HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-03-02 TranscriptionPage 1
ITEM NO. 2a. MAYOR'S PROCLAMATIONS.
(Mayor Pro tem Thomberry reads proclamation)
Marian Karr/Here to accept is Christine Riggs.
Christine Riggs/I'd like to thank the city council for allowing me to make a few brief
remarks this evening. I'm Chris Riggs, Chairperson of Daffodil Days, on behalf
of the American Cancer Society I would like to acknowledge the generous spirit
of this community in supporting our ftmdraising programs. As Mr. Thornberry
March 8-12 is our week to celebrate Daffodil Days, the Daffodil is the first flower
of Spring and the American Cancer Society has picked it as a flower of hope that
symbolizes our hope that a cure can be found. By City Carton Co. Inc.
generously underwriting this event, all monies raised through Daffodil Days will
support programs in our area that benefit our citizens and patients and their
families who are struggling with cancer. These programs are Reached to
Recovery, Look Good, Feel Better, I Can Cope and Kids Count Too and many
others. Funds raised also provide educational programs on detection and
prevention in the schools and at work sites. And finally a percentage of all money
raised goes to support cancer research, this fiscal year the University of Iowa
received grants totaling over $1.9 million dollars from the American Cancer
Society. Starting Monday March 8 we will be selling Daffodils, ten Daffodils in a
bouquet for $5.00 each at Mercy Hospital, Old Capitol Mall, Pleasant Valley, the
Downtown Mercantile Bank, two sites at University of Iowa Hospitals and
Clinics, the main lobby and the sky walk leading from Ramp 2 to the Colloton
Atrium, and at Coral Ridge Mall at the Mercy Kiosk. I want to thank you for
giving me this opportunity to speak and I want to thank the community for it's
past and future support.
Lehman/Thank you.
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meeting of March 2, 1999.
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ITEM NO. 2b. Breath of Fresh Air Days
Lehman/Our next proclamation is Breath of Fresh Air Days, the risk of incurring the
wrath of the Press Citizen who says this is a waste of time to read this, I think this
is a very good proclamation, I'm very proud to read it. (Reads Proclamation).
Marian Karr/Here to accept is Chris Squier and Kemp Kernstine.
Chris Squier/Mayor Lehman, city council, we thank you for this proclamation. My name
is Christopher Squier, I work at the college of dentistry, I work on the diseases of
the mouth, particularly oral cancer, and as you all know that's the disease very
closely associated with tobacco use. My colleague Kernstine is a lung surgeon, he
takes out a lot of lungs that also are the result of tobacco use. And apart from our
professional concerns about tobacco, our other lives we're both members of the
Johnson County Citizens for Tobacco Free Youth, a group, a grassroots group
started by Ilene Fisher, of whom many members are here in the audience, I'm
pleased to acknowledge them. And the proclan~ation as you gathered is really to
celebrate a rather important meeting that Dr. Kernstine has organized next week
March 12 which will be a meeting for researchers concerned about lung cancer, to
which Everett Koop a well-known surgeon general who stood up and made a very
strong case against tobacco and I think started the movement that we now see
finally bearing fruit will come to Iowa City to attend the meeting to address the
citizens of Iowa City and to meet with many children who will be brought in to
hear him speak. And I think this is an appropriate occasion to have a Breath of
Fresh Air to try and see if businesses, if our public places can be smoke-free for
that weekend. Perhaps the beginning of a trend, despite what the Press-Citizen
might say, a trend that will benefit everyone's health. And I'd like to ask Dr.
Kernstine to just tell you a little bit more because he is so intimately concerned
with this.
Dr. Kemp Kernstine/I brought my props, I don't know if you've heard about this before
or not. As a cardiothoracic surgeon I get to see the end result of this and I guess
that anything's that good you know everything draws it's own criticism and I
guess I am a little disappointed in the person who wrote that, I don't get the
feeling from the Press Citizen people that I talk with that their against this at all.
There's nothing but good from this. Being a person who treats the end result I get
to see the end and it's a devastation, you have to understand what it does to these
people and we're not here speaking against smokers, and I think that's what
people misunderstand. I'm actually representing my patients and I love my
patients, and that' s why I'm here. I feel that I'm trying to prevent future patients.
When I go on campus here and see people in-between the Pentacrest here going
from class to class, I see a lot of students that are smoking. And this is just a, I'm
seeing an increase just in the last four years, that's what my observation is. Well
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#2b
the data bears out, 40 percent of our undergraduate students at the University of
Iowa and this is a micro-cause of Iowa of 40 percent are smokers. If you had any
what the impact is going to be on our society. Right now it's 25 percent of the
general population so is that what our young are going to be doing? Do you
realize 400,000 deaths every year from tobacco, that's an incredible number.
That's more people than every man, woman and child in Des Moines. Can you
imagine that? 53,000 is nearly what our Iowa City population is and that's the
affect of secondhand smoke, this is an incredible disease and we are all victims of
it, the smokers, and the so-called nonsmokers, because frankly we're all smokers.
I go to Perkins restaurant here in town, I become a smoker at that point, somehow
over in the far end that smoke has an imaginary line that will is prevented from
coming over and affecting my children and their future. And we're all going to
pay the price. I brought some samples just to demonstrate how victimized we've
been. This is an advertisement, just to show you, this is an advertisement from
Look magazine, this is a doctor, smoke more Camel's, it kind of gives you the
impression that doctor's say this is what you should smoke, but that's what you
saw when you were younger, pick up a magazine, that's the icon that's in your
brain, that's what advertising companies wanted you to believe that this is what a
doctor wanted you to do. At this time the most common cause of death, an aid in
the 1940's the 1930's is smoke. Made you cough, there's your lung, hey must be
good, there's your lung, well that's the impression they wanted to give, wanted to
give you. This is from the 1970's, this is showing a young man, looks a little bit
of a nerd, has some glasses on, but he's got a lot of women around him, he's
smoking cigarettes. Gives you the impression that there's a lot of sex appeal with
smoking, well as a matter of fact the second most common cause of male
impotence is tobacco use. Well let's still smoke. This is a sample of a normal,
so-called normal lung, this person is not a person that worked (can't hear), this is
not a person that worked in the coal mine, yet we see blackened areas back in the
lymph noids, this person was exposed to tar, but this is what it looked like when
they are a smoker. (Can't hear) there's no reason for that. Do you realize it costs
our society $7.50 to 9.00 per pack of cigarettes. Well it doesn't cost that right
now does it? Perhaps it should. This is a sample of a lung that I took out three
weeks ago from a nonsmoker, her lung is black, she has emphazima, she was
affected by her coworker. This is outrageous, this shouldn't happen. So this
breath of fresh air days and what we're going to be talking about when Dr. Koop
comes here is this just the beginning and I'm hoping that council like yourself will
make decisions about their own regions and make proclamations and make
decisions that you can't smoke in a restaurant, you can't smoke in a bar. Be like
California, Arizona, New York City and Boston who are nonsmoking, you can not
go in a bar in Los Angeles and smoke and that's what I'd like to see happen in
this progressive community. Thanks very much.
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Dean Thornberry/I've got a question.
Kemstine/Good.
Thomberry/If you've been a smoker and you quit smoking do your lungs get better or do
they stay, they stay black.
Kemstine/No, they stay black forever. But your risk, it's somewhat like a holding a gun
to your head, each time you light up and take a puff from a cigarette, your firing
that gun, eventually it will discharge. And the thinking is when you look at this
epidemiologically after 15 years they say it goes back to the normal that your risk
of lung cancer will return to normal. But the normal population's risk for lung
cancer is higher than it should be. So I think you have a lifelong risk but you
keep adding this on to each cigarette and your going to continually increase your
risk. The risk for lung cancer in a smoker is 10 percent. The reason is they don't
live long enough to get cancer. They die of heart disease, emphazima, and
pneumonia and a variety of other illness, stroke etc.
Thornberry/It's better not to start.
Kernstine/It's better not to start and that's why we want to do something with our young.
Thanks.
Lehman/Thank you. We normally do not read proclamations for folks who are not in
attendance to receive them but the third proclamation is Children and Health Care
Week and I'm gonna accept this one on behalf of the kids. We don't have our
citizenship awards tonight and I think one of the best parts of our meeting is the
awards but I think this is a very proclamation. (Reads proclamation). And as a
grandfather I accept this on behalf of the children.
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ITEM NO. 3. CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS
PRESENTED OR AMENDED.
Vanderhoef/Move adoption.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, second by O'Donnell. Discussion. A couple items that
we probably should note for the audience in this. The Iowa River Dam renovation
project which is part of our water project was is setting a public hearing for that
for March 30, also a public hearing March 30 for storm water management for
Kiwanis Park. The setting and heating for the specifications and contract for the
addition to the civic center. Foster Road is a big big project both for our water
project and also for the peninsula project which will be coming up to us very
soon. Any further discussion?
Steve Atkins/Mr. Mayor I'd like to point out for the audience that I while we have
identified the Iowa River Dam and the water facilities sight associated with
Foster Road as being substantially water projects I think it's important to note the
recreational component that has been incorporated into both of those projects.
Lehman/Thanks. Further comments.
Vanderhoef/Could we just add the comment that the recreation part of the projects are
paid by?
Lehman/That will come out in the public heating.
Norton/Separately fight.
Vanderhoef/Yes.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 4. PUBLIC DISCUSSION (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA) (UNTIL
8:00 PM)
Lehman/We ask that if you'd like to speak you sign in, limit your comments to five
minutes or less and for the public's information this is not a public forum, we
accept comments from the audience, we do not necessarily concur or not concur
with them but certainly everyone is welcome to speak.
Bebe Ballantyne/I'm Bebe Ballantyne and I come before you to representing the senior
center commission. Mayor Lehman and city council I would like to report on the
last commission meeting a couple weeks ago. Among other things the
commission discussed ways to fund the building and the finishing of a much
needed additional center space in the avenue parking facility. We are exploring
the hiring of a fundraising consultant to analyze the potential success of a
commissioned fundraising effort. It was moved, the commission moved to
request that the city council include the sky walk connecting the avenue parking
facility with the senior center in it's final design regardless of whether the center
acquires additional space in the ramp. And also that handicapped parking be
available adjacent to the sky walk entrance. I think this is very important in view
of the fact that some of the handicapped people are rather fragile and even bad
weather means they have to assistance getting into the building and the band of
course some of those people carry things that aren't flutes such as batooba's and
so forth and if the wind catches one it's pretty difficult for an individual to
manage that from the parking lot up that ramp and into the building as it stands at
present, they need assistance. Item no. 3, timelines for amending and updating the
2e agreement were discussed, the commission voted that the that they would
reexamine and review all the issues of this agreement. As I understand it, this is
the agreement with the board of supervisors and the center and this is renewed
each year. The commission is very much interested in taking part in this review.
Number 4, a committee was formed to explore the issues between the senior
center and the senior dining program and a report will come back to the
commission. The council of elders is currently needing to fill six vacancies and
so their looking for volunteers. The city council members will receive an
invitation to the town meeting which will be held at the center on the 241h of this
month. And I would remind you that commission meetings are always open to
the public, the next meeting will be the 16th from 3:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon
and we would welcome anyone who feels like they would have time to come.
Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Vanderhoef/Did she what time the town meeting is?
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Kubby/What time is the town meeting?
Ballantyne/The town meeting I'm not sure it's I think 2-4 in the afternoon. You will get
an invitation so that will be clarified for you.
