HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-05-04 Transcription#2 Page 1
ITEM NO. 2. MAYOR'S PROCLAMATIONS.
a. Bicycle Month - May
Lehman/(Reads Proclamation). Now, therefore, I, Emest W. Lehman, Mayor of the City
of Iowa City Iowa do proclaim the month of May 1999 to be Bicycle Month in
Iowa City and urge all citizens to ride their bicycles to work, to the store, to the
park, and around their neighborhood with their friends and family.
Marian Karr/Here to accept is Linda Thomae.
Lehman/And you can ride them to your council meetings too.
Kubby/That' s right.
Linda Thomae/Good evening, my name is Linda Thomae, and I'm here this evening on
behalfofBicyclists of Iowa City as their president. We are honored to receive
this proclamation. While it is true that bicyclists have the same lawful rights and
responsibilities to the road in all 50 states, it is recognition of these rights and
responsibilities which encourage safe coexistence on the road. I want to underline
to you that it is imperative we do not become lax, but continue to work together to
make the road a safe place for all who travel there. I believe it is additionally
important to recognize those of you, city leaders, and administrators who have
been a driving force or active participant in meeting criteria which lauds Iowa
City as bicycling friendly community, one of only three communities in the state
of Iowa. Increasing downtown parking and meter racks for bicycles, which take
up only a fraction of valuable downtown property do not pollute the environment
nor further congest the streets. Mechanizing traffic lights which respond when a
bicycles position itself within the diamond shape. The "Share the Road" signs,
which are prominently displayed along major road arteries throughout the city.
And I can attest first hand the courtesy I see grows between bicycles and motor
vehicle. The demonstrated perseverance of the regional trail commission, the
bicycling committee of JCCOG and the newest effort to connect trails throughout
our county. These are important emphases, which recognize the diversity of
biking, and the lifestyle which exists for recreational bikers, families, and
commuters, as well as others who use multipurpose trails. I firmly believe when
you recognize bicyclists in your daily conversations, through the media, promote
the endeavors I've just mentioned, or climb on a bike yourself. By your lead, and
with efforts such as Bicyclists of Iowa Cities, upcoming effective cycling course,
it's fifth year, which is administered and promoted by League of American
Bicyclists and taught by certified Iowa City area instructors. All people can grow
and respect for one another knowing we share more in common than we do in
different. This too encourages safety. Thank you for this proclamation and your
time.
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Kubby/Thanks Linda.
Lehman/Thank you.
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ITEM 2b. HISTORIC PRESERVATION WEEK - MAY 9-15
Lehman/(Reads Proclamation). Now, therefore, I Ernest W. Lehman, Mayor of the City
of Iowa City Iowa, do hereby proclaim May 9-15, 1999 to be Historic
Preservation Week in Iowa City and call upon the people of Iowa City to
recognize and participate in this special observance.
Marian Karr/Here to accept is Michaelanne Widness.
Michaelanne Widness/My name is Michaelanne Widness, and on behalf of the Iowa City
Preservation Commission I accept with pleasure. This proclamation designating
next week as Iowa City Historic Preservation Week. The theme of this year' s
national historic preservation week is "Protecting the Irreplaceable", each year we
try to honor those groups and individuals who do just that, at an annual
recognition program cosponsored by the Historic Preservation Commission,
Friends of Historic Preservation, and the Johnson County Historical Society. This
year's program will be held next Wednesday, May 12, in the Masonic Temple on
College Street. Molly Myers Naumann, Architectural Historian and Preservation
Consultant will discuss those properties that have been selected for recognition.
The categories which will be represented include; painting and exterior finishes,
additions and new construction in a historic setting, and a new category this year
called Stewardship. In addition, the Margaret Nowysz award for outstanding
contributions in the field of preservation will be awarded. The program begins at
5:30, there will be refreshments beginning at 5:00. The program is free and open
to the public, there' s lots of free parking at the Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp.
We invite everyone to attend next Wednesday's program to help celebrate the best
in preservation that Iowa City and Johnson County has to offer. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you. I'm going to ask Mr. Norton to read our third proclamation, Cancer
Survivor's Day.
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ITEM NO. 2c. CANCER SURVIVOR'S DAY - MAY 15
Dee Norton/(Reads Proclamation). Now therefore, Ernest W. Lehman, Mayor of the
City of Iowa City Iowa does hereby proclaim May 15, 1999 to be Cancer
Survivor's Day in Iowa City, and urges all of our citizens to join in this joyous
celebration of life.
Karr/Here to accept is Bob Henderson.
Norton/Thank you.
Bob Henderson/On behalf of all the cancer survivor's, their family and friends who wish
to thank you for this proclamation. And also I'd like to invite the city council to a
National Cancer Survivor Day celebration at Mercy Hospital, May 15 from 1 to 3
in the Plaza. Thank you.
Lehman/Thank you.
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ITEM NO. 3. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS - HUMAN RIGHTS
POETRY/ESSAY CONTEST.
Lehman/Item 3 is a special presentation, I'd like to ask Joyce Carman to come to the
podium and briefly explain the background of the contest and recognize the
financial contributors who have made this possible and read the names of the
winners which I will produce. Joyce.
Joyce Cannan/I'm Joyce Cannan and I'm here to introduce some very thoughtful and
talented high school students to city council and to the community at large. These
students are to be recognized for their effective writing skills into areas poetry and
essay. Their entries in these categories celebrate the importance of human rights
and the fact that this year people around the United States and the world are
taking note of the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human
Rights. Ten students will receive honorable mention certificates and our
congratulations, and two students will receive each a check of $500.00 in
recognition of their outstanding writing, one for an essay and one for a poem. I
want to thank city council and Mayor Emie Lehman for this opporttmity to
celebrate such positive efforts by these young people of our communities. The
inspiration for this poetry essay contest is a result of the year long human rights
global focus 98 program that's been going on at the University of Iowa and in the
Iowa City area this past academic year. Many of you are aware of the outstanding
speakers and presentations that have been scheduled to celebrate this anniversary
and to focus on human rights. It's really important at this point for me to mention
the person who should be standing here and would so love to be here helping
Mayor Lehman with these presentations. Professor Bums Weston is truly the
inspiration for so many of the successful and thought provoking events that have
been available to us this year. I spoke with him yesterday by phone and he regrets
very very much he's unable to be with us tonight. His efforts and vision have
brought quite a few Noble Prize winners to this community along with many other
nationally and internationally recognized speakers. As some of you know these
awards were originally to be presented when John Hume, Nobel Prize winner and
member of Parliament from Northern Ireland was to speak at the University.
Because of renewed negotiations regarding the tenuous peace in Northem Ireland
Hume had to reschedule his talk so Mayor Lehman you are standing in for John
Hume this evening, and I most humbly am standing in for Bums Weston. This
contest was offered to all three high schools in Iowa City and we were pleased to
have so many students respond. The organization sponsoring this contest were
the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, the City Subcommittee for Global
Focus, Human Rights 98, that's the city committee not the University, the United
Nations Association USA Iowa Division. The following businesses and
organizations contributed financially and made it possible for us to present the
$500.00 checks to the two winners. And we are most grateful for their
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contributions, Hills Bank and Trust, Iowa State Bank and Trust, Mercantile Bank,
the Noon Optimist Club Youth Fund, AFSCME Local 12, Jody Hogeland and
numerous anonymous donors. The judges for the entries were poets and teachers
of writing and poetry. The points of view expressed may or may not be the views
held by the judges. All judging was blind. No names because in this community
it's very easy to know someone, so only the judges only had numbers to go by.
And I learned tonight that one of the poets here as already been successfully
published a few times. This contest could not have been successful without the
hard work and organizational help of Heather Shank, Human Rights Coordinator,
and Dorothy Paul whose back here from the United Nations USA Iowa Division,
they were an incredible help with this. Mayor Lehman I'd like to read the names
of the honorable mentioned recipients and they will come forward to receive those
awards from you. And after that the two first place winners will come forward to
receive those awards and then those entries will be read. Thank you. So, I'd like
Beth Kindig, 1 lth grader from West High to come up, Paola Moreno, 1 lth grade
from the Alternative Center could not make it, if Honey O'Cadey??? is still in the
audience he said he would accept it for her. Kara Callahan from West High
School, Chris Fuller, 12th grade West, Brie Nixon 10th grade City High School,
Elizabeth Dunbar, City High School. Honorable Mentions for the essay's, those
were poetry, did I mention that? Ashley Calkins, 9th grade City High School,
Shikha Bhattacharjee, 9th grade West High School, Anna Kudsk, 10th grade City
High School and Christine Bursch who can not be here tonight, I believe her
mother was here, I'm not sure, we will get it to her anyway, 9th grade City High
School. Thank you so much we're glad you all. I want to remind you if you can
stay someone from the press will be taking a photograph in the lobby just after the
next two all right. Thank you so much, we're proud of all of you.
First place winners to be presented the $500.00 check and an award. For poetry
Maeta Mufuame, 1 lth grade West High, Maeta came here from a soccer game,
and I think would like to go back to his soccer game. Is it too late for you to go
back Maeta?
Maeta Mufuame/I don't know.
Carman/Well, this is quite important too, so Maeta $500.00 award for his poetry. And
Eric Peters, 1 lth grade from City High, $500.00 award for his essay. Maeta, how
do you want to do this?
Mufuame/(can't hear).
Carman/You would like me to.
Mufuame/(can't hear).
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Carman/All right, OK. I thought I was humble to present people, to sit in for Bums
Weston, I'm even more humble now I must say that, your going to, you want me
to.
Mufuame/Yes, you may.
Carman/OK. OK. I want to say that whatever damage I do to this poem will be minimal
only because it's so powerful and it stands on it's own despite of my reading so
here we are, thank you Maeta. I must say to you that I learned tonight that Maeta
and if I mispronounce this forgive me, his languages are in order I suppose Bembe
Momimba, Swahili, French and last English. This is one of the most awful things
I've ever done to read his poem. "Near our town in the big lake a boat going
slowly hits rocks and was sinking. It was full of people from way inside the
country, they were having to leave their land, those people were not around lakes,
not around big water, they lived by keeping cattle. On dry land they walk a long
way beside their cows, they can not swim, and it was so close to shore. Seriously,
such a little way, and they all drowned, they can not swim, they keep cattle, and
they drowned. My father went with other men to get the bodies, they went out
many days looking. At night I was afraid those people would come out of the
water, they could not rest in water, their spirits won't, can't. I wanted the men to
hurry and find them all. They would be at rest. They don't swim and the shore
was so close, they need the freedom to die or their souls can rest. Where they
walk on dry land with their cattle, that was freedom to stay. Freedom from fear.
