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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-01-20 Info Packet~~~r~~ ~~ •''M-twn ®~ ~~~ ~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET January 20, 2011 JANUARY 24 SPECIAL WORK SESSION IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenda IP2 Memorandum from the Director of Transportation Services: Transit Service Enhancement Update IP3 Summary of Pending Work Session Issues MISCELLANEOUS IP4 Email from Alan Eckhardt to the City Manager: Nuisance bars IP5 Email response from the City Manager to J. Marks: Iowa City Budget IP6 Email from the City Manager: Iowa City named host city for the 2012 Olympic Wrestling Trials IP7 Response from the City Clerk to Danielle Dahl: Sister City program IP8 Memorandum from the City Clerk: Natural Burials IP9 Memorandum from the City Clerk: Riverfront Crossings IP10 Memorandum from the City Clerk: Date for Fireworks IP11 Memorandum from the Director of Public Works: Stormwater Utility Fees IP12 Email from Bruce Maurer: Please support legislation to give municipal government more support in removing liquor licenses IP13 Fire Department Fire Safety Compliance Report October 1, 2010 -December 31, 2010 IP14 Memorandum from the Director of Public Works and the Director of Planning and Community Development: Update: Flood-related activities DRAFT MINUTES IP15 Housing and Community Development Commission: January 6, 2011 ~ = 1 01-20-11 ~~. ®~~ `~'~-~'~~ Cit Council Meeting Schedule and IP1 CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas January 20, 2011 www.icgov.org • MONDAY, JANUARY 24 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Work Session • Agenda Items ^ Transit Service Enhancement Options (IP2] • Budget FY12 ^ Information Packet Discussion (1/13 and 1/20] • Council Time ^ Summary of Pending Work Session Issues (IP3] • Upcoming Community Events/Council Invitations ^ Discussion of Meeting Schedules • TUESDAY, JANUARY 25 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting • THURSDAY, JANUARY 27 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Budget Work Session TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE • MONDAY, JANUARY 31 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p City Conference Board Regular Work Session • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Regular Work Session • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Emma J. Harvat Hall Presidents' Day -City Offices Closed • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 4:30p Special Work Session (Joint Meeting at Johnson County) • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p City Conference Board Regular Work Session • TUESDAY, MARCH 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting ~ - t _ ~~ ~~~ ~ "'~'®'~~ City Council Meeting Schedule and c~ o IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas January 20, 2011 www.icgov.org • MONDAY, MARCH 21 6:30p Special Work Session Emma J. HalVat I-lau • TUESDAY, MARCH 22 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting Emma J. HaNat Han IP2 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM TO: City Council FROM: Chris O'Brien, Director of Transportation Services ~~~.. DATE: January 19, 2011 RE: Transit Service Enhancement Update Currently, Iowa City Transit operates 20 routes Monday -Friday and 8 routes on Saturday. The fleet consists of 27 heavy duty buses and in 1=Y10 we provided just under 1.9 million rides. The route structure of the current system has served Iowa City well for decades and is consistent with the long standing Council policy of providing transit coverage to all of Iowa City. Throughout the years, routes have been "tweaked" and extended to meet the needs of the growing community. In addition, routes have been added to provide additional service to densely populated areas with heavy transit usage as well as to new developments in Iowa Ciiy that did not have transit service. During our discussion, I will display our system map fromour Bongo management webpage so that you can visualize the system as it currently exists. Since our last discussion, changes have occurred that will influence our decisions moving forward. The Nextbus AVL system that we purchased is now installed and providing us with information that we could not easily access before. We have installed Automatic Passenger Counters {APC's) on five of our vehicles, which provide counts for passengers boarding and exiting at each bus stop along the route that the vehicle travels. This data gives us real time data for mapping high and law usage bus stops during selected times of the day. This will be valuable data when evaluating each bus stop to determine removal, addition of amenities, levels of service, etc. The most significant change has been the economy and its impact on transit operations. The economic landscape has had a profound effect on all aspects of our operations as a local Ciiy government. The ability to add staff and invest in vehicles to expand our service levels would be a difficult proposition in a time when we face budget reductions throughout the City. In addition, with transit reauthorization at the Federal level still being a question mark, and the discussion of reducing transit funding to 2008 levels, our outside funding sources are also unclear. While transit fares have remained