Lloyd Wannveer/Hi, I'm Lloyd Wannveer. I'm here to, for two things. I would like to
request that the city council review the $1.2 million dollars for additional
personnel that are in the budget that I believe is to be approved tonight.
Lehman/We've got, you would probably be more appropriate to discuss that when that
item comes up.
Wannveer/OK, that will come up.
Lehman/That will come up, public hearing on that.
Wannveer/OK. Another item I maybe it's on the agenda somewhere has to do with the
Press Citizen and the intervention by I believe the mayor and the water works
article. Is this appropriate time to discuss that?
Lehman/Certainly.
Wannveer/January 30th there was an article in the Press Citizen about the water projects
an ongoing very long-term project I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Within days the joumalist, Brian Sharp, was pulled off working city council duty
put on a far lesser job.
Lehman/He was pulled out long before that article but go ahead.
Wannveer/Whatever, he was pulled off, but certainly was not with the approval of the
Press Citizen, that has been very clear and the anger of the city council of that
article was very clear. Within days the entire quality of that newspaper changed
from the Press Citizen to Gannett who owns USA today. I believe that there was
intervention in this matter, it's been alluded to by the staff of the Press Citizen, in
any regard I'd like to request that the city council intervene in this matter and try
to have Brian Sharp reinstated as a reporter for the city government and city
council, he's done an excellent job, he's been punished it looks very clear that it's
on the water.
Thornberry/That's not true.
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Wannveer/This Press Citizen seems to think it's true.
Thornberry/No mam, that was a lateral transfer and he wanted to have more, I talked to
Brian about this and I know Brian pretty well and he wasn't pulled off, he wasn't
given a lesser deal, he wanted to report on the University of Iowa which is very
important to the city of Iowa City.
Wannveer/I don't believe that.
Thomberry/Well (can't hear).
Wannveer/I read it every day and it's very clear that the Press Citizen is very angry.
Norton/Then let them speak to it.
Norton/I think they ought to speak to that item then.
Lehman/I think they should speak to that.
Wannveer/Well that would be fine then I will.
Thornberry/You've got a Press Citizen reporter back there you can ask him about it.
Lehman/Well, that's, I think the best thing if you'd like to visit (can't hear).
O'Donnell/(can't hear)
Wannveer/And I would also like to say though that the Press Citizen isn't exactly free to
make it's objections known, it's owned by Gannett. And it must do what Gannett
says. And that the Press Citizen is not free to stand up for itself.
Lehman/Well, when you contact them ask them when Brian transferred to the University
and compare that date with the date of the water article and you'll find it was
probably two months earlier than that. I think that'll answer your question.
Kubby/Well and actually if their so controlled by Gannett which I think in some respects
they probably are, that intervention on our part even if made probably would be
laughed at.
Lehman/Yea.
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Norton/And we certainly don't.
Wannveer/You mean their defending the city council for you and without your.
Kubby/No, it's just that I don't know that they would that Gannett would care what the
city council thinks of (can't hear).
Wannveer/I don't think it does either which is why I'm bringing this up I don't think that
would have happened that whole objection to the water works and theirs no way
that the covering of the University of Iowa.
Norton/Yea, he went, he went before Christmas so.
Thornberry/Yea, yea.
O'Donnell/And we're all thrilled to death with our new PC reporter.
Wannveer/OK, I will reserve my future comments for the budget discussion. Thank you.
Lehman/All right, thank you.
Steven Kanner/Hi, my name is Steven Kanner, and I'm coming to you today as a sight
manager at Johnson County senior dining at the Iowa City Senior Center sight. I
just wanted to report a happy occasion that we celebrated today, one of our
longtime senior diners celebrated her 100th birthday, Mary Christenson whose
lived in Iowa I think since 1949. She moved into Ecumenical Towers when it
first opened and at the same time she started coming to senior dining, she's
currently living in a nursing home but she came today to celebrate her birthday,
and I just want to wish her an additional happy birthday.
Lehman/You can extend our good wishes from the council as well. Thank you Steve.
Kanner/Thank you.
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meeting of March 2, 1999.
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ITEM NO. 5a. PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS.
CONSIDER A MOTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH
30 ON A RESOLUTION ADOPTING AND INCORPORATING THE
NORTHEAST DISTRICT PLAN INTO THE IOWA CITY
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
Norton/Move to accept the heating.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Kubby/I had some concerns about this March 30th date because it's the same date as the
sales tax vote and didn't because this is such an important issue for many people
in the community I felt like there was a conflict in scheduling but we resolved that
kind of in saying that we will continue this public hearing. We didn't want it, we
actually talked for awhile about changing the date altogether but notification had
already been sent out electronically for a lot of the neighborhood associations and
their already kind of gathering their people and so we didn't want to change the
date so late so close to the date and so we are going to continue this public heating
to is it April 27
Vanderhoef/6th.
Lehman/6th.
Kubby/And then if we need to we can continue it again until I'm OK with setting, with
the date on this because of that contin, the plan to continue the public hearing.
Lehman/All in favor. Hearing is set.
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ITEM NO.5c. CONSIDER A MOTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR
MARCH 30 ON AN ORDINANCE CHANGING THE ZONING
DESIGNATION OF 2.78 ACRES LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST
CORNER OF DUCK CREEK DRIVE AND ROHRET ROAD FROM LOW
DENSITY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RS-5) TO SENSITIVE
AREAS OVERLAY/LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (OSA-5) TO PERMIT
A 14-UNIT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT (REZ98-0019)
Vanderhoef/Move to set the public hearing.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, second by Norton. All in favor. Public hearing is set.
Karr/Can we have a motion to accept correspondence?
Norton/So moved.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, second by O'Donnell. All in favor. Motion carries.
Kubby/And I would hope if we heard from citizens cause this is another issue where all
of other people are involved and have opinions on both sides that if we heard from
people, that it was inconvenient for them to participate at the council meeting
because they were participating in some other electoral local business, the sales
tax vote, that we would continue that as well.
Norton/Yea, this will go on till the 6th as well.
Kubby/Well it's not set that way.
Norton/It depends.
Kubby/But if we hear from people that we will feel flee to do that.
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ITEM NO. 5d. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING A PRELIMINARY
PLAT OF COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES FIRST ADDITION, A 10.4-ACRE
20-LOT RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION LOCATED AT THE WEST
TERMINUS OF PHOENIX DRIVE. (SUB98-0011)
Lehman/This was deferred on November 3rd due to some conflicts on the plat design, I
understand those have all been corrected.
Kubby/Move adoption.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, second by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Kubby/In the past we've heard from some neighbors about concerns about putting some
additional traffic onto Phoenix Drive and what we've done is saying that we're
going to approve this section of this development but we're not going to allow
any more development even in the current zoned RS-5 area until we get a concept
plan for the whole area and we can really look at how all the street system is
gouna connect so I'm glad we've kind of been in the position of saying that we
want to look at the whole concept before we do anymore approval.
Eleanor Dilkes/I want to clarify though cause we talked about that at the work session
last night, and Sarah and I did talk about it, I don't think we need to get into a big
discussion of what eloquent parts are but I think the bottom line is that that
concept would not allow us to condition approval of further subdivision on a
concept plan so while I think and Karin can probably tell you more about what her
discussions with the sub-divider have been I think that' s the intention we could
not condition disapproval of a, I mean we can not disapprove a subdivision plat
for that reason.
Kubby/For the, for the pans that are currently zoned RS-5 your saying?
Dilkes/Right. I mean zoning is another issue, I'm talking about subdivision approval.
Kubby/Right.
Norton/But we're still looking for mechanisms to accomplish that so we're not faced
with developing a small piece and then having the larger piece come in and find
some incompatibilities or things we didn't predict but it may be tough to put teeth
in that is that what you mean?
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Dilkes/I think that's the plan but the specific question as to whether we could deny a
subdivision plat because we didn't have the concept plan, the answer to that is we
could not.
Lehman/OK. Thank you.
Kubby/OK. At this point we just.
Robert
Hegeman/My name is Robert Hagman I own land adjacent to this development.
I'd like to say that as this process unfolded you hear many complaints about
planning and zoning, I found the planning and zoning department very respectful
of the process in which these conflicts were resolved and I'd like to express
appreciation to the city council and behalf and on your behalf also. I'd like to also
comment that I found the developer quite respectful in working with the adjacent
land owners in resolving the access dispute and also in providing seemingly
transition zones. So I'd just like to say thank you for the process.
Thornberry/That' s nice to hear.
Lehman/Thank you. Present discussion.
Kubby/So I guess what I'd like to hear from our legal department is what mechanisms do
we have when their are large tracks of land that are zoned a certain way and one
person owns them to require or to have some teeth behind the idea of a larger
concept plan. That's not something that can be answered tonight but I think we
need to understand that better, it seems to be something that's desirable to do and
proven on our part.
O'Donnell/Good point.
Norton/I would certainly support doing that, we've got several situations in front of us
and we've considered several in the past where that gets to be a real problem and I
would certainly support looking further in methods for getting a better handle on
looking at the larger picture so we don't look at things in such isolation.
Champion/I agree but isn't most of this land not served by sewer and water.
Lehman/Yea, I think we discussed the plats on that, but I think.
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#5d
Kubby/But they could choose to even though it's not on our capital improvements
program the developer could choose to make those investments himself and go
forward and if they thought it was marketable and worth the money they could do
that.
Lehman/Karin.
Karin Franklin/There is language within our subdivision ordinance and within the state
subdivision code the chapter that pertains to subdivision about good platting and
logical growth and the continuous streets and those kinds of things that you look
at when your looking at a subdivision plat and so in most instances, in fact I can't
think of instance in which we have not had the cooperation of developers as we've
tried to work through these issues to look at what is going to happen next beyond
their particular piece of property or on their property in its entirety. And if we
feel that the platting which they have proposed is either ambiguous or doesn't
provide for the logical continuation of community I believe we can under those
platting guidelines at least question the plat now when we got fight down to the
right of denial we'd have to be very careful.
Kubby/We'd have to do it at the preliminary plat stage.
Franklin/Yes we definitely would have to do it at the preliminary plat stage but there is
such a thing as good platting practices and there is some language in our code
about that as well as the state code.
Kubby/So there's some level.
Franklin/So there's some level but I think if if we got right down to it of denial we'd
have to be very articulate about what the denial was about and it could not be
ambiguous or amorphous we'd just have to we'd have to be very specific about
that.
Dilkes/I think if the lack of a what your calling concept plan, or the lack of platting of the
surrounding area causes ambiguity with respect that are within your pervue when
it comes to a subdivision plat such as infrastructure and that kind of thing then I
think you would have as Karin said some grounds for for denial. But if the only
issue is that they've not, I mean there are no infrastructure issues and this plat
looks fine and all they've not done is told you what their gonna do with the rest of
their land then I don't think you can deny it in that.
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Norton/Well the question that arises for me in particular is in this case or in related cases
is the road situation that is where the layout of main roads and a small road is laid
out and suddenly because a large road comes in later then you've got a mismatch
and that's what I'm trying to anticipate and some of that should be considered by
considering the comp plan shouldn't it?
Franklin/Yes and as we do the district plans and various portions of the city we'll have
that laid out a little bit more precisely as you will see with the Northeast district
plan. Now we haven't done the Southwest district plan yet it's one that's on the
list but we'll get there. I mean I would just note too that in working with this
developer we've had a very good experience, he's been very cooperative with
working with us and taking ideas and trying to work through them so I don't
anticipate a problem here but it is for more general discussion as to what we can
do or can't do.
