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Home My WebLink About2011-01-10 Correspondence01-1 U-11 r ~~~®~~ CITY OF IOWA C[TY 5 1 ~~~ ~ DUB M E 1V~ O RA Date: December 30, 2010 To: City Clerk ~~ ~~~ _~ From: Darian Nagle-Gamm, JCCOG Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for January 10'h, 2011 City Council meeting; Installation of NO PARKING ANY TIME signs on the west side of Windsor Drive between Woodridge Avenue and Rochester Avenue. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9-1-3A (10); Install NO PARKING ANY TIME signs on the west side of Windsor Drive between Woodridge Avenue and Rochester Avenue. Comment: This action is being taken at the request of local residents who expressed concerns about on- street parking at this location due to the steep topography and curvature of the road. A subsequent survey of the neighborhood indicated that 98% of responding households are in favor of removing parking at this location. 0 .. .. m n -- ~,h ~ w c~ ~~ o .~ o : A ~ ; ~., 3 ~. ® .~ E9D s~ ~`) ~, ~`"`~ }_ 5 3 DEC ~-'~ 2~~~ 2010 DEC -.7 AM I t= 23 1215 Camp Cardinal Road Iowa City, IA 52246-6003 December 4, 2010 Mayor Matt Hayek, City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor Hayek: We live in three homes on Camp Cardinal Road in Iowa City. Friday, December 3, city street department employees installed traffic diverters-barriers-isolating us from direct access via Iowa City. This is a minor inconvenience, but a major reduction in fire and medical protection When some time ago city utilities were extended to bring a fire hydrant to the height-of--land south of the Nagel property, we were all much relieved. In fact, the professional Iowa City Fire Department was a major determinant of our decision to remain in Iowa City when the boundaries were redrawn. (The Kolder home was in fact saved by Iowa City fire crews twenty years ago.) With construction of Camp Cardinal Boulevard west of us, Camp Cardinal Road was rerouted up the hill from Clear Creek, changed from a straight line to an S-curve. We are deeply concerned that the greater distance from Iowa City Fire stations and the steep curving grade up the hill, now the only access to our homes, substantially impedes our protection as city residents. With ice and snow it can be treacherous, even for four-wheel drive vehicles. We understand a rationale for the barriers. The segment that extends Camp Cardinal Road to Kennedy Parkway has not been regularly maintained road; it is an expense, lies on the Iowa City/Coralville border, bounds the new Roosevelt School lot, and though part of Southgate's Cardinal Ridge development has no adjacent lots yet sold. Closing the stub we assume relieves the city of a liability and saves the costs of rocking what has become seriously eroded. Yet residential traffic, construction traffic for Cardinal Ridge, commercial deliveries, the postal service, IC and Coralville and University Heights police, and others have regularly driven through for several years now. It has de facto been open. We ask that you devote your attention, and draw the attention of other concerned city offices to what we find a threat and a disservice to city citizens. It is, we believe, in the common interest tc reopen and maintain the link of Camp Cardinal Road to Kennedy Parkway. Suicerely yours, p Gr'~""'"' ~} Qom(, ,C7 DonalC~wen Casa Veronica Kolder & Bomue Latimer A s Nagel Cc: Rick Fosse, Director, Iowa City Public Works Administration Andrew Rocca, Chief, Iowa City Fire Department Glenn Siders, Southgate Development r ~~r'_,-r®~ CITY OF IOWA CITY 5 (4) ~ ~ill~~~ ~~~~~ RA ~ D U ~ 1~/[ E 1VI CJ Date: November 30, 2010 To: City Council From: Ronald R. Knoche, City Engineer Re: Competitive Quotation Results 2010 Storm Sewer Improvements Competitive quotations for the 2010 Storm Sewer Improvements were opened on November 29, 2010 and the following quotes were received: Bockenstedt Excavating Iowa City, IA $ 45,475.00 Carter & Associates Coralville, IA $ 48,269.00 Maxwell Construction Iowa City, IA $ 54,495.00 Rathje Construction Marion, IA $ 55,692.00 Engineer's Estimate $ 64,000.00 Public Works and Engineering recommended and the City Manager awarded the contract to Bockenstedt Excavating of Iowa City, Iowa. The project will be funded with Stormwater Revenues. r - ^~~.®~~ ~[TY OF IOWA CITY 5(5 ~,, ~~ M~~(~RANQI~~/I Date: December 21, 2010 To: City Council From: Ronald R. Knoche, City Engineer Re: Competitive Quotation Results CDG Asbestos Abatement -Contract #3 Competitive quotations for the CDG Asbestos Abatement -Contract #3 were opened on December 21, 2010 and the following quotes were received: Affordable Hazards Removal Advanced Environmental Active Thermal Concepts Environmental Management Lindstrom Environmental New Horizons Enterprises Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Engineer's Estimate Monticello, IA $ 4,000.00 Waterloo, IA $ 5,990.00 Hiawatha, IA $ 10,600.00 Dubuque, IA $ 12,800.00 Cedar Rapids, IA $ 14,000.00 Kansas City, MO $ 14,196.00 Davenport, IA $ 18,150.00 $ 12,000.00 Public Works and Engineering recommended and the City Manager awarded the contract to Affordable Hazards Removal of Monticello, Iowa. The project will be funded with General fund contingencies. CDBG Asbestos Abatement -Contract #4 Competitive quotations for the CDBG Asbestos Abatement -Contract #4 were opened on December 21, 2010 and the following quotes were received: Lindstrom Environmental Active Thermal Concepts Advanced Environmental New Horizons Enterprises Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Affordable Hazards Removal Engineer's Estimate Cedar Rapids, IA $ 58,400.00 Hiawatha, IA $ 66,135.00 Waterloo, IA $ 68,800.00 Kansas City, MO $ 85,493.00 Davenport, IA $ 98,498.00 Monticello, IA $ 103,561.00 $ 64,000.00 Public Works and Engineering recommended and the City Manager awarded the contract to Lindstrom Environmental of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The project will be funded with CDBG funds. 