steady for nearly 15 years, a fare increase is not something we are considering in these economic times. These factors all play a major role in our decision making processes moving forward. Despite the economic challenges, we feel that there are changes that can be made to our current system that accomplish our goals of increasing reliability, without impacting our budget. The first issue to consider is adjustments to our bus stops. At last count, Iowa City Transit provided service to just under 600 bus stops throughout Iowa City. This does not include the off-peak service, where in addition to our marked bus stops, we also can stop at unmarked intersections. Throughout the years stops have continually been added to routes and very few have ever been combined or removed. In evaluating data from our APC's and feedback from our mass transit operators (MTO'S) we are compiling information to support the addition, removal and combining of bus stops to provide for a more reliable system for our users. Our procedure for changes to our bus stops is to include them on the consent calendar for approval. If this is satisfactory, we wi{I continue to operate in this way January 20, 2011 Page 2 and address any questions as they arise. I will also provide memoranda to update you on the progression of these changes. In addition, there are several additional modifications that can be implemented rather quickly to allow us to provide a more reliable service. The explanation for these recommended changes will be outlined on Monday, 1/24/11 with aid from the Bongo map so that you can visualize the changes while I describe them. There are also more significant changes that we are contemplating. These include discussions of low ridership routes such as the Westside Loop, 7th Avenue and Crosspark routes. We would also like to discuss potential changes to the Eastside Loop route That would allow for us to address an issue outlined in the Southeast District Plan. In considering the implementation of Sunday bus service, the operational cost serves as a major obstacle. In the memo dated August 25, 2010 I outlined the estimated costs of the service to be $350,000 - $400,000 assuming that we ran identical service to that provided on Saturday. This took into account 66 hours of service per Sunday, additional SEATS coverage to meet our ADA requirements and outlined addi#ional staff required to make this addition. This memo also outlined the estimated ridership of 690 rides per Sunday based on information provided by the American Public Transit Association {APTA). In order to accommodate some of the needs that exist when regular transit service is not an option, we are looking into alternatives such as subsidized cab programs or after hours voucher programs. We attempted a similar program with JARC funds a couple of years ago and saw little participation. The lack of interest led to our returning grant funds that had been awarded but were not used for the program. It is our belief that there were multiple issues that led to the failure of this program. The most significant issue was the qualification restrictions. This could be a potential option in the future should funding become available for this type of program and the regulations could be written as such to make this a viable transportation option. Due to the economic uncertainty that surrounds us, we are not recommending any major expansion of service. Instead, we would like to continue to gather data from our AVL system and mass transit operators, hold ongoing public outreach sessions to gather input from current and future transit users and design routes that can be considered for implementation once the economy rebounds. During the interim it is our desire to pursue some route modifications that wiH address our reliability concerns while also operating within our current budget. We will continue to provide you with periodic updates as we continue to gather information and develop recommendations for future service enhancements. IP3 SUMMARY OF PENDING WORK SESSION ISSUES 1/20/11 Sanctuary City (JANUARY 31) Gifts/Naming Policy Recommendations (JANUARY 31) Location of Affordable Housing (JANUARY 31 and FEBRUARY 14) Firearms on City Property/Facilities (FEBRUARY 14) Wastewater Facilities Plan (FEBRUARY 14) Meet with Airport Commission re: Funding of Hangers New Animal Shelter County Proposals re: Joint Emergency Communications Center College & Gilbert City Site/Facilities Master Plan Tenant-Landlord Relations Review Function of Boards/Commissions: Explore Possible Consolidations Flood Response & Mitigation Update (PERIODIC) Jan. 24 -25 Jan. 31 -Feb. 1 Feb. 14 - 15 Feb. 28 -Mar. 1 March 21 - 22 IP4 Marian Karr From: Tom Markus Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 10:50 AM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: Alan Eckhardt: How far is to far Please add to next info packet From: Tom Markus Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 10:50 AM To: 'eckhardt59 Eckhardt' Subject: RE: Alan Eckhardt: How far is to far I have reviewed your comments in the attached email and will share them with the city commission in order that they hear your perspective on this matter. From: eckhardt59 Eckhardt [mailto:eckhardt59@msn.