Councilman/Good.
Lehman/Thank you Karin.
Dilkes/We can I mean we can do such a memo to you if your interested in just the
principles if you need them to be defined.
Mike Speer/Hi, good evening, I'm Mike Speer, I'm here on behalf of S & J Development
and I'm kind of the project manager on this development so I can answer any
questions you may have. We just recently met with Scott Kugler and Bob Miklo
and had a pretty good meeting I thought, we've had a kind of a concept plan on
the whole thing which had some good things in it and had some things that we
really didn't like as developers and that the staff didn't really like so we've hired a
planner whose now up on a private sector, was a planner for 25 years for 3
different cities and I think we've made some real good progress in the last
meeting and had a great I know Bob and Scott really like the street layout. We
still have some issues as far as you know the overall density and things like that
but overall I think we're making pretty good progress now. If you guys have any
questions I'd be happy to answer them.
Lehman/My understanding is that all of the difficulties associated with this particular
plat had been resolved, is that not correct.
Speer/I believe that to be correct.
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#5d
Lehman/I think it is.
Kubby/And you all don't have plans to do any development until that concept plan is
cornplete?
Speer/Correct. Yea.
Kubby/Thank you for stating that.
Speer/And we're gonna wait for some feedback and there's some questions as far as
Slothower Road whether it's what it's gonna be called so we're gonna wait for
that feedback and then and then once we have another meeting with the staff then
we're hoping to meet again with the neighborhood and get their feedback as well.
Kubby/I may assume that they've gotten the our good neighbor policy.
Speer/I don't know, we're practicing it I think I don't know if they've gotten it or not.
Thornberry/That's great.
Kubby/But it has some specific ideas on how to incorporate the neighborhoods feedback
and concems and they might have some good ideas for you from living there on
the front end of these concepts and specific plan. If you don't have it ask
planning for it.
Speer/OK I will. Thank you very much.
Norton/Your probably aware that one of our concems was that Phoenix Drive might as if
it were extended west it intersects Slothower and before Slothower was extended
south or even afterwards their might tend to be a cut through for Phoenix to end
up Slothower to hit Melrose eventually I mean that was the kind of thing we were
worried about.
SpeeW
And I think a lot of that goes to what what we end up doing, what you guys end up
having us do with Slothower but I know that they meeting with the traffic
gentleman I can't remember his name now but that was a big concern too, he
didn't want, he didn't want, he wanted a connection over to that which would
probably be barricaded for now but didn't want any cut through streets cause
obviously that is a problem I think that's the one thing about that area is you do
have to kind of get to the interstate you kind of got to go aways so that would be a
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natural cut-through. And we are gonna, our intention is to develop from some of
the concerns on traffic is to try to get another connection down to Rohret although
we'll have some big expense getting there but it'll be better off on the whole
project so that's our intention.
Lehman/Thank you.
Norton/And you've got some comers in street to don't you in Phoenix you've got some
twists and turns?
Speer/Twists, yea Phoenix actually I think stops in this phase, I think I don't think it
continues through. Thank you.
Lehman/Further discussion. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO 5e. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING A FINAL PLAT OF
HOLLYWOOD MANOR, PART 6, AN 8.32-ACRE, 24-LOT
RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF
SYCAMORE STREET SOUTH OF BURNS AVENUE. (SUB98-0028)
Thornberry/Moved adoption of resolution.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, second by O'Donnell. Discussion.
Thornberry/In voting on this does that change the name or not change the name of that
street, Wetherby Drive?
Kubby/It means the name is what.
Lehman/My understanding is as it is presented it includes the name Wetherby Drive.
Norton/Yes.
Thornberry/OK.
Lehman/In order for it to be changed to Lakeside we require an amendment on the part
of the council.
Vanderhoef/OK. I move to amend that we accept this final plat subject to the change of
Wetherby as recommended by staff, I like the name Wetherby Drive and it
occurred to me in conversation with Steve this afternoon that the east-west
parkway might be well-named Wetherby.
Lehman/Did we have a motion? We need a motion
Dilkes/We need to have a motion to approve.
Lehman/We need a motion to approve this before we can amend it.
Champion/I vote to approve.
Karr/It's already on the floor, Thornberry and O'Donnell moved to approve.
Lehman/We've got it OK I'm sorry. Motion by.
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#5e.
Vanderhoef/To amend.
Lehman/Motion by Vanderhoef to amend changing the name to Lakeside from
Wetherby. Is there a second?
Kubby/Second.
Lehman/Second by Kubby. Discussion.
Thornberry/Well I think it ought to be Wetherby Drive which would take it to Wetherby
Park and it would be a natural name for that so.
O'Donnell/I think it's a wonderful chance to accent Wetherby Park, we could have
Wetherby Drive, Wetherby Lane, Wetherby Circle. This is a chance, this road
goes fight into the park, it's separated by Sycamore Street, I understand the fire
and the police department have no problems with it, so I really don't see a
problem with this and I will support Wetherby.
Norton/I think the public can understand where this is a case where Lakeside intersects
this Sycamore, and then fight opposite where this street begins normally thought
to be the continuation of Lakeside but because this street doesn't go any further at
the moment heads toward Wetherby park it seems to me coming down Sycamore
it would be logical if your toward, go on Lakeside toward the lake, and Wetherby
toward Wetherby Park, so I'm gonna support the Wetherby name.
Champion/So am I.
Kubby/Yea I support Dee Vanderhoef's motion because Lakeside Drive is gonna cross
Sycamore and on a 90 degree intersection is gonna go across Sycamore and be the
same street and it makes no sense as to have a different name for that street even
though it's going to Wetherby Park and I think all your arguments Mike are good
but just not for the street that there are other streets in the southeast section of
town that are go into the park, towards the park, around the park, and even though
fire and police say it's OK I don't think it's ideal and I think those values can be
lived out in that area on another street and that it just causes confusion, there are a
lot of kind of confusing intersections and streets in this town and I don't think we
should create another one so I will strongly support the motion.
O'Donnell/Well I understand what your saying Karen but it is a new street, it's not, we
aren't, it's a new street, it's newly constructed and it will accent a park which a
road runs fight into and.
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Kubby/But it isn't.
O'Donnell/I'm still gonna support Wetherby.
Vanderhoef/It's a continuation of a street, is what it is, it's a continuation directly west of
Sycamore (can't hear).
Norton/That a. My, the great part of (can't hear).
Vanderhoef/It's one of those things that I see it as setting a precedence and it leads to
another concem for me in giving direction around town, this has not been done,
this is not the practice that we have had in the last 50 or 60 years of naming streets
that stop at one intersection and change names. It gets terribly confusing for
anyone that's here.
Norton/Mayor, Dee it's (can't hear).
Thornberry/It's done all over town and it's done, and it's.
Vanderhoef/It's not been done in recent years.
Thornberry/I'm sorry but across the street, directly across the street from Dubuque Road
is Captain Irish Parkway or Scott Boulevard and it's directly across the street. It
intersects at First Avenue, at North Dodge and it's a new street.
Norton/Yea, Burlington turns into Grand Avenue suddenly.
Thornberry/That's a different name.
Vanderhoef/That's that's (cant hear).
Kubby/It doesn't mean we should.
(can't hear)
Champion/I move that we vote.
Lehman/I don't think anybody's gonna change everybody's mind. All in favor of the
amendment say I. (Ayes: Vanderhoef, Kubby. Nays: other 5) Amendment is
defeated, is there further discussion on the motion?
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Champion/Mr. Mayor I move we vote on the motion.
O'Donnell/I second it.
Karr/You don't, it's already on the.
Norton/It's already there.
(can't hear).
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
Karr/Can we have a motion to accept correspondence?
Thomberry/So moved.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, second by O'Donnell. All in favor.
(99-35 New Tape)
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Motion carries.
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ITEM
NO. 7. PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND
ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY
TRANSIT METHANE ABATEMENT PROJECT, PHASE 1,
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.
Lehman/Public hearing is open.
Kubby/I have a question for Joe that I've already asked him but I want him in public to
answer and that is there's some possibility of using this methane instead of just
disbursing it into the air burning it off actually use it for some heating capability
in the transit facility, and could this project incorporate that?
Joe Fowler/Yes, once this phase is complete they'll be able to determine the exact
amount of methane that can be drawn from under the building and at that point
they'll be able to determine what the best way to dispose of it was would be. And
so far the options that we've been given are would be to let it escape into the
atmosphere, to burn it off, to capture it and use it at the facility, or to capture it
and transport it to another place that was using methane. And that will be able to
be determined once this phase this done and we can determine just how much gas
we can get out from underneath it.
Kubby/Thank you.
Norton/Joe, while your there, does the amount of methane continue to be generated but
the amount will taper off gradually over time I assume?
Fowler/Eventually it will, but we don't have a time and table on how fast.
Norton/You don't know that until you get in there and get the rate.
Thornberry/The location of that methane is probably many many (can't hear).
Norton/Well, a lot of us when they were landfill, I mean what we're talking about.
Thomberry/That' s fight.
Steve Atkins/You know it might be helpful Joe to just briefly describe that our fact that
our what will be called our bus barn where it's built and what the circumstances
are that cause this.
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Fowler/It is built over an old landfill that wasn't burned it was just filled over and so
there 's a lot of decomposition underneath and that' s been the cause of the
problem.
Kubby/If people didn't use so many plastic bags to encapsulate their garbage.
Fowler/Yes.
Lehman/This is 80 percent funded by federal transit money so even though it's an
expensive project, 80 percent of it is gonna be paid for by federal transit money.
Fowler/Yes.
Champion/I have a question about the (can't hear) release into the air, is there going to
be an odor problem at that end of town?
Fowler/Yes. If there was a large quantity of methane and it was release into the air there
would be an odor problem and that's what we would anticipate but we just had to
list it as one of the options to be explored.
Champion/OK. But that's not what your planning really of doing.
Fowler/No. No. That's just one of the options.
Lehman/Anyone else like to speak? Public heating is closed.
Thornberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Kubby/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry, second by Kubby. Discussion. Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 8. THE FILING OF THE CONSOLIDATED TRANSIT FUNDING
APPLICATION WITH THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION FOR FY2000 IOWA DOT STATE TRANSIT
ASSISTANCE AND FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION FUNDING.
Lehman/This is a public hearing and it is open.
Kubby/We got a new memo tonight in our plate to pass a new (can't hear).
Karr/You got a revised resolution and a memo (can't hear).
Vanderhoef/The resolution just makes it clearer I think what we were talking about last
night.
Lehman/Right.
Vanderhoef/It was still the operating funds to be received on the percentage base.
Kubby/But there are a couple of new items too, aren't there Kevin? There are two items
on the bottom.
Kevin Doyle/Yea, I inadvertently left out the last two projects were carry-over projects
from last year that weren't funded, the bas washer and cleaner, and the steam
cleaner at the transit facility were projects from last from FY99 or FY 98 that we
carried over. And that's why we had to in order to get it all consistent we
submitted to the state they always give us stuff like that so I checked with Marian
and we just revised the in the resolution the amount where it's a statewide federal
capital assistance for transit that number was changed but besides that there
wasn't any other change in the resolution or the dollar amounts.
Kubby/Thanks for catching that now instead of later and not have the opportunity to.
Doyle/(can't hear) had to go back and we had to rescind the old (can't hear) and do
another one.
Norton/What if this would have happened, Kevin I understand this is we're in here only
because there's only an off chance that some fund might be available.
Doyle/The parking facility.