5 6 Marian Karr From: jazb1058@inabc. net Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 11:02 AM To: Council Subject: Thank you for improving your neighborhood Dear City Council, Just wanted to send you this information. I know many of you said it was not an issue. That crime didn't follow the shelter house... but I think this shows a different pattern... Not only has this person been around since Dec. 2007 using the system... All the locations have been in the neighborhood of the old shelter house but they have escalated from Public intox to fraud with a credit card...and now with the shelter only open 4 weeks he has moved to HyVee on Waterfront. Thank You for caring about this part of Iowa City. Joyce Barker 2018 Waterfront Dr. #128 Iowa City, IA 52240 HILSON, WILLIE JOHN, TRANSIENT, 11/10/2010, dob 7/23/1957,HYVEE WATERFRONT, 1053361 1) Fraudulent Criminal Acts - Credit Card old record Hilson, Willie (no address given) IA Iowa City Public Library Iowa City, IA December 21, 2007 criminal trespass public intoxication Hilson, Willie (no address given) 316 E. Bloomington St. Iowa City, IA January 29, 2008 public intoxication Hilson, Willie (no address given) Burlington/Gilbert Iowa City, IA April 6, 2008 public intoxication Hilson, Willie transient Iowa City, IA 52245 316 E. Bloomington St. Iowa City, IA 52245 April 12, 2008 public intoxication Hilson, Willie (no address given) 316 E. Bloomington St. Iowa City, IA April 12, 2008 public intoxication , criminal trespass Hilson, Willie transient IA John's Grocery, 401 E. Market St. Iowa City, IA May 30, 2008 third-degree theft public intoxication 1 5 7 Marian Karr From: Doug Wallace [damkwall@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 3:53 PM To: Council Subject: Thank you December 14, 2010 To Members of the City Council of Iowa City , Thank you for continuing to take responsible actions to alleviate the aftermath of the 2008 flood as demonstrated by your recent decision to build levees. We live at 45 Colwyn Court in the Idyllwild Condominium Association. As owners since 2005, we experienced the 2008 flood and were displaced from our home for nine months while we rebuilt. We had a considerable stake in the outcome of the vote at the December 7 City Council meeting on acceptance of a grant to build a levee along Taft Speedway and No Name Road to protect Idyllwild from future flooding and give access to those living in the Peninsula area. This was Doug's first City Council meeting to attend. We both were impressed with the thorough and thoughtful deliberations of each Council member. Supported by staff, we assess you did your ongoing homework especially at the work session the previous evening. While, we're sure our feeling is influenced by the favorable decision for Idyllwild, we want to commend you, the Council and staff, on the way you went about the decision making process, including listening attentively to the speakers. This in line with other positive experiences we've had with City staff which help to make us proud of our City government. Again, thank you and happy holidays. Sincerely, Douglas and Mary Kathryn Wallace 45 Colwyn Court 12/14/2010 5 8 Marian Karr From: George [wOppf@mchsi.com] Sent: Monday, December 20, 2010 10:29 AM To: Council Subject: sanctuary city We oppose Iowa City becoming a sanctuary city. Wouldn't it be illegal to knowingly harbor an illegal (undocumented) resident?. This is an area where we don't wish our city to go. Virginia Carsner George Carsner 411 Terrace Road Iowa City, Iowa USA 338-1601 12/20/2010 Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Analisa Gerig-Sickles [a.gerig.sickles@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 9:57 PM To: Council Subject: Sanctuary City Dear City Council Member, Iowa City is soon going to be voting on whether Iowa City should become a Sanctuary City. I would like to urge you to consider voting yes to this issue. After the large immigration raid in Postville, Iowa, I became one of the members of the immigrant relief team. I saw first hand how affected the immigrants, the other citizens of Postville and surrounding communities were affected. Postville was devastated by this action. It was not just the immigrants who were stripped of human rights and suffered, but also the US citizens of Postville and beyond. I have spoken in many venues, across multiple states about the Postville raid and awareness that should be had from around it. We do not want Iowa City to accept a similar situation. I am not asking for Iowa City to protect any immigrants who are perpetrators of crime, but am asking that those who are hard-working and trust worthy (who pay taxes, but do not receive the benefit of many of those taxes) to be able to see police officers and other city workers as allies. Mutual trust and respect cannot happen until people feel safe to participate in the public arena regardless of immigrant status. Justice can not happen when a part of the population is afraid to report crimes because they think the person they are reporting the crime to will question their legal status. I urge he City Council of Iowa City to work with leaders of our faith communities and the labor movement to foster a more just and safe environment for people of all immigrant statues. Adopting a Sanctuary City policy as the one proposed by the Sanctuary City Committee would be a step in that direction. Sincerely and with hope, Analisa Gerig-Sickles 1/4/2011 Page 1 of 1 Marian Karr From: Dale Helling Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2010 2:22 PM To: 'Natalie Jones' Cc: Council Subject: RE: Sanctuary City Dear Natalie, Thank you for your email to the City Council regarding a Sanctuary City designation. Your message will be forwarded to Council members and received as official correspondence at a formal meeting in January. Thus some Councilors may not see your request until then. The most expedient way for you to contact Council members for individual interviews is to go to the City website www.icaov.ora for individual contact information. On the drop down A-Z Index tab select C and then click on City Council. There you can learn more about Council members and can contact them at the telephone numbers listed for each. Good luck with your civics project. Sincerely, Dale Helling Dale E. Helling Assistant City Manager (319) 356-5013 dale-helling@iowa-city. org From: Natalie Jones [mailto:blondeballerinal9@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 10:48 AM To: Council Subject: Sanctuary City To Whom It May Concern: Hello, my name is Natalie Jones. I am a junior at City High School and am currently working on a civics project for my State and Local Government class. It would be great if I could get an interview with the council, or a few members separately, on the issue of Iowa City becoming a sanctuary for Illegal Immigrants. Any information regarding the subject that you could provide me with would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon. Natalie Jones E-mail: blondeballerinal9(a~gmail.com 12/20/2010 David H. Sickles 0 333 290th St. c ,'_'> West Branch, IA 52358 ,,,e... c"'~ ~-~ -- J ~~~ 3 Dec. 16, 2010 M City Council Members Iowa City Council 410 E Washington St Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear City Council Members: I am a member of First Mennonite Church in Iowa City. I would like to ask you to vote in favor of designating Iowa City as a Sanctuary