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 10:14 AM To: Tom Markus Subject: Alan Eckhardt: How far is to far Tom, First, thanks for meeting with Mike and I last week. Now I'm writing to implore you to address this nuisance ordiance council, Connie, is bringing up. Please follow the link and read this article. If this is passed it allows council to label a bar a nuisnace if they have any paula tickets, public drunkenness, drug arrests or the poilice are called to many times to the location. This ordiance would discourage bars from calling police for any reason since all calls could be held against us. I can already hear council trying to create the rules of which calls to count against you and which to disregard. The PAULA ratio didn't hold up at the state and I'm guessing this wouldn't either. I can also guarantee that I'll be watching the blotter everday for every liquor license related call and bringing them to council to determine if these bars are nuisance bars or not. This will open a can of worms for the council that will do nothing to help create a safer downtown. Sorry to keep throwing this stuff at you, but this is getting crazy. Alan http•//www dailyiowan.com/2011/01/17/Metro/20679.html 1/19/2011 Distributed 1/18/2011 Work Session 1P5 Marian Karr From: Tom Markus Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 1:01 PM To: 'J.L. Marks'; Council Subject: RE: Iowa City Budget Subject: Iowa City Budget First off let me thank you for your review of the Iowa City budget and process. I recently completed my fifth week of employment as the Iowa City city manager. As my arrival coincided with the completion of this years budget document it was determined that the City would follow the long established budget process. This would allow me time to evaluate the current document and process before implementing changes. You accurately point out the lack of narrative and information which would add value to this important public document. Previous documents that I have had responsibility for include such features as 1. a comprehensive transmittal letter with tax ratepayer impact 2. city goals and budget development guidelines 3. citizens guide to the budget 4. review of the budget process 5. section on trends and summaries 6. personnel summary 7. fund analysis 8. departmental summaries 9. notes and adjustments to departmental requested amounts in the prior years budget 10. Manager reductions to departmental requested amounts 11. performance goals, objectives and measures and 12. departmental organization charts. In fact the documents that I am used to producing are so significantly different than the one you have critiqued That there would not have been adequate time to implement the changes in a timely and orderly fashion for this years budget process and timeline. The net result was the determination that we would maintain the current process for one more year. have reviewed all of your suggestions and I along with the city staff will be examining them to determine which of your suggestions and others that have been recommended will be implemented with next years budget cocument and processs. Hopefully, you will be please with next year's effort. Be assured that your continued review and suggestions are and will continue to be appreciated. I believe a revised process and the resultant document will assist our city council deliberations in prioritizing the programs and corresponding costs that we deliver to the citizens of Iowa City. Another major initiative that will be undertaken over the course of the upcoming year will be a citizen survey and a goal setting/strategic planning effort. Sincerely, Tom Markus, City manager PS If you wish to review the budget document that I am referring to please go to www.ci.birmingham.mi.us. From: J.L. Marks [mailto:jlmarks.marks277@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 12:47 PM To: Council Subject: Iowa City Budget January 16, 2011 To the City Council of Iowa City: 1 /19/2011 Page 2 of 3 Re: Suggestions for Improvement of Iowa City's budget and process I write to you as a citizen who is very concerned about the rising cost of living in Iowa City, and a seemingly unending pattern of rising property, sales, franchise, and other fees/taxes. At the same time, I am surprised to see no concerted effort on the part of Iowa City management to set priorities and goals, measure productivity, provide accountability, and control costs. This is in marked contrast to other cities, such as Coralville, Davenport, and others, that have vowed to keep property taxes flat this year. I'm sorry for the length of this memorandum but it is a subject that concerns me. I went to college in Dubuque and during that time became what many would calla "policy wonk/nerd" who would go to city council meetings and even their budget discussions. Each budget session was televised and archived for later viewing. I seem to recall there were at least five, plus the public hearing. The public was encouraged to attend and could ask questions. When I came to live in Iowa City, I was really surprised at the difference in the entire budget process. It is much more low profile here and you only hear about Council discussions afterward when they are reported in the newspaper. Each department does not have a time set aside to present their budget to Council themselves and answer questions, I don't believe. Except for the first session here, which showed mainly pictures