Norton/Yes.
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Doyle/Oh what their looking at now and they've done in Sioux City the last two years
they've looked at phasing in some of the larger capital projects with some kind of
a promise for like 3 years or 4 years with the funding and then kind of divide it up
over several years so you wouldn't actually be able to do it maybe until the 4th or
5th year.
Norton/So no matter what happened there wouldn't be anything happening here before
4-5 years.
Doyle/
Oh probably not but I don't know because it's all discretionary money at the
federal level so we're gonna, or Ron's going to be going out to Washington with
the Iowa Public Transit Association members and they try to lobby the federal
government with the senators and congressman to get projects for Iowa. And we
have been pretty successful in the past until Senator Harkin moved off the
transportation and appropriations committee so it's been a little, the last couple
years it's been (can't hear) a lot less than we've had before that but we're grateful
for whatever we can get from congress. Any other questions about nay other
projects? Like I said in the bottom the inclusion of the projects in the application
in the transportation improvement program doesn't necessarily guarantee funding
but they have to be there in order to get them so that's why we have to have them
in there.
Lehman/Thank you. Discussion. Roll call.
Karr/Could we have a motion?
Thornberry/Move adoption.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Move by Thornberry, second by Vanderhoef. Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 9. THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING
JUNE 30, 2000.
Lehman/Public hearing was held on February 23 that public hearing is continued to
tonight. Public hearing is open.
Don Yucuis/I just wanted to point that we have reduced a couple line items in this budget
and also reduced the tax rate so the final tax rate being proposed is 13.85073
which is a 20 cent decrease from the original amount proposed in the public
hearing. We reduced debt service, property taxes and debt service expenses by
$350,997 and that'll bring that down, bring the expenses down and also will bring
the tax rate down. I just wanted to point that out before we finished the public
hearing.
Lehman/OK.
Champion/So that' s a new rate?
Yucuis/Correct.
Champion/A brand new rate from since the last time we (can't hear).
Yucuis/Correct. We had pointed that out at the public hearing last week but I wanted to
make sure that that was stressed that's the final rate being proposed.
Lloyd Wannveer/I would like to request that the additional personnel charges, personnel
expenses that are included in this budget be reviewed and deleted in order to keep
the property tax rate down. It appears that by the year 2002 just with the tax
current tax rate there would be an increase of about 15 percent and I'm assuming
that that' s with the same rate that Mr. Yucuis just gave us, I talked to him on the
phone. I think the what I see is that time is rollback the state rollback being tied
to agricultural property values are falling. And that puts people at risk of having
an even greater increase than what's proposed. In addition we have a property
revaluation coming up and this new rate would be imposed against that greater
valuation of property so that people's total property taxes could increase
significantly more than this rate increase indicates. I've looked at the, you know
it's difficult to tell just from a printed budget the urgency that's felt behind some
of these proposed personnel increases but looking at it I didn't see that urgency
that the biggest problem, the biggest expense is in the police. There was an article
in the Press Citizen today that the court's are so overloaded with cases they can't
even handle what they have, if we increase police, we increase they've got to keep
busy, their gonna go out, I'm sure they'll find trouble. Especially when the
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thresholds of what constitutes trouble keeps going down. Need is a matter of
prospective, I would suggest that we look and see ifthat's really an absolute
necessity, I don't see that it is. And necessity is relative to the ability of the
people who live here now to be able to afford it and what I see is a big risk ahead
that many people in Iowa City could lose their homes because they can't afford to
pay their property taxes and that would be a shame and I'm sorry that their not
here, I don't understand except it's difficult to fair it out the full picture you have
to do some digging and exploring and most people don't so I ask that I in my
request to be considered for all those who haven't done their homework and aren't
paying attention cause their not here. Thank you.
Lehman/For your information even, this budget has got to be certified I believe by the
15th of March, the city can go down in any expenditure after a budget is approved
or certified, they just can not go up. So even though if we vote tonight to certify
the budget at the amount that has been presented any item in that budget can go
down, the total budget can not go up. Speak into the mic. That would be
determined by the council as items come up but the council could conceivably
change, and their are invariably there are items that occur during the year but we
do have budget amendments, if things have to be changed but we do have to
certify a budget by the 15th of March which is.
Wannveer/So in order for me to follow through with this I would have to keep tabs on
the agenda, each personnel increase individually in order to try to keep that
contained?
Kubby/Although we don't vote.
Norton/(can't hear).
Kubby/That's true for capital projects but for employees once we certify this budget
that's a que to Steve to be at the appropriate time to hire them, each individually
don't come to us.
Norton/They won't come back no.
Kubby/So I guess I would disagree with (can't hear) a little bit about his response to you
that entertain this budget, we are indeed Oking the outline of new employees and
the ball is rolling.
Lehman/A no, no, but Karen your right
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Wannveer/I agree, I agree, I'm not reassured, it's in the budget, ifit's in the budget to be
approved what I'm asking is that it not be approved.
Vanderhoef/But remember.
Wannveer/For the protection of the people who live in this community.
Vanderhoef/This budget does not take affect until July 1 so if there was an outcry of
citizens that said we don't want that many policeman and we don't want to spend
that kind of money, there would be time for a budget amendment before the hiring
started.
Lehman/Although I must say realistically the council has discussed the police issue I
think rather extensively and the concurrence of the council is that this probably is
something the city shouldn't be (can't hear).
Norton/The um.
Wannvee~ That you should go with.
Norton/I believe that.
Warmveer/That's why it's in the budget.
Lehman/A pretty good, and that did receive a fair amount of discussion on the part of the
council.
Norton/A lot.
Wannveer/Well it may be, I'm sure that there's many things that can be justified like
making Iowa City a smoke-free environment but on the other hand there's always
that counterbalancing factor and the counterbalancing factor here is that the tax
picture, it looks very bleak, very risky and a lot of people in Iowa City could lose
their homes. And I don't think it's responsible, I mean I believe that this council
represents the citizens that are here now not the ones that may profit from the
exodus of those who cannot afford to pay their property taxes. You have a large
elderly population here I don't think that it's a trivial problem. I don't think that
it's responsible you know, we're talking about three factors that can converge here
and cause a real difficulty for the people and we know that the rollback situation,
the agricultural property values I mean this is national news, the difficulty of
farmers dropped in property values, there is no indication out there that this is
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going to change. Now those rollbacks are tied directly to property values, those
property values go down, the percentage of property values that is taxed goes up,
proportionately one to one relationship. We have a property valuation, a new
property valuation coming up. Now what if there's a 20 percent increase in
property values across the board or even more? Do you have any idea what that' s
gonna be and has it been considered? And then look at the tax rate and the burden
of property taxes that this is gonna be this is going to place on the community.
Think that if that has not been fully considered then I urge this city council to
drop this item and reconsider that carefully.
Norton/Let me, it has been, it has been considered now, we don't know what exactly the
reevaluating, but of course if that were to be the case, we're to come in with
values higher then the rate could be reduced in the next budget so that.
Wannveer/So the next budget 2004?
Norton/Well no, no, no, next year.
Lehman/2001.
Norton/In fact those rates are not going to affect for a year so the next time we could
adjust the rates so we're not going to get caught in that.
Wannveer/Well I keep I keep heating that this doesn't really mean anything, that's what
in this budget doesn't really mean anything. We can always go back and change
it.
Norton/No no, I'm just saying we could adjust the rate in another year if the valuations
went up substantially so that it wouldn't have that double whammy that referring
to.
Wannveer/And still play the debt service.
Vanderhoef/We're only voting on one year even though we have a tentative plan out
there for the year 2004.
Wannveer/Right, did you very likely?
Vanderhoef/But we're only voting on the one year fight now and that's the only tax rate
we can set right now.
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Wannveer/But if you vote in $1,280, 600.00 in additional personnel expenses with this
budget your voting in I believe it's 72 percent, 72 cents of that 13 whatever levy,
property tax levy and your not going to be able to go back on that, your not going
to be able to fire them. You know, I understand that you've already issued made
a 9 million dollar bond issue, now you can't go back on that. But you can change,
take this out these personnel costs out of this budget.
Thornberry/(can't hear)
Wannveer/And protect the property owners in Iowa City I think it's the responsible thing
to do.
Thornberry/I don't think we can afford to take this, I don't think we can afford to take
the personnel out of the budget.
Wannveer/You don't think you can afford to take it out?
Thornberry/I don't think we can afford to take them out of the budget.
Wannveer/You can't afford to take them out?
Thornberry/That's correct. I think we need the police officers in Iowa City and if I
didn't think that we did need them and get and be ahead of the curb or at the curb
I sure don't want to be behind the curb as some communities are now. I think we
can afford them, I think we need them and I think now's the time to have them
before things get out of hand.
Wannveer/I don't think you can afford them. I can't, you can't afford them.
Thornberry/Oh yes we can.
Wannveer/The Johnson. No.
Thomberry/Yes we can.
Wannveer/You might be able to.
Thomberry/Yea we can.
Wannveer/But the citizens of this community.
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Thornberry/I'm a citizen of Iowa City.
Norton/We're making an adjustment for it.
Thornberry/(can't hear) and we can't afford not to have them.
Wannveer/You can afford a possibly 25 percent increase in property taxes in the next
three years.
Thornberry/I don't think there's gonna be a 25 percent increase in property taxes (can't
hear).
Wannveer/There' s very possibly could be, there very well could be. And will you
increase the police what you get in this training officer, we're gonna get the
SWAT teams, and the black leather boots, and the full reggae but that's what's
happening.
Thornberry/Is that right?
Wannveer/Excessive police, too many police out looking for trouble doing the storm
trooper thing because that's what their trained to do and they don't have anything
else to do.
O'Donnell/There's a difference between out looking for trouble and enforcing the law
and that's that's our intention. I mean we're.
Lehman/Yea,
O'Donnell/We're totally against what your speaking about but you do have to enforce
the law and you have to be concerned about the well being and the safety of the
citizens.
Wannveer/Well as, law is a big problem but did you see the Press Citizen article this
today in Johnson County, they can't handle the cases they have and you want to
give them more. You know you have to look at the whole picture.
Lehman/Well Lloyd I think we have we understand your concern about personnel, I
think whether or not it's pro or con police is not gonna be a discussion that we're
going to come to any resolution on but we do hear your concern about the cost for
personnel.
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Wannveer/OK. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Don Yucuis/I just wanted to point out one clarification, regarding the FY2000 budget
which is what we're recommending being approved tonight. The reevaluation
that's in process would affect the FY2001 budget and there's many factors that go
into taxable value calculation that we do each year. One of them is revalue, one
of them is rollback, one of them is state utilities or the utility valuation that the
state does, one of them is TIF values, one of them is military credits, there's many
things that go into calculating a tax rate or a taxable value and revalues may look
like they go up significantly and the last not revalue like your doing tight now
which is once every 15 years. The last revalue we had was (inch of values, can't
hear) went up 8.6 percent. A taxable value on a residential value only went up
1.36 percent. And you take into account the rollback so even though people see
that values go up when they get their reevaluation from the city assessor you have
to take into account what is the rollback gonna be on those residential properties
so, but a lot of people get upset when they get their revalue because they think
their taxes are going to go up the same amount and that usually doesn't happen.
Kubby/And we won't know what that is until much closer to budget date of each year to
know what the actual state rollback will be whether it will be less or the same or
more.
Yucuis/Usually the final value is in December, so we got our final rollback number close
to the end of December and our final utility numbers from the state I believe was
January 1. So we had all of our numbers finally by January 1, we were able to
calculate everything in our tax rate for this year.