City. Some of our neighbors live in fear of the policy because they lack the legal documentation to live in the United States of America. Most of these people are law abiding, tax paying individuals that deserve not to have to look over their shoulder in fear of being turned into the Immigration Department . A Sanctuary City policy would not attract dangerous criminals to Iowa City, but would rather deter them by strengthening cooperation between immigrants and police. It would free police to focus their resources on crimes that truly threaten the well-being of the community. Hopefully it would increase the cooperation of immigrants to be open and honest with the police and break down the code of silence. Mutual trust and respect within our diverse population cannot flourish until people feel safe to participate in the public arena regardless of immigrant status. Justice cannot be served not safety achieved when a segment of the population is afraid to report crimes they have seen or which they have fallen victim. I urge the City Council of Iowa City to work with leaders of our faith communities and labor movement to foster a more just and safe environment for people of all ethnicities and national origins in Iowa City. Adopting a Sanctuary City policy like the one proposed by the Sanctuary City Committee would be one small but significant step in that direction. Sincerely yours, /~ D~vid H. Si.~kle ( ~ 1..~--~( ~ `~. 5 9 Marian Karr From: Aric K. Asplund [aric.asplund@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 1:11 PM To: Council Subject: Iowa City Parking I am writing in regards to my experience in Iowa City as a graduate student the past four months. More specifically, in regards to the way students are exploited by the city. I am deeply disappointed with way students are discriminated and exploited by the City of Iowa City. The street and ramp parking systems in Iowa City exploit those who live close to campus. Specifically, I feel the odd and even day parking regulation is not only unreasonable but unnecessary. The odd and even day parking system is confusing. A system that uses a simple day of the week rule, as most other cities, is logical and makes more sense (Mon/Weds/Fri - Tues/Thurs/Sat) The majority of people know the day of the week but when asked the day of the month they don't know. While I would assume the current system collects more fines, a system that is intuitive makes more sense to tax paying residents and visitors. Next, parking on both sides of the street on streets like Church would provide more parking closer to downtown businesses. It would also may slow down traffic on these streets to make them more safe. Next, I would like to question enforcement of parking violations. I recently received a violation for "on the street" parking in my driveway. Yet as I drive through north side, south side residential neighborhoods there are hundreds of cards parked in their driveway between the sidewalk and street without a parking violations. I would be happy to provide pictures. This is a clear violation of the law. Again, I find it hard to believe residents close to campus are not being exploited because we are easy targets for those enforcing the laws. The parking situation for downtown businesses is clearly a problem. Parking meters and overpriced parking garages discourage shoppers from shopping downtown. This makes traveling to Coralville a more viable option due to the free and convenient parking. Why not reduce ramp charges for short stays under an hour? An even worse problem downtown is the fact that many meters do not explicitly state the hours of enforcement. Not providing enforcement hours on the meter is, in my opinion, legally unethical. I frequently see out of town visitors pumping meters during non enforcement hours. How are these visitors expected to know enforcement hours of the parking meters without it being stated on the meter? With the recent 21 only ordinance, the disconnect and hostility between the city and students is becoming even larger. I challenge you to consider the potential externalities associated with the decisions the city makes. Without the University of Iowa, its students and alumni, there would not be much tax revenue or employment in Iowa City. The current student population will become alumni and continue to provide to the local economy when they come back to the area. wonder how many students negative experience in Iowa City will effect the local economy 5, 10 12/16/2010 Page 2 of 2 or even 20 years in the future? That is, future alumni who will elect to stay and spend in surrounding communities rather than Iowa City. Finally, I would like to note there is an error on parking violations. On the back of the form under "APPEALS" it reads "from" and should read "form." Regards, Aric Asplund 914 E Bloomington St 12/16/2010 5 10 o BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Y ~~ ,~ 0 Sally Stutsman, Chairpei~n~' Pat Harney -_ Terrence Neuzil Janelle Rettig °' Rod Sullivan City of Iowa City City Council, Mayor and City Manager c/o City Clerk 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Johnson County Emergency Management Commission c/o Emergency Management Coordinator P.O. Box 2540 Iowa City, IA 52244 December 16, 2010 City of Coralville City Council, Mayor and City Administrator c/o City Clerk 1505 5th Street Coralville, IA 52241 City of North Liberty City Council, Mayor and City Manager c/o City Clerk 5 E. Cherry Street North Liberty, IA 52317 To the City Councils of Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty, the Johnson County Emergency Management Commission, As signatories to the 28E agreement that created the Joint Emergency Communication .Services Association (JECSA) and governs the operations of the Joint Emergency Communications Center (JECC), we have a responsibility to ensure that the JECC operates in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. Each member entity has appointed one or more individuals to represent its interests on the JECSA Policy Board. We appreciate the time and effort that these representatives contribute to the JECSA on behalf of the residents of Johnson County. We believe that it is important that signatory members give direction to their representatives and ensure that issues of mutual concern are addressed. In preparation for the joint meeting that was held on May 28th, 2010 between the JECSA Policy Board and the JECSA member entities, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors sent a letter outlining issues that it felt should be addressed either at that meeting or by the JECSA Policy Board. That meeting served as a good first step in opening communication between all the member entities. We have seen some improvement in communication. However, the Board of Supervisors is not satisfied with what has been done to address the concerns. 