HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-12-05 AgendaIOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING OF DECEIVIBER 5, 1995
7:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CIVIC CENTER
410 EAST WASHINGTON
Subject to change as finalized by the City Clerk. For a final official copy, contact the City
Clerk's Office, 356-5040.
AGENDA
IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING - DECEI~BER 5, 1995
7:30 P.IVl.
COUNCIL CHAIVIBERS
ITEM NO. 1 -CALL TO ORDER.
.oLL CALL.
ITEM NO. 2- MAYOR'S PROCLAMATIONS.
a. Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month - D~ 1995, and
ITEM NO. 3 - CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CO NDAR AS PRESENTED OR
AMENDED,
a. Approval of Official Council actions of the special meetings of November
20, November 27, and November 28, 1995, and of the regular meeting
of November 21, 1995, as published, subject to corrections, as recom-
mended by the City Clerk.
b. Minutes of Boards and Commissions,
(1) Design Review Committee meeting of September 18, 1995.
Design Review Committee meeting of October 19, 1995.
(3) Design Review Committee meeting of November 20, 1995.
(4) Broadband Telecommunications Commission meeting of October
30, 1995.
(5) Housing and Community Development Commission meeting of
November 9, 1995.
(6) Board of Appeals meeting of July 10, 1995.
(7) Board of Appeals meeting of August 10, 1995.
(8) Board of Appeals meeting of AuguSt 28, 1995.
(9) Planning and Zoning Commission meeting of November 16,
1995.
Permit Motions and Resolutions as Recommended by the City Clerk.
(1) Consider a m6tion approving a Special Class "C" Liquor License
for Pizza Hut of America, Inc., dba Pizza Hut #402041, 127 Iowa
Ave. (Renewal)
#2a page
ITEM NOo 2a - MAYOR'S PROCLAMATIONS°
Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month - December
1995, and Lights on for Life Day - December 15, 1995.
Horow/ (Reads proclamation).
Deborah Hames/ Mayor Horow, city council members. I am the
prevention supervisor at MECCA which is the area substance
abuse treatment and prevention agency. Throughout the year the
council has proclaimed other prevention campaigns for us. We
would like to thank you for your continued support. This
particular campaign, the National Drunk and Drugged Driving
Prevention Month Campaign is very dear to my heart. Each week
at MECCA we conduct OWI classes or drunk driving classes. I
must tell you that each week our class list is full. Some
weeks we run two classes at lunch and at dinner. So that tells
me that area law enforcement officers are certainly doing
their job. But that els0 tells me that there are many people
in this community and people who come to visit this community
who are still making very dangerous decisions about the
consumption of alcohol and then getting in their cars and
proceeding to drive home. As Mayor Horow mentioned the weekend
of December 15, 16, and 17 is declared National Life Gone For
Life Weekend and the purpose of that weekend is for us to take
the time to remember those individuals who have lost their
lives in alcohol and drunk driving related crashes. They tell
us statistically that every 30 minutes someone loses their
lives in a crash. This year that date, that weekend, is
especially memorable to my family. Ten years ago, almost to
the date, my husband lost his youngest brother in alcohol
related driving crash. He was leaving home to go mail his
Christmas presents but never arrived back home again. A year
ago we also lost another family member over the 4th of July
weekend. So so I ask you this year in your thoughts and your
prayers to please remember those individuals and really give
some time and thought to this particular campaign. On December
15 we will have a display in the conference room here. So I
would encourage you to come in, to pick up some information.
We will also have some non-alcoholic beverages there for you
also. So please come in and join us in celebrating and also in
honoring those individuals. Thank you.
Horow/ I would also like to take the time to let you know something
that happened recently in Washington D.C. on November 13.
There was an award luncheon of the 1995 Champion of Safe Kids.
This was from the National Safe Kids Camping and Johnson
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccumtetransc~ption ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#2a
page 2
County Safe Kid Coalition won an award for an outstanding
local coalition. Formed in 1993, Iowa's Johnson County Safe
Kid Coalition has been a tremendously successful in its
efforts. It was led by the Iowa City Fire Department and Mercy
Hospital. And as you all realize, I am hoping you realize,
just recently there was a county wide home fire escape drill.
I think we even announced it here. On 7:00 PM, Sunday, October
15 the weather alert siren sounded and families all over the
county practiced their home fire escape plan. This is just an
example of the excellent innovation and success of this
coalition. We are proud to have received this award on behalf
of the coalition. The co-coordinators are Roger Jensen from
the Fire Department and Margaret Silver from Mercy Hospital.
That is the coalition that says National Kids Campaign,
Outstanding Local Coalition 1995 Johnson County Safe Kids.
Thank you to Roger Jensen and Margaret Silver.
Thisrepresents only areesonably accurate transcription ofthelowa Clty councilmeefing of December 5, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 2
(2)
Consider a motion approving a Class "C" Liquor License for
Gabe's, Inc. dba Gabe's, 330 E. Washington St. (Renewal)
(3)
Consider a motion approving an Outdoor Service Area for Gabe's,
Inc., dba Gabe's, 330 E. Washington St. (Renewal)
(4)
Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Liquor License for
Randali's International, Inc., dba Randali's Pantry, 1851 Lower
Muscatine Rd. (Renewal)
(5)
Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Beer Permit for
Randali's International, Inc., dba Randali's Pantry, 1851 Lower
Muscatine Rd. (Renewal)
Consider a motion approving a refund for an unused portion of a
Class "C" Beer Permit for Sinclair Marketing Co., dba Sinclair
Retail//14005, 731 Riverside Dr.
(7)
Consider a resolution issuing a Dancing Permit to Gabe's, 330 E.
Washington St.
Motions.
(1)
Consider a motion accepting Abstract of Votes for the Iowa City
Election held on November 7, 1995.
e. Resolutions.
(1)
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HISTORIC
PRESERVATION CON]MISSION TO FILE AN APPLICATION FOR
A CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT (CLG) GRANT TO OBTAIN
FUNDS FOR THE SURVEY AND EVALUATION OF A PORTION OF
THE ORIGINAL TOWN PLAT.
Comment: The Historic Preservation Commission has prepared an
application for a CLG grant of up to $9,000 for the survey and
evaluation of a portion of the original 1939 town plat. The grant
will require an approximate local match of $6,500 which the
Commission proposes to provide through funds allocated in the
budget for historic preservation activities and through in-kind
costs. The grant will aid the City in its efforts to identify, protect
and properly develop its historic resources.
Agenda
Iowa City City-Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 3
_ ~5~ ~zf (3)
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
SIGN AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST THE RELEASE OF A
LIEN FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1502 Y~ELL STREET,
IOWA CITY, IOWA,
Comment: The owner of the property located at 1502 Yewell
Street received assistance through the City's Housing Rehabilita-
tion Program on December 3, 1986. The financing was in the
form of a seven-year depreciating lien for the amount of
$11,000. The terms of the promissory note were satisfied on
December 3, 1993, thus, the lien can now be release.
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
SIGN AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST THE RELEASE OF A
LIEN REGARDING A PROMISSORY NOTE AND A MORTGAGE IN
THE FORM OF A LOW INTEREST LOAN AND A UCC2 FINANC-
ING STATEiVIENT EXECUTED FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT
1503 ROCHESTER AVENUE, IOWA CITY, IOWA.
Comment: The owner of the property located at 1503 Rochester
Avenue received assistance through the City's Rental Housing
Rehabilitation Program on September 14, 1994. The financing
was in the form of a Promissory Note and a Mortgage for the
amount of $34,003 in addition to a UCC2 Financing Statement
for appliances. The note was paid off on November 15, 1995,
thus the liens can now be released.
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXE-
CUTE AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST A SUBORDINATION
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY AND HILLS
BANK AND TRUST COMPANY FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT
619 DEARBORN STREET.
Comment: In May of 1987 the owner of the property received
rehabilitation assistance through the Comprehensive Rehabilita-
tion Program in the form of a declining lien for an original amount
of $9,100 and a Life Lien for the amount of $9,100. Hills Bank
and Trust Company is about to refinance the first mortgage to
$52,830. The appraised value of the property is $85,000 which
provides enough equity to cover the City's second lien position,
which was the City's original position.
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 4
CONSIDER RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE WORK FOR THE
SOUTH SITE SOCCER FIELD AND WASTEWATER PIPELINE
GRADING PROJECT AND APPROVING THE SUPPLEMENTAL
CONTRACT FOR REMAINING FERTILIZATIONS.
Comment: This resolution accepts the work on the South Site
Soccer Fields and Wastewater Pipeline Grading Project and
recognizes that the remaining fertilization is a minor part of total
project and is best completed next Spring for maximum results.
A supplemental contract covering the supply and application of
three fertilizations between March 1st and June 1 st of 1996 has
been prepared. In addition, please see the Englneer's Report
recommending project acceptance.
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
SIGN AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST THE RELEASE OF A
SANITARY SEWER EASEMENT AND A PORTION OF A
STORI~WATER MANAGEMENT EASEMENT LOCATED ON
OUTLOT "A", WHISPERING MEADOWS SUBDIVISION, PART
ONE, AN ADDITION TO THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA, AND
TO APPROVE AND EXECUTE A SUBSTITUTED SANITARY
SEWER EASEMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE SAIVIE PROPERTY.
Comment: The City currently possesses a 20' sanitary sewer
easement on Outlot "A", Whispering Meadows Subdivision, Part
One, Iowa City, Iowa. Public Works has recommended the
release of the existing easement and the execution of a substitut-
ed easement to allow the construction of three condominium
buildings as outlined in the proposed site plan and construction
plans. The substituted easement facilitates the development of
the property under its current zoning, and relocates the sanitary
sewer line outside the area of proposed building construction.
Further, Public Works has recommended the release of approxi-
mately ?,026 square feet of the existing Stormwater Manage-
ment Easement to also facilitate the development of this property
under the proposed site plan. This Resolution authorizes release
of the existing sanitary sewer easement and the execution of the
replacement easement agreement, and also authorizes the release
of appro~(imately 1,026 square feet of the existing stormwater
management easement on this property.
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 5
f, Setting Public Hearings
{1)
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING ON
DECEMBER 19, 1995, ON A PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE
LANDFILL USE FEES.
Comment: This resolution sets a public hearing on a proposed
change in the landfill use fee. The hearing will be held in the Civic
Center Council Chambers at 7:30 p.m., December 19, 1995, to
permit the public to comment on the proposed change in the
landfill use fee.
The state fee per ton has decreased from 84.25 to $3.75. The
· City Council has directed staff to include the 50 cent reduction
in the toxic cleanup day portions of the use fee. The grand total
use fee will remain the same at 848.50 and 853.50.
(2)
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR
DECEMBER 19, 1995 ON THE PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM
OF CONTRACT AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR CONSTRUCTION
OF THE IOWA RIVER CORRIDOR TRAIL, IOWA MEMORIAL
UNION BRIDGE TO 10WA AVENUE, PROJECT.
Comment: This work will extend the Iowa River Corridor Trail
from the Iowa Memorial Union Bridge to Iowa Avenue and will
include tunneling under the CRANDIC Railroad embankment, The
construction cost estimate is 8158,682, of which up to
8111,700 will be funded by Federal Surface Transportation
Program Enhancement Funds. The remainder will be funded by
the General Fund, Road Use Tax revenues, and possible cost
sharing with the University of Iowa.
g. Correspondence.
(1)
Letter from the Chair of the Broadband Telecommunications
Commission regarding the franchise agreement.
(2) Letter from the Museum Director of the Johnson County
Historical ,Society requesting funding for the next fiscal year.
~d,_.e./ ~ r
h. Applicatmns for theu~s~s of st eets.
(1)
Application from the Downtown Association for the use of public
streets for a holiday kick-off on December 2, 1995. (approved)
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
From:
Date:
Re:
Mayor, City Council and General Public
City Clerk
December 5, 1995
Addition to the Consent Calendar
Item No.3g(3)
Letter from Bob. Elliot regarding City Council establishing priorities
and addressing issues, policies and concepts.
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 6
ITEM NO. 4-
i, Application for City Plaza Use Permits,
(1)
proved)
Application from Delanie Jenkins for permission to set up a table
for a bake sale to benefit ICARE on December 1, 1995, (ap-
END OF CONSENT CALENDAR
PUBLIC DISCUSSION (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA},
ITEM NO. 5 -
PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS.
Consider setting a public hearing for December 19 on an ordinance
amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled "Zoning," to allow recycling
processing facilities in the I-1, General Industrial, zone and related
amendments,
Comment: At its November 16 meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 5-0, recommended approval of ~mendments
to define and permit recycling processing facilities as provisional uses in
the I-1 'zone,. and to allow outdoor storage of certain materials by special
exception, The Commission's recommendation is generally consistent
with the staff recommendation.
Action: ' ~¢-~-~-~
#4 page 1
ITEM NO. 4 - PUBLIC DISCUSSION (ITEM8 NOT ON THE AGENDA).
Horow/ Public discussion. This is the time for those items that are
not on the agenda. If there is anyone in the audience that
wishes to address council on an item that is not on the
agenda. Please sign in, state your name and I would ask you to
keep your comments to no more than five minutes.
Charlie Eastham/ I am serving as the president of the GICHF which
is a general partner in Saratoga Springs Limited Partnership.
The other general partner is Robert P. Burns and I am here
this evening to make a request to council. As by way of
explanation for the request: the goal of Saratoga Springs
Limited Partnership is to build, by new construction,
affordable rental housing which is to be managed by the GICHF.
The limited partnership has not been able to proceed with
meeting this goal due to lack of suitable sites which are 1-
available for sale, 2-priced at the fair market value for an
approved density, and 3-properly zoned at a density required
for the housing type, apartments, townhouses, duplexes, s.f.
preferred by the city council. Therefore we are requesting the
city council's assistance of us location and acquiring a
suitable site. I suggest council use one of the following
methods: 1-Simply advertising, 2-identifying a potential site
or sites and contact landowners, 3-considering the possibility
of using the city's power of eminent domain. We are open and
flexible to the form of the neighborhood which housing could
be located. Adjacent land use, adjacent housing types and
ownership such a site fit. I don't expect a reply this
evening. I would ask that the continuing members of the
council, this council, work with new members coming in several
weeks to try to work with us as partners in providing
affordable housing by obtaining land.
Horow/ Moved by Pigott, seconded by Kubby (to accept
correspondence). All those in favor signify by saying aye
(ayes). Anyone else care to address council on any issue not
on the agenda?
Ed Barker/ And I have been up here several times in the last 13
months. I probably sound as though I am always suggesting
different ways of doing things, different than what has been
recommended to you and so forth. I don't want to sound like I
am against everything all of the time and want to indicate to
you that my feeling is that there is many many things right in
our city. I would like to just touch on just a few of them and
particularly pay tribute to those people who make these things
Thfs represents only o reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5. 1995.
F120595
#4 page
happen. Police and fire have always responded to our calls in
a very timely manner. Every time I have gotten a traffic
ticket the policeman has had a smile and a kind word. The
Public Works Department takes care of things very well.
Recreation programs and even an area that we complain a lot
about, the inspection process for rental housing. We had a
situation where it was going to be a significant cost on three
times. We worked with the HIS people indicating what our time
frame to get it all completed would be, what it would cost in
this regard and then presented to them and say you prioritize
things in which order you want which they did and worked out
very well I think for them as well as for us. And then I think
that no one who has visited our city would ever say that our
library and senior center were second rate. Those are two of
the most outstanding features in our community. I just wish to
express my appreciation to all of these things. You people in
leadership roles we owe you each our respect and gratitude.
Horow/ Anyone else care to address council on any issue not on the
agenda?
Thls represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5a page 1
I~MNO. $a.
Consider setting a public hearing for December 19
on an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6,
entitled "Zoning,', to allow recycling processing
facilities in the I-l, General Industrial, zone and
related amendments.
Horow/ Moved by Nov, seconded by Throg. Any discussion?
Lehman/ Sue, is this to enable the city to construct our facility?
Horow/ No. And the applicant has asked for expedited consideration
if possible. All those in favor signify by saying aye (ayes).
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetrenscrlptlon ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 7
Consider setting a public hearing for December 19 on an ordinance
amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled "Zoning," Article N, entitled "Off-
Street Parking and Loading," to reference the Parking Facility Impact Fee
Ordinance in the off-street parking regulations section of the Zoning
Chapter.
Comment: At its November 16 meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 5-0, recommended approval of amendments
to reference the Parking Facility Impact Fee Ordinance in the off-street
parking regulations section of the Zoning Chapter. The Commission's
recommendation is consistent with the staff recommendation.
Action;
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter by adopting a
Sensitive Areas Ordinance to regulate development on properties
containing environmentally sensitive features, including wetlands, stream
corridors, steep slopes, wooded areas, hydric soils, prairie remnants and
archaeological sites. (Pass and Adopt)
Comment: At its September 21 meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission recommended approval of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance by
a vote of 6-0. The Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission, by a vote
of 9-0, also recommended approval of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance at
its September 20 meeting. The ordinance, as recommended for adoption
by both Commissions, is consistent in form and content to the draft
ordinance proposed by the Sensitive Areas Committee. Comments were
received at the Council's October 24 and November 7 public hearings on
this item.
Action: ~'~/<~ ~?. ~--'a..-'
#5C page I
ITEM NO. 5c.
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter
by adopting a Sensitive Areas Ordinance to regulate
development on properties containing
environmentally sensitive features, including
wetlands, stream corridors, steep slopes, wooded
areas, hydric soils, prairie remnants and
archaeological sites. (Pass and Adopt)
Horow/ Moved by Pigott, seconded by Kubby. Any discussion?
Lehman/ Sue, one thing. The intent of this ordinance I think is
supported by perhaps everybody in the community. I think the
intent is admirable. How it works I think depends a great deal
on the flexibility of the staff and the developer. I guess as
a council person I am very very interested to find out how it
does in fact really work. I think it will and I have been told
by the responsible developers that many percent of the
developers really follow these sort of rules right now and it
will affect only about 10%. But I am very very concerned that
it does in fact work. So I would encourage the city staff
folks and the developers to keep us apprised of how it is
working.
Horow/ I think that is reasonable. Each evaluation, each ordinance
that we pass, should have some sort of evaluation potential in
it. I would agree with you on this. This is an exciting
paradigm shift. It really is.
Kubby/ And a comprehensive one. In many communities people do it
piece mill, area by area in terms of categories of sensitive
area. I know that we have kind of said this the last few times
we have voted on it but it was people like Larry Baker and
Naomi Novick who ten years ago were on the ad hoc committee.
People like Bruno Pigott at his first meeting as a council
member was a fourth vote to make it happen. Bottom line is you
need four votes to make something happen and for all of us for
supporting this kind of innovation. I am very proud of our
community, not only the process we used but the end product is
very good.
Nov/ We have to congratulate staff, too.
Pigott/ Yeah, they did a lot of hard work on it. They deserve a lot
of credit for it.
Horow/ Okay, roll call- (yes). Way to go.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 8
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter by
repealing Title 14, Chapter 6, Article J, Section 1, River Corridor Overlay
Zone.
Comment: At its October 5 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commis-
sion, by a vote of 6-0, recommended approval of amendments to repeal
the River Corridor Overlay Zone, subject to Council approval of the
Sensitive Areas Ordinance. At its October 18 meeting, by a vote of 8-0,
the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission also recommended
approval. The River Corridor Overlay Zone will be replaced by the
stream corridor provisions of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. These
recommendations are consistent with the staff memorandum dated
October 5.
Action:
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter by repealing title
14, Chapter 6, Article J, Section 1, River Corridor Overlay Zone. (First
Consideration)
Comment:
Action:
See item d. above.
PubLic hearing on an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 5, Building
and Housing, Article H, Site Plan Review, to include a reference to the
Sensitive Areas Site Plan.
Comment: At its October 5 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commis-
sion, by a vote of 6-0, recommended approval of an amendment to add
a reference regarding the Sensitive Areas Site Plan to the Site Plan
Review section of the Building and Housing Chapter of the City Code. At
its October 18 meeting, the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission,
by a vote of 8-O, also recommended approval. These recommendations
are consistent with the staff memorandum dated October 5.
o Action:
#5d page I
ITEM NO. 5d.
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning
Chapter by repealing Title 14, Chapter 6, Article
J, Section 1, River Corridor Overlay Zone.
