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Home My WebLink About2004-11-18 Info Packet I:: 1 -"",= -~!t :f~~~ ~ CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET -...:;;;.... --." ...... ... November 18, 2004 CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org I MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS I IP1 Tentative Future City Council Meetings and Work Session Agendas IP2 Letter from the City Manager to Walter Kopsa: Citizen Inquiry-Historic Preservation IP3 Memorandum from the City Clerk: Information Packet IP4 Agenda: November 19, 2004 Economic Development Committee I PRELIMINARY DRAFT/MINUTES I IPS Telecommunications Commission: October 25, 2004 IP6 Airport Commission: November 11, 2004 IP7 Parks and Recreation Commission: November 10, 2004 IPS Historic Preservation Commission: November 10, 2004 IP9 Scattered Site Housing Task Force: November 8, 2004 IP10 Planning and Zoning Commission: November 4, 2004 IP11 Scattered Site Housing Task Force: October 4, 2004 IP12 Charter Review Commission: November 16, 2004 I! 1 G!J -!O~-~~ ~~~!: City Council Meeting Schedule and 'Ç,..."'Iíi;T......~ --- .....- Work Session Agendas November 17, 2004 CiTY OF IOWA CiTY www.icgov.org I TENTATIVE FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS , · MONDAY, DECEMBER 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session · TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00P Formal Council Meeting · MONDAY, DECEMBER 20 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session Cancelled · TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00p Formal Council Meeting Cancelled · MONDAY, JANUARY 3 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Regular Work Session · TUESDAY, JANUARY 4 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00p Regular Formal · THURSDAY, JANUARY 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall 8:30a-5:00p Special Budget Work Session · MONDAY, JANUARY 10 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Budget Work Session Board/Commission/Organization · TUESDAY, JANUARY 11 Emma J. Harvat Hall 12:00p-7:00p Budget Work Session · MONDAY, JANUARY 17 Emma J. Harvat Hall Holiday - City Offices Closed · TUESDAY, JANUARY 18 Emma J. Harvat Hall TBA Special Work Session 7:00p Regular Formal · TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall Regular Formal · TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Emma J. Harvat Hall Regular Formal Meeting dates/times/topics subject to change FUTURE WORK SESSION ITEMS Regulation of Downtown Dumpsters ~ j! 1 IP2 £~W~ ~~...., ..... ... CITY OF IOWA CITY Walter Kopsa 410 East Washington Street 1 30 Ashwood Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 Iowa City, IA 52245 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX Dear Mr. Kopsa: www.icgov.org This letter is to acknowledge receipt of your letter received in my office on November 3, 2004 expressing concerns about a City staff person. My delay in response was to allow me time to review the minutes (attached in part) of the Oct. 21 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting to which you refer. I am sorry your experience was not more positive. My expectation is that the staff will be responsive to citizen concerns to the extent possible and will provide information available to them in an objective manner. In reviewing the minutes of the Oct. 21 meeting, it appears there may have been some confusion in the general discussion about whether the national historic district or the local historic district was being discussed. I assume in your exchange with Shelley McCafferty it was clear to both of you that the national district designation by the State was being discussed. According to the minutes you ask .....if it was not possible that National Registry might not be approved." Shelley's response is recorded as .....given that the State had already said that one district was eligible and should be forwarded to the federal level, it was unlikely that the second district would not be accepted." As I read this, it appears she is responding to a question from you about the likelihood of State approval of a national district designation for the Gilbert-Linn area. She is not saying nothing can be done to stop it. You then ask the question about the 50% protest and she responds appropriately. If your sense is that Shelley was advocating for the historic district designation, you are correct. Shelley is the appointed staff person to the Historic Preservation Commission. Her job is to speak in many instances for the Commission. The Commission's charge is to promote historic preservation. As the Council makes specific decisions about district designation, they consider the advise of their commissions, their staff, and the public, weighing the perspectives of each. If you would like to discuss this matter with me or with Shelley's supervisor, Karin Franklin, futher, please feel free to call. Sincerely, ,Jú¡p1iYU~ Stephen J. Atkins City Manager Cc City Council Shelley McCafferty Planning and Zoning Commission October 21, 2004 Page 5 the wishes and the intent of the people who resided in and owned property in the area. He submitted two additional letters to Staff for the Commission's consideration. Michelle Hiqlev, 414 N. Gilbert, said she and her partners resided in and had recently purchased this property. She was present to urge the Commissioners to vote in favor of the proposal. She was originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, One of the things that had attracted her to Iowa was the neighborhoods. One of the reasons she had chosen to purchase a house on the northside was the mix of the neighborhood and the front porch neighborhood. She urged the Commission to keep the neighborhood at the nice balance that it currently is at. The house next to her at 402 Davenport Street had recently been purchased. That particular space was proposed to have only two parking spots. It was her understanding that it was to be turned in to a rental property. She was concerned about the future of this property. Catherine Schneider, 317 Church Street, said she'd owned a house there for over 20-years. She saw the downtown creeping north toward them, she'd like to see the neighborhood preserved, She'd seen too many old houses torn down around Mercy Hospital and other areas. She asked the Commission to vote for the proposal. Jill Gauldinç¡, 225 E. Davenport Street, said this was at least the eighth meeting on this issue. She wished to address Hansen's comment. She said with all due respect, it seemed like a funny question to ask, .Why move forward at this time". The original plan for the District had been very carefully laid out by persons who were experts in historic district evaluation and designation. The decision to get rid of the commercial properties was a compromise in order to allow the residential part of the neighborhood to move forward. The State wished that they would not compromise, they wished to see more. The fact that the State wished to see more at the National Historic Register level, which was all they had control over, should have nothing to do with whether they moved forward in terms of a local district for the compromised area which everyone agreed from the Historic Preservation Commission to the State to the persons speaking at this meeting was a neighborhood that deserved this label and the protection. She said it would make no sense at all to her to make them wait in the residential part of the district until the issue with the original commercial part of the proposed district was resolved. It appeared that all the little districts that made up the northside would not have to wait for some comprehensive district. Her understanding of the history of this district was that it would have been too hard to make the entire northside all one district so people had agreed to do it piece by piece. It was a strategy that made sense but to make them wait until some unforeseeable future when the City reached a decision about some other area would really be unfair and would be a disservice to all the work that had gone on so far and to all the people who had worked so hard to preserve this neighborhood. Krista Goldsberrv, 414 N. Gilbert Street, said she recently purchased their property and they were renting out two units on the second story. She was a landlord, resident and property owner. Goldsberry said she supported this district and urged the Commission to support it too. She submitted her letter to Staff. Goldsberry said she had been unaware that this was being held up, it seemed to be a no brainer that since the State the thought that the historic district should be bigger, didn't that call for stronger support of the district and residential area. Judith Pascal, 311 N. Linn Street, said she was there on behalf of the Iowa City monthly meeting of Friends. They had a Quaker meeting house at 311 North Linn Street, which had been there for 40 or 50 years. She hoped it would be there for a long time to come. They were strongly in favor of the proposal. Amv Baum, 419 N. Gilbert, resided there with her husband Mike Singer. She said she'd like to strongly encourage the Commission to support the proposal, along with all of her good neighbors who were in attendance at the meeting. ~alter KODsa, said he owned property at 320 and 324 Davenport Street. Kopsa said he remembered from the last meeting that the vote on the Ronalds Street district had been deferred until receipt of approval of the National Register. McCafferty said that was incorrect. It had been deferred until comments were received from the State and they have been received. Kopsa asked if approval of that district by the National Register had been received. McCafferty said Staff had received comments from the State Historic Society, which acted as agents of the National Register. Planning and Zoning Commission October 21,2004 Page 6 Kopsa asked if that had or had not been approved for National Register status. McCafferty said it had gone forward and was in the process of being registered right now. The original nomination had been approved by the State. Kopsa asked what was the status of this district? McCafferty said actually having a district on the National Register was not a requirement for local designation. It had been determined to comply with the Comprehensive Plan. There were two districts nominations for the Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District sitting at the State, two proposals. It had not been determined which one would be forwarded to the National Register for this particular district. Kopsa asked if it was not possible that National Registry might not be approved. McCafferty said given that the State had already said that one district was eligible and should be forwarded to the federal level, it was unlikely that the second district would not be accepted. Kopsa asked what would happen if over 50% of the property owners in the National District sent notarized letters stating that they did not want it to be in the National District. McCafferty said in that case it would go on to the Feds and would be listed as eligible but would not actually be listed as a district. Freerks said just to be clear, the Commission was not voting on national district, it is a local district that is being discussed. Behr said this Commission's action did not wait on official action for the National Register, it waited on comment as to the local designation from the State. Clair Sconsler., 413 Gilbert Street, said she had spoken at the previous meeting, was a strong supporter of the proposal and was a wonderful way to stabilize the neighborhood and keep it a viable place to live for all the property owners in the neighborhood both resident occupants and renters and those who owned property there. She wished to address that perception that things were moving forward to hastily. The state that they were at now was the end point of a long process that had begun in 1992 with a historical survey of the City. It had gone through the City's Comprehensive Plan, the City had stated that its goals for the Northside neighborhood included historic preservation and measures to preserve and stabilize the architectural integrity of the neighborhood. It seemed to her that this process was not coming too soon, but too late. Higley said she'd be hard pressed to believe that there would be 50% of the property owners in that district that would vote against or not be in favor of the proposal. She had gone to great lengths to make sure that nothing had changed on her property, it was very easy to follow the guidelines. She wanted the Commission to know that there were property owners and landlords who were very willing to make sure that their houses remained in the up most and very pristine condition. Public hearing was closed. Motion: Chait made a motion to defer REZ04-00026, an application from the Historic Preservation Commission for a rezoning from Medium Density Single-Family Residential (RS-8) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential (RNC-12) to Medium Density Single-Family Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RS-8/0HP) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RNC- 1210HP) on approximately 20.8 acres located along Linn Street between Bloomington and Ronalds Streets and along Gilbert Street between Bloomington and Church Streets. This rezoning is to establish the Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District. Koppes seconded the motion. Chait said he felt the Planning and Zoning Commission had demonstrated a commitment to take the time that they required to give everyone an opportunity to speak their mind and to have as much information as they could on any issue. That was why their policy was to take at least two meetings on rezonings. In this particular case, he wished more time to get more information. Chait said he was a supporter of preservation and restoration. What concerned him tonight was the process that he was hearing and the ¡ feeling that they had to hurry up and do something. He didn't have the comfort level of having the i information to do that. His concerns were not with the commitment to do the work which most of the proponents wanted, he wished to be more clear about the items that they were being told were not in their preview that had to do with the politics of this proposal. It didn't feel right at this point and he wished to feel a little bit better about it. Miklo said unfortunately a lot of those items had been covered at the two Ii informal meetings that Chait had been absent from. , ¡ i! 1 CITY OF IOWA CITY ~ -~ = -~!t ~~W!': MEMORANDUM ~... .,.l1li." ~~ DATE: November 18, 2004 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk I't--~ RE: Information Packet Due to the Thanksgiving holiday there will be no information packet distributed next week. IP4 AGENDA City of. Iowa City City Council Economic Development Committee Friday, November 19, 2004 8:00 a.m. City Hall, City Manager's Conference Room 410 East Washington Street 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Minutes - October 12, 2004 3. Discussion - Application for Tax Increment Financing Assistance (1820 Boyrum St.) 4. Adjournment MINUTES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2004 - 8:00 AM CITY HALL, LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Ernie Lehman, Bob Elliott, Regenia Bailey Members Absent: None Staff Present: Steve Atkins, Steve Nasby Others Present: Joe Raso, Terri Morrow, Tim Rypma, Randy Hartwig CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Lehman called the meeting to order at 8:00 AM. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 2.2004 The committee approved the minutes from September 2, 2004 as written by a vote of 3-0. REQUEST FOR AMENDMENT TO NORTHGATE CORPORATE URBAN RENEWAL AREA Nasby said that there is an existing Urban Renewal Area (a.k.a. TIF area) for the Northgate Corporate Park. He said that there have been several business inquires, in Northgate Corporate Park and the adjacent parcels, that area that were looking for land to develop offices. Nasby added that Southgate Development Company owns about 34 acres that is next to the existing platted lots within the Northgate Corporate Park. Nasby said that there is a letter in the committee's packet from Southgate Development Company requesting that the City of Iowa City consider expansion of the Northgate Corporate Park Urban Renewal Area to include the property they own at the Northern border of Northgate Drive. Nasby stated that by expanding the Urban Revitalization Area, the City would have the ability to use tax increment financing as an economic tool if needed. Another possibility, Nasby mentioned, would be to use the TIF to undertake any capital projects that may be necessary due to the expansion of the area. Nasby also noted that if the Economic Development Committee is interested in amending the Urban Renewal Area, that it would make sense if the Urban Renewal Area would be expanded all the way to Highway 1 instead of leaving a parcel in between the Southgate parcel and the highway. Bailey asked about the access from Highway 1 to this proposed expanded TIF area. Nasby answered that there is no direct access at this time. Lehman said that it is a State highway and IDOT would control access. Nasby said that the future extension of Oakdale Boulevard is a possibility. Elliott asked if there is more than one entrance access. Nasby answered that there is not a secondary access point to the Southgate parcel; however, he said that in future Oakdale Boulevard could provide secondary access. Motion: Bailey moved to approve the expansion of the TIF district to include the Southgate parcel and the property between it and Highway 1. Elliott seconded. Motion passed 3-0. Elliott asked how much of the total property of the City is captured by TIF, and said that he believed it is a very small percent. He asked if there is a City policy of how much TIF property should be allowed. Lehman said that this was not an issue in Iowa City as it is rarely used. Elliott said that he likes the fact that there is only a small portion of property in TIF. He added that in contrast with the popular belief that taxes go down they actually remain always the same on the existing value and what really happens is that the City simply delays the tax increase on new development or added value. DISCUSSION - AVIATION COMMERCE PARK Lehman said that this would be a good opportunity to confer on the intent for the use of the airport land. He said that the position of the City, when they invested in the infrastructure, was that this would be an economic development tool and that it could generate tax dollars that could benefit the entire City. If the Council was not intending on selling property to non-taxpaying entities, he felt this should be known. Economic Development Committee Minutes October 12, 2004 Page 2 Hartwig said that it always envisioned it as an income generation tool for the airport, and City. Elliott said that he is in favor of anytime when there is an inquiry, telling the people immediately what are the expectations. Lehman said that this idea would have to be stated as a policy, because in this way it would give information to anyone interested that the property was intended for the investment made by the City to create taxes and jobs opportunities. Bailey said that some non-profits pay taxes. She asked if the City would be interested in considering a non-profit that is interested in paying some fees in lieu of taxes. She mentioned that she would like to see more non-profits considering that, because they do have an influence on the City services. Elliott said that he believes that it is better not to mention non-profits, taking into consideration that the most influential organization in town is non-profit. Lehman said that the committee should decide how to verbalize the intentions of the City regarding the issue. He added that the intention of the City is to see that property developed in a manner that would provide revenue for the general fund for the operation of the airport and the City. Lehman suggested that the Committee should make this as a recommendation to the City Council that the intention is that any development of the airport commercial property is expected to generate funds for the general fund. UPDATE- UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ENTREPRENEURIAL LEARNING CENTER Nasby said that the entrepreneurial learning center project is moving forward. Nasby noted that he had met with representatives from the University, ICAD and Chamber to discuss what additional steps or activities could occur. One idea that exists is to finish the basement of the facility, and transform it into office