HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-09-27 Transcription#2 Page 1
ITEM NO. 2. CONSIDER A MOTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
SEND A LETTER OF APPRECIATION TO THE CITY OF
CORALVILLE FOR THEIR PLANS TO BUILD A
CONFERENCE CENTER AND HOTEL.
Lehman: A copy of that proposed letter is attached to your agenda for this
evening, and you might want to take a look at it.
Vanderhoef: So moved.
Lehman: Moved by Vanderhoef.
O'Donnell: Seconded
Lehman: Seconded by O'Donnell. Discussion.
Clara Olsen: Does that mean public discussion?
Lehman: We will take public discussion.
Olsen: Now?
Lehman: Yes, now.
Olsen: Okay, sorry. My name is Clara Olsen and I have two things. First, I
want to thank Mr. Kanner for making this meeting possible by noting
that when this item was first on the agenda it did not take into account
your responsibilities for public notice. Secondly, I want to thank you
for renaming this Chamber now it goes with a woman's name which of
course means a lot to me. I want to talk about tow things in my five
minutes. One, is the process of democracy. We have all learned this
week that it is a fragile process and I want to kind of indicate what you
are doing this evening maybe a little thing but you know that's how we
live our lives. In little things. We're not going to stand up and you
know make big decisions as Secretary's of Commerce or Secretary's of
Defense. We have common lives, and we make common decisions.
This decision is absolutely outrageous. It started when you were asked
to sign onto a letter which indicated that you were pleased to endorse
the City's of Coralville's application to Vision Iowa for support, and
you have a copy of that letter as dated September 26 and as first put
before the Council. I looked at that, you know my long standing
opposition to the Iowa Child process, I called and said rd like to see a
copy of the application. There is none. You haven't seen this
application. I talked to Emie, I talked to Connie, I talked to a couple
of you, Mike today thinking well maybe they got it and I didn't get it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.
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At 4:32 this afternoon I was told that I could go to the Coralville City
Council and get the application. It's incomplete. There are no
attachments. And when I said to the City Attorney, well you know it's
not a full application. You can't make ajudgement here as to what's
being asked for or what's being (can't hear) because it's not a full
application. Those phone calls obviously changed the Council agenda
because by 3:30 now we have a different version of a letter, and this
letter does not use the words "endorse" or "letter of support" but we
are in almost emergency session in the middle of night, no TV cameras
present. Why? Because this application is going in October 1 and this
letter is going to be attached to it. Am I wrong? This letter which says
"the Iowa City City Council appreciates the City of Coralville" if this
letter is simply a letter of appreciation than table tonight's action. Give
it two weeks. Give it until you have at least had the application in full.
Because don't insult me and other citizens by saying "okay the letter of
support is not going to fly because we're going to look idiots
supporting something that no member of our staff has seen. We have
not seen, and does not exist. So let's change it. Let's (can't hear) the
issue and call it a letter of appreciation." That is insulting to
democracy, that's insulting to public accountability. That's corporate
speak, that's double speak. That is beneath the tradition of Iowa City.
So that's number one.
Number two is you're cutting your nose despite your face because I've
read this application and I've read the community area tourism rules.
Let me tell you that if you appreciate this you are cutting off your
ability to go to the community area tourism board yourself to ask for
money for your own convention center. Because this application is
written not just in terms of Coralville, but Coralville and Iowa City.
So if the community area tourism place, and listen let's face it the
likelihood of this application getting any money is hopefully silch. It's
not a strong application. You're, the ties in this application to the Iowa
Child Project is the last thing I want to address, and they are strong.
The application says that the project is a phased project, and it has four
phases, and it says that Coralville has a working partnership with Iowa
Child, page 2 of the application. It says that it combines a conference
center hotel complex with an unprecedented educational attraction,
Iowa Child, page 4. The cover letter states "while the City of
Coralville is the primary applicant and will oversee the construction
and management of the conference center and hotel", which I might
mention to you will be subcontracted out, the ownership will stay
public, it will be the management fees, the operation and hiring of
labor will all be private and the hotel complex as mentioned, the
Hilton, Marriott and the Hyatt and at least one of those has a strong
anti-union tradition. "We consider this an important first step in the
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.