with no cost figures supplied on the slide show, I don't think they are televised or taped. By the time the legally required public hearing is held, perhaps in late February(?), the budget is in actuality pretty much set and a citizen can't really have that much impact upon decision-making. I encourage you to take a look at the Dubuque budget on their website. I'm sure there are other good budget examples around the Midwest. I'd like to list some differences that stand out. The City of Dubuque budget contains: . Priorities of the City Council clearly set out -its vision for the city. . A clear description of the mission of each department -what they do • Goals set by departments which state how these goals further the achievement of Council priorities . Productivity reports which also relate if the department achieved their goals. . Statement of next year's goals. I am really surprised at the lack of narrative and information in Iowa City's document. It's mainly an accounting document, not a management or public information tool. How does the Council make their decisions, when you are provided mainly numbers with no context? How are departments held accountable for making good use of the public funds they are entrusted with when they don't have to report productivity and results? There appears to be no reporting function to supply you with that information. I have no idea what some of the Iowa City departments do, let alone how their activities further City Council's unstated priorities, as their is no explanation in the budget. The lack of disclosure is very surprising, especially for such an educated community as Iowa City. Iowa City appears to be in a situation of low revenue growth, in which you may want to pursue priorities such as economic development and other goals but you have "no money" to do so. It concerns me that the only solution I hear is finding "increased sources of revenue". I'd like to suggest that you undertake a serious and thoughtful examination of your expenses like businesses must do, particularly your personnel costs. Clearly that is where your resources are going. I'd like to compare a few Iowa City departments to those with the City of Dubuque, which has only about 5,000 fewer residents than Iowa City. Other departments in the two cities appear to be organized differently so it was difficult to compare apples to apples. The figures were obtained from the Dubuque & Iowa City budgets. 1/19/2011 Page 3 of 3 Library Personnel Costs Economic Dev. IT Cable TV Police Fire City Hall Maint. 4.83 Total Number of City Employees: Staff for Staff for Iowa City Dubuque 42.89 18 $3.9 million $1.8 million 1 3 11.80 7 6.63 2.0 99 113.34 66 90 0 (outsourced) 640.74 546.59 (approx. 100 fewer employees) In addition, I read that Iowa City's proposed Property Tax Rate per $1000 Valuation will equal $865 for Iowa City. Coralville's rate, which they hope to reduce further in the budget process, is $656.80 per $1000 valuation. Should there really be that much cost difference to live in Iowa City vs. neighboring Coralville? According to its organizational chart, Iowa City also appears to have a lot more seperate, smaller operating divisions which then result in more higher salaried managers supervising a few people. Should there be one Director and 7 Library Coordinators supervising just 35 other people total? Elsewhere, I saw several other departments of just 4 people with one supervisor for each! This would never happen in private business. Look into consolidation of departments to reduce operating costs. In addition, I'm not aware that with each vacancy a review is done as to whether that job should be refilled. The cost cutting that has been prevalent in other cities and states has not occurred in Iowa City as far as I can tell. It seems kind of an island of "business as usual" here, and the way to deal with budget pressures is to resort to increased property taxes, fees, and cutting public safety personnel first. Should "last-in, first out" really be the rule for thoughtful budget reductions which in other cities attempt to maintain the highest priority service for citizens? I read that one council member stated that he was satisfied with the budget "until next year", but I'm thinking that he or others might be off the Council by then and the can is "kicked down the road" again by new Council members who, in turn, state that they will look at it the NEXT year when they are more familiar with the process, and so on and so on. At some point it just needs to be addressed. In addition, the pay scales seem to be really out of line with the county, university, and other area public agencies and certainly with the private sector, and a wage survey is certainly called for. Dubuque also has a serious effort to recruit volunteers to help maintain levels of services. There seems to be less concern with "ruffling the feathers" of union members there. I could see no staff listed under the City Manager's office or Council staff specializing in budgeting so perhaps you are short-staffed in that area. You could consider hiring or just placing UI finance business student interns by the hour to help you with the budget process. There are a lot of innovative minds in this community who could help. I know it is not easy to delve into personnel issues as it upsets the public employee union, but at