When we wanted to come back home we swam across the river, we paid men to
help us, our bags went upon their heads, up my younger sisters too, just above the
water. I was afraid about the snipers and my younger sisters up above. I was
afraid of terrible crocodiles in the waters down below. Is this freedom from fear
and want? When we came back to our country after almost a year in Bumndi
which was thought to be safer, people all remembered us now, as skinny family.
Fear wouldn't let us eat, even when there was enough food. This is freedom from
fear. My little brother and I went into the central part of town, around the comer
there had been a fight on the street. A store was blown up, the front wall fallen
away, people were running in taking things and running out. Someone shuttered
their here and men came in with guns and started shooting at everyone, children
and women. There was a lot of guns and people yelling "don't shoot me" and lots
of people lost their lives. I ran with my little brother. We didn't yell anything,
my little brother lost his shoe." Thank you so much.
Before Eric reads I just want to thank all of you again for this opportunity.
Eric Peters/"There have been numerous cases of human rights violations throughout the
past century. But there's one situation which sticks out in my mind. When there
has been occurring for half of this century and continues to this day. The situation
of which I speak is Tibet. Which is approximately the size of Western Europe.
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Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet from 1949 to 1951 there have been numerous
human rights violations by the Chinese government in Tibet. Yet the rest of the
world turns away, pretends not to see and continues the relations with China. One
main source of the human fights violation stems from the Chinese interfering with
the Tibetans religious freedoms. It has been severely curtailed by the Chinese
government. Of the 6,000 Buddhists monasteries destroyed by the Chinese during
their invasion of Tibet only a few hundred of them have been rebuilt. During the
destruction of these monasteries irreplaceable jewels of Tibet and culture found
inside were also destroyed. Tibetans are regularly in prison by the Chinese
government for their political and religious activities where they are poorly
treated. During imprisonment they are tortured and beaten while Tibetan nuns are
brutally raped by prison guards. In one terrible case in recent years a Tibetan nun
died in custody as result of being beaten by guards. Not only is China impeding
Tibet's human rights, it is also trying to rid Tibet of it's rich culture. In recent
years China has gone so far as to promote the migration of ethnic Chinese into
Tibet to help destruct the Tibetan culture. The Chinese have strategically selected
Tibetans to be taken to China to be educated and their return to Tibet. Take up
positions within the Chinese administration in Tibet as cultural and political
brokers. In doing so a sense of distress washed over the Tibetans forcing
everyone to keep silent rather than express their views against Chinese rule. A
person may wonder what makes the Tibetan situation any different from that of
others such as the current situation Kosovo. The point is that there isn't a
difference. Tibet is just one example of the human rights violations occurring
throughout the world today. The one thing that sets Tibet apart is the fact that the
Tibetan people have endured these practices for half a century yet they remain
strong in their determination to deal with there situation through nonviolent
means. Their are currently numerous organizations around the world to help fight
Chinese rule over Tibet through nonviolent measures. However, nothing can truly
be accomplished until the nations of the world open their eyes. Government
leaders need to address the issue with China rather than turning their backs to the
subject, there's nothing so great as peer pressure. Should the government powers
such as the United States, Great Britain, etc. make an effort to force China to
change it's policy through nonviolent means would eventually help the situation.
Sadly I do not have faith in the countries of the world. They have demonstrated
time after time they are too concerned about their trade relations with China to
express their opinions to the Chinese govemment about Tibet. Because of the
lack of opposition from the world govemments and corporations the Chinese
government maintains it will not change it's ways with regard to Tibet.
According to Chen Kuiyuan, Party of Secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region, we
will absolutely not allow Tibet to be split off from the great family of the mother
land. This demonstrates China's unwillingness to change unless they are forced
to through nonviolent measures."
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Lehman/Thank you folks, and especially you Joy and Heather, very very nice of and we
appreciate it. Thank you.
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ITEM NO. 4. CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS
PRESENTED AS AMENDED.
Lehman/And this will be amended by deleting Item d(1) and adding Item 4d(3) which
will be consider a resolution setting a public hearing for May 18 on amending
FY99 operating budget.
Norton/Move adoption.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by O'Donnell. Discussion. Roll Call. Motion
carries. Item.
Norton/Ernie, one comment before we leave. I think it's significant that their making
more progress on the soccer field, and that's going to be a real improvement when
they get that done.
Lehman/That really is, it really is. And that's a project that's really a team effort.
Norton/Very.
Lehman/The kickers organization of the City of Iowa City, that's really remarkable.
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ITEM NO. 5. PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
Lehman/This is an item that time is reserved on the meeting for folks who like to address
the council and items that do not otherwise appear on the agenda. If you'd like to
speak to council, please sign in your name and limit your comments to five
minutes or less.
Rene Paine/Hi my name is Rene Paine, I live at 823 Ronalds Street. And I'm the
director of Public Access Television here in Iowa City. Public Access TV
received the grant from the University of Iowa Hospital School to offer
production and programming opportunities to people with disabilities. The
workshops were held April 10 and April 17 at PATV, nine participants produced a
video program as part of this workshop. And I invite you to view the world
premiere of this program, entitled "Accessing Community Media" tomorrow
evening May 5 at 7:00 PM on Cable Channel 2. There's also a reception and a
live viewing at the Access Center if you would like to join us there. And that is at
623 S. Dubuque Street. I'd also like to invite the council and the viewing
audience to an open house on the afternoon of Friday May 14 as PATV celebrates
nine years of service in the Coralville/Iowa City area. The open house will be
from noon to 6:00 PM at the Access Center, 623 S. Dubuque Street and we hope
to see you there. I'd also like to just pass out our annual report for 1998. Thank
you.
Lehman/Thank you.
Karen Kubby/Congratulations on your ninth anniversary. That's great.
Norton/(can't hear).
Lehman/Anyone else like to speak?
Karr/Motion to accept correspondence.
Kubby/So moved.
Champion/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Kubby, seconded by Champion to receive correspondence, all in
favor. Motion carries.
Anna Buss/Oh, I'm organized for once, imagine that. Anna Buss, 525 W. Benton Street.
Earlier in the year I went home and read my Press Citizen and I was caught by a
small article and it was really a small article what caught my eye, I'll never know.
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But I'm really glad that I saw it and it was about a class put on by called "The
Citizens Police Academy" and I called the number that was listed and I came
down to the police department, I asked a bunch of questions, picked up an
application, took me a few minutes to fill it out and I got to be one of the lucky
persons who got to participate in this class. And it was really interesting. It's a
joint effort and it's put on by the Iowa City Police Department, Coralville Police
Department and the Johnson County Sheriffs Department. The class was every
Thursday night for 12 weeks and it was three hours for each evening, the
curriculum that was covered was really excellent, some of the items included and
I know I'll forget some was the paperwork that the officers have to go through,
the officers training, some of the officers selection, how they select the officers,
traffic enforcement which covered the use of radar, OWI' s, accident investigation,
they had defensive tactics, use of force of display of the weapons, they covered
gangs, items and things that to look for, some suggestions in dealing with the
gang problems in our neighborhoods. They also had a program on bombs, the
tactical team, they had a variety night which covered the DARE program, the
bicycle patrol, the animal control, and what the community officers do. The next
part of the program was the drug investigation, they had an evening with ethics,
legal aspects, family violence, the Johnson County Sheriff s department of their
facilities, which they didn't keep any of us I'm happy to say. We even got to see
all of the emergency equipment, they also have a fire arms training session which
is held here and they also covered evidence collection. On the last evening Judge
Lewis talked about what the court systems do on the other end once everybody's
arrested. Everyone in the class got to ride with the officers from all three
departments, in any and all of the shifts. The class was just excellent. Every
evening ran over, none of us left, it was really very interesting. It's my
understanding that the next session's going to be expanded to from the 12 weeks
to the 14 weeks and I'd like to thank all of the departments that were involved for
such an excellent experience. It was a real eye opener to see what the officers do,
the amount of continuing education that they have to go through. All of the
training they have, the number of extra things that they do throughout the
community, I've told of course, a lot of you know me, so I've told everybody I
know about this program, I thought it was really interesting. There were certain
evenings I thought were more interesting than other evenings but that's with
everybody. I highly recommend it to everyone, the one thing I would suggest is
that it would get more press, better advertising. We got to meet some really
wonderful people of all ages. I think probably one of the younger persons in the
class was in their 20's and then it went on up to my age and I'm sure there was at
least somebody older than me. There had to be at least one person older than me.
And again I'd really like to thank all of the police departments, the Sheriffs
department for putting this on. It's something the council should take part in, it's
again it's on Thursday evenings, I know time restrictive is. But at least sit it on,
everybody sit on at least one or two of the sessions, it was really good. The
officers that and everybody involved in teaching, I mean you could just stand and
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talk to them, you could really tell they enjoyed the class. Having to see what the,
I don't know how the officers that have all that SWAT equipment on even get
around with all the weight of that. And then the bomb squad, the outfit that they
have to wear I mean we would just fallen over having to wear it, it weighs like 80
pounds and I was like ah, it was really pretty good. But anyway I really do
suggest that everybody should go and sit in on at least one night and the general
public really needs to go out and see this. It really changes some of your attitudes
about what happens, especially if you ride with them on Friday or Saturday
nights, that's a real peak time in Iowa City. Again thank you to everyone.
Champion/Thank you.
Kubby/Thanks Anna.
Lehman/Thanks Anna. There's no further discussion.