Horow/ Is it possible for us to have the p.h. on all of the
ordinance? No, I have to take them individually. Declare the
p.h. open. Anyone who wishes to address council on this issue,
come forward, state your name, sign in, keep your comments to
no more than five minutes. I see none. I close the p.h. Wait
a minute-
Harvey Wehde/ I own Iowa City Insulation, Sand Road Investors. I am
a member of the Iowa City Home Builders Association, local
area Chamber of Commerce, and Habitat for Humanities and
affordable housing projects. The ordinance we are talking
about now I have two concerns. I have been involved in the
Riverfront Commission, P/Z and now this evening. My questions
are that concern me and a lot of people that I work with. They
do not feel the tax payer is informed about the cost of the
implementation of this ordinance. I request the answers to
these questions. How long will it take to provide this
information? 1-What are the costs to the taxpayers to this
point for drafting a Tree Ordinance that was dead on arrival
over a year ago and the Sensitive Areas Ordinance to this
point. 2-I have heard estimates from reliable sources that
this ordinance will add $3,000-4,000 in lot costs in Iowa City
or 10% development cost for a subdivision. 3-Some
circumstances this could violate an individuals property
rights. 4-Up sizing Iowa City government that you consider how
many individuals you would add to the staff, secretaries,
cars, fringe benefits, Blue Cross Blue Shield, retirement
benefits. I have heard estimate from people that the total
package could add up to $270,000 per year. You also know this
ordinance will impede growth, take away from the tax base, and
add to the cost of housing in Iowa City. 6-This will add to
the time frame for development and time is money. Closing what
disturbs me the most is that the staff and council have not
looked at the financial risk but are on a mission to pass this
Sensitive Areas Ordinance at any cost. I request that this
council and I guess it is too late for this, wait until the
new council comes in and so we can find out the answers to
these questions that I don't think really any of us really
know. This will give the new council public input that might
be relevant to this ordinance. My final question to Steve is
how long would it take to get the answers to these questions
that I have asked here or can we even get the answers?
Thisrepresents only 8reesoneblyeccuretetrenscrlpt]on ofthelowe Citycouncll meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#5d page 2
Horow/ If you wouldn't mind I would frankly like to take on the
answer. As you realize we have already just passed the
Sensitive Areas Ordinance. You are currently are talking about
the River Corridor Overlay being submerged into the stream
corridor part of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. As Ernie and
I were talking about it, this is a paradigm shift in how we
look at this city in development. I think as we go along in it
implementation, those answers will either agree with you or
refute what you are stating. And so I guess it is up to the
developers to help us find the answers to those questions. I
guess we would be asking you and your colleagues to assist us
in that evaluation process.
Wehde/ I think this is what we want to do. I think this is what we
all want to do. We just don't want to get caught in a
situation that we are being held a victim to go on with our
development or we are having our property rights taken away
and we are paying money for this and we are not being
reimbursed and there is a lot of concern about cost of housing
in Iowa City. So I think Ben Moore made a good point the other
night when the people from Dodge Street, over there. We need
to get more developers involved with all of us people here
because then we can find these ways that we can find these
solutions and I think we can put this together that I could
work with it and I think a lot of the developers could and I
think we need to do a lot more of this and I will go with Ben
Moore on this.
Horow/ If I may suggest, keep that letter because frankly I would
say that this time next year would be a good time for you to
repeat those requests. I would be foolish if could say staff
could give you the answers right in a week or a month.
Kubby/ Although some of them have been answered. For example,
constitutional muster about property. Does this ordinance in
general commit a taking. It passes constitutional muster, our
Legal Department would not let it get this far. Ernie was
saying that he belongs to some of the same organizations you
do and he is saying people he is talking to, 90% of developers
are doing these things already. So, if that is true, there is
no additional cost to what is already being done in Iowa City.
It is just being done in a very formal way now instead of the
informal way. We were told by staff in terms of-what they were
requesting in terms of staffing was two full time new staff
members. I suggested that we maybe have one new full time
staff member that had multiple duties to make things go very
smoothly in the field so that they could assess issues in the
Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate transcription ofthelowaCity council meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5d page 3
field and have the power to say you have got two options or
how to do it differently to follow the rules. And so some of
those have already been talked about and in a certain way,
when you talk about how much it has cost us so far, somehow in
there it feels like there is an implication there is not
community support for this. And people who aren't up here-
people are up here because the majority of voting Iowa Citians
put us here and that we have talked about these issues very
extensively and in a very inclusive way with the development
community. I think our process has been on this particular
issue, very thorough.
Wehde/ It has been a long road.
Kubby/ Paradigms don't happen over night. Social change takes time.
Wehde/ I want to make sure that this stays flexible because if it
is used in the wrong way, with staff and council against the
business community or the development community or the people
that want to buy houses at affordable prices. It can hurt all
of us more than what we are getting affected now. So I want
everybody to be flexible and let us work as a team and get
this thing through and do it the right way.
Horow/ Thank you very much for your comments. Anyone else care to
address council on this ordinance that amends the River
Corridor Overlay Zone? Declare the p.h. closed.
Thlsrepresentsonlyareasonablyaccuratetrans~ption ofthelowaCl~ councilmeetlngofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 9
ho
Consider an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 5, Building and
Housing, Article H, Site Plan Review, to include a reference to the
Sensitive Areas Site Plan. (First Consideration)
Comment: See item f. above.
Action.* '~/~~
Public hearing on an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 5, Building
and Housing, Article I, Grading Ordinance, to make it consistent with the
Sensitive Areas Ordinance.
Comment: At its October 5 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commis-
sion, by a vote of 6-O, recommended approval of amendments to the
Grading Ordinance to make it consistent with the Sensitive Areas
Ordinance. At its October 18 meeting, the Riverfront and Natural Areas
Commission, by-a vote of 8-0, also recommended approval. The Board
of Appeals, at its October 30 meeting, recommended that if the
Sensitive Areas Ordinance is approved, that amendments to the Grading
Ordinance to make the two ordinances consistent should be approved.
The Board indicated that this recommendation does not indicate a
position regarding the Sensitive Areas Ordinance.
Action:
Consider an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 5, Building and
Housing, Article I, Grading Ordinance, to make it consistent with the
Sensitive Areas Ordinance. (First Consideration)
Comment: See item h. above.
#5i page
ITEM NO.
Consider an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 5,
Building and Housing, Article I, Grading Ordinance,
to make it consistent with the Sensitive Areas
Ordinance. (First Consideration)
Horow/ Moved by Throg, seconded by Pigott. Any discussion?
Kubby/ We just are about to do two things and it has come in the
vein of Ed Barker saying good things that happen. We have just
voted on first consideration to repeal a duplicative law and
I think it is important Go let the community know that we are
actually taking a law off the books instead of adding in
exchange for adding one and not just having them build up.
Secondly, with this grading ordinance, a couple of things are
happening. We are changing the steepness of a hill that will
need engineered grading. That corresponds with our Sensitive
Areas map so that people are not looking at two different
standards. So all of the standards are going to be the same.
And secondly, we are changing the process that makes it
easier, faster, and therefore cheaper for the development
community when they are bringing something to us and I think
that is real important to recognize.
Horow/ Okay. Any further discussion? Roll call- (yes). First
consideration passes.
Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate ~anscriptton ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 10
Public hearing on an ordinance amending Title 6, Public Health and
Safety, Chapter 3, Weed Control, Section 3, Natural Areas, to make
consistent with the Sensitive Areas Ordinance.
Comment: At its October 5 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commis-
sion, by a vote of 6-0, recommended approval of amendments to the
natural areas section of the Weed Control Ordinance to make it
consistent with the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. At its October 18
meeting, by a vote of 8-0, the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission
also recommended approval of the proposed amendments to the Weed
Control Ordinance. These recommendations are consistent with the
staff memorandum dated October 5.
Action:
Consider an ordinance amending Title 6, Public Health and Safety,
Chapter 3, Weed Control, Section 3, Natural Areas, to make it consis-
tent with the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. (First Consideration)
Comment:
See item j. above.
Public hearing on an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled
"Zoning," Article 5, entitled "Performance Standards," Section lOB,
concerning the location of aboveground storage tanks.
Comment: At its November 2 meeting, by a vote of 5-0, the Planning
and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the amendments
concerning aboveground storage tanks. The Commission's recommen-
dation is consistent with the staff recommendation contained in the staff
memorandums dated November 2.
Action:
#5j page 1
ZT NO.
Public hearing on an ordinance amending Title 6,
Public Health and Safety, Chapter 3, Weed Control,
Section 3, Natural Areas, to make it consistent
with the Sensitive Areas Ordinance.
Horow/ Declare the p.h. open. Because I am allergic to poison ivy
I checked on this and if there are such things in these areas,
there can be spot eradication.
Throg/ Are you allergic to multi-flora rose, too?
Horow/ No, I am not allergic to multi-flora rose. Poison ivy I am.
Declare the p.h. closed.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetranscrlptton ofthelowaCItycouncilmeefingof December5,1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 11
me
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter to clarify
the definition of time/temperature signs.
Comment: At its November 2 meeting, by a vote of 5-1, with Scott
voting in the negative, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend-
ed approval of the amendments specifying requirements for
time/temperature signs. The Commission's recommendation is consistent
with the staff recommendations, contained in the November 2 staff
memorandum. At its November 1 O, 1995, meeting, the Design Review
Committee, by a vote of 7-0, also recommended approval of the
amendments..
Action: -~O ~ ~~
nw
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter to allow
adult day care, elder family homes, and elder group homes under certain
conditions in Iowa City, and to change the definition of elderly.
Comment: At its October 19 meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 7-0, recommended approval of amendments
to incorporate provisions for adult day care, elder family homes and elder
group homes, and the definition of elder into the Zoning Chapter. This
recommendation is consistent with the staff recommendation for this
item contained in the October 1 9 staff memorandum. No comments
were received at the November 21 public hearing on this item.
Action:
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter to allow adult day
care, elder family homes, and elder group homes under certain condi-
tions in Iowa City, and to change the definition of elderly. (First
Consideration)
Comment: See item n. above.
Action:
#Sn page 1
ITEN NO. 5n.
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning
Chapter to allow adult day care, elder family
homes, and elder group homes under certain
conditions in Iowa City, and to change the
definition of elderly.
Horow/ Declare the p.h. open. I have asked Ms. Franklin to further
help us.
Franklin/ There are two revisions to the ordinance at the request
of the council from last night. Elder family home has changed
to permit up to 8 people and the reason we put 8 rather than
7 was because group care is for more than 8 and so as not to
create a gap we have that at 8. The elder group home remains
at 5 as we discussed and includes a provision to require
certification.
Nov/ And what is the name of the home that has more than 8?
Franklin/ That would be a group care facility.
Nov/ Group care facility?
Franklin/ Yes which is permitted in other zones, higher density
zones.
Nov/ And this group care facility may or may not be elder people?
Franklin/ That is correct.
Horow/ Thank you, Karin. Anyone else care to address council on
this issue? Declare the p.h. closed.
Thisrepresents only e reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5o page
ITF~! NO. 50.
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter
to allow adult day care, elder family homes, and
elder group homes under certain conditions in Iowa
City, and to change the definition of elderly.
(First Consideration)
Horow/ Moved by Kubby, seconded by Lehman. Any discussion?
Nov/ I think we ought to add the fact that the elder group home as
designed here is going to require a state certification which
the ordinance would not have.
Horow/ For those of you wondering, the definition of elder is a
person 60 years of age or older. It always helps to know what
you are talking about~
Nov/ That changes according to various folks.
Horow/ I only have three more years to go. Any further discussion?
Roll call- (yes). Okay, first consideration passes.
This represents only e reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 12
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter to require
bicycle parking for commercial and multi-family residential developments.
Comment: At its October 19 meeting, by a vote of 7-0, the Planning
and Zoning Commission recommended approval of amendments to the
Zoning Chapter requiring bicycle parking for commercial and multi-family
residential developments. The Commission's recommendation is
consistent with the staff recommendation contained in the October 19
staff memorandum. Comments were receiv/ed at the November 21
public hearing on this item. ~ ~
Action:
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter to require bicvcle
perking for commercial and multi-family residential developments, (First
Consideration)
Comment: See item p. above.
Action: '~///,~ f ~,~.
Consider a letter to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors recom-
mending approval of a requested rezoning of approximately 66 acres
from RS, Suburban Residential, to M1, Light Industrial, for property
located in Fringe Area 5 on the east side of Scott Boulevard, North of
420th St. SE. (CZ9543)
Comment: At its November 16 meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 5-0, recommended that a letter be forwarded
to the Board of Supervisors recommending approval of the requested
rezoning. This recommendation is generally consistent with the staff
recommendation contained in the November 16 staff memorandum.
Action: -~/~.~
#Sp page
ITEM NO. 5p.
Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning
Chapter to require bicycle parking for commercial
and multi-family residential developments.
Horow/ Declare the p.h. open. I would ask you to sign in, state
your name and keep your comments to no more than five minutes.
Franklin/ Again, in response to comments from the council last
night, we have included a provision that allows for the
substitution of bicycle parking for one or two parking spaces.
How it reads for the benefit of those listening: For every
seven bicycle parking spaces required for and then the council
needs to choose between commercial and or multifamily uses-the
required number of off street parking spaces for other
vehicles may or shall be reduced by one space up to a maximum
of two spaces. So if you are required to have five bicycle
spaces, then you may eliminate one required off street parking
space. And the critical questions for the council to answer
before you close the p.h. and before you vote on first
consideration is 1-whether you want this to be prescriptive,
that is that you require it or that you allow it as an option.
And secondly, whether this is to apply to commercial uses
only, multifamily uses only or both.
Baker/ Karin, can I ask you a couple of questions for clarification
and I apologize because I wasn't here last night for
discussion on this. Isn't a regular parking place, isn't it
big enough for 8 bicycle parking spaces. Why the number seven?
Franklin/ We chose the number seven because compact spaces are 8 by
15 and you could get 6 or 7 bikes in these with some ease. It
gets a little bit tighter if you go to 8. I think probably in
those you would only have 6.
Baker/ So 7 is just a realistic compromise number? Also the way
this is worded, it says for every 7 bicycle parking spaces
required for commercial or multifamily the required number of
off street parking spaces for other vehicles may/shall be
reduced by the one space up to the maximum of two. When I read
that that is saying they can reduce the number of parking
spaces but not use those spaces for bike parking. They can
still put the bike parking somewhere else is the way I read
that. I thought we were talking about a tradeoff.
Franklin/ We are talking about a trade. That was the intent.
Baker/ The required space could be used for bicycle parking up to
Thls represents only e reasonably accurate transcription of the iowa City council meeting of December 5. 1995.
F120595
#5p page 2
one or two spaces. But again,
this is worded. It just says
required spaces-
I am just looking at the way
you can reduce that number of
Franklin/ The number of off street parking spaces for other
vehicles.
Nov/ You may use the spaces that have been built for other vehicles
for bicycles instead of other vehicles. The point that he is
making is that you want them to build that space. You don't
want them to say they have reduced that space.
Pigott/ You want them to use that space for bike parking. It
doesn't seem clear.
Franklin/ You have the requirement that the bicycle parking spaces
must be of a permanent dust free surface and that can be rock.
If you reduce the parking spaces for automobiles by one, you
may then either pave it and use if for bicycle space of put it
in rock and use it for bicycle space. Wherever you have the
bicycle space, you will have to have some kind of surface to
park those bikes on.
Kubby/ I think we are all clear with that. We want to make sure the
language reflects that.
Franklin/ I understand that.
Kubby/ You need one little like three phrase clause in there, three
word clause.
Franklin/ Why don't you take comments and I will think about that
one.
Horow/ The p.h. is open. Anyone who wishes to address council on
this issue. by the way, we do have correspondence from Lynne
Sigley on Roosevelt. Moved by Pigott, seconded by Throg (to
accept correspondence). Any discussion? All those in favor
signify by saying aye (ayes). Thank you. Thanks.
Feather Lacey/ I just have three points. Well, four now that I like
the idea of trading off the parking spaces. I want to remind
you that you know the Johnson County Council of Governments
already approved this ordinance. I think they are a very wise
group. That this ordinance is not a new concept as I think you
received this in your packet. Similar ordinances have been
adopted already in other progressive college type university
Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowe City council meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5p page 3
towns that are very comparable to Iowa City such as Madison,
Wisconsin, Palo Alto, Boulder, Eugene, Portland, Austin,
Gainesville, Florida. And I wanted to say don't make
bicyclists criminals. If you look outside now there are about
8 bikes parked out there and they are all in the rack which is
very nicely placed there. There no bicycles in your planters
or on your rails or any place else because there is a bike
rack there. Bikers will bike and if there are no bike racks we
are forced to put our bikes in all of these illegal places and
I really just hate to do that. But we are forced to and you
can alleviate that by passing this ordinance and I, myself,
don't llve in an apartment now but I have spent many years in
apartments and I really got tired of lugging my bike up four,
three flights of stairs. Thank you.
Bruce Glasgow/ In the interest of saving time. I am glad to know
that I am elderly by ordinance.
Horow/ We are glad you are glad, Bruce.
Glasgow/ I really didn't think I was. I have some of my
subdivisions approved by Dean Thornberry's father and I have
had some of them approved by John Balmer's grandfather. So I
guess the ordinance must be correct. Anyhow, I didn't intend
to talk about bicycles. But I do have a 35 unit apartment
house and I did a quick little survey on my own without asking
any questions and I was just wondering whether my 92 year old
tenant would like a bicycle. Whether my 88 year old tenant
would like one. Whether my 90 year old tenant would like one.
We haven't go anybody there with a bicycle on top of a car,
behind a car, in the garage. We can put that in there, no
problem. We can put a sign along side of it saying don't use
it. I think you put in a little clause in there saying that
maybe there should be an exemption for somebody who wanted to
provide housing for the elderly in Iowa City.
Kubby/ That is assuming that no person who is elderly will be
biking. I guarantee that Feather Lacey will not stop biking as
she gets older until she just physically cannot do it anymore.
It matters who your individual tenants are as to whether that
facility will be used or how extensively that facility will be
used.
Glasgow/ I have a clause in my covenants in the rental agreement
that says they can't have motorcycles and I never had a
complaint.
This represents only a reesonably accurate tr&nscrlptlon of the iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 4
Pigott/ This won't apply to your existing 35 unit apartment.
Glasgow/ Yeah but we have room for more.
Pigott/ I am sure you do.
Glasgow/ I don't know if I have enough time for more but I have
room. So you might consider that. Maybe there should be an
exemption in there that if we are allowed to have elderly and
no children maybe it should be no bicycles. Thank you very
much.
Lehman/ Bruce, can I ask
elderly folks in them.
elderly folks forever,
you a question? Your units now have
It doesn't mean they are going to have
does it?
Glasgow/ Nope.
Lehman/ Let's not talk about yours. Let's talk about new
construction. You build new construction, you build it
primarily for elderly folks who are not going to ride bikes.
It doesn't mean it is always going to be that way. What would
the cost of a bike rack, what would it amount to in the total
cost of an apartment?
Glasgow/ I will buy a used on some place and put it on the-
Lehman/ What is it going to amount to?
Glasgow/ Nothing.
Lehman/ Then what are you complaining about?
Glasgow/ I never thought of it that way. I just don't want you to
keep telling me what I have to do everyday.
Lehman/ I hear you, I really do.
Glasgow/ When we come in with a new one, I bet you it will take a
week to convince P/Z that the bike rack is on the right place.
That is what we are up against. Time is money, isn't that
right Karen.
Kubby/ Right, in my business and in your business.
Glasgow/ Thank you very much.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetranscrlption ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1 995.
F120595
#5p page 5
Horow/ Thank you. Ms. Franklin, would you care to-
Franklin/ I just want to point out that the requirement for elderly
housing is less than for other multiples or other housing
units.
Horow/ Thank you. Anyone else care to address council about this
ordinance?
Ed
Barker/ I am representing this evening the Greater Iowa City
Apartment Association. I will answer your question, Ernie, if
you will rephrase it. I am not complaining but I am expressing
a point of view. First I want to thank Charles Denney for
sending a letter to the Apartment Association in response to
the p.h. a couple of weeks ago explaining the proposed
ordinance and so forth. In answer to your question further,
Ernie, it is not a significant cost factor. I think we have
all agreed on that. So what is the beef? In my judgement its
the question is should government add amendments to ordinances
implying an enforcement procedure when no significant if any
need has been demonstrated and were an educational program can
better achieve a desired result. our organization can help
develop such a program and we see cooperation and working
together with you folks rather than have us achieve unilateral
ordinance. It appears that no real meaningful study was made
and we also made a survey and I will give you the results of
that.
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 95-143 SIDE 1
Barker/ The ordinance. This a quick couple of phone calls told me
that the city is fairly close to compliance in the d.t. area.
you have 3,609 parking spaces and meters and ramps and meters.
You got 320 bicycle parking spaces and based on, as I can
glean through this proposed ordinance and so forth, it appears
that this kind of a situation would require 10% parking of the
required automobiles. And I don't know if you exceed or are
under the requirements on that, but that would mean that you
need 361 spaces instead of the 320. So you're pretty close.