some point of time, just like now at the state and federal level, someone has to show the courage to deal with the never-ending spiraling costs of governmental services. The ways things have always been done in the past just doesn't work any longer. Iowa City's future depends on it. Thank you. J. Marks Iowa City 1 / 19/2011 IP6 Kathryn Johansen From: Tom Markus Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 2:55 PM To: "All Department Heads; "City Council Cc: 'Joshua Schamberger' Subject: Iowa City named host city for the 2012 Olympic Wrestling Trials This great news was just announced! When you see Mayor Matt give him a thanks and pat on the back as he was a key member of the presentation team that made this happen for Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty Johnson County the region etc. It should also be recognized the Convention and Visitors Bureau did a masterful job coordinating many people and moving parts to bring this to a successful conclusion. Thanks to Joshua Schamberger and his dedicated team. 1/18/2011 January 10 agenda item ~~5g(15) January 18, 2011 Danielle Dahl civic@uiowa.edu Dear Ms. Dahl, ~Op~y IP7 ~~.®~r ~~n~~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~ C~~y of The City Council received your email requesting Iowa City becoming a Sister City to Istanbul's Beyoglu district at their January 10th special formal meeting. Iowa City appreciates the many advantages associated with the Sister City program, and more specifically Beyoglu. However, recognizing the commitment of substantial investment of time and resources needed to make such a relationship successful, the City Council has decided not to pursue your request at this time. The City will continue to work closely with civic organizations, including the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and UNESCO City of Literature Sister City's to promote collaborate efforts, exchange programs, and networking opportunities. We are always available to meet with visitors to our community and share with them operational and cultural practices of our beautiful City. Please keep us in mind if we can help in this way. Thank you for your request and best wishes as you continue fostering relationships with cities and countries around the world. Sincerely, ~._ Marian K. Karr, MMC City Clerk Usistercit}~ 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET • IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 • (319) 356-5000 • FAX (319) 356-5009 ~~-'_,---,r.®~ CITY 4F IOWA CITY 1P8 ~ ~~~~~~~ ~ EEO Date: January 18, 2011 To: Mayor and City Council From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk ~(~~~~ Re: Natural Burials At the work session of December 6th Council Member Champion requested information on "natural burial options" available at Oakland Cemetery. "Green" or "Natural" burials provide alternatives to ornate coffins and vaults and allow people to be buried in a simple shroud or a handmade cedar coffin. Due to ground stabilization and environmental issues current Oakland Cemetery provisions would not permit a burial without a permanent type of outer container and further states: • The interment of bodies of persons who have died of a contagious disease shall be in strict accordance with the rules of the State Board of Health. • If a permanent type of outer container is not used for the interment, a special charge ($200) will be levied to cover the extra maintenance required. In areas of Oakland Cemetery established prior to January 1, 2000, the minimum container used for the interment of an adult body shall be an enclosed container with a bottom strong enough to support the weight of the body when lifting at each end. Full body interments made in areas established after January 1, 2000 require apermanent-type container of concrete or other approved material. Other State Code provisions such as Iowa Code Section, 144.32, may affect individual requests. In addition to the type of arrangements, there are also a number of eco-friendly products available for individuals opting for "green" burials online or with funeral directors. S:naturalburials.doc ~~r®~ C[TY OF [OWA C[TY 1P9 ~ E1VIC~ Date: January 18, 2011 To: Mayor and City Council From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk (~~~ Re: Riverfront Crossings 11 The City Attorney has asked me to remind you that if more than 3 council members are in attendance the "stump rule" (no participation in discussion by council members) will apply. Give Eleanor a call if you have questions. ^~®~ CITY C>F IOWA CITY IP10 ®~~-~ RAND [~ M ~E~O Date: January 19, 2011 To: Mayor and City Council From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk ~~ Re: Date for Fireworks At your work session on January 18 you approved a tentative budget for the 4th of July fireworks. However, no decision was made on the actual date. Summer of the Arts (SotA)/Jazz Festival ends on Sunday evening, July 3, and they have expressed an interest in continuing to end that event with the fireworks. In addition, the vendor is holding both dates, July 3 and July 4, open for Iowa City. The vendor preference would be for July 3`d but will accommodate Iowa City with a show on July 4th if requested. Coralville continues to do their fireworks on the 4th of July. I would like to confirm with the vendor and order materials soon so that the City can