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ITEM
NO. 6b(2). AMENDING THE PLANNED DEVELOPMENT HOUSING
OVERLAY (OPDH-12) PLAN FOR SILVERCREST, A 21.53 ACRE 5-LOT
RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION INCLUDING 68 ASSISTED LIVING
UNITS, 120 INDEPENDENT LIVING UNITS, A 40-BED MEDICAL
REHABILITATION FACILITY AND A 900 SQUARE FOOT MEDICAL
OFFICE BUILDING, LOCATED AT THE SOUTHEAST QUADRANT OF
SCOTT BOULEVARD AND AMERICAN LEGION ROAD. (REZ99-0005)
Thomberry/Move adoption to the ordinance.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by O'Donnell. First consideration discussion.
Apparently the changes that were made to this did not mateddally change the
concerns that the City or Planning & Zoning Commission had and they approved
this both the staff and the Commission and has been recommended to us for
approval. I guess from the obviously there's no direct public concern at the public
hearing.
Norton/Well I thought we aired it pretty well last night again.
Thomberry/I think so, yea.
Norton/That what I status of that outlot and I think we got that pretty well cleared up so.
Lehman/Any further discussion? Roll Call.
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ITEM NO. 6c(1). AMENDING CITY CODE SUBSECTIONS 14-5H, SITE PLAN
REVIEW, AND 14-6S, PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, REGARDING
LIGHTING STANDARDS.
Lehman/This is a continuation of a public hearing from April 20. Hearing is open.
Robert
Olick/Good evening members of the council, my name is Robert Olick. I am
among the many residents of Dunlap Court and Third Avenue and other areas of
Iowa City that have brought forward our concerns and objections regarding the
lights on the Iowa City High School tennis courts. I have not come here this
evening to plead our case to you, you've received, I hope, two written
submissions previously, one dated April 20, the other April 27, those documents
set forth in some detail not just our concerns and objections but a series of
proposals for solutions to this problem. Those documents also express our
support for the ordinance and lighting standards that your considering here this
evening. The reason I came here this evening actually was to extend to you an
invitation, as you may know because the district should have sent you notice, we
got our Dear City High neighbor letter over the weekend. The district has
scheduled a meeting for May 10 at 7:30 PM at the high school in the little theater,
I believe, to discuss this matter further and on behalf of all of the residents
affected by this we would very much welcome the attendance of as many of you
as can make that meeting to observe to participate and I urge you as well for those
of you who can come to ask the high school to turn the lights. See what we see
and I think you will understand much better the deep seeded source of our disquiet
over this situation.
Lehman/We did receive the note and we talked last night about council people attending
and I think there will be several of us there if we can.
Olick/Great, we would greatly appreciate it.
Norton/Believe me most of us have been there. I've been there three times, you know,
sometimes the nights weren't on, but twice when they were so I wondered around
at length.
Olick/I'm sure you had no problem finding your way. Thank you.
Woodruff/Did you think it was as bright as a full moon light?
Norton/Yes, the full moon was on.
Lehman/All right.
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Woodruff/That's what he said. When you wondered around.
Lehman/If your going to speak you'll have to come to the microphone please.
Norton/What did he ask?
Woodruff/My name is David Woodruff. When you wondered around was it just about as
bright as a full moon out at night or was it a little brighter?
Norton/I think it was a little more than that.
Woodruff/A little bit more brighter OK. That was Musco Lighting's measurements.
Thank you.
Lehman/For your information we obviously are aware of this and I understand the school
board discussed this, we're expecting some communication from them and there's
obviously a great deal of concern on the part of this council as to what will occur
out there so you can be assure we aren't going to ignore this. OK. Other
discussion. Public hearing is closed.
Thornberry/Move adoption of the ordinance.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Kubby/Well I definitely am going to support this ordinance even though I feel like we
should go further. As someone who does not only I think it's good policy, and a
lot of communities are very concemed about making sure while maintaining
security that we're not lighting the sky more than is necessary because it's a waste
economically for businesses to do that. And it just pollutes the sky. But also as an
individual whose kind of been a victim of light pollution where I have lost my use
of my property at night in the way that I had it before a neighboring business and
lit up the neighborhood. And so I have a lot of empathy for folks on Dunlap
Court and Third Avenue. And I, there were some comments that were made at
the last city council public hearing two weeks ago that really kind of had stuck
with me one of them was when we were talking about the issue of grandparenting
in current business and multifamily areas that are next to single family residential.
And the question was asked, "other polluters have to clean up their mess why
doesn't, why don't light polluters have to clean up their mess?" And I've been
trying to answer that question as a matter of public policy and I know that there
would be expense but pollution is expensive and usually we don't really pay the
full cost of pollution. At least the generators are the pollution, historically have
not paid the full cost of remedying and litigating that pollution so I personally
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would be very interested in not grandparenting in current areas. I'm not even
going to make a motion to that affect because that I know that there is not support
for that but I just want to say that I would support that. And secondly something
that is on the Planning & Zoning work plan but it's low on the list is looking not
just at lighting but other kinds of behaviors of public institutions including the
city that could be nuisance to our neighbors lights, noise, I'm not quite sure what
else would be on that list and I would like us see us bump that up, I can't say I
would want it to be the highest priority because I'd need us to review the list and
would want to hear a conversation amongst council members about that. But I
would like to see that higher than some other things that I know that are on the
list. And so I would like us to maybe review that work program because we
actually put something new on it last night as well to see if we want to change the
priority there or not. But I think this is going to be a continuing, it has been a
continuing problem both light and noise at City High and there may be some
University issues, there may be some city issues and I think that this is real
important that we not only ask other people to be good neighbors but that at
public institutions we also be good neighbors and since it's not happening in kind
of the free market system of neighborliness that some regulation is warranted.
Norton/I would agree Karen in some, but moving that up after I look at that list and make
sure what's going to go down because I think it could be a pretty good big job
figure out ordinances that would apply to public other public bodies. Cause it's
not going to be so easily I think.
Champion/Really.
Kubby/That's why we should start now.
Norton/Maybe we ought to get started at a low at a steady pace because I think it's a
pretty good size job. I agree with you it ought it be that. Your not speaking to the
grandfathering issue right now though.
Kubby/No.
Norton/I didn't understand when they mean grandfathering, wouldn't you have to give
them a phase in a time where they would have to fix things? Cause I didn't hear
you propose that cause I think we ought to.
Kubby/No I didn't propose it because when we talked about this at the informal meeting
there wasn't interest in striking the grandparent clause out of the ordinance so I
don't know that it's productive at this point, so moved, I don't think there would
be a second but I would be in favor of not grandparenting it in for facilities.
Lehman/Other discussion.
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Champion/How does that ordinance affect a present business, I mean if we don't
grandfather them? So if there light, if they have to replace their lights they would
have to replace them within this ordinance.
Lehman/Any replacement of existing lights or new lights would have to conform to the
ordinance.
Norton/Would have to be.
Champion/OK. OK. I think it's a tremendous expense, lighting is one of most expensive
things you do in the business, very expensive and I would not be in favor of
grandfathering it for that reason. But I totally support.
Kubby/You would be favoring it. Right.
Thornberry/You would be favoring it.
Kubby/You would be in favor of it.
Champion/Right.
Lehman/Well I think the way.
Vanderhoef/Well I would be in favor of.
Lehman/The way that it's written lights would be grandfathered in until such time as
they were changed.
Norton/As they were changed yea.
Thomberry/Right.
Lehman/Or reconstruction then they would be required to conform.
Norton/But we do have an issue in general about the grandparenting question, everybody
has some monstrous efficiency has to stay there forever. In principle those things
can be subject to more rapid action can't they? You might have to taper it a little
bit but. In this case I agree with you if you better taper it at the best.
Lehman/But Eleanor am I correct at assuming should we define after this ordinance is
passed if it's passable in it's current form, if we find there are glaring problems
with certain infractions on this could it then could we change the grandfathering
of that?
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Eleanor Dilkes/You can always, you can always change the ordinance ifit's I mean ifit's
a legal change.
Lehman/You mean we could. Yea. But we could change if we wanted to phase
something in over a period of time.
Dilkes/Well I think we'd have to take a look at the grandfathering issue, I'm not going to
commit to that.
Lehman/But it is something that could possibly happen.
Kubby/But the other thing that we could commit to, I'm sorry Dean.
Thornberry/Can't tell.
Lehman/We're not going to worry about that now because we're not proposing it.
Thornberry/Yea, fight.
Kubby/But the other thing we could commit to and I think that, well I guess I don't see
that, is that when the city puts up any kind of lighting that we take care of our own
and.
Norton/Abide by our own rules.
Kubby/That we follow our own ordinance even though by law we're not required to.
Lehman/I think we generally, we generally do that in every case, we follow our own
rules, I have no reason why this would be different.
Kubby/But a recent example is some of the new downtown lights that are ornamental
globe lights, where after they were put up because there were some, there were
mixed reaction to how much light and where the light was going, but we heard
some complaints from astronomy folks, we heard some complaints from some
patrons of downtown that it was too much. And we put the shielding on them but
it wasn't part of our natural, although I guess that was a part of the ordinance at
the time that we did those lights.
Lehman/We didn't violate any ordinance.
Kubby/But we should have leamed from the College Green Park example where you
may have that much light, that it was too much for the community so. And in the
future I hope that we continue that strategy.
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Lehman/Further discussion.
Champion/50 feet high.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM 6d. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING ANNEXATION OF
APPROXIMATELY 10.3 ACRES OF PROPERTY LOCATED EAST OF
SCOTT BOULEVARD AT WASHINGTON STREET. (ANN99-0002)
Norton/Move adoption of resolution.
Lehman/Approved by Planning & Zoning Commission.
Thornberry/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Thomberry.
Kubby/I have a little bit of concern about future annexations in this area if there for the
purpose, one of the reasons, our annexation policy has some certain, we have to
justify the annexation and one of them is at, it helps live out our comprehensive
plan and part of that is to provide more diversity in housing and one of the things
that this will bring is more senior housing into the community which is needed
and will be needed in the future. I do have a concern, even though there is senior
housing in many places in the community we're starting to bunch them up along
Scott Boulevard on the east part of town. And this will be the third one in a short
period of time that will have been approved and built and I know that staff has
talked about it and we've talked about it and I just want us to be conscious of that
in the future.