But we don't know what the swimming pool situations would be
in the summer time. This gets back to what Karen asked in
regard to more bicycles in the summer time. When you stop to
analyze it, this new ordinance would result, the proposed
ordinance, I'm not ready to call it a new ordinance yet, would
result in very few additional bike parking spaces over what
would be constructed. There's not going to be a lot of
apartments constructed in the near future probably in Iowa
Th~~r~pres~nts~n~y~rea$~nab~ya~curat~tran$cript~~n~fthe~~waCityc~unci~m~eting~fDe~ember5~1995.
F120595
#5p
page 6
City and if you'd survey the ones that have been built
recently, you'll find that there is bicycle parking there. But
whether it exactly meets the standards or not, I'm not quite
sure. But there is bicycle parking in those places. So it
would have a very very few additional parking spaces. The
other problem is, standardization seems to me not the way to
go. Mr. Glasgow pointed out, different situations require
different needs, and bike parking falls into that and should
be the responsibility of the owner and the residents in
response to the needs of that particular situation. By
encouraging the use of bicycles and working with the private
sector on a voluntary basis, adequate bicycle parking would be
provided, not only at new construction sites, but also at
existing sites, because we'd be very willing to enter into an
educational program with our residents to encourage bicycle
riding and we will assess needs to see if we need to add and
if we do, we will add those on our own as we have done in the
past. An additional program of education needs to include
teaching bicyclists their responsibilities in traffic
situations dominated by motor vehicles. It should be a jungle
out there if we reach your goal as stated in Mr. Denney's
letter on more than tripling the use of bicycles in Iowa City
by the year 2015. I did receive some phone calls in regard to
this and our survey points that out a little bit also. Our
association will cooperate through contact with owners in a
variety of ways, through newsletters, our monthly meetings,
encouraging surveys amongst residents, working with city
officials in a cooperative manner and responding to the needs
of our residents. If an ordinance is passed, potentially
someone will define it as a safety issue and make it
retroactive and attempt to make it retroactive. The groundwork
for this has been laid out in Mr. Denney's letter to our
association in which he states, additionally giving apartment
residents a place to park their bikes can eliminate the
perceived need of the residents to bring their bikes inside
the building where they can damage hallways and apartments and
block emergency exits. As a high school principal for 24
years, I learned that it's better in many situations to
influence the desired behavior patterns through education and
example rather than require certain behavior by rules. I
challenge you to approach this issue through an education
program rather than ordinance. You'll also need to set an
example by having your facilities meet standards which you
expect from us. I expect my five minutes are up and if anybody
wants to ask me a question as to what the results of our
survey was, I'll be glad to answer it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 7
Throg/ I'd like to take the opportunity to ask you a couple of
questions.
Barker/ Okay.
Throg/ I really enjoyed talking with you. We've met in my office.
We've met here. We've met elsewhere and it's been a very
rewarding experience, but I'd like to turn some of your
language back around on yourself, see how it works.
Barker/ You're trying to trick me.
Throg/ Would you make the same comment about motor vehicle parking
as you just did about bicycle parking racks?
Barker/ I would make the same comments in regard to motorcycles
certainly, horses and things, but automobile as your own
people point out are apparently 97% of transportation now. I
wouldn't be adverse to that because I think the
competitiveness of apartments would require adequate
automobile parking. And so you do have different standards of
requirements on parking. I think the newer construction
requires'more than older ones and so forth. And so you do have
a different standard there, but I think I could make a case.
Throg/ Okay. Thanks. And the second question.
Barker/ In the afternoon I might make the opposite case.
Throg/ I wouldn't be surprised. You've consistently argued with
regard to the water and sewer investment, that we ought to
pursue basically the least cost option. That we ought to find
ways to save taxpayer/ratepayer the long money. And that's a
reasonable thing to try to do. In this instance though, you
seem hot to be considering total cost because you've already
said there's an objective say to have 10% of total vehicle
miles travelled accomplished by bicycles rather than cars and
yet you're objecting to anything that provides incentives to
the use of bicycles, even though the cost of building new
parking ramps, the cost of building new roadways, the cost of
widening roadways, the cost of building new parking spaces, is
vastly greater than the cost of buying bike racks.
Barker/ Well, I think that you probably know as well as anybody
that going from 3% up to 10% is probably not going to have
significant impact on what you do as far as parking ramps and
so forth are concerned. But this is, as you point out, I'm not
Thisrepresents onlyareasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS. 1995.
F120595
#5p page 8
arguing this on a cost basis at all. It's on a philosophical
saying of should we have another ordinance when, at least in
my judgement, the objective can be achieved in other ways. And
I maintain that educational ways of achieving this are better,
a better way to change behavior that edict of requiring the
parking. I don't know any apartments that don't provide
bicycle parking if the need is there.
Nov/
I would agree with the educational aspect for current owners
of apartment buildings, but you won't have the Apartment
Owners' Association ability to train somebody who hasn't yet
come here and hasn't yet built and apartment building. And for
those people, that then without Iowa City associations to
educate them, we'll follow the ordinance.
Barker/ Well, I'll just tell you what our group can do. And I think
we can have influence as far as what is done where well know
there likely could be a shortage. I'd like to give you the
results of the survey. I can pass that out. I have it printed.
Nov/ If you have it printed, it would be nice to see it.
Horow/ We've got other people who would like to testify so if you
can pass this out, that would be. Anyone else care to address
council on this issue?
Anna
Buss/ 525 W. Benton. I'd like to but another twist on this if
you would. In the last week or two since I heard about this,
I'm also a member of the Apartment Association. I called, I
took a few minutes and I started calling some of my tenants
who are bikers, avid bikers. And one of the comments that I
got back repeatedly was, I don't care how many bike racks that
you provide for us, I have a $1,500 bicycle and it's not
sitting in some bike rack. Now I manage a number of new units
but I also have lots of older units. At all of our units, we
have space for bicycle racks. At most of our units we have
bicycle racks of some nature. There is a place provided. Most
of the tenants that I called, we have prices of bicycles. I
asked them a number of questions. One of them was, since you
have a bicycle and I do not, how much did you pay for it. It
was an interesting span, everything I got from $1500 down to
$3 at Goodwill. And I can tell you that most of the ones that
pay a little more for their bike, won't even consider letting
them set outside for whatever reason. They're not interested.
Why can't the city for once try something really innovative
and go with making it a suggested area? We would like to
suggest that you please provide- Most of the people do anyway,
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 9
most of the people who build these buildings. There's always
some place where they can put bikes and bike racks. Why make
it one more layer that another builder has to dig through. We
already have enough. Now we're adding something more and it's
something again as Mr. Barker said, I think through some
education programs that that shouldn't be a problem.. The
bicycle association in Iowa City is a good one. I think they
do a lot toward educating the public, and I think it could be
worked at from that point. It won't take long as some of the
things, as the track has already shown, it won't take long if
this is starting in new construction for the trickle back
effect. .To start going, well, now we have it in new
construction, let's go back to the older construction, the
older areas. And I'd like to see us try at least, I mean it
doesn't hurt to try anything. We could try it for awhile and
you could suggest to the people coming in, please please
provide a place for bicycles to park. We don't want to have to
require it. And if you do it voluntarily, then it won't come
down to an ordinance that's going to take time to get it
passed and reviewed. Thank you.
Throg/ Anna, could I ask you a question? You spoke about mainly
about multifamily units, but you didn't mention commercial
facilities and this ordinance in part addresses commercial
facilities. Would you make the same points in regard to them?
Buss/ ¥eah, I would because at the rate the city's going with as
many ordinances that are here, you may not have as many
commercial facilities as you wish. And with the piling on of
ordinance after ordinance, I think this is something you can
start small and go backwards, maybe take off a few of these
ordinances. I think that anybody that's building and coming to
Iowa City knows their market. They're intelligent enough to
know their market. If you're coming here with a multimillion
dollar building, hey, we've got how many bicyclers in Iowa
City? All you have to do is look around. You know how long did
it take for the city to get a bike rack out front here? You
know there'was no ordinance there. They finally put one in. So
I think if you-
Nov/ But it's been there a long time.
Buss/ But there's been a lot of bikers in Io~a City for a long time
too.
Nov/ Are you referring to the bike rack out front? It's been for
there for (can't hear).
Thisrepresents only 8reasonably accurate ~anscHptlon ofthelowa City council mestlng of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5p page 10
Kubby/ Since I've been hanging out.
Buss/ I think when you talk to people who are building
commercially, they want- bikers have money to spend just like
anybody else. And whether they choose to bicycle, motorcycle,
walk, skateboard or whatever, people want them to come to
their business and spend money. And if having a bike rack
somewhere close in the vicinity to park their bike, they'll
put it in.
Throg/ You know I ride a bike quite a bit. Why is it when I go to
most commercial facilities there are no bike racks to park at?
Why is it I have to attach my bike to a railing?
Buss/ Have you ever asked them, why don't you have a bike rack?
Have you ever gone in and asked one of the owners of a
business, why don't you have a bike rack? Have you?
Throg/ No, I have not. I would assume that they knew that people
were riding bikes there, they would install bike-
Buss/ Why presume it? If you go in and you say, would it be too
much trouble for you to consider putting in a bike rack for
the number of people who come here to ride bicycles? And it's
their option, that you've presumed they won't put one in. It's
their option to say yes or no. And if you haven't even asked.
I mean I don't think I've ever heard anybody to just go in and
ask. And if more than one person asked, maybe they'll do it.
Kubby/ Although a recent example is Kennedy Plaza, a commercial and
residential facility that, I mean we have pictures of the
problem there that, I guess I don't frequent that specific
commercial area. I don't know if there is currently a bike
rack or if there's one but it's not enough. But there are
bikes tied to anything that's vertical. Because there's not
enough- and that's a very new commercial residential building.
Buss/ But that's back to my same point with Jim, is that maybe the
owner of that building or maybe the person that built that
building, I mean I'm going to tell you, you're never going to
catch me on a bicycle ever. It's just not going to happen.
Buss/ This chunky fat body is not going to get on a bicycle. I'm
not going to do it. I have a bicycle. I mean I have a
motorcycle sitting in my garage. Why don't they provide
Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscrlption ofthelow8 Cl~ council meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#Sp page
motorcycle parking in front of every business?
Kubby/ You can park in a car spot.
Buss/ But it's the same difference. I mean go in and ask. I mean,
maybe the people who built the building just didn't think to
put one in. Maybe we could kind of ask them.
Horow/ Okay, I'd like to move this on. Anyone else care to address
council on this issue?
Richard Rhodes/ 2014 Rochester. I have asked business owners. I
ride a bike a lot. I drive a car. I take the bus. I walk. I
use every mode of transportation except for the horse that Mr.
Barker mentioned.
Kubby/ It's not legal in this community by the way.
Rhodes/ Sorry. I have asked businesses repeatedly to put in bicycle
racks, to unbury bicycle racks that they put hay bales around,
that they pile Christmas trees around so you can't get to
them. I've seen bikes parked helter skelter at this business.
I know other people ride bicycles. I've seen their employees
walk by the bicycle racks that are inaccessible and the
bicycles that are parked helter skelter. And nothing has
happened for two years, four years, five years, eight years.
Something needs to be done to require bicycle parking in
commercial areas because many times I have to go some
distance. I have to pick up a number of items. I think, do I
want to bike? It's a nice day. I go, no. There's no place to
park. And so I drive my car instead. So it will help increase
the number of bicycle trips. That's my first point. The second
point is, I completely agree with the trade off in commercial
areas between automobile parking and bicycle parking. As I
said, I'm embarrassed to admit this to you, but I do
frequently drive an automobile too and I've scarcely ever had
to go farther than five or eight parking spaces from the front
door of every business that I've been in. And these are some
businesses that were constructed before your rather generous
parking allowances that are in effect now. So it certainly
Won't hurt to get some of those excess automobile parking
spaces that might be for two or three days in an entire year
to have one of those converted to a bicycle parking space, one
or two. One thing that you did not address at your meeting
last night that I would like your opinions on, is my
suggestion last time 'that the minimum bicycle rack be
increased from two to something reasonable like five or six.
Thisrepresents only a mssonebly accuratetranscription ofthelowa City councilmeetingof DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#Sp page 12
Bicycle racks are often stuck in inconspicuous places. When
you have a single post with a cross bar behind a shrub, it's
going to be virtually impossible to find. If one employee
rides a bicycle and locks it to a two bicycle rack, a couple
doesn't have anyplace to park two bikes if they ride up, and
many couples do ride together or even as friends because
they're out riding and they want to stop. What happens then?
And another point we're talking about the value of some of
these bicycles that are parked. Many of the quote heavy duty
unquote bicyclists are those folks who get out and ride 50,
100, 150 miles in a day on very expensive bicycles. Yeah, I
wouldn't want one of those bicycles sitting outside all
winter, but if you've got a beater bike or less expensive bike
that you're riding around town, it's often convenient to leave
those parked out when the weather is good, both at apartments
and, if you can find a bicycle parking place, at a commercial
establishment. I obviously strongly support this ordinance and
I hope that you adopt it. Thank you very much.
Horow/ Thank you, Sandy. Anyone else care to address council?
Thornberry/ Madam Mayor, there were some questions brought up last
night that I don't know if the answers were gotten by staff
and Naomi asked one last night regarding the parking of
bicycles under an underground parking facility or in a
basement. If an apartment unit had a basement and they allowed
and had a rack in a basement, would they necessarily need an
outside bicycle rack?
Nov/ The staff said any off street parking that's acceptable.
Thornberry/ So indoor or inside would be adequate. Now what if
these people put their bicycles in their apartments or, I mean
they would have to have some larger space to allow them to
lock a bike, or could it be an apartment? I don't know.
Kubby/ I don't think that would be appropriate in my mind because
those tenants change over time, so it's have to be some set
way. They could choose whether to use that set place, any
particular individual.
Thornberry/ The second thing I'd like to address is the commercial,
requiring commercial bicycle parking. It would behoove a
business to add bicycle parking facilities if they wanted
those bicyclists in their establishment. Now I've just got one
little old Burger King. People ask me if I would put in a
bicycle rack. I did not have one for five years. I did. I put
Thlsrepresents only ereasonablyeccuratetranscription ofthelowe City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 13
one in. And it is being used. My business is increasing. I
don't know if it's just bicyclists but cars too. I would not
want to take a parking place away from the car parkers to put
in bicycle parking. I put bicycle parking under a eave, so
that number 1 the bicycles would be covered by, protected from
the elements, and I had that space available. Now if I expand
a little bit and bring out some seating, I will eliminate that
and have to put it someplace else, but I will keep it because
bicyclists do use it. But I didn't have to have it, and it
wasn't required when I built my building. And I don't think it
should necessarily be required of a business to have bicycle
parking. It would behoove the business if they wanted that
business from those people given that they were in an area
that bicyclists could get to, to put it in. If they didn't
want it and they had to have it, they could cover it up with
Christmas trees. They could cover it up with stuff. They could
put it in an area that would be inaccessible to the bicyclists
if they so desired and it would still meet the letter of the
law. But what we're trying to do is provide the easement of
people to ride their bikes and park and be able to lock them
while they shop in that facility. But I think it should be up
to the individual business whether, you know, to require them
to have one is different. Thank you.
Horow/ Thank you. Anyone else care to address council?
David Fitzgerald/ I've been a resident and homeowner of Iowa City
for 18 years. Raised a couple of sons here. One's a university
student. One's a City High student. We've all been bike riders
for I guess all of those, well I guess as long as the kids
were old enough, most of those years of 18. I work downtown.
I commute most of the time to work. And I hope that more
people do that. My son lives in an apartment. He commutes to
school, seldom requests borrowing a car because he's able to
do it but he has to store his bike inside his apartment. But
I'm glad he's not bugging me about a car all the time and I'm
pleased that he's making that work. I think that the- I looked
at the Iowa City Council to not only set the rules and
regulations but to set the tone for the community and it seems
to me that, I don't think anybody tonight any way has spoken
about the high cost of this ordinance and I think it certainly
does set a tone for a community that is very bicycle friendly,
and I'm a citizen that very much hopes that you'll support
that ordinance.
Horow/ Okay. Anyone else care to address council?
Thlsrepmsents only areasonablyaccurate transcription ofthe Iowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 14
Gloria Marchman/ I'm (can't hear) person of Bicyclists of Iowa
City. I also commute to work. I also have five children and
four of them have attended the university here. And one of the
things that comes up frequently from their fellow students and
they talk to me about, is even when there is parking available
at some of the apartments, the parking is usually for bicycles
is put in such an area that they don't feel safe leaving their
bicycles there because they are sort of pushed off to the
side. So I think it would be good to have an ordinance. I
think the research has been done and shows that we need this
and to be progressive along with other university towns, I
hope that the council supports this.
Horow/ Thank you.
Ed Barker/ Time for a second round?
Horow/ All right. Keeping it at five minutes this time Ed.
Barker/ I was listening 'to the discussion. Obviously I want to
explain that I do have biases, but listening to the
discussion, I think almost every argument was made to have
this through an educational program. Most of the problems that
were pointed out apparently exist in the downtown area and our
survey verifies that from our apartments. That do you think
that there's adequate parking at the apartment complex, 53.8
said yes and the downtown 37.1 said yes. The university 44.6
said yes. The other thing that was striking was that if you
felt that the streets were less prone to having bicycle
accidents, would you get a bicycle? These are the ones who
said they didn't have a bicycle. 40.7 said yes. So these are
the areas it seems to me that we should be working on in
solving these problems rather than having new construction
meet certain requirements when really the need may be
elsewhere. The comment was saying that it would be all right
if the apartment complex new one, if I understood it
correctly,.if they had locked parking would be adequate, if
they had the number required. That certainly does eliminate
some of the concerns that some people expressed when they go
visit someone in an apartment complex there's no place to park
their bicycle. It seems to me that the educational program is
far and above the approach to the ordinance.
Lehman/ Ed, just what do you mean by an educational program? All
the education in the world's not going to provide a place to
park a bike.
Thisrepresents only a reasonably accurate transcription ofthelowa City councilmeeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5p page 15
Barker/ What I mean is, one of the things that we were talking
about was making Iowa City bicycle friendly, of using an
educational program of explaining that to our, information may
be a better word than education in some of these, of asking
them what their needs are in bicycle parking, educating us to
our needs. Educating bicyclists on the roads. I think that's
a real concern if we have a significant increase in bicycles
on the streets. Educating business owners that the need is
there based on surveys that we take and so forth. For example
One said when you go to a place you can't find parking. One of
our (can't hear) says it's too visible on the street. It
should be back somewhere. So you can get statistics for almost
any point you want to prove. And so'the educational program
would be several pronged. The city would have to do some of
it. We'd have to do some of it. The bicyclists would have to
do some of it and so forth.
Lehman/ I noticed even in your units 46% of your tenants feel you
don't have enough parking%
Barker/ Well keep in mind that when we checked to see what the use
was at night, there was 24% in use. So part of this probably
reflects well it's not right next to the door or so forth that
they have to walk farther than they would like. And we had a
23% return. That means that 77% did not return it.
Horow/ Thank you. Did anyone else care to address council on this
issue?
Greg
Kovaciny/ Bicycle Advocacy Director, Bicyclists of Iowa city;
and member of JCCOG Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee;
member JCCOG Transportation Technical Advisory Committee;
primary author, JCCOG RTCB Urbanized Area Bicycle Plan,
December, 1994. I spoke here at the last session so I'll try
and keep my comments as brief as possible. I was going to say
a few things that really have been said already tonight about
the advantages to this ordinance. I'll make a few comments on
earlier comments that have been made by various respondents
here. So this is a bit of a hodge-podge. Older residents, I
know people from the ages between 7 and 84 who bicycle and
bicycle regularly. It was said that there was no significant
if any need that has been demonstrated for bicycle parking. I
think if you look out in the summer time, you will see more
bikes than you see parking spaces. And while it's certainly
true with the increase we've had in the bicycle parking
facilities in the downtown area which is part of an ongoing
program that we have to replace the older bicycle parking with
Thlsrepresentsonlyareasoneblyaccuratetranscription ofthelowa Ciw council meeting of December5,1995.
F120595
#5p
page 16
more secure parking and with more physical spaces, I think
you'll find the same thing in outlying areas by the commercial
areas and at some of the apartment areas. The need that the
need, if I've phrased this right, the need for bicycle parking
should be the responsibility of the owner. Again if we flip
flop that, then we need to have automobile owners be
responsible for their own parking places, looking for parking
places and not provide them. A few years ago and I don't know
the year, I'm sorry, the cost of a ramp space as I understood
it was' about $10,000 per car and a bicycle parking space
currently for class two which is the secure class which is
requested in the ordinance, is between $35 and $90 per unit.
And the average price of a bicycle is I think between $275 and
$350, again with bicycles anywhere from $25 on up to $2000.
