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Home My WebLink About2006-05-23 Correspondence r::rn 4 1 City of Iowa City Housing and Community Development Commission 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 COMMISSIONERS: Jerry Anthony April 25, 2006 Chairperson September 2002-2008 Dear Mayor Wilburn and Members of the City Council: Brian Richman Vice-Chair I am pleased to write and inform you that the Housing and Community September 2004-2007 Development Commission at its meeting on April 20, 2006 passed a resolution William Greazel of support for the issuance of a General Obligation Bond to The Housing September 2003-2006 Fellowship. The amount is anticipated to be $250,000. The bond financing will fulfill the local commitment requirement for an application from The Matthew Hayek Housing Fellowship to the Iowa Finance Authority for a reservation of Low September 2002-2007 Income Housing Tax Credits to preserve affordable rental housing. Kelly Mellecker Sixteen scattered site rental single family and duplex homes owned by The September 2005-2008 Housing Fellowship for over ten years are eligible for the Preservation of Thomas Niblock Affordable Rental Housing. The Housing Fellowship is partnering with The Iowa Equity Fund for technical assistance to prepare the application, secure September 2005-2008 investors and meet all compliance requirements. Michael Shaw The rental homes will be placed back on the property tax rolls, rents will be September 2005-2006 lower and the homes will undergo significant rehabilitation. The General Obligation Bond will be repaid with rental income. STAFF: The Housing Fellowship has proven to be the leading provider of permanent Steve Long affordable housing in our community. We applaud them for their efforts and Community Development hope you will support this project. Coordinator "-> 0 => => >0 0-. Tracy Hightshoe :x )>--i :n> Associate Planner 0"""< -< 11 - ~ ~-=1 Cj 0 ::<r iT] fT' -0 lorry An'rumy, c~J -~J ::J;: ,---. 0." ........-..1 Housing and Comm . y Development Commission ;:2:/" w )> ~ - Th, Ho.,;ng F,llo""hip "IT IE <C IE B V Ie ~ opening the doors of Johnson County MAR 7 2006 1700 South First A venue, Suite 25B ~ Iowa City, IA 52240-6036 319.358.9212 MatCh 6, 2006 ,..., = Q C? "" Steve Atkins :2:0 :x; "J>;.'-" 11 p-: -< City Manager ~ , - - ,r'\ \ City ofIowa City ._~, r-.... 0 iT1 -"-', '- ~ 410 East Washington Street -<r--- -0 ,---l fT- Iowa City, IA 52240 --- -'("- > J O~ Y? ..::;:/., <C... .r;.- Dear Steve: )> - Thank you for your time this morning to meet with Charlie and me. I am writing to request a loan from the City in the amount of $250,000 to preserve 16 units of affordable rental housing owned by The Housing Fellowship. We propose an interest rate of 5.25% amortized at thirty years. These terms fit with the Council's policy for HOME and CDBG funds invested in housing projects owned by a for-profit entity. In the event that the City approves General Obligation Bond financing with a lower than proposed interest rate, The Housing Fellowship would like to negotiate additional interest not to exceed 5.25%. The intent is for the additional interest to be added to monies allocated by HCDC. This project will preserve 16 units of affordable housing owned by The Housing Fellowship. The units are eligible for a reservation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). A for-profit Limited Partnership will be established, with the Housing Fellowship as the Managing General Partner. An equity investment of $643,000 will be raised through tax credit investors. The Limited Partnership will purchase the units from The Housing Fellowship for an amount that will retire all current debt on the units. Sales proceeds in excess of debt will be contributed as equity back into this project. Other project funding sources include a multi-family loan from the Iowa Finance Authority. The project includes ten three bedroom and six two bedroom units that The Housing Fellowship has owned for over ten years that are in need of rehabilitation. The structure of the project will: . Lower rents . Put the units back on the property tax rolls . Preserve existing affordable rental units In an effort to preserve affordable rental housing, the Iowa Finance Authority (IF A) sets aside 20 percent of the annual State LIHTCs for the preservation of qualified properties. Properties qualifY if the units have been owned by an entity for over ten years and have not previously received a LIHTC reservation. IF A administers the LIHTC program. Under the federal income tax code a credit is a dollar-for dollar reduction in the tax liability for the property owner (i.e. investor). Low income housing benefits from the tax credit primarily when the developers of a project, in this case The Housing --. Fellowship, "sells" the tax credits to investors who contribute equity to the project in exchange for an ownership position. These equity contributions, which are substantial, reduce the amount of other financing needed to develop to project. The reduction of long term debt allows the rents to be lowered. The transference of the units to a for-profit Limited Partnership will restore the units to the property tax rolls. Substantial rehabilitation of the units will ensure that the units are in good shape for the fifteen year affordability period and will contribute to neighborhood improvement. The tax credit program requires all projects to maintain adequate reserves for repairs and replacement. The Housing Fellowship has been consulting with the Iowa Equity Fund for technical assistance with the application for LIHTC which is due in November 2006. The Iowa Equity Fund will syndicate the credits to the investors and provide ongoing technical assistance to ensure compliance with all program regulations during the fifteen year term of affordability. The Housing Fellowship has submitted an application to HCDC for CDBG funds for this project. We will continue through their allocation process while this request is being considered. A loan from General Obligation Bond financing or from a City reserve account may allow for the funding of more CDBG eligible projects that may not have the means to repay a loan. The sixteen units are assessed at $1,506,130. The projected total project cost is $1,586,636. I have enclosed a development cost budget and a sources of financing spreadsheet for your review. Proposed rents for two bedroom units will range from $490 to $540 and three bedrooms from $560 to $625, considerably lower than the net rent received through Section 8 of $546 and $818 respectively. In year one of the project, the property taxes paid will be $20,354 and would be expected to increase every year. In conclusion, our request is an opportunity for a local non-profit Community Housing Organization to preserve 16 affordable rental units through substantial rehabilitation. The sources of financing for the project are equity from L1HTC, and loans from IF A and the City of Iowa City. Through use ofLIHTC equity and the establishment ofa Limited Partnership, the units wilt be improved, rents will be lower and the properties will be returned to the tax rolls. 0 ~ ~ \..j ::x Thank you for your consideration of our request. Please call me at 358-9212 if you haw-~ :::: 11 questions or concerns. o-c. - r- ~.:_)C,) 0 Sincerely, :-",r iT] rn -0 r-, O;;Q :Jl: V . <::'/'.... w J3; .- ~ - Maryann Dennis Executive Director Cc Jerry Anthony, Chair Housing and Community Development Commission Charlie Eastham, President, The Housing Fellowship 0 l!.i <C IlO B" ~ TI Steve Long, City ofIowa City Tracy Hightshoe, City of Iowa City MAR 7 2006 !:!) . .._"._-----_._---~._-- .----_.,._.