secure some early discount pricing. Given the preferences expressed by SotA and the vendor staff recommends Iowa City proceeding with the fireworks display on July 3. Please let me know at the work session on January 24 if you would prefer going with the more traditional event on the actual 4th of July. 01-20-11 ^,_,_--r,®~ CITY OF IOWA C[TY IP11 ~ui~~'~ ®~~-~ RA N D C~ M MEMQ Date: January 19, 2011 To: Rick Fosse, Public Works Director From: Brian Boelk, Stormwater Manager ` Re: Stormwater Utility Fees Based on the discussion at the January 13th budget work session, I have assembled the following information to assist the City Council in their decision making process regarding the stormwater utility fee proposed increase. • Discounts and grants are available for existing Iowa City stormwater utility customers. o Industrial properties with an existing NPDES general permit #1 are able to receive a 50% credit to their bill. ^ Proctor and Gamble and Oral B both take advantage of this and receive a 50% credit. o Grant programs have been developed to assist property owners (both residential and commercial) with installing stormwater best management practices (burp's) and improvements. ^ Creek Maintenance Program -Provides property owners with reimbursement funding for stabilizing and improving creek banks along their private properties. Originally this program provided $10,000 annually in funding, but has now grown to $55,000 annually due to demand. ^ Stormwater Quality BMP Program -Provides property owners with reimbursement funding for stormwater quality and drainage projects such as rain gardens, bio-retention cells, rain barrels, pervious pavement, and drain tiling. This program provides $25,000 annually in funding. • See attached for a breakdown of additional cities in Iowa and their current stormwater utility rates. This provides some of the rates for larger cities in Iowa such as Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Davenport. • Also attached is a percentage breakdown of contribution to the stormwater utility as originally set up in 2004. Cc: Ron Knoche, City Engineer Iowa Stormwater Utility Rates Cit Residential Non-residential Hiawatha $1.00 $1.50 Mason Ci $1.75 $1.75 Clear Lake $2.05 $2.05 Marshalltown $2.50 $2.50 Garner $2.63 $2.63 Altoona $3.00 $3.00 Ames $3.00 $3.00 Carroll $3.00 $3.00 Cedar Falls $3.00 $3.00 Windsor Hei hts $3.50 $3.50 Cedar Ra ids $4.26 $4.26 DeWitt $2.50 $6.00 Forest Cit $5.00 $8.30 Daven ort $1.60 $1.60/ERU Burlin ton $2.00 $10.00/25,000 SF Iowa City $2.00 $2.00+$0.75/ERU Bettendorf $2.00 $2.00/ERU Boone $2.00 $2.00/ERU Marion $3.50 $3.00/ERU Anken $4.00 $3.50/ERU West Des Moines $4.25 $4.25/ERU Waukee $4.25 $4.25/ERU Clive $5.00 $5.00/ERU Dubu ue $5.25 $5.25/ERU Norwalk $7.50 $7.50/ERU Des Moines $7.87 $8.50/ERU Sioux Cit Varies Varies 3 0 -~ c~ a~ m ._ H is ~ ~L ~ VI O O E ~ r' i o i ° ~ ~ N n ~ fYl - C IP12 Marian Karr From: bruce.maurer@thrivent.com Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 3:27 PM To: bob.dvorsky@legis.state.ia; joe.bolkcom@legis.state.ia; vicki.lensing@legis.state.ia Cc: Council Subject: please support legislation Bob, Joe, and Vicki, Please support the forthcoming legislation to give municipal govt. more support in removing liquor licenses. I think it's appalling that a bar can commit illegal acts such as selling alcohol to minors and the State of Iowa supports them when the municipality acts to remove their liquor license. We need to get tougher on these businesses who are profiting from illegal activity. The bars being closed in Iowa City were obviously selling illegally on a regular basis in order to keep their doors open. I am happy with what is happening in our downtown and our Iowa City Council needs more support from the State of Iowa as they continue their clean-up of downtown Iowa City. I am confident that we will attract some new businesses in downtown Iowa City that will bring a new group of shoppers. My dream would be a downtown filled with little specialty shops like in Galena, IL which would make our downtown a destination point for travelers. Coupled with the amenities offered by the University of Iowa, I think it could become a very successful reality. Thanks for your attention and support. Take care, Bruce Bruce L Maurer Lutheran Community Relations Associate Greater Iowa Region 20 East Market Street, Iowa City, IA 52245 Direct: 319-337-5450 Toll Free: 888-704-3614 Email: bruce.maurer(a~thrivent.com Website: www.lutheransonline.com/rfo365 Thrlvent Financial for Cutherans° Appleton, 4'~iscons+n + Minneapolis, tvtinnesvta 8fl0-THR1VfNT {800-647-483bj w+v~w.thriveryt.ccrm This message contains confidential information intended only for the above addressees and may contain information that is proprietary or legally privileged. If you received this message in error, please notify us and delete the original message. You must obtain permission from Thrivent Financial to use its logo on all materials. 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C 0 °: y °3 y3 a~ ~~ ~ o ~ ~ Q z 1: i i Nti 81 N~f i i OZ ~ r ~~.