I'd sure like one of those $2000. I don't have one. As far as-
okay and as far as the educational issue, I agree that a part
of this ordinance and any effort to increase bicycling has an
educational component as we mentioned in the bicycle plan. A
good comprehensive bicycle parking, excuse me bicycle program
has four elements: education, enforcement, enhancement, and
education. And those are not necessarily in a priority order.
They're all components that are needed and are helpful in all
aspects of increasing bicycle use and bicycle facilities.
There's the engineering which is the facilities. The
enforcement which is consistent enforcement of bicycle
regulations if people aren't riding at night, if they're
riding at night and the need a light and don't have one, give
them a ticket, or come up with a program that will allow them
to buy a light in lieu of a ticket. There's various things,
I'm getting off the track, but a comprehensive bicycle parking
program and a bicycle program has all these elements and
actually regarding the educational effort, as I look at this
ordinance regarding some of the needs of bicyclists, I think
this bike parking ordinance is the best educational effort
I've seen in this area. In section B it tells a lot about what
bicyclists need, what bicyclists are looking here. Parking
areas shall have a minimum dimension as illustrated in the
area. Section N. Required bicycle parking racks shall be
designed to support the bicycle by its frame and allow the use
of either cable lock or u-shaped lock. 65% of bicyclists now
use the u-shape lock. With the current, what I call the school
yard racks which are generally now the standard rack, they are
a class C rack which means they are not secure. It is very
difficult if not impossible to lock your bike with those kinds
of racks unless you turn your bike to the side and take up ten
more spaces or you park on either end. Bicycle Parking
Facility section B.e. Bicycle parking facilities shall be
Thisrepresents ~n~yareas~nab~yaccur~tetranscript~~n~fthe~~waCityc~unc~~meeting~fDecember5~1995~
F120595
#Sp page 17
located in a clearly designated safe and convenient location.
Bicycle parking is allowed in front, side yards and all zones
providing bicycle parking in required yard results in no more
than 25% of the yard being paved. Bicyclists will not use the
best racks if they are hidden behind bushes or hidden in areas
that make the bike vulnerable. I did a survey with an
associate of mine about a year and a half ago. We counted and
looked for every single bicycle parking space on the
University of Iowa campus and we found some surprises. We
found quite a lot of racks that were in areas that I wouldn't
park my bike let alone walk through. They just would not be
used and they weren't being used. I could tell coming up on
them this place probably is not going to allow bikes and it
didn't because it was not a place that was safe.
Horow/ You five minutes.
Kovaciny/ Right. Thank you. I just would like to emphasize that I
request your support of this ordinance and thank you for you
time.
Horow/ Anyone else care to address council?
Shelley Plattner/ I am number 13, I don't know if that is good or
bad. I live on Yewell Street. I frequent the Sycamore Mall and
when the McDonalds went in it was at a time when there were
t.v. ads showing bicyclists going to McDonalds. There is no
bicycle parking available at McDonalds at the Seats Mall. I
have asked the people across the street at Hardees if they
would get rid of their fender bender racks and put in some
better racks° They invariably look at me like I am insane. If
my mother lived here in Iowa City in the elderly housing, I
would go visit her on my bicycle. It would be nice if I had a
place to park it. Also my wife and my two kids, there is four
people for perhaps one visit. I was pleased to learn that
there is a bicycle proposal before the council. I would
encourage you to go ahead and pass that ordinance.
Horow/ Thank you very much. Anyone else care to address council on
this issue?
Kubby/ Before we close the p.h. don't we need to decide on the
language?
Pigott/ We should talk about it.
Horow/ Seems to me that would come under the consider the
Thisrepresents only area$onebly accurate transcription of theIowa Citycouncil meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#Sp page 18
ordinance.
Baker/ Before you close the hearing though.
Franklin/ Before you close the p.h. you should decide on what
language you are going to have specifically in the ordinance
and I think we have come up with a clause. On the end of up to
a maximum of two spaces which may be used instead for bicycle
parking.
Baker/ So as long as it is now clear that can eliminate the parking
and still put the bicycle parking somewhere else.
Franklin/ Right.
Baker/ It is a tradeoff of the space.
Horow/ Up to a maximum of two spaces which can be used-
Pigott/ For bicycle parking.
Franklin/ Up to a maximum of two spaces which may be used instead
for bicycle parking.
Burnside/ May I ask for clarification. Do you mean may be used or
shall be used?
Franklin/ I think you want it to be may, yes. Now you need to
decide if you want this provision to be for con.~ercial or
multi-family or both.
Baker/ Well, I asked the question about the distinction because Jim
or somebody help me here,Karin. Why would the tradeoff be the
same in commercial and residential? Wouldn't there be a
different formula? I don't know what it would be but it just
seems-
Franklin/ No, I don't think so. The tradeoff is related to how many
spaces you can provide for bicycles in a typical parking space
~nd that is the same..The standards for size and construction
for parking space for cars and for parking spaces for bicycles
are going to be the same rather it is cgmmercial or
residential in terms of the actual space. The numbers required
will be determined by the use whether it is the numbers
required for automobile usage or the numbers required for
bicycle usage. Those are directly related to the type of use.
As I pointed out earlier for elderly housing, there are fewer
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetrans=iptionofthelowaCtty councllmeetingofDecemberS01995.
F120595
#5p page 19
bicycle spaces required. There are also fewer parking,
automobile parking spaces required because of the nature of
the use.
Baker/ But there are some uses that require more car parking spaces
than other uses, right?
Franklin/ That is correct.
Baker/ So why would the tradeoff be the same for them, I mean the
maximum tradeoff as opposed to-
Franklin/ To make it simple.
Nov/
I think it makes it quite easy to understand and they may or
may not choose to give up a car parking space. They may choose
to put all of their spaces on a different spot or some of the
spaces on a different spot. I think it all can be optional for
the most benefit. I am really pushing hard for may instead of
shall.
Throg/ I agree. And it seems to me that
tradeoff, like you just suggested,
amending that optional tradeoff to
well as multi family facilities.
if we pursue the optional
then there is no problem
commercial facilities as
Nov/
I prefer commercial only because there are many multi-family
facilities with- No matter how many parking spaces we require,
there are still overflowing in the street.
Throg/ But it is optional. I mean that is my point. If we required
it I would probably agree with you. But if it is optional then
the owner of the property would take that into account and
make a reasonable judgement about what should be done.
Nov/ No. I still don't really accept that. I think reducing for any
reason the amount of off street parking required in a multi-
residential area is the wrong way to go.
Lehman/ I would agree with Naomi. I think that so many times we
have two bedroom apartments with four folks in it and they may
all have a bicycle. They also have a car. And allowing that
owner to (can't hear) the required parking in lieu of bicycle
parking I think really is just plain making a mistake.
Pigott/ Karin mentioned last night that we did increase our
requirements for, at least in some residential areas, for
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 20
multi-unit parking and-
Franklin/ Well, you changed the requirement for parking for
apartments to relate it to the number of bedrooms as opposed
to the number of units because we were getting some that were
five bedroom units and we only required two parking spaces.
Pigott/ Which in fact increased, at least in some cases, the amount
of parking required in an area.
Franklin/ Absolutely.
Pigott/ That is right. So what I am saying is perhaps maybe that
tradeoff given the fact ~hat we have done that isn't nearly as
onerous as you indicate, Naomi, I just wonder if your-
Nov/
I am sorry. If you lived in a one bedroom apartment and you
and your wife each have a car, wouldn't one of you be on the
street?
Baker/ Regardless of how you predict behavior like that, it seems
entirely fair system to offer apartment, multi-family,
apartment owners the option. To require X number of car
parking spaces and X number of bicycle parking spaces. Off
them the option and using the formula of two of the required
car parking spaces for bicycle parking. (Can't hear).
Nov/ I am with Ernie on this one. I think people are bringing both
cars and bikes.
Throg/ And we are talking about new.
Nov/ I know.
Pigott/ Ne~ units wouldn't necessarily be in the high density
neighborhoods. It might be but they might not be in the
current-less likely they be on the current north of town, for
instance, where there is a real legitimate flow onto the
street.
Nov/ What about the Near South Side?
Kubby/ (Can't hear).
Nov/ But there are going to be fewer required on site parking
spaces and the requirement for bicycle parking. I am not sure
I want to make this-
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5. 1995.
F120595
#5p page 21
Kubby/ The other thing I think we have to remember, too, is the
struggle when you are trying to do multi-family recycling that
we talked about. The possibility of eliminating a parking
space for recycling bins. That in combination with this maybe
the things that create the biggest problems. So I am intending
to say yes for the- No for the residential with the intent of
allowing some tradeoffs for the recycling bins.
Horow/ I agree with Karen on this but I was also thinking back to
our Sensitive Areas Ordinance in which I think we should look
at the cost of the facility over a year and I am wondering
with this one whether or not this is also something that needs
evaluation. I see the reason for it in the residential area
but having sat on this council and listening to the apartment-
the neighborhoods of apartments complain about the over
abundance of car~. The thought of reducing a parking
requirement in the residential area, it seems to me that
within a year or less than a year we would have a heck of an
awful lot of people in here complaining.
Kubby/ And maybe also not only with the recycling and the bicycle
addition to our vehicle parking part of the ordinance,
thinking about wanting to have multiple types of housing
within one neighborhood and trying to reduce (can't hear)
among different uses or among different types of housing while
we are trying to have multi--family, duplex, s.f. all together.
Do we reduce or do we maintain or do we increase conflict by
adding the may for residential? I am talking myself into
saying no to residential.
Pigott/ But in terms of commercial I don't hear any disagreement
about that.
Nov/ No, there is no disagreement.
Horow/ And it is optional.
Throg/ When you are saying I am talking myself into saying no to
residential, no with regard to the tradeoff of car parking
space for bike parking space. You don't mean no to requiring
bike parking?
Kubby/ Not at all.
Horow/ Okay, so that means it is optional for commercial but
required for residential.
Thlsrepresentsonlyareasonablyaccuratetranscrlptlon ofthelowaCltycouncilmeetingofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#5p page 22
Pigott/ No. You have the option of tradeoff.
Franklin/ What you have is for every seven bicycle parking spaces
required for commercial uses, the required number of off
street parking spaces for other vehicles may be reduced by one
space up to a maximum of two spaces which may be used instead
for bicycle parking.
Kubby/ We should use the word if. If those spaces are used for
bicycle parking.
Pigott / Yes.
Kubby/ And that would get-
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 95-143 SIDE 2
Baker/ Commercial only.
Franklin/ Yes.
Horow/ Yes.
Baker/ What about limiting the residential to a maximum of just one
space. I have serious problems with this and support this
ordinance and concept and I just have a hard time supporting
without that. So the tradeoff even in residential. I don't
think it is going to stop the ordinance (can't hear).
Kubby/ I think it is making it too complicated, different rules.
Pigott/ I would probably (can't hear).
Baker/ (Can't hear).
Thornberry/ I want this ordinance but I would like it to be
friendly both ways and to do that, to give the option of
taking a parking place or two in a parking lot for bicycle
racks as opposed to making someone put in a bicycle rack in a
new retail facility. For example, you get a-what proctologist
is going to want to put in four bicycle racks. You know. They
probably won't be riding their bike to that office. What
about-
Horow/ Wait a minute.
Thornberry/ What about car dealerships? Are they going to need- You
know, make it an option. But give that option to take some
Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate transcription ofthelowa City council meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5p page 23
parking places if they so desire.
Council/ (All talking).
Baker/ We agree on the commercial, we disagree on the residential
but I can probably disagree-
Horow/ As I read this we are-the ordinance is amending the Zoning
Chapter to allow bicycle parking for commercial developments
to be traded off for bicycles for up to two spaces.
Kubby/ If they are to be used for bicycle parking.
Baker/ Clarification on this thing about the bicycle lockers and
secure indoor storage facilities are also allowed. Are the
space requirements the same for indoor storage facilities?
Franklin/ Yes.
Baker/ And the rack requirements are still the same?
Franklin/ Yes.
Baker/ Yes.
Throg/ I need to ask a question just to clarify because I think I
misunderstood what you just said. The way I understand the
ordinance as we are proposing to act on it is to require bike
parking in commercial and multi-family residential areas, new
ones. But to permit a tradeoff of car parking spaces for bike
parking spaces in commercial areas. That is the way I
understood it.
Horow/ It is not what I said and I what I was trying to do was
position q. for how q. was going to read, consider the
ordinance.
Franklin/ Well, the debate that you have been having tonight about
commercial versus residential, may versus shall, the debate
the council has been having only pertains to that tradeoff.
The ordinance as a whole applies to both commercial and multi-
family residential.
Horow/ Okay, so, in other words q. stays as it is.
Franklin/ Yes.
Thisrepresents onlyamasonably accurate ~anscrlptlon ofthelowe City council meeting of December5,1995.
F120595
#5p page 24
Baker/ Is there interest from the council in raising the minimum
requirement from two to four?
Pigott/ Yes.
Nov/ I kind of like the idea that the whole family came on bicycles
to visit their grandmother.
Baker/ Page 3, 7a.
Horow/ 7a.
Kubby/ If it is possible that there be a commercial entity that
would set 10% of their parking for bicycles would only be 2.
Baker/ A minimum of 4, not to'exceed 10%. Something like that.
Franklin/ Maybe you could say a minimum in this part. You only need
to state the minimum in this part. The maximum or the
requirement is in another section. Is that being changed to
four?
Baker/ I would suggest that.
Council/ (All talking).
Kubby/ Yeah.
Franklin/ And that would be for all uses. Where bicycle parking is
required a minimum would be four instead of two.
Nov/ I don't think that is unreasonable.
Pigott/ I would agree with that.
Franklin/ Okay, there are four that says four.
Horow/ All right. Declare the p.h. closed.
Thlsrepresentsonlyareasonablyaccuratetranscrlptlon ofthelowaCIw councilme~IngofDecember5,1995.
F120595
#5q page 1
ITF~ NO. ~q.
Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter
to require bicycle parking for commercial and
multi-family residential developments. (First
Consideration)
Horow/ Moved by Kubby, seconded by Throg. Discussion.
Throg/ And by that you meant what we just discussed (can't hear).
Kubby/ Yes I doo
Nov/ The entire ordinance requiring parking for bicycles.
Baker/ With all the amendments that we have talked about.
Horow/ That is correct.
Baker/ I want to make it clear I am going to vote against this
ordinance not because I think that, you know-I very much
support the overall concept, everything it is trying to do.
But I think it is a mistake not to permit that tradeoff in
residential.
Horow/ Roll call- I am sorry. Any other further?
Pigott/ I think I support the residential as well precisely because
I think it is important for the passage of this ordinance in
its present form. We are going to face this a second time next
council meeting and that will be the last meeting of this
council and I have a feeling that it is possible that the
future council may vote in a different way on this ordinance.
Possible, maybe not. I would be careful to listen to Larry
about this because of the threat that is poses to the passage
of the ordinance as a whole.
Baker/ I am not predicating, predicting any-
Pigott/ No, I know that. But I
should reconsider that if
the ordinance as a whole.
am and I am saying that maybe we
we are really interest in passing
Kubby/ (Can't hear).
Pigott/ I think we need six votes to do so.
Horow/ My concern really does fall with what we are also trying to
accomplish in the other areas (can't hear). And that given-
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5q page 2
Pigott/ I don't disagree with that.
Baker/ I think we can still accommodate those concerns.
Horow/ Okay, any further-Ernie.
Lehman/ I am going to support this as much as I can't believe I am
saying this because I basically don't like any more
regulations than you have to have. But by their own
admittance, this is a very very very minor impact on new
construction that applies only to new construction. I think
the benefit far outweighs any of the costs.
Nov/ And I think your comment on the sensitive areas that 90% are
already doing it and the other 10% needed some (can't hear).
Throg/ Well, I just like to say that my impression of bicycles are
a very good mode of transportation and we should provide the
kind of stability that are needed for using them properly.
Just as we need to do that for motor vehicles. So it strikes
me as a wise ordinance.
Kubby/ Because this community has accepted the fact that we
regulate motorized vehicles as a status quo procedure in our
Zoning Ordinance and that if we say that that is okay and we
are trying to facilitate more people viewing in a practical
sense being able to use a bicycle as a legitimate and
consistent form of transportation, we need to treat different
vehicles more equally than we have been in the past. And being
a bicycle friendly community doesn't mean we just do a bicycle
parking ordinance° It means we do a whole bunch of things with
this being one small thing that we could do. Some of it is
when you have facilities it helps create an attitude in the
community that facilitates behaviors and (can't hear) for
people. So I think this is a really important way of doing
that. I agree with Ed that I am for grandparenting in current
development and I would like to see that educational campaign
done for current multi-family and commercial. And I must say
I really like his style in terms of your surveys, asking
people to send this in with their rent check so it doesn't
have to be an extra stamp. You have made it interesting. you
have said to your tenants this is important to them. If I ever
run again I might turn your way because I would appreciate a
landlord such as yourself.
Throg/ I was just remembering a phone message I received from a
former neighbor Arla Huff and I want to tell Arla if she is
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of December5,1995.
F120595
#Sq page 3
watching this I got your message Arla and what she did was
express concern that we do what we can to make sure that
bicyclists follow the rules of the road and treat pedestrians
with respect as they should. I totally agree with her. I know
we talked about that before on council. Obviously we all agree
with that.and this ordinance will facilitate use of bikes but
we all agree-
Horow/ We need some enforcement. I appreciate you bringing that up.
I also had a phone call fromKen Kline who went on the Ragbrai
150 and he too was supporting.
Nov/ We need to not only educate bicyclists who obey the rules and
watch'the pedestrians. I think we also have to educate them to
use helmets and especially for children. And if the bicyclists
are going to go into an educational campaign I would rather
they concentrate on. children safety than landlords and bike
racks.
Kubby/ We can have everyone respecting all modes of transportation.
In many places there are multi-modes being used in any one
space or time. We ought to respect each other. Motorists also
need to respect the other motorists as well.
Horow/ Let's move on this. Roll call-(6/1). The first consideration
passes with Baker voting no.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#5r page 1
ITF2~ NO. 5r.
Consider a letter to the Johnson County Board of
Supervisors recommending approval of a requested
rezoning of approximately 66 acres from RS,
Suburban Residential, to M1, Light Industrial, for
property located in Fringe Area 5 on the east side
of Scott Boulevard, North of 420th St. SE. (CZ9543)
Horow/ Last'night at council's urging the letter that will be going
to the board of supervisors will be a little bit more specific
in terms of the type of-the use of this particular area.
Nov/ You have redone this letter to the supervisors.
Horow/ Moved by Nov, seconded by Throg. Any discussion?
Baker/ Sue, I am wondering if there is a sense by anybody else on
council that there is a potential contradiction here between
what we are supporting here which I understand we set this in
option and encouraged this and the plans that we have talked
about for the industrial development around the airport
whether or not-
Horow/ We discussed that evening and the aspect of this is that the
desire to support any residential development here. What this
turns out to be because Bruno raised the issue and Karen, you
wish to address that aspect of around the airport. I would
appreciate that.
Franklin/ The type of development that was being considered in the
Airport Master Plan process around the airport is a research
development park type of development rather than industrial
and it is a different kind of zoning that is more to the type
of things you would find in a office research park and proto-
type development rather than industrial development per se.
Not that industrial development wasn't talked about. The
larger area around the airport was looking more at the
research development type of thing.
Baker/ I remember part of that conversation talking
the things the airport had was proximity to
transportation and rail especially.
about one of
all sorts of
Franklin/ The airport does not-have prime access to rail. Not-its
the Crandic line not the Iowa Interstate line and that is-
This one has excellent access to rail. I don't see the two
actions being inconsistent at all.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccurate transcription ofthelowa Cltycouncilmeettng of December 5,1995.
F120595
#5r page 2
Baker/ There is not implicit commitment for infrastructure right
now?
Horow/ There is-
Kubby/ There is in terms of sewer.
Atkins/ In your sewer proposal tonight added in three projects that
were of high priority in your CIP. The East Side Trunk, Abbey
Lane and then the north corridor for the water treatment
plants. But there are-That doesn't mean that you have to do
those projects. The financing is being put in place if you
choose to proceed with that. So there is a commitment.
Baker/ (Can't hear).
Horow/ Okay, any further discussion? Roll call- It's a motion. I am
sorry. All those in favor.sign'ify by saying aye (ayes).
Kubby/ My aye vote does not necessarily mean a time frame for those
capital improvements. It doesn't mean I am committing myself
to those items or a time frame.
Horow/ Okay.
Thlsrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 1 3
ITEM NO. 6-
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING AFFORDAB!-
LITY STRATEGY (CHAS) ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT FOR FISCAL
YEAR 1995.