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE STREET, SUITE 201 • IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-4207 • PHONE: (319) 356-6000 • FAX: (319) 356-6036 Therefore, the Board of Supervisors shares the following list of issues with you and formally asks that your CouncilBoard to address these issues and give direction to your representative(s) on the Policy Board. We remain concerned that the number of management and administrative staff is in excess of what is necessary to effectively operate the JECC. For instance, it seems that the IT positions duplicate the work covered by maintenance and service contracts. We ask you to request information from your JECSA representatives or JECC staff and direct your representatives and make a formal recommendation to the JECSA Policy Board to control these costs. As we stated in our letter of May 20, 2010, the Board of Supervisors would like to see JECSA gradually build up modest reserves but rely on bonding for major purchases. This allows the properties located in TIF districts to participate in sharing the costs of these expenses and reduces the burden on other taxpayers. We request treat you direct your representatives and make a formal recommendation to the JECSA Policy Board to follow this strategy. The Policy Board relies heavily on the expertise of the members of the User Advisory Group in setting policy and addressing issues and concerns at the JECC. Therefore, it is the Board of Supervisor's position that agendas for the meetings of the User Advisory Group must be posted, the meetings open to the public and the minutes produced and posted for the public to read. We ask that your Council discuss this issue and make a formal recommendation to the JECSA Policy Board. The JECC is funded by taxpayers across Johnson County and all of the member entities have an interest in being well informed about JECSA funding and ensuring that taxpayer funding is managed responsibly. The Board of Supervisors recommends implementing a more formalized budget process that would include each member entity taking a formal but non-binding vote on the proposed JECC budget before January 15th of each year. The Board requests that your council discuss this process and work with the Policy Board and all of the member entities for implementation. Finally, the Board of Supervisors supports amending the 28E agreement to provide that an elected official from one of the communities not otherwise represented on the Policy Board who also serves on the Emergency Management Commission serve as a JECSA Policy Board member instead of the Emergency Management Coordinator. The proximity of the offices and the day to day presence of the Coordinator at the JECC has the potential to lead to confusion regarding the Coordinator's role as Policy Board member. The authority of the Commission in the management and policy of the JECC should be limited to its representation on the Policy Board. Any amendment of the 28E agreement requires a written agreement executed by four of the~ve signatory members. The Board of Supervisors requests that your Council consider~is amendment and formally respond to this request. c-~ . c~ m zf e.~ ~ c~ Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations. The next joint meeting of area cities is scheduled for February 23, 2010. This meeting would provide an appropriate forum for discussion of these matters and we would appreciate your consideration prior to that meeting. We would also respectfully request that you notify the Board of Supervisors when your Council will be deliberating these items. Representatives of County Government will make every attempt to attend and offer input. Yours truly, ~' ~~1~~ Sally Stut ~ an Chair, Board of Supervisors Cc: Joint Emergency Communications Services Association Policy Board c/o Interim Director 4529 Melrose Avenue Iowa City, Iowa 52246 N O O O rn ~' c~ ~-r~ N ~" a '~' ~ .. _ ~ 5 11 From: George Connell [mailto:gconne1152240@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 11:54 AM To: Council Subject: trash pickup on holidays I am wondering if someone can tell me why the City sanitation department sees fit to pick up garbage on days when all other city services are closed. On both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve trash pickup occurred. But on all other, more obscure government holidays, they see fit to not operate and make it up the next day. I shudder to think how much the employees were paid to work on a holiday. Would it be triple time? And for what reason? All other cities would just make it up on Monday. How many calls did they receive from people who didn't have their garbage out because they naturally assumed there would be no pickup. There was no notification on the Garbage web page that pick up would occur. But even if there were, why would anyone assume to even look, since it was a holiday. As a customer, I don't like the idea of employees paid triple time to work on a parrticular day, when throughout the rest of the year a holiday can easily be made up within one day. It makes me wonder whether they had some year-end bills they wanted some extra pay to cover. Just who makes these decisions? It sounds like every department can do just whatever they'd like. I think they need some oversight. Thank you. 1/3/2011 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr From: Rodney Walls Sent: Friday, December 31, 2010 6:54 AM To: 'gconne1152240@gmail.com' Cc: "City Council; Rick Fosse Subject: RE: trash pickup on holidays Mr. Connell, Thank you for your e-mail regarding holiday refuse pickup. Let me do my best to address your concerns. As you noted, it is important to our customers to know when to expect their garbage and recycling to be picked up. On December 14, 2010, a press release was issued regarding the Christmas and New Year's holiday schedule of city services. The press release got good coverage in the local papers and has since been available online for public viewing. If you access the City website (www.ic ogv.org) the holiday schedule of services is on the front page of the site under "latest news". Also, let me point out that it is not unusual for garbage collection to occur on a designated City Holiday. This is especially true during the Christmas holiday season. The volume of both trash and recycling play a major role in decisions made regarding collection during this time of year. We must also take into consideration the increased risk of accidents and injury when working a double makeup day in the winter. Our crews