Norton/Well there's three of them on the other side of town, at least in the offing too,
aren't there?
Vanderhoef/Yes.
Norton/There on the west side of town kind of on Mormon Trek in some certain sense,
close to that.
Vanderhoef/Melrose, Mormon Trek.
Norton/Melrose, Mormon Trek area. So it's show them we're going to catch up.
Champion/It's a balancing act.
Kubby/But having this little enclaves.
Vanderhoef/Well part of this though is according to our comprehensive plan that we are
looking at placing high density multifamily kinds of residence near the arterials or
on the arterials. So it's part of our own design that when a developer comes and
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#6d Page 22
wants to place one of these high density establishments this is where they look for
their land because that's where they get approval. So if we are not wanting them
all in a row on the arterial then it would mean that we have to go back and change
our policy.
Kubby/Well there are.
Vanderhoef/Not willing to do that one.
Kubby/Right. I agree, I hear that, and agree in theory with that policy, it makes a lot of
planning sense. Part of it though is that when people do come to us whether it's
for elderly housing or lower income housing.
(End of 99-52 Side 1)
Kubby/We usually can't get a majority of council to approve them and so the strategy is
you have to annex land in where there isn't development around you or not very
much development around you in order to get these higher density kinds of
development approved, because that's the only way it can pass muster at this
level.
Norton/Well one of these projects was going to be right down on the river you
remember.
Kubby/Right.
Champion/Right.
Norton/That was just fight down pretty close to town, that didn't work out so well
environmentally but.
Champion/Well it should have been a flood plain.
Norton/Well I think, I mean it was going to be a mess, water wise, water wigs.
Champion/Water wigs.
Lehman/Further discussion. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM 6e(2). CONDITIONALLY CHANGING THE ZONING DESIGNATION OF
APPROXIMATELY 14.83 ACRES LOCATED EAST OF SCOTT
BOULEVARD AT WASHINGTON STREET FROM MEDIUM DENSITY
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RS-8), LOW DENSITY MULTI-
FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RM-12), AND COUNTY SUBURBAN
RESIDENTIAL (RS) TO PLANNED DEVELOPMENT HOUSING
OVERLAY (OPDH-8; 8.37 ACRES), LOW DENSITY SINGLE FAMILY
RESIDENTIAL (RS-5; 5.63 ACRES) AND LOW DENSITY MULTI-
FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RM-12; .83 ACRES), AND A REQUEST FOR A
PRELIMINARY OPDH PLAN TO ALLOW 74 DWELLING UNITS ON
8.16 ACRES. (REZ99-0004)
Lehman/Public heating will be continued from April 20th open. Anyone wish to speak
to this issue? Public hearing is closed.
Thornberry/Well has the stuff been done?
Lehman/I think everything is in order so we can.
Dilkes/The CZA is signed.
Lehman/Do first consideration tonight.
Thornberry/Move adoption of the ordinance.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Norton. Discussion. Roll call.
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ITEM No. 6h. CONSIDER A MOTION TO FORWARD A LETTER TO THE
JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RECOMMENDING
APPROVAL OF AN EXTRATERRITORIAL REZONING OF 2.68 ACRES
ADJACENT TO 1244 DEVON DRIVE NE INFRINGE AREA A FROM
SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL (RS) TO RURAL (A1). (CA9912)
Norton/Move to forward the letter.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Norton/Always glad to see things go back to agricultural right from residential.
Lehman/Yea this is. This is exactly that. All in favor. All ayes. Motion carries.
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ITEM 6i. CONSIDER A MOTION TO FORWARD A LETTER TO THE
JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RECOMMENDING
DENIAL OF AN EXTRATERRITORIAL REZONING OF ONE ACRE
LOCATED IN FRINGE AREA A AT 3005 HIGHWAY 1 NE FROM
RURAL (A1) TO COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL (C-AG). (CZ9913)
Vanderhoef/Move to deny.
Lehman/I'm sorry, we have a motion to deny, is there a second? No, we have to have a
motion to.
Vanderhoef/Approve the letter.
Lehman/We have to have a motion to approve.
Vanderhoef/The letter of denial.
Thomberry/Second.
Lehman/All right. Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by Thomberry. Discussion.
Allan Berger/My name is Allan Berger, I'm the property owner and I have the
application pending with the county. The plan was to put a veterinary practice at
this location, both my wife and I are veterinarians, I don't know how familiar you
are with the, some of you are not and so. When I started on this process about I
guess this was about a year ago with the county, county zoning neglected to tell
me about the urban area fringe agreements at all, nor did they warn me of the
consequences of treading on that agreement. So I feel a little bit lost in the
political wilderness. What I'm here to ask is Mr. Miklo with the staff report and
also the city planning zoning supported a conditional approval via a home
business or special use permit and I guess I would like to ask the city council if
they would be willing to put that in their letter in hopes of.
Kubby/It's in there.
Berger/Moving some sort of a, I'd like to give you the history if your interested in.
Lehman/I don't think.
Kubby/The letter does incorporate that, that that.
Thomberry/I don't think it's a problem.
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Lehman/OK. Yea, that's fine.
Norton/No problem.
Berger/Thank you for your time.
Champion/No problem.
Lehman/Thank you.
Kubby/It's a very good solution for keeping our agreement in tact and letting you do
what you need to do.
Berger/Thank you.
Lehman/A few times it really works for everybody.
Champion/Barely.
Lehman/Other discussion.
Vanderhoef/Amazing what conversation will do.
Lehman/All in favor. All ayes. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 7(2). PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND
ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA
AVENUE MULTI-USE PARKING FACILITY PROJECT,
ESTABLISHING AMOUNT OF BID SECURITY TO ACCOMPANY
EACH BID, DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH
ADVERTISEMENTS FOR BIDS, AND FIXING TIME AND PLACE FOR
RECEIPT OF BIDS.
Norton/So moved.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Kubby/What's the date for receiving bids, anyone know that?
Karr/June 3.
Kubby/June 3.
Lehman/June 3.
Kubby/So it would be at our next council meeting after that we would vote on awarding.
Lehman/Right.
Vanderhoef/15.
Kubby/Thank you for that.
Norton/14 or so.
Vanderhoef/15.
Norton/14-15 right.
Kubby/Thank you.
Lehman/Further discussion.
Dilkes/Mr. Mayor.
Lehman/Yes.
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Dilkes/If I can just have a minute. I think, I'm looking at the resolution and it calls for
10 percent bid security and I believe that the specifications are calling for 5.
Lehman/Is this security or contingency?
Dilkes/Oh, OK, we'll stick with 10 and we'll just have to change the specs. That's fine,
go ahead.
Lehman/OK.
Champion/What.
Lehman/We're OK, OK, we're fine. Eleanor says it's OK.
Dilkes/Yea, ignore what I just said.
O'Donnell/You just changed the specs.
Lehman/We're in good hands with Eleanor. Any further discussion.
Norton/Well it I don't know, further step in a really very very significant project for
downtown.
Lehman/Dee I think that's exactly fight, this is.
Norton/It's a very big step.
Lehman/It really is, I mean this is something that's part of a much much larger project
for the entire downtown, it incorporates the streetscape, commercial property,
parking, Iowa Avenue, I think a partnership project with the University of Iowa,
that's part of a really really big puzzle, and this is obviously the biggest part.
Vanderhoef/And the commercial also.
Lehman/Right. But this is the biggest part of it.
Norton/Well and then there's relates to the senior future of the senior center, it affects a
lot of things.
Lehman/Yep. Roll call. Motion carries. Kubby voting no.
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ITEM NO. 8. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RELOCATION
ASSISTANCE TO PERSONS DISPLACED FROM THEIR HOMES OR
THEIR BUSINESS AS A RESULT OF THE IOWA AVENUE MULTI-USE
PARKING FACILITY.
Norton/Move adoption of resolution.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Norton, seconded by O'Donnell. Discussion.
Kubby/I'm going to be voting for this even though I'm against the project and don't
think we should be bidding it out, I think those residential uses, any kind of
displacement we do with public projects that we should be paying these expenses.
Lehman/Yea, I think that' s just been a matter of policy we've taken, whether it's
residential or business, if we displace them we will pay relocation expenses, that's
what this does. Further discussion. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 9. PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND
ESTIMATE OF COST FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE WESTMINSTER
SANITARY SEWER IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, ESTABLISHING
AMOUNT OF BID SECURITY TO ACCOMPANY EACH BID,
DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH NOTICE TO BIDDERS, AND
FIXING TIME AND PLACE FOR RECEIPT OF BIDS.
Lehman/This is a project with an estimated cost of $650,000 funded by sewer revenue
bonds. Public hearing is open. Public hearing is closed.
Vanderhoe~ Move adoption of resolution.
Thornberry/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by Thornberry. Discussion.
Norton/This has been long time
Thornberry/Yea it has.
Norton/Coming to hasn't it?
Lehman/Yea.
Norton/It's been needed for a long time.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 10. THE CONVEYANCE OF 2750 IRVING AVENUE.
Lehman/This is for the Iowa City Authority purchase a freestanding house located at
2750 Irving Avenue as part of the Affordable Dream Home Program. Under this
program the city will be holding a mortgage of approximately I think $31,000 the
family will borrow what $71,000 on the total price with a forgivable grant of
$10,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank. Hearing is open. Hearing is closed.
Vanderhoeff Move adoption of the resolution.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by Norton. Discussion.
Thornberry/I have a question.
Lehman/Yes.
Thornberry/How many houses may a body I guess this is for you Eleanor, how many
homes or businesses or residences can a body or a person or a family buy and sell
in the course of a year without having a Realtors license? Do you know?
Dilkes/I don't know.
Thornberry/I just don't traderstand.
Kubby/Will you explain the connection?
Thornberry/Pardon me?
Kubby/Could you explain the connection?
Thornberry/Yea, I just don't know why the Iowa City Housing Authority bought a
house, bought a building, a townhouse. And turned around and sold it.
Lehman/Well we authorized them to do it.
Thornberry/I understand that. I'm just wondering how o~en can they do this and is the
city in the business of buying and selling real estate?