~---- [;[J Marian Karr From: Idangil@aol.com Sent: Thursday, May 11, 200611:15AM To: 'City Council; john-rutherford@uiowaedu Subject: College St. traffic calming Dear Council member, My husband and 1 and my mother live at 1808 E. College. We have lived at this address for 4 years. Prior to 1808 , we lived for 15 years at 1022 E. College. During our 1022 years, traffic calming was implemented on our block. It worked remarkably well in slowing traffic and keeping the young children of our neighborhood safer. The speeding of cars and volume on the 1800 and 1700 blocks of College is 10 times the problem that 1000 1100 blocks were experiencing. Our end of College at 3:20 each week day is like being at the flood gates as they are opened. Pedal to the metal and bumper to bumper. We all deserve and expect to live in neighborhoods that are safe. At present our neighborhood is not safe due to the volume and speed of traffic. There is a solution that has been proven successful in the past. I ask that you make that solution possible. I fear for the safety of my mother who has Alzheimers and walks frequently on College and Mornigside and for the safety of all the small children that we have in our neighborhood. Sincerely, Bev Weismann idangjl@"QI.com 3381982 5/11/2006 -. Page I of2 fa- (rL) Marian Karr From: Rutherford, John G Uohn-rutherford@uiowa.eduj Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 11:34 AM To: 'City Council Cc: Klevar. Leah M; Mark Palmberg; Idangil@aol.com; LHawks@rdgusa.com; Kimerer, Karla J; Kiuseman. Kristine A; Setterquist, Sharon F; Amer, Gary L; brownejl@ihs.org; Will Hollander; Marcia Klingaman Subject: For 5/23/06 council work session Dear Council Member. I write to encourage you to allow the College traffic calming process to proceed in your discussions tonight. My family and I reside on the portion of College St between 7th Ave and Momingside Ave that was recently measured for traffic volume and speed. It apparently meets the volume requirement and just missed the speed requirement by .5 mph. As I understand it, meeting the one criteria is enough to qualify for the program but the recent increase in speed calming measures is giving the City reason to consider changing this. Please look at our specific numbers as provided by Anissa Williams below. While the majority of the vehicles were traveling within or below the 25 mph speed limit, our neighborhood's concern is that we still have a significant number of vehicles (111 in this case) going above the limit. In fact, there were 24 going over 40 mph with two of those over 50 mph, twice the speed limit. These higher speeds are a regular thing for us. Note that our street is narrow with 24 hr curbside parking; two cars cannot pass comfortably without slowing down. We have young children and senior citizens living on this portion of College and these higher speeds put us at undue risk. Thank you for your consideration. John Rutherford 1717 E. College St 384-0793 W 341-8458 H -----Original Message----- From: Anissa Williams [mailto:Anissa-Williams@iowa-city.org] Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 3:31 PM To: Rutherford, John G Subject: RE: College St traffic John, Here is the breakdown. Please understand that if we took data over it would be different each time. This is the number of vehicles over a 72 hour period. Let me know if you have any other questions. 0-9 mph 0 vehicles 10-14 34 15-19 27 20-24 269 25-29 50 30-34 37 35-39 0 40-44 22 45-49 0 50-54 1 5/23/2006 ---- ~-~--- ._---~-~---_.. Page 2 of2 55-59 1 Anissa Williams JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner 410 E. Washington 51. Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 356-5254 5/23/2006 - IJ:n 4 3 Marian Karr From: Jay Christensen-Szalanski Oay@jayworksforiowa.org] Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 11 :05 AM To: 'City Council Subject: New Economic Proposal and Request for meeting Attachments: Iowa Advantage Fund.pdf; IAF press release.pdf; ATT1423217.txt; sigheader2.jpg; ATT1423218.txt; sigfooter.jpg; ATT1423219.txt -m 1D [g ~ [i;] ~ [g Iowa Advantage IAF press ATT1423217.txt sigheader2.Jpg (42 ATT1423218.txt sigfooter.Jpg (40 ATT1423219.txt Fund.pdf (923 K... release,pdf (80 KB) (68 B) KB) (68 B) KB) (68 B) Hello City Council Members, As you know I am running for the State Senate representing Iowa City. I have just released my new "Iowa Advantage Fund" proposal that addresses the needs of Iowa employers, State of Iowa, and college graduates. I am attaching that proposal to this letter. I am interested in seeing whether I might be able to develop a similarly beneficial program for a concern of importance to city governments. Next week I will be contacting each of you individually. Should you prefer to meet in groups of 2 or 3 please let me know and I will adjust my schedule accordingly. Thank you for the work that you do. I look forward to hearing about your concerns and being an effective representative for you in Des Moines. Sincerely, Jay Christensen-Szalanski Independent Candidate, Iowa State Senate #39 *** eSafe scanned this email for malicious content *** *** IMPORTANT: Do not open attachments from unrecognized senders *H 1 ---_.~._-_....-._,. -.-- -"-- --.-- The "Iowa Advantage Fund": A unique partnership of the State of Iowa, employees with educational debt, and Iowa employers By Jay Christensen-Szalanski, PhD, MPH (Independent Candidate for State Senate District #39) Summary The "Iowa Advantage Fund" gives an advantage to everyone. It creates a beneficial partnership for the State ofIowa, Iowa employers, and new college graduates. It rewards the creation of new jobs in Iowa (a benefit to businesses, the state budget, and Iowans); makes businesses more competitive than neighboring states at recruiting new graduates into the state (a benefit to the State and businesses); reduces the labor costs associated with turnover (a benefit to businesses); adds to the state tax rolls younger citizens who are starting new households (a benefit to the State); increases State income tax and sales tax revenue (a benefit to the State budget); provides an incentive for recent graduates who left the state to return (a benefit to the state); and helps college graduates eliminate a substantial amount of educational debt (a benefit to graduates), so that they can spend more oftheir income on Iowa services and goods (a benefit to the state budget and Iowa businesses). Present Challenges and Problems The State ofIowa. The State ofIowa has the second-worst record in the country of retaining its recently educated younger citizensl. Between 1995 and 2000, nearly 22% of young college-educated citizens left Iowa after graduation. Currently nearly 40% of the undergraduates at UI and ISU leave the state2. This emigration forces the State to rely on an aging workforce for its long-term tax base. It also discourages businesses seeking new college graduates from locating or expanding their employment within the state. College Graduates. The cost of college tuition continues to rise while scholarships and grants continue to declineJ. In the early 1980s students could earn enough money to cover most of their college expenses by working during the summer at minimum-wage jobs. Today, similarly employed students would need to work full-time the entire year to afford one year of education at a public university'. Students are increasingly forced to fund their education with loans. Currently, nearly 50% of graduating UI seniors have loans averaging $20,000, slightly higher than the national averages. Because of this debt, college graduates increasingly focus on financial compensation when deciding on a job, and they postpone starting a family and establishing roots in a communitl. Iowa Employers. Many Iowa employers are having a difficult time recruiting and retaining college graduates. These em~loyers struggle to compete with the higher wages offered by competitors in urban centers outside Iowa . Iowa employers also frequently face the prospect oflosing their employees to competitors. In many professional industries, the cost to replace these departing employees is substantial, with industry estimates ranging from 90-200% of the departing employee's salary8. The "Iowa Advantage Fund" Proposal The State ofIowa will provide to employers a tax credit equal to 30% of the amount of undergraduate educational debt that employers pay on behalf of eligible employees. During the first year of this program, those eligible for the program will include all current or newly hired employees who work in Iowa, earn a yearly salary of at least $25,0009, and have federal (e.g. Stafford, Ford, Perkins loans) or private undergraduate educational loans certified by an educational institution. Starting the second year of this program, eligibility will be limited to newly hired employees meeting the above salary and loan criteria. An employer wishing to claim this credit must begin the loan payment program within six months --- n. of the newly hired employee's start date. The maximum amount of student loans eligible for this tax credit is $25,000. An employer will receive the tax credit when paying up to 20% of this amount in Year One, up to 30% in Year Two, and up to 50% in Year Three. This program would be administered through the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. Who Benefits from the Iowa Advantage Fund? Iowa employers will have the advantage of being more competitive in recruiting new graduates because they can offer employees a financial benefit not available in neighboring states. These employers can also operate more profitably because the tax credit and savings in reduced turnover costs will exceed the money spent to pay their employees' student loans, thereby lowering labor costs. Other Iowa employers will benefit because more young employees will be living in the State, and they will spend their money purchasing Iowa goods and services rather than on paying off student loans. College graduates will have the advantage of substantially reducing their college debt. Even though these employees will still need