space and make it available to the community, to persons not related to the University. He stated that another idea is that the City could link some of the Community Development Block Grant money to the businesses that are graduating out of that facility, He said that a promise there would be funding for them is a large incentive and that if the business succeeds they could repay the money, and if the business does not make it, then it would simply be a grant. In response to a question, Nasby said that the Committee would continue to approve them case by case, and determine what type of funding, if any, they could receive. Elliott asked if there would be any change in the governance of the entrepreneurial learning center. He mentioned that if there would be City funding, he believes that it would be appropriate that the City be a representative part of the governance. Nasby said that a Memorandum of Understanding could be worked out. Bailey asked if there was any discussion about taking University services for starting businesses off- campus, in this way taking the service to the people, not asking the people to always come to the University. Raso said that David Hensley at the University of Iowa would make a model process document to include all information needed, Raso added that having the information on paper would help all parties included to see what is the process, at what stage is the process now, and what are the future plans for the site. Bailey asked if there is an emphasis on technology rather than other domains. Raso answered that they do get a lot more interest from the software development, rather than medical or arts side. He said that there is more interest in trying to attract other students. Nasby said that he remembered Hensley saying that there were a couple of students that wanted to start a music therapy business. Nasby added that everybody also needs to have a small office to operate their business, so the center has to limit their acceptance to those that can successfully work in the space provided, so industrial uses, for example, might not be possible in a small place like what is being offered Bailey said that another idea would be to have services to help artists in the business aspect of their service. She added that there could be classes offered which would lead to strengthen the community. She mentioned that it would do a little more than starting a business here and there, and changing in this way the approach. She mentioned that she would like to have some experts collaborating on the situation Economic Development Committee Minutes October 12, 2004 Page 3 Lehman said that it would be nice to have something written up, but also it would be necessary to know the CDBG limits for funding as what is allowable or not. Elliott said that whatever could be done to bring and integrate entities into the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area into the project should be done, and should be promoted as much as possible. He added that there should be more cooperation and integration. Elliott said that in the case the City or other entity would financially support the process of finishing the basement, he would not like to have a totally University generated government. Raso said that if this were a requirement the Committee would have to send a memo to layout how the relationship is expected to work. Elliott mentioned that each entity could help at different steps in the process. He added that it would have to be determined which combined unit would work better at each step of the development. Bailey asked how many graduates are from the program. Nasby said that there are currently seven groups. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:32 AM. s:/pcd/minutes/ecodev/2004/edc1 Q-12-04.doc Council Economic Development Committee Attendance Record 2004 Term Name Expires 01126 03/30 07/01 09/02 10/12 00/00 00/00 Regenia Bailey 01/02/08 X X X X X Bob Elliott 01/02/08 X X X X X Ernest Lehman 01/02/06 X X X X X Key: X = Present 0 = Absent OlE = AbsentlExcused NM = No Meeting -- -- = Not a Member City of Iowa City Application TIF Tax Rebate or Tax Abatement\Exemption Business Requesting Financial Assistance: Business Name: _Big Ten Rentals Inc. Name of Authorized Person to Obligate the Business: Brian DeCoster Business Address: 1820 Boyrum St Business COntact Person: Brian DeCoster _ Tltte: _President Telephone: _319-337-7368 Fax: _319-351-1221 E-mail Address: Bic Ten Rentals (á) Hobnail.rom Business Federal ID#: _42-1280520 Date of Application SUbmittal: 10/22/2004_ Release of Information and Certification NOTE: Please read carefully before signing I hereby give permission to the City of Iowa City (the City) to research the rompany's history, make credit checks, rontact the company's fìnandal institution, and perform other related activities necessary for reasonable evaluation of this proposal. I understand that all information submitted to the City relating to this application is subject to the Open Rerords Law (1994 Iowa Code, Chapter 22) and that ronfìdentiality may not be guaranteed. I hereby certify that all repre- sentations; warranties or statements made or furnished to the City in ronnection with this application are true and correct in all material respects. I unclerst:and that it is a criminal violation under Iowa law to engage in deception and knowingly make, or cause to be made, directly or indirectly, a false statement in writing for the purpose of procuring economic development assistance from a state agency or political subdivision. SIGNATURE OF COMPANY OFFICER AUTHORIZED TO OBllGATE BUSINESS: \S ~ ~L--=::::- NOTE: The City will not provide assistance in situations where it is detennined that any repre- sentation, warranty or statement made in connection with this application is incorrect, false, misleading or erroneous in any material respect. If assistance has already been provided by the city prior to discovery of the incorrect, false or misleading representation, the dty may initiate legal action to recover dty funds. 1. What is the location of the proposed project? 1820 Boyrum St, Iowa City, IA 2. Describe in detail the proposed "project" (e.g., company relocation, plant expansion, remodel- ing, new product line and/or new fadlity). Big Ten Rentals recently relocated to the new "project" location. This fadlity is nearly double the space we previously occupied. Extensive remodeling is required. Remove existing unsightly loading docks in front of building and replace with Glass for showroom. Enhance front of building with Brick and Glass. Extensively upgrade front entrances to be more retail friendly. Replace roof. Add Awnings and lighting. Add parking lot lights. Install garage doors, front and back of building. Regrade back parking lot to more effectively drain. Install security cameras inside and out These improvements will enhance the neighborhood. 3. Specifically, what type of capital improvements will be completed? (e.g. new building, remodeling, façade improvement, accessibility) Replace front loading docks with useable showroom space, including glass and lighting Overlay or replace metal sided building on West end with brick, glass, and stylish façade. Some interior work Accessibility is already very good. Ground level, double doors, Handicapped bathrooms. 4. Will the project increase the value of the property by at least 15%? Please include the amount of the proposed investment Yes. $112,000.00 5. Type of assistance requested: (check one) TaxIn~entRnandng xx.JQ..ï~ IL~ f>/~~ Tax Exemption Tax Abatement 6. If an existing Iowa aty business, how many total individuals have been employed by the company at the Iowa aty fadlity during the past year? 49. We are seasonal, with the bulk of our labor used April - October. We also utilize temporary labor from local service such as Manpower, Labor Ready and The Hope House. 7. What is the number of jobs within the existing or proposed Iowa Oty fadlity and what is the starting average hourly wage rate (not induding fringe benefits): 10 average Full time, 16 average total For the new employees? _7.50-13.50 depending on position For existing employees? ].50- 13.50 For existing and new employees? _7.50-13.50 8. Does the business provide standard medical and dental insurance for full-time employees? If so, what percentage of the standard medical and dental insurance package expense does the company provide? After 6 months employment the following positions are eligible for insurance 50% Medical for office manager Bookkeeper and Shop manager declined coverage. 9. Beyond the present project, what future growth potential is there for the Iowa Oty operation? Big Ten Rentals has grown every year since formation in 1981. Although many of our jobs are out of town, the majority of employees are residents of Iowa Oty, and wages are returned to the Iowa Oty economy. Seven Years ago Big Ten Rentals operated out of a 1,600 sq ft office with a feN small satellite warehouses. Our previous store at 171 Hwy 1 west. had a total of 11,000 sq ft, of which only 7,000 sq. ft. was accessible for our delivery trucks. Our new location ''The project" is 18,000 sq. ft. on one level, with more secure parking. We also maintain two other satellite warehouses at 18,000 sq ft and 3500 sq ft. for a total of 39,500 sq ft. 1820 Boyrum is allowing us greater retail presence, and more efficiency. Efficiency will be greatly increased with completion of the project. 10. Please describe the energy and resource efficiency programs, waste reduction, waste exchange, and/or recycling programs at your Iowa City operation. We are a retailer and do not generate too much waste. However, we do recycle cardboard, and reuse all office paper (both sides) before recycling. We operate a waste oil heater to allow us to recycle waste oil from our trucks and shop equipment. It works quite well. 11. Do you use recycled materials in the production of any products or through the provision of any services at your facility? If so, please describe. We recyde our cardboard, and when we receive quality boxes from incoming freight we reuse. We often offer used boxes as well as new to our Penske truck custDmers 12. Has the business been cited or convicted for violations of any federal or state laws or regulations within the last five years (induding environmental regulations, Occupational Safety And Health laws, Fair Labor Standards, the National Labor Relations Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act)? If yes, please explain the circumstances of the violation(s). 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(C ;¡'500""""'t>5,f'!<mB:T2Xfl'JlB>S"fCOlln'R ~ F'!I'aOOEP. . ;;*5n.D>'WJ.....n<~ln·E\ATTI>ao.ATlÇ!<A"'''.)('1i -1fI Q ;¡"5õWi"W.i"'1'H""'·!JATToau."""~T~ el.lX>:ÞI6>5. ~ - ~ "~_,"¡;ARffl;>pIZEDAI.tH""'~1'HI·I""'-'1'EP~ "" ,.,.w E" ~ " ,- "^" . , ""AUö. ~~:2'."",,' IECHNOLOGY Graphic Details A data-rich Web site that displays GIS-generated maps is now an essential tool for cities seeking to recruit new business, BY ELLEN PERLMAN N 0,",",100' ",,0, when" business wanted to relocate, site selectors would contact local economic development officials, fly to a city, and meet with real estate brokers to get a sense of what properties were available and what potential competitors or partners were in the vicinity. Property hunters still want all that inÍonnation. But these days, they can find much of it on the Internet. If a business were considering a move to Oklahoma City, for example, it wouldn't take more than a few keystrokes and a few minutes to learn what properties are avail- able throughout the city. If company offi- cials decide they like the location at, say, 101 Park A venue, they could then find an enterprise zone and access to trans- · Mining · Retail out that within a mile of that site there are portation. If it's too difficult to find those · Construction · Finance, about 1,200 adults ages 30 to 39 years old; kinds of details, they often go to places · Manufacturing insurance and 2.4 percent of the population has an that make it easier for them. · Transportation real estate annual income level of more than Three basic questions need to be $ 100,000; and nearly 70 percent is male. answered: Are buildings or sites available? . Communications · Services Such statistics are not presented merely in What àre the market numbers for the · Utilities · Government charts and tables bu t also are offered as area, in tenns of demographics, workforce · Wholesale WI Unclassltled color-coded maps. and spending? And what are the oppor- This is such invaluable and powerful tunities and partnerships possible in that generated maps, For instance, GIS can data that it's getting to the point where specific location? A data-rich Web site group and display the location of busi- localities that cannot provide such geo- using GIS to map results can answer those nesses by industry, enabling interested graphic infonnation online are starting to questions in no time. companies to see where certain industries lose businesses to those that can. What j'esearch shows that 80 percent of the are clustered. It's information people makes a site appealing is closely related to preliminary site selection now happens Qn could not really grasp except through ülS, location-specific advantages, says Ana- the Web. Those places not in the game "If! gave you a database and you looked at talio Ubalde, chief operating officer of GIS ~ it until your eyes were bleary, you would may be bypassed without ever realizing it. Planning, a consulting finn. "If I'm a busi- "Companies will create a short list of never understand it the way you would ness and I'm interested in finding 10,000 potential sites using infonnation obtained spatially," says Ubalde, square feet of office space, I could find from the Internet," says Kate McEnroe, Four years ago, only a few communities that in rural town U.S.A. or I could find an Atlanta-based expansion and reloca- were using GIS to attract businesses. it in downtown Manhattan," he notes, ,ion consultant. "On the other hand, Now, dozens of places are taking advan- "That's not why businesses relocate." companies won't even considet a site if tage of it. "We're seeing a much more In choosing one place over another, the infonnation is not there." diverse group of economic development businesses are looking for unique advan- And the expectation is growing that professionals using it," Ubalde says, tages. They appraise such factors as the jurisdictions will offer a visual version of "We're seeing it in rural and exurban quality of the workforce, the existence of that information-in the form of GIS- communities like Mansfield, Texas, and October 2004 GOVERNING 43 urban communities like Indianapolis and Three years ago, Riverside Counry, "If you go get business, you're hunting," San Francisco," along with Lake Elsinore, Murrieta and says Christian Gibbons, director of Busi- Oklahoma City is claiming a return on T emecula, formed a partnership to use ness/Industry Affairs, "We're staying investment of nearly 3 ,800 percent, based GIS to sell the area to businesses world- home and gardening." on the $145,000 invested in its Web site wide. It costs $150,000 a year. "All our Littleton has built a series of capabilities and $5.6 million in savings over rwo years, marketing is based on GIS," says Stevie including GIS and database research, That savings represents the time formerly Field, manager of business development keeping track of stats on local businesses, spent by brokers, site selectors and city for the Southwest California Economic running focus groups, and monitoring leg- staff. Revenue generated from new busi- Alliance. "It was thought that when we islation, new product releases and trends. nesses is another major goal. "When you pool our money together we are more Basically, Littleton does for its hometown combine GIS with the distribution capa- effective in marketing, [GIS] tells more businesses-free of charge-what a large bilities of the Internet, you have an than a brochure or a presentation folder." corporation would do for itself. unbeatable tool to attract new business in Brokers in these little towns can load Littleton subscribes to 10 database an internationally competitive market," into the database aerial photos, pictures research services and shares the informa- says Brenda Workman, director of Cen- and floor plans of properties, The site tells tion. Marketing is by far rhe most fre- tral City Development with the Greater prospects all about the demographic quently requested service by small busi- Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, make-up of the area and consumer expen- nesses, About 80 percent of the local A DYNAMIC COMBINATION ditures. About 80 percent of the brokers businesses are established mom-and-pop - in the area are participating in the site. businesses that want to sell more and mar- I In addition to data being easily accessi- Maintaining GIS sites is not expensive. ket their services. ble and visually appealing, it is also current. Tucson used pre-existing GIS data from Using public demographic, consumer San Francisco has 65 ciry departments Pima Counry to create an economic and neighborhood information, eco- that are constantly updating information. development site for the metro area, nomic development officials can pin- point marketing opportunities. The data 'If you looked at a database until your can help target where a business should consider sending a direct mail piece- eyes were bleary, you would never down to, for instance, a specific neigh- .~-(. borhood or even a few blocks. Otherwise, understand it the way you would spatially.' businesses wind up sending materials to an entire ZIP code. The 3 to 5 percent that are "gazelles," When a new business registers, for exam- which includes four other communities or growth companies, have issues related pie, the tax department updates its infor- and the unincorporated areas of the to continued expansion, a field where the .;. mation. Within hours, that information is county. The city's economic development database research gets more interesting, sent out from the department and merged office is able to maintain the site with less Gibbons says. They want in-depth knowl- into the GIS database. Realtors take care than one full-time person. One analysis edge of the marketplace. "We do com- of their end by updating the properry infor- shows that for every dollar invested in the petitor intelligence. They want industry mation. "The real value is that combina- system, the return is $62 for what it would trends. 