and their employees to decrease tobacco sales to minors. Please join with this on-going effort by considering the following recommendations: * Quarterly tobacco compliance checks for retail tobacco license holders. * Levying of administrative fines for retail license holders' violations of sales to minors and subsequent suspension of license if violations continue; and Issuing citations to minors for use, possession, purchasing, or attempting to purchase tobacco products; and tobacco education classes coupled with community service for minors who have been cited. Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations. Unlbed Wau Sincerely, Executive Director Mercy Hospital East Market Sveet .11., M E RCY Iowa C~t'y, Iowa 52245 YOUR HEALTH, OUR MISSION. 16 June 1998 319-339-0300 phone Iowa City City Council Civic Center 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Members of the City Council, More Iowa Citians will die from tobacco-related diseases than from motor vehicle crashes, violent crimes, and AIDS combined. The 1991 Iowa Adolescent Smoking Prevention Act of 1991 was passed to deter the onset of youth smoking. As with much legislation, it is incumbent on communities to enforce the law without further regulation or funding from the State. Mercy Iowa City has been actively involved with Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth since the coalition's formation. We strongly support the restriction of youth access to tobacco as the most effective way to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with tobacco use. Among the known facts about adolescent tobacco use are: -Tobacco is the number one gateway drug to other drug use. -Every day 3,000 adolescents in the U.S. begin to use tobacco. -Taking up smoking is a behavior of the young; 75% of smokers begin to smoke before age 18. -A national survey in 1991 showed that 44 % of eight grade students had already experimented with cigarettes, with almost two-thirds of high school seniors having experimented with cigarettes. -Of those under age 18 who smoke, 74% obtain their cigarettes from retail merchants. -An estimated 1 billion packs of cigarettes are illegally sold to minors each year in the U.S. -For the past ten years, smoking rates among adults have been decreasing while smoking rates among teenagers have remained the same. -The use of smokeless tobacco among teenagers has increased each year since the late 1970s. -Among six years olds, Joe Camel is as well recognized as Mickey Mouse. Kids smoke the three most heavily advertised brands of cigarettes: Marlboro, Camel, and Newport. Education and prevention efforts alone can not compete with the seductive advertisements of the tobacco industry. Please recognize the seriousness of this public health issue as you consider the request for action presented to you by Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth. Communi~ Health Partr~rship Coordinator Active Enforcement of Cigarette Control Laws in the Prevention of Cigarette Sales to Minors Leonard A. Jason, PhD; Peter Y. Ji; Michael D. Aries; Scott H. Birkhead Objective.--To assess the effect that cigarette legislation would have on re- ducing merchant sales rates of cigarettes to minors and the affect on adoles- cent smoking behavior. Design.--Observational survey of merchant selling behaviors and adoles- cent smoking habits before and after passage of legislation. Setting,--The setting for the merchant survey was Woodridge, III (population 25 200), a suburban community of Chicago. The surveys were distributed to adolescents in the local junior high school. Participants.--Convenience sample of both merchants and adolescent stu- dents. Intervenfion.--Passage of community antismoking legislation. Main Outcome Measures.- Percentage of stores selling cigarettes to minors in Woodridge and percentage of students who had experimented with cigarettes or were regular smokers. Results.--Merchant sales rates in Woodridge decreased from a baseline of 70% before legislation to less than 5% in 1.5 years of compliance checking af- ter legislation. Student surveys showed that the rates of cigarette experimen- tation and regular use of cigarettes by adolescents were reduced by over 50%. Conclusion.