Lehman/Thank you Don. Anyone else want to speak before we close the public heating?
Public hearing is closed.
Norton/Move adoption of resolution.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, second by O'Donnell. Discussion by Council.
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Kubby/I have a few comments. And this is always amazes me cause of one vote we are
saying aye or nay to this whole plan for a year and hundred's and millions of
dollars to be funneled in certain directions and that I feel kind of sheepish about it
but I guess it doesn't matter that I always have a few comments to make about the
budget cause it just doesn't seem reasonable to not say anything about the budget.
And in every budget there are things you like and things you don't like about the
budget, but usually I have come to the conclusion that I support in general and I
support the underlying assumptions behind it and therefore even though I'll vote
for it even though I don't like those certain things and I usually outline what those
things are. I just wanted to start off my comments by talking about a few things I
really like about the budget and a couple of things I have concerns about and then
talk about some underlying assumptions about this particular budget that I have
some concerns about. Two of the things I really like about the budget both have
to do with how we deal with people who do the work of the city that help make
the budget happen. That makes the budget translate into services and work. And
to one of these things is about this small trend of deprivatization I know Steven
Kanner said something about during the public hearing last week in that with
some inspectors and some library custodial work we are finding that it's either
cheaper or and/or we get a better product by having city workers do that work and
I'm very much in favor of that kind of deprivatization. And the second small trend
is that last year we did it with one position and this year we're doing it with
another is taking a temporary position and making them permanent positions. Not
necessarily full-time but I think those are really excellent trends. I just wanted to
mention those two things. There are a couple things that consistently bother me
about the budget every year and one of them is is the continued lots of money to
the airport, I'm not going to go into details cause people kind of know my stance
about not wanting to invest in our general aviation airport. But the one that many
of us talk about every year but we don't really see much change in the process is
the money for ICAD. Now the city gives money to private organizations that deal
with economic development or quality of life issues. It's not an unusual thing for
us to do, what's unusual about this that ICAD which is Iowa City Area
Development Group, doesn't basically have any accountability or doesn't even
have to come in front of us to ask for the money and that a lot of the other private
groups like the Johnson County Historical Society, The Arts Fest, The Jazz Fest,
the human service agencies that are private. Agencies need to show us what their
doing with our money and what we're getting for our money and make some and
their kind of accountable to us, they have to look at us in the face and just talk
about their activities. And so just reading, I mean I can read the report but I feel
like ICAD should have to come in front of us and just talk to us about what their
doing. Some of these other groups are maybe getting $4,000 ICAD's getting
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close to $60,000 and they don't even have to show up and so I think they should
have to show up (can't hear). There was one year where we had some meetings
with ICAD, I think they were good, they helped us all know what they were doing
and I think that's a positive thing.
Lehman/Karen, I don't, I hate to interrupt you I have just received and we have I have
asked that they do report to us soon.
Kubby/I think that's a good thing, and that it should not be upon request I think they
should, it should be mandated just like with all those other private agencies that
get money from us. But really much more important to me and I'm feeling a little
nervous about this because it has never crossed my mind to vote no on a budget
before and I'm gonna vote no on this budget and so I want to take a few minutes
to try to explain why. And it's not about specific things, it's about some
underlying assumptions that are the foundations of this budget. And so if you'll
bear with me I'll try to be concise and direct. And I'm specifically talking about
the general fund part of our budget which comes from property taxes it's that
section of the budget that 31 million dollars that comes from property taxes
whether you own your property or rent your property your paying them. And it is
what we have the most discretion about. And it seemed that this year we have
more money in our general fund than usual or that what we expected in earlier
three-year plans and so I started looking about where is that money coming from.
One of that is from the rollback being a little higher and so the taxable values are
higher. We don't have direct control over that so I don't want to focus on that but
the other one is something we do have control on and that is what I in my head I
call the 94 percent factor. And that is that in years past we budgeted a 100 percent
of employee cost and because there's always turnover and in our community we
have less turnover than many organizations. That we don't, we started going to
98 percent of employee budget line items because we found that with that
turnover you've got some time in there between when someone leaves our
employment and the new person is hired and their on board, they might be a lower
salary so there's this little fudge factor in there and that's a reasonable thing to do
and I'm OK with it at 97-98 percent which is what we've been at for the last year.
The city manager has proposed that we go down to 94 percent and I'm just feeling
very uncomfortable about that, one because it's such a big jump down, and
secondly because if we're wrong in our guess we're spending that money in this
budget and I don't feel comfortable with that so that money and I don't know
what the amount is in between 97 percent of the employee costs from the general
fund and 94 percent we're spending that that difference and I'd prefer to either
have it at 94 percent and not spend that money or to ratchet it down year by year
by half a percent or one percent to see if our statistics really live themselves out
and for me
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it's just a difference in judgment that I mean some of our statistics show that we
can take that big of a risk and that other council members apparently and we
talked about this at informal meetings feel comfortable with that risk. I feel
uncomfortable with it and just can't support that. So then I start saying OK we've
got this extra money in the general fund what are we spending it on? And what
are some of the consequences in the short run with those and our budget proposes
almost 18 new employees in this in the FY2000 financial plan. Not all of those
are general fund employees. Some of them are funded by grants, some of the are
funded in deprivitizing, we're talking money out of the budget for that custodial
service but we're putting money back into it for city employees, I'm OK with
those. We have some of these employees are paid for by road use taxes or by the
water fund what else is there, I think that's it. But when I add all those, the
general fund employees up I get almost $278,000 just for this fiscal year and I'm
taking out the grant monies from the police officers as well, but I am including
our portion that will have to come from the general fund for those officers in
getting that number. And the reason this concerns me is that I feel that the city
needs to place itself in a very cautious position because we all very much support
the expansion of the public library and the community event center and that if we
spend this money now in the event the sales tax does not pass we won't have the
flexibility that I think that those projects deserve to spend that operating money
for that purpose and some might feel like I'm not being very clear on this. One of
the main reasons we talked about needing sales tax because we didn't have room
in the general fund to fund the expanded operating costs for an expanded library
and community events center. We have the money now, I'm suggesting that for
one year we don't spend it, we don't have to spend it cause we have it. We don't
have to tax for it, and we'll have the taxing capability to tax for it later, but if we
spend it on employee, that's a continuing operating expense and it decreases our
wiggle room in the event that the sales tax doesn't pass. And I just don't feel
very, because I support those projects so much I'm willing to give up things that I
really support like a park maintenance worker and a whole bunch of other things
in order to be in a very cautious and therefore flexible position later. And I mean
this budget's gonna pass, these employees are going to be hired, so I do ask that
council, that we talk about, I mean we don't really have a contingency plan. And
I guess we'll know soon enough and that we can talk about it equal (can't hear)
but I am just feeling very cautious about this because of my belief in those
projects and I want to see them happen funded one way or another. I hope I've
been clear on things tonight.
Norton/Very. Ernie I'd like to make a couple of more.
Lehman/Please do.
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Norton/There's no doubt that we may, we may we'll have to rethink things after March
30th, in any case and some of the personnel changes that we've made are ones
that might be shifted in assignment. We've added some people in the park area
already and we didn't take all the requests that came to us I thought we were
pretty careful to cut down some of those to allow some some leeway. I think we
may very well have to shift some personnel if that if the sales tax were to fail. But
in order to try to accomplish some other things but I think we're in good safe
ground and I'm assured by our staff that the funding that personnel had a
restrained level allowing for tumovers and so forth is a reasonable way to go and
I think we're in perfectly in safe hands I certainly would like to see us have a
different source of revenue than what we have because trying to do it all out of
taxes is not the best way to do it but in my judgment but we can certainly visit that
if we get, if we get difficulty on March 30th.
Kubby/(can't hear)
Lehman/Well, I think it's important that the public realize that there is no portion of this
budget that relies on sales tax income, this budget was prepared by the same staff
that prepared our budgets for the last 10, 12, 13 years. We have maintained a
triple AAA bond rating for all those years, obviously I have confidence in that
staff, I believe they know what their doing, I have no reason to believe that we are
jeopardizing our our financial stability. One of the areas that we have consistently
received numerous comments from the public on is policing, we have agreed after
extensive discussions to add six police officers. We also in the interest of
maintaining the quality of the department and the importance of that
professionalism of our police officers in hiring a training officer to assure the
public that we are putting the finest officers possible on the street and I believe we
are. I have no problem with, I understand some of Karen's concerns but I feel that
in view of the way the budget has been put together and of the history of the staff
who put that budget together, I have to feel fairly comfortable with it.
Norton/I think it's worth noting that we have not increased the number of city personnel
per 1,000 population as about what it's always been, it has never been, we've it's
about you know one per thousand and that's where it's been for many years, it
hasn't really gone up.
Lehman/Right.
Norton/Per capita.
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Lehman/Further discussion.
Vanderhoef/We're all so positioning ourself for added safety now that we are completing
and will be discussing the northeast planning district and setting it into our
comprehensive plan. That with new development we have needs for public safety
in the form of our firefighters and the new fire station and we have been briefed
by the fire chief to tell us that we need considerable amount of time to get a fire
fighter trained and up to staffing position in that new fire station that will
probably be built somewhere in the northeast district, certainly hasn't been
identified but I'm comfortable with starting to bring those fire fighters on board at
this point.
Champion/I also think that some of the things that we are totally obligated to provide to
citizens of Iowa City are also the most expense and it is sometimes, it seems like a
lot of money but the one place I don't have problems spending the money is for
police, fire and water and utilities and I'm very comfortable with this budget for
that reason.
Kubby/You know the other thing we kind of talked about was we're always striving to
make our budget a little more understandable. I mean we have a citizen summary
but it's hard it's hard to make it simple cause life is not simple, life is not simple,
and so we're going to try to find ways to make this information more accessible to
people so they can understand it and I know that we have offered to the
community to go out and talk about the budget so people could ask questions, and
no one's responded to that call so both staff and council members have expressed
willingness to do that so if anyone has suggestions on how to make this
information.
Lloyd
Wannveer/(can't hear) Your neighborhood committees, it's like dividing Iowa
City up into a pie and saying pay attention only to your slice of the pie, and I
understand with so many projects that it keeps people very busy and I have talked
to them and they don't like their homework particularly. And they don't pay
attention to anything else it's like directing their attention and obscuring the
whole, their not concerned with what's going on with Iowa City. Like the whole,
like property taxes should rivet the attention of this cormnunity and it doesn't
because their all in their little neighborhoods doing their neighborhood thing.
And your neighborhood newsletter, which I got in the middle of this budget
process said not a word about budget, so if you got this communiqu6 from this
city it tells you essentially there's nothing else important. So whether that's it's
intention or not it's dampening involvement and attention to what's most
important which are things like the budget that affects the entire city. We're city
of neighborhoods, yes, but it shouldn't be directed from the government, it
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shouldn't be coming from the city council, this whole newsletter directed
neighborhood effort should be coming from our newspaper. The newspaper
should be the vehicle for disseminating this information and it's not happening,
it's not happening, we're not clear messages about meetings, we're not getting
clear messages about what' s important and we need that. We need, I think the
city should coordinate it's agenda and the information like you say that needs to
get out through our community newspaper but not through the city. And take the
focus off this neighborhood and put it back where it belongs which is in the
center.
Lehman/I think the information that your talking about is available to the media from
you know from the very inception of a process. What they, it is available if they
choose to print it.