to pay federal and state income taxes on the amount of student loans their employers pay, this cost will likely be less than 32 cents on the dollar. Thus, by paying at most $8000 in additional taxes over three years, graduates will have eliminated $25,000 in education debt-a net saving of at least $17,000. The State of Iowa will have the advantage of having more young people in their workforce, and by providing businesses a reason to locate and expand their hiring in Iowa. Additionally, as summarized below, this program would pay for itself relatively quickly because it will generate: (I) an increase in income tax revenues from new jobs; (2) an increase in income tax revenue from employees' tax share of their employer's loan payment; and (3) an increase in sales tax revenues because employees are spending their income purchasing Iowa goods and services rather than paying for student loans. Paying for the Iowa Advantage Fund The preceding discussion shows how the Iowa Advantage Fund will benefit both graduates who would have remained in Iowa without it, and "new" employees who otherwise would have worked outside of Iowa. The more participants in this program that are employees filling new or previously unfilled jobs, the faster the program will pay for itself. The payback period is affected by the average salary of the employees participating in the program and the percentage ofthose employees who would have otherwise worked outside Iowa. Using the average starting salary of current ill students ($34,800) as an example, this program would pay for itself in less than one year if50% of the participants were "new" employees. A more realistic percentage of only 25% of the participants being "new" would yield a payback time of less than four years. other Possible-and Less Effective-Approaches A tuition reduction program I. provides an incentive for students to go to college, but it does not provide any incentive for graduates to work or to stay in Iowa after graduation. It also does not provide any incentive for employers to create new jobs in Iowa. A loan payback program for Iowa graduates entering certain "critical" industries II does not provide any incentive to students from outside the state to come to Iowa for a job; nor does this program provide any incentive for employers to create new jobs12 This program also requires a state agency to spend . money trying to identify specific target industries to subsidize. This subsidy implicitly pits different Iowa businesses against each other, and it creates incentives for special interests to influence the State agency's definition of "critical industries." Additionally, graduates not interested in the State defined "critical" industries will not be eligible for a loan payback, and thus will not have an incentive to stay in Iowa. References I The 2005 Condition of Education Report (U.S. Census 2000). 2 Data from the Marvin A. and Rose Lee Pomerantz Career Center, University ofIawa, 2006. 3 Trends in Student Aid, College Board, Princeton, N.J., 2005. 4 Student Debt: Bigger and Bigger, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington, D.C., September 2005. See also Crocial Choices: How students J financial decisions affect their academic success. American Council on Education, Washington. D.C.. 2002. , Data from the Office of Student Financial Aid. University of Iowa, 2006. See also Student Debt: Bigger and Bigger, Center for Economic and Policy Research. Washington, D.C.. September 2005. 6 Student Debt: Bigger and Bigger, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington, D.C., September 2005. See also Debt Burden. A comparison of /992-93 and 1999-2000 Bache/or's Degree Recipients a Year after Graduating, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C., March 2005. 7 For example, recent starting offers for VI undergraduate business majors were more than 25% higher for positions in Chicago than in Des Moines. 8 IIYou hired 'em. But can you keep 'em?ll Fortune (November 9, 1998),247-250. See also "Companies try measuring cost savings from new types of corporate benefits." Wall Street Journal (Dec. 29, 1988), B 1. See also "The business case for work- family programs." Journal of Accountancy 180(2), 53-57.1995. 9 This amount is equal to or less than the common starting salary of many two-year programs (Kirkwood Community College Web Site, and Iowa Workforce Development Web Site). The median starting salary offers for bachelor's degree candidates in 2005 for most professions is more than $30,000 (Salary Survey A Study of2004-2005. National Association of Colleges and Employers, Bethlehem, Pa.). The average starting salary offer for VI Liberal Arts and Sciences and Business majors is $34,800 (Data from the Marvin A. and Rose Lee Pomerantz Career Center, University oflowa, 2006). 10 For example Iowa SF2024, Iowa State Senate, 2004. 11 For example Iowa SF374, Iowa State Senate, 1999. 12 Student Loan Forgiveness Programs, Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, Washington D.C., February 2005. --,. DATE; May 5, 2006 CONTACT: Jay Christensen-Szalanski (319) 354-3369 e-mail: jay@jayworksforiowa.org ATTENTION: Metro and Political Desk RELEASE: Immediate Senate Candidate Introduces "Iowa Advantage Fund" lOW A CITY, IA .. Today, Dr. Jay Christensen-Szalanski, an independent candidate for State Senate District 39 representing Iowa City and University Heights, introduced his "Iowa Advantage Fund" economic proposal. This proposal provides an incentive for college graduates to remain in the state, for students who left the state to return to the state, and for employers to expand their businesses in Iowa while simultaneously increasing State tax revenues. Under this proposal the State of Iowa will provide to employers a tax credit equal to 30% of the amount of undergraduate educational debt that employers pay on behalf of employees who earn a yearly salary of at least $25,000. The maximum amount of student loans eligible for this tax credit is $25,000, with a progressively increasing portion of this credit to be paid each year of the first three years that an employee works for the employer. "The Iowa Advantage Fund gives an advantage to everyone," said Christensen-Szalanski. College graduates will have the advantage of substantially reducing their college debt. Iowa employers will have the advantage of being more competitive because of savings in reduced turnover costs and the tax credit. The State of Iowa will have the advantage of having more young people in their workforce, and by providing businesses a reason to locate and expand their hiring in Iowa. "Most importantly," said Christensen-Szalanski, "this unique three-way partnership will also pay for itself' because it generates an increase in state income tax revenues from new jobs, and an ....-- "-_.. Immediate Release: Senate Candidate Introduces the Iowa Advantage Fund --2 increase in sales tax revenues. Employees are spending their income purchasing Iowa goods and services rather than paying for student loans and the new jobs are generating increased tax revenues. "This is not social program, but an economic program with multiple social benefits," said Christensen-Szalanski. Christensen-Szalanski noted that other tuition-reduction and loan-forgiveness programs do not provide any incentive for employers to create new jobs in the State and limit eligibility to exclusive groups. Christensen-Szalanski credits the creative simplicity ofthis proposal to suggestions from people of different political parties. "This is not a politically partisan proposal. This is a proposal by the people ofIowa." People wanting rnore information about the details of this proposal can obtain it from the candidate's web site: www.jayworksforiowa.org Paid for by the Jay Christensen-Szalanski Works for Iowa Campaign I ~ Jay Christensen-Szalanskl J'ot!II~ 1ltiCkoty RId(Io laM HE WlIilsM. ~ ...'"" rowa CiL)', IA 5t24O a~.~JO 319-364-3369 ll:M.Il ""-" P'riID ~~ -!AYWOIlKl .. ""- Deli!'! fiI.. ~ ~""~,JO, Rt.I . iIl!{'. . 0t'rIIIt ~ ...... I IOWA SENATE ~.~ I I I I . ..,. .. I .' . ... I a:o 4 5 Marian Karr From: GRD715@aoLcom Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 3:29 PM To: 'City Council; sstutsma@co.johnson.ia.us Cc: GRD715@aoLcom Subject: Future Park May 16, 2006 TO: City Council, Iowa City, Iowa Board of Supervisors, Johnson County, Iowa SUBJECT: Future Park 1. In 1928, Harold J. and Ethel R. Dane purchased a hilltop SW of the Airport and east of Dane Road. 2. The John and George Dane families have now completed the paper.work and arrangements for a portion of that hilltop to eventually become a park 3. The legal description of this portion is: Lot 2, Meadowlark Hill Subdivision to Johnson County, Iowa, recorded Book 49 at page 52, Johnson County, Iowa. 4. The long-range vistas from this hilltop are unique and special. The sunrises and sunsets are fabulous. The moonrises and moonsets are magnificent. The LP gas bubble on East American Legion Road, City High and West High, are some of the landmarks visible from the hilltop. 