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development of a maj or tourist complex including Iowa Child", page
5. The Iowa Child construction plans on page 15, "the Iowa Child
Institute anticipates the construction of the project will begin during
the summer of 2003" for a project that does not have one dime of
funding other than Ted Townsends $10 million, that's quite a
statement. If you want to appreciate and support that kind ofrationale I
really think you have to think twice. On page 26 it says that this
project "penetrate the University conference market" not generate a
new market. On page 28 it outlines that the City here will not to labor
contract negotiations even though the community area tourism board
requires that they be certain minimum benefit packages and Fausett
has a letter in this application saying yes, you know the City of
Coralville employees have benefits and medical insurance. But these
employees are not going to be employees of the City of Coralville.
They're going to be contracted out employees. And it talks about, on
page 36, that the Board of Directors of the Iowa Child supports the
project. This is one project in various phases and phase two is the
Coralville conference center and hotel; phase three is the Iowa Child
institute; phase four is the gateway completion. What your letter is
going to do is simply embarrass you because when all it's going to do
for me is take another vacation day out of my life because I'm going to
the Vision Iowa Board and say if this application has any letter of
appreciation from the City of Iowa City, I don't care how mealy mouth
its written. This is the first version, and this version was called for and
put on an agenda with no announcement. They had a special meeting.
The day of the special meeting we came up with version two, and
version two was voted on by a group of City Council Members who
did not even have access to the application. Now we could have
avoided this you know when things start out messed up they have a
way of getting even more scrambled. It is time to table this. If all
you're doing is giving Kelly Hayworth a pat on the back you can do
that in two weeks. Because there is no indication that this is anything
other than trying to get the community area tourism requirement, the
very first requirement under the rules, and I'll end with it...is
demonstrated local support. And local support is defined as follows
"local support means endorsement by local individuals and
organizations that have a substantial interest in a project". It seems to
me that for the rationality of your process it's time to either vote this
down or table it and two to make sure that you are not putting your
own convention center in jeopardy and possible public funding for
that. That you just slow down the process because unless you are
really going to endorse that application that has to be in by October 1
there's no reason to act tonight. Any questions? Do you have the
application?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.
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Lehman: No, we do not have.
Olsen: Steve?
Kanner: I have a parliamentary question for our City Attorney. I was a little
shocked to see this. I was expecting to see the letter I got yesterday.
This seems to be a substantial change in the letter and a change in our
agenda. I'd like to hear your opinion on that as our City Attomey. Do
you have both copies of the letters?
Holecek: I have the second copy but I'm aware of the first..
Kanner: Before you do that will you get a copy of the first letter. Does
someone have a copy of the first letter?
Olsen: Here.
Karr: I have it.
Holecek: I have it.
Kanner: Seems to me it is a substantial difference. I was a bit shocked to see
this. I was expecting to see yesterdays meeting that was included with
our notice of agenda. Is that correct Marian?
Karr: Yes, that's correct.
Holecek: What the notice of the agenda is intended to do is give people a
reasonably calculated format to understand what the Council and when
the Council will be discussing an issue. So what you have whether
you look at the initial agenda or the subsequent agenda the issue before
is what type of support, if any, or appreciation, if any, the City Council
is considering toward this application tonight. So I don't think it's a
substantial enough change in the agenda to say that this discussion was
not properly noticed.
Olsen: I just have one more question ifI might. Why must this be passed this
evening Ernie?
Lehman: Well, let me just I guess we're going to be discussing this so..I was
asked by Mayor Fausett last Friday if the City of Iowa City would be
willing to send a letter in support of their hotel convention center and I
got a copy of the letter and I brought it up to the Council on Monday
night and again Tuesday night. And from my perspective this is
nothing more than Iowa City and Coralville cooperating on something
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.
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I think that for me it's a gesture of cooperation wit the City of
Coralville where it goes and what it does is up to them. And Clara for,
I do not recall, and if any other Council person recalls anything
differently let me know, I don't recall ever having this Council review
an application for funding that this City has ever made to anything. So
this is not unusual in any respect.
Olsen: That you don't have a copy of the application?
Lehman: I don't know that I have ever seen a copy..