Wannveer/That may be but it's not getting across and the neighborhood newsletter, the
neighborhood activities are diverting people's attention from things like property
taxes and you've got to agree with me that regardless of how important a street
going through the neighborhood may be everybody should be and is concerned
about property taxes but it's not getting through.
Kubby/But it's an opportunity to use the structure of the neighborhood associations to
say here' s what you are most focused on but here's how it fits into the bigger
picture.
Wannveer/Right, right. But if the neighborhood newsletter for instance were to do that
then you have the government in the business of disseminating government info.,
public information which you don't want to do. You want your public newspaper
to have that function so I would suggest to drop that newsletter and drop that line
item from the budget and instead improve the coordination of information
between city council and the Press Citizen and let that be the voice of Iowa City.
I read it every day, I pay attention, and it's very very difficult to keep track of
priorities, like we had deer deer completely obscure this whole budget issue. I
mean there was deer everywhere. Should we shoot deer, or should we not shoot
deer, and meanwhile you're passing you know a multi-million dollar budget that
raises people' s property taxes and where are they? Their not here, something' s
wrong.
Norton/Or maybe something's right.
Thornberry/Karen you. You mentioned that your not going to vote for this budget well.
We have to pass the budget by state law, we've got to get it in, so instead of a free
vote, it's you way of saying "I protest" so. That's fine and.
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Kubby/Well I'm willing to redo the budget tonight and stay all night if if.
Thornberry/Wait a minute Karen let me finish, I didn't interrupt you when you were
talking so let me finish what I have to say then you can respond if you so desire.
You wanted to take a very cautious position financially for the city and I I there's
nothing wrong with that but you took items out of the budget that we have talked
about for hours and hours and hours and say, I'm protesting the budget because
we've got more police officers than you think that we need but I don't believe
there's ever been a trail brought up that you didn't like. We've got hundreds of
thousands of dollars in the budgets in past, present, and probably future for trails,
and ifthere's nothing wrong with trails, their a nice fuzzy for the city. It's nice,
it's like public art which we also have in the budget. It's a nice fuzzy, it's nice to
live in a city that has trails, that has public art, that has the beautification aspect in
the budget. But without the public safety you couldn't walk the trails, and you
couldn't protect the public art from where it is downtown, we've got to have the
police officers downtown and I believe Mr. Norton and the rest of us have said we
would like to see a larger police presence downtown and other places that there
needed. You would like to see this culture, this city's cultural center, be funded
and that's fine, that's also to me a fuzzy, it's not absolutely necessary to have. It's
nice to have and it improves the quality of life in Iowa City, but again without the
without the bear necessities of public safety being police, fire, and good water and
waste water when you flush your toilet you want it to flush. When you turn on
the water you want to have good tap water, you want to be able to walk the
streets, the trails, and other places in safety and have a fire department that is very
active, reactive, proactive. So I think this, the budget that we hammered out over
hours and hours and hours and you were there at every for every hour as was I as
were all of us. And we have talked about all these things. We didn't reach a
unanimous decision on every single item of the budget so I don't know if it's fair
you can do what you want, you can say "ppffit" I'm not gonna do the budget but
that's a free vote and you've got the fight to do that and so your going to do it and
that's fine, but we still have to pass it for state law and we've got the best budget
we can come up with given the amount of money that we've got. We did cut it
back, considerably from what we of the things that we liked would like to have
done additional streets, a lot of things that we didn't cut back on. Could we cut
back more? Yes we could, but I would like to see if we're going to cut back in the
police department and the public safety I sure as heck want to see the public art
and the trails millions and mill, well not millions, hundreds of thousands of
dollars
Norton/And the airport
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Thomberry/Of money spent on trails at the cost of property belonging to people who are
paying tax on that property, they don't have to pay the tax on the property that
we're taking for trails and because the city took it. And these are no longer areas
that property taxes paid on so there are other things in the budget that I don't care
for either but I will vote for the budget because I think it's the best thing we can
do for the people of Iowa City and the people that I represent. I'll vote to approve
the budget.
Kubby/You know there all, every year there are things, and I stated this in my statement
that there are all things that we all like and don't like about the budget.
Thornberry/Sure.
Kubby/But the reason I feel so strongly about these underlying assumptions about the
budget, about spending that extra money and about the 94 percent factor that I
don't feel comfortable with that foundation upon which this budget is built. And
so it's not just a whim, I'm willing to make cuts on things that I value in order to
live out this cautionary stance.
O'Donnell/It seem to me like this all, always goes back to the police department and a
recommendation to spend almost $50,000 a year on a natural areas director and
then not support a police training sergeant so we can have the best possible police
force we can on the streets. And I'm ready to go with this budget that we've
worked long and hard on this budget and I'm absolutely convinced that it's the
best we can do, I've got a great deal of confidence in the city staff and members
of the council and so I'm ready to vote.
Champion/I just have one more, I really have one more thing that I want to say. I'm
disappointed that Karen's not going to support the base the budget. And I think
that's her fight and I'm disappointed is that this is the first time that we as a
council have heard that she's not going to support it. And I find that as a fellow
city council member very discouraging after the hours and hours and hours that
we've spent discussing this budget, and a lot of things I know she agrees with.
And there are always things in the budget that none of us agree to, but this tonight
is
(Side 2)
Champion/Spend all night to make it my way and I guess I'm disappointed that your not
going to support it and not because your not going to support it but that this is the
first time we've heard that your not going to support it.
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Lehman/Other discussion from council.
O'Dounell/Let's vote on this.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries. 6/1 Kubby voting no.
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ITEM NO. 10. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION DIRECTING SALE OF $9,000,000
CORPORATE PURPOSE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS.
Lehman/And Don I think your gonna give us a breakdown of what those proceeds are
going to go for.
Steve Atkins/No, I am.
Lehman/Oh, Steve is. Well I just saw Don put it up I thought OK go ahead.
Atkins/You have a resolution in front of you authorizing a directing of sale of
$9,000,000 in general obligation bonds. We opened bids today, and received 4
bidders, we were very pleased with the rates we received. As requested council,
thought we'd go through very quickly the list of projects that are intended to be
funded by this general obligation bond issue and a brief explanation. The first
series of projects, civic center north and stepping down to the fourth one, police
second floor construction are substantially the two major components of the
renovation of the civic center. The library computer replacement and the ICN and
the library you may recall when we made some changes in budgeting policy we
had traditionally set aside monies in a computer replacement account for the
library, due to the considerations in the general fund we have minimized that
practice and now we plan to do major computer upgrades, replacements by way of
debt as represented in this bond sale. The public works complex is the beginning
stage of the construction of a new public works complex on land and the southem
portion of the airport. These monies are substantially intended to do the site
preparation work. The second project, the next project is the Scanlon
Gymnasium. A question may arise is, I thought that was built. Well, it is
substantially built and will be open, you may recall that is fairly common practice
when in our financial planning when we intend to sell debt. We pass something,
or you pass something called a reimbursement resolution thereby indicating in the
future you may choose to finance those projects by way of capital debt. The next
series of concepts.
Norton/Steve before you before you leave the first series can I interrupt a minute just. I
wanted to point out that the Scanlon Gym is one where there was a considerable
sharing with funds raised through a public drive.
Atkins/Yes.
Vanderhoef/Over 400 thousand.
Norton/Over 400 thousand, and also I wanted to point out that the public works complex
is necessitated by a building that is been there since the memorium and is really
leaking and in terrible shape so it's a deferred thing that's been deferred a long
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time and has to be dealt with so.
mind.
I just think those points are worth keeping in
Atkins/See the remainder of the projects, the art is it's not a person, that's intended to be
a public art program, a policy adopted about a year ago. We have recommended
that we finance through debt again. Concerns for the general fund whenever we
do finance debt we try to substantiate in our own mind that the capital asset that is
created is of sufficiently long lived that can justify the incurrence of debt we have
assumed that art fits into that that particular category. The airport master plan
land acquisition is the continuing process of acquiring land in and around the
airport. Captain Irish Parkway, another project which is under construction. This
is the general obligation debt portion of that project as you know the project is
about a 3 million dollar project. Downtown streetscape same basic principle.
This represents the general obligation portion of financing the downtown
streetscape project which we'll be dealing with later on this evening. Iowa
Avenue streetscape, a smaller amount in the sense of the overall bond issue, this
will finance again a reimbursement resolution was passed ifI recall the specifics
on this one and this finances the design and engineering, excuse me, engineering
work associated with that project. The next series of projects are again a result of
a city council discussion a couple years ago a policy position was taken whereby
these programs had traditionally been financed from our general fund, we now are
continuing the same level of these programs that is the amount of money that is
appropriated, however, we are proposing that they be financed by debt. The
soccer fields is the area adjacent to the south waste water treatment plant, this
represents a contribution of general obligation debt, the construction of roadway
improvements, restrooms, drainage, and the concession stand in the continuing
program of upgrading the soccer fields. South Sycamore regional storm water is
another phase in that overall project plan on the east side of our community
whereby we have a rather unique we believe environmentally a unique process by
which we would hope to regionalize the storm water treatment for that portion of
our community. The Summit Street Bridge cost much more than $155,000 so
there' s no misunderstanding, that is our general obligation bond portion of
financing that project and Woolf Avenue, Newton, River is the share of general
obligation debt's of financing that project. The bottom line folks is that we are
proposing, we propose today and have sold with your approval 9 million dollars
worth of general obligation debt. Now there' s a couple other just items that I
think are important for you to recognize. You have the ability sometime in the
future to make some changes by way of resolution within this project wish list.
This is substantially an internal control device for us. You've seen the bond
resolution and it speaks generally about projects, we do that quite frankly just to
provide flexibility for the future. Also some of these projects as we've indicated
have been completed already or substantially completed we try to sell debt at the
last minute. You know that may not sound like it makes sense but the bottom line
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we then do not incur capital interest costs on the monies that we've borrowed
ultimately financed for these projects. And we try to put the permanent financing
in place, when the market is good, as well as as late as possible thereby
minimizing our cost, it also helps strengthen our credit rating. That were pleased
to report that we received a credit rating of AAA, that's the best you can get. I
was asked by the mayor to give sort of a quick what does it mean AAA versus A
which is a lot more common. This 9 million dollar bond issue and the AAA
rating will save us $360,000 in interest costs.
Man/AAA rating?????
Atkins/AAA and A that's correct. AAA is blue chip, their are about 40 cities in the
country that enjoy that credit rating. And with that I'll be happy to answer any
questions you might have on this bond sale.
Norton/Well I have one one more comment or two at least. The south Sycamore
regional storm water item should be understand that that's front end money that
presumably properties in that area that are developed subsequently to the
installation of that project will be paying an acreage, per acre fee that will help
defer or to pay or at least contribute to the cost of this, is that fight?
Atkins/An addit, and additionally which reminds me that we were fortunate to secure
REAP Grant we've also received some additional state aid and project Rick can
give you some.
Rick Fosse/We just got $200,000 in a REAP Grant, we'll be going back for more next
year. And we will recover a portion of the cost of the project cost as area
develops down there but if you recall a portion of the sub, or the drainage area is
already developed so we'll be presenting the cost or coveting the cost for that
portion of the water shed.
Norton/For the new areas will be contributing tight?
Fosse/Yes.
Norton/OK.
Vanderhoef/And there will be ongoing costs in future budgets for this project?
Fosse/For the maintenance aspects of it, for the recreational aspects that is.
Vanderhoef/But not for the drainage system?
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Fosse/The drainage system will have some maintenance to it just as the rest of ours do.