'Should I expand in certain areas? tion-all this different data from our have cost the ciry, brokers and site selec- Is the market going to shift on me?' " departments and the private sector, doing tors to handle everything in person. Often they don't know about the big it dynamically and pushing it out to folks," Equally important for Tucson is the industry marketing analysis companies says Erich Seamon, GIS officer in San image that GIS conveys. Tucson considers that will sell a research table for a couple Francisco. itself to be on the leading edge of technol- of hundred dollars, providing tremen- While large cities rypically develop ogy. But officials worry that has not sunk dously useful information. "They still have their own GIS-enhanced business-recruit- in to the outside world. "A lot of people to purchase those lists, but a lot of times ment sites on the Internet, there are ways think of Tucson as the Old West," says they don't know those lists exist," says Eric for smaller jurisdictions to get a cut of the Kendall Bert, director of Tucson's Office Ervin, GIS analyst for Tucson. action at little or no cost. In some places, of Economic Development. With GIS, Yet the lists can be invaluable, "They organizations are providing GIS capabili- "we present a much higher-tech face to can tell you the number of people who ries for economic development on a the world." bought French poodles in the last three statewide basis, The Oregon Prospector, GARDENING V5. HUNTING months who were making salaries over for instance, run by a nonprofit economic $60,000," Gibbons says. "A trucker and development association, provides infor- Littleton, Colorado, has a different idea an accountant may both make $50,000. mation about sites that could be located about how to use GIS for economic devel- But one's going to NASCAR, the other anywhere in the state. And despite com- opment. Rather than focusing on it as a to wherever accountants go," he says. petition often trumping cooperation, city recruitment tool, the ciry is turning the Wherever that is, some local business leaders in Southern California believed technology inward to help expand existing needs to know. [!] that if small jurisdictions worked together businesses. Littleton officials use the term it would benefit their region, which would "economic gardening" to describe the Ellen Perlman can be reached at help each of them individually, city's work on behalf of local businesses. eþerlman@goveming,com 44 GOVERNING October 2004 Governlng.com · , The Site Selectors Speak Their Minds A Panel of Site Selectors Offers Candid Answers to IEDC Conference Attendee Questions By Katie Bums, IEDC Site selectors: They're the people every economic developer wants to impress. In what appears to be a popular new IEDC tradition, a dozen site selection consultants sat down on the last day of the annual conference last month and answered attendee questions about just what does and does not impress them. A lot of the questions dealt with basic marketing, of course, but others dealt with more specific matters such as the importance of rail access and health care. Judging by the comments the site selectors had, economic developers are getting a bit savvier about catching attention, but they still have a lot to learn. And, alas, some still haven't heeded advice that has been given previously. The matter afmedium The good news is that most communities appear to have received the often-repeated message about not sending videos. Dean Foote, CEcD, senior project manager for economic development real estate services with Carter & Burgess, made a joke about naughty consultants being forced to sit in a room and watch community videos. "But we're making progress," he added. "No one sends me videos anymore, which is a really good thing." The same advice applies to CD-ROMs. For one thing, as John Rhodes, president of Mohr, Stahl & Boyer noted, CDs often contain viruses, despite the best efforts of the economic development organization (EDO) to keep them clean. Rhodes said he doesn't even look at them. Moreover, as Kate McEnroe of McEnroe Consulting pointed out, CDs and videos alike simply aren't good investments for an economic development organization (EDO) to make. "The reason we want you to know this is because we know how much money you invest in these sorts of things," she said. Large packets of information weren't all that popular, either. Rhodes explained that stacks of information on available buildings did nothing for him unless he was in a particular building at the moment. That kind of information ought to be sent to brokers, not site selection consultants. Nor did he care for large packets with just a little information - specifically, large boxes sent via express delivery that contain lots of air and, said Rhodes with just the slightest amount of irritation, "a little brochure that's clever. "That may be wastefu1." Most of the consultants expressed a strong preference for electronic media. Foote and others noted that even though they might delete a community's e-Ietter soon after it arrived, a well-executed e-mail letter with sufficiently intriguing information could · prompt him to check out the sender's Web site. And all of the speakers stressed that a good Web site was indeed a community's most important business recruitment tool. (More on that in a moment.) Not that there weren't differences of opinion among the participants. McEnroe said she liked to use e-mail for conversations about projects, but unsolicited marketing pieces were likely to be deleted unread. Print newsletters or brochures, on the other hand, could be stuffed into a briefcase and read on an airplane. Jerry Szatan of Szatan and Associates added that while he generally liked getting e-letters, he preferred to get 100-page studies via snail mail. Jeanette Goldsmith, a principal with McCallum Sweeney Consulting, added that for her, face time often made the strongest impression on her. "The communities and the states that take time to come and do the call and actually sit down with us for an hour and talk to us face to face have more luck reaching me," she said. Rhodes spoke favorably of community familiarization trips in which representatives from towns throughout a major metro area sat down with him over the course of a couple of days and explained who they were. He also warned that such affairs would be too expensive for smaller, more isolated communities, and he added that anyone arranging such a trip should leave the golf outing off the agenda. "Golf outings are only good for golfers, and I don't have four hours," he said, General message: Site selectors are individuals with individual likes and dislikes, so use a multi-tiered marketing strategy. Just be careful not to waste money on media and programs that most site selectors tend to ignore, Web pages they'll want to read It's been stated at previous IEDC conferences and in Economic Development Now that a well-thought-out Web page is a crucial business attraction tool. (See "Snaring Site Selectors in Your Web," ED Now, Jan. 15,2002.) Judging by the comments at this most recent conference, some communities still need do a better job of thinking like a time- pressed site selector. As Robert Ady of Ady International stressed, there are three things EDOs need to keep in mind when designing their Web sites: speed, ease of navigation and useful data. On the issue of speed, remember that a consultant may be working from a laptop via a hotel room's phone line. "The one thing I don't want to see when I open up the home page is to see dancing bubbles or guys fishing and stuff like that that takes 20 minutes to download," Ady said. Keep the basics in mind. Szatan said with a note of exasperation that EDOs need to put their phone numbers on the site - on every page, in a spot that's easy to find. "Inevitably, when the project comes up, it's going to have wrinkles that have not been anticipated by whoever put the Web site together," he said. "I'll need to confirm things and so on. So make it easy to find you." That means a name and phone number. "Not 'info@so-and- so," Szatan added. "Forget it." Here's another basic: a map. Foote advised putting a simple map on the front page with major highways and proximities to other locations. "Don't assume we know where you are," he said. Also make it easy to figure out where the data will be, As Ady pointed out, a consultant may have trouble detennining whether the data he needs will be on the city's site, the chamber of commerce site, or somewhere else. And that's all the more important if your organization has an unusual name, because the search engine may not turn your group's name up if a site selector types in, say, "Springfield Economic Development Corp." and you call yourselves the TGIF Council. Make sure there are easy-to-find links from every other site they might check, and that you have meta-tags such as "commerce" or "economic development" that will get search engines to recognize you. Roal Spee ofIBM Consulting Services suggested including names and contact infonnation for individual staffers who deal with specific target industries or tasks. He also recommended a news feature highlighting the latest incoming companies or expansions. "Your best-selling messages are your successes. ..,," he said. "That attracts attention and gives recognition that other companies are investing in your region." Moderator Karim Kahn, editor in chief of Business Facilities Magazine, added a suggestion to include press releases as well. (And we at ED Now agree.) Mark Sweeney of McCallum Sweeney Consulting had some more advice on the type of data to include: "Infonnation we can't get anywhere else." Don't bother with Labor Department statistics because the Labor Department can provide that. But a list of, say, the top I 0 employers is useful as is a list of any unions operating there, types of management concepts being used, local education anecdotes, local tax and incentives, and of course, site and building infonnation. And of course, keep it all up to date. "Many sites, when I look at them, they're two years old, a year old," Ady said. That doesn't really help the site selector. What they'd like to hear One attendee wanted to know what questions the audience should have been asking, but wasn't. Gene DePrez, North American practice leader for IBM Consulting Services, said he wanted to hear them asking more about business trends, and what's going on inside companies, how it affects their decisions. Furthermore, EDOs need to be asking how those trends and practices affected the community's industries and the clusters they were developing. "Get into the substance, and don't worry about all those other kinds of things about packaging it," he said. An overarching need was for specific data on those targeted industries, and the consultants wanted to be asked about the types of information they wanted to see on those industries. "You do hope that a lot of thought has gone into it, but if most of you asked me 'How does our target industry list compare to everyone else's?,' nine times out of 10, I would tell you it's exactly the sam!;: as everyone else's," McEnroe said. Rhodes built on that, explaining that while a community doesn't necessarily have to limit itself to two or three target industries, having a portfolio of very defined industries makes a major difference, if the portfolio is backed up with solid information on the resources available to support those industries. "Everybody in this room is going after biotech. You don't have to tell us that. ...," he said. "But what's going to set you apart is what your are doing about integrating all the resources of the community, whether it's education, whether it's the facility or whatever, to make a particular industry ring true." Don Schjeldahl of the Austin Co. added that he'd like to have more communities follow up on the information they sent, to be sure it answers the kinds of questions he might have. "I think too often it does fall short of what our expectations are," he said. And Spee wanted to hear more questions about other communities' best practices. "There's a lot of organizations that can learn from working with each other, either via consultant or directly working with other organizations," he said. The 'i' word So are incentives really important? According to Schjeldahl, they've actually grown in importance over the last decade. Globalization has put pressure on companies to find cost efficiencies any way they can. Toward the end of a site search, once the company has whittled its list to one or two communities, a package that includes dollar-value incentives, along with training programs and other types of assistance, can help seal the deal. The type of incentive to offer, however, may vary depending on the company's growth stage. Startup companies, which often are working with a large net operating loss, may not derive much benefit from tax credit incentives; for a more established firm, however, credits could be attractive. Ady said that for startups, minimizing uncertainty and helping with up-front costs such as training can help. Assistance with relocation costs, which can be very steep, also are appreciated. Regarding tax credits for larger companies, Ady suggested that sometimes they looked more appealing to a company than their actual impact on the bottom line would dictate. Some had thoughts on the incentive offer process as well. Rhodes cautioned that some small companies that were new to the incentives game might try to "shop" incentives, paying insufficient attention to the basic plusses and minuses of a community. Those aren't the companies an EDO wants to attract. Incentives typically last for perhaps five or 10 years; the wise economic developer wants to bring in businesses that will stay longer than that because the community is a good place to operate. He also cautioned against jumping through hoops for "hot" technology companies that want to bring 500 workers to town. "You should be asking them questions, like 'Well, how long are you going to survive?' 'Will this community allow you to get to the next stage of technology?'" he explained. If the company only has one product, it may disappear after 18 months, leaving you with an empty building. McEnroe added, however, that sometimes, a company that seems to be shopping incentives may have already done a lot of preliminary research online. "Don't misunderstand the process," she said. "Don't think that because they call and ask about incentives first, that's all they care about. It may just be the point in the process they've reached before they pick up the phone." Reaching out abroad One attendee wanted to know more about :lttracting companies from other countries. Spee, who specializes in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, told him to keep in mind that companies from other countries may not be as familiar with North American communities as domestic firms are. The solution requires working across jurisdictional lines. "I[you're thinking of overseas marketing, don't try-to do it on your own as a small community, but really work together and present yourselves as a homogenous region," he said. Learning about the idiosyncrasies of the particular company can help as well. Samuel Lee, senior manager for KPMG Strategic Relocation and Expansion Services, noted that many Japanese companies try to penetrate the U.S. market via joint ventures, so tracking the companies with which they form those ventures can help you identify opportunities. And make a point ofkeeping the company executives' comfort level in mind. McEnroe recalled being in a room some 10 years ago with people from a community that was trying to position itself as a real comer in the Latin American market. "There was nothing but Caucasian men in the room," she said. It's times like that when an ability to demonstrate your community's comfort with diversity makes a difference. Try looking beyond the "usual suspects," such as the city council member and the bank president, and digging more deeply into your community's pool of potential representatives. Of rail lines and health care A few attendees were concerned about, assets or challenges specific to their regions. One asked about the current appetite for rail access. Szatan said it could be important for some projects, but what really mattered was access to intermodal facilities, especially for distribution and other heavy shipping, These don't have to be right in the community itself; having a large intermodal facility 50 to ISO miles away could still benefit an area. Schjeldahl, whose company works with a lot of manufacturers, noted that "hours of service rules" proposed for the trucking industry could make truck shipments more expensive, Rail, meanwhile, has improved its service, and while his clients weren't necessarily desperate for rail access at the moment, they did like to have it as an option for the future. . Sweeney noted that for many heavy industries, rail access was a "must." "If you have rail, you have a scarce resource. If you have dual rail service sites, you have a crown jewel resource," he said. But the key word was "access" - he recalled one rural community that had two rail lines, but no points at which to access them, Communities that have rail need to work with the rail companies and others to make sure such access sites are available. Another attendee noted that he rarely heard questions from site selectors regarding health care, yet existing companies in his area seem to worry about it a great deal. Did health care costs matter? DePrez said health care might be more commonly part of a company's national benefits package, making local variations less of an issue, Health care may matter more from a qualitative standpoint - the availability of care and its quality, the types of health care systems operating. "Those often come up as more of a 'quality oflife' issue, but a very key issue for many companies as they're making decisions," he said. He did note that health care costs sometimes arise in cross-border decisions, such as choosing between a U.S. site and one in Canada, which offers government-run health care services. Lee, and Michael Henderson of Cushman and Wakefield, noted that health care costs often seemed to be buried under workers' compensation or other labor costs. But if a prospect asks about it, it should be highlighted. Creative thinking One attendee asked for advice on creative ways to make one's community stand out on a list oflook-alikes. One thing the consultants apparently didn't see often enough was cooperation. Foote noted its importance for a region: "Put the swords away and work with your neighbors. It helps us sort through a project." Rhodes spoke of his happy surprise when a community simply gets the fundamentals right. That means having all the key players - the utility, the president of the college that would provide training, the mayor, and other leaders - in the room and having them show that "they've talked to each other more than once before." And McEnroe added that bringing in executives from companies that already operate in the community can help a prospect get a real sense ofthe area's business environment. Lee spoke of having flexible statutes and regulations, to allow quick responses to a business' needs, Henderson recalled a recent project in which a community looked at underutilized real estate and persuaded a local firm that no longer used its manufacturing plant there to sell that plant. "A site that hadn't been entered into the databases for us for the project we were doing suddenly became a top contender," he said. Don't be afraid to ask · Finally, the consultants admitted that they don't always follow up with "also-ran" communities - but that doesn't mean they aren't willing to answer questions about how to improve one's future chances. Of course, many site selection consultants are bound by confidentiality agreements, which make it harder for them to answer questions. But Spee noted that IBM had developed a process under which the company communicates with prospective communities at certain milestones in the site selection process, even if it sometimes consists of a "sorry, no decision yet." But he, and the others, encouraged the group to seek out feedback. J:;J MINUTES DRA IOWA CITY TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION MONDAY, OCTOBER 25,2004 - 5:30 P.M. CITY CABLE TV OFFICE, 10 S. LINN ST.-TOWER PLACE PARKING FACILITY MEMBERS PRESENT: Jim Pusack, Terry Smith, Saul Mekies, Brett Castillo, Kimberly Thrower MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Drew Shaffer, Mike Brau, Bob Hardy, Dale Helling, Andy Matthews OTHERS PRESENT: Kevin Hoyland, Michael McBride, Josh Goding, Jon Koebrick, Phil Phillips. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL None at this time. SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION Goding reported that PATV served as a judging site for the Alliance for Community Media video contest. A Live and Local program will feature a debate between the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. PATV's annual membership meeting will be held November 18 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the P A TV's offices and studio at 226 Lafayette St. Hardy reported that Channel 5 has been utilized for live election programming and will provide Johnson County election results on November 2. Video on demand is now available on channel 5 featuring candidate statements and City Council meetings. In regards to refranchising the Commission passed a motion to hold a public hearing at a separate time from the Commission's regular meeting. Concerning the consumer survey Pusack noted that the viewership and public satisfaction with the access channels were said to be high and asked to what this is compared. Castillo said that the comparisons and characterizations by Rice, Williams are based on their experience with other systems around the United States. Smith said the issues raised by citizens in the comment section of the survey included strong responses about price issues and the number of channels on the basic tier. Both of those issues are beyond the control of the Commission. However, the pass-through fee and the franchise fee, which does impact the price, and the number of access channels, which effects the number of channels on the basic tier, are matters within the Commissions purview. In regards to the Cable TV Division budget Shaffer said that the pass-through fee funds allocated to equipment grants for the access channels is being supplemented by the rranchise fee funds in this budget. There are no substantial increases in any budget lines. The franchise fee fund is transferring $52,000 to the library and again is transferring $100,000 to the general fund. Pusack said he is very concerned about the City using $100,000 of the rranchise fee to support the general fund. Fees paid by cable subscribers are essentially funding other activities of the City budget. Pusack asked if there were other instances in the City in which revenue related to an operation was being used to support the general fund. Are there other circumstances similar to the situation with the franchise fee in which cable subscribers are paying additional taxes to the City. Helling said parking ticket revenue goes back into the general fund. There are no examples of enterprise funds being used to support the general fund. Shaffer said it had been the policy of the City Council for over 20 years to not use the franchise fee to support the general fund. Helling said that had been the policy rrom the beginning of cable TV in Iowa City. Koebrick said that Mediacom is providing support to local cable operations well above just the franchise fee. Mediacom generally makes those commitments when the franchise fee is dedicated to cable-related uses. Local cable operations builds value for Mediacom's service and Mediacom approaches these activities as a partner with municipalities. If the municipalities are willing to put money into local cable efforts, typically in the fonn ofthe franchise fee, then Mediacom is willing to put in additional funds. From Mediacom's point of view it is difficult to put in funds above and beyond the franchise fee when the municipality is not using the franchise fee to support local cable TV operations but merely to support the general fund. Mediacom's competition in the marketplace, which is growing, is not subject to franchise fees and does not support local cable operations. Mediacom will be writing a check for about $185,000 in January to support PATV. If the City is taking $100,000 for the general fund, why shouldn't Mediacom be paying $85,000 instead? APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mekies moved and Castillo seconded a motion to approve meeting minutes of September 27,2004. The motion passed unanimously. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF COMMISSIONERS None. SHORT PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None. CONSUMER ISSUES Shaffer referred to the complaint reports included in the packet and noted that there were 3 complaints- 2 about outages and 1 about a billing problem. MEDIACOM REPORT Koebrick reported that the Video on Demand service is available and is growing. A system patch for the digital converter boxes is now being implemented. UNIVERSITY OF lOW A REPORT Michael McBride reported the University ofIowa channel is averaging about 16.5 hours oflocally produced programming and 7.5 hours of SCOLA per day. PATV REPORT Goding reported that P A TV served as a judging site for the Alliance for Community Media video contest. A Live and Local program will feature a debate between the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives. PATV's annual membership meeting will be held November 18 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the PATV's offices and studio at 226 Lafayette St. SENIOR CENTER REPORT No representative was present. lOW A CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORT Hoyland reported that the schools have a goal of having each school generate at least one program per semester. More concerts and other activities are expected to be taped and cablecast than in past years. The Education Exchange series will be producing more programs. LEGAL REPORT Matthews said he had nothing new to report. LIBRARY REPORT Fisher reported that there have been many live events that have been taped for cablecast over the past month. October was a very busy month for the library channel. Tamera Pierce, an author of children's books gave a talk at the library that drew over 300 people. KIRKWOOD REPORT No representative was present. MEDIA UNIT Hardy reported the Media Unit and the Community Television Service have been very busy during the election season. In addition, new programs are underway for the water series, fire safety week, and the Human Rights Awards Breakfast. Channel 5 has been utilized for live election programming and will provide Johnson County election results on November 2. Video on demand is now available on channel 5. CABLE TV ADMINISTRATOR REPORT Shaffer reported that InfoVision has a redesigned database. Shaffer said he has been busy working on the budget, which is included in the meeting packet. Avatar programs are planned for December 13 and January 10. REFRANCHISING Shaffer referred to the memo in the meeting packet that outlined the refranchising process so far. The memo details the areas in need of further negotiation and the points upon which there is agreement. Castillo said that the outage period qualifying for a refund has been reduced to 4 hours. The costs for installing additional origination points for the local access channels has been discussed. Mediacom will be providing the results of the signal check of the access channels' signal. Pusack asked about the area impacted by an outage before a rebate is offered. Koebrick said that the language will be consistent with Mediacom's practice of providing rebates for individual outages. Pusack asked about the form of the agreement. Koebrick said that an ordinance could be passed which modifies the language of the agreement. Castillo said that the on-going items listed in the memo would have specific language developed for amending the franchise agreement. Shaffer said that the Commission may, but is not required, to hold a public hearing. If one is held it should be conducted before making a recommendation to the City Council. The Commission needs to decide if they wish to hold a public meeting and if so, whether to make it part oftheir regular meeting or to hold a separate public hearing. Matthews said that the City Council is required to hold a public hearing and would do so during their regular meeting. Mekies moved and Smith seconded a motion to hold a public hearing at a separate time from the Commission's regular meeting. Thrower asked if Rice, Williams would attend the public hearing and about the role of Commissioners at the hearing. Shaffer said Rice, Williams can be available to answer questions. City staff will be attending and available to answer the public's questions. Koebrick said he would also be attending and will be available to answer questions. Matthews said the City Council typically does not answer questions from the public and primarily gathers public input at public hearings. The Commission voted unanimously to plan for a public hearing. CONSUMER SURVEY Shaffer noted the questions submitted to Rice, Williams about interpreting the survey and their responses. Castillo said that the poor signal quality on some channels revealed by the survey have been addressed in negotiations and have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved. Pusack noted that the viewership and public satisfaction with the access channels was said to be high and asked to what this is compared. Castillo said that the comparisons and characterizations by Rice, Williams are based on their experience with other systems around the United States. Smith said the issues that had strong responses are price issues and the number of channels on the basic tier. Both of those issues are beyond the control of the Commission, however, the pass-through fee and the franchise fee, which does impact the price, and the number of access channels, which effects the number of channels on the basic tier, are matters within the Commissions purview. Castillo said that there were no demographic questions asked, but the calls were made during a period when students were in town. Given the low number of people responding that they had cable service two years or less, the student population may have been under-represented. During the public hearing this needs to be kept in mind. CABLE TV DIVISION BUDGET Shaffer said that the budget included in the meeting packet will be forwarded to the City Manager prior to going to the City Council. The budget spends no more than is taken in. The pass-through fee funds allocated to grants for the access channels is being supplemented by the rranchise fee funds in this budget. There are no substantial increases in any budget lines. The franchise fee fund is transferring $52,000 to the library and again is transferring $100,000 to the general fund. Smith noted that there are three major budgets~the franchise fee at about $600,000, the pass-through fund at about $114,000, and PATV's operating budget at about $185,000. Shaffer said a 4% increase in franchise fee revenue is projected. Pusack said he is very concerned about the City using $100,000 of the rranchise fee to support the general fund. Fees paid by cable subscribers are essentially funding other activities of the City budget. Pusack asked ifthere were other instances in the City in which revenue related to an operation was being used to support the general fund. Are there other circumstances similar to the situation with the franchise fee in which cable subscribers are paying additional taxes to the City. Helling said parking ticket revenue goes back into the general fund. There are no examples of enterprise funds being used to support the general fund. Shaffer said it had been the policy of the City Council for over 20 years to not use the franchise fee to support the general fund. Helling said that had been the policy from the beginning of cable TV in Iowa City. Koebrick said that Mediacom is providing support to local cable operations well above just the franchise fee. Mediacom generally makes those commitments when the rranchise fee is dedicated to cable-related uses. Local cable operations builds value for Mediacom's service and Mediacom approaches these activities as a partner with municipalities. If the municipalities are willing to put some money into local cable operations, typically in the form of the franchise fee, then Mediacom is willing to put in additional funds. From Mediacom's point of view it is difficult to put in funds above and beyond the franchise fee when the municipality is not using the franchise fee to support local cable TV operations but merely to support the general fund. Mediacom's competition in the marketplace, which is growing, is not subject to franchise fees and does not support local operations. Mediacom will be writing a check for about $185,000 in January to support PATV. If the City is taking $100,000 for the general fund, why shouldn't Mediacom be paying $85,000 instead? Pusack said that it would be possible to figure out what the impact of the City taking $100,000 on the rates subscribers pay. Castillo said that if the City Council wishes to continue to use the franchise fee to support the general fund in dire economic periods, the Commission might wish to request a commitment to restore those funds after the crisis has passed and request a time table for doing so. Pusack said that in the past the Cable TV Division was able to put money into a reserve fund and is no longer able to do so. In essence, the Division is eating its seed com. ADJOURNM,ENT Smith moved and Mekies moved to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment was at 6:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Drew Shaffer Cable TV Administrator TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 12 MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD 01/01/03 to CURRENT Meeting Date Kimberly Saul Meikes Brett Castillo Terry Smith Jim Pusack Thrower 6/2/03 X X X X X 7/28/03 x x x x x 8/25/03 x x x x ole 9/22/03 x x x x o/c 10/27/03 x x x x ole 11/24/03 x x ole x x 12115/03 o/c o/c x x x 1/2/04 x ole x x x 1/26/04 x x x x x 2/23/04 x ole x ole x 3/22/04 x x x x x 41 26/04 x x x x O/C 5/24/04 x x O/C x x 6/28/04 x x x ole x 7/26/04 ole x x x x 8/26/04 did not meet did not meet did not meet did not meet did not meet 9/27/04 X X X X X 10/25/04 X X (X) = Present (0) = Absent (O/C) = Absent/Called (Excused) ~ MINUTES IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION DRAFT NOVEMBER 11, 2004 IOWA CITY AIRPORT TERMINAL Members Present: Randy Hartwig, John Staley, Dan Clay, Carl Williams, Michelle Robnett Members Absent: None Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Jeff Davidson Others Present: David Hughes, Dave Larsen, Rick Mascari, John Ockenfels, Ron Duffe, Greg Downes, Greg Zimmerman Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 5:50 PM Recommendations to Council: None Approval of Minutes: Staley moved and Clay seconded motion for approval of minutes from October with one amendment. In the third to the last sentence of Item A entitled "Runway 7 Project-Earth Tech," the Minutes should read: "Clay posed," not "Clay poised". Motion carried 5-0. Public Discussion - Items not on the Agenda: Rick Mascari presented to the Commission some old photos of the terminal. Unfinished Items for Discussion / Action: None Items for Discussion / Action: A. Runway 7/25 Project- David Hughes updated the Commission on progress. He described the analysis underway to determine the width of the extension (100' vs 150'). He presented information from the State on the pavement condition report it recently conducted. He has been in touch with FAA concerning reimbursement for additional expense with respect to relocation of Dane Road; he has not received a reply yet. Mr. Hughes reported he had heard from Mr. Jim Finley of the FAA with respect to the VOR approach to 36. Mr. Finley indicated that the time needed to change the approach to a VOR-A is only the time needed to republish, not the 2-3 year time frame for a new approach. Dave Larsen discussed possible changes to his development. The issue of moving dirt was discussed. Mr. Larsen met with Mr. Hughes earlier in the day and discussed possible time frame of the project's need for dirt and Mr. Larsen's time frame to remove dirt. The process the FAA requires was also discussed. The possibility of stockpiling the dirt was discussed. B. Strategic Plan- Asst. Planning Director Jeff Davidson presented a summation of the Strategic Plan up to the present with a prioritization of goals and a summary of the strengths and weaknesses as determined at the last meeting. Discussed the need to match strategies to goals and the remaining timeline for completion. Discussed the form the final document should take. Discussed the need to continue to keep Council apprised of elements that may already be in progress. Commission agreed to forward to Mr. Davidson specific strategies to accomplish stated goals; and kept open the possibility for a special meeting to further a timely completion. Airport Commission November 11,2004 Page 2 C. Aviation Commerce Park- Chairperson Hartwig discussed his conversation of Nov. 11 with Harry Wolf and the present state of negotiations with interested party for lots. He indicated Mr. Wolf thought there may be a need for a special Commission meeting before the December Commission meeting to discuss an offer. Mr. Clay indicated that if the possible sale goes through the Commission may want to re-evaluate the remaining lots and whether the Commission may want to try to lease these lots. Mr. Downes offered that the possibility of leasing ground in this market is nil due to lenders' lack of desire. D. Airport Budget- Discussed the timeline of City action on budget. Members asked about the availability of report on the current versus last year budget expenditures and the possibility of including such information in the monthly packet. E. Airport Management- The agreement with Jet Air is ready to forward to Jet Air for its signature. Discussion on the shape of future management structure took place. The present situation with the FBO was discussed. Mr. Mascari offered that should the situation with Jet Air change it would not be in the Commission's best interest to have an arrangement with a company not based in Iowa City. The use of interns was discussed with an emphasis on the need to have specific goals in mind should the Commission use them. Also, the possibility of aviation management graduates and the plus / minus of this level of experience. Mr. Ockenfels presented his perspective on his experience of hiring the last manager and the restrictions present from the City with respect to ability of the Commission to set pay etc. Also discussed were the need of the Commission to set, through performance standards / reviews, the level of manager compensation. Mr. Ockenfels expressed his view that Iowa City is a perfect stepping stone position for managers looking to gain experience to move to larger airports. The need to have the Strategic Plan guide the manager's job description was expressed. Mr. Clay expressed the view that the position the Commission finds itself at presently, with an opportunity to develop an expectation and relationship with management, hasn't happened in the past. The ability to work with the City and having a new Strategic Plan is important in implementing that relationship. Mr. Duffe related his view, gained from being in many different airports / FBOs, that successful managers seem to be aggressive, entrepreneurial type individuals. He thought the challenge to the Commission is to manage this type of individual. Mr. Clay thought an option to help the present need of help with the daily aspects of management is to look further into the use of interns. Members agreed with Mr. Clay to further discuss specifics. Ms. Dulek offered her view of interns in other City departments. F. Obstruction Mitigation Project- Chairperson Hartwig presented the results of bid for removal of trees related to project. Two bids were received and both under the consultant's estimate. Clay moved to adopt resolution (A04-01) to award the contract to Peterson Contractors, Inc. and seconded by Staley. The resolution passed 5-0 on a roll call vote. G. Airport Park- Mr. Clay presented the reply from the FAA to his letter asking for guidance in implementing the Commission's desire to provide a terminal viewing area. The FAA stated the information the Commission should provide. Clay moved and Staley seconded a motion to authorize the Chair to contact Mr. Dick Blum to provide the necessary information to the FAA. Motion passed 5-0. It was discussed that there are volunteer groups which would be willing to help in any construction work. Airport Commission November 11,2004 Page 3 Chairperson's Report: The chair reported that the City had presented a certificate to him recognizing Mr. Jerry Kaefering had completed 25 years of service to the City. The Commission agreed to present its own recognition along with the City's. The Chair also related an article in AOPA concerning the view of a Los Angeles County representative on the type of efforts airport supporters should use to best gain positive results. The need to have Commissioners help encourage fellow citizens to serve open positions on Airport Zoning Commissions was also stated. Commission Members Reports: Clay recognized Ms. Robnett's appointment to the Commission. Mr. Williams related his attendance at the Iowa Aviation Conference. He also described the Iowa Aviation security program and how Iowa City rates. Mr. Staley related that this meeting was his one year anniversary. He stated his view that issues at the airport have taken a positive step; he too welcomed Ms. Robnett. Administrative Report: None Set Next Meeting: Set for December 9, 2004 at 5:45 PM Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM S:\CLKIAIRPORT\MINS rn MINUTES I DRAFT I PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 2004 MEMBERS PRESENT: Craig Gustaveson, Judith Klink, Margaret Loomer, Ryan O'Leary, Nancy Ostrognai, Matthew Pacha, Sarah Walz, John Westefeld MEMBERS ABSENT: David Fleener STAFF PRESENT: Terry Trueblood, Mike Moran, Terry Robinson GUESTS: Mike Fallon FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Westefeld, seconded by Loomer, to approve the September 8, 2004 minutes as written. Unanimous. Moved by Westefeld, seconded by O'Leary, to recommend acceptance of Outlot J in the Windsor Ridl!:e subdivision. Unanimous. Moved by Klink, seconded by Ostrol!:nai, to recommend adoption of the Recreation Division Fees and Charl!:es Proposed for FY2006 and Tentative Proposals for FY07 and FY08 as presented. Unanimous. Moved by Walz, seconded by Gustaveson, to accept the listinl!: of Proposed Capital Improvement Proiects and Priorities for FY05-09 as presented by staff. Unanimous. WINDSOR RIDGE, OUTLOT J Trueblood acclimatized the commission as to the location of the subdivision and previous action taken by them. Outlot J is a linear green space, with a creek running through it, and a concrete trail already constructed. It abuts to Scott Park at its west end and would tie in nicely when a trail is constructed through the park at some point in the future. It is approximately five acres in size. The City will be responsible for mowing the area, but it would not be mowed as often as a typical park. Pacha asked who would be responsible for snow removal; Trueblood noted the City. The Parks Division went to a prioritization system last year, designating high priority areas as those with high traffic such as near schools, etc. This area would initially be a low priority area, meaning the snow may not be removed until the day after snowfall. Moved by Westefeld, seconded by O'Leary, to recommend acceptance of Outlot J in the Windsor Ridl!:e subdivision. Unanimous. Parks and Recreation Commission November 10, 2004 Page 2 of 5 RECREATION FEES & CHARGES The commission was provided with a draft of the Recreation Division fees and charges proposed for FY06 and tentative proposals for FY07 and FY08. Trueblood indicated there are 21 proposed fee increases as compared to 63 in FY05, noting staff increases the majority of the fees every other year. Trueblood went over the various proposed fee increases. The bottom line estimates that 38.86 percent of the Recreation Division's budget will be supported by non- property tax revenue. Moved bv Klink. seconded bv Ostr02nai. to recommend adoption of the Recreation Division Fees and Char2es Proposed for FY2006 and Tentative Proposals for FY07 and FY08 as presented. Unanimous. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES The commission was provided with a listing of the Proposed Capital Improvement Projects for FY05-09 in priority orqer as proposed by staff and also a listing of non-prioritized unfunded projects. Trueblood stated there were some substantial differences since the last time the commission prioritized the CIP projects. The past two years the commission has emphasized only one or two projects instead of prioritizing their top ten. Pacha noted that previously the commission felt it was not possible to properly prioritized the CIP projects until a master plan was completed, which would enable the commission to incorporate the community's priorities. Trueblood reviewed the various projects. With respect to the new bridge crossing the river to the Peninsula, Westefeld asked when the bridge would be completed. Trueblood indicated it is anticipated it will be completed no later than the middle of next summer. Trueblood noted the Sand Lake Recreation Area project was just acquisition costs only for the purchase ofS&G Materials property, south of Napoleon Park on Sand Road. Klink felt it was great the City is moving forward on this project. Gustaveson indicated he was unsure if this project should be a priority item; Trueblood noted again it was land acquisition only, with development to be discussed at a later date. Trueblood noted the Soccer Park Improvements project was expanded to include an irrigation pond and pumping system, developing two back-up soccer fields and constructing two practice baseball/softball fields. Pacha asked ifthere would be any liability issues with respect to the irrigation pond; Trueblood noted no more than the ponds in City Park and the Iowa River. Trueblood stated the prioritized listing will be given to the CIP committee next week, which will determine where the park and recreation projects can fit into the overall CIP plan which will be recommended to the City Council. He noted the City Manager indicated he felt some park and recreation projects will be able to be done. Parks and Recreation Commission November 10, 2004 Page 3 of 5 Moved bv Walz, seconded bv Gustaveson, to accept the listinl!: of Proposed Capital Improvement Proiects and Priorities for FY05-09 as presented bv staff. Unanimous. Westefeld asked if funding for the master plan was gone; Trueblood indicated funding still exists in the parkland acquisition fund. The next step is development of a Request for Proposal, which will be sent to several firms. Staff would then interview selected firms, with commission participation. Walz recommended beginning the process before the rest of the parkland acquisition fund is eliminated. She noted if the commission had a master plan they would be able to ascertain what kind of projects the community would like before expending money on projects they may not want. FY06 OPERATING BUDGET Staffs budget hearing with the City Manager was held yesterday to review the department's various submissions. Trueblood noted there were no unusual or big increases requested. Staff will be prepared to give an updated report at next month's commission meeting. NOMINATING COMMITTEE Pacha asked for volunteers to serve; O'Leary, Walz and Gustaveson volunteered. The committee will present a slate of officers at the December meeting. MISCELLANEOUS UPDATES Benton Hill Park Robinson reported on the project's progress. More work will be done on the aggregate trails; general shape of landscaping at entryway and play equipment is completed; playground safety surface needs to be installed. Klink: noted the alignment of the path was changed; Robinson stated this was the result of a couple of issues relating to accessibility. Loomer asked about fencing; Robinson noted D&N Fence is working with the general contractor on getting it installed soon. Mercer Baseball Moran stated the fence and lights are in and the dugout will be done by ajoint effort with the City High School parent's organization. This organization will also be discussing with Babe Ruth about redoing the press box. The irrigation is also in. Robinson stated Butch Forbes went "way beyond the call of duty" to have MidAmerican Energy help with the cost of the transformer, which could have cost as much as $10,000. DOl!: Park Trueblood stated the DogP AC group is getting into the fundraising mode and may be coming to the commission's December meeting. They would like to be able to name the facility after a major donor if such a donor should come forth. The City Manager infonned the group the request should come through the commission first before going to the City Council. Parks and Recreation Commission November 10, 2004 Page 4 of 5 COMMISSION TIME Westefeld expressed gratitude for the annual park tour and the work that went into coordinating it, noting the tour is very helpful. Walz, Loomer and Ostrognai agreed. O'Leary indicated he was excited to see the new trail going between the ponds in the Waterworks Prairie Park, and it was nice to see progress. With respect to the dog park, he felt it would be great to get a major sponsor to contribute. He noted he reviewed the dog park's landscape drawing and felt it should be designed in line with what the commission wants to do with the rest of the peninsula. He also did not want the dog park to interfere with the adjoining golf course. Klink stated Ostrognai would be going offthe commission and she enjoyed the opportunity to work with her. She stated she had the good fortune to talk to many people who know a lot about prames. She talked with Connie Mutel, a local ecologist, who expressed concern about the follow through for the expensive plantings at the Waterworks Prairie Park. Mutel suggested the book "Practical Guide to Prairie Reconstruction." She also suggested a local person, Mike Fallon, who has extensive experience burning prairie. Mutel stated the first three years are critical for survival of wanting a prairie that will endure for a long time that is aesthetically pleasing and low maintenance. She encouraged having contacts available and making contact with new people so the City will be ready to move in the spring to mow and bum the prairie. She felt it was very important to follow through on this. Walz noted the New York Times had an article about a prairie, and felt it would be great if one day someone wrote an article about Iowa City's largest urban tall grass area. It would be a wonderful opportunity for the department, for natural habitat and economic development. She felt the Waterworks Prairie Park is another thing that can put Iowa City on the map. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood reported on the following: City's Charter Review. The City Charter Commission is reviewing the existing City Charter, and public input is invited. Board & Commission Meetinl!:. The tentative date is January 10 for Boards and Commissions to meet with the City Council. CHAIR'S REPORT Pacha noted this was Marilyn Kriz's last meeting in that she would be retiring November 19th. The commission as a whole expressed their gratitude to her for 18 years of service, and he offered a toast in her honor, tipping glasses containing sparkling raspberry juice. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m. Parks and Recreation Commission November 10, 2004 Page 5 of 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2004 TERM NAME EXPIRES 1/14 2/11 3/10 4/13 5/12 6/9 7/14 8/11 9/8 10/13 11/10 12/8 Kevin Boyd 1/1/06 X --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- David Fleener 1/1/08 X X X LQ X OlE NM X OlE Craig Gustaveson 1/1/07 X X X LQ X X NM X X Judith Klink 1/1/07 X OlE X LQ X X NM X X Margaret Loomer 1/1/08 X X X LQ X OlE NM X X Ryan O'Leary 1/ 1/06 --- --- --- LQ X X NM X X Nancy Ostrognai 1/1/05 X X X LQ X X NM X X Matt Pacha 1/1/05 X X X LQ X OlE NM OlE X Sarah Walz 1/1/07 X X X LQ X X NM OlE X John Westefeld 1/1/06 X X X LQ X X NM X X KEY: X= Present 0= Absent OlE = AbsentlExcused NM = No meeting LQ= No meeting due to lack of quorum --- - Not a Member MINUTES Dram HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10,2004 - 7:00 P.M. EMMA HARVAT HALL - CIVIC CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Gunn, Michael Maharry, Mark McCallum, Jim Ponto, Amy Smothers, Tim Weitzel MEMBERS ABSENT: James Enloe, Jann Weismiller STAFF PRESENT: Shelley McCafferty OTHERS PRESENT: Mike Brennan, Terry Stumpf CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Maharry called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION: Certificate of Appropriateness: 721 N, Van Buren Street. McCafferty said the Commission approved a previous application for stoop work and a hand railing on this property. She said the owners of this house have a three-foot high limestone retaining wall along the alley. McCafferty said the owners would like to create a parking space there by removing a portion of the existing limestone wall and constructing a six-foot retaining wall using concrete keystone blocks. She said the wall should be high enough so that the parking space would not be easily visible from the street. McCafferty said the owners want to excavate a six foot section of the basement wall and install a service door to the basement. McCafferty said the foundation wall above grade has decorative brick veneer, but below grade it is clay tile. She said the applicant is proposing to stucco the clay tile with concrete plaster. McCafferty recommended that the stucco be of a similar color as the brick. McCafferty showed examples of similar situations at houses on Washington Street, Jefferson Street, and Oakland Avenue. Stumpf said that the door will be 36 inches with glass. He said the only place to park currently is inside the garage. McCallum asked if the keystone wall requires a building permit. McCafferty stated that a retaining wall over four feet high requires a permit. Stumpf added that the door would be centered under the window. McCafferty said this property is located in the Brown Street Historic District. MOTION: Ponto moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for a project at 721 North Van Buren Street subject to having a 36 inch door with a half light, a keystone retaining wall, and back plastering painted or stained a dark color similar to the color of the foundation brick. Gunn seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. Minutes: September 23. 2004. MOTION: Weitzel moved to approve the September 23, 2004 minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission, as written. McCallum seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. October 14.2004. MOTION: Weitzel moved to approve the October 14, 2004 minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission, as written. McCallum seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. DISCUSSION: Insurance Claims: McCafferty said there are two cases pending from the spring hailstorm. She stated that one owner is using the damage to her advantage, in that the insurance company has agreed to pay for fiber cement board, because the aluminum siding that was on the house will be very difficult to find and to match with the rest of the siding. McCafferty said the other case involves a house that the owner would like to make the noncontributing house look better, but it is less clear what the insurance company will pay for and how much the insurance will cover once the existing siding is removed. She said that it is her opinion that if the owner makes a good faith effort to obtain an insurance claim that provides for compliance with the preservation regulations, that the commission should allow for some flexibility if there are unanticipated expenses once the siding is removed. Smothers stated that underinsurance of a property is not the Commission's problem, and there is still the burden of proof with regard to property damage. McCafferty said that insurance generally covers replacement value. She stated that if the owner wants to restore the house but doesn't know what is under the siding, then the cost cannot be estimated, and so the owner does not know if he can afford the restoration until the siding is removed. Weitzel said that if there is damage under the siding that may have come from years ago, it would be unrelated to any storm damage, and the owner of the property would be responsible for paying for any structural damage in such a case. He said the Commission can't accommodate allowing the cheapest thing to be used if the issue is to fix structural damage that would not be covered by insurance anyway. Smothers said these issues may have to be considered on a case by case basis. Weitzel said the Commission would not want to be in the position of allowing whatever the insurance company wants to pay for. The Commission agreed this will require addition discussion once an application is received. Northside Historic Districts. Maharry said that the City Council will hold its first public hearing on the Ronalds Street extension of the Brown Street District on Tuesday and will set a public hearing for the Gilbert/Linn Street Historic District. Maharry referred to Karin Franklin's note to the City Council summarizing the history and authority of the Historic Preservation Commission. McCafferty said this came about because there have been a changes in membership on the City Council, and they requested review of the Commission's purview. 2005 Annual Planninq Meetinq. The Commission's annual planning meeting was rescheduled to 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 18th. OTHER: McCafferty stated that Justin Pardekooper has been appointed the newest member of the Commission. McCafferty said that Pardekooper is a contractor with experience in preservation work. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:42 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte s:/pcd/minuteslhpc/2004/hpc11-1 O~04.doc Historic Preservation Commission Attendance Record 2004 Term Name Expires 1/08 2/12 2/26 3111 4/8 4/22 5/13 5/27 6/10 6/14 7/8 7/22 8/10 8/26 9/2 9/9 9/23 10/14 11/10 A. Smothers 3/29/05 NM X OlE X X X X OlE X X X X X X X X X X X J. Enloe 3/29/06 NM OlE X X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 M. Gunn 3/29/07 NM OlE OlE X OlE OlE X X X X 0 X X X X X 0 X X M. Maharrv 3/29/05 NM X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X M. McCallum 3/29/06 NM X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X J. Ponto 3/29/07 NM X X X X X X X OlE X X X X X X X OlE OlE X P. Suennel 3/29/06 NM OlE OlE X X X X X X 0 X 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - J. Weissmiller 3/29/06 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---- -- -- 0 X OlE 0/1 T. Weitzel 3/29/05 NM X X X X OlE X OlE X X X X X X X X X X X J. Zimmer 3/29/07 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- OlE OlE OlE X OlE X 0 0 X I X 0 0 0 -- -- -- - Key: X = Present 0 = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No Meeting -- -- = Not a Member MINUTES ~!ml.' ';;:-1 SCATTERED SITE HOUSING TASKFORCE NOVEMBER 8, 2004 CITY HALL, LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Don Anciaux (left at 5:45), Jerry Anthony, Darlene Clausen, Matthew Hayek, Jan Left, Sally Stutsman, Joan Vandenberg MEMBERS ABSENT: Jan Peterson STAFF PRESENT: Steve Nasby, Steve Rackis OTHERS PRESENT: Amanda Cline, Maryann Dennis, Charles Eastham, Alexis Kluklenski, Hieu Pham, Patti Santangelo CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Hayek called the meeting to order at 5:05 pm. He noted that though the public is welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings, the Taskforce will not be able to entertain visitors' questions or comments during the deliberations. Approval of the October 18. 2004 Minutes: Several revisions in spelling, grammar, and attribution noted for the Minutes. MOTION: A motion was made by Clausen, seconded by Vandenberg, to approve the October 18 Minutes as amended. Motion carried unanimously. Nasby said approval of the minutes from the October 4, 2004 meeting would be put on the next agenda. NEXT MEETING Hayek asked if the Taskforce could meet November 15 as scheduled? Anciaux and Vandenberg will both be available. Stutsman will not be available. Hayek tabled the discussion until the end of the meeting. DELIBERATIONS REGARDING RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL Hayek began the meeting by saying the students did a great job making the maps of the requested census data, and asked for assistance in reading and understanding the maps. Nasby described the 11 x17 gray map, showing low-moderate income areas in the census tracts according to HUD guidelines. HUD defines low-moderate income as being at or below 80% median income. The map also shows block group, census tract, and school district boundaries. He said the income numbers supplied by HUD are for 2004. In response to a question, Nasby said the circled numbers are for block groups, while the bold numbers are for the census tracts. The gray shading indicates areas of the community with greater than, or equal to 51 %, of the population in that area at the low-moderate income level. Hayek asked how block groups are determined. Nasby replied that the Census Bureau draws them. He noted also that census tracts are not necessarily equivalent in population. He can supply exact population numbers, if needed. Hayek asked if the tracts are ever changed. Nasby replied that they are changed periodically. Anciaux asked if the numbering system follows some sort of pattern. Nasby replied, not to his knowledge. Nasby explained that the 11 x17 green/yellow/red map displays poverty levels. HUD defines concentrated poverty as areas with greater than or equal to 40% of the population at poverty level. Poverty is defined as 30% of median income. Census tracts 21, 11, and 16 are all areas of concentrated poverty, which means that over 40% of the persons in these tracts are in poverty. In reply to a statement by a Taskforce Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 2 member, Nasby agreed that many people in those tracts are aged 18-24 years, including students. Nasby noted that students do count in low-moderate income numbers, they do use services, and though they will graduate and leave, other students in the same income situation will replace them. Clausen asked how many elderly lived in those three tracts. Nasby replied that there are several elderly housing projects in those areas, including Ecumenical Towers and Capitol House. Clausen pointed out that many homeowners in tract 11 are elderly. Vandenberg asked how tract 23 could be in poverty on one map and not on the second. Nasby replied that the gray map shows all low-moderate income households, and the other shows only those at 30% so the criteria are different. Also, some areas have people with very low and very high incomes, which will pull up the average incomes. Nasby continued by saying green-shaded tracts are below the City average of poverty rate, which 19,5%. Yellow shading indicates areas between 19.6% and 40% of the persons in poverty and 40% is the Federal cutoff for concentrated poverty. Areas with greater than 40% are shown in red. He noted that this information is from 2000 census data. Clausen asked for confirmation that all numbers are from the citywide average, not just the green numbers. Nasby replied that they are, and the map is meant to show which areas are in greater poverty than the City as a whole. Also, census tract boundaries and school attendance areas are overlaid as requested by the Taskforce, Nasby next explained the police data, shown on the blue/red map. Clausen asked what an IRS is. Nasby replied he does not know what the letters designate, but that IRSs are calls that are reported to the State, which is equal to 90 incident codes in the Iowa City computer system. The blue numbers are designating the watch areas, and the red numbers designate the number of IRS incidents in each watch area. Leff noted that area three is larger than area two, and includes dormitories. Anciaux replied that area one would include the dorms. Hayek asserted that both areas include dorms. Nasby noted that if the watch areas were divided according to census tracts, he could have gotten the population density information and given them a per capita breakdown, but this was not possible as the population in each watch area is not identifiable. Vandenberg noted that the police data does not give information about the nature of the crimes. Nasby answered that the crimes plotted are the IRS crimes, which are typically the more serious ones. Rackis added that IRS is a standard statistical designation, so the data would be the same no matter where (city or state) they are reported; however, he did not know what the letters stood for either. Nasby said that one more piece of information is still coming. There are 2,855 calls represented on the ISR map, and he has received permission to plot their locations. That information will be available by the next meeting. Hayek asked if information about police personnel allocation is available. Nasby will ask. Anciaux remarked that one woman at the public hearing complained about the amount of policing that takes place in her area, though he lives in the same area and thinks there is not enough. Hayek added that the Taskforce had asked for the location of services at the last meeting, and this might be a service that would be useful to have information about. Nasby introduced the University of Iowa Field Problems students that did some of the data collection and mapping. Kluklenski explained the next map, which shows the area median household income by tract. The colors correspond to the range that was set in the legend, as indicated on the map. Another map also shows changes in poverty rates from 1989 to 1999 by census tract. Vandenberg asked how poverty is defined. Nasby replied it is defined as 30% median income. Hayek asked for confirmation that the number inside each tract is the number of persons below poverty level in that tract. Nasby replied that is correct, and that the color reflects the change in poverty rate. The gray or white areas were stable or declining poverty while the purple areas were increasing in poverty. Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 3 Anthony asked if the 30% median income is calculated from the tract, or the entire city. Nasby replied it is 30% median income of the city as a whole, Nasby said that the students also put together data sets, which were included in the packets. Kluklenski explained that the orange maps show the percent of occupied rental properties. The numbers in each area are the median gross rent in 2000. Hayek asked if dormitory rent is included in the data. Nasby replied no, the data is collected only from the private sector. Vandenberg noted that the map indicates rent is lower downtown than on the southeast side of town. Rackis replied that the low-income elderly units might draw the averages down in these predominately student areas. Kluklenski explained that the next map shows the median price of owner-occupied homes in each tract. Nasby added that the darker green shows higher prices, while the lighter green shows lower prices. The gray area is statistically insignificant, due to the large number of rental properties (nearly 100%) in that tract. Hayek asked if there is any way to factor out the impact of students from the numbers. Nasby answered that there are age cohorts in the census data, but noted that not all people age 18-24 are students. Clausen added that students impact neighborhoods. Stutsman asked if students impact resources in the schools. Leff replied yes, such as the Family Resource Center at Horace Mann School. Mann has children of Hawkeye Apartments tenants, but also Hispanic students from the mobile home court in that neighborhood. Stutsman expressed concern with including student information, since students are voluntarily poor. Also, the school districts are concerned about a drain on services/resources, and student families possibly are not the primary users of school resources. Vandenberg agreed that there is a difference between temporarily poor and generational poor people, and the educational background of the family impacts students' educational experiences. Also, there is not a direct correlation. For example, Hawkeye Apartments residents attending Horace Mann have a high incidence of ESL needs. However, the students are often high achievers because of their family backgrounds. There are many distinctions that need to be made, and not all may be possible with the available data. Hayek noted that the Taskforce should keep in mind the impact of students on the data, not only students in the elementary schools, but also students in the dorms. Clausen observed that students live throughout the city. Anciaux asked about data from Jones from The University of Iowa. Hayek answered that 85% of students live in the dorms, and each class is approximately 6000. Clausen noted that number is 85% of freshmen. The number drops dramatically in later years. Vandenberg noted that, for example, on the green/red map with areas of poverty over 40%, it would be generally true to say most residents are university students. Clausen did not agree entirely, adding that there are many long-term elderly residents in those areas as well. Rackis added that according to the University website, -15K students live in Iowa City limits in the private sector. He agreed that downtown has a number of complexes for the elderly, Clausen noted that the elderly live near downtown for the same reasons of accessibility that students do. Hayek agreed that student housing dominates the red- shaded tracts, which are 11,16, and 21. Hayek asked if Cline and Kluklenski would like to discuss the data on the spreadsheets. Cline replied that it is fairly self-explanatory. Hayek asked if the information on the left of summary file three is the percent of the overall population within a given census tract. Cline answered yes. Clausen said it is good to have these numbers, to use in the discussion about neighborhood cohesion. She noted that all areas of Iowa City appeared stable, Leff agreed that there was very little variance. Anciaux left the meeting at this point. Clausen noted that the physical assisted housing inventory might give some information on where the Taskforce can assume students live. In tract 11, for example, there are 1723 occupied units, and 1440 of them are rental units. Kluklenski explained that the second page of the table shows the percentage of total units that are rentals. Hayek noted that 100% of units in area 21 are rentals. Stutsman replied that measure would not apply everywhere. For example, there are 248 rental units in Pheasant Ridge, but that is likely to be an area of long-term poverty. Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 4 Vandenberg asked how many elderly units account for the inventory. Nasby answered that the listed numbers include housing targeted both for the elderly and people with disabilities. It includes Autumn Park, Capital House, Ecumenical Towers, Concord Terrace, Emerson Pointe, Lexington Place, Regency 1 and 2, and Citizen Building. Vandenberg asked what tracts those buildings are in. Nasby replied tracts 4, 105, 21, and 13. Stutsman observed that there appears to be a lot of elderly housing spread around the city. Vandenberg asked if Systems Unlimited is only for people with disabilities. Nasby replied yes, and that their housing is all over the city. Hayek asked if tract information is available for other assisted housing, excluding DVIP. Nasby answered that most other housing programs are scattered throughout the city. MECCA is known. Clausen noted that Shelter House is in tract 11. Nasby added that residential facilities such as DVIP, Shelter House, and Four Oaks have a number of beds, rather than a regular occupancy number. The number of beds was then divided by 2.47 to get the unit equivalent for those facilities. Hayek asked if tract information for DVIP is available. Nasby replied that it would need to be requested. Clausen and Left agreed that information is not needed. Other assisted housing is found in the following tracts: 18 Four Oaks Emergency Youth Shelter 11 Four Oaks Transitional Housing 18 MECCA 18 Villa Garden 11, 16 Successful Living 4 Pheasant Ridge 1 Peninsula 15 Longfellow Manor Vandenberg asked if the 84 Iowa City HA units are only the ones owned by the City. Rackis replied yes. Nasby noted that HACAP housing is also scattered and there are currently 20 units in tract 18, though two are changing out while others units are located in other tracts. Hayek moved the discussion to the school district data. Vandenberg distributed data detailing students on free/reduced lunch who are not proficient and students not on free/reduced lunch who are not proficient. Dada also included building enrollment for the school. Vandenberg noted a correlation between poverty and free/reduced. However, she also noted some irregularities with the data, which may be explained by higher remediation support available at certain schools. This seems to indicate that the system is working. For example, at Twain 42% are not proficient, but 61 % are enrolled in free/reduced lunch. Left replied that Mark Twain has the greatest concentration of services available for students. Hayek asked what the proficiency ratings are based on. Vandenberg answered that the numbers are taken from standardized tests on reading comprehension, Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores. Some schools have a lower free/reduced number, and a lower number of students who are not proficient. Information was taken from scores in third through sixth grades to give a broader range of data, but the number of IEP is not factored. Learning disabilities are across the economic spectrum. Left noted that the numbers do not factor in special education. Vandenberg replied that this could be done, as well as ESL. Hayek asked what IEP is. Vandenberg replied it designates Individual Education Program. Hayek asked if ESL and IEP information would be helpful to have. Stutsman answered yes. Vandenberg added that she brought information from specific schools in order to answer specific questions. Left asked to have the numbers from Grant Wood. Vandenberg said that of the students, who are not proficient at Wood, roughly half of the students have an IEP. Clausen asked if all IEP students are not proficient. Vandenberg answered yes. Rackis asked for confirmation that 50 of the 101 students from the data are not proficient. Vandenberg answered yes, and that this does not include ESL. Wood does not have an ESL program. Clausen asked Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 5 about ESL numbers at Horace Mann. Vandenberg answered that 14 of 45 students are in ESL. Clausen asked if ESL is considered IEP. Vandenberg answered they are separate programs, though students can be in both. 10 ESL students at Mann are also in IEP, and overlapping data makes it difficult to make a simple table. Clausen asked for confirmation that the numbers cannot simply be added. Vandenberg answered no; they cannot, because of the overlapping data. Stutsman asked who is in IEP, and whether that includes special education. Vandenberg answered yes; students in special education are in an IEP. Stutsman asked what is considered special education. Vandenberg replied students with learning or behavioral disabilities, but it also includes mentally disabled, dyslexia, and severe behavior disorders as well. Leff added that special education ranges from students who spend 1-2 hours in a special classroom, to those who are never in a mainstream classroom. Vandenberg agreed, saying that an IEP would indicate there is a disability interfering with learning. Anthony asked what the column on the table designated "number/percentage not proficient" is a percentage of. Vandenberg replied it is a percentage of the building. Anthony disagreed, saying that the percentages are not correct. Vandenberg noted that the total numbers are from the buildin~ enrollment and include all grade levels. However, not all ~rades participate in the standard tests, only 3' through 6th grades. Hayek asked whether students in 1s and 2nd grades are tested, or if the data is unavailable. Vandenberg replied that students in those two grades do not take ITBS, however they do take other proficiency tests. The data from those tests would be challenging to decipher. Anthony asked if the tests for 1st and 2nd grades vary between schools. Vandenberg replied that the reading assessments are pretty standardized. Vandenberg said that data from grades 3 through 6 are good indicators, and the percentiles are compared to national norms, not just the State. Leff added that the normal scores for Iowa are higher, so comparing to Iowa scores would give different results. Anthony said there are other factors involved with achievement than free/reduced lunch. Vandenberg agreed, citing mobility as a large factor. She added that mobility information is available, in the data packet given by the School Board in June. Other factors that impede achievement involve basic needs, such as lack of food, shelter, and medical coverage. The schools try to intervene, but high numbers of students in classrooms with these needs make effective interventions difficult. Vandenberg added that she checked on information on what free and reduced lunch income levels are. They do not follow the median income guidelines similar to HUD, and she noted that HUD and the USDA do not count children the same way in their guidelines. A family of one is eligible for free/reduced at an income level of $12,000 or less, and for 30% median it is $15,000. But then each number goes up incrementally for HUD at 30% median by $2150.00, but the numbers increase for the Iowa City schools by $4,134.00. So the free lunch program is a little higher than 30% median. Vandenberg added that most students in the program receive free lunch, as less than 4% are on reduced lunch. Vandenberg noted that there is a wide continuum in the census data, and a high percent of the population in the district might be considered moderate income. However, moderate-income family needs are very different than the needs of someone who is homeless. Even the difference between 30% and 50% median is striking. Vandenberg asked for percentages of free lunch guidelines. Nasby replied that a household of one would be at 24% of median income, in relation to the data in the table. A family of five would be 37%. Vandenberg added that the numbers are hard to compare between the free lunch program guidelines and HUD. Anthony explained that the lunch program uses standard Federal poverty guidelines, which are the same regardless of median income level. That number increases by $4,134.00 per person. Stutsman found the student mobility information in the School Board packet from June 21, 2004. Vandenberg noted from that data that the school with the highest mobility is Mark Twain at 62%, while Grant Wood has 44%. She added that many high needs housing programs are located in tract 17, if elderly and people with disabilities are factored out. Anthony said that it depends on how "high needs" is defined, since different groups would have different high needs. Vandenberg agreed, and defined it in terms of family stability and the number of resources that a family needs apart from housing. Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 6 Leff asked about the juvenile court data. Vandenberg replied that the data is available, but not as many elementary-aged students are involved in crime that is reported to the police. Leff noted that there were 261 cases reported in the east part of the city, while 219 were reported in the west. The west side is more than twice as large an area and has a larger population. Vandenberg added that some schools have Behavioral Disorder (BD) programs, which are not geographical, so children attend schools but do not live in that school's attendance area, Schools with BD programs include Horn, Lemme, Longfellow, Twain, and possibly Kirkwood and Grant Wood. Anthony asked for confirmation that the students in a BD program would be charged at the schools they attend. Leff answered yes. Vandenberg said that the data is tracked by the school where the student is registered. Hayek asked if students attend one school for BD and another school at the same time. Vandenberg replied that students are in BD all day. Leff asked what BLC is. Vandenberg answered that it stands for Behavioral Learning Center. There are two facilities, and the classes have a very small teacher/student ratio because the students have severe behavioral issues. Vandenberg added that she brings up BD programs because students in BD have a higher chance of having charges brought up against them. Sometimes the schools file charges if a student hits a teacher, for instance. Since not all schools have BD programs, that can affect the data. She added that the numbers of BD students in each school are not large, because the students are high maintenance. Clausen asked why the data is separated between male and female. Vandenberg replied she does not know, but having the data separated can help educators make changes to the programs. For example, an increase in female offenders several years ago led to the creation of more gender-specific programs for girls. Vandenberg passed around a map of bussing patterns from non-contiguous neighborhoods. The information is also included in the packet in narrative form. Hayek confirmed that there are six schools that accommodate students from outside their attendance areas. Leff agreed. Vandenberg explained that Breckenridge Mobile Home residents are bussed to Lemme, River Heights goes to Lincoln, Windsor Ridge feeds into Longfellow, Hawkeye Drive goes to Mann, Pheasant Ridge goes to Roosevelt, Lake Ridge goes to Twain. Leff noted that primarily overcrowding in certain schools has driven the bussing pattern. Vandenberg agreed, adding that the bussing history goes back about 20 years. Vandenberg asked if the Taskforce would be able to answer the question of concentration yet. Hayek replied not yet, and that he was waiting for the additional information presented at this meeting. He is not sure that the Taskforce can draw inferences yet, and would like to give everyone a chance to look at the data individually. He did not distill the list from the October 18 meeting yet, as he was waiting for additional data, but he typed up the list. Stutsman asked for elaboration on what the Taskforce members should be considering for the next meeting. Hayek replied that the Taskforce still needs to define what a concentration is, and passed out the list of the discussion points from the October 18 brainstorm session. Nasby will also include the handout in the next packet. Hayek asked Clausen to update the Taskforce on information about neighborhood cohesion. Clausen replied that she has some thoughts on how to gauge this factor. First, the Taskforce can look at how long neighborhoods have had an active association on an ongoing basis. Also, the number of activities planned by associations for neighborhood residents. Census data also gives information on population changes and on poverty level changes over time, which can be used to evaluate neighborhood stability. Hayek added that Marcia Klingaman said a measure of neighborhood cohesion would be subjective, but she is willing to discuss it with the Taskforce. Clausen noted that there has been very little change in census data over time. Hayek asked if mobility data is available for the census tracts. Is there data on how long people have lived in the City? Cline replied that she thinks so. Rackis added that inflow and outflow data is available in the last Housing Authority packet, and answers the question of where people lived by county in 1995 and 2000. Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 7 Nasby noted that mobility data is available by county, rather than city or census tract. Anthony and Rackis agreed that the data is not available except at the county level. Rackis said that the largest inflow to Johnson County is from Linn County. People have a greater tendency to recognize what county they live in, but not what census tract. Vandenberg said she believed one of the census questions was how long you had resided at that address. Anthony noted that the information from that question is collected at the household level, but then aggregated to the county level. Vandenberg added that this information is available on a limited scale from the Broadway neighborhood, from a recent neighborhood survey. According to that survey, 51 % of the residents had lived there less than a year. Hayek said he would like to decide how to proceed to the next meeting. He would like to study the new data. He suggested the Taskforce members think about what has already been discussed, come to the next meeting prepared with comments, and be ready to reach a definition of "concentration." Also, they should look at the list he handed out and determine what should and should not be included in the definition, or if anything is missing. Vandenberg noted that it is difficult to tie free/reduced recipients to specific assisted housing units. However, a list of where students live in public housing could be gathered, which would entail assigning students in assisted housing to a specific school. This would only include public housing, and not Shelter House, DVIP, MECCA, etc. Vandenberg asked if the group is satisfied with the current school free/reduced lunch school, or if more is needed. Rackis noted that his program does have some of this data, but it would not include students who are outside of the public school system. Vandenberg agreed that gathering more data would require looking at individual data and files. Rackis added that there is a high turnover in the voucher program, but reasons for leaving are not tracked. So people can leave the program because of income, because they have moved, or for other reasons. Hayek asked if it reasonable to correlate between the free/reduced student number at the school and the assisted housing in the area, if elderly/disabled are factored out. Vandenberg replied that the data could be gathered for poverty level, but not for different types of housing. Hayek noted that first the connection between assisted housing and poverty needs to be drawn. Vandenberg agreed. Vandenberg asked if conclusions can be drawn from the current census tract, assisted housing, and free/reduced lunch information. Anthony replied that the data needs to be tied to the assisted housing units, because while no additional assisted housing units may move into a tract over a period of time, enrollment in free/reduced lunch may rise because of job loss. Vandenberg would like to pick a point in time from which to draw the data, since the numbers are constantly changing. Also, public housing is not the whole picture. Rackis replied that the data would have to be gathered building by building. Hayek added that he is willing to work with the City staff to see if the data can be gathered, Vandenberg noted that free/reduced lunch data is difficult to obtain, but it is possible to get data on where the students lived at one point in time. Also, there is a lot of movement between programs. Hayek suggested a brainstorming session outside of the meeting with Vandenberg, Nasby, and Rackis. Rackis said that he does not have information on the student residence of individual buildings such as Pheasant Ridge. Vandenberg replied that the bus list could be used for that particular instance. Hayek asked for suggestions from the Taskforce on how to proceed to the next meeting. Clausen asked for confirmation that members would be coming to the next meeting with drafts of definitions of concentration. Hayek agreed, and suggested looking at the list to define criteria, then discuss the criteria in relation to the data. Then begin a discussion on what the data says to the individual members. Vandenberg added that at some point data gathering will have to be ended in order to complete the deliberations. Hayek asked if the group should meet November 15 or November 22. Stutsman cannot attend the 15th. Vandenberg would have to leave early on the 22nd. Stutsman suggested starting the meeting at 4:30 p.m. Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes November 8, 2004 Page 8 Vandenberg said meeting November 22 would allow more time for considering the data. Nasby noted that Anciaux might have trouble starting at 4:30. Hayek confirmed the next meeting will be held November 22, 2004 beginning at 4:30 p,m. December meetings currently are planned for the 151 and 3rd Mondays. Vandenberg asked how additional information should be distributed. Hayek suggested distributing the information in advance of the packet, and then also including it in the public information packet. Nasby noted that a packet will be sent out November 17. Stutsman asked for confirmation that the first December meeting will be on the 6th. Vandenberg noted that the 3rd Monday is during winter break. Hayek suggested December 13 as an alternative, and that discussion on December meetings be continued at the November 22 meeting. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the taskforce, Anthony moved to adjourn. Stutsman seconded, and the motion passed uncontested. Meeting was adjourned at 6:55 pm. s :/pcd/mi nules/ScatteredSiteHousing T askforce/11-0B-04sshl.doc Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Attendance Record 2004 04/29 05/12 05/17 06/07 06/21 07/12 07/19 08/02 08/16 08/30 09/20 10/04 10/18 11/08 11/22 12/06 12/20 D. Anciaux X X X X X OlE OlE X X X OlE X X X J. Anthony X OlE X X X X OlE X X X X X X X D. Clausen X X X X X X X X OlE X X X X X M. Hayek X X X X X X X X X X X X X X J. Leff X X X X X X X X X X X X X X J. Peterson X X X X OlE X X OlE X X X X X OlE S. Stutsman OlE X X X X OlE X OlE OlE X OlE X X X VandenBer¡:: X X X X X X X X X OlE X X X X Key: X = Present 0 = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No Meeting -- -- = Not a Member MINUTES DRAFTJ 11-18-04 I PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION NOVEMBER 4, 2004 IP10 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Bob Brooks, Ann Freerks, Don Anciaux, Jerry Hansen, Beth Koppes, Benjamin Chait, Dean Shannon STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, Mitch Behr RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Recommended approval, by a vote of 7-0, REZ04-00026, a rezoning from Medium Density Single-Family Residential (RS-8) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential (RNC-12) to Medium Density Single-Family Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RS-8/0HP) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RNC-12/0HP) on approximately 20.8-acres located along Linn Street between Bloomington and Ronalds Streets and along Gilbert Street between Bloomington and Church Streets. This rezoning is to establish the Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District. CALL TO ORDER: Anciaux called the meeting to order at 7:34 pm. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON AGENDA: None HISTORIC PRESERVATION ITEMS: REZ04-00026, discussion of an application from the Historic Preservation Commission for a rezoning from Medium Density Single-Family Residential (RS-8) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential (RNC-12) to Medium Density Single-Family Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RS-8/0HP) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RNC-12/0HP) on approximately 20.8-acres located along Linn Street between Bloomington and Ronalds Streets and along Gilbert Street between Bloomington and Church Streets. This rezoning is to establish the Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District. Howard said a letter from the State Historic Society of Iowa which clarified their position on the local designation had been included in the Commissioner's information packet. The letter confirmed that the proposed local district met the Iowa City and State Codes. Copies of additional letters of support that had been received since the last meeting were also included in the packet. Public discussion was opened. There was none. Public discussion was closed. Motion: Hansen made a motion to approve REZ04-00026, a rezoning from Medium Density Single-Family Residential (RS-8) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential (RNC-12) to Medium Density Single-Family Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RS-8/0HP) and Neighborhood Conservation Residential/Historic Preservation Overlay (RNC-12/0HP) on approximately 20.8-acres located along Linn Street between Bloomington and Ronalds Streets and along Gilbert Street between Bloomington and Church Streets. This rezoning is to establish the Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District. Freerks seconded the motion. Freerks said she felt the proposal complied with the Comprehensive and Historic Preservation Plans. Citizens interested in discussing other aspects of the proposal would have an opportunity at the City Council hearing, which is the next step in the approval process. Hansen said after receiving the clarification from the State and reviewing the Comprehensive Plan, he didn't see how anyone could say the proposal didn't conform. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. OTHER: Brooks said at the Tuesday evening City Council meeting, the rezoning from 1-1 to CC-2 was withdrawn from the City Council agenda by the Planning Director, Karin Franklin, without much explanation. It was Brooks' understanding that this item was City initiated to clean up a spot zoning. He wondered why Staff was backing away from cleaning up a spot zoning. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes November 4, 2004 Page 2 Howard said that it was her understanding that the property owner had changed his mind and decided that he didn't want the property to be rezoned to CC-2 at this time. When the City was approached initially by the property owner about use of the property for retail commercial, the City had agreed to submit the rezoning application because it was a piece of land that was on the City's to-do list of properties that should be rezoned. However, since the property owner has changed his mind, staff thought it was best to withdraw the application rather than go forward against the wishes of the property owner. Brooks said he'd like an explanation from Staff as to why the rezoning request had been before the Commission, they had approved it and then Staff pulled the item without involvement from or notification to the Commission. Howard said it had been brought to the City's attention originally because it only involved one property owner and one property. It was her understanding that there had been some plans for the property that may have fallen through, so the property owner didn't wish to have the property rezoned. Howard stated that there was no change in staffs recommendation and the Commission's recommendation for CC-2 Zoning; however, the rezoning application had been tabled for now. Behr said it was his understanding that the item had been deferred but he didn't know for how long it had been deferred. Hansen asked if the application was ultimately withdrawn, could that be done even if the Commission had already acted on it. Behr said it could be withdrawn up until the time it was voted on at Council level. In this case, the application was submitted by the City. Brooks said he didn't understand why when the City had taken the lead in this application for rezoning and the Commission had supported it, it had then been tabled by Staff. Brooks asked why the property owner hadn't initiated the request for the rezoning. Howard said she was unsure of the particulars but thought that it was a piece of leftover land from previous rezoning efforts. Brooks requested that in the future when something like this happened it would be courteous and appropriate for Ms. Franklin to notify the Commission what was transpiring and why, before a change occurred at Council level. Howard said if the Commission wished a formal letter of explanation from Franklin, she could request one. Brooks said it seemed to be an unusual move and warranted some type of communication from Franklin to the Commission to explain what was being done. Howard stated that she would forward that request to Karin Franklin. CONSIDERATION OF THE OCTOBER 7 AND 21. 2004 MEETING MINUTES: Motion: Hansen made a motion to approve both sets of minutes as written and corrected. Brooks seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. ADJOURNMENT: Motion: Brooks made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:44 pm. Koppes seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 7-0. Elizabeth Koppes, Secretary Minutes submitted by Candy Barnhill 5 :/pcd/mi nulesJp&zl2004/2004-11-04·04 .doc Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes November 4, 2004 Page 3 Iowa City Planning & Zoning Commission Attendance Record 2004 FORMAL MEETING Term Name Expires 01115 02/19 03/04 04/01 04/15 05/06 OS/20 06/03 06/17 07/01 07/15 08/05 08/24 09/02 09/16 10/07 10/21 11/04 12/02 D. Anciaux 05/06 X X X X X X X X OlE X X X X X X X X X B. Brooks 05/05 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X B. Chait 05/06 X X X X X 0 X X X 0 0 X OlE X X X X X A. Freerks 05/08 X OlE OlE X X X X X X X X X X OlE X X X X J. Hansen 05/05 X· X X X X X X X X OlE X X 0 0 X X X X E. Konnes 05/07 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X D.Shannon 05/08 X X X X OlE X X X X X X X X X X X OlE X INFORMAL MEETING Term Name Expires 01/12 03/01 05/17 06/14 06/28 08/02 10/04 10/18 D.Anciaux 05/06 X X X X X X OlE X B. Brooks 05/05 OlE X X X X X X X B. Chait 05/06 X 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 A. Freerks 05/08 X OlE OlE X OlE X OlE X J. Hansen 05/05 X X X OlE OlE X X X E. Konnes 05/07 X X X X X X X X V.Shannon 05/08 X X X X X X X OlE Key: X = Present o ~ Absent OlE ~ AbsentlExcused N/M~ No Meeting -- -- = Not a Member MINUTES ~ili¡I~I'rIiil~ll~ SCATTERED SITE HOUSING TASKFORCE rn:J OCTOBER 4, 2004 CITY HALL, LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Don Anciaux, Jerry Anthony, Darlene Clausen, Matthew Hayek, Jan Leff, Jan Peterson, Sally Stutsman, Joan Vandenberg STAFF PRESENT: Steve Nasby, Steve Rackis OTHERS PRESENT: Lisa Anthony, Allan Axeen, John Balmer, Jim Behle, Kari Clark, Emily Brigham, Julie Busch, Laverne Calhoun, Dan Carroll, Maryann Dennis, Charles Eastham, Jean Falk, Claire Heger, Andy Johnson, Beth Koppes, Mary Mccue, Barb McGee, Royceann Ricter, Joe Rowan, Pat Ruxton, Sue Ruxton, Patti Santangelo, Paul Show, Cornelius Smith, Tammy Spies, Nicol Valeikas, Christy Wolfe, Deb Wretman, Darcie Yamada CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Hayek called the meeting and public hearing to order at 6:35 pm. INTRODUCTION Hayek began the hearing by giving an overview of the Taskforce and its function. The Taskforce was created in April 2004 by request of the Iowa City City Council to examine assisted housing in Iowa City, including types of housing, distribution, and location. He said the Taskforce's operating definition of assisted housing is based on the development or acquisition of property for low to moderate-income households receiving any public assistance or support from state, federal, county, or municipal government. Hayek said this definition would include rental units such as those owned by Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship and Section 8; owner-occupied homes such as those built by Habitat for Humanity; transitional housing such as HACAP; emergency housing like Shelter House or DVIP; and residential facilities such as MECCA. Hayek noted that the Taskforce was formed largely due to a request by the Iowa City Community School District. In November 2003 the School District sent a letter to the City Council regarding the district-wide forum held in October 2003, which looked at conditions associated with poverty in Iowa City and related educational concerns. Participants at the forum noted that educational issues (high needs children) may be associated with the location of affordable housing appear to be concentrated in one or two elementary school attendance areas. He said that the Taskforce is looking at both current locations of assisted housing and possibly recommendations regarding the selection of future sites for affordable housing. Hayek continued, saying that the Taskforce has met nearly twice per month since its creation in April and they toured all of Iowa City to gain familiarity with the different areas and a number of assisted housing projects. They have also gathered data and reading materials from citizens, interested groups and City staff, which include information from studies conducted in other cities. Hayek added that numerous groups have presented to the Taskforce. The presenting groups included the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, Burns & Burns, Iowa City Housing Authority and Community Development staff, University of Iowa Residence Services, human services agencies such as HACAP and MECCA, the Neighborhood Council, the Iowa City Community School District, Iowa City Homebuilders Association, and a private lender (bank). Hayek said that the purpose of this public hearing is to solicit comments and ask for input. After the hearing, the Taskforce will begin deliberating, and then form an opinion based on their findings regarding concentrations of assisted housing and/or recommendations to the City Council on locating future assisted housing. Hayek noted that the recommendations, if any, will be made available for public review and another public hearing will be held to gather more feedback. After this second public hearing the Taskforce's decision(s) may be revised, as needed. Last, any recommendations made by the Taskforce Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes October 4, 2004 Page 2 will be presented to the City Council for their consideration. Hayek said that the Taskforce hopes to be finished with their work by early 2005. The Taskforce will determine if, in their opinion, there are concentrations of affordable housing in Iowa City, If not, their work is done. If there are concentrations, then they must determine if concentrations are impacting the community in a positive or negative manner. If negative, the Taskforce will need to formulate a plan to address the issue, which could include encouraging or discouraging certain kinds of development in certain areas, or changing the allocation of money and funding to services or by the City. PUBLIC HEARING Sullivan: where is the current concentration, and is there is a plan to oversee this issue? Also, is there a concentration, since the term "perception" was used several times? Hayek replied that the Taskforce has gathered facts, but has not formed an opinion as yet. He said that he did not know whether there is a formal plan in the City to oversee this, which is perhaps why the Taskforce was formed. Also, different people can look at the same data and come to different conclusions, which is why the Taskforce is investigating this matter. Sullivan: is there a map showing current concentration? Hayek answered that they have consulted some maps, though they are not present at this meeting. Nasby noted that they are not currently posted on the internet but could be put up under icgov.org, under Scattered Sites after the hearing. Nasby passed around a 11 x17 map showing the locations of assisted housing that was provided to the Taskforce. A member of the public asked how perception can be fixed if the problem is not aCknowledged? Some of the issues cited were realtors recommending against buying in certain areas. Hayek responded that the group will be making a decision on whether the perception is accurate, and is asking for public input on the issue. Sullivan: reading levels are variable in Grant Wood, because of variable academic levels of the students, often those from school districts in Chicago. Also, it is difficult to have successful fundraisers at Grant Wood. Calhoun: regarding Chicago schools, the academic level of the students depends on their environment, both at school and at home. The educational approaches and curriculums are different between different school systems, which involves transition/adaptation issues with the students and parents. Also important are the expectations and support of the parents and the home environment. The school systems in Chicago are not necessarily better or worse, just different. Falk: there should be equality in school education and financial support, as well as assistance and interest of the parents. All people have the same bills, needs, and expenses. People need to have goals, motivation, and determination. Many people don't have housing or other shelter, or they are in small/inadequate housing. Over 1,000 people in Iowa City are living in cars or under bridges in winter. There should be more centers to help with shelter issues and offer assistance, especially since people never know when they might end up needing that assistance themselves. Currently there is a 4-year waiting list for Section 8 housing. Hayek: would like clarification that Falk sees the need for more shelter houses, and the waiting list on Section 8 housing should be reduced or eliminated. Falk agreed. Anthony: values differ according to income level, and people are received and treated differently for the same reason. The system is faulty, and people sometimes have to be dishonest in order to get assistance. She could not have made it without assistance. Noted that different people say different things about the schools - such as Grant Wood and Mark Twain - depending on their viewpoint. Social workers have good things to say about Mark Twain, for example. Hayek: would there be an advantage to spreading out the free/reduced lunch program recipients to other schools? Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes October 4, 2004 Page 3 Anthony: There are pros and cons both ways, depending on how one looks at it. Problems are mentioned with having concentration of assisted housing, but what are they, and how would scattering help? People are more comfortable with others of similar backgrounds. Iowa City is very tolerant in many ways. Is it a question of services or funding? Anciaux: is transportation an issue? Would having assisted housing scattered help people be closer to their jobs. Anthony: work is often in factories or other outlying service areas. It may help. Valeikas: what is the significance of the number of free school lunches? Someone is paying for the lunches, regardless of where they are served so why is this an issue. Leff replied that the reason that program is noted is because there is a correlation between income and educational success. Statistically, students who receive free/reduced lunches across the United States are not as successful as students who do not. Sullivan: there are needs that go along with a need for free lunches, and a greater need for resources. Schools can only give so much support for these needs, and having a smaller percentage of students with these needs in each school would allow for teachers giving better assistance to the students. A higher number of students with those higher needs does not mean that the school receives more funding. Valeikas: regarding question of transportation and having housing closer to their jobs, people get in where they fit in. If you don't have transportation, you have to base your job on where you live, rather than the reverse. Anciaux: would you move if there were an opportunity, if there was affordable housing placed throughout in the city? Valeikas replied maybe, depending on what was available. Is this a question of displacing where people are now, or adding more assisted housing? Hayek replied that it's about adding new. Valeikas: if adding new, why is there a controversy? Hayek answered that one issue, for example, is whether to build or buy a higher number of units in less expensive areas, or to build fewer units in more expensive areas. Valeikas pointed out that availability of space is an issue that also directly impacts this. Dennis added that the City of Iowa City is not the only entity that provides housing. There are private non- profit and for-profit developers that also provide affordable housing. It would be beneficial for the Taskforce to partner with developers of affordable housing to increase acceptance of these developments. Carroll: it seems that one of the main goals of the community is to break the cycle of poverty, though this hasn't been stated specifically. It's not about dilution or spreading out the problem. It would be beneficial for every school in a community to share the responsibility for assisting with this goal. Hayek: would changing the way things are, for example with schools sharing the effort, help alleviate poverty? Carroll replied that it wouldn't end racism or classism, but it would help schools give people of different backgrounds get a solid education. Trying to get past the idea of "separate but equal" and overburdening schools in certain areas, and good public education will help people with their futures, Clark said she is currently a Resource Teacher at Mark Twain. She has taught and lived in inner city Chicago and have seen the kids in those areas. Resource teachers see the children with the greatest needs. She also noted some of the services available in the area: DVIP, MECCA, HACAP and UAY transitional housing. She estimated a 40% turnover rate at Mark Twain, and at least 100 homeless children went through Mark Twain last year. What accompanies poverty is increased chances of experiencing domestic violence, witnessing violence and drug abuse, poor nutrition and sleep habits, and transitional living. This lack of stability can be on a yearly or even a daily basis. Concentrations of poverty mean that these factors begin feeding off of each other. Social research indicates that areas of concentrated poverty are not good. Students in these situations haven't had consistent school experience, because they are often gone from school on a regular basis. Higher numbers of students are not at proficiency at their grade level, but redistributing resources isn't always the answer. Often there is no space for additional teachers to help with these special needs. Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes October 4, 2004 Page 4 Dennis: why doesn't the school district bus kids? Clark replied that taking the children out of their communities is not an optimal solution. She would like to have an integrated community, rather than enclaves of wealth and poverty. Johnson: noted that it's less a concern about low income, but related to an increase in African American population in Iowa City and who "they" are. She said they need to deal with the parents, rather than the kids having problems. Sullivan disagreed that it's a racial issue. It's about kids with greater needs, which is often related to socio-economic status, but not always. Iowa City is 10 years behind on addressing this issue. Brigham: Iowa City is experiencing growing pains. There will always be enclaves of wealthier and poorer people. Students can be bussed to other schools, and that may help. McGee: regarding providing services to children, unfortunately space is an issue, though the staff at the schools may be excellent and the concern is the teacher-to-student ratio. Perhaps if housing were available in other areas, it would also be closer to other kinds of jobs. Rackis: free/reduced lunches may be a measurement of people at or below poverty line. However, is it the case that everyone on the lunch program is living in assisted housing? Taskforce members replied that is not necessarily the case. Rackis questioned whether the issue actually is assisted housing, or if that is just a subset of the larger issue of concentration of poverty in these two school districts? Hayek replied that is a fair question, and the Taskforce may see a correlation between the two. It is one measurement, but not a perfect one. Sandporter: came to Iowa because of promise of higher income. Costs of living in Iowa City were ridiculous, and have to apply ahead for housing. Lakeside was one place that accepted housing assistance, and then she got a job with Lear. However, she had people attack her for using the services and abusing the system after having an interview about the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship program for the newspaper. Noted that people live where they are accepted. People on other side of town will not accept Section 8 vouchers. Peterson: would you move if you could? Sandporter replied yes, of course. However, people, can't get housing everywhere, so going to other schools may require open enrollment and bussing. Asserted that developers will build where land is cheaper and create more units, and that's where assisted housing is accepted. Hayek: how people build depends on their goals. If the goal is larger number of units, then they will go where land is less expensive. If the goal is different, such as spreading certain types throughout the community, then cost of land is less of an issue. Is it worth building fewer units to spread assisted housing out? Sand porter replied no, that it is better to have more units, with open enrollment. Yamada: oversees a transitional living program at United Action for Youth that assists with housing for pregnant and parenting teens ages 16-21. Deals with needs of teen parents in the community, who faces additional prejudice. Largest barrier is age, with homeless teen parents under 18 who cannot attain housing. UAY will put leases in their organization's name and pay full rent for certain individuals, but they are always looking for people in the community who are willing to rent to them, since many landlords aren't willing to rent to their clientele even though UAY supervises the parents, or there aren't any small units available. It is a small program, only able to serve seven families at a time, and is not an emergency program. Their clients don't have anywhere to go for emergency housing, since as parents they can't go to the youth shelter, and Shelter House can be threatening to young mothers with children. Clausen: how many people are on the waiting list for this program? Yamada reported that it depends, right now about five on list with some currently applying. There are usually more during the school year because of referrals from other community services. Santangelo: on the board for the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, and assist with several other services. Certain neighborhoods resist having assisted housing built in their areas, but there are very few lots in those areas that can be filled at this point anyway. Brought in a document from a website, which noted that sometimes scattering sites is not good because of convenience of services. Large apartment Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Minutes October 4, 2004 Page 5 buildings are not necessarily a problem, and scattering sites can isolate residents from each other and services, which weaken community networks. One of the reasons people are coming to Iowa City from Chicago is because of all the units that have been torn down, causing a large demand for affordable housing and long waiting lists with services. Hayek: what is your opinion on scattering sites? Santangelo replied that there are people at Grant Wood and Mark Twain have staff trained to assist students with special needs, which the other schools don't necessarily have. Shelter House goes to Horace Mann and will continue to go there even if relocated. Smith: moved from Waterloo seven years ago, and is a widow with two grandchildren she cares for. Has been a foster parent for twelve years, and have always paid high rent. Don't see why people are not given assistance with housing for community assistance such as foster parenting. Iowa City did not try to help with lower-income housing, so she had to go to a different organization. Calhoun: said that she is a young, black single parent with six children. Lived in low-income housing by choice. When she came to Iowa City, she did not get any help from local churches. However, people do need to do for themselves. Noted that intelligence can make all the difference, and resources are available to help people, but they have to find out about them. People are different, and their needs are different, but they should all still be treated equally and given equal access to services. Spies: when talking about strain on certain schools, if people in these schools say they are tapped out, she believes them. She works for Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, and it is difficult to find areas to build or purchase homes in because of the expensive market. Services are limited by money, and assistance organizations want to service the greatest number of people possible. Bussing may be a good option; to help spread out the burden of assisting students with greater needs, since some of the neighborhoods don't want to have assisted housing. All school districts are responsible for fulfilling educational needs in the community. Involving North Liberty and Coralville in this discussion would be good, as well. Anciaux: where does the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship get its funding? Dennis replied that it comes from many sources. Public funding is all federal financing that is passed through the state and the city. The funds are administered by the city, but the funds are not local tax or other revenue, ADJOURNMENT: Hearing was adjourned at 8:40 pm. s:/pcd/min utes/ScatteredSi leHousi ng T askfofce/1 0-04-04sshl.doc Scattered Site Housing Taskforce Attendance Record 2004 04/29 05/12 05/17 06/07 06/21 07/12 07/19 08/02 08/16 08/30 09/20 10/04 10/18 11101 11/15 12/06 12120 D. Anciaux X X X X X OlE OlE X X X OlE X J. Anthonv X OlE X X X X OlE X X X X X D. Clausen X X X X X X X X OlE X X X M. Havek X X X X X X X X X X X X J. Leff X X X X X X X X X X X X J. Peterson X X X X OlE X X OlE X X X X S. Stutsman OlE X X X X OlE X OlE OlE X OlE X Vanden Bert! X X X X X X X X X OlE X X Key: X = Present 0 = Absent OlE = Absent/Excused NM = No Meeting -- -- = Not a Member ~ MINUTES DRAFT CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2004 - 3:00 PM HARV A T HALL, CITY HALL Members Present: Kevin Werner, Andy Chappell, Karen Kubby, Penny Davidsen (on speakerphone), Nate Green, Naomi Novick, William Sueppel, Chair; and Vicki Lensing (arrived at 3:07 PM); Lynn Rowat (arrived at 3:10 PM) Staff Present: Marian Karr, Eleanor Dilkes CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Sueppel called the meeting to order at 3:00 PM. APPROVE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 8. 2004 Davidsen noted that on page 4, under "Old Business," at the end of the first paragraph, she would like to add something to the effect of, "Hereafter she will be contacted via telephone conference." The members agreed. Novick noted that on page 2, under "Direct Mail", 5th line down, the "is" after Doser needs to be eliminated; ih line down, "manger" should be "manager"; and under "Publicity", 3rd line,."handouts" should be "posters." The members agreed with these corrections, as well. MOTION: Novick moved to accept the minutes of November 8, 2004, as amended above; seconded by Chappell. Motion carried 8-0 (Rowat absent). PUBLIC COMMENT Sueppel asked if everyone had received the letter rrom Jay Honohan, via email. Some members had not; Karr made copies for the members. Sueppel noted that Davidsen would need to have copies mailed to her. MOTION: Kubby moved to accept the correspondence from Jay Honohan of the Senior Center; seconded by Green. Motion carried 9-0. DECEMBER 1 COMMUNITY PROCESS SESSION Publicity - Sueppel stated he would go through the list to see what the status of each item is. Posters on City buses - Karr noted they are working on this at the present time. Handouts at City Hall and Public Library Information desks - Karr stated these would be available tomorrow (Wednesday, 11/17/04). Davidsen asked ifKarr would mail her this information, as well. Press Release - Karr noted that this would be prepared once they have all the material needed. Guest Editorial- members discussed the draft they received on this. Kubby noted that she has one suggestion. In the 3rd paragraph, where it talks about district candidates and the primary, she would like this to be more explicit. Her suggestion is: (insert the following words) Voted on by district voters (in the first sentence); Our district candidates are winnowed down to two per district at a primary election, voted on by district voters, if more than two seek a specific district seat. She also noted that perhaps the term "city election" could be changed to "general election." Karr clarified the change: "regular" will be inserted before "City Charter Review Commission November 16, 2004 Page 2 election" in line 3 and line 4 of the 3rd paragraph. Kubby stated that by adding "November election" it would be even more clear for people. Karr asked if they wanted "primary" to also have "October." The members agreed to these changes. Kubbyalso suggested adding a final line that would really grab people's attention. She suggested: It's your charter. Let your voice be heard. Members discussed this, and questioned voice versus voices. They decided to go with the plural. Sueppel noted that the Daily Iowan would not be publishing during the entire week of Thanksgiving, so they need to keep this in mind when meeting deadlines. He also noted that they needed to decide which newspaper they would publish the guest editorial in, either the Gazette or the Press- Citizen. It was decided to publish in the Press-Citizen for the Sunday issue; and the Daily Iowan's Monday the 29th issue. Novick stated that a couple of the members could submit letters to the editor to the other newspapers. It was decided that Novick would send a letter to the Gazette; and Green will take the Daily Iowan. They will use the above-mentioned guest editorial as their basis. Davidsen asked to have copies of these items, as well, and Karr will make sure she has copies of all the documents mentioned. It was noted that a picture needs to be taken of Sueppel, and Karr stated she would have the City photographer take this picture on Thursday, as Sueppel will be in his office. City Web site - Karr noted that this has been updated with the latest redlined version of the Charter, and the December I letter and notice. Radio programs - Kubby reported that WSUI's Iowa Talks is now statewide, versus regional, so this piece would not work here. However, Kubby noted they would like to do a 5-minute news piece and a longer weekend item with a studio interview. Kubby noted that this interview can be done at any time, and then it will be aired on a particular weekend. She just needs to contact WSUI and finalize the plans. Kubby will work on this. Lensing stated that she would work with Kubby on this, and they will report back to the members. Kubby noted that their message will be based on the guest editorial. Lensing stated that she is to contact Brent about this at KXIC, but that the interview will be basically the same as the radio station, in that the interview can be done either live, or tape beforehand. She needs to contact him for further clarification. Werner stated that he would do the KXIC interview, and Rowat also volunteered to work with him. Werner stated he would contact Brent to set this up. They will let Karr know once these interviews are arranged so infonnation can be shared with the Commission. Cable television - Karr noted that a decision has not been made on this yet. Facilitator information - Karr reported that the December 1 public session, being held at the Public Library, will be in Meeting Room A, which is large, and several smaller rooms around it, where they can have their smaller group sessions. She asked the members if they wanted a typed sheet with consistent infonnation for each facilitator/scribe and their group. The members discussed this briefly, and Kubby stated she would work on coming up with a I-page sheet for the facilitators to use. Karr noted that if Kubby wants to get this in the packet for the next Charter Review meeting, then it will need to be done by Thursday morning. Kubby noted that she may not have it done by then, but will have it ready for the next meeting, which is November 22. Kubby's draft will be reviewed at the next meeting. Novick noted that she does have to leave at 7:30 PM from the December 1 public session, and wanted to remind the members of this. Charter Review Commission November 16, 2004 Page 3 (TAPE ENDS) MEETING SCHEDULE Lensing asked what the agenda was going to be at the November 22nd meeting. Sueppel stated it would be an update on the publicity, and a review of the facilitator sheet that Kubby will be preparing. Discussion began on reducing the length of this next meeting as most issues have been cleared up. It was decided to start the meeting at 8:00 AM, instead of7:00 AM. A brief discussion ensued, regarding the public session on December 1. It was decided that they would have the participants count off to fonn groups, and to have the same facilitator/scribe discuss all issues with their group, instead of changing groups. It was decided by the group to see how many people show up for the public session, before they make any specific recommendations on how the meeting and group discussions should be run. ADJOURNMENT Kubby motioned to adjourn the meeting at 4:00 PM; seconded by Chappell. Motion carried 9-0.