would be working after dark and have the additional risk of potential inclement weather. This year, both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve were designated City Holidays due to the fact that Christmas Day and New Year's Day landed on a Saturday. Let us take a look back at the previous two years. In 2009, Christmas Eve was designated a City Holiday and New Year's Eve was not (collection occurred on both days). In 2008, neither, Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve were designated City Holidays (collection occurred on both days). As for the holiday pay, let me clarify that our staff are not paid triple time. Our staff receives their regular pay on holidays plus time and a half for hours worked. Please note that our staff has the option to accept comp time rather than overtime pay. Most (about 90%) of our employees choose the comp time, so there is little additional cost associated with the holiday pickup I hope this addresses your concerns. The intent to work on any designated holiday is by no means intended to be disrespectful toward anyone within our community or wasteful It is purely an attempt for our division to be proactive, productive, safe and efficient in providing our services. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me. Respectfully, Rodney Walls Assistant Superintendent Solid Waste 1/3/2011 5 12 Marian Karr From: Dieterle, Caroline M [caroline-dieterle@uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 12:08 PM To: Council Subject: Broken compact fluorescent lights (CFCs) Happy New Year! This post is a follow-up for the plea I made at a recent Council meeting to do something promptly to enable easy recycling of CFCs, because too many people probably are throwing them into the trash where they easily can get broken - rather than making an appointment to drive them out to the landfill, the only recycling option provided now. Even a cursory look at the document to be found with the link below will convince you of the need to prevent CFCs from being thrown in the regular trash. Apparently 'old-fashioned' incandescent light bulbs are slated to be phased out entirely, so the need for proper disposal of CFCs will only increase - as will the potential for escaped mercury vapors if nothing is done. There is NO level (parts per million) at which mercury is 'safe'. http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html - Caroline Dieterle From: Laura Routh [LRouth@kdheks.gov] Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 8:20 AM To: Dieterle, Caroline M Subject: CFCs A while back you had asked me about CFCs. This new guidance document just came in...thought you might like to see it. xoldr http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.html Laura D. Routh, CHMM Environmental Scientist Waste Management Program Bureau of Environmental Field Services Northeast District Office Kansas Department of Health and Environment 800 W. 24th Street, Lawrence, KS 66046 (785) 842-4600 FAX: (785) 842-3537 please note my new email address: lrouth@kdheks.gov 1 Marian Karr From: Jennifer Jordan Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 9:03 AM To: 'Dieterle, Caroline M' Cc: Rick Fosse; *City Council Subject: RE: new compact fluorescent bulb recycling program in the works Hi Caroline, The bulbs will be places in baggies upon receipt to be placed in the container. The container is really just a 5-gallon bucket with a lid and signage; the lid will be removed to place the CFL in it, then replaced. We've modeled the program after a similar one in Dubuque and this system seems to work very well for them--they haven't had any issues with breakage. We'll also work with the adopting entity to make sure they understand the need to be gentle with the bulbs so they're not just getting tossed into the containers. Thanks, Jen Jennifer Jordan Recycling Coordinator Iowa City Landfill & Recycling Center 3900 Hebl Avenue SW Iowa City, IA 52246 319-887-6160 Jennifer-Jordan@iowa-city.org www.icgov.org/environment -----Original Message----- From: Dieterle, Caroline M [mailto:caroline-dieterle@uiowa.edu] Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 4:26 PM To: Jennifer Jordan Cc: Rick Fosse; *City Council Subject: RE: new compact fluorescent bulb recycling program in the works Jennifer - That is very good news. How will you keep the bulbs from breaking where they are dropped off? - Caroline From: Jennifer Jordan [Jennifer-Jordan@iowa-city.org] Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 2:35 PM To: Dieterle, Caroline M Cc: Rick Fosse; *City Council Subject: new compact fluorescent bulb recycling program in the works Hello Ms. Dieterle, Thanks for your email to City Council regarding compact fluorescent recycling. Over the past year or so, landfill staff has increasingly heard the same comment: it should be easier to recycle CFLs in order to help people do a better job at it. To that end, we have developed a CFL "adopt-a-bin" recycling program that will allow residents to take their bulbs to a host of locations around Johnson County. Basically, we'll ask locations such as the City Halls and libraries in the county to host bins for collection sites and we'll pick them up when full. I hope to have at least a handful of locations confirmed by the end of the month, at which time we'll do a press release and update the landfill website (www.icgov.org/landfill<http://www.icgov.org/landfill>) to let people know about the new program. If it goes well, we'll reach out to other locations such as local hardware stores to place additional bins. 1 Please feel free to call or email if you have questions or if you'd like to check on our progress and get a list of locations near the end of the month. Sincerely, Jennifer Jordan Recycling Coordinator Iowa City Landfill & Recycling Center 3900 Hebl Avenue SW Iowa City, IA 52246 319-887-6160 Jennifer-Jordan@iowa-city.org<mailto:Jennifer-Jordan@iowa-city.org> www.icgov.org/environment<http://www.icgov.org/environment> 2 5 13 Marian Karr From: Robert McGrath [mcgrath.robert92@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 12:57 PM To: Council Subject: release of information concerning budget To the Council: I am disappointed in the treatment the release of next year's budget has received in your city. As a student of political science, I like to compare how open and transparent some cities are compared to others. I noticed your proposed budget was released on Christmas Eve, a strategy which is guaranteed to produce absolutely no coverage in the press. Whether the timing of the release was intentional or inadvertent, only the Gazette produced a short article the next day, probably one of the lowest readership days in the year, stating