5. A family residence, some outbuildings, and a parcel leased for a telecommunication tower are on this site. 6. This 17-acre site will continue as a family residence until there are no grandchildren of George and Marjorie Dane desiring to live there. 7. At that time the land and buildings will be gifted by deed to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The Foundation will grant a conditional use permit to the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission for the site to be used only as a Park or Recreation Area. 8. This gift is possible only by the foresight and hard work of our parents and will be named "DANE FAMILY PARK". Since the gift will take place some years in the future, this information is shared with you so it may be kept in mind when land use and zoning matters are considered. John Dane George R. Dane 5/1612006 Page 2 of2 cc: Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Johnson County Heritage Trust Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Dane Families 5/16/2006 _..~_.- --~~ - ------. r:=D 4 6 Iowa City Council 410 East Washington Iowa City, 52240 May 1,2006 Dear City Council Members: This letter is to make you aware of a situation that needs attention and may have potentially citywide implications. My situation is simple. I am the owner of2 townhouses, which a part of Normandy Court Condominiums. My units are located at 429 Peterson Street and 3423 E Court; it is the same condominium complex, but different buildings. The City's inspection for rental units stipulates that all units in the building have to be inspected. In this case the 2 buildings have to be inspected. However, since only my units are rented (2 out of 12 units), I have to pay for the entire inspection fee for ALL units for both building which comes up to about $600. Owners of other units in the condominium association have plainly denied any responsibility for the inspection since their unit is owner-occupied. This leaves me with a very large burden. I want to clearly indicate that my intentions are not to request a release from my civil/citizen's obligations. I am simply requesting that the council evaluate the request in all fairness and determine whether or not a non-resident owner of a condo unit is responsible for the entire building inspection fee. Is it possible that there might be a potential compromise? I would like to propose the following scenario. In the case of an owner who rents out one unit in a building he/she should be charged a flat fee, which might be higher that just one unit but not equivalent to each unit added up. I would like to draw the attention of the council members to the fact that small property- owners such as I, are most likely to be affected by these large inspection fees. Because large companies own entire buildings, are in control of all units, and are collecting rent from each unit, they benefit from a rental inspection scale for certain number of units per building. Large property owners will most likely not have similar concerns. Thank you for your time and attention to the matter. Please contact me if you need additional information or I can be of any help in the decision-making process. "" 0 = => >0 "" ::J:l: '1>-; ". - ---I -< 11 ../ 0' , - ===iC) w 319.541. 2036 ~.-'~'- m ~ -...... , m :t>o 0:0 :Jl: 0 .... A - :? - .. )> - CD ."---~ .~---_.__.~---~--_.- -"'-----------'---'-"'-- Marian Karr ~ From: Virginia Stamler [vstamler@mchsi.com] Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 9:08 AM To: 'City Council; "terry trueblood"@iowa-city.org Subject: Re: letter > Dear Iowa City Council, > > > > I am writing to express my concern of the placement of the angel > memorial in the City Park. I am a mother who has had two children die > at the early ages of two and ten. My husband and I were also > co-founders of the local chapter of Compassionate Friends--a support > group for parents and grandparents who are grieving the loss of a > child. I live near the park and this is a place where I enjoy walking, > listening to and watching children play. Because of my personal loss, > my involvement with Compassionate Friends, and as a former psychiatric > nurse, I am quite familiar with this kind of grief and how people find > comfort after the loss of a child. > > > > The placement of the statue so close to a joyous playground, in a > setting resembling a grave is very upsetting to me. Who wants to sit > and think of their deceased children in the midst of happily playing > children? Most people don't find it comfortable to grieve in public or > be reminded so flagrantly of their loss. > > > > Furthermore, this memorial also makes this part of the park a > difficult place for children to play. Because parents have brought > their children to this part of the park to play this doesn't seem to > be the best place and time for a parent to have to explain to their > children about death and dying. > > > > I hope you will reexamine your decision, admit a mistake has been > made, and move the memorial to a more appropriate place--such as a > quiet, tranquil area of a church grounds or cemetery. > > > > I would very much appreciate a response about this issue. > > > > Respectfully yours, > > > > R. Virginia Stamler > > 137 Pentire Circle > Iowa City,Iowa 52245 1 r=n Marian Karr From: Sam Hargadine Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 10:03 AM To: 'jpmccown@msn.com' Cc: 'City Council; Dale Helling; Steve Atkins Subject: FW: Speeding Ticket Mr. John Patrick McCown 2853 Coral Ct. #301 Coralville, IA 52241 Dear Mr. McCown, After receiving your email to the Iowa City Council I had the original ticket pulled. The copy that I examined is quite clear and readable. You received the summons on March 21, 2006 and your court date was for April 17, 2006. You didn't pay the $43.20 until May 5, 2006. The extra $6.60 was levied by the court due to late fees. I cannot speculate as to why your copy is unreadable. The paperwork on file with the Iowa City Police Department is quite legible. Sincerely, Chief Sam Hargadine Iowa City Police Department 410 E. Washington Iowa City, IA 52240-1826 Office: 319.356.5271 Emai1: SamcHargadine@iowaccity.org NOTICE: This email (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521, and is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received the message in error, and then delete It. Thank You. -- From: JOHN MCCOWN [mailto:jpmccown@msn.com] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 20064:54 PM To: *City Council Subject: Speeding Ticket I recently received a speeding ticket. In red under Total fine/cost was an amount of $43.20 that I paid. The ticket that can hardly be called readable was sent back to me asking for another $6.60. This amount was added to the ticket in pen. I hope you will see that my hard earned money is spent on tickets that can be read. Thank you, John P. McCown. Coralville, la. 5/8/2006 rnrJ Marian Karr From: cliff [cpirnat@mchsi.com] Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 5:40 PM To: *City Council Subject: city park Attachments: DSC01801-1.jpg; DSC01797-1.jpg; DSC01798-1.jpg; DSC01800-1.jpg; DSC01796-1.jpg From: Clifford Pinrat 705 manor dr. iowa city, ia 3196210060 mirna1@mchsi.com resident since 1973 I have tried to get the city to repair holes in the pathway at city park. . The park supervisor says it will be repaired this year and park employees are not responsible for repair of this type.. No help from the from the city assistant manager.. a few days ago a women crashed her bike going around a curve exiting lower city park 'f she slip on dirt left on the hard surface of the pathway from city vehicles driving of the path and splashing dirt on to the surface of the pathway. . My concern has been the large holes in the pathway leading around the baseball fields leading into city park from Park road.. Seems strange to me that my city can have four trucks available for making a BODce court and can not spend 18 dollars for patch for the walkway.. this walkway is dangerous to a runner or a person on a bike.. I am willing to fix it, but the city advises against it because of libabilty problem... Code says i must fix my walkway but i quess there is none for the city... Recieved this message from the city attorney after informing that i had already contacted the city park official with no results. Plus the cost of filling the holes.. Mr. Pirnat, I apologize for my delay in responding but I was out of the office last Thursday and Friday. I have forwarded you e-mail to Terry Trueblood, the Director of Parks and Recreation. It is my understanding that he has already discussed the matter with Terry Robinson. Parks Superintendant, and they are in the process of determining the cost of any necessary repairs. Please give them a call if you have any further questions or comments. Eleanor M. Dilkes City Attorney City of Iowa City *** eSafe scanned this email for malicious content *** *** IMPORTANT: Do not open attachments from unrecognized senders *** 5/8/2006 -- :",', ~.. III~ .' ..,..... <t<A. . ,~ J,,,"J1" R,.F :;~--, .