Norton/But there won't be any huge costs I take it once it's done right?
Atkins/Once it's designed and in place given the unique design of this thing, does that
mean that we won't have to go in on that site and periodically do clean up work,
the answer is yes we will. But given it's design, not only what it's intended to do
is respect to taking care of storm water but also creating kind of a unique
environment. We believe it's going to be minimal in the design of this year.
Yucuis/It is a multi-year project, it's some this year, some next year, some the following
year.
Vanderhoef/That's what I was alluding to, that this $800,000 is.
Norton/Not the end of it.
Vanderhoef/Is not the total cost of this that we'll be going out for more funding in future
budgets? I have.
Thornberry/Yes, that's correct.
Lehman/Go ahead Dee.
Vanderhoef/A request, I know I was a little uncomfortable but understood the rationale
of these annual costs total I, approximately $115,000 for development and
replacement and improvements of a lot of our parks activities and understand for
well that we no longer can afford those out of the general funds and I can see the
rationale of them being in with our capital budget. However, I would like to
revisit as a council at some point in time some discussion about art. I have great
difficulty in looking at art and subjecting it to bonding rather than out of the
general fund. And when we voted on that I thought at well at that time it was
coming from general fund and now that it's been moved into capital bonding
funds I'd like to visit if someone else would be interested in visiting about that.
Norton/It was always planned to come out of capital funds and it's because it is
something that is permanent thereby should be paid for over generation.
Thornberry/I don't want to borrow money and pay interest on fuzzy art.
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Norton/But it's available to people over more than just the current cohort It's so that
principle it ought to it's there in permanent way.
Lehman/Well obviously this is something that we can discuss
Vanderhoef/Talk about.
Lehman/At a future time, Steve that probably should be added to our list.
Atkins/Is it, I've got it OK.
Lehman/At an informal session to at least briefly discuss it.
Vanderhoef/Thank you.
Atkins/OK.
Thornberry/Good point Dee.
Lehman/Other discussion.
Kubby/There are 2.3 million dollars worth of project that of 9 million that I disagree with
and that' s about 26 percent of this total and so earlier I was thinking I should vote
for this because most of the things I agree with but in listening to Dean's critique
of my revote it's probably not responsible for me to say well I don't want the
budget and I might be voting no against the CIP because the total bottom line
there which I will make comments about it on the next item that it's not
responsible for me to say OK let's get this money to do it. And there are things
on this list that I agree with. But to live out that cautionary stance I am willing to
give up things that I agree with. The other comment I have is that 3 out of the
projects under general corporate purpose are at their maximum. And I get really if
it's over $700,000 you have to go to a referendum is that correct?
Atkins/That's correct.
Lehman/Right.
Kubby/So I just get really nervous when we have so many projects that are right at that
maximum and I'm not quite sure what to do about them. And I know that each
one of these bigger projects will, like the civic center, I mean these were really,
they were given to us as kind of one project, the civic center 3rd floor and police,
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but we decided were not going to do one without the other, but their kind of
separated out here for this purpose and I felt uncomfortable and realized I can vote
no on that when it comes to us specifically. But I just I just wanted to express
that.
Thornberry/Well they are they are separated out Karen for that reason. So that if you
don't agree with one, like you know, to finish off the police department area, the
building that's already there to finish it off if you don't agree then it should be,
should it, should be finished off you can vote no on that, and that's why they are
separated like that.
Lehman/Yea, except last night we indicated that we would not do that, they would be
one.
Thornberry/Well we have that option and we decided to do all of them.
Kubby/No, I'm actually suggesting that their separated for a different reason but.
Thomberry/I hear yea.
Vanderhoef/The $700,000?
Kubby/ha ha, yea.
Thornberry/But I'm suggesting that there is the possibility that we could have taken one
or all out of there.
Thornberry/We could have split but we decided not to. I mean if it would have been one
it would have been all or nothing and it wasn't that way so.
Kubby/I mean another example is the Scanlon gym, I think there are needs on the east
side for that recreation space and that we need it. I would have, I voted against
that and it's a, when it came to us in specs and so I guess I just want to be
acknowledged that I'm just not talking out of nowhere that I'm willing to give up
things that I think the community needs in order to live out the (can't hear).
Thornberry/You voted against the gymnasium from day one didn't you?
Lehman/Well.
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Norton/Depends (can't hear).
Lehman/The bids that we received on these bonds is I think remarkable 4.6406 from
Dain Rauscher which is an extremely attractive rate.
Atkins/We believe so.
Lehman/Yes.
Thornberry/You done good Don.
Lehman/Did we have a motion to accept that bid?
Norton/So moved.
Thomberry/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Thornberry. Is there any further discussion?
Atkins/Before you vote it will be likely that in the next week, 10 days, 2 weeks we may
need a special meeting there are a variety of lRS/SEC certificates things you have
to do in a performance sense and so we may need about a 5 minute meeting with
you all we'll.
Kubby/For these projects?
Atkins/For these for these yes, that correct.
Champion/Right, OK, OK.
Atkins/So we'll let you know that.
Lehman/Further discussion. Roll call. Motion carries, Kubby voting no.
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ITEM NO. 11. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE FINANCIAL
PLAN FOR THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA, FOR FISCAL YEARS
2000 THROUGH 2002 AND THE MULTI-YEAR CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2003.
Thornberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Kubby/Obviously things I wanted to say about the CIP because I'm going to be voting
no on this. The city manager's original proposal to us over the five year plan of
the capital improvement project was 63 million dollars which was a lot of money
and an unprecedented increase in the portion of your property taxes that would
pay for these projects. and we all agree that we weren't prepared to do that at this
time which I think is a really great decision so we looked at what what did we
think that we could afford and we came down to a financial scheme of about 50
million dollars, I would have I think that it would have been more prudent for us
to go to a 40 million dollar scheme and that would have meant that projects I
believe would have had to been X'd and I'm willing to make that kind of priority.
I didn't go through that specific process because no one else wanted to go down
that low, we did cut out things from our capital improvements program, I guess I
want to acknowledge that as well. So, I disagree with the total amount that
translates to a yearly amount which translates into property taxes. My second
point is one about we did take out a few projects that I think contribute to urban
sprawl, that aren't necessary to do, and we did take out a few of those projects, I
think there are some more of those kinds of projects to take out where we already
have in~'astructure and land that is developable and that some of these projects
spurred development I think before the community is ready to absorb that if we're
going to maintain contiguous and planned growth. I guess my rate of growth, my
feeling for the ability to kind of grow into ourselves is slower than other people.
And lastly I have kind of a process concern, and it's about the whole First
Avenue, Captain Irish, Scott Boulevard extended whatever we're going to end up
calling it. In that in approving the CIP we have said what years those projects are
going to happen in knowing that this can all change every year but we haven't
even had, we just set our public hearing tonight for the northeast planning district
and that is one of the center of discussion issues in this community and that we're
kind of in a certain way circumventing that process even though it can't I mean
we all say it can be changed and it can be. I just don't think it will be no matter
what the public input it. And so I have problems with that and then there are
some logistical reasons for some of the timing that when First Avenue is built and
opened up and
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Captain Irish Parkway that we will then the next construction season do Dodge
Street that a lot of that traffic will be diverted over to First Avenue fight away and
there a very good logistical reasons for that is that you have another street, that's
where you divert traffic and get it away from the construction. But I think that
that logistic advantage is not worth the emotional burden to place on that
neighborhood that has in essence bought First Avenue being extended and
because of the total because of these sprawl issues and because the First Avenue,
Captain Irish I can't support the CIP.
Lehman/Karen, if I'm not mistaken we were told when we talked about North Dodge
that Noah Dodge Street would remain open, they would not detour to First
Avenue.
Kubby/Right. Right.
Norton/Well, their not going to divert Dodge.
Lehman/That's right.
O'Donnell/That's fight.
Kubby/That we won't close it down completely to the noah.
Thornberry/That's correct.
Vanderhoef/That's fight.
Lehman/Other discussion.
Thornberry/Well I just think that urban sprawl notion is is a little out of whack here, not
that it should be in whack but out of whack is what I think that it is. Iowa City
and urban sprawl I don't think should be mentioned in the same paragraph much
less the same (can't hear). I've been in a lot of other cities that have a lot lower
property tax that are spread out a further than the city of Iowa City, I think if you
don't want urban sprawl you should go maybe somewhere like Lone Tree or
somewhere. We don't have (can't hear).
Lehman/Other comments. Roll call. Motion carries, Kubby voting no.
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ITEM NO. 12. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK ATTEST A
CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SUMMIT STREET
BRIDGE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT (PROJECT NO. BRM-3715(13)-
8N-52)
Lehman/This estimate was $1,246,000 the bid is $1,292,897, this is, I think this is bid
through the highway commission. Tonight we receive from staff from historical
information on the contractor who bid this work having done work I believe for
the city on several other occasions indicating what the bid on those projects were
and what the final cost was and if there was an explanation as to why the bid was
different from the final cost. I think we all have that. Is there a motion to
approve.
Thornberry/I'll move adoption of resolution.
Champion/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Champion. Discussion.
Thornberry/Well you know you forgot the 28 cents, will they be leaving the Summit
Street bridge open while it's being constructed or will that have to be diverted?
Lehman/Can't do that.
Norton/There said there would be a pedestrian bridge.
Thornberry/And how long is that going to take?
Fosse/That will take the better part of the summer, we will putting in a temporary
pedestrian bridge about one block east of there so that the Longfellow students on
the south side can get across there.
Lehman/And $750,000 of this project is paid for with federal money so it's even though
it's a large project it's not as large for this (can't hear) as we indicated. Other
discussion.
Kubby/And just for public information, and I'll just say this once for this item and the
next two that all of the contractors are nonunion.
Lehman/In accordance with state law Iowa City does not discriminate in the awarding of
contracts to union or nonunion contractors. Any further discussion. Roll call.
Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 13. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY
DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPE, PHASE II IMPROVEMENTS.
Thornberry/Move adoption to resolution.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry, seconded by Norton. Discussion. We received a base
bid for the entire project a low bid of a little over 2 and a half million dollars from
All American Concrete from West Liberty and their bid is being recommended
after last night's discussion, it was decided I believe by council that we would
eliminate for the time being the Clinton Street and Linn Street improvements,
lowering the cost of that project to $2,025,973.25. Discussion.
Thornberry/Thank you. And were going to in addition to that I believe buy some lights,
to do the rest of the project.
Lehman/To do the rest of the project.
Thornberry/And not put them in right away but buy them so that we can get the bulk
price of the lights and store them until we need them.
Lehman/Right.
Atkins/Emie, may I comment on that?
Lehman/Please do.
Atkins/So I understand is that you'll be awarding the $2,025,000 million based contract
All American. You asked us to work either with them or with the manufacturer to
purchase sufficient lights.
Lehman/For College.
Atkins/For College and for Linn Street.
Norton/For Clinton.
Atkins/Excuse me for Clinton, thank you Dee, Clinton and Linn Street, just so that we
understand each other is that we'll go out and.
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Lehman/On top of this we know that.
Atkins/On top of that and we will pursue that making the assumption that we can buy
them at a good price, find a good spot to inventory them, and I'm assuming and
maintain some warranty or guarantee on the thing for sometime in the future.
General guidelines so we understand each other.
Thornberry/Get those out of your petty cash.
Atkins/Rick do you understand that? OK.
Lehman/OK.