Comment: Iowa City is required to prepare a CHAS Annual Performance
Report for fiscal year 1995 in order to assess the city's 'performance in
relation to the objectives set forth in the 1994-1998 CHAS Plan approved in
November 1993. Public input is required and any comments received will be
addressed to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Action: ~/~
ITEM NO, 7-
PUBLIC HEARING ON AMENDMENTS TO THE ~RIORITIES STRATEGIES AND
GOALS OF THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN {CITY STEPS) FOR FY1995-FY2000.
Comment: This public hearing is on proposed amendments to Iowa Cit¥'s
Five Year Consolidated Plan (CITY STEPS) for Housing, Jobs and Services for
low income residents, The amendments were proposed at the Housing and
Communitv Development Commission meeting on November 9, the
November 15 public meeting, and at discussions with Council on November
20, 1995. The amended priorities, strategies and goals will be used to
determine the allocation of FY97 federal funds for the City's Annual Action
Plan which implements CITY STEPS.
Action:
#6 page 1
ITEM NO. 6 -
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING
1%FFORDi%BILITY STBATEG¥ (CHAS) ~%NNUAL' PERFORMANCE
REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1995.
Horow/ Declare the p.h. open. I would ask you to keep your comments
to five minutes and state your name and sign in.
Marianne Milkman/ I would just like to make a couple of comments to
explain what this is all about and particularly in relation to
the p.h. that is to follow on City STEPS. We are always a year
behind because we always plan a year ahead how we are going to
spend the money. So that is why this report is still labeled
as a report on the- CHAS, the Comprehensive Housing
Affordability Strategy and it deal only with housing
activities and I just want to point out with all the
discussion that is being on the need and the difficulty of
increasing the affordable rental housing stock in Iowa City.
I do want to point out that, as this report shows, that you
are in F¥95 which ended June 30 of this year. We actually
received federal and state funds in the amount of $12.3
million in this city and that is not just funds that the city
receives for assisting with housing. We are talking only about
assisting low income persons with housing. But it includes
other sources of funds, that various of the human services
· agencies receive and that, in addition to those funds, about
$2 1/2 million local and private funds also went to support
housing activities for low income residents. Secondly I would
like to point out that when you add together all the
households of where assisted with these funds, you come up to
2160 households. So although the need is still great out
there, there is a lot being done right now.
Throg/ Thank you, Marianne.
Horow/ Thank you, Marianne. Anyone else care to address council?
Declare the p.h. closed.
This mpressnts only a masonably accuratetmns=lptlon ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting of Decembcr5,1995.
F120595
#7 page 1
ITEM NO. ? - PUBLIC HEARING ON AMENDMENTS TO THE PRIORITIEB
STRATEGIES ANDGOALS OF THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN (CITY
STEPS) FOR FY1995~FY2000.
Horow/ Declare p.h. open. Declare the p.h. closed.
Nov/ Take a break before we start the water discussion.
Horow/ All right.
Thlsre~esentsonlyareasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowaCt~ councllmeetingofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 14
ITEM NO. 8 - PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED RATE INCREASE FOR WATER AND
WASTEWATER FEES.
Comment: This public hearing is being held to receive public comment
concerning the proposed water and wastewater fee rate increase. Water fees
are proposed to increase by 30% for billings on or after March 1, 1996.
Wastewater fees are proposed to increase by 15% (amended from 18%) for
billings on or after March 1, 1996.
Water and wastewater rates were last increased for billings on or after March
1, 1995. Water fees were increased 24% for minimum usage of up to 200
cubic feet and 40% for usage beyond 200 cubic feet. Wastewater fees
increased by a flat 35% for all rate blocks.
The City Council directed staff to increase rates for both water and
wastewater over time to accumulate cash totalling 20% of the estimated
project costs and use that to decrease the size of bond issue, thus saving
interest costs on the bonds.
ITEM NO. 9 -
Based on fee increases of 30% for water and 15% for wastewater, the
impact to the average residential user (usage of 700 cubic feet per month)
is an increase from $33.88 per month to 841.77 per month.
Action: ~---~.~
/ .... /4 ,
WATER REVENUE BONDS OF IOWA CITY, IOWA. ,~,~..-"
Comment: This public hearing is being held to receive public comment for or
against the issuance of up to $6,200,000 Water Revenue Bonds in order to
provide funds to pay costs of improvements and extensions to the Municipal
Water Utility. The $6,200,000 project cost includes the construction of four
Silurian and two Jordan Wells, ground storage reservoir renovations, Iowa
River Power Dam renovations, gas pipeline relocation, pond stabilization
work, engineering costs for design and bid specifications, and one year debt
service reserve and bond issuance costs. Actual sale of the bonds is
tentatively scheduled for February or March, 1996.
Action: . _,~_C2 ~/,~'~-~ o
#8 page
ITEI~NOo
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BATE INCREASE FOR
WATER ANDWASTEWATER FE~S.
Horow/ Declare the p.h. open. I would ask you to keep your comments
to no more than five minutes. Please state your name and if
you have something more to say, wait until someone else says
it and then you may come back to the mic, Mr. Barker.
Ed Barker/ I think I have seven minutes and then I will sit down
and get up and say thank you at the end. What I have to say
tonight is as much (can't hear) for the new council members as
is it for you folks. What I want to do is just to take a
little while to review the materials that I sent you a few
days ago and talk about what I believe is doable, both from a
rate structure and a construction point of view. My desires is
to be helpful so that we can get on with the task at hand in
a way that can be supported by a vast majority of the
citizens. This is what we have been attempting to do the last
13 months and I believe that you can make a later break
through and get on with the task at hand which is to provide
ample high quality drinking water and responsible waste water
treatment system that is affordable. We often talk about
affordable housing in Iowa City. We should also include
affordable water with that. I think it would have been nice if
there had been a consensus between and I suspect it is not
legally possible between you folks and the new council whereby
you could have voted once and they could vote twice on the
same issue as long as it was reasonable which would then could
be billed as having broad support of the people of the
community. But that, as I understand it, is not to be so that
is why I want to have this hearing be directed to the new
council members as much as you folks. In going through the
transcription of the work sessions and council meetings since
May 22, 1995 it appears to me that the council was directing
the staff to develop a rate structure based on a down payment
concept and to develop a construction schedule that will allow
for a significant accumulation of cash prior to major
construction projects being undertaken. Staff have done the
down payment thing. However the current tentative construction
time table does not permit reasonable rate increases in the
early years. Particularly in the fresh water rates. It seems
to me then now the council needs to direct the staff to
develop the construction time table that will permit all the
work to be done in a realistic time frame with the rate
increase to not exceed 15% per year in total. Water and waste
water increases need to be different. They should be developed
so that the rate variances are revenue neutral. The current
Thisrepresentsonlyareasonablyaccuratetranscrlptionofthelowa CitycounctlmeetlngofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8
page 2
bond authorization proposal seems to me to go against and
there may be justifications-for I may not know what the
council is attempting to do. I come to that conclusion by
reading very carefully through the transcripts of these
meetings. However the bond authorizations are reasonable if
the construction schedule for both projects is developed so
that rates do not 'exceed 15% limit that I encourage you to
adopt. Now I am aware that you have received favorable bids on
the plant, the construction from the north plant I think to
Napoleon Park if I am not mistaken. That you are going to be
paying $5.4 million less than the engineer's estimates from
$18- a little over million to $12.7 million. So that is very
very favorable. Also your interest on bonds will, without a
doubt, come in considerably less than 7% which is built into
the rate structure. Currently water revenue bonds are selling
for 5.34%. The school district just recently sold General
Obligation bonds for 4.28%. So if the bonds come in at 5.5%
that would be a savings of approximately $500,000 in the first
year oh $34.2 million bonds. I am also aware that the wording
on the bonding thing is up to $34 million when you combine the
two together. It doesn't'necessarily mean that you will borrow
that right away. If you did and those interest rates came in,
it would be less than 7, it would be significant. Perhaps you
can use a combination of water revenue bonds and general
obligation bonds to reduce interest cost even further. The DNR
recently gave us approval to 26 month extension on when we are
to come into compliance with our waste water system from the
original schedule which was agreed to by the city and the DNR
and the city manager believes that according to the news
reports and the transcript of the meetings that we should
request a further extension and you should support him in
every way you can in making such a request. The impact of the
rate increases for a two bedroom apartment outlined by the
Director.of Finance under the current proposal that you are
considering would be approximately $4.86 per month each year
for several years. Add to that the damaging impact to those
who live in apartments in the property change rollback plus
the ordinary increase in salaries, maintenance and so fourth.
That approximately $20 per month will be added to the cost of
operating apartments in Iowa City for the 1996 rental year.
That is just a fact of this scenario. Roughly half of the $20
will be due to increased in cost due to governmental projects
and property taxes. Therefore when the vote takes place in
January, I urge you to adopt rate increases of no more than
15% annually on combined water and waste water costs. Also
please direct that all savings due to bids coming in that are
under estimates and savings due to interest rates coming in
Thlsrepresentsonly areasonablyaccuratetranscriptlonofthelowaCItycouncilmeeting of Dacember5,1995.
F120595
#8 page 3
under 7% be used for rate reductions rather than to pay for
add ons to either or both of the plants. Your challenge is to
make a decision that is in the best interest in every way of
the citizens of Iowa City. You have various routes to choose.
Do not make your decision based on whose recommendation it is
whether it is the media, individuals, city administrators or
whoever. Rather you make your decision on what is in the best
interest of the citizens of Iowa City.
Horow/ Anyone else care to address council on this issue?
Anna
Buss/ I would love to. Well once again, I am here about the
water issue. Just from your information that you have on your
sheet here that says that the water and the waste water rates
were last increased for the billing period after March 1 of
'95 ~nd they were based on the 200 cubic feet price of 40% and
24% and then overall blocks of 35% and then further down you
indicate that this is on the average residential user of 700
cubic feet per month. My first question is who are those
people? I-don't think I have ever seen a water bill that comes
through our office for even a single person in a house for 700
cubic feet.
Kubby/ My is like 150.
Buss/ Well, you are just an exceptional individual because you have
all those water saving devices that-
Kubby/ But I got to get this hair wet. That makes up-
Buss/ And that is true but I am going to tell you that my neighbor
who is an older lady and lives alone doesn't even have a water
bill this low and she is one person in a household and I have
two kids who are teenagers. One is a teenager, the other one
is older. But this is not a realistic figure and quite frankly
I am appalled at the general public apathy. I don't know why
this chamber'is not packed. So for the general public I kind
of say boo-hoo to you people who complain because you are not
here and this affects every individual in Iowa City and it
affects people in their billfolds. Whether you are a business
individual or just a resident you always speak-The city
council has repeatedly has spoken to the cost of affordable
housing and this is not a way to keep affordable within the
range of what people can afford. On buildings, there are
numerous buildings in this town that have one meter and that
one meter services the whole building. There is no way to
divide that up. So we are forced, by virtue of the fact that
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowe City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 4
we have to keep our expenses and income in check, we have to
raise the rates on our rent. And quite frankly, as a manager,
I hate to have to tell people at this point in time that their
rent is going up again because of Iowa City's water and sewer
rates. And I know that we need clean water and I know that
issue has to be addressed but I think there can be-You know,
Mr. Barker has made numerous recommendations about ways to
bring that cost down. I don't think there is even a total
picture or grasp of what the end cost on this whole project is
going to be. It is my understanding from the newspaper that
one well did not come in as positively as people wanted. That
happens but aren't these things that might have been addressed
before the outlay for a lot of the up front money was done. I
think that we need to get a' grasp of what these costs are
going to be. Maybe there are some ways that they can be
brought back into line. I urge you to please consider these
costs. I really hate to see our water bills continue to go up
such as they have. Thank you.
Kubby/ Even if we go with Ed Barker's schemes for, I don't mean
that in a negative way. The timing and the amount of rate
increases, it doesn't change the cost if we stay with the same
plan. So what it does is just spreads it out even further. It
would spread the rate increases over more years. It is not
going to cost us any less to do it and that-I am not saying
that means anything but somehow it makes it, what you just
said, makes it sound if we took Ed's advice and said that the
total increase in any one year wouldn't be more than 15%. It
just means we would have to have many more years of increases
to get to the same end point. Is that true, Don?
Don
Yucuis/ If you wanted to drag out the water projects even
further I would add in more inflation costs to the project
cost if you are going to go out further. In my estimation you
would increase the cost over time.
Atkins/ And please note when you have your discussion separate
water from waste water. They are very distinctly different
projects under very different rules and regulations.
Horow/ What about the suggestion of accommodation of GO bonds as
well as-
Atkins/ We intend to offer a resolution to you at a subsequent
meeting asking for authorization to do some GO. We are doing
an analysis right now. We have had that in the hoper for
sometime. We simply hadn't brought that legislation.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 5
Kubby/ That means two ways that we save money. We don't have to
have a reserve amount, a one year reserve payment, the amount
of the bond or a one year payment on the amount on the amount
of bond issuance and we get a better interest rate.
Atkins/ That is right.
Horow/ Anyone else wishes to address council on this issue?
Kubby/ I have a couple of questions.
Horow/ Okay.
Kubby/ In the chart that we got that is entitled Water Projects
Phase In Accumulation 20% Cash of 10.79. I am looking at the
year FY96 and I am comparing the estimated cash balance as of
June 30 in both the presented to council in the summer and the
revised November and I don't understand why the number is less
in the revised November column because our FY95 number is
greater than expected. So how can this number go down while we
are having the same projected amount of increase in the rates?
Yucuis/ Part of the answer to that, Karen, is in the left hand
column numbers, the cash analysis that was presented in May,
June did not incorporate the 24% increase on the minimums. It
had 40% flat increase and that is going to account for between
$200,000-300,000 less in revenue. And in the new figures it
has that factored in. One other analysis I did before I did
the November rates was to compare the March to June usage and
cash coming in compared to the previous March to June because
we had the rate increase in affect for those four months and
it was less than projected if you just took a straight-the
usage went down a little bit. So instead of a 30% increase or
32 or 33% increase in a four month period, it was actually
more like 20%. So I used that as my projection in the newer
figures.
Kubby/ But why is the number larger in the newer figures for FY95
if those things you just said- That number should be lower.
Yucuis/ Which FY957
Kubby/ The revised estimated cash balance.
Yucuis/ The FY95 number.
Kubby/ Yeah, it is bigger.
This represents only a reasonably eccurete transcription of the Iowe City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 6
Atkins/ The 2393?
Kubby/ That number is bigger than in the presented to council in
June. So those projections would have may that-some of what
you just said would make it go down. So I am more confused and
I will talk to you about it before the next meeting unless
other people want to-
Horow/ Well, if Don has got the answer.
Atkins/ One is estimate and one is actual. Got better information.
Nov/ She still has a valid question. If actual were hire in FY95,
why is actual lower at FY967 Not actual but you know-
Kubby/ The estimate projected.
Nov/ So that we decrease the amount of cash set aside Within a year
and I am not sure how that happened.
Yucuis/ There are two factors there. One, again, we are using
budgeted estimated figures in the first proposals presented to
council. The actual figures revenue wise, total revenue came
in approximately $30,000 more than we estimated in the first
proposal and the expense end we were approximately $400,000
under our estimated expenses. We had a combined increase of-
Kubby/ So will you explain that $400,000 in expenses that we didn't
project. What was it that cost?
Atki~s/ Cost less. We did not spend $400,000.
Nov/ We are losing $100,000 here within a year. At the end of FY95
you have $2,393,000. At the FY96 you have $2,272,000. I want
to know why you are predicting this-
Atkins/ First of all you have to understand that we are making the
assumption it is absolutely flat. Expenses change. For
example, just recently we authorized $120,000 to add a water
line we had not anticipated down on Madison Avenue because of
the University. That is a cash outlay. We make those decisions
routinely. These numbers are estimated cash balances after
that. I am pretty sure we can pin that number down pretty
easily but there is a dynamic in there that moves that causes
some of those changes.
Nov/ That is the point. The estimated increases in the estimated
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 7
balances are covering more than just new construction.
Atkins/ Of course.
Nov/ They are covering operating expenses, increases in salary and
all those kinds of things.
Atkins/ When you flip over to waste water I think we can probably
give you an even-Do a better example of the kind of
adjustments that are made and as we refine the project the
numbers get better. We are on the waste water chart. Read a
first column, Goal cash balance $9.8 million. Revised goal,
$7.5 million and the reason is that the bids came in lower on
one project and our estimates have changed. Now, if you read
over under bond issues, first column, $10.94-5.3-See those
numbers? That totals $39,360. Add in the cash, you have the
$49,200. With me?
Kubby/ No.
Pigott/ Yeah.
Atkins/ Add up all the bond issues plus the cash, it comes out
$49,197.
Kubby/ It is just not done for us there.
Atkins/ Right, no it is not. Now if you read over, we have changed
the bond structure which is reflected in the proposals you
have in front of you. $18.9; 8.8; 7.3. Total 35.035 plus the
cash, sewer projects now are 42.6. Why? Reflective of a good
bid, lower estimates, but also added back are three sewer
projects that were in your cip priorities that we are building
into this debt separate from what you often think of as water
projects and the sewer projects. Subtracting that out our
sewer estimate is now in the neighborhood of $38 million, not
$49. Now that number will continue to get better assuming we
get the good bids. As you design and get more specific you do
better estimating. As you will see in this case these rates,
also notice them in the waste water rates in the year 2000. we
are proposing a reduction. Had not done that earlier. So there
are-
Kubby/ So it is not
leeway because
CIP anyway.
as if we added these because we have this extra
the bids came in lower. That they were on our
Thisrepresents only areasonsbly accuratetranscription oftbelows Citycouncil meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#8 page 8
Atkins/ Now if you don't want to do that north corridor trunk and
you don't want to do North Abbey and you don't want to do the
east side, you take them out.
Horow/ But that includes Plum Street?
Atkins/ Oh yes, we added in relief sewers for Plum Street, a number
of other projects were added in. The bottom line remains is
that as we continue to work to refine these the rates that you
are going to see reflect 20% cash, only that which is
necessary to operate the system and pay the debt and we will
only sell debt on that which is necessary. We have made the
assumption that the 20% cash accumulation if it makes sense
along the way to pay cash for project as long as the total is
reduced, you would want that. For example, Madison Street was
a $100,000 cash project. We did not choose to sell debt. It
came from a reserve. It is small enough project that it is not
reflected in here. That is the kind of decisions that are made
all along and your are saving. Those savings begin to
accumulate. I think if you notice 2006 on the two charts
instead of 3211 you are talking about rates of $27.00. Your
policy of wanting 20% cash is built in. If you wish to do
something leveling it out at 15-15, we can build a schedule
around that. Remember, you sewer project doesn't come in nice
convenient little pieces° There is an $18 million bond, a
smaller bond, it just doesn't work that way.
Horow/ The other thing is how long does a bond? Isn't there a
length of time that you must take to pay back that bond?
Arkins/ We are assuming that we would go with sewer revenue bonds
for a life of about 25 years. You can go much longer than
that. We are going to propose a blending with GO. The GO
normally is about 20 years. I think the school issue was only
an 8-10 year issue. That is why they got great interest rates.
Obviously the much shorter the debt retirement, you are going
to get much better interest rates. And we estimate that a
revenue bond today is about 5.8 and GO is about 5.3. But
remember like on the $6.2 million project we have in here, if
that were a GO issue, we would be selling $5.8 because we
don't have to borrow that one year's worth of interest and
then you get the lower interest rate. All of those factors
work their way into these numbers.
Nov/ On the smaller bond issue it doesn't make sense to go with the
GO?
Thisrepresents only a masonably accur~etranscfiptlon ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 9
Atkins/ Well, we have talked about that. We have plenty of GO
capacity in the system. We would sell the GO, pledge the full
faith and credit and still retire by way of your water and
sewer revenues.
Kubby/ So when people look at the bond issue numbers we are looking
at not only the new projects of the new facility and the
connecting but other smaller ¢IP projects plus maintenance,
operation and maintenance.
Atkins/ Correct.
Kubby/ It is a whole system, not just these new facilities.
Atkins/ If you go back to water, you will note that the total bond
issue if $43.4 plus $10 million in cash which is $54 million
which is generally what the estimates have been for the water
project if we don't have any major bidding experience in that
project. When we do those numbers will get adjusted and the
rates will be adjusted accordingly.
Nov/
Don, I have a question on interest rates. If we have a cash
set aside either for a down payment of or for debt service,
does that earn interest?
¥ucuis/ I have incorporated any reserves-If we would sell bonds for
a one year debt service reserve I have incorporated interest
income line item for that in operations. So that has been
incorporated into the entire revenue structure.
Nov/ And your cash estimates are reflecting that?
Yucuis/ Correct. The one year debt service reserve would be in a
different account. It is not reflected in these numbers here.
It is a separate account. On the 1996 revenue bonds that we
sold for waste water there was approximately $5.7 million of
moneys that were sold with the bonds, one to set up a one year
debt service reserve and a $2 million capital improvements
reserve and that has been sitting there since 1986 earning
interest for the waste water operations. The interest goes
into th~ operating account.