~ :.- .~ FJ .. . , .-. , - < - . , ../ .,A. _.~ ,,~~ ~:::' " - , . . , , ,. :.: , ",.I: " ,- J' ,>' . .. . " .... - . . , ~'. " - '. r .t~~ . " 'J . ."- '. " .' '. "". ~. .< .. . ':". .".... .' \ ; . . ..} , ~ \; 4:~ '. ~ /. .' , )\ , . . '.;#'~ "', " . :?:,l . , ~~'. ~. '>;::'~;:r,"_:,-"- ;\, \ - ,,~-.- ~t.~ ,i'~ ! . 1 < - '" .-- -+-. -~ .J'... .~ , .f} , ~ ~.. : " , c , . , -, -. / ': ... , , .. I"'" > ,t ,. -. ',...It"''"''.. :J !i.l '" .' ':'1 . r~ '.l ,.. F-.., , .. .~ f. i': _ "to; ~- ~-.., ~ h /._- .- < " . . ~ - .' , i~ "" fl > , . , ~~ ".... " .~ . , ,. i .' ""," . .. :^l7~ . . . , l:' ." ~ , . . .. , , tl-' .. ,_., .,.3. , 'tJiOf;' :f. ,:- . ~ ...,<if'<. -.' . - M'"'" ~.~. . \ . . '"" ; '. " ,," ,. - ~ , "~., :r- Message ~ Marian Karr From: Tom Riley [TERiley@alliedagent.com] Sent: Monday, May 08, 20064:02 PM To: 'City Council Subject: Mid American Franchise My name is Tom Riley and I am President of Maher Bros. Transfer and Storage. Maher Bros. has been in business in Iowa City since 1922. We are loqated at 2470 S. Riverside Drive. My experience with Mid American Energy has alway been excellent. I believe that it is in the best interest of The City of Iowa City and business owners that the council move forward with a franchise for Mid American. Mid American has been a solid business partner in Iowa City for quite some time. I believe for them to be able to continue to invest in our energy infrastructure they should be allowed this franchise. If you would like to contact me at anytime my phone number is 319-337-9696. Sincerely. Tom Riley President Maher Bros. Transfer and Storage Inc. 5/8/2006 r= Marian Karr From: Doug Boothroy Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 1 :25 PM To: 'Romano, Edward M' Cc: 'City Council; Steve Atkins Subject: RE; Response to your question to City Council concerning the Weed Ordinance "enforcement period" I'll have a look. .^^^,~"_'n" ,..,'m'~~"'~'" W'" ,.,~.,.,.m...n.~. ,_ ....m_'._..___~.....T.'..__.......... ,-, .......w_,,_..... m_"mm. .m"'mm~...m ..,....ww..........m..w_w.'m..____mm.n.. m_,_~._m. n From: Romano, Edward M [mailto:edward-romano@uiowa.edu] Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 1:10 PM To: Doug Boothroy Cc: *City Council; Steve Atkins Subject: RE: Response to your question to City Council concerning the Weed Ordinance "enforcement period" Weill am sorry to hear that there won't be any recommendation for changing that date. It is my experience that this time of year is the time when grass, weeds, etc, grow the fastest. Given a 10 day period of compliance means that it is really May 25th that is the enforcement date. Drive by 516 Church and see if you don't agree that this time of year is a time of growth and that the weeds and grass exceed that specified level. Thanks, Ed Romano From: Doug Boothroy [mailto:Doug-Boothroy@iowa-city.org] Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 200610:17 AM To: Romano, Edward M Cc: *City Council; Steve Atkins Subject: Response to your question to City Council concerning the Weed Ordinance "enforcement period" Attached is my respond to your e-mail to City Council concerning the Weed Ordinance "enforcement period". Please contact me if you have any questions. 5/9/2006 ~.... CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM To: Edward Romano Cc: City Council From: Doug Boothroy Date: 5/9/2006 Mr. Romano: I have been asked to respond to your e-mail to the City Council concerning the May 15 to October 15 Weed Control Ordinance "enforcement period". I am the Director of Housing and Inspection Services which is the City department responsible for enforcing the Weed Control Ordinance. The "enforcement period" was adopted by ordinance by the City Council and any change would require an ordinance amendment. While I don't know specifically know why May 15 to October 15 is defined as the "enforcement period", it is my experience that these dates generally reflect the prime growing period when weeds and grass exceed the allowable 14 inch height standard. In addition, the City hires a part-time summer weed inspector and the funding for this position is based on the term of the "enforcement period". We don't take complaints before May 15 because the ordinance is not enforceable prior to that date. You should know that we generally respond to weed complaints within 24 hours and give property owners approximately 10 days to comply. All weed complaints are investigated; and, where a violation is found to exist, the ordinance is enforced. The City has a very high compliance record. I will not be recommending to the City Council any ordinance amendment to change the Weed Control Ordinance "enforcement period". 0 '" (::':."J (-:=> ~:::() O~ ::It J..>~ ;0.. . ~ / -< Tl ~J -'~- , ~-i c:: \D ~- ~'<J :TJ r-;-, ",. ;=::;:D :::: " ~.::'::;-~ - '-J - :< " )> C> 0 ~.__._~_.- . ---------- Page 1 of I Marian Karr From: Romano, Edward M [edward-romano@uiowa.edu] Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 12:14 PM To: 'City Council Subject: grass ordinance My wife and I have tried to complain about neighbors who have NOT mowed their yards yet resulting in high grass and weeds. Unfortunately, we have two rentals by us and neither of them have bothered to take care of their yards. The rule as it stands now is that one can't lodge a complaint until May 15th. We would like to know how this date got set and we think it should be moved to an earlier date. If given the chance to be negligent, many will... and the later the date, the later they will take care of it. Thanks, Ed Romano 524 Church Street Iowa City, lA 52245 5/5/2006 ~ City of Iowa City Council Members: Fit '\ ,J::( . We are nursing students at the University of Iowa ~IM dedicatetl to doing all that we can to bring a smoking ban to Iowa City. You have receive let,ter~cause we think you may be able to help. We have researched the effects of Se~Qhand s /;((~d the success of smoking bans around the country, surveyed the commuf1i!>l 4Qwij~,~.,and now we want to make something happen with the data we have acquired. ,Coy d~ . " V,<j We surveyed 120 people in Iowa City and our findings show that a smoking ban would be greatly appreciated by the community. Of the 120 people randomly chosen to participate in our survey, we found that 25 were smokers, while 95 were nonsmokers. The overwhelming majority of those were surveyed were non-smokers, already an obvious reason why bars and restaurants should consider a smoke-free environment. 62 of the 95 non-smokers said that smoke in bars and restaurants bothers them "quite a bit" or they "can't stand it". 55 said the amount of time they spend in bars and restaurants would not change at all as the result a smoking ban, and 40 said they would go out more often. Not one person said they would spend less time in bars and restaurants. 86 non-smokers said they would support a smoking ban, while nine said they would not. Fourteen of the smokers said that their patronage to bars and restaurants would not change as the result of a smoking ban, and one smoker even said he/she would go more often. Ten of the smokers actually said they would support a smoking ban, while fifteen would not show their support. The statistics clearly illustrate that a smoking ban in Iowa City would be highly appreciated and businesses would not suffer, but may actually see an economical boost as a result. More than 4,000 chemicals have been identified in tobacco smoke, but the actual number may be closer to 100,000 (www.cancer.gov). Of the identified chemicals in secondhand smoke, 69 are proven to cause cancer; six others interfere with normal cell development (www.cancer.gov). Exposure to secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths and more than 35,000 coronary heart disease deaths in adult non-smokers in the United States each year (www.lungusa.org). Secondhand smoke is even more harmful to children. It is responsible for approximately 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under the age of 18 months, and contributes to almost 3,000 sudden infant death syndrome (SIOS) deaths annually. Secondhand smoke also aggravates the symptoms of asthma in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children in the United States (www.cancer.gov). Secondhand smoke is also responsible for a wide array of non-cancerous conditions, including poor lung function, chronic coughing or wheezing, severe lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, chronic heart conditions, low birth weight, and middle ear infections in children, to name a few (www.cancer.gov). It has been made perfectly clear that secondhand smoke is deadly. As a result of this astonishing fact, many cities and states across America are declaring themselves smoke-free. Some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, as well as smaller communities, have banned smoking in public places. California, Chicago, New York City, Minneapolis, and hundreds of other cities, now have some sort of smoking ban in place. Smaller communities, such as Ames, Iowa and Madison, Wisconsin demonstrate that smoking bans are entirely possible in communities of all sizes (wikipedia.org). --...