®~~ ~m~r~ '+ ~®1~~~ CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM IP14 Date: January 20, 2011 To: City Council From: Rick Fosse, Director of Public Works Jeff Davidson, Director of Planning and Community Development Re: Update: Flood-related activities Engineering Division • The demolition of buyout properties continues. This includes preparing, contracting and inspecting the asbestos abatement and structure removals. Bid proposals were received for the demolition of an additional 7 structures. • Preparing the specifications for the Animal Shelter demolition. This work will be coordinated with FEMA. • University of Iowa conducted the Phase 1 Archaeological Survey at the proposed location for the Animal Shelter. Recommendation has been made for a Phase 1 Intensive to be completed. Dubuque Street Elevation and Park Road Bridge Reconstruction Project • Held initial introductory phone call with Terisa Thomas, Iowa DOT OLE NEPA document manager. • Scheduled NEPA kick-off meeting with Iowa DOT OLE for Tuesday 1/18 • Began drafting NEPA Purpose and Need for the project. • Continued traffic analysis for Purpose and Need. • Completed first draft of NEPA Early Coordination Letters to resource agencies. Began review and QA/QC of letter. • Scheduled internal conceptual engineering workshop to discuss the range of initial conceptual alternatives. • See attached Public Engagement Task Status checklist for public engagement update. • Hold NEPA kick-off meeting with Terisa Thomas, Iowa DOT OLE. • Continue traffic analysis for NEPA Purpose and Need statement. • Continue drafting of NEPA Purpose and Need statement. • Send Early Coordination Letters to City and Iowa DOT for approval to send to agencies. • Finalize distribution list for early coordination letters • See attached Public Engagement Task Status checklist for upcoming public engagement activities. Wastewater Treatment Plant Consolidation Project Flows and loads have been reviewed and concurred with by IDNR. Preliminary waste load allocations have been run. The IDNR is reviewing the model with site specific data. Anti-Degradation Analysis is currently out for 30 day agency and public comment. Please refer any questions to Ben Clark, Engineering. January 20, 2011 Page 2 • Work continues on the draft Facility Plan and it is anticipated the Anti-Degradation Analysis with comment summary and the Facility Plan for IDNR review will be submitted in mid-February. Rocky Shore Drive Pump Station and Floodgates Project • The consultant agreement has been finalized and is being submitted to Council for approval. Iowa River Flood Modeling • Revisions to the draft report are currently being made. Water Division River Crossings • University of Iowa is continuing work on the environmental/archeological study and review for the river crossing sites located at the old plant and Hwy 6. A literature search should be completed by the end of the month. Peninsula Source Protection • Flood mitigation work continues. The medium voltage lines and electrical switch gear and transformers are set. The medium voltage tie in is complete and startup of CW-4 is commencing this week. Upon proven operation of CW-4, CW-3 will be shut down and mitigation work will begin. The completion of this project was given to the end or January. Water Works Prairie Park Source Protection • HRG has begun design work for the mitigation projects at CW-1, CW-2, and the SPPS facilities. The design will be completed and sent out for bid by March 4, 2011. The expected completion of the projects is Sept. 7, 2011. PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT • Another property was acquired with CDBG funds. A total of 68 residential properties have been acquired. Of the 68 properties, 32 of the properties have been acquired through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), 30 with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, and six with Community Disaster Grant (CDG) funds. A total of 52 properties have been demolished in the Parkview Terrace and Taft Speedway neighborhoods. • Staff is finishing environmental reviews for the Single Family .New Construction Round 3 Program. Acquisition assistance to purchase newly constructed homes will be provided to 31 homeowners, whose income is at or below 100% of area median income. • $2.6 million in CDBG funds has become available through the repayment of a construction loan. On January 10, 2011 the City Council held a public hearing and decided to amend the FY11 CDBG Action Plan to use $1,398,000 of these funds for six public facility projects and one public service project. Later this spring, the City Council will hold a public hearing to allocate the remaining funds to housing projects. • Applications for Federal Jumpstart funds for repair, down payment assistance and interim mortgage assistance are still being accepted and funds are available. To date, $869,500 in Federal Jumpstart funding has been used to assist 18 households. January 20, 2011 Page 3 The City is no longer accepting applications for the following disaster business assistance programs: Loan Interest Supplement Program, Residential Landlord Business Support Program, Commercial Rental Revenue Gap Program, Equipment Reimbursement Assistance Program, Flood Insurance Reimbursement Program, and Expanded Business Rental Assistance Program. Funding remains available for applications that were submitted before the December 31, 2010 deadline. ~p15 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 - 6:30 PM EMMA HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Andrew Chappell, Scott Dragoo, Charlie Drum, Jarrod Gatlin, Holly Jane