Dilkes/Well my initial impression would be that just because one is in the business of
buying and selling real estate does not make that person a Realtor or a need of a
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#10 Page 32
Realtor's license, and typically a Realtor is in the business of buying and selling
on behalf of others.
Thornberry/Well we are, we buy and sell on the behalf of others.
Dilkes/Well.
Thornberry/But it's not to make a profit obviously.
Dilkes/That would be my initial reaction.
Thornberry/Take a loss.
Vanderhoef/But as I understand it this is the money that we received from selling part of
the housing stock.
Thornberry/Dee I understand that.
Vanderhoef/That was purchased with HUD money.
Thornberry/I understand that, I just didn't think that the city was in the business of
buying and selling real estate.
Lehman/You know Dean.
Kubby/On a small scale.
Lehman/That this is the program that you and I love, we're taking the money and we're
helping people own homes. Taking them off the cities ownership and putting them
on the tax roll.
Thornberry/Ernie your exactly right, but they don't have to be on the cities in the cities
coffers to begin with.
Lehman/Then we wouldn't be able to help these folks out.
Thornberry/Yes we can. We can do it with a number of other projects, such as loan
guarantees.
Norton/Well we're doing that.
Thornberry/We can do it with.
Norton/(Can't hear).
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Thornberry/We can do that, but we just don't have to be in the real estate business I
don't feel that we need to buy and sell real estate as a city. I just I just have a
problem with that, but anyway.
Champion/That's all right.
Thornberry/We sold this one so that' s.
Champion/We know that' s how you feel but we just vote for it anyway.
Norton/We're out of the business now Dean we just sold it.
Thornberry/No we're not, we're not out of the business, we own almost 100 properties
now.
Norton/But those are, there were just exercising some leverages that HUD gives us.
O'Donnell/Dean if you help us sell this one there'll be one less than we'll own (can't
hear).
Thornberry/Let's do that. Let's do this.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
Vanderhoef/I just want to say it's a lovely house, I went out and walked through it and
it's really very very nice, very compact, well thought out.
Thornberry/Do you think it's worth more than $111,9007
Vanderhoef/I'm not a Realtor so I don't know.
Thornberry/Let's, we're going to have to get in the business.
Lehman/OK.
Norton/I mean the city can start making money Dean.
Thornberry/No, we're losing every time we sell one here, we're going to have to buy and
sell.
Lehman/Let's see what happens with making money on #11.
Thornberry/All fight.
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ITEM NO. 11. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE REPEALING SECTION 1-9-2 OF
THE CITY CODE ENTITLED "LIMITATION ON CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS." (FIRST CONSIDERATION)
Lehman/Eleanor would you just briefly tell folks what we're doing here I think you
determined that we were doing may not be appropriate.
Dilkes/The city since the 1970's has had an ordinance placing a $50.00 limitation on
campaign contributions both to candidates and on ballot issues, actually that
limitation was initially $125.00 and was dropped to $50.00. In reviewing the
campaign materials that are being prepared by the city clerk's office for the
candidates this year I reviewed that section of the code in light of recent eight
circuit cases which is the circuit we're in and the federal law that binds us and it
was my determination that the provision would not withstand constitutional
challenge, so I'm recommending repeal.
Lehman/Do we have a motion to.
Thomberry/So moved.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Norton/Well I just think it' s, I think it, I think the idea of a modest limit is a generally
idea and I'm just distraught that the feds see it otherwise. I think it's very
appropriate to make it some small units but I guess we got to go along with it
given the evidence that's presented to us about the legality.
Dilkes/Well let me just clarify just so there's no misunderstanding that the law is not that
any campaign contribution limit is not constitutional.
Norton/No I understand that.
Dilkes/You can put a limit in place that is constitutional.
Norton/Not a (can't hear) of sort. There may be some numbers somewhere were not
sure.
Lehman/Well I think.
Dilkes/There will be some number and some process.
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Norton/I'd be in favor of a modest (can't hear).
Dilkes/For justifying that number that may make it.
Lehman/But I think you you really have echoed the sentiment of the council that this
may be something we need to do but I don't think many of us are enthused about
it we think the problem should be of modest.
Champion/Isn't it ironic that now somebody can give you as much money as they want
but you can't have more than $1.99 lunch.
Norton/That' s what I just (can't hear).
(All talking).
Champion/Somebody can give me $1,000.00 but I can't you know $2.99 lunch is
bribery, I can.
Lehman/$3.00though.
Champion/All right $3.00 then.
Norton/I said I haven't been taking the donut to stay under that.
Champion/You could have just half of a donut, you could share it.
Thomberry/Are you sure Dee?
Lehman/OK. All right.
Kubby/Our attorney has said that she will be monitoring the eight circuit in any kind of
supreme court rulings on this to help us determine if there can be a limit for our
community that would pass constitutional muster and I think that' s really
important because if some things come out of those cases that are applicable here
I think we would be very interested in looking at that because I too am very
saddened by this and actually would encourage and challenge candidates in the
1999 City Council races to still implement and live by the $50.00 limit
voluntarily. I think that would be a great idea and there are four seats up in
November of 1999 which is a majority of council and I hope if all four of us run
for reelection that we will choose to abide by the $50.00 limit voluntarily and
incumbent.
Thomberry/I think if somebody perhaps if somebody offered me $1,000 toward my
campaign contribution, you got more money last time than I did.
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Kubby/$50.00 limit.
Thornberry/I don't think I would mm it down because I put a lot in out of my pocket so.
Norton/Well let's.
Lehman/OK, nobody's announcing though is that right?
Norton/There is still disclosure I think it's fair.
Thornberry/(can't hear) disclosure status. Sure.
Norton/Disclosure laws are still in effect. So if you wanted to go look at who supported
who at what rate you can certainly do.
Thornberry/Sure.
Lehman/First consideration has been moved. Roll call.
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ITEM
NO. 12. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING THAT GENERAL
PROPERTY TAXES LEVIED AND COLLECTED EACH YEAR ON ALL
PROPERTY LOCATED WITHIN THE NORTHGATE CORPORATE
PARK URBAN RENEWAL PROJECT AREA, IN THE CITY OF IOWA
CITY, COUNTY OF JOHNSON, STATE OF IOWA, BY AND FOR THE
BENEFIT OF THE STATE OF IOWA, CITY OF IOWA CITY, COUNTY
OF JOHNSON, IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
OTHER TAXING DISTRICTS, BE PAID TO A SPECIAL FUND FOR
PAYMENT OF PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ON LOANS, MONIES
ADVANCED TO AND INDEBTEDNESS, INCLUDING BONDS ISSUED
OR TO BE ISSUED, INCURRED BY SAID CITY IN CONNECTION
WITH SAID URBAN RENEWAL REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT. (PASS
AND ADOPT)
Lehman/Did anybody understand anything I said?
Champion/No.
Vanderhoef/Move and adopt.
Thornberry/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by Thornberry. We have proven that we don't
know what we're voting on. Any discussion. By the way this is just an (can't
hear) legislation, doesn't really do anything except make the possibility of some
incentives that could be granted by the city. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 13. CONSIDER A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE FORM OF
CONTINUING DISCLOSURE CERTIFICATE PERTAINING TO THE
$9,200,000 WATER REVENUE BONDS.
Norton/Move adoption of motion.
Lehman/Moved by Norton
Thornberry/Second
Lehman/Seconded by Thornberry. Discussion. This is technicalities.
Norton/Technicality, yea.
Lehman/I mean this is just a procedural sort of thing.
Atkins/You have to do it.
Don Yucuis/These two items are part of the bond sale that are required by federal law,
and we need to pass them as part of our final resolution when we sell the bonds.
Lehman/(can't hear).
Yucuis/It says that we're going to disclose, if anything happens financially with the city
that would warrant us to disclose the bond to the bond holder if something was
wrong. This says we have to do it and within a timely fashion.
Lehman/OK. It sounds like the thing to do. Roll call.
Karr/A motion (can't hear).
Lehman/Oh, motion.
Thornberry/It's been (can't hear).
Lehman/I thought we had a motion.
Karr/All those in favor.
Lehman/All in favor I'm sorry. All fight we passed it.
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ITEM NO. 17. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 3, "CITY
FINANCES, TAXATION AND FEES," CHAPTER 4, "SCHEDULE OF
FEES, RATES, CHARGES, BONDS, FINES AND PENALTIES" OF THE
CITY CODE TO INCREASE WATER SERVICE CHARGES AND FEES
IN IOWA CITY, IOWA. (FIRST CONSIDERATION)
Lehman/This is in effect raises the water rates of August I by 15 percent.
Vanderhoef/Move first consideration.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef.
Thornberry/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by Thomberry. Discussion.
Champion/I'm not going to support this, I don't think it's going to make any difference
but, I have real objections to the water bills being increased by 15 percent. We
just voted for a 10 percent increase on the wastewater which will actually more
than. Will increase even more if we increase the water, isn't that an expenditure
water usage bites so?
Kubby/Actually it's based on volume not how much you pay for water it's based on how
much water.
Champion/Well I understand that.
Kubby/So that it won't compound percentage of it anyway.
Norton/No it's not compounded that's right.
Champion/Oh it won't?
Norton/No, no.
Kubby/No, because it's based on how much water you use not how much you pay for it.
Champion/Well I'm still not going to vote for the water increase. I think as I said before
we are, housed are all being reevaluated, people's property taxes are going to go
up from that. The roll back in a state has gone up or down whichever way it's a
benefit to us so people's property taxes are going to go up from that. And it that
means rents, everything are going to go up accordingly. And I think water is
already very expensive and I know we're paying for a new water plant but I just
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say we got to spread it out a little bit and I'm not going to support it, I have strong
objections to how much families can afford to give the city.
Thornberry/I also Connie am for the fact that we have to increase the rates as much as we
do and I will, I'll say that we wouldn't have had to do this if they'd started the
water plant many many years ago when it had to been done. And then we
wouldn't have had to do the water and the wastewater treatment facility at the
same time. However, however, not funding if we all voted against this increase,
we would not be able to make our, would not be able to fulfill our obligations as
far as the water plant is concerned.