--Cigarette control laws can be effective in significantly reduc- ing the rate of cigarettes sold by merchants and rates of cigarette use by ad- olescents. Key elements of successful legislation implementation are consistent compliance checking and heigt~tened community awareness of the problems and prevalence of adolescent smoking. (J.4.~.4. 1991:266:3159-3161) DESPITE the health hazards of smok- ing, approx/mately 3000 adolescents be- come new smokers daily. ~ A recent study by DiFranza and Tyez has estimated over $1 billion in illegal sales of tobacco products to minors. Although state laws proMbit sales to minors, minors fre- quently have little difficulty in purchas- ing cigarettes. Across the nation. active tobacco-control investigators have sent minors, under supervision, into s[0res to purchase cigarettes, In ~anta Clara County, California, 74% of stores sam- pled in this manner sold tobacco prod- ucts to minors.3 In Massachusetts. an 11-year-old child was able to purchase cigarettes from stores 75% of the .:ime.4 Campaigns to alert merchants :o cig- arette laws are insufficient for restricting cigarette sales. In Buffalo, NY. lettern describing the cit);s cigarette sales law. warning signs, and enforcemere ;~truc- From the Depa~men~ of Psyc,~clogy. versify. Chtcagc Reprint rec~uests to the Department CT DePaut Unwermtv,, 2323 N Seminary -~ve ~,c2Go L 606~4 {Dr dons were sent to merchants. Despite Buffaids educational efforts, a cit>nv/de [nvestigation showed that 77% of stores receiving educational packages sold cig- arettes :o minors.~ In Santa Clara, Calif, an aggressive campaign was used to alert merchants to cigarette laws. There was an h-dtial reduction of cigarette sales to minors from 74% to 39%,s yet vending rnaehine sales were unchanged. A 1-year follow-up showed thai the merchan~ sales had rebounded to 60%/ See also pp 3168 and 3186. The following study sought to assess. by periodic checking, the effects of li- censing and enforcement of legislative provisions on cigarette selling behav- iors of merchants and m/nors' accessi- bility to cigarettes. Through distribu- tion of questionnaires before and after passage of legislation, we also sought to determine the effect of the law on the prevalence of adolescent cigarette use in a local junior high school. METHOD This study was initiated as a result of a private citizen's complaint regarding a minoFs possession of cigarettes to Of- ricer Bruce Talbot of the Woodridge, Ill (population, 25 200), police department. In August 1988, Officer Talbot sent a letter to all cigarette vendors in Woo- dridge detailing the state law prohibit- ing cigarette sales to minors. In addi- tion, follo~dng a media focus on a De- Paul Urfiversity study of cigarette sales to minors in Chicago (L.A.J. and P.Y.J., unpublished data, 1991), Officer Talbot invited one of the authors (L.A.J.) to assess cigarette sales rates in Wood- ridge. These measurements were done in August and November 1988 and Feb- ruar7 1989. The DePaul University re- search team also distributed a question- naire '~o students at the local jurior high school in March 1989 to determine the number of adolescent smokers and their smotdng habits. In May 1989, new leg- islation was passed restricting cigarette sales in Woodridge, and cigarette sales were tracked after the legislation was passed. During each checking period, minors 12 to 13 yem~ of age (all of whom were rated by independent judges as looking less than 18 yesa~ of age) were sent into stores to purchase a pack of cigarettes. Unobtrusively, a Woodridge police of- ficial or a DePaul University research assistant obsem'ed the transaction. Vending mac.hine sales were also tracked by sending.minors to purchase cigarettes from these machines. There was 100% agreement between two independent judges as ~o whether an illegal sale oc- curred. Sales assessments conducted before legdslation to determine if Officer Tal- bot's letter to merchants was effective, were made in August and November 1988 and Febraary 1989. In the spring of 1989, Officer Talbot and other Wood- ridge officials firmfled cigarette control legislation modeled after the city's li- quor control laws. This was done to treat the sales of tobacco and alcohol. both age-restricted