Olsen: No, I didn't say that. I'm not saying that you should review it or you
should read it. You should have a copy of it. Because usually you
would have a staff person like you know if the Police Department is
going to apply to the Feds for money, right, somebody writes the
application, Steve reviews it. No member of this City staff has seen
that application. Is that correct Steve?
Atkins: Correct.
Lehman: And I think that is precisely after I visited with you I talked to Steve. I
said look my interest is showing Coralville that we cooperate with
them, we appreciate their efforts working with the City of Iowa City
and I know there are Council people that have objections to the Iowa
Child project so take any reference whatsoever out of the letter, tell
Coralville that we are pleased, and I'm a member of the Convention
and Tourism Bureau. I think they've looked at this. They feel it has, if
it would ever happen would be of significant benefit to the community
and I think that is really what the letter says.
Olsen: Well my question is why tonight? Why does this have to be done
tonight?
Lehman: I don't know other than I was told that they would like to have the
letter by tomorrow.
Olsen: And why is that?
Lehman: I have no idea.
Olsen: Because there is a deadline of October 1 that this letter is going to be
in the application packet to the Vision Iowa Board.
Lehman: That could very well be and I think..
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.
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Olsen: So, would you be willing, if you're to pass this would you be willing to
say this is a letter of appreciation it's not a letter of support do not put
it in your application?
Lehman: No, as far as I'm concerned they can use this letter as they please. If
this shows whatever Board they give it too that Iowa City appreciates
it and the Council says we appreciate their efforts then so be it.
Kanner: Emie I'm going to tell you why I'm against this on a couple levels.
One, I think there is a clear connection between the convention center
and the Iowa Child Project as was outlined by Clara, and I don't think
it is within our best interest to support that so I think a vote for this is a
support for Iowa Child. Two, if we are keen on working with
Coralville I think it's in our interests to sit down with them and talk to
them about regional attractions and let's work together, let's plan
together, let's put money in together, and let's reap the financial
benefits together for our communities together. I think that's the way
we ought to go about it. We ought to see if we can reach 28E
agreement. I think there is too many negatives associated with this
and I'm going to be voting against this and I think people that have
some of those same concerns so vote against it also.
Lehman: Other discussion?
O'Donnell: This in my opinion is one community helping another community. I
do not see this as an endorsement for anything. I think this is offering
our best wishes for a convention center and a hotel. I will support this
and I look at this as nothing more than one community assisting
another community.
Champion: Well I tried to make it clear the other night that I am not for the Iowa
Child. I have been vocally opposed to it and because this is tied to the
Iowa Child I'm not going to support it.
Lehman: Is there any other discussion?
Champion: I totally support the convention center.
Wilbum: Just a couple comments on my part. The first thing I understand what
you are saying in terms of a letter supporting it having written grants
with some other agencies I haven't always taken a look at their
applications you go by your existing relationship at times and say what
is this about and you go ahead and do the letter. So that for me is not a
surprise. Because the convention center is part of the Vision Iowa
rainforest campus even though this comes from slightly different funds
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.
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since I don't support the Iowa Child if I were a grant writer doing this
if I got funds for this component of the campus I'd certainly use that to
rally support build it and generate funds to do the overall concept so I
will not be supporting the letter because of that. If Coralville decides
or comes to the conclusion in the months and perhaps the year to come
that they are going to let go of especially the rainforest component of
the Iowa Vision and they decide they are just going to do a convention
center campus type thing then at that point I would support a letter.
Lehman: Other discussion?
Vanderhoef: Well, I'm the only one that hasn't said anything. I to think this if for
community building. It is to the advantage of the entire region to build
attractions. The community attractions and tourism funds are quite
different than the Vision Iowa funds and they are made specifically for
small communities and in that respect if this is a public project then
they are eligible for those funds and I can support the idea of new
convention spaces in our metropolitan area so I will support this.
Lehman: Roll call.
Karr: It's a motion.
Lehman: Oh. Let's do a show of hands. All those in favor of the motion to send
the letter please raise your right hand. All those opposed raise your
right hand. The motion fails, 3/3, is there a motion to adjourn?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council
meeting of September 27, 2001.