Norton/I think Ernie it should be understood that the reason to stay within the budget
parameters was one reason for cutting these but also because other work may be
entailed and other changes on both Clinton and Linn may be involved and that
might it might be just wise to phase them more with that work than to do them
fight at the moment.
Lehman/I think that is correct.
Vanderhoef/OK.
Lehman/In anticipation of some other development that may be taking place.
Vanderhoef/I think it should be noted though that what we removed out of this bid for
those two streets is about $500,000 worth of work so that's how much we cut and
then we'll add back in the lights to.
Lehman/Right except that no the lights are not going to be part of this, that's a separate
item.
Vanderhoef/No, but but if someone is trying to keep track of the cost of what we're
doing in the whole area that' s where we are.
Kubby/But we're not really cutting, we're deferring.
Lehman/That's correct.
Kubby/And we may end up making a decision not to do it some point in the future plans
now are to complete this but just not pay for it now and break it into smaller
phases so that it's (can't hear) project.
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Norton/Well I think we agreed, I think we agreed to try to do it fight, we have to phase it
more more than we perhaps originally thought.
Lehman/Other discussion. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 14. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE COLLEGE STREET
PEDESTRIAN MALL WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT.
Lehman/This was a project that we had originally thought might be part of the
streetscape project, it was not bid in that fashion and needs to be left separately.
Do we have a motion to approve?
Vanderhoef/Move to adopt.
Lehman/Oh, I might add the bid was for $254,345.00. Rick do we know which of the
two options we're going to be doing?
Fosse/We're going to use the directional drilling option.
Lehman/So it's $249,775.00.
Fosse/That's right, correct.
Lehman/OK, so we know what we're bidding on. It was moved by Vanderhoef.
Thornberry/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by ThornbenT that we accept that bid, is there a discussion? Roll
call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 15. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO CONVEY A
SINGLE FAMILY HOME LOCATED AT 2709 WAYNE AVENUE, IOWA
CITY TO THE TENANT AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR
MARCH 30, 1999.
Thornberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. This I believe Steve is not
part of our.
Thornberry/Tenant ownership.
Lehman/Tenant ownership.
Arkins/Next three items are tenant ownership. OK. Further discussion. Roll call.
Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 17. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO CONVEY A
SINGLE FAMILY HOME LOCATED AT 2308 LAKESIDE DRIVE, IOWA
CITY TO THE TENANT AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR
MARCH 30, 1999.
Thornben'y/Move adoption of resolution.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Norton/I might, I just want to say this, assume this tenant that these actions imply that
the tenant ownership program is working as it hoped.
O'Donnell/You bet, it's a great program.
Norton/OK.
Atkins/That what I understand.
O'Donnell/That's great.
Atkins/Errfie, it's going well.
Norton/I think it's wonderful.
Lehman/And these are the, we've done two or three before?
Atkins/Two I recall. (can't hear).
Lehman/So these are the third, fourth, and fifth, that's great.
Kubby/Another way of measure this success to is taking that money and either or
building or other homes, I prefer to build so that the total number of homes that
are lower cost increase and then we start this over again.
Lehman/I (can't hear).
Kubby/I (can't hear) what the plan is, and it's a good indicator I think of the perpetuation
of, and it makes a sustainable program.
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Thomberry/(can't hear) I just as soon not be in the housing business and I don't think the
city should be in the housing business and I think the more of these houses that
are owned by the city and not gamering any income tax, property tax whatever,
there and giving the opportunity of the people who are renting these houses the
opportunity of home ownership is the way to go and I'm pervantly??? and praying
that we can get rid of and get out of the housing business as a city, of home
ownership. I don't that think that the city needs to be in the home ownership
business. Thank you.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM
NO. 18. CONSIDER A MOTION TO APPROVE A TENTATIVE
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY AND THE IOWA
CITY LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THE AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES,
LOCAL #183, AFL-CIO, FOR A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
AGREEMENT TO BE EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 1999, THROUGH JUNE 30,
2001.
Kubby/Move adoption.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, second by O'Donnell. Discussion.
Kubby/I just want to say.
Lehman/This. I'm sorry. This among a number of other items as in any employment
contract includes a 3 percent across the board wage increase and then of course,
there are numerous other items as in any other employment contract.
Kubby/I guess just one of those items I just wanted to highlight and I think it's really
good that this is written in the contract that funeral leave will also be granted for
domestic partner and I think that makes it consistent with our policy and our
intent to the human rights ordinance and of the way we want to treat our
employees and I'm very happy to see this (can't hear).
Lehman/Other discussion. Well I think on behalf of the council we would like to thank
you on your efforts in working with the good folks who work for us and certainly
pleased although I'm sure not of us agree totally with the contract certainly you
folks did a good job and we thank you. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 21. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION.
Lehman/City council information, who would like to be first?
Kubby/I have nothing tonight thank you.
Lehman/Connie.
Champion/No I don't have anything.
Lehman/Well good. Mike.
O'Donnell/I've got a couple things. Our SEATS advisory board meeting has been
rescheduled from March 17 to March 24, 1-3 at the Coralville Public Library. And
we did have bowling Big Brothers Big Sisters and I stand tumbled to the great
Dee Norton, he's going on a pro tour, and he leaves.
Norton/Nobody pointed out that I got to get to 551h.
O'Donnell/I just want to say that there's no shame in losing to a true legend of the lanes.
Lehman/Dee do we know how much money we raised?
Norton/Well I did not hear yet how much but it must have been substantial they collected
(can't hear).
Lehman/Do you know how the council did?
Norton/The council did, I don't know the total but it must be over $600.00.
Thornberry/Their still counting.
Kubby/But the program if every team raised the minimum of $60.00 per person which
I'm sure all of us surpassed that.
Norton/We did yea.
Kubby/They would raise a $100,000 locally so their at least that.
Norton/Yea, I'm sure our team raised more way more than $360.00.
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Lehman/Oh yea.
O'Donnell/Sure.
Norton/I think it's something.
Vanderhoef/It did well.
Council/I broke 100.
Champion/Money wise or pin wise?
Council/Pin.
Norton/And Mike did get the 50 pins, it was just that I, he got he got a little trouble.
Lehman/I see.
O'Donnell/Yes, I did I took on the master.
Lehman/Dean.
Thornberry/Let's see. I don't want people to, if they've been watching this whole
program to start taking their money out of savings and putting it under their
pillow, and think that their property taxes are going to go up 25 percent and their
many property owners are in danger of losing their homes, I just don't believe
this, it's in the works. In as far as incomes are concerned they've never been
higher than they are now, wages are up almost six percent, savings are up, and
spending is up (can't hear). Things are looking very good as far as the city is
concerned. Now the last thing that I have is a constituent gave me 34 wise
sayings to be presented to the audience and I Bill Sayer, I'm sorry I can't I can't
give all 34 but I will give four of your wise sayings which I said that I would
graciously do. So here are four wise sayings that you may take to heart. All
reports are in, and life is not officially unfair. And the first rule of holes is that if
you are in one stop digging. And it was all so different before everything
changed. And nostalgia isn't what it used to be, so that's giving that Mr. Sayer
it's your game.
Lehman/Dee.
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Vanderhoef/I will be leaving tomorrow for League of Cities and look forward to learning
some new things and participating in both the energy and environment policy
committee and the transportation committee.
Thornberry/Good. Washington DC.
Vanderhoef/Yes.
Thornberry/Your going to go visit the White House?
Vanderhoef/Yes, as a matter of fact we are having about 15 of us are going to go to the
White House for a briefing.
Lehman/Take a shower.
Thornberry/Take a shower, take a shower when you get back.
Norton/I just wanted to comment I hope some of you either attended or got a chance to
look at the watch the video of that meeting the other night about energy
deregulation, it was quite interesting, I'm not quite sure I understand all of it but it
was certainly a fascinating introduction to the whole issue of deregulation
particularly on the electric side and I think it's something we're gonna have to
watch pretty carefully. The other thing I would like to just throw out for your
possible consideration is I'm over the Easter weekend celebrating my eldest son's
50th birthday.
O'Donnell/Holy cow.
Norton/Which is a big milestone, so it makes me 49, so my kids are gathering from the
comers of the country in San Francisco to celebrate that and I'll have to come
back Sunday night in order to read a packet so I'm wondering ifthere's any
chance you want to have the work session instead of Monday night have it on
Tuesday morning. I don't. I'm not insisting. We have a meeting on April 6.
Lehman/Oh.
Norton/That Tuesday and we have work session that Monday April 5. But that would be
kind of hard on everybody, you leave town the next day don't you Dee on the 7th,
never mind I'll read it on the plane.
Vanderhoef/I think I'm on for Tuesday morning if you.
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Lehman/We have time to think about that one.
Norton/OK. You got time to think about it.
Champion/(can't hear)
Norton/It would cause trouble, I'm not insistent at all, I'm strong I can read at night.
Lehman/Now if you realize, if you took us all out there.
Norton/Yea, there you are.
Lehman/We could take Marian along and have the meeting on the plane on the way
back.
O'Donnell/Well, I don't know (can't hear).
Several people talking (can't hear)
Thomberry/We could use city funds for travel.
Dilkes/Dee, I have to go too, absolutely.
Norton/No.
Lehman/Eleanor gets to go too.
Vanderhoef/I suppose then Steve wants to.
(can't hear).
Lehman/Well I don't think this is gonna work out, do you have anything else?
Norton/No, I the only other thing I saw something in a magazine that suggested that
maybe we should consider board and commission applications on the on-line
instead of on paper, so we might want to think about that in the future maybe
people could submit applications more easily from their.
Council/Well if they can't.
Champion/(can't hear).
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Thornberry/Well if they can't make it down, if they can't make it down, if they can,
don't make it so easy.
Norton/Don't make it too easy I see OK.
Thornberry/How do you know their gonna attend those meetings?
Lehman/That might be a question that Eleanor would have to address (can't her) point.
Norton/Yes indeed, no hurry.
Lehman/I have only one thing. I have received numerous complements from folks who
have viewed with glee the signs we have put up welcoming people to Iowa City,
very attractive signs.
Atkins/Oh, the entrance signs, good.
Lehman/The entrance signs have been very well received, I don't know that we've really
mentioned those at council meetings but.
Champion/(can't hear).
Lehman/No, the elephants are still here but people have commented how attractive they
think those signs are.
Atkins/That was the work of Lisa Mollenhauer from my office, she made all those
arrangements.
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ITEM NO. 22a REPORT ON ITEMS FROM THE CITY MANAGER
Lehman/Well, they look very nice. Steve do you have anything?
Atkins/One item, the Business Fair.
Norton/Oh yea.
Atkins/We had a number of folks that participated police, senior center, public works
department, public works specifically in their booth had a program showing how
public works had changed from 1900 to the year 2000. And they were awarded
best use of theme
Kubby/All fight.
Atkins/So they all (can't hear). They did a good job and it was yes.
Kubby/I think it's really important we have such a big presence there so people can meet
people who do the work
Lehman/I agree.
Kubby/And see what we're doing. I think it's great.
Atkins/23 of our public works employee volunteered to staff it.
Lehman/Gallo was there.
Thornberry/Yea.
Norton/Yep.
Lehman/Saw him there at least twice.
Arkins/He didn't win anything.
Thornberry/Didn't win anything.
Lehman/Very very popular fellow, Gallo is our new newest police officer, he's a K-9.
Eleanor.
Dilkes/I don't have anything.
Lehman/Can we have a motion to adjourn?
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22a
Kubby/Move to adjourn.
Thornberry/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, second by Thornberry. Meeting adjourned.
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