products, in precisely the same manner. Using the liquor Iaws as JAMA, December 11, 199t --Vol 266. No. 22 Active Enforcemen[ of C;garette Cc":rcl Laws--Jason et al 3159 a guide had the additJon~] effect of tak- ing advantage of existiag civil enforce- ment s~-uc~-'es, such as the mayor's office, for issuing sales licenses and fol- lowing up violaQons. The new cigaret-te legisl~on, containinglicensing, enforce- ment, and possession provisions, was passed M~y 1, 1989, with a 30-day en- forcement grace period. Vendors were issued cigarette sales licenses and billed a licensing fee of $50. Reports of the cigm'ette sales assess- ment and the passage of the law were aired on Ioc~l television stolons and pub- lished in loc~ newspapers to inform com- munity members. During the grace pe- riod, Officer Talbot personally delivered a copy of the law and a tip sheet describ- ing all forms of valid age identifica~on issued by the state of Illinois to every cigarette vendor in Woodridge. Vendor's questohs about the law were answered of which took approximately 15 minutes. All store visits were cenciuded in 1 day. The Woodridge police depar~nent planned quarterly "sQngs" to check met- clint compiLerice a~er the gr~e period, and all stores were checked regu]~ty (Ta- ble). When a violaQon occurred, the po- lice officer wrote a report on the v~obtion and sent it to the mayor's office (the mayor is the tobacco commi.~sioner under the ordinance, as well as liquor coramissioner). The mayor's office then sent a let-~' in- forr~ng the mer~hnnt of ~ or her right to appeal within 10 days. If the merchant chose to appeal, a civil he,~ing was held; otherw~, the mayor L~ued a warning to the merchant, and either suspended dgaret~e~selling l~cense for 1 or more days, and/or imposed a monetary fine of up to $500. First offense~ incurred a w~ m the ~ year of enforcement, with a fine and/or snspe~on knposed i/a second olaQon occurred during the subsequent compliance check. In the second year of enforcement, the tobacco commL°~ioner hss tended to enforce the ordinance more s~ringently L~n in the firs~ year. I.f the mercirant did not sell cigarettes to winors dm'/ngcomp]lance checkingper/ods, a con- gratul~ory no~e was sent from the may- or's office. The possession clause of the Wood- ridge ordimmce allows police officers to issue a ticket to any minor c~ught with · egal tobacco products. This ticket c~r- ties a fine of $25. The minor can pay the fine immediately at-the police depart- ment, in a manner similar to paying for a parking ticket, or can wait for a civfi hearing on the possession ct~z'ge. The police depar~nent in Woodridge h~ played an ~mportant role in the en- forcement of penalties. First, ~"~er pas- sage of the ordinance, all officers were informed of the provisions by a del~r~- mental memorandum fi'om the chief of police. Second, ffa store incurred a ].-day suspension, the mayor's office notified the police, and ~ officers patrolling the area were reminded at morning roll ~ to keep a watchful eye on the s~ore. The police also maintained heightened community awareness in Woodridge by sending ]etters to two different popu- laQons on a reguL~ basis. At the end of every school year, police sent a letter to merchants warning them that during the summer months more adolescents would be in their stores, reminding them of the ordinance, and asking for their cen~inued support. Also, at the begin- ning of every school year, Woodridge schoolchildren were given an informa- tive letter about the ordinance to take home to their parents. This letter ~sked for cont~ued compliance and stressed re ~nwr~mee of pr~venEng aJolescent tobacco access. A follow-up questionnah~ was dL~rib- u~ tojuniorhig~ sc.hool students in Apri] 1991, ~lmest 2 years ~=~er passage of the or~ir~nce. Tlxis quesQonnaire sought to determine the effec~ of the Woodridge ordinance on the number of adolescent smokers and their smoking habits. RF~ULT~ Results of the assessment of Wood- ridge merchants' sales rates before en- actment of the ordinance are shown in the Table. In addition, in each of the time periods predaQng the legislation, sales from three vending machines in Woodridge were shown to be 100%. The results of compliance checking of Woodridge merchants