Atkins/ Also our cash on waste water was improved when we did that
refinancing we had $200,000 and some one time payment. That
went into the reserve immediately also based upon that
refinancing.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetranscrlptlon ofthelowa CitycounciL meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 10
Nov/ I am still not quite sure my question is answered. Where you
have listed estimated cash balances and they are going up, are
they including interest or is that in a different account?
Yucuis/ They are including interest, correct.
Horow/ Ernie-
Lehman/ Well, I asked you last night, Steve, and I think I can ask
you tonight but the water increases from '95 to year 2000 go
up 328% or $32.92 a month for the average user. Sewer goes up
71% over the same period or $10.68. Water basically is three
times, over three times, what the sewer goes up. Now-
Atkins/ Different base.
Lehman/ I realize a different base but we are paying off similar,
well not similar, but the amounts of money that we are paying
off are not all that dissimilar. Why does it take three times
as much to pay off the water as it does the sewer.
Atkins/ Lower base. You have to bump the rates up more because the
sewer rates are at a higher base.
Lehman/ Actual dollar.
Nov/ The sewer rates started out higher. They were raised-a base
was raised much higher (can't hear).
Lehman/ I realize that but the increase in rates is used to pay off
in plan. Is that correct?
Atkins/ The increase in rates is used to pay off debt and operate
the system. The rates do both operating and capital. So you
have to keep that in mind. The two elements are the same. The
dynamics to operating are different than capital. Capital,
once you have borrowed and set the number in place, it is
solid for whatever the period of time that your debt issuance
is. Your operating expenses are subject to a variety of
changes.
Lehman/ I understand that. But I don't understand that much of. I
don't need an answer tonight.
Atkins/ I can't do it off the top of my head but I suspect-Stop in
and we will go back and let's see how you calculated that
number. You just totaled those down but I need to show you the
Thisrepresents onlyareasonablyaccuratetranscrlptien oftholowaCltycouncll meetlngofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 11
base-
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 95-144 SIDE 1
Horow/ I just had one question and that is-Oh now I have lost it.
The accumulation, the percentages I think it has to do with
the chart the bar graph, on Water Fund Ending Cash Balances.
Atkins/ Water?
Horow/ Water. In the year 2000 it is 8.3 but then it goes down to
.3 in the year 01 and-then back up to 2.5. Do you anticipate
this is going to stay this high?
Atkins/ We think the rates in the out years are likely to be high.
Remember when you went with the policy position on the cash
accumulation, you pushed the rates at a higher and I would
agree with you that the kind of cash balances we are showing
here in this particular five year span, year 2000 to 2006, are
high. Those rates I suspect are going to have to be adjusted
downward by some sort of rate reduction policy. That is just
more cash I believe than we need.
Horow/ Okay. All right, Karen. Well, I guess Ed is wanting to say
something. I will wait until he is-
Ed
Barker/ I want to make a few brief comments. One in answer to
what I think Karen was asking with regard to flattening out of
the rates. It is a lot difference than a dog. You chop the
dog's tail off all at once and we want to do it section by
section so we have the advantage of the use of that tail for
a longer period of time. You ask any dog and they will
disagree with me. Other things is on a serious note that if
you can figure out a way and I think you can to level out the
rates to 15% and if the water rates have to be more or less
than the waste water as long as this is revenue neutral and
design your construction schedule to do that and Steve has
said that several times as we have read through the
transcripts that if we know the plan, the financial plan, we
can develop a construction plan to meet that which is the
opposite of what we really have been talking about quite a bit
over the last several months. So I heard him say that again
this evening and so I think you are getting very very close to
doing something that I think you can sell to the people of the
community reasonably easily.
Horow/ Ed, may .I take this opportunity though to-My concern right
Thisrepresents onlyareasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 12
now is one of frustration that we did not take advantage of
doing both the waste water facility of the waste water
construction and the water construction and going out to bid
right now and doing and getting as large bid and saving more
money on that. That to be was pennywise and pint foolish. I
regret it.
Baker/ I think you worry too much about inflation. It is a risk but
it is not a significant risk.
Horow/ No but I am not even thinking of inflation. I am thinking of
the right now where we went out to bid on the waste water
treatment project and realized a savings of around $8 million.
I keep thinking of how much more we would have saved had we
gone out to bid in both projects.
Barker/ Lighting does strike twice in the same place.
Horow/ That is very frustrating to me and so can you- You know, I
mean, that to me I don't buy your premise of setting up the
financing and then-
Barker/ I understand that and I respect your view on that. I just
disagree. I think you worry too much about inflation.
Kubby/ There is always tradeoffs. With Sue's desire, it basically
means we can't do it with local labor or all of it with local
labor because there is the labor force to do both projects all
at once. The tradeoff with what you are speaking about is that
we don't build a water plant for even longer than we have
already postponed it. So I mean we have to think about what
are the consequences of all of these tradeoffs. Having the
flat rate means that we might do the sewer plant, well-we have
to do the sewer plant in the time frame that the DNR will
allow us to do it in. The water plant would be put off even
further than five years.
Barker/ Well, there is a variable that you have to work with and
you might find that you can go more rapidly than you think
because Steve mentioned that the balances are higher than what
they anticipate and if the DNR is kind again and gives another
extension that is another variable. I will quit right now. I
would like you to see your way clear to do the 15 because that
was what was proposed in May if I recall correctly. At least
it was in the paper that way, roughly that~ And I ask Don
about it and his response, if I recall correctly, was well, in
June they were different, it is because the council asked for
Thisrepresents only araasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa CIw council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 13
20% down payment. But coupled with that, as I read the
transcript, it was saying we want to do this and have minimal
work at the front end and maximum work at the back end so that
we do build up that surplus. And so that is all I am asking.
Thank you.
Horow/ Thank you very much. Is there anyone else?
Atkins/ With all do respect, that is what we are doing. We divided
the water project up into three major construction projects.
One of about $5 million, one of about $10 million and one of
about $30 million.
Kubby/ And what we worked on because you said tell me the
parameters you want and we will back into the financing and
one of the parameters we did was to break the project into
phases and have a time frame. We all wanted to do these sooner
rather than later and a tradeoff for saving interest costs was
to do them a little bit later but not too much later. And so
the parameters we gave you was this is the time frame we want
to have the plants on line individually with different time
schedules and you backed us into that is what we gave you as
direction.
Atkins/ I thought we did.
Horow/ All right, council.
Kubby/ My (can't hear) is more about this idea of making sure
people understand what the consequence of our decisions or our
pending decisions are in terms of information and one of the
ways we did that, people aren't going to be able to see the
details of this but we have these charts that help show
increases and I guess what I envision in a conversation like
this is that we have taped this to the wall so that when we
are talking about chart 3 people on cablevision can see chart
3. We have copies of these here and you can call me and I will
send you one or call the city and we will send you one. It
would be interesting to either put them up and or maybe more
extensively-Actually the water plant has done this really
great job of getting information out to people about water
conservation through public access, through our government
channel and it would be interesting to have our Finance
Department to help put some of these up and explain what we
are doing and what the parameters are that we have given you
to work with to rationalize at least what the proposed rate
increases are going for to help us become more accountable to
This represents only e reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 14
everybody about what their rate increases are going for. We
can get better feedback from the community as well.
Atkins/ Please keep in mind that even from the hearings that are
coming up, these are authorization. We will go to market,
prepare the bonds, bring them here, put them at the
microphone, explain them to you. You don't like them you say
no and that ends it. You need to understand that you have the
11th hour ability to stop it for any reason that you want. Now
I will advise you candidly of the consequences of some of
those things but you still have that ability.
Kubby/ And the way I get feedback from people, to me it is most
valuable if the reaction from people is based on good
information so that we can really argue about the real issues
and not so much about the emotional issues that may or may not
be based on good information. So getting that information to
them is crucial for us to gain broader conumunity support or to
persuade me to do things differently.
Atkins/ Can I answer one other question for Anna on the 700 cubic
feet? We take the total amount billed divided by the usage and
it comes up 700. That is how we do it. It is very simple
arithmetic.
Nov/ Very simple (can't hear) which probably applies to very few
people.
Atkins/ But it is an average.
Lehman/ Like medians.
Nov/ Well, medians are really more reliable figures than averages.
Atkins/ We can do calculations for people. We have done that in the
past. Some will call in and say I use X, what is it likely to
be. And we can do those things fairly easily.
Nov/ Karen, we have to continue this p.h. anyway. We don't have an
ordinance sitting in front of us. Can we make the charts or
graphs into overheads for next time?
Atkins/ I was going to do that. we will have it next week.
Nov/ Oh good, thank you. I have a question about projecting rates
for water beyond the year 2000. When we get to 2001 we project
the 15% increase. We get to 2002 we project 15% decrease. I
'rhts represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5. 1995.
F120595
#8 page 15
don't see the need for that. I think we could go for 0 on both
of those years. It just looks silly to go up and down.
Atkins/ Look over the cash. That is the year you spend your cash.
Nov/ Yeah but the cash is there. I mean you still have-
Atkins/ These are estimates, these are calculations based upon when
you spend the money. And you are right, can we change that? I
suspect we could.
Nov/
Well, when we get closer to that time I think we might
consider the ability to say 2% increase instead of 15%
increase and a 15% decrease. Now when we get there you will be
able to give us a more firm number.
Yucuis/ Just to comment on that, Naomi, the expenses projected in
the FY2000 are $8.7 million and FY2001 is when you have the
additional $10.7 million of expenses. So you are spending $20
million the following year. So you have to have enough cash
accumulation to make that $10 million pay out.
Nov/ I understand the problem. I just say that you are predicting
silliness-
Kubby/ Did you hear that Don. You are predicting silliness.
Pigott/ Silliness is factored in.
Kubby/ One last thing. Ed suggested something that intrigued me a
little bit. He suggested that maybe we do want to vote with
this council and two votes with the new council and I am
feeling broad based support (can't hear).
Horow/ I am asking that the ordinance be placed on the next council
for your consideration, the next council meeting.
Nov/ I am leery of collapsing votes on something this important. I
would prefer that we do one vote-
Horow/ And it has to be gotten done by the end of January.
Throg/ I can only speak for myself. If the ordinance is brought
before us two weeks from now I will surely move to defer it
until the 16th or whatever that-
Horow/ That would mean that that council will have to collapse a
ThlsrepresentsonlyareasonablyaccuratetmnscrlptlonofthelowaCItycouncilmeetlngof DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 16
vote on this magnitude?
Pigott/ I think there will'be plenty to discuss. The new council
will have perhaps different ways to look at this. I think they
should have the fair ability-
Horow/ We can talk about it when it is on the table.
Atkins/ Just so the council knows then when we prepare the agenda
it is the mayor's direction and I am assuming you will tell
her otherwise. If she says put it on, we put it on the agenda.
Kubby/ It matters when we defer this p.h. to. That is how we can do
that is how we defer this or we continue the p.h. to a certain
date.
Nov/ I would like to continue to the 19th.
Horow/ Moved by Nov to continue it to the 19th, seconded by Lehman.
Any discussion?
Throg/ I have no problem with whatsoever to continue it to the 19th
but that doesn't mean we continue that p.h. to the following
week or we could choose to defer the ordinance to the
following week.
Pigott/ I agree.
Horow/ Any other discussion? All those in favor signify by saying
aye (ayes).
Nov/ I would like to formally move that we have an ordinance and
first consideration on the 19th.
Horow/ Wait a minute. I appreciate that but I would like- the vote
is 5-2 with Kubby and Baker voting nay. Now your proposal is
for what?
Kubby/ I don't want to be placed in the position of having to vote
no on this rate increase if I believe is there aren't votes to
confirm or to continue the public-
Pigott/ I will vote for the p.h. next time.
Kubby/ There would be a vote for to continue the p.h. and defer the
ordinance.
Thisrepresents only ereasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995,
F120595
#8 page 17
Baker/ I would just sort of like circling around the fact that four
people have said that they would prefer the vote take place at
the first meeting.
Kubby/ Yeah, it becomes a game.
Baker/ Why don't we just go ahead and settle it.
Throg/ We should.
Pigott/ I think there are four.
Kubby/ Then we could vote against the-
Throg/ Am I right? Since I voted in favor? I move to reconsider.
Pigott/ Second it.
Nov/ Wait a minute now. We just voted on this motion to have it on
the agenda.
Throg/ What did we just vote on?
Horow/ We voted on to defer the- To continue this until the 19th.
Kubby/ You could move to reconsider that if you were-
Karr/ (Can't hear).
Throg/ That is what I thought I was doing.
Pigott/ And that is what he was doing.
Nov/ Oh, okay.
Horow/ Moved by Throg, seconded by Pigott to reconsider the vote to
defer or continue the p.h. until December 19th. Is there any
discussion?
Nov/ If you rescind that you are going to have to close the p.h?
Karr/ Just a motion to reconsider.
Pigott/ Continue the p.h. until a later date.
Nov/ Oh, okay.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetranscrlptlon ofthelowaCi~ councilmeetlngofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 18
Horow/ Okay? Any further discussion? I will remind you about the
need for this to get done by the end of January and that you
would be then having a new council collapse the hearing on a
major issue. I would also suggest that the combination of both
this council and that council voting on this issue is not a
bad idea'at all.
Throg/ That is a reasonable statement. It is also true that we will
have held this p.h. and another p.h. that the new council will
be holding. They have been paying attention to this issue all
along because it has been a crucial component of the most
recent election. I am sure they have judgements about what
should be done and why. They have a right. I think it is
appropriate for them to be able to vote on what they think
about it. It is appropriate to let them do that.
Lehman/ I totally agree, Jim.
Nov/ They are not being deprived of doing that.
Lehman/ I totally agree Jim that they will have two opportunities
to vote on it and we will have one.
Pigott/ It may force them into considering something a second
consideration instead of starting from the beginning. Why lock
them into considering something that this council has-
Horow/ Are you hoping that they will start all over again?
Pigott/ They may choose to do that. It is not my choice (can't
hear).
Horow/ Oh, Bruno.
Pigott/ They may choose to go with the proposal. They may choose to
do a variety of things. I don't want to indicate that this
council wants to limit them in any sense to this proposal.
That is the concern. They may choose to do a number of things
and that is not for me to decide or influence.
Nov/ That is not true. Anyone may amend this. We may amend this on
the 19th. They may amend it again on the next meeting and it
is certainly not locking anybody in.
Arkins/ Just to give me a little bit of comfort. We are
recommending a bid award of a lot of money. So I am assuming
you will adopt some sort of rate adjustment. So will them.
Thisrepresents only areesonably accu~e~etrenscription ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 19
Because we
Kubby/ They will
things that are locked
Horow/ We have been working
shirking our duty.
Nov/ Many years.
are recommending the bid.
have to make their individual judgements based on
in.
on this for how long? This to me is
Horow/ Well, there is a motion to reconsider the continuation of
the p.h. Any further discussion? All those in favor signify by
saying aye-(ayes: Kubby, Pigott, Baker, Throg.) Opposed same
sign (ayes: Lehman, Nov, Horow). The motions passes to
reconsider.
Nov/ I would like a count on that. I didn't hear that it passed.
Horow/ I heard four.
Nov/ Okay, you heard four and I didn't.
Horow/ With Horow, Nov and Lehman voting against that. Do you wish
to make a motion to-
Kubby/ Move to continue the p.h. to January 16.
Bake/r Is that our first meeting?
Pigott/ Is that the first one?
Horow/ Wow.
Nov/ No. We have moved to reconsider and we have not actually
reconsidered.
Karr/ (Can't hear).
Throg/ Reconsider?
Nov/ You need to vote the same issue again.
Horow/ The issue on the floor is to continue the p.h. until
December 19o Is was originally moved by Nov, seconded by
Lehman. Any further discussion? All those in favor signify by
saying aye (ayes: Lehman, Horow, Nov). Those opposed (no:
Baker, Throg, Pigott, Kubby). Motion is defeated with Baker,
Thisrepresents only a reasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowe City councilmeeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8
page 20
Pigott,
the p.h.
Kubby voting in the negative.
to January 16.
Throg and
Kubby/ Move to continue
Throg/ second.
Thornberry/ I may or
may not be allowed any input in this
discussion at this point. There are only three new council
members coming on. You are playing political football with
this and this is not fair to the people of Iowa city, Bruno.
And Karen just told you how to vote and I don't appreciate
that at all.
Kubby/ Actually I told Jim what he said-
Pigott/ That is not correct.
Thornberry/ That is absolutely correct. You should vote no on this
and you did and this is just political football and this is
bullshit.
Horow/ Okay.
Kubby/ Thank you for the foreshadowing, Dean.
Horow/ I don't disagree with you but this is out of control here.
Pigott/ Now you will have a chance, Dean, to follow through on the
statements you made in your campaign and I look forward to
your input.
Horow/ Dean, you are up. That is it. Um, the motion is to-is there
a second to have this on January 167
Baker/ I just want to get clear. That is our first meeting?
Horow/ Yes.
Kubby/ The first formal meeting.
Horow/ That is why we wanted this to be voted.
Baker/ I am going to vote for the increases. I am going to vote for
to collapse the reading. It is going to pass.
Horow/ Then why don't you take the guts to do it within this
council?
Thlsrepresonts only areasonablyaccurate transcdptlon ofthelowa CiW council meeting of December 5.1995.
F120595
#8 page 21
Baker/ Because, Sue, you want to use the words guts?
Horow/ Yes.
Baker/ We can talk about that in a lot of issues. But don't accuse
me of not having the guts-
Horow/ In this one I will. I am.
Kubby/ This is exponential anger. That what happens when one person
expresses anger in a very hostile way. It is very contagious
and very negative.
Horow/ There is a vote on the floor. Any further discussion about
that for January 167
Throg/ Yes. I think one reason that we have had the conversation we
have had is because when we came into this meeting tonight I
think we had the understanding, the shared understanding, that
we were not going to vote on this issue until the new council
came on board. We talked about that in our work session or in
the last meeting. I don't know when it was. And it was only
going into the conference room that I learned that we were
suppose to vote on it or you know, make a decision to vote at
the next meeting. That was a surprise from out of no where.
Okay.
Kubby/ Really that was discussed before the meeting in this
conference room.
Throg/ So, you know, there is a surprise.
Kubby/ Oh my God, I am really shocked about that because there were
definitely four people which means gives direction to the
mayor and that is not what was going to happen unless we had
a conversation? I mean if I hadn't by chance said-
Horow/ I think there is such thing as the mayor's prerogative.
Kubby/ Not when there are four council people who have directed the
mayor to do something.
Horow/ You don't have four council members who directed the mayor
to do this. The mayor was trying to get this on the agenda to
consider backing into it from the end of January. The mayor
was also very aware that the next meeting it could be
defeated. I am not that dumb.
Thisrepresents only areasoneblyaccuratetranscrlpfien ofthelowe City councilmeeting ~ DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#8 page 22
Kubby/ There were.four people at our informal meeting who said we
wanted the new council to vote on this and not the current
council°
Horow/ We did not take a vote on that.
Baker/ How much more clear does it have to be?
Throg/ It was pretty clear.
Horow/ Clearness would be next session when you would vote against
it if that is what you felt.
Kubby/ That is not at all fair to this group, the process that is
happening. But it is getting clarified with our action, our
upcoming action.
Horow/ Okay, you have got the 16th and the 30th in January to deal
with this.
Nov/ I am still unhappy about collapsing a vote on an issue such as
this but that is what we will do.
Horow/ Okay, there is a vote on the floor for January 16. All those
in favor signify by saying aye. It passes 4-3 with Lehman, Nov
and Horow voting.
Nov/ I voted on aye on continuing to the 16th.
Horow/ You did?
Nov/ Yeah, I
point I
it.
didn't see any point in not continuing it. At that
felt my choice was either to continue it or to close
Horow/ Okay. Ernie, did I hear a negative from you?
Lehman/ Yes.
Horow/ So it passed 5-2 with Lehman and Horow voting no. Thank you,
Naomi.
Kubby/ Before we go on I feel like we need to be either debriefed
personally or publicly or something about the sentiment or
actions that just happened tonight. I hope this is not how we
conduct business in the future and I hope that whoever is
mayor come next year that at our organizational meeting that
Thisrepresents only a reasonably accurate transcription ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#8 page 23
we give very clear directions to the mayor that when there are
four people at an informal meeting that that is direction and
Sue has started this new policy of, in our informals, saying
who nodded their heads and I think that will make all of this
much more clear. So I am glad that you kind of back track to
slow us down to make sure that on the tape, in the transcript,
who nodded their heads is clear so that that is direction for
us.
Horow/ I am sure whoever the mayor is will have an easier job
anyway.
Thisrepresents onlyareasonablyaccurete~ans~rlpfienofthelowaCItycouncilmeetlng of December5,1995.