Champion/We would just wouldn't be on schedule.
Thornberry/We would not be, we would not be on schedule at all.
Champion/Right.
Norton/We wouldn't meet the deadlines either.
Thomberry/That's correct, we would not meet the deadlines and we would be in default.
Kubby/We don't have any deadlines for the water plant, it's only waste water.
Norton/Not on the water.
Champion/No, I voted for the wastewater increase. I'm not voting for the water increase.
Norton/But these commitments were made a long time ago, and should have been (can't
hear).
Thornberry/And this is just a it would be a freebie vote to say no and it would be
inappropriate.
Champion/I'd like to win at the freebie vote, I voted no and I can't support it.
Thornberry/As far as not you know I don't want my water rate to go up either but.
Champion/I don't care that yours goes up.
Thornberry/But it is only a, it's only a, you don't care?
Champion/No, because I know you can afford to pay it.
Lehman/She doesn't care about yours.
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Kubby/Only Dean gets a 15 percent increase.
Thornberry/I'll take the 15 percent.
Lehman/All right.
Norton/I do think it's worth noting in that in reference to Connie's point that and Dean' s
that we're facing here and dealing with a problem that was deferred for many
years, 20 years ago.
Kubby/(can't hear).
Norton/And we're trying to get at that, but we also have a low income policy that I think
tries to save some of the other incentives expressed to the people who are really
very very difficult straights have some options to help them.
Champion/That's true in almost everything that most cities do that people at both ends of
the income have their needs met. It's the people in the middle who are in trouble
meeting the meeting the income strategies.
Norton/Well I mean.
Lehman/The council's spent a great deal of time discussing this several years ago and
this is part of a of a total program to raise the funds to build the water plant. Part
of that that philosophy was that we would raise 20 percent cash so we don't have
to borrow all the money. And effectively that will mean lower rate, smaller rate
increases or no increase in future years but we have to bite the bullet sometime
and I don't like to raise anymore than anybody else but it's something I feel we
don't have a whole lot of choice about.
Vanderhoef/The choice of paying for a longer time and paying more debt retirement,
actually increases the tax to our citizens so that policy still suits my purpose of
collecting some cash up front.
Kubby/And even though, an important lesson that we've all learned because we all
inherited that bad, my view and I think most of our views that it was bad policy
not to be saving nickels and dimes knowing we had an old water plant and
knowing regulations were going to change and that water quality was
deteriorating but we're working on storm water management issues that we know
are coming down the pike and hoping to not be the bidders of a big problem to
future councils on those new regulations coming down for storm water having to
be treated or dealt with in some way, so we're trying to deal with that. But I also
support these efforts to improve both the wastewater and the water treatment plan
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and doing it in the strategy. Their the two most important public health
environmental services that the city's provide that create the level of health and
well-being we have in our country. I think these are really important, realizing
how painful it is for us to do these two at the same time. In response to Connie, I
agree that we're doing all these, we're doing a lot of big expensive projects and
we voted on a higher tax levy this year, a 5.46 percent increase in property taxes.
That's higher than what anytime in the last 12 years and I think that there was a
different way to deal with the expense that families had that households have on a
month to month basis and I would have chosen to keep our strategy with
wastewater and water treatment and spent less money in our budget. That's one
of the reasons I voted no on the budget and I also found it pretty interesting during
our sales tax discussions that there was some talk about realizing that water rates
could be seen as regressive. Our rate structure could be seen as regressive and
that's why we needed a sales tax to pay for it and I would prefer that we would
have a flat rate water rate structure or an inclining rate I know that I personally
have not done my homework to come up with a specific offer to propose to
council and so I will be supporting this even though I feel in other communities
have lived out a more what I would call fair rate structure for the community. But
until I've done my homework and proposed something specific to council, and
that's something if anyone wants to help me out on feel free to contact me.
Norton/Karen do we have that data from other communities on how many deal with our,
was that assembled sometime ago?
Kubby/Actually Naomi Novick did do some research. And Portland has a very
interesting but complicated water rate structure that tries to incorporate some
Norton/Well we (can't hear).
Kubby/Those kinds of issues of fairness and but I don't think using one example is good
enough and so.
Norton/No.
Kubby/I might spend some time on that.
Lehman/Well that's another discussion I think that we have almost every community in
the country uses a decreasing rate structure similar to what we use and I think
some evidence that do otherwise put us in court, but that's the story. Roll call.
Motion carries, Champion voting no.
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ITEM
NO. 19. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ADOPTING IOWA CITY'S FY00
ANNUAL ACTION PLAN, THAT IS PART OF THE CONSOLIDATED
PLAN (CITY STEPS), AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO
SUBMIT SAID PLAN AND ALL NECESSARY CERTIFICATIONS TO
THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT,
AND DESIGNATING THE CITY MANAGER AS THE AUTHORIZED
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN.
Thomberry/Move adoption of resolution.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Norton/Well here is some acknowledgment here has to be given to the housing and
development commission to work out all these, to work out all the details of this
and you know you read through their minutes, so long and elaborate minutes and
long discussions, I thought they did a terrific job of balancing the various
considerations.
Lehman/No question about it.
Norton/And they really need a pat on the back, Gretchen Schmuch and the rest of them.
Kubby/They serve us well. Someone who used to be on the Commission who was
observing the public hearing, or not the public heating but their final decision
making with the new points or the revised points system says it was unbelievable
how well that worked and how quickly they came to a resolution that the observer
thought it was very well done. And they do deserve many thanks.
Norton/They've apparently settled on a scenario for that final decision then. You know
they had four options there and they decided one of them really worked very
nicely, when they chose a (can't hear) model I assume for next year.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 20. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ALLOCATION FOR OLD BRICK
EPISCOPAL LUTHERAN CORPORATION WITHIN THE FY00
ANNUAL ACTION PLAN, THAT IS PART OF THE CONSOLIDATED
PLAN (CITY STEPS).
Thornberry/Moved adoption of resolution.
Kubby/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry, seconded by Kubby. Discussion. I think we separated
this out because one of our council folks, Connie I think you indicated that you
are on their board.
Champion/Yes, I'm on their board and felt like I should abstain.
Lehman/Right.
Champion/To this vote but wanted to vote for the other items.
Lehman/OK.
Norton/Pardon me but it should be understood this had to do with putting in an elevator
to make this more accessible for public uses and I just want to make sure that
people understood how this happen to be on the list.
Lehman/Right.
Norton/And it is a public use that their talking about.
Vanderhoef/And this only partial payment.
Norton/It's sharing.
Vanderhoef/$20,000 as total is someplace around $100,000.
Lehman/Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 21. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE AIAS/CRANDIC
INTERCHANGE PROJECT, STP-a-3715(12)--86-52.
Lehman/The engineers estimate was $803,000 the bid came in at $689,971 and it's from
Steger-Heiderscheit I think it is.
Thornberry/Out of Dyersville.
Lehman/OfDyersville Iowa, their recommendation from public works is that we award
the contract to them.
Thornberry/Move adoption of this resolution.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry.
Norton/Second.
Thornberry/Under bid.
Lehman/Seconded by Norton. Under is not used to it.
Vanderhoef/I' m jealous.
Lehman/Discussion.
Vanderhoef/They got a low bid and we've been getting high bids.
Thornberry/That's right.
Vanderhoef/I think people should understand that Iowa City did the work for this grant
proposal but we don't have any money involved in it, it was something that was
being done by the railroads under a clean air grant which will help our city in
having the trains do their.
Thornberry/Switching.
Norton/Switching.
Vanderhoef/Switching, switching, thank you for the word. Outside of the city limits.
Thornberry/Is that rain or wind?
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Lehman/That's rain. Roll call. Motion carries.
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ITEM NO. 22. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND
AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST
CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY CIVIC
CENTER ADDITIONS AND RENOVATIONS PROJECT.
Lehman/The architects estimate was $1,548,000.00 dollars. The low bid was
$1,887,000.00 dollars. The public works is recommending we reject this bid, we
would, I entertain a motion to approve the bid and (can't hear) to reject it.
Thornberry/All right, I would move to adopt the resolution.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by Norton.
Norton/Now we're going to vote against it fight?
Lehman/They recommended that we do not accept the bid and so a negative vote on this
would eliminate the bid. Roll call. It has been rejected.
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ITEM
NO. 23. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING
FOR MAY 18 ON PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT,
AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY
CIVIC CENTER THIRD FLOOR EXPANSION AND FIRST FLOOR
RENOVATIONS PROJECT, DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO
PUBLISH NOTICE OF SAID HEARING, AND DIRECTING THE CITY
ENGINEER TO PLACE SAID PLANS ON FILE FOR PUBLIC
INSPECTION.
Thomberry/Move adoption of the resolution.
Lehman/Moved by Thornberry.
Kubby/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by Kubby. Discussion.
Kubby/So this is to reset or to set a public hearing for a scaled down version.
Lehman/Right.
Atkins/Yes.
Kubby/Of the previous item. And I guess I want to say to council that I have had some
frustration in the last couple of years that it seems like we haven't said no as a
body to any large project and it's part of that previous discussion about how much
it costs to live in Iowa City and that I'm really happy that on this project we were
willing to say it's just too much and we're going to scale back, and we may just
have to do that other part later.
Lehman/I think that's a good point Karen, I think it's also it's I think we should point out
that this is the recommendation from our own public works engineering as well,
they concur that this is (can't hear).
Kubby/Does this new configuration include the alternative energy section?
Atkins/Yes.
Lehman/Roll call. Resolution passes.
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ITEM NO. 24. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING, AUTHORIZING
AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AND THE CITY CLERK
TO ATTEST AN AGREEMENT BY AN BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA
CITY AND HOWARD R. GREEN COMPANY CONSULTING
ENGINEERS TO PROVIDE ENGINEERING CONSULTANT SERVICES
FOR THE IOWA CITY SANITARY LANDFILL.
Lehman/This is a service of I think the cost is $269,500 to be paid for by landfill
revenues.
Thornberry/Move adoption of the resolution.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry.
Vanderhoef/Second.
Lehman/Seconded by Vanderhoef. Discussion.
