HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-04-22 Council minutesBOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Agenda
JOINT INFORMAL MEETING WITH CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL
/IOWA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF
DIRECTORS/CORALVILLE CITY COUNCIL/JOHNSON COUNTY
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
April 22, 1999
Location: Montgomery Hall, Lower Level, 4-H Fair Grounds
4265 Oakcrest Hill Road SE, Iowa City
1. Call to order 4:00 p.m.
2. Discussion of the following:
a) Schools impact on neighborhoods in Iowa City. (Iowa City)
b) Senior Center expansion and possible development of additional senior
dining facilities in Coralville, North Liberty and elsewhere. (County)
c) What will happen to projects which had been proposed to be funded by
Local Option Sales Tax dollars now that the tax has been defeated? (County)
d) Items of mutual interest.
3. Next meeting date
4. Adjourn
MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE CORALVILLE CITY
COUNCIL, IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL, IOWA CITY SCHOOL BOARD, AND
JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
APRIL 22, 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Discussion: Schools Impact on Neighborhoods in Iowa City .........................................................2
Discussion: Senior Center Expansion and Possible Development of Additional Senior Dining
Facilities in Coralville, Noah Liberty and Elsewhere ..............................................................3
Discussion: What Will Happen to Projects Which Had Been Proposed to Be Funded by
Local Option Sales Tax Dollars Now That the Tax Has Been Defeated? ................................3
Discussion: Items of Mutual Interest ...............................................................................................4
Scheduling Date and Time of Next Meeting ...................................................................................5
Chairperson Jordahl called the joint meeting to order in Montgomery Hall at 4:15
Informal Minutes: April 22, 1999/page 2
p.m. Coralville City Council members present were: Henry Herwig. Also present:
Coralville Mayor Jim Fausett. Iowa City City Council members present were: Connie
Champion, Ernie Lehman, Dee Norton, Mike O'Donnell, Dean Thornberry, and Dee
Vanderhoef. Iowa City School Board members present: Susan Mims, and Cindy Parsons.
Johnson County Board of Supervisors members present were: Charles Duffy, Jonathan
Jordahl, Mike Lehman, Sally Slutsman, and Carol Thompson.
Other city and county officials and staff present were: Coralville City Manager
Kelly Hayworth, Iowa City Manager Steve Atldns, Iowa City Attorney Eleanor Dilkes,
Iowa City Planning and Community Development Director Karin Franklin, Johnson
County Board of Supervisors Administrative Assistant Carol Peters, Johnson County
Council of Governments Transportation Planner Jeff Davidson, and County Auditor's
Recording Secretary Casie Parkins.
DISCUSSION: SCHOOLS IMPACT ON NEIGHBORHOODS IN IOWA CITY
City Council member Ernie Lehman asked if anything was being done about the
tennis lights that were put up at City High School. School Board member Susan Mires
said they planted 180- 50 year poplar trees to block out the lights. She said they received
a report from Musko Lightings. Mims said Musko took the light readings 40 feet out
from the lights and the average readings were considerably lower than what you would
have on a clear night with a full moon. She said that Musko reported that concems with
the lights might be glare. She said one option was to install a level 8 glare control, which
would decrease the glare by 30%. She said they would have to figure out how to finance
doing this, but Musko was willing to pay for the glare reducing hoods. Lehman said the
City could probably donate a boom truck. Mims said that Musko is concemed because
their reputation is important to them.
David Woodruff said that no school official has acknowledged that there is a
problem with the lights. Mims said that the neighbors of the school think there is a
problem, so it has to be dealt with. Woodruff encouraged the City of Iowa City to do
their own light readings. He asked members of the City Council and School Board to
come to their homes and see the lights. He asked them not to use the lights until the trees
they put in are high enough to cover the lights. Lehman said they couldn't do that. City
Council Member Dean Thornberry suggested they put the hoods on, then see if there is an
additional problem with the lights. Woodruff requested the schools shouldn't use the
lights until the hoods are put on. Jordahl said they couldn't make a decision in this
forum. Robert Oleck said he wanted a commitment from the school district to talk to
residents. He said he has been trying to get them in a dialogue. Mims said now that they
have the report from Musko they can get a meeting set up. She also said that all of the
School Board meetings and City Council meetings are public meetings and concerned
residents are welcome to come to any meeting.
Franklin said there would be a possibility of a larger issue with the lighting. She
said the City will someday be exploring their zoning of public property. Mims said if
they do that the schools should be involved. She said they have to think of what the
schools are for. She said they should proceed with school zonings very cautiously.
Informal Minutes: April 22, 1999/page 3
Lehman said any discussions of zoning of public property would involve the schools
firom day one.
DISCUSSION: SENIOR CENTER EXPANSION AND POSSIBLE
DEVELOPMENT OF ADDITIONAL SENIOR DINING FACILITIES IN
CORALVILLE, NORTH LIBERTY AND ELSEWHERE
Jordahl said there is an upcoming meeting to review the .Senior Center 28E
Agreement. He said the Nutrition Program is really stretching its space at the Iowa City
Senior Center. He said he wanted to discuss the possibility of developing satellite senior
centers in other areas. He said new grant money could be a possible source of funds. He
said they need alternative kitchen facilities.
Coralville Mayor Jim Fausett said at a recent Coralville Parks and Recreation
Meeting the item came up. He said they were willing to explore the issue of having a
satellite Senior Dining site at the Coralville Recreation Center. Iowa City City Council
member Dee Vanderhoef asked what type of facilities Coralville has. Fausett said that
they have a catering type kitchen at the Recreation Center but if there was funding to
install a kitchen that could be explored. Iowa City City Council member Dee Norton said
this issue is difficult to consider when those funds could be used to help expand the
current Senior Center Facility. He said that the preparation of food is a key space need.