that a "significant property tax" increase was proposed. I could find no mention in the Press-Citizen of the budget being released or anything about it. In addition, I could find no followup statement ever released from Iowa City that included a schedule for public questions/answers or city council discussion about the budget. Perhaps the information is somewhere on the web site; however. I could find no readily available information about upcoming budget hearings or opportunities for citizen input. Please compare this to Coralville, where on the front page of the website they list the following as of January 3; unsure of original posting date. "Budget Presentation at January 4 Work Session The Coralville City Council will hold a work session open to the public at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, January 4 at City Hall. The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012 will be presented to the City Council, department heads will summarize their departmental budgets, and a discussion will follow. "Following was a link directly to the meeting agenda. In comparison, the home web page of Iowa City has nothing, as of Tuesday, January 4, about what I believe will be your first budget hearing on January 5(?). I thought I would bring this difference to your attention. Thank you. Robert McGrath 1 /4/2011 Page 1 of 2 Marian Karr S5 <3~ From: Kevin O'Malley Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 10:25 AM To: *City Council Cc: 'mcgrath.robert92@gmail.com' Subject: FW: FY2012 Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program to be Presented at January 5th Work Session All, This press release was in response to Mr. Robert McGrath's email of January 4th Regards, Kevin Kevin O'Malley Director of Finance City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 kevin-omalley~a~iowa-city.orq 319.356.5053 fax 319.341.4008 Please consider the environment and do not print this email unless absolutely necessary. From: City of Iowa City [mailto:web@iowa-city.org] Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 4:54 PM To: Kevin O'Malley Subject: FY2012 Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program to be Presented at January 5th Work Session 1/10/2011 Page 2 of 2 Contact: Kevin O'Malley Contact Phone: (319) 356-5053 FY2012 Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program to be Presented at January 5th Work Session Posted by: Finance Admininistration Mailing List(s): General City News Originally Posted 1/4/2011 4:54:04 PM The Iowa City Council will hold a work session which is open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 5, 2011 in Emma J. Harvat Hall, 410 E. Washington Street. Staff will present the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 and proposed Capital Improvement Program for FY2011 - 2015. The work session will be taped and televised beginning January 10, 2011, on City Channel 4. Streaming video of the session will also be available at this time at citychannel4.com/video. Additional budget work sessions are scheduled as follows: Thursday, January 13th 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 18th 7:00 p.m. Thursday, January 27th 6:30 p.m. if needed These meetings are open for the public to come and observe. A public hearing will be held on February 15, 2011, to allow for citizen input. The public may also contact city council members through email at councilCc~iowa-citv.orp or Attn: Council Members, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Final approval of the FY2012 budget, Three-Year Financial Plan and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program is scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Do not reply directly to this a-mail! It is produced from an automated system, and is not monitored for replies. If you have a question or comment about this information, please contact the originating department of this message, or by using our feedback form. For technical questions regarding the website, please contact our web team. • Unsubscribe or edit your subscription details. • Visit our lobs page for employment opportunities. • View more news from the City of Iowa City. 1/10/2011 5 14 Marian Karr From: -John Doe [johndoe52240@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 10:33 AM To: Council Subject: Iowa City Housing Authority A single mother of 6 needs your help. She is been on housing, because her husband left her 7 years ago. She has had two of her kids graduate school. Her three youngest are still in elementary. She is the victim of a personal grudge. Housing Authority Administrator Steven Rackis by way of his employee has threatened her ex husband to pay a past bill or his kids will suffer. Her ex husband has declared bankruptcy and is no longer obligated to pay this and the mother has paid everything she has been told. Two weeks after the threat Steve has kicked the mother off housing. The case worker Denise has told her lies and mislead her about her paperwork. This mother does not accept welfare. She works when ever she can. It is amazing how this mother has been able to keep this family together. Her son plays football for Iowa City High, and she makes sure he keeps his grades and she runs around all day making sure her kids get the best out of life she can give them. Also, the Iowa City Housing Authority has no concept of constitutional law "the expectation of privacy" which is a legal test which is crucial in defining the scope of the applicability of the privacy protections of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Steve and the Denise case worker has openly discussed this mother with open doors and with outside sources discussing the mother and her situation. They have even talked with the ex husband about her financial situation. At one point they told a landlord that she was trying to lease from things that was not any of his business. Steve has abused his authority. This mother need your help. I know she has a lawsuit against ICHA and Steve Rackis. Both Senator Harkin or Representative Dave Loebsack have been contacted and now we ask for your help too. Please email me any help that you may know of. 1/5/2011 5 15 Marian Karr From: International Visitors to Iowa Cities [mailto:civic@uiowa.edu] Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 5:52 PM To: Council Subject: Sister City -Istanbul, Turkey Dear Council Members: My name is Danielle Dahl and I am the Executive Director of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) and the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities (CIVIC). I recently participated in a U.S. Department of State sponsored program which sent a delegation of Americans to Turkey to foster