conducted after the passage of the legislation are shown in the Table. From MArch through M~y 1989, the before and after passage of the legisla- tion, the number of vending machines in Woodridge increased fi'om three to six. In the f~st assessment der passage of the legislation (June 19894 three of six vendingm~_hinessold cigaret~esinWood- ridge. The number of vending machines decreased fi'om six in Sanitary 1990 to two in December ].990. In January, April, and July 1990, there were no vend- ing machine sales. In December 1990 there was one vending machine s~le. Fi~y minors were cited for posses- sion of cigarettes in the 1.5 years m~ter passage of the ordinance. These minors were assessed a $25 fine and their cig- arettes were cenfiscaved. Four of the 50 minors were repeat offenders during tl~ A total of 6~0 loenl seventh- and eighth-gracle students were surveyed in March 1989, before the law was passed. Results from this survey indb c~r~l that 46% of the students had ex- perimented with dgaret~es (eg, h~d tried cigarettes on at least one occasion) and 16% were regular smokers. In April 1991, almost 2 years after passage of the Woodridge ordinance, 6~9 local seventh- and eighth-grade students were sur- veyed, and 2~% reported experimenta- tion with cigarettes, with only 5% de- scribing themselves as reg~l~r smok- ers. Survey return rates were at 90% or above both before and ~d~er passage of the legislation. Other important dam ~rom the April 1991 survey revealed that 77% of the smokers cited friends, parenr~, siblings, or others as sources of their cigarettes, 17% cited stores or vending machJ_nes outside of Woodridge as their source, and 6% dted stores or vending ~es wiQ~n Woodridge. Add~Qonal~y, 8~% o£ student responden~ knew of the Wood- ridge bw and 69% felt the law would either prevent their procurement of cig- arettes or m~ke it harder for them to obtain c~garettes. ¢OMMF_I~ Two significant findings have emerged fi'om this study. Principally, to our knowledge, Woodridge is the first com- munlty to successfully reduce cigarette s~les rates to minors to a minimal level as a result of legislation. The key ele- 3160 JAMA, December 11, 1991--Vol 266, No. 22 Active Enforcement of Cigarette Control Laws--Jason et al ments of the legislation are vendor li- censing, active compliance checking, and penalties for merchant sales violations and minors' possession of cigarettes. Sec- ond, the combined effects of this legis- lation and a community awareness of the problem of adolescent smoking have substantially reduced the frequency of adolescent experimentation with ciga- rettes and regular smoking. The licensing process in Woodridge is efficient because it takes advantage of existing enforcement procedures de- signed to control sales of alcohol to mi- nors. The purpose of licensing is to mo- tivate a store to monitor itself in ciga- rette sales, rather than face license sus- pension. If a temporary suspension is made, it is likely to have a greater im- pact than a fine, because so much of a store's profit is made through the sale of cigarettes, especially in large stores. The legislation and enforcement suc- cess in Woodridge must also be attrib- uted to the commitment of the police department and mayor's office to con- tinually reinforce to the community the problem of adolescent smoking. The in- volvement of the local and Chicago met- ropolitan area media in reporting on cig- arette sales before passage of the ordi- nance. the ordinance passage itself. and subsequent successes fostered commu- nity pride in the initiative. The police visits to merchants to clarify the law. internal police briefings regarding mer- chant violations, the police letter to mer- chants at the beginning of the summer. and the yearly age-identification tip sheets were all integral parts of main- taining positive police-merchant inter- action. Thank-you letters from the may- ois office helped to instill a sense of merchant solidarity and promoted mer- chant-community ties. Finally, the po- lice department's letter describing the ordinance that was given to schoolchil- dren to take home to their parents and police efforts toward enforcement helped to keep families focused on the issue of adolescent smoking. School