Fausett said that many people would probably prefer to go to a senior center with
more people. Norton said that was one reason that a central location is important.
Coralville City Council member Henry Herwig suggested that the Nutrition Program
explore partnering with restaurants that don't open until 4:00, he said they could use their
kitchen facilities during the day. Norton said that Mercy Hospital and Hy-Vee cater.
Iowa City City Council member Connie Champion said that they could take the kitchen
out of the senior center and cater food in. She said there were all kinds of possibilities.
Norton asked whose decision it was. Jordahl said it would be Nutrition Program Director
Mike Foster and the Board of Supervisors decision. Jordahl said that Foster says that
catering is more expensive than doing it yourself. Herwig said it doesn't have to be
catered, it could be a combined use. Duffy said that he liked what Fausett said about
some people like to go to Senior Dining where there is more people because the nutrition
aspect is important but so is the socializing.
DISCUSSION: WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO PROJECTS WHICH HAD BEEN
PROPOSED TO BE FUNDED BY LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX DOLLARS
NOW THAT THE TAX HAS BEEN DEFEATED?
Lehman said the City of Iowa City didn't budget for the sales tax. He said the
projects will still happen but maybe slower than they had hoped. He said that water rates
will go up now though. Norton said the joint projects now have a different look.
Champion said bids for Iowa City projects are coming back higher than what they
expected so that will also make it take longer for the projects to complete. Stutsman
asked if Iowa City was going to put the local option tax back on the ballot. Ernie Lehman
Informal Minutes: April 22, 1999/page 4
said they wouldn't think of it at this point. Supervisor Mike Lehman said he heard Cedar
Rapids is thinking of it.
Norton said they need to talk to the State about tax reform. Atldns said that
because of the Stanley Amendment that might be passed, the State may be passing on
more mandates to the local level. He said the State might reduce their income tax, but not
the sales tax. Jordahl asked about the possibility of instituting a local income tax. Atkins
said they used to have the opportunity to do a local income tax but the State Legislature
removed it.
DISCUSSION: ITEMS OF MUTUAL INTEREST
Fausett said the City of Coralville will continue to improve roads as they can. He
said they all need to work on 965 and Mormon Trek Boulevard. Emie Lehman said that
2003 was the year they were anticipating working on Mormon Trek Boulevard.
Mims left at 5:03 p.m.
Jordahl said if they had a road from West High to 12th Avenue it would take
pressure off of 965 and Mormon Trek. He said he assumed some of those questions were
addressed in the bicycle planning phase. Coralville City Manager Kelly Hayworth said
from a road perspective that would be very difficult. Johnson County Council of
Govemments Transportation Planner Jeff Davidson said they would also have to deal
with buying University property.
Jordahl asked if they wanted to talk about 965. Iowa City Council Member Mike
O'Donnell said determining what portion of 965 belonged to what entities wasn't really
important because they all would be involved in 965. He said it was building a road to
accommodate existing cars and they are all in this together. Jordahl said it would have to
deal with money. Mike O'Donnell and Emie Lehman said they are all paying taxes.
Jordahl suggested hypothetically if they took a gravel road at the edge of a city and there
was development pressure, and then the road got annexed, if the County paved it then the
city annexed it right away it wouldn't seem like a logical use of county tax dollars. Mike
O'Donnell said if they were to use that logic no road would ever get paid that a city could
possibly annex someday. Champion said it is all of the entities money. Fausett agreed.
Jordahl said the primary source of dollars for road construction in Johnson County is the
rural levy. He said a small portion of funds come from the City and some years they
don't use any city funds on their roads.
Herwig said the hypothetical that Jordahl suggests makes sense but when they are
talking about transportation for everybody in the County it doesn't make sense. Norton
said that JCCOG would provide the mechanism for them doing a joint project on a road.
Davidson said that JCCOG is primarily a planning organization. Jordahl said he was a
proponent of talking about joint projects. He said he was just expressing an opinion that
was vital in the county. O'Donnell said that something has to be done sooner rather than
later. He said that there are too many cars on Deer Creek Road. He said that Mormon
Informal Minutes: April 22, 1999/page 5
Trek also has to be addressed. Herwig said that JCCOG has identified what it needs to
do. He said it has identified arterials.
Norton suggested they develop subcommittees, one for Mormon Trek and one for
965 to formulate more coherent joint plans. Emie Lehman said they all need to bite the
bullet and work together, pick a target date and share in the costs. He said this kind of
planning is good. Jordahl said they can write a 28E agreement for a joint planning effort.
Lehman said they intend to do 965 when the sports complex is complete in approximately
4 years.
Duffy left at 5:25 p.m.
Jordahl said that Iowa City, Coralville and University Heights need to have a 28E
agreement for Mormon Trek Boulevard. The govemmental bodies set up 2
subcommittees. They decided that John Weihe, Henry Herwig, Mike O'Donnell and
Connie Champion would be on the Mormon Trek Committee. They decided that John
Weihe, Henry Herwig, Mike O'Donnell, Connie Champion, Mike Lehman, and Charlie
Duf& would be on the 965 Committee.
Mike Lehman reported that the County had a request from Jerry Eyman of
Gateway for a TIF. He said he would be calling people at the cities to look at their
policies on TIF's and tax abatements because the County doesn't have one yet.
SCHEDULING DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
The Iowa City City Council, Coralville City Council, Iowa City School Board and
Johnson County Board of Supervisors decided to meet again on July 22nd at 4:00 p.m.
Iowa City City Council will be hosting the meeting.
Adjourned at 5:45 p.m.
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By Casie Parkins, Recording Secretary