relationships between our two countries. During the visit I met with a number of government officials, political party leaders, academics, NGOs and individuals. One particular meeting was with the mayor of Beyoglu, a district of Istanbul. I told him about Iowa City and its appeal both operationally and culturally. He was obviously intrigued by our beautiful town as one of his advisors has contacted me about interest in making Iowa City a Sister City to Istanbul's Beyoglu district: Some of the things they are interested in are (1) collaborating on fine arts exchange, (2) implementing exchange programs for young people*, (3) connecting businesses, (4) connecting hospitals, (5) city administration. There are a number of advantages to such collaboration: cross cultural development, economic expansion for Iowa City businesses into Turkey's growing economy, health diplomacy, citizen and educational exchanges, fund availability -- the U.S. Department of State has reserved a number of grants aimed at improving relations between the U.S. and Turkey for a number of reasons. I was curious if it would be possible to set up a meeting with you to discuss this matter further as the Mayor of Beyoglu, Mr. Ahmet Misbah Demircan, is patiently waiting for a response indicating interest* and/or commencement of dialogue. I look forward to hearing back from you! Sincerely, Danielle 1 /5/2011 Page 2 of 2 Danielle Dahl Executive Director Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities (CIVIC) and Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) 1111 UCC The University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 52242 Tel: +1.319-384-2260 Fax: +1.319.353.2033 skype: danielle.e.dahl The official email addresses for our organizations have changed. Please update my email address accordingly: danielle(a~internationalcorridor.org This correspondence will become a public record. 1/5/2011 Page 1 of 1 c~ 1 ~< Marian Karr From: Katee Lynch [katee.b.lynch@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2011 1:46 PM To: Council Subject: Questions on city budget 2012 Dear Iowa City Council: I have made it my New Year's Resolution to become more actively involved in the local budget process, since this is a time that finds many residents struggling to make ends meet. With Iowa City sewer rates the highest in the state, and water fees second highest in the state, we must all do what we can to insure that Iowa City remains a livable city for all income groups. When I read that Iowa City's property tax rate has increased over 20% between 2002 and 2010, about the same period of time I have been a resident, I then realized how seemingly "small" annual percentage increases can quickly add up in just a few years, especially when compared to many people's flat incomes over the last several years and most likely the future as well. After doing a quick review of the proposed 2012 city budget, I have some questions that I could not find answers to in the document. I understood this is a "hold the line" type budget with, for the most part, zero or slight increases to department requests. I noticed some exceptions to this and could find no documentation in the budget document to explain the large increases. Reference page 25, Expenditure Summary by Division. I went through and calculated the increases/decreases by line, since they were not provided in the document itself. Providing percentage differences would facilitate citizens being able to single out larger than average increases as a glance, just as a suggestion for next year. I did notice reductions in some departments and they should be applauded for doing their best to reduce expenses. The following divisions had unusually large increases from 2011 to 2012: City Clerk 22.5% Accounting 17.0% Document Services 17.4% PCD Admin 09.5% The budget document itself states that there is no increase in the number of approved personnel positions and these departments above show the same number of personnel in 2011 and 2012. There are no notes anywhere I could find to explain the unusually large increases in these departments. In the City Clerk's budget I notice the increase is in the Services category but there is no detail information. It would be helpful to the citizens if footnotes to explain large increases would be included in the document. These increases listed above are startling in a "hold-the-line" budget year and require some detail and explanation for full disclosure and decision-making. Perhaps these increases are justified -but that can be determined only if adequate information is supplied. I look forward to viewing your upcoming budget sessions, hopefully live if my schedule allows or on playbacks, so I can learn more about the budget process. Thanks for your time and service to the community. Katee Lynch Iowa City 1 /9/2011 C f~~~ d- ~~-~~~ r/.~ ~~ December 20, 2010 Iowa City Group, LLC 217 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City, IA 52240 Re: Piano Lounge Dear Brett Thomas, 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (319) 35b-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.icgov.org Attached is a copy of the memo from the Iowa City Police Department recommending that City Council deny your application for renewal of your liquor license. Under Iowa City Ordinance 4-2-4: NOTICE AND HEARING: you are entitled to, "an opportunity to be heard prior to the imposition of a civil penalty, suspension or revocation or disapproval of an application for renewal." Please find enclosed a copy of Iowa City Ordinance 4-2-4 for your reference. The City Council will be considering your application at their January 10, 2011 City Council meeting, which starts at 7:00 p.m. in Emma Harvat Hall. This meeting will be your opportunity to be heard on your application. Sincerely, ~ ~ ~~ Marian K. Karr City Clerk Cc with attachments: Sam Hargadine, Police Chief Eleanor Dilkes, City Attorney v~ity Council CITY OF IOWA CITY INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMO TO: Mayor Hayek and City Council FROM: Chief Sam Hargadine -~`~~ ~..,~ RE: Piano Lounge; Liquor License Renewa`l' DATE: December 20, 2010 The Piano Lounge has three principle owners Brett Thomas, Steven Fishman, and Chad Freeman. Chad Freeman is 30% owner of the Piano Lounge. He was arrested in Linn County in July 2010. According to Iowa Courts Online, he was originally charged with Theft 2nd, but plead guilty to a Theft 4th charge. He received a deferred sentence and probation. The Linn County Attorney's Office advised the case was investigated by Marion Police Department and that he passed a bad check, and failed to make good on it after being served with a ten day notice. Freeman's other business is