Norton/Well, is this another kind of unfunded mandate?
Vanderhoef/Absolutely.
Atkins/Absolutely.
Norton/Isn't that what it amounts to?
Vanderhoef/No doubt about it.
Norton/That we've got to track all the (can't hear). Also I thought we'd have some,
hasn't Green been involved with our landfill in a number of cases already?
Atkins/Dan Scott's here.
Lehman/Well I think so but.
Atkins/Yea, they did some other projects.
Norton/Is that why we're still using them, they've been involved with.
Kubby/Oh yea, they know the landfill.
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Dan Scott/Yes they have, they have been involved in a two of our recent cell
construction projects and they've done a very good job with that so we want to
use them in our gas system design.
Lehman/Would it be correct to say that someone as familiar with the project such as they
are probably could do a better more reasonable job of doing this work than
someone who comes in and is not familiar with the land fill?
Scott/That's been our experience.
Lehman/Right. Which is why we're asking that these people get the award.
Scott/Yes.
Kubby/Put up speed faster.
Lehman/Right.
Norton/What is the conclusion here, they can tell us what is needed, they don't do what
is needed, they just tell us what is needed is that right?
Scott/That's correct, their going to design the system and their going to.
Norton/This is just all thinking basically. Testing and thinking and planning but it
doesn't involve any any capturing of gas.
(All talking)
Scott/Yes, that's true, it doesn't include any construction costs.
Norton/OK.
Atkins/This is the study and design plans and specifications, you'd have to another group
to actually go out for the construction, if that's what you meant, correct?
Scott/Yes.
Norton/What I'd likely to roll we're going to find out but you can do it.
Atkins/Yea.
Norton/But your talking about our wastewater earlier and water, well I don't bet your
mandated to some extent by pressures from other authorities about the cleanliness
of effluent and the nature of gas collection. I'm sure there are things that
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legitimately have to be dealt with but have been passed fight on down to the city
so that's one of the burden's we're carrying.
Kubby/Although we just reduced the rate, or will be after two more readings, reducing
the solid waste fee.
Norton/Yea, I said, at some context to that, we're reducing that and in the meantime
we're doing or building a recycling center or hazardous waste center.
Kubby/But we've been planning for that and we've been squirreling away money like we
all think we should be which is good.
Norton/Yea, put some reserve away so.
Atkins/Just remember you adopted a comprehensive plan for the land fill which allows us
to do many of the things that we're doing and we're just simply keeping on track
with that plan.
Vanderhoef/And part of this happened because of the good planning.
Atkins/Yes.
Vanderhoef/That they did for us so that we can use the cell and store more in one cell
which decreases our overall costs for landfill.
Norton/But nobody's making money with the gas they do collect out of these things, are
they or are they actually turning a profit anywhere? This just makes it less.
Scott/Yes, I believe in some places they do and that's something we're going to look
into, that' s all part of this contract, so we'll be back to you with some of our ideas
on what we can do.
Thomberry/Well you probably you could at least reduce costs.
Norton/Well you could reduce costs yea.
Thornberry/Yea, sure.
Vanderhoef/And the possibility for reclaiming the gas for even energy for the new
land fill.
Scott/That's a possible option also that's something that we're going to look into as part
of this contract.
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Lehman/Thank you. Roll call.
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ITEM NO. 26b. COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS.
Lehman/At last night' s council meeting the council recommended that Rick Spooner be
appointed and for the Parks and Recreation Commission that Toni Cilek be
appointed. I would like a motion to that affect.
Vanderhoef/So moved.
O'Donnell/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Vanderhoef, seconded by O'Donnell. All in favor.
Thornberry/You know what, I'm sorry.
Lehman/Approved go ahead.
Thornberry/I did have a couple of calls for the Human Rights Commission and I knew
who we had talked about approving and I didn't want to say anything to anybody
because you never know what we're going to end up with on a vote so I didn't tell
them who we had really approved last night in case somebody changed their mind
or something so.
Norton/Well we should comment again that we had strong candidates.
Thomberry/Yes we did.
Norton/We had some tough choices to make, and a number of factors to go to put into
the hopper here.
Thornberry/I mentioned to everybody that called me that I at least talked to Heather
Shank also, she's the head of the Human Rights in Iowa City so I talked to the
department some too.
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ITEM NO. 28. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION.
O'Donnell/We had a great time last Sunday at St. Wenceslaus for the Crisis Center
breakfast. I believe Emie burnt pancakes.
Lehman/No, no, that's not true.
O'Donnell/Dee Norton bumt pancakes.
Norton/I did.
O'Donnell/And I passed out sausages and it was fun.
Vanderhoef/I passed out (can't hear).
O'Donnell/I wanted to comment Karen mentioned a flat or a flat water rate and I would
not be supportive of this, it's another negative perception of doing business in
Iowa City. I think rather than penalizing our businesses we recognize them for
the many jobs and benefits they offer our community and I just wanted to
comment on that.
Lehman/We may have an opportunity to discuss that further I think. Connie.
Champion/No, I don't have anything thank you.
Kubby/A few things, there' s always so many things going on. I want to remind people
about their opportunities to give us some pretty direct feedback about the
proposed change in our transit routes. One is this Thursday May 6 from 3:45 to
5:45 in Room A of the Iowa City Public library and then again at the formal
public hearing here in the council chambers May 18 at 7:00 PM and that public
hearing will happen near the very beginning and will last about an hour and then
if people have more comments we'll continue the public hearing to another
meeting. This Saturday May 8 the Iowa Civil Liberties Union is having their
annual dinner at the IMU if anyone's interested give me a call and I'll tell you
how to get in contact with folks. For people who heard our discussion about
lighting and the tennis courts lights just some specifics on that May 10 meeting at
7:00 PM at City High in the little theater. And lastly May 13 is the University's
multicultural graduation banquet. And it starts at 6:30 in the main lounge of the
Iowa Memorial Union to really celebrate the diversity of students we have on
campus who are graduating. That's all I have thank you.
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Thornberry/Just glad to be back in town, I was stuck in Georgia last week, last council
meeting and it's sure glad to be back here even with the rain, that's all I have, I
don't have any.
Vanderhoef/Just a couple of things. First off did everyone receive this, this was mailed
directly at home, and it's the Ensuring the Central Role for Cities in the (can't
hear) Electronic Marketplace.
Norton/Yep.
Vanderhoef/You got it.
Lehman/Well I'm sure I did.
(End of 99-52 Side 2)
Vanderhoef/And then one other announcement, this is for Julie Voparil from Marian's
office who broke her leg this weekend, and we wish you well and look forward to
having you back soon.
Kubby/Yea.
Vanderhoef/That's it.
Norton/Just a couple of quick points. I was along with Mike we were out at the PCRB
forum out at Broadway the other night and the chief made some presentation,
made a presentation and then there was a discussion with some young people
making some points and towards the end several apartment managers, which I
found very helpful because their the people that are fight there in the front line of
two apartment managers in that area expressed their views. Hopefully very
positive about the police activities and the assistance they've been getting so it
was not all a you know a gripe session. There were plenty positives and some
several good issues and I also wanted to comment we had a letter about that event
and I thought Steve wrote a very good answer, I just wanted you to understand I
thought your response to that letter concern the chief leaving because that was the
front end, he was expected to present and then take a few questions and leave so
the questions could go to the board which they did and I think it was served it's
purpose.
O'Donnell/Very appropriate.
Norton/And we need to clarify that. And I also took the opportunity which I'm sure
most of you have done of riding with the police Friday night and getting a good
look at the zoo. And it's fairly fairly sad but I do think that Officer Kivi who I
was riding with was really excellent and the way they worked together it's very
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very impressive and you sit there trying to think what could be done to make life
simpler and easier down there but boy it is not easy to see what could be done I'll
tell you, it's tough. But it's a thing people ought to be aware of not really, I
noticed somebody spoke earlier this evening about the police academy as a chance
to do that but their terrific.
One last comment I had a letter, I don't know that I got it circulated, I sent it to
Dale from a young man concerned about some ADA issues. Her father is
confined to a wheel chair and had come to town and they were running this winter
sometime so she listed some concerns and I wrote back to her because I thought
we were doing quite a bit in you know the SEATS service, and the lifts on the
buses and the curb cuts and so on and on. But she still had a number of concerns,
I sent copies of it to Dale because some of her concems had to do with public
accommodation, that is businesses, you know that restaurants don't have much
space once you get inside, and things like we can't do anything about.
Lehman/Right.
Norton/But I do think the committee on Disability Rights and Education was the fight
agency, has been working on that very issue, then I pick up their minutes and find
they can hardly get a quorum together and I'm beginning to wonder whether we
need to rethink exactly how that group is organized to maybe continue their
efforts, cause it's seems to me their needed.
Dale Helling/We had a meeting today and there were about 10 or 12 people there.
Norton/Oh good.
Helling/So had a pretty good turnout, and talking about what the future might be.
There's a lot of discussion, went on for about an hour and a half and we all kind
of agreed to think about it and come back for the next meeting in July and make a
decision. Whether, I think there was pretty much a consensus whether or not that
group continues or whether it would merge with another.
Norton/OK.
Helling/Group in the community, we still want to pursue the things that CDRE stands for
so hopefully one way or another we will be able to continue to address those
issues.
Norton/Good.
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Kubby/You know the one way we could enforce the ADA is if we had a local version of
the ADA then enforcement could be local and wouldn't have to go to the
Department of Justice.
Norton/Well I think she did finally distinguish that the city was doing quite a bit but the
rest of the community has some other things. She mentioned a thing that was
kind of interesting, angled sidewalks, you know many of our slabs or sidewalks
are at an angle you know is that for decorative purposes I guess aren't they many
of them have. You know the cement isn't linear it's at a.
Atkins/Not a slope, but an actual angle.
Norton/At an angle to the traffic line fight and it makes it harder to move a wheel chair.
Kind of little things that you don't think of.
Atkins/You wouldn't think about.
Norton/But anyway it was very interesting and I'm sure Dale's and his group are in
touch with her so that' s all Ernie.