F120595
#9 page
ITEM NO. 9 -
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSITION OF THE
ISSUANCE OF $6,200~000 WATER R~¥ZNUE BONDS OF
IOWA CITY, IOWA.
Horow/ Declare the p.h. open. Please address council and keep your
comments to no more than five minutes.
Ed Barker/ I just have one short question that I think for Don. I
think as the resolution reads and including the next p.h. also
and a total of $34.2. Are you in a position to say
approximately how much of that will be borrowed when you do
this in March? If you are not, that is fine.
Don Yucuis/ I think on the $6.2 million you are looking close to
that° On the $28 million issue with the new bids that came in,
$28 million is the high end. That should be closer to $20-19
million.
Barker/ Thank you.
¥ucuis/ But the authorization is staff up to that limit. It doesn't
say we are going to issue that amount.
Horow/ Okay, thank you. Any further comments to the council?
Declare the p.h. closed.
Thlsreprosents only areasonablyaccurate transcription ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 1 5
ITE~ NO. 10 -
ITEIVI NO. 11 -
ITEM NO. 12 -
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION INSTITUTING PROCEEDINGS TO TAKE
ADDITIONAL ACTION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF NOT TO EXCEED $6,200,000
WATER REVENUE BONDS.
Comment: This resolution states that the City Council does hereby institute
proceedings and take additional action for the sale and issuance in the
manner required by law of $6,200,00.0 Water Revenue Bonds. The Clerk is
authorized and directed to proceed on behalf of the City with the sale of said
bonds, to select a date for the sale thereof, to cause to be prepared such
notice and sale information as may appear appropriate, to publish and
distribute the same on behalf of the City and otherwise to take all action
necessary to permit the sale of said bonds on a basis favorable to the City
and acceptable to the City Council.
Action:
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ISSUANCE OF $28,000,000 SEWER REVENUE
BONDS OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.
Comment: This public hearing is being held to receive public comment for or
against the issuance of up to $28,000,000 Sewer Revenue Bonds, in order
to provide funds to pay the costs of improvements and extensions to the
Municipal Sanitary Sewer Utility. The $28,000,000 project cost includes
connecting the North and South Wastewater Treatment Facilities, engineering.
costs for design and bid specifications, one year debt service reserve and
bond issuance costs.
Action:
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION INSTITUTING PROCEEDINGS TO TAKE
ADDITIONAL ACTION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF NOT TO EXCEED
$28,000,000 SEWER REVENUE BONDS.
Comment: This resolution states that the City Council does hereby institute
proceedings and take additional action for the sale and issuance in the
manner required by law of $28,000,000 Sewer Revenue Bonds. The Clerk
is further authorized and directed to proceed on behalf of the City with the
sale of said bonds, to select a date for the sale thereof, to cause to be
prepared such notice and sale information as may appear appropriate, to
publish and distribute the same on behalf of the City and otherwise to take
all action necessary to permit the sale of said bonds on a basis favorable to
the City and acceptable to the City Council.
#10 page 1
ITF~! NO. 10 -
CO~SIDER A RESOLUTION INSTITUTING PROCEEDINGS TO
TAKE ADDITIONAL ACTION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF NOT TO
EXCEED $6t200~000 WATER REVENUE BONDS.
Horow/ Moved by Kubby, seconded by Throg. Discussion.
Throg/ I would like to ask Steve a question to understand this a
little better. I mean I understand it to say that it begins-
authorizes beginning proceedings to issue an amount not to
exceed $6.2. So I am concerned that-I am wondering what we do
tonight on this particular resolution and the other one coming
up, whether that will in any way tie the future council's
hand. In other words, if for one reason or another in their
collective judgement that future council believes that current
plans are too expensive or too extensive or however else they
want to-Is there anything in this resolution that will commit
them to already having-Will the council already have committed
itself to issuing $6.2 million in bonds and then later on with
the next one $28 million?
Atkins/ No, we will not. You have-what I meant on 11th hour, you
have up to that point.
Throg/ You said something about there are some risks-
Atkins/ Sure, there are some risks that when you go to the market
and you prepare an official statement, you do all your bidding
and you try to round up the investors by way of our financial
adviser and then you back out. There is an expense to that.
Not any different than someone on a construction contract goes
through the bidding process, it costs them money, they did, we
decide to pull out on the thing, will they come back around
for a second bid, I don't know. I can assure you that one
thing that I do intend to do and this is just from experience
and overlapping councils on major issues such as this. We will
be preparing a briefing memo before we ever head off to market
and begin spending time and money on this. So-
Kubby/ Maybe a session where everyone can attend if they choose.
Atkins/ The $6.2 million, Jim, your authorization as this council
obviously carries over to the future council and if they chose
to amend that we will find some way whether it be informal or
formal to allow them the courtesy of making that kind of
change.
Throg/ Unless I hear something that convinces me otherwise, I am
Thlsrepr~ents only areasonably accurMetmnscrlptlon ofthelowa Ci~ council meeting of December5.1995.
F120595
#10 page 2
willing to move forward on the other resolution.
Atkins/ I would recommend that you vote favorably on both of them.
Throg/ I really don't want to tie their hands or make them feel
trapped into this.
Atkins/ Whether you make them feel trapped ! can't help you on
that. But I think that I can assure the new council members
that they still have within their power the ability to amend
this in.some fashion. What we are out is the staff work and
the preparation of this-of these sales. But we are not
intending to go to sale until sometime in February or March
anyway. I don't know how to say it other than I think I can
make you feel comfortable. I know what you are attempting to
do and I think that we can provide them the comfort that they
have some discretion.
Dee Norton/ I just like to-does this preclude switching to the
General Obligation bonds if that decision is made?
Atkins/ No it does not, Dee. What we are going to do is probably at
the next meeting and Don has already contacted the bond
counsel, is also prepare an authorizing resolution for General
Obligation debt that allows us to use one or the other or a
combination because we do believe that the market still looks
pretty good. Okay.
Horow/ Any further discussion? Roll call- (yes). The resolution is
adopted.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccuratetranscrlptlon ofthelowa CiW counc~ meeting of December5,1995,
F120595
#11 page
ITE~X NO. 11
PUBLIC HF-J%RING ON THE ISSUANCE OF $28,000~000 SEWER
REVENUE BONDS OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.
Horow/ Deolare the p.h. open. I have a question. Does this also
include the Plum Grove and the other south of Highway 6?
Yucuis/ Yes it does.
Horow/ Okay. Thank you. Declare the p.h. closed.
Thisrepresents only areasonablyaccurate transcription ofthelowa Citycouncil meeting ofDecemberS, 1995,
F120595
#12 page 1
ITEM NO, ~2 -
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION INSTITUTING PROCEEDINGS TO
TAKE ADDITIONAL ACTION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF NOT TO
EXCEED $28,000,000 SEWER REVENUE BONDS.
Horow/ Moved by Lehman, seconded by Throg.
Atkins/ Susan, may I comment further? Just came to me. Without a
rate adjustment we don't sell bonds. The greatest controlling
element is that if you choose not to adjust rates, you don't
go sell bonds.
Throg/ So the follow up is and what I want to make sure is that if
we issue $28 million and $6.2 million that they are not firmly
tied and committed to having to raise rates to that same or
commensurate amount.
Atkins/ No they are not. And without rate
market anyway. So there are several
pull-this.
increases, can't go to
means by which you can
Horow/ Without rate increases you cannot build a water system.
Atkins/ Without rate increases you cannot build the water system
and you cannot borrow because you are pledging an asset and
the asset is water and sewer revenues and if you don't have
them in adequate numbers nobody buys your bonds and-
Baker/ One the questions that I had asked at previous meetings was
how a deferral of the vote affected this bond proceeding and
you said at that time as long as it was done by the end of
January the schedule is perfectly-
Atkins/ Yes. As you know, our bond schedule is February or March.
We are okay. We are continuing to move on that direction.
Horow/ Any further discussion on this? Okay. Roll call- (yes).
Thisrepresents only areasonably accurate transcription ofthe Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 16
ITEM NO. 13 -
PUBLIC HEARING ON PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT,
AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF GROUND
STORAGE RESERVOIR PUMP SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT.
Comment: This project involves t.he renovation and replacement of pumps,
motors, piping and controls together with other related work at the three
existing 2 million gallon ground storage reservoir/booster stations. Also, the
reservoirs will be emptied, cleaned and structurally inspected. This work will
improve the City's ability to control pressure and flow throughout the water
distribution system, improve distribution system reliability, and provide a tie
in for proposed feeder mains from the new Water Plant. The estimated cost
of the work is $780,000. This work will be financed from Water Revenue
Bond proceeds.
Action: "~_.~ ~ ~.~z,.z.¢~
ITEM NO. 14 -
35~
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM
OF CONTRACT, AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF
THE GROUND STORAGE RESERVOIR PUMP SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
PROJECT, ESTABLISHING AMOUNT OF BID SECURITY TO ACCOMPANY
EACH BID, DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH ADVERTISEMENT FOR
BIDS AND FIXING TIME AND PLACE FOR RECEIPT OF BIDS AT 10:30 A.M.
January 9, 1996.
Comment: See Comment Above.
Ac,ion: ~h~. //~-~
ITEM NO. 15. - ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES.
a. Previously announced vacancies.
(1)
Historic Preservation Commission - One vacancy for a representa-
tive of the Moffitt Cottage Historic District for a three-year term
ending March 29, 1999. (This is a new position) (4 females and
3 males currently serving on this commission.)
(2)
Parks and Recreation Commission - One vacancy for an unex-
pired term ending January 1, 1999. (Council Member-elect
Vanderhoef's position.) (3 females and 5 males currently serving
on this commission.)
These appointments will be made at the January 16, 1996, meeting of
the City Council.
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 17
ITEM NO. 16 - CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION.
ITEM NO. 17 - REPORT ON ITEMS FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY.
a. City Manager,
b. City Attorney,
ITEM NO. 18-
Recommendations of Boards and Commissions,
a. Consider recommendations ofthe Housing and Community Development
Commission:
that $398,441 in FY95 and FY96 CDBG and HOME funds be
allocated to the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship
(GICHF}\Burns affordable rental housing project on Old Dubuque
Road.
Comment: Council held a public hearing to discuss this project
on November 21, 1995, and took action on November 27, 1995.
#16 page 1
ITEM NO. 16 - CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION.
Horow/ City Council Information. Mr. Lehman-
Lehman/ No, mam.
Kubby/ Last year during budget time we were talking about moneys
for local festivals and how that money came for the CVB. We
kind of made a pledge to ourselves that we are going to figure
out a system to funding local festivals and we haven't done
that. And I am going to be brain storming some things with the
CVB as an individual council member about what those systems
could be and how we can interact with them and make things
work together really well instead of having greater division
between some of our goals. So if any of you have ideas for me
please pass them on. If anybody out there has ideas for me
please pass them on. I guess I want to go back to our earlier
interaction that I don't think it was that great and I am not
quite sure what I want to say about it except today I think
some of it comes from some just below the surface emotional
stuff going on between various different sets of council
members that I encourage each of us including myself to
resolve before we end our time together and encourage the new
council to be very clear with each other on personal and
political matters so that what we do do is express the issues
very clearly and in the best interest of the community and I
guess what I am doing by saying this out loud is pledging that
I will do my best to have that kind of interaction as part of
the- That is all.
Nov/
Well, I would like to urge people again. I know we have done
this but the Iowa Sesquicentennial kick off is December 28 and
it will be going on all day long, both at the Old Capital and
at the IMU at the University. The Governor is coming to sign
the proclamation about 4:30 PM and there are other kinds of
events to celebrate and everybody should participate and also
I would like to give people a little advance warning that the
League of Women Voters study of county government is about to
wind up and there will be public meetings on the 24th of
January and the 28th of February, both at 7:30 PM at the
Coralville Public Library.
Horow/ Okay, thank you very much.
Throg/ I would like to mention two things. First as I mentioned
last night during our work session, I have been invited to
appear on "News to Us" which is a PATV program tomorrow night
Thisrepresents only areasonebly accurMe transcription ofthelowa City council meeting of December 5,1995.
F120595
#16 page 2
at 6:30 and it is a neat invitation so I am happy to accept
but what they have asked me to do is talk about what I have
learned and I wonder what I have learned since I have been on
the council for two years. So if anyone out there is
interested, it will be live. You can watch it and dial up PATV
and based on last night's meeting- The other thing I would
like to briefly mention-
Horow/ Didn't Larry give you a suggestion however about the
commercial?
Baker/ If you pump it up enough you all can sell spots on that and
make some money for PATV.
Throg/ We can't do that can we, Renee? I would like to make one
other brief comment about affordable housing. I found myself
thinking about it from a particular angle recently and that is
it seems to me that issue could fruitfully be looked at from
a woman perspective and I mean not just any particular woman
but a woman perspective. And I would like to invite and
encourage relevant organizations in Iowa City to do that. The
need I think derives from a whole series of factors that I
don't have tome to go into right now but the net result has
been that lower income households in Iowa City are
disproportionately headed by a woman. It is my understanding
that about 83% of the 1002-3 households that receive housing
subsidies from Iowa City are female headed and those female
headed households have transportation, housing and employment
needs that differ quite substantially from traditional
families. And I would like to suggest that we need to begin
taking those differences into account. Working woman who have
households with small children need access to housing that is
affordable and that housing also needs to be well linked to
places of employment by means of public transit that is
convenient and affordable. The only reason I bring all of this
up is because I think there are organizations in town that
could fruitfully begin looking at affordable housing from that
perspective and it might give us considerable insight. Thanks.
Pigott/ Nothing, Madam Mayor. Thank you.
Baker/ I guess two things, Sue. First of all a question for you.
Could you refresh my memory about the blood drive on Friday.
Horow/ They want your blood, Larry.
Baker/ I am literally giving blood as opposed to metaphorically
Thlsrepresentsonlyareasonablyaccuratetranscription ofthelowaCl~ councilmeetingofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#16 page 3
giving blood at these meetings. But I called Mike Paul and he
did not return my call. I wanted to get that announcement but
I need so~e more information.
Horow/ 10:00 is the ribbon cutting on Friday at the Blood Donor
Center at Sturgis Corner.
Baker/ Sturgis Corner. They will be taking volunteers for blood
donations. I will be there.
Horow/ Right after the ribbon cutting they will be cutting your
veins.
Baker/ I will be donating blood. It is likely to be cold and I
would en~ourage the public to come down and watch Larry bleed.
I understand you get free food after that. So, again, 10:30
Friday morning, Sturgis Ferry corner and Red Cross Blood
Drive. Now, second thing. I wanted to take a moment to talk a
little bit about something we talked about last night but I
think feel in the audience last night may have left a
misimpression of at least my feelings on this particular
subject and that was the discussion of the Melrose Avenue
Street repair near West High School and the problems with
reinstailing the traffic signal right there at the access
point of West High School. It just recently came up to this
council that there is going to be some problems, potential
problems~ with funding for that project based upon the
presence of what the state would consider an unwarranted
traffic signal. By unwarranted they mean literally there are
certain numbers that are used to justify the installation of
the traffic signal and according to their sort of text book
numbers this corner, this intersection, does not warrant that.
The result is that a major road project, the funding for a
major road project is in jeopardy if the city were to do the
project using state funds and then install a street light. So
the city has proposed an alternative which is to do the road
up to a certain point using the assistance program and then
complete the rest of the road up to the intersection and
including the area for the traffic light with 100% of city
funds. Now, one of the things that I hope is the city really
pursues the first option of getting full funding in
conjunction with the light and making sure that it is very
clear that we cannot do that. But if we cannot do that and we
have to split the project I think that some members of the
audience last night walked out thinking well, it will be done
anyway, regardless of the cost. I am speaking only for myself.
But I would hope that if we have to split that project at a
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#16 page 4
substantial increase to the city for that portion of the road
and that street light, I would hope and I would expect that
the school board would also assume some of that financial
responsibility and I would hope and expect that the public,
the parents, the students, the teachers out at West High would
express those same concerns to the school board as well as to
us. Again, I am speaking only for myself but I am reluctant to
commit to full funding of that additional costs unless we get
some participation or some help from the school board and I
want the public to start thinking in those terms. Again, I am
just speaking for myself but. I think it is something the
council is going to have to deal with eventually.
Kubby/ And the majority of council directed staff to begin those
kinds of phone conversations with people.
Baker/ Well, those conversations are necessary but unless there is
a commitment by the majority of council eventually to hold
f~st to making a very tough decision which is you either put
the light on with their assistance or the light doesn't go in.
That is a possibility and I want the council and the public to
consider that possibility. It will require some assistance
from the school board in my opinion.
Nov/
We had some estimates of cost yesterday and I think that we
were talking about $110,000 plus the cost of the traffic
signal.
Atkins/ That is what I understand. We will get accurate numbers for
you.
Nov/ And the traffic signal is probably another $50,000.
Atkins/ Yes.
Nov/
While we are talking about traffic signal, I would like to
know that if it is installed, we have it on a demand system so
that we don't stop traffic on Melrose unless there is somebody
that really has to get out of the other street.
Atkins/ Okay.
Baker/ I want to make sure that this is just my feelings at this
time. We need to work something out. We have a reasonable
expectation that the school board will help us.
Kubby/ It also sounds like a call for people to get involved.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#16 page 5
Baker/ It certainly does.
Horow/ I think it also certainly has given me a little bit of
comfort though in terms of talking with the engineer's as to
the design of that area. It might not be as bad as it has been
in the past.
Baker/ We may not need the light. There are lots of things to
consider.
Horow/ I think we are all-the bottom line is the safety concern. I
agree with you in terms of the intention of having them share
with us. Is there anything else?
Baker/ No, that is it.
Horow/ You are not going to bring up the National League of Cities?
Baker/ Oh no. I have got to put something together, a more formal
presentation.
Horow/ Mr. Baker and I did attend the National League of Cities and
one of the programs that we attended had to do with the
honorable mentions that are given out to various communities.
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 95-144 SIDE 2
Horow/ Under 50,000 population. In Belmount,
hospice for very low income individuals
stage services and housing for people
having six months or less to live. What
about this was that it was relocation
California a six bed
provides end of life
with AIDS and other
was also interesting
of an older historic
preservation and the building was developed through a
partnership between the city, the county housing, AIDS Program
Department, Catholic charities, San Francisco and Mercy
charities, housing in California. And I looked at that and I
really wished that we could pull something like that off in
this city. As I said, Mr. Baker and I did represent Iowa city
at the recent National League of Cities annual meeting of
locally elected officials. Thousands of men and women from all
over our country and of all races, religions and ages. The
meeting is a time to learn from others and to participate with
others in policy making of issues which will guide the
National Leagues national board in representing cities in
Congress, the President and to other countries. For the past
eight years I have served on the Energy, Environment and
Natural Resources Policy Committee. Along with other elected
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#16 page 6
officials on this council I have also served as a participant
in the caucus of university communities and the caucus of
women in municipal government. Now I mention these activities
because it has been an honor to represent Iowa city at these
meetings. This city has afforded me many occasions to be a
representative of you and I would hope enthusiastically
represent our diversities and identify our opportunities and
most of all to make know to others our character and qualities
of urban life. After five years on P/Z Commission and then
eight years on council, I feel quite comfortable with stepping
down so that others may participate in the community service
that we have as a council member. I have appreciated my family
support, patience, and remaining flexible with my schedule. My
thanks for the steady hands and guidance from our City Clerk,
our City Attorney's Office and the City Manager. They along
with our competent city employees have responded most
professionally to my efforts in contributing with other
council members to the stewardship of the city's resources. It
is difficult to say thank you to any specific city employee
because from each one I have gained much in terms of learning
what it means to be an elected official. One does not spring
from the moon fully formed as an elected official. Karin
Franklin, I would like to say thank you for the grace,
accuracy and truthfulness under pressure. To Chuck Schmadeke,
I would like to say thank you for letting me observe you be a
gentle but firm in your leadership of individuals who
literally provide the nuts and bolts of keeping this city
functioning. Thanks to Barb Coffey of Document Services whose
accuracy and turn around time on letters is phenomenal. And I
also thank Lorraine Saeger for being the gatekeeper for our
city and from whom I have benefitted as I think we all have.
I would hope that all and each of you pass on my thanks to the
rest of your departments and your colleagues in the rest of
the city. I thank my colleagues on this council for having
allowed me to represent the city as mayor. But to the citizens
of Iowa City I reserve the greatest appreciation for your
trust in my ability to serve as an elected member of
government at the local level. It has been an experience worth
having. Thank you.
Kubby/ Thank you, Sue.
Pigott/ Congratulations.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#17a page 1
ITF~4 NO. 17a - REPORT ON
~TTORNEY.
a. City Manager.
ITEMS FROM THE CITY MB/~A~ER ~ CITY
Atkins/ Nothing, Mam.