Freeman Construction. According to the Iowa City Accounting Department, Freeman Construction owes the City $46,212.37 in long overdue landfill fees, despite City collection efforts and the company's recent award of approximately $700,000 in construction work. Attempts at contacting Mr. Freeman by the Police Department have been futile. Because Iowa Code Section 123.26(e)(2) requires good moral character for any and all owners of at least 10% of the applicant entity, Chad Freeman's good moral character is required for approval of the application. However, the recent theft conviction and unwillingness or inability to pay his outstanding debts show a failure by Chad Freeman to meet the criteria for a person of good moral character with respect to demonstrating good financial standing and good reputation as required and defined by Iowa Code Section 123.3(26)(a). A a 0 rn n N ~ O m -o n _ ~ N N D Q 4 Iowa City Police Department On-Premises Liquor License Renewal Establishment name Address: Review Period: A. On-premises Activity Piano Lounge 217 I owa Ave 12/22/09 - 12/16/10 _0_: Number of PAULA citations issued during twelve-month renewal period _0_: Number of citations issued for violation of section 4-5-7 of the City Code (Specials Restrictions) during twelve-month renewal period. _0_: Number of under-19/21 on premises citations issued during twelve-month renewal period. _0_: Number of sales to minor citations issued during twelve-month renewal period. _0_: Number of other citations issued on premises during twelve-month renewal period. (Specify citations) B. Level of cooperation extended to police by bar employees: ^ High ^ Medium x ^ Low Factors indicative of cooperation include, but are not limited to: • timely response to requests for improvement made by Police Department • calls for assistance where appropriate before the situation gets "out of hand" • high attendance at TIPS training • fake IDs turned over to the Police Department _3_: Number of nuisance calls in and around the business during twelve-month renewal period Alarm Medical Assist Out w/Subject _0_: Number of fake or altered IDs turned in during twelve-month renewal period. _0_: Number of employees who have attended police TIPS training during twelve- a month renewal period. rn c-~ N ~ O rn -v n ~ ~ N .. rv ~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Housing and Inspection Services Inspection Report Liquor/Beer License Applications Applicant: Piano Lounge, Doing Business As: Piano Lounge Site Address: 217 Iowa Avenue H.I.S. must approve or disapprove the application for a liquor license. The Iowa City Building Official ()approves (x) disapproves the license application. `~ .. Signature: ~ Reason for disapproval (if applicable) Date: ` Failure to submit the required verified statement per Iowa City Code - 14-4A-2G Outdoor Service Area ( )yes (x)no Dance Floor present: ()yes (x) no Size: C. Additional Comments (including any other relevant information re: guidelines for renewal approved by City Council): No ABD issues. Owners are Brett Thomas, Steven Fishman, and Chad Freeman. Chad Freeman is 30% owner of the Piano Lounge. He was arrested in Linn County in July 2010. According to Iowa Courts Online, he was originally charged with Theft 2~d, but plead guilty to a Theft 4th charge. He received a deferred sentence and probation. The Linn County Attorney's Office advised the case was investigated by Marion PD and that he passed a bad check, and failed to make good on it after being served with a ten day notice. Freeman's other business is Freeman Construction. According to the Iowa City Accounting Department, Freeman Construction owes the City $46,212.37 in long overdue landfill fees, despite City collection efforts and the company's recent award of approximately $700,000 in construction work. Because Iowa Code Section 123.26(e)(2) requires good moral character for any and all owners of at least 10% of the applicant entity, Chad Freeman's good moral character is required for approval of the application. However, the recent theft conviction and unwillingness or inability to pay his outstanding debts show a failure by Chad Freeman to meet the criteria for a person of good moral character with respect to demonstrating good financial standing and good reputation as required and defined by Iowa Code Section 123.3(26)(a). Police Department's liquor license renewal recommendation: ^ YES / X N~ Annen/civilpenalties/FORM- ICPD liquor license renewal criteria rv 0 0 Q ` m ~ c-~ rv o ~~ -v a :; N ~ 4-2-3 4-2-5 memo setting forth the reasons for disapproval no later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the expiration of the current license in the case of renewals, or within seven (7) days of completion of the application, including the state requirements, in the case of applications fora new license. Renewal applications will not be accepted more than seventy (70) days prior to expiration of the present license. The application must be reviewed and approved or denied by the city council. (Ord. 09-4357, 10-6-2009) 4-2-4: NOTICE AND HEARING: The city council shall provide the licensee or permittee an opportunity to be heard prior to the imposition of a civil penalty, suspension or revocation or disapproval of an application for renewal. Notice may be given by personal service or first class mail directed to the manager or contact person of the applicant as listed on the application. Notice by personal service must be given at least five (5) days before the hearing. Notice by first class mail is effective on mailing and must be given at least six (6) day's before the hearing. (Ord. 01-3968, 6-12-2001, eff. 8-1-2001) 4-2-5: CIVIL PENALTIES: A. Any violation .of state law, local ordinance, or the rules of the alcoholic beverages division by any employee, agent, or servant of a licensee or permittee shall be deemed to be the act of the licensee or the permittee and shall subject the license or permit of said licensee or permittee to civil penalties, including suspension or revocation. B. The city council may suspend a license or permit for a period not to exceed one year, revoke the license or permit, or impose a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per violation. Before suspension, revocation, or imposition of a civil penalty the license or permit holder shall be given written notice and opportunity for a hearing in accordance with section 4-2-4 of this chapter. C. A license or permit issued may be suspended or revoked, or a civil penalty may be imposed on the license or permit holder by the city council for any of the following causes: 1. Misrepresentation of any material fact in the application for such license or permit. October 2009 Iowa City