Lehman/I've got two things. We talked last night about having a special meeting to look
at I think goals and probably some of our CIP issues and last night I think we
suggested that meeting be on the 12th at 8:00 in the morning. I think we were
going to confirm that would be possible or not possible tonight. Is that date OK?
Norton/That' s a Wednesday, I know it's hard for Steve. Cause Steve has such a big
Wednesday but he said he could handle it.
Lehman/Well we'll be expeditious as we can.
Champion/We'll have a small agenda for the next meeting.
Lehman/I doubt it.
Atkins/I doubt it.
Thornberry/It doesn't matter (can't hear).
Atkins/Can I take a moment?.
Lehman/Yes.
Atkins/I wanted to ask you about that. I'm heating a couple things. Tomorrow morning
we're going to be going over finances, particularly with the library, senior center
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and I have a 15 minute presentation for you that would help facilitate a discussion
to reach some decisions. On the 12th do want a goal session, do you want to
review capital projects? I think what might come out of tomorrow is going to
have some bearing what's going to happen on the 12th and just a matter of what
you want me to prepare for.
Kubby/Maybe we could decide near like make sure we save the last 15 minutes of
tomorrow.
Atkins/I'd love.
Kubby/To decide, because it depends on what we.
Atkins/That' s a good idea, I just need a clue on what to get prepared, who to have here
and that sort of business and so.
Lehman/I think that's correct and I probably tomorrow moming's a more appropriate
time but I really think tomorrow we need to concentrate on 8-10 issues rather than
the capital improvement issues and save those for later time.
Norton/OK, but that's all, all I, when I suggested last night that we set up a time, I spoke
about goal setting, I don't want to you know spin our wheels on fancy goal work
when we've got real work to do you know what I mean.
Lehman/Well (can't hear).
Norton/And I want to review what we're doing in the light of the goals that we have
established in the past and maybe some of those need to be modified but so
there's some goal work involved even if you review the capital improvement
program.
Atkins/Well.
Lehman/Well we'll talk about that tomorrow towards the end of the meeting.
Atkins/And I'm concerned you have real work to do. I think that tomorrow' s going to
shake out some issues for you that your going to send us back to have to prepare
some things for you and I just want to make sure that we do what you want down
on the 12th so I think it's a good idea, wait till the end of the meeting, wrap it up,
make sure where you want to go next.
Lehman/I've got one other. I'm sorry.
Kubby/We could clear about tomorrow morning if we talk about library funding.
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Atkins/Yes.
Kubby/Issues, that's not just operations 8-10 issues, but it's also capitol issues.
Atkins/Yes.
Kubby/As well, so we might spill over.
Lehman/(can't hear).
Atkins/OK.
Norton/But we have a back-up for tomorrow that' s what we do have.
Lehman/Now I have one other thing that I think we should think about putting on our
work session at some point. Last night we decided by a 4-3 vote not to do traffic
calming in Goosetown. I really think that we really need to make ourselves a
little more clear to the neighborhoods what we will and will not do. I mean I
believe we are making a mistake in telling a neighborhood that we will abide their
wishes in any case because I'm not sure that will always be the fight thing.
Norton/No, right.
Lehman/But I think at this point we have given the impression that if they go through the
process that we will do what they ask us to do and I'm not sure that's a good thing
and I think we need to be more up front and more fair with the neighbors. It's just
something to put on a work session that this process business, just because a
group of folks decide they want no parking or a street closed or whatever, that that
isn't necessarily going to happen but the council still will have to make a decision
based on what they consider to be the merit.
Norton/I certainly agree, it's not the weight of the mail its.
Lehman/Right, let's just make a point to look at that in the future.
Thornberry/But you got to consider.
Norton/You got to consider but you consider other things.
Thornberry/You got to consider what the neighborhood wants but you've got to
consider the overall city.
Lehman/That' s the point of discussion that we need.
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Thornberry/But then when they do take a vote in the neighborhood we're going to have
to decide whether it's 50 percent 60 percent whatever.
Lehman/Or maybe, well that's the idea of the discussion.
(All talking).
Norton/OK. Let's do it then.
Lehman/Or maybe percentages isn't going to steer into it.
Thornberry/Yea. Right. Yea.
Lehman/If90 percent of people on Dodge Street want to close it are you going to close
it? Probably not. OK, those are the discussions.
Norton/You could probably get 90 percent to do it.
Lehman/Do we have a motion to adjourn? I'm sorry.
Thomberry/You could on Summit Street matter of fact tight?
Champion/Right.
Atkins/Can I take a moment?.
Lehman/Yes.
Atkins/I wanted to ask you about that. I'm heating a couple things. Tomorrow moming
we're going to be going over finances, particularly with the library, senior center
and I have a 15 minute presentation for you that would help facilitate a discussion
to reach some decisions. On the 12th do want a goal session, do you want to
review capital projects? I think what might come out of tomorrow is going to
have some beating what's going to happen on the 12th and just a matter of what
you want me to prepare for.
Kubby/Maybe we could decide near like make sure we save the last 15 minutes of
tomorrow.
Atkins/I'd love.
Kubby/To decide, because it depends on what we.
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meeting of May 4, 1999.
#28 Page 61
Atkins/That' s a good idea, I just need a clue on what to get prepared, who to have here
and that sort of business and so.
Lehman/I think that' s correct and I probably tomorrow moming's a more appropriate
time but I really think tomorrow we need to concentrate on 8 - 10 issues rather than
the capital improvement issues and save those for later time.
Norton/OK, but that' s all, all I, when I suggested last night that we set up a time, I spoke
about goal setting, I don't want to you know spin our wheels on fancy goal work
when we've got real work to do you know what I mean.
Lehman/Well (can't hear).
Norton/And I want to review what we're doing in the light of the goals that we have
established in the past and maybe some of those need to be modified but so
there' s some goal work involved even if you review the capital improvement
program.
Atkins/Well.
Lehman/Well we'll talk about that tomorrow towards the end of the meeting.
Atkins/And I'm concerned you have real work to do. I think that tomorrow' s going to
shake out some issues for you that your going to send us back to have to prepare
some things for you and I just want to make sure that we do what you want down
on the 12th so I think it's a good idea, wait till the end of the meeting, wrap it up,
make sure where you want to go next.
Lehman/I've got one other. I'm sorry.
Kubby/We could clear about tomorrow morning if we talk about library funding.
Atkins/Yes.
Kubby/Issues, that's not just operations 8-10 issues, but it's also capitol issues.
Atkins/Yes.
Kubby/As well, so we might spill over.
Lehman/(can't hear).
Atkins/OK.
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Norton/But we have a back-up for tomorrow that's what we do have.
Lehman/Now I have one other thing that I think we should think about putting on our
work session at some point. Last night we decided by a 4-3 vote not to do traffic
calming in Goosetown. I really think that we really need to make ourselves a
little more clear to the neighborhoods what we will and will not do. I mean I
believe we are making a mistake in telling a neighborhood that we will abide their
wishes in any case because I'm not sure that will always be the right thing.
Norton/No, right.
Lehman/But I think at this point we have given the impression that if they go through the
process that we will do what they ask us to do and I'm not sure that's a good thing
and I think we need to be more up front and more fair with the neighbors. It's just
something to put on a work session that this process business, just because a
group of folks decide they want no parking or a street closed or whatever, that that
isn't necessarily going to happen but the council still will have to make a decision
based on what they consider to be the merit.
Norton/I certainly agree, it's not the weight of the mail its.
Lehman/Right, let' s just make a point to look at that in the future.
Thornberry/But you got to consider.
Norton/You got to consider but you consider other things.
Thornberry/You got to consider what the neighborhood wants but you've got to
consider the overall city.
Lehman/That' s the point of discussion that we need.
Thornberry/But then when they do take a vote in the neighborhood we're going to have
to decide whether it's 50 percent 60 percent whatever.
Lehman/Or maybe, well that's the idea of the discussion.
(All talking).
Norton/OK. Let's do it then.
Lehman/Or maybe percentages isn't going to steer into it.
Thornberry/Yea. Right. Yea.
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Lehman/If90 percent of people on Dodge Street want to close it are you going to close
it? Probably not. OK, those are the discussions.
Norton/You could probably get 90 percent to do it.
Lehman/Do we have a motion to adjoum? I'm sorry.
Thornberry/You could on Summit Street matter of fact fight?
Champion/Right.
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ITEM NO. 29b. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY
ATTORNEY
Lehman/Steve did you have anything else?
Atkins/No sure.
Lehman/Eleanor.
O'Donnell/(can't hear).
Dilkes/Just briefly as most of you probably know the legislature has sent to the governor
a legislation making extensive amendments to the condemnation statue. The
substitutive issues about condemnation about agricultural land have gotten the
most press but the procedural changes are very significant and will cause in my
view substantial delay probably to our projects that are requiring condemnation so
you may want to get in touch with the governor and let him know your views on
that.
Lehman/Steve, we also sent a letter to the governor encouraging him not to sign a
measure that was going to change the way which condominium's are taxed and
encouraging him to accept the recommendation of the rules committee which in
fact would continue to tax condominium properties as commercial properties if
they in fact were so. Anything Steve.
Kubby/Well they did pass that change with your five years.
Atkins/Phase out phase in whatever you want to call it.
Lehman/But they grandfathered everything in my understanding is.
Kubby/I don't think so, we should clarify that.
Lehman/Oh, I'd love to.
Champion/Listen to Karen maybe she has the scoop.
Kubby/Well no I thought the I was told by a reliable source.
Lehman/Yes, would you have that reliable source call me.
Kubby/Sure.
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Lehman/I'd love to talk with him, cause that's exactly what I want to see.
Kubby/Maybe I'll have him write the council a letter to explain what happened then
we'll have news. So thank you for that (can't hear).
Lehman/Good.
Atkins/The same reliable source told me the same thing that they were going to phase it
out now.
Lehman/That's what we asked them to do when we were there.
Dilkes/That's what I was told at the government practice seminar on Friday.
Lehman/OK. Well in any event. Do we have a motion to adjourn.
Thomberry/So moved.
Norton/Second.
Lehman/Moved by Thomberry, seconded by Norton. Adjoumed. (99-53 Side 1)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of May 4, 1999.