Nov/ You don't want to tell us some dates for future meetings on
the budget. Somebody told me you were going to do that.
Atkins/ I just assume ngt do it. The late hour. I will call you.
You call me.-Particularly if there are some times you can't
meet call me or Marian.
Horow/ Marian has got the memo.
Thisrepresents onlyareasonably accuratetranscription ofthelowa City council meetlngofDscemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 18
ITEM NO. 19 -
(21
that the FY95 CDBG and HOME funds be reallocated to the
Housing for Working Singles project if the GICHF~Burns project
does not receive favorable Council action on the rezoning.
Comment: This proposal was presented at the November 20,
1995, Council work session. Staff will be seeking Council
.approval at a later Council meeting on this project.
b. Consider a recommendation of the Design Review Committee regarding
amendments to the Zoning Chapter clarifying the definition of time and
temperature signs.
Comment: At its November 20, 1995, meeting, the Design Review
Committee voted 7-0, to recommend approval of the amendments to the
Zoning Chapter clarifying the definition of time and temperature signs,
as proposed in the November 2, 1995, staff memo. Please refer to the
Planning and Zoning Commission Item 5m regarding this subject.
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE NEAR SOUTH/~IDE DESIGN
PLAN.
Comment: Earlier this year, the City Council hired the consultant Gould
Evans Assoc ates to prepare a design plan for the~Near South~ide Neighbor-
hood. The C ty Council formed the Near Soutl~ide Design'Plan Advisory
Committee to assist the consultant with preparing the design plan. No
comments were received at the November 21 public hearing on this item.
Action:
#19 page 1
ITEM ~O. 19 - CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE NEAR SOUTHSIDE
DESIGN PLAN.
Horow/ Moved BY Throg, seconded by Pigott. Any discussion?
Baker/ Sue, I would like to say something since we are adopting
this tonight and it is late but I would like to say something
nice about people. I think we need that. I would like to say
something nice about you, Jim and Bruno in particular. Of all
the details that went into this whole discussion of the South
Side, beginning- It was one of the first major issues on this
particular council and you three in particular, your ability
to compromise or work together that came a nucleus for all
sorts of other parts of the plan and I think that future city
councils will follow thorough on some of the ideas here and we
are able to develop these ideas somehow. I think that Iowa
City in the future will owe these three in particular a very
specific debt for helping get this thing passed and so I would
just like to say I appreciate your help on this.
Horow/ Thanks. Jim-
Throg/ A brief comment. First of all I would like to echo what
Larry just said and extend that as well. Al~o to note
something that I said last night. There was an article in one
of our local newspapers a few days ago about this Near South
Side Plan and unfortunately the article pretty much
trivialized the design elements of this plan. I think it
called it mere esthetics. And that is unfortunate because
there are quite a few really potentially quite wonderful
elements in the plan including what it calls green links, the
green links concept, having a boulevard that enables people to
cross Burlington Street; having five enclaves developed in the
area and also most importantly probably having a new civic
plaza down just south of the Johnson County Court House that
really could provide a wonderful focal point for the Near
South Side. So it is a good document. It provides a good
vision for the future and it is something we all worked on
pretty hard and I think the public needs to know that.
Pigott/ I agree. I would just like to echo both Larry and Jim and
say that Larry, your willingness to compromise was
extraordinary and it was great to work with all of you on this
project and it took a lot of compromise on everybody!s parts
and there was some stops and starts but eventually the council
found its way to supporting it and it is a better document
because of it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#19 page 2
Horow/ I think any major economic development investment has to
have that section of it that looks beyond the concrete, pardon
the bun, and this definitely does. The staff in. previous years
has come up with plans that are similar to this and when we
first started this Bruno and Jim had different ideas and it
has evolved. So I think-
Pigott/ Partly because of the rest of council willing to listen to
those ideas. That is really a great welcome.
Horow/ Thank you. Any further discussion? Roll call- (yes).
Resolution is adopted.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 19
ITEIV] NO, 20 -
~6- .35--/
ITENI NO. 21 -
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND AUTHORIZING
MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST CONTRACT I OF THE
WASTEWATER TREATMENT CONNECTION PROJECT, ALSO KNOWN AS
THE SOUTH RIVER CORRIDOR INTERCEPTOR AND RELIEF SEWERS
PROJECT.
Comment: This work involves the construction of the Interceptor Sewer
between the South and NorthWastewaterTreatment Plants. Approximately
11,000 feet of 96 inch and 8,000 feet of 84 inch concrete pipe will be
installed. Also included are relief sewers serving the Pepperwood neighbor-
hood and the Plum Street neighborhood. Funding for this project will be
provided by Sewer Revenue Bond proceeds. T. he bid opening was November
21, 1995, and the following bids were received:
Park Construction Company, Minneapolis, MN
Peterson Contractors Inc., Reinbeck, IA
Carl Bolander & Sons Co., Saint Paul, MN
McAninch Corporation, Des Moines, IA
Kenko Contractors, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Garney Companies, Inc., Kansas City, MO
Johnson Bros. Corp./Waster &
SCI Const., Litchfield, MN
BRB Contractors Inc., Topeka, KS
TJ Lainbrecht Construction, Joliet, IL
Super Excavators, Inc., Menomonee, WI
Kiewit Western Co., Omaha, NE
$12,760,812.00
$14,196,447.00
814,277,085.50
$14,304,906.00
814,613,552.61
814,865,954.O0
$14,867,305.OO
$16,685,167.00
$17,298,079.50
917,638,854.OO
819,530,307.50
Engineer's estimate 918,180,000.00
Public Works and Engineering recommend award of the contract to Park
Construction Company, Minneapolis, MN.
CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AN AGREENIENT
TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR THE SOUTH RIVER CORRI-
DOR/WASTEWATER TREATMENT CONNECTION PROJECT, IN LIEU OF
CONDENiNATION.
Comment: City staff has been negotiating with Kroezes for nearIv two
years, and now has a settlement agreement as approved by the City Council
in executive session.
#20 page 1
ITF2~ NO. 20
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT i OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT CONNECTION
PROJECT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE SOUTH RIVER CORRIDOR
INTERCEPTOR AND RELIEF SEWERS PROJECT°
Horow/ Moved by Kubby, seconded by Nov. Discussion.
Kubby/ I am very very happy to vote on this not only because the
price came in so well under the engineer's estimate but
because Park Construction Company is a union shop and the
reason that this is so-such a good thing, I believe, for the
community is really three-fold. When you go-when you are using
a union contractor, they go through the local union hall. You
got local labors Qho will be employed using your sewer rate
money that will then get reinvested back into the community.
Secondly, when you go through the union hall these individuals
who are being employed through the union hall have
apprenticeship programs who are ensured of a quality of work
that I believe in general is higher than a non union shop. And
thirdly, individuals going through the union hall get
healthcare benefits and that means that when the community is
doing this public project, people are making prevailing wage
which for this particular kind of work here, I believe also a
livable wage. And full benhies so that families being employed
for this project are self sufficient. I think all of those
things are very wrapped up together and a lot of times
projects come in even below what is estimated and on time.
Horow/ You know, as you said that about the health benefits, it
occurred to me that I have been on here long enough to have an
ordinance passed, if I am not mistaken, we had to adopt what
the OSHA new requirements for securing of trenches for the
safety of the people who are in. That wasn't here some years
ago. That is very interesting. Okay. Any other comments?
Throg/ Good job staff.
Horow/ Yeah, great.
Throg/ How did you do it?
Baker/ They overestimated.
Nov/ No, actually they didn't. There were plenty of estimates that
came in very close to theirs.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the iowa City council meeting of December 5, 199,5.
F120595
#20 page 2
Horow/ That is true. Roll call- (yes).
Thisrepresents only areasonsbly accuratetranscription of ~elowa City council meetingof DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#21 page
ITF~ NO. 2H
CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORI2ING EXECUTION OF AN
AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR THE SOUTH
RIVER CORRIDOR/WASTEWATER TREATMENT CONNECTION
PROJECT, IN LIEU OF CONDEMi~ATIONo
Horow/ Moved by Nov, seconded by Lehman. Any discussion?
Kubby/ And we are talking about the document that was put in front
of us tonight.
Nov/ We have a signed agreement. I think we have to pat Ernie
Lehman on the back. He worked hard on that.
Horow/ Thank you. Roll call- (yes). Resolution is adopted.
Thisrepresents only areasonebly accuretetranscdptlon ofthelowa Ciw c~ncll meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
Agenda
Iowa City City Council
Regular Council Meeting
December 5, 1995
Page 20
ITEM NO, 22 -
ITEM NO. 23-
ITEM NO. 24-
CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE Xll, ENTITLED "FRAN-
CHISES," OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OFTHE CITY OF IOWA CITY, TO
REPEAL CHAPTER 4 AND TO ADOPT A NEW CHAPTER 4 TO BE KNOWN
AS "CABLE TELEVISION FRANCHISE ENABLING ORDINANCE." {PASS AND
ADOPT)
Comment: The City and Cablevision VII, Inc., have reached tentative
agreement on the terms of a renewed Cable TV franchise. This enabling
ordinance is written to be consistent with the terms of the new franchise
agreement and should be adopted prior to approval of that agreement.
Council held a public hearing jointly with the Broadband Telecommunications
Commission on October 24, 1995, at which comments were received. On
October 30, 1995, the Commission met and voted 4-0 (Betty McKray
absent) to recommend adoption of this ordinance with certain minor
modifications.
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN AND THE
CITY CLERK TO ATTEST A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY
OF IOWA CITY, IOWA AND CABLEVISION VII, INC. TO OPERATE A CABLE
TELEVISION SYSTEM IN IOWA CITY.
Comment: See comment above. After the above ordinance is passed and
adopted, this resolution may be considered for approval.
Action:
ADJOURNMENT.
#22 page 1
ITEM NO. 22 --
CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE XII, ENTITLED
"FRANCHISES," OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY
OF IOWA CITY, TO REPEi%L CHAPTER 4 AND TO ADOPT A
NEW CHAPTER 4 TO BE KNOWN AS "CABLE TELEVISION
FRANCHISE ENABLING ORDINANCE°" (PASS AND ADOPT)
Horow/ Moved by Nov, seconded by Baker. Discussion.
Kubby/ I wanted to mention four things very quickly. One of them is
something I really don't like about the ordinance and the
other things are things I really do like about it. the thing
I don't like about it is that $10,000 filing fee that the
current franchise holder is exempt from paying. I understand
the reason why they are exempt. I disagree with them. I think
that if we are ever going to have competition that that just
makes it less likely that there would be any competition for
this non-exclusive franchise agreement. I have to pay a jury
fee for my art fairs whether I have been there twelve years or
one year and I just don't think it is fair that they should be
exempt from it. I think one of the very important things about
this ordinance that I am not sure we have talked about very
much is that in year #3 and year #6 there is a performance
review. And that modifications to this ordinance can be made
into the agreement can be made based on behavior and based on
state of the art improvements on technology that comes about
in localities similar to our own. SO I think it is a very
important to remember. There is provisions in the ordinance
for hiring locally in terms of the construction of the re-
build installation for services for operation, for
procurements and the forester is going to be involved in any
kind of trimming or construction within the r.o.w. and I think
that is a very positive improvement just to make sure that our
trees are maintained in the healthiest way possible through
the re-build.
Horow/ Thank you, Karen. Anyone else care to comment?
Pigobt/ I had mentioned last night possibility of asking BTC
Commission for to help us devise an ordinance referring to the
support we all share of PATV and I sensed and I guess we could
reconfirm it or not that there was a preference on the
council's part to wait for the negotiations and to establish
a contract with PATV, setting out a specific dollar amount in
that contract and that council felt more comfortable doing
that than agreeing to pass a resolution which would indicate
support for PATV at levels that it currently enjoys and i
wanted to say that as a frequent watcher of PATV, I support
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#22 page 2
PATV at its current levels and I think that is awfully
important to maintain its viability and its growth is
phenomenal and terrific. And I know that council members have
talked with Renee and other people on PATV have expressed
support in one manner or another but I wanted to make it
explicit that I do support that and that we did talk about
this last night. Council agreed that we would not change the
language and that we would not pass any further resolution but
that we would indicate at least individually support for PATV
and look forward to quickly negotiating a contract which
benefits the city and residents of PATV.
Horow/ Anyone else care to comment?
Throg/ I would agree.
Nov/
I think we said the contract will be negotiated through the
BTC Commission and PATV and the city council so that we could
get everybody involved.
Horow/ Anyone else care to comment?
Kubby/ I guess this isn't because actually we are talking about the
ordinance and not the agreement in that discussion.
Pigott/ I understand.
Kubby/ I will make further comments at the next item.
Horow/ Roll call- (yes). The ordinance is adopted.
Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscription ofthalowa Citycouncil meetingof December5,1995.
F120595
#23 page 1
ITEM NO. 23 ~
CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN
AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA ]%ND CABLeVISION
VII~ INC. TO OPERATE A C~%BLE TELEVISION SYSTEM IN
IOWA CITYo
Horow/ Moved by Kubby, seconded by Lehman. Discussion.
Kubby/ I have other lists of things I like and don't like. But if
other people have other things to say. I will start with the
negatives. Part of the reason I want to do this is for me it
clarifies for me why I am voting for this. but I think it is
also important because it is a ten year agreement that is
something that is becoming more and more important in our
society and that is television and so I think it is important
for us to explain what these agreements include. One of the
most frequent requests I get from people in the community
about cable vision is wanting specific channels and that is
not something that is in our purview. The federal cable act
prevents us from dictating what the specific channels are.
This agreement that we have negotiated does include a public
process for when TCI does decide which channels to add in the
re-build after two years. So I think that is about as good as
we could get with federal law and I think it is a positive
thing we negotiated. I think that we are really weak in the
outcome of the negotiations in terms of the institutional
network. That I wish we could have extracted more from the
cable company on that. We may get to the same results but we
are going to have.to pay for it if it is going to happen and
that could be big bucks but something that would be really
good for the community. I want to real quickly say what all
the money stuff is that is in the agreement. We are sticking
with the 5% franchise fee which at current levels brings in
$280,000 per year which currently our policy is to use that
money for cable services through the city. We negotiated a 50%
pass through and I am not sure what date that will begin. But
on your bill you most likely will see it as 50% pass through
or whatever it is going to be called. Oh, $.50 pass through on
your bill. I didn't mean to cause any heartache or high blood
pressure. $.50 pass through which adds up to $96,000 a year
with current levels and we also negotiated keeping moneys for
public access and the way it is worded currently and community
programming at $149,000 per year with an inflationary factor.
My concern with that last figure is that what that does is
have public access and community programming stay at its
current levels even with the inflationary factor and it may
even mean that it makes those moneys do less because currently
Thisrepresents only ereesonablysccuratetrenscription ofthelowa City council meeting of DecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#23 page 2
public access is in the public library and is not paying fair
market rent there as part of our contribution, part of our
involvement in these issues and that may or may not be true in
the future. So the moneys they have to work with to actually
have equipment, do training, do programming may functionally
be less in the future. I wish we could have negotiated that
number much higher, like may $ 1 million.
Horow/ Karen, let me ask you something on that particular issue
though. There isn't anything in this franchise that precludes
them from charging for the training for those citizens who are
not residents of Iowa City, is there?
Kubby/ No, not to my knowledge.
Horow/ So in other words, if the board works on their long range
plans, their strong suit is in the training. That they could
be possibly be looking for sources of income to supplement.
Kubby/ That is true and part of that $.50 pass through could be
part of that as well. What I would have-my ideal of this
language about public access and community programming would
have been to have only the language of public access be in our
agreement. But to have what public access means be very broad
and the reason I preferred that is because I agree with the
city reasoning to have 6ommunity programming in there in that
if unforeseen things happen in the next tens years and we are
not doing public access the way that the cable company defines
it, there is flexibility on how we use that money. I totally
agree with the goal. 'But there are things that aren't listed
in there that we may be doing that maybe the cable company
will give us problems with in terms of spending that money
like internet access or who knows the next technology, the
next wave presenting and producing local producing. And so I
like the idea of having one term but having it mean
everything. Things we know about and things we don't know
about. But we didn't decide to do that.
Horow/ But you also said the one good thing is that they can
reevaluate it within three years.
Kubby/ Right. We may or may not be able to change that language in
a future date. The other thing I hear a lot about from people
is I call on the phone and they don't answer or the phone line
is busy and in here we have some customer service standards.
So if people are having trouble getting through the way that
we can use that information in the tri-annual review times is
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
#23 page 3
for you to call our cable specialists in our cable office so
that we know that there are problems. We can document them in
a formal way so that we can use that as part of our monitoring
system.
Nov/ I have to clarify. we are not talking about PATV anymore. You
are talking about TCI.
Kubby/ Right. Thank you. And I hope that we can fix channel 12
because what has happened recently is that Iowa Public
Television is now on channel 12 and you basically can't see
what is going on there. So I hope that part of this rebuild
fixes that problem. I also want to express my support for
public access as a concept and public access television. In
particular in how you keep changing how you provide those
services to the community and would encourage us to not only
get a contract discussions started soon but feel that it would
only be appropriate to have a ten year contract with the
entity providing public access to the community versus say a
two or three year contract and having those same kind of tri-
annual reviews the same years we do it with TCI. That is what
I hope happens when we deal with a contract with PATV.
Horow/ Anyone else?
Pigott/ I would like to add, you know- So maybe people don't
understand to some extent the sort of negotiating posture that
the city has with any cable company. We are at a disadvantage
for the beginning on any negotiating profess. It is extremely
frustrating disadvantage as well and I just wanted to thank
Dale and Drew and all the people that worked so hard on the
renegotiation. It was a frustrating long process which I know
they expressed frustration with and they fought to get as much
money as we did and I am particularly happy that we had a $.50
pass through as well as the $149,000 and those things will
help our community and so I think we can be proud of some of
those things. I do wish it were stronger but I know that it is
a very difficult process and that the federal law allows cable
companies that sort of advantage in negotiations.
Horow/ Part of the negotiation was obviously the paper trail and us
going around to different groups. I know that Drew and I went
to Regina School Board and to the Iowa City School Board and
we even-I mean it was almost like we were bringing them
something that they were rally not aware of that they could
take advantage of. And I was very please to see in here the
free drops that include not only every single school within
Thisrepresents only areasonably accuratetranscrlption ofthelowa City counctlmeetlng ofDecemberS, 1995.
F120595
#23
page 4
Iowa City sites but Regina, Regina High School, Willow Wind,
Kirkwood Community College, the public buildings or civic
center, Senior Center, recreation Center, library, the fire
stations, the broadway Street Neighborhood center, Pheasant
Ridge Neighborhood Center and future neighborhood centers as
well as future access organizational sites. I mean that- You
know, I think the staff has done a tremendous job in terms of
responding to listening to the needs that came out of that
almost like a traveling road show of all right, we are on this
mode of refranchising, what is it that you need and I agree
with you. I think the staff really deserves a beck of an awful
lot of kudos for sticking with it. It was great. I also
appreciate very much the fact that this has in it a potential
for intercable connections. I think our metropolitan area each
of our cities really should be able to not only see what each
of us are doing but will be affected by this but also they now
have the ability to run us off if they want to have their
council meeting which I am sure they are glad for. But that
too is something that had to be explained very carefully and
urge that the cities or the other entities look at their own
franchise language so that they were assured that they had
that paragraph for intercable coordination just like we had
it. It has been a long time a coming. It really is I think
very well done. Any other comments? Roll call- (yes).
resolution is adopted.
This represents only e reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of December 5, 1995.
F120595
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
DATE: December 1, 1995
TO: City Council
FROM: City Manager
RE: Work 5ession Agendas and Meeting Schedule
December 4, 1995
6:00 P.M. -
6:30 P.M.
6:30 P.M.
7:15 P.M.
7:20 P.M.
7:50 P.M.
8:45 P.M.
9:00 P.M.
December 5, 1995
7:30 P.M. -
December 11, 1995
6:30 P.M. -
December 18, 1995
6:30 P.M. -
December 19, 1995
6:30 P.M. -
Monday
City Council Rules Coneittee - City Manager's Conference
Room
Separate agenda posted
City Council Work Session - Council Chambers
(TIMES APPROXIMATE)
Review zoning matters
Near South Side Redevelopment Plan
First Avenue Reconstruction Design Alternatives
Fringe Area Agreement Discussion
West High Driveway/Traffic Signal
Council agenda, Council time, Council committee reports
Tuesday
Regular City Council Meeting - Council Chambers
City Council Work Session - Council
Agenda pending
Chambers
Monday
City Council Work Session - Council
Agenda pending
Chambers
Monday
Tuesday
Regular City Council Meeting - Council Chambers
PENDING LIST
Appointments to the Historic Preservation Commission and the Parks and
Recreation Commission - January 16, 1996