survey results indicate that the Woodridge law has substantially reduced the number of adolescents who smoke. The reduction of merchant cigarette sales has played a major role in keeping cigarettes from minors. Another possi- ble contribution to this reduction is the possession clause of the ordinance. The possession clause may provide an addi- tional deterrent to experimental ciga- rette use by minors. Although opponents of penalties for possession in cigarette legislation have insisted that these clauses are a case of "blaming the vic- tim" for cigarette use, we feel that pos- session clauses are one part of an overall plan--one parc that may have a deter- rent effect. Traditional educational approaches to reducing merchant cigarette sales have resulted in only short-term reductions presumably because an educational mes- sage instills little motivation for change. Without the possibility of direct action, merchants will fall to respond to edu- cational programs to reduce the number of adolescent smokers because of the tremendous profits involved in cigarette sales and the certainty of not being caught. Legislation was effective in Woo- dridge because (1) police conducted reg- ularly scheduled compliance checks and used uniform checking methods, (2) leg- islation was coupled with a strong ed- ucational message from the police to com- munity members at the beginning and end of every school year, and (3) the community's success received consistent media exposure. We would like to thank stmdents Nick Cicarelli, age 13 yeacs, Allison Vega, age 13 yearn, Christy Kelter, age 13 years, and Jenny Haut, age 12 years, for parvicipa~ing in the Woodridge compliance checks. We also thank Richard Russell, principal of Jef- ferson Junior High School in Woodridge, Ill, for lowing access to students for our surveys and Woodridge Police Department Juvenile Officer Will Sperling for his helpful comments. Last, we would like to thank Sergeant Bruce "Buzz" Talbot, for ki~ continued effort, support, and contribution to the Woodridge City Tobacco Ordi- nance. without which this article would not have been possible. References 1. P/erce JP, Fiore MC, NovotnyTE, Hatziandreu E.J', Davis RM. Trends in cigarette smoking in the United States: projects to the year 2000. JA.'gA. I989:261:61-65. 2. DiFrarmaJR. Tye JB. Who profits from tobacco sales to children? J.4.MA. 1990:263:2784-2787. 3..-~Itman DG. Foster V. tL~enick-Douss L, Tye J~. Reducing the illegal sale of cigarettes to mi- nors. JA.~fA. I989'261:80-83. 4. DiFranza JR. Norwood BD, Garner DW, Tye JB. Legisla~ve effor~ to protec~ children 9corn tobacco..fA.~L4.. 1987'o~57:'3387-3389. 5. Reducing minors' access to tobacco. Tobacco Youth Rep. Auturan 1990:4:17. $. STAT campaign cuts illegal sales of tobacco to minors in half. Tobacco Youth R~p. Autumn 1988;3:1. 7. More being done to prevent cigarette sales to minors. Tobacco Youth Rep. . Autumn 1989;4:6. JAMA. December 11, 1991 --Vet 266. No. 22 Active ?~fcrcement of Cigarette Ccrtrol Laws--Jason et al 3161 We, the undersigned, petition the City ef lewa City Te make the 200 Block of Nerth Gilbert Street A Ilistoric Preservatien DlstricL We ask that they these beautiful buildings be net destreyed! Preserve ogB limes! Primed Name P~ ~,' %~/~ Address// Phone Signiture .~ ,. -.. .._. ., -,.,. . .f,. ,., ,. , We, the undersigned, petition the City of iowa City To make the 200 Block of North Gilbert Street A Historic Preservation District. We ask that they these beautiful buildings be not destroyed! Preserve OUR Homes! We, the undersigned, petition the City of Iowa City To make the 200 Block of North Gilbert Street A Historic Preservation DlstrlcL We ask that they these beautiful buildings be not destroyedl Preserve OgR gemesl /'Printed Name Address Phone SiLmimre We, the undersigned, petition the City of Iowa City To make the 200 Block of North Gilbert Street A Histeric Preservation District. We ask that they these beautiful buildings be not destroyed! Preserve OUR !!omes! We, the undersigned, petition the City of Iowa City To make the 200 Block of North Gilbert Street A Historic Preservation District. Wo ask that they these beautiful buildings be not destroyedl Preserve OUR Hemes! tqPrin£cd Name Address Phone Sinnimre