-..-.-..-----.--.--'--- ._,_._--_._-~--_._,..._.._._---~_._-'--_..~,.~._.,-~--------.------ At this point, you may be wondering why any city would not want to impose a smoking ban. The answer lies within the fact that with change comes resistance. Smokers and business owners initially argued that businesses would suffer from smoking bans; they insisted that a smoke-free environment would have a negative impact on the economy. According to the Americans for Non-Smokers Rights (ANR), economic impact studies on business show either no economic effect or a positive change after a smoking ban is implemented. For example, in New York City, $12,000,000 was collected in taxes from bars and restaurants from April- September of 2005, after the ban was put in place, as opposed to $10,800,000 in 2002, before the ban existed. Furthermore, the total number of bars in New York City has actually increased 3.5% since the smoking ban was passed (www.no-smoke.org). Florida is another example of a place where bans on smoking have had a positive effect on the economy. According to the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, restaurant sales were up 7% one year after the state enacted the smoking ban (www.no-smoke.org). It has been made clear that smoking bans do not affect the economy negatively, and more importantly, they allow millions of people the right to breathe the clean air they deserve in public. It's only a matter of time until a smoking ban is passed in Iowa City, so let's do all that we can to get it here sooner rather than later. What's more important than our health? Sincerely, University of Iowa nursing students Lindy Malliet Andrea Vavrik Kelly Rilett Kerri Purcell Maureen Pope Jenn Basile Ashley Heinkel 0 "> = => ~o "" :1!: ....~ -t "'" - ../ -< Il C.) " I =4 (--,: - r- ,-<roC: iTI fT' -0 0:0 =r ...., <;;:A ~ '0 :f;: <=> N -~---_. --,~~"_._. ..._- ~._._----,.~_...__._--------_._.,--- Marian Karr ~ From: jephgrave@mchsLcom Sent: Monday. May 01. 2006 547 PM To: .City Council Subject: Givanni's Conversion of a Publlic Righl-of-Wayto Private Use Last year at a council candidates forum I spoke to Councilor Connie Champion concerning how Givanni's was allowed to expand their dining area to the center of College Street and thereby impede a public right-af-way. I was assured by her that permission had been included in a packages of non-controversial measures approved without her or the other councilors realizing the implications of their actions. And that next year the mistake would not be repeated. Well next year has come and Givanni's has again laid claim to half of College Street in front of their property. In light of the assurance given me last year by Councilor Champion I fail to see how this could happen. No other sidewalk cafe has been given as much public property for its use as Givanni's has. If a restaurant across the street were given similar privileges, College Street would be completely blocked! I would like to know how Givanni1s was accorded this extraordinary priviledge and what rent the city is collecting for the use of property which belongs not to them but to the public at large. Jim Ephgrave 325 Ferson Ave Iowa City Ia 52246 (319) 466-9361 1 ----_._-~._-~_._---~-- --- -_...__._.._-_....-._.__.__..,-~.-~--_._---_.---~- -- -.--.-.--"..- ~ Marian Karr From: TUNDE BRADY NATE BRADY [tundibrady@msn.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:03 PM To: 'City Council Subject: Iowa City Park Pool - renovation comments Dear Council Members, Last fall, the issue of renovating the Iowa City Park Pool was raised at a council meeting. In case a renovation is truly in the works, I would like to pass on some ideas from our frequent pool- using family. As a family with three young children (ages 8, 7 and 4) we have been using the public pool 3-4 days per week all summer for years. Years ago I was wishing Iowa City would update the old City Park Pool with slides and water fountains, etc., but now that we have those pools in Coralville and North Liberty, I really, really hope we don't repeat those designs. To make it look less like I am rambling, here is a list of what I've observed; . The many structures scattered about make it so stressful and impossible to keep an eye on more than one child. . The many splashing buckets, fountains and squirters make the pool so loud you have to yell to be heard by someone standing next to you. . One friend of mine pointed out that it seemed kids couldn't actually practice swimming skills as there is no room to just swim, all you can do is bounce from one structure to the next. I'd love to see the pool freshened up but I'd like to encourage you to consider changes that don't make it harder and more chaotic for the parents who are there with their kids. The Mt. Vernon pool seems to have accomplished adding slides, etc. but still feels relaxed and not crazy. Here are some ideas my pool-friends and I had last summer for Iowa City; . The big, open rectangle of water works great for swimming, throwing balls to one another, playing Marco-Polo. We love it and I don't think we are alone. If big structures must be added it would be really nice if they were kept off to one corner so as not to ruin the open water space. . We appreciate having a separate baby pool to keep little ones contained. Making it zero entry would be nice. . If a slide must be added, perhaps just changing one low dive into a slide would keep the jumping/splashing down on the other end. . More walking space is needed along the sides. Moving the fence back froni the pool would give more room and also could incorporate shade trees and grass (Mt. Vernon's pool has this - it's very pleasant). . Adding permanent umbrellas would be great. . A concession/bbq stand would be nice too. Thank you for all of your hard work and for letting me share these ideas. I'd be happy to contribute more to the development of a pool plan if that would be useful. Si ncerely, Tundi Brady 3164 Country Ct. Iowa City 338-3394 5/2/2006 _._--"~--- ~._---,~--_..~_.._-_."_.~-----'_... - _.' -------....----..-.-.,", --------.-- ,--,.'----, Marian Karr ~ From: Marybeth Slonneger [mbslonn@mchsLcom] Sent: Tuesday, May 02. 2006 12:52 PM To: 'City Council Subject: After the Tornado I'd like to commend the mayor, Ross Wilburn, for speaking out in support of the need to preserve historic buildings in our community in a recent news article. As I walked around the devastated areas after the storm, I was especially saddened by the damage to historic buildings on Iowa Ave, to St. Patrick's Church, the Larson law firm building, and many older homes throughout the area. I wondered if people would bother to rebuild front porches and recreate architectural detail on many older homes damaged in the storm. I worried whether the balance would be tipped in the direction of leveling a building, rather than finding ways to rehab it- to keep it out of the landfill and to allow our gracious cityscape to survive. Shortly after the storm, GOQsetown & Northside neighbors met to discuss historic preservation issues with good results. I think we have a core community of support for these goals. But I also felt that some leadership at the city government level would help immeasurably to identify and promote the preservation and enhancement of our community. I commend the mayor for doing this and encourage him and council members to continue articulating these issues. $30,000 is a wonderful gift from the SHSl, but leadership & defining goals for others will be even more effective, it will harness a voluntary workforce to ensure that the job gets done. Sincerely, Marybeth Slonneger Goosetown 1 +._._------_._-_.__._._---------------"--~-'-"-_.-_..-.---.-------- -- _.__.._----------~_..__.._------_..__. ~ Marian Karr From: TheShoeDoctor1@aol.com Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 11 :30 AM To: 'City Council Subject: business concern Dear Mayor Wilburn, Writing you with hopes of some help from the city. I own and operate The Shoe Doctor shoe repair shop here in Iowa City. We recently had to relocate because of storm damage done to our building at Rebel Plaza. Our options were to stay in Iowa City, move to Coralville or move back to our home town of Anamosa. We chose to stay here in Iowa City as we love this community and the fact that we are a resource that is very hard to find. We currently service three counties as other repair shops have closed their doors due to retirement. However. it seems that we have been targeted by your local parking violation department. The first week after the tornado we very rarely saw the traffic department on our street as we are fairly far removed from the main stream of town. Now that we have several new businesses (racquet masters, mail boxes of Iowa City and others) relocating to this block. we are finding that the department is constantly on our street. My customers have been voicing their objections quite firmly. Easy access is vital to my business. I know that Iowa City has been known for its lack of free public parking and that we have several new parking ramps that need to be used. but in our case. I would hope that the City would take a look at our special situation. We are several blocks from the downtown area. Three blocks from the nearest parking ramp. And the 2 blocks just north of use do not have parking meters. It really upset me when one of my long time customers followed us to our location and parked in front of my store this morning. Normally my customers are in and out of the store within 5 minutes. Before I had a chance to inform him that he may get a ticket, he had already received one. We didn't even see a city truck and the train was blocking the road so he would have had to come around the block to get to us. My daughter was helping me move into the business, was not in the store more that 2 minutes and got a ticket. I even got a ticket although I had my trunk open and it was obvious that I was unloading the car. The officer did offer to tear the ticket up on this occasion. This has now become more than frustration for us here at The Shoe Doctor and is something we will need to resolve if we are going to stay here. I am asking for your help in any way. Is there a possibility of maybe some sort of temporary (5 or 10) minute customer parking sign we could put in front of our stores while we are open. We would take the responsibility of policing the parking. As I am paying for any tickets my customer incur, ANYTHING would help relieve the money crunch. At least have someone take a look at our situation and let us know that the City is doing what it can to help. Thank you so much for your help. Sincerely, Nick Nassif jr owner The Shoe Doctor 624 South Dubuque Street ph-- 319-337-2475 email-- TheShoeDoctor1@aol.Com 5/3/2006 ---~- ---_.~_._--'- ____'__m_~__._____._______.____.~___'_____.._._ ~ Cl:iJ May I, 2006 ~ 0 = c;....' >('"1 ~ - .....:- . .' ):"-'" J>=I Re: Affordable Homes in Iowa City -< 11 .::--;. _c. I --.- =~~: ~~': CJ1 ,-- Dear Mayor Wilburn and Council Members, :;-'.,1 iT! iT: -0 (5~) -..-' r'~ '-..-1 I am writing in regards to the need for affordable homes in the Iowa City and Jo~n' ~ County community. Not only is this a large issue for those who are homeless, but or .- N many who are near-homeless and are constantly struggling to make ends meet in an area where home prices are high and job wages are often low. Even for those of us in the community who were lucky enough to have gone to college and obtain degrees, this area is almost impossible to compete with the other many professionals here and obtaining a job that pays what you are worth is very difficult. For those who were not able to go to college or fInish high school the prospects are much worse. Due to lack of transportation, proper child care, lack of affordable homes, and decent wages many families are struggling or are at the brink ofhomelessness. It is a community crisis and I would like to see Iowa City take much more initiative in creating higher paying jobs and affordable homes for families in Johnson County. Giving money to area human resources is important, but it is only a small band-aid for the larger issues. We are an area that is rich in resources and land, why can we all not share in this community equally? If you fear raising taxes, I would tell you that most people in this community would be happy to pay more taxes if it rneant more people were living with at least their basic needs met. I would also like to point out that building affordable homes does not mean building condominiums that "house" low-income people or building places where only those with Section 8 vouchers may live. It means giving the same access to those with less money to live in real neighborhoods with yards and a sense of community that those with "money" take for granted. Our entire community would benefit from creating homes that are affordable within the community and neighborhoods in Iowa City and surrounding areas. Why must those who are poor live separately and packed in together like animals while the rest of us work in our gardens and sit by our fireplaces? Why are children who live in poverty forced to play in concrete parking lots because there is nowhere else for them to go? If this doesn't bother you then I worry about the community which I have chosen to be a part of. We can do better. You can do better. We are watching and waiting. Those who represented Iowa City at the community forum this past Sunday gave some hope that this issue will finally be addressed in our community-It has taken too long already. The people ofIowa City and surrounding areas are stirring and waiting for our elected officials to take action. We want our voices heard on this issue and your commitment to consistently work towards a solution to this community crisis is essential. Our voices will only get louder-I hope that soon you will hear the call and do whatever it takes in Iowa City to create a community that is committed to the rights of all people to .------ -.---. /f. / / decent homes that are affordable, as well as jobs that pay much more and childcare that is trustworthy and dependable for our families. / () '" = .:::~ ~C) "" .::!i: J-.~ ::e:.. --, '~J-'~ ...., 2J I _.=2~--~:' CJ1 I- i"")""; U fTi c3~tJ ::r J( ~~.,.... /'. '>? \..J i": ).> .e- N c::J Marian Karr From: Cheryl Nelson [cheryl@icaar.org] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 9:12 AM To: 'City Council Subject: CTS services Dear Council: I would like to commend the City Television and Community Television Group, and in particular Ty Coleman, for the professional services they do for our community. They serve the community well. Cheryl Nelson Association Executive Iowa City Area Association of REAL TORS@ 438 Hwy 1 West Iowa City. IA 52246 319-338-6460 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. 5/17/2006 ----.,~-"._,."" --~_._----,--_.,._-- -----~~-- . ------., - J!-5 \ I \ I / / '-.. , I ..." \ ",- ------, I + .-L-"T-- Johnson County Historical Society NEUMANN MC:>f'.,1SON ARCHITECTS :For Our 'Time. . . ancf :For T'omorrow A Campaign to Build a Home for Johnson County History -.. - "Building Our Future by Understanding the Past" The Johnson County Historical Society Since 1973, the Johnson County Historical Society (JCHS) has enriched the lives of thousands of residents and visitors through: interpretation ofthree historic sites: . Plum Grove Historic Home (1844) . The Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum (1855) . The 1876 Coralville Schoolhouse Museum programs and events such as: . The Johnson County Barn Tour . The History for Lunch program . The Time Machine Camp for K_3rd graders . The Cemetery Tour . History on the Road Tour Through such educational programs and events, the JCHS helps keep Johnson County's history, ethnic and cultural heritage alive for the enjoyment and benefit of current and future generations. Now JCHS faces a critical stage in its own history. JCHS recently completed the restoration of the nation's only two-room schoolhouse museum with 100 years of education on display. It's an incredible achievement-just ask the local school children who discover that history comes alive there. Completion of this restoration means we no longer have office space or room to store our collection of 10,000+ historic artifacts. After months of planning and working to solve this problem, our dream of having a permanent museum to tell the unique story of Johnson County through our collection of historic artifacts is coming true. By September 1, 2006, the JCHS will move into a centrally located and highly visible building across from the new Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, sharing the building with the new Antique Car Museum ofIowa. This new facility, located in the heart of the new Iowa River Landing development, will greatly expand our ability to preserve and tell the story of our community's cultural, ethnic and historic heritage, and attract thousands more tourists and visitors each year for its exhibits and programming. This museum will belong to everyone in Johnson County. This is your museum. Help create something that will help you and your family explore your heritage and history. -~ Page I of :::t b Marian Karr From: Ron Logsden Sent: Friday, May 19, 2006 8:04 AM To: 'WalkerCL04@aol.com'; 'City Council; Steve Atkins Cc: pastor@stpatsic.com Subject: RE: Objection to proposed bus stop change at Forest View Trailer Park Ms. Walker, The proposai to drop direct service to the Forest View Trailer Park that was in the original proposal has been dropped after hearing concerns of residents of Forest View during the public meeting on April 18, 2006. The current proposal is to continue direct service to Forest View as currently exists. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly at 356-5154. Thank You, Ron Logsden Transit Manager From: WalkerCL04@aol.com [mailto:WalkerCL04@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 8:47 AM To: *Cily Council; Steve Atkins Cc: Ron Logsden; pastor@stpatsic.com Subject: Objection to proposed bus stop change at Forest View Trailer Park To all the City Council and the City Manger: I want to urge you all to deny the staff recommendation to change the bus stop location for the Forest View Trailer E'ark. Please consider going to that location and speak to the manager about it if possible. View what this proposed change will mean to the riders who now use that bus stop. There is a tape of the bus department hearing on this matter and 3 people spoke very well on the reasons why this would be a very dangerous situation for the many people who live in that park. There are many children who live there too. This trailer park has a high percentage of new Hispanic residents. I worry that many who live there may not know of this proposed change. Since Iowa City is a welcoming community, I think this matter needs some extra attention and perhaps more notice to the residents of that park. Thank you. Please. stop this proposed bus stoP change. Charlotte Walker 320 S. Dubuque S1.. Iowa City, IA walkercI04@aol.cOm 5/1 9/2006 rn:J Marian Karr ~\o From: Jacki Brennan [brennan@avalon.net] Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 11 :29 AM To: 'City Council Cc: Deana Gholson; Ron Logsden Subject: Bus Route Changes Dear City Council Members, I would like to voice my support for the transit department's recommended changes to the West Side Loop bus schedule. I am glad to see expanded bus service to the area west of Mormon Trek and north of Rohret Rd. to allow for people to commute to the U of I hospitals and downtown Iowa City. I also support the proposal to expand the service times to a stop near West High school to accommodate students with early morning classes and after school activities. Continuing the current afternoon West Side Loop run will also give the students a more reasonable timetable for those leaving the school at the end of the regular school day. It is important to not only offer these services, but to offer them with reasonable convenience (schedule times and stop locations) to encourage our young people to choose mass transit as a viable and possibly preferred form of transportation. Thank you for your anticipated support of these bus changes to the West Side. Sincerely, Tim and Jacki Brennan 1106 Pheasant Valley Sl. Iowa City, IA 52246 319-339-1487 5/12/2006 Page I of I Marian Karr From: J Capper Umnbcs@mchsi.com] Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 9:17 AM To: 'City Council Subject: Changes in Wests ide bus route/Westside loop Dear Council Members, Good morning! I am writing about the proposed changes to the Westside bus route, specifically the Westside loop which services West High. I, along with several other West High parents, attended the meeting at the library last month which spelled out the proposed changes. There are several West High students in our neighborhood who use the present Westside loop to and from West High. We are in an area Uust north of Rohret Rd. & west of Mormon Trek, near Weber Elementary) that is not eligible for school bus service to West High. We also have a large number of Jr High students who will move up to West High in the next two years. The proposed changes to the morning Westside route (drop off at Westwinds and Melrose) will still allow the West High students to use the public bus as a transportation means to West High. We support that change. We also support keeping the afternoon Westside loop (pick up behind West High at 3:30 MTW & F, 2:30 TH). This would keep the Westside loop in the afternoon on the same schedule as it is now. Keeping the afternoon Westside loop will allow the students to use the bus as transportation home from West High. Without the afternoon West High Loop the students would have to wait an additional 45 minutes after the current scheduled pick up time and that would eliminate the bus as a feasible means of transportation for them. I hope that you will approve the current proposed changes to the Westside route and also keeping the current afternoon Westside loop. It is a wonderful service and we appreciate having it. Thank you for your time and consideration. Monika Capper West High parent 5/8/2006 --~-~---------,-_..- - -_.__._-,----------~-- _._--.._~---_.,'_..",...._----_._._---,---,_. Page I of 1 Marian Karr From: Deana Gholson [tdg2ic@mchsi.com] Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 5:17 PM To: 'City Council Subject: Proposed Bus Changes Dear Members of the Iowa City Council: I am writing to support the proposed bus schedule changes for the west side of town. Our West High son has used the Westside Loop for the past 2 years and I was concerned when I saw that the first plan was to discontinue this GREAT service to West High school for those of us that live less than 3 miies from school and are not on the school bus route. After attending the transportation meeting and expressing our concerns. it appears that Ron Logsden has come up with a workable plan. This plan proposes that the West High students use the new bus service that wiil get them to the corner of Westwinds and Melrose in the morning in time to walk up to school. The city wiil then run the Westside Loop in the afternoon for students and continue to pick them up behind the school in a timely fashion. This is necessary because the new bus service would pick up at Westwinds/Melrose at 3: 15 (before school lets out) and the students would have had to wait until 4: 15 for the next bus. Thank you in advance for considering this matter. Please support the new bus service for the west side of Iowa City that includes the afternoon Westside Loop for West High students. Sincerely, Deana Gholson 1332 Phoenix Drive Iowa City. IA 52246 5/8/2006 _._---~~._------ ----~-~--~------_._._------ Page I of I Marian Karr From: JoAnn Miller Uomiller@mchsLcom] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 3:46 PM To: 'City Council Subject: proposed changes to bus routes Dear City Council Members, I have been following the proposed changes to the Iowa City bus routes and in particuiar the west side ioop. Although we are thrilled with the expanded service to our neighborhood (Hunters Run area), I had concerns about the initial proposed changes to the loop that serves West High since my son regularly uses this bus (and will continue to). The current revised proposed changes with continuation of the after school service from West is a marvelous proposed change and meets our needs even better than we had expected. Just wanted to express my support for the current proposed change. Thank you. JoAnn Miller 1115 Hunters Run Iowa City. IA 52246 354-1910 5/8/2006 "~.._~ "~-----"..._.._----- FOllOWING MAP OF PROPOSED TRANSIT ROUTES PRESENTED AT MAY 23RD FORMAL MEETING ALSO KNOWN AS: TRANSIT ROUTE CHANGES TRANSIT CHANGES ~~ \ - - - ,/,"='""' - I I "'"'"" , '. ~ - - 6( - Manville Heights - P.M.jWeekend Broadway - HospitalfRohret - P. M .jWeekend Rochester jNorth D dge - Eastside Express - - Westside Express I ~ Kellie Tuttle From: Drew Shaffer [dshaffer@citychanneI4.com] Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 3:14 PM To: KellieTuttle Subject: Fwd: ICTC Attachments: leTe Resignation.doc; ATT15133.htm Kellie - attached is Mr. Christians emailletter, which Dale said would be adequate. Can you let me know when the position will be advertised? Thanks, Drew April 25, 2006. City ofIowa City City Council 410 E Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear City Council Members: Effective July 1, 2006, I hereby resign my position as a member ofthe City ofIowa City Telecommunications Commission. My fiance and I are relocating to the Des Moines, Iowa area. She has recently accepted a teaching position with the Gilbert Community School District. I have sincerely enjoyed my time on the commission and hope that my input and participation had at least some positive effect during my tenure. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the residents of Iowa City. Sincerely, Michael R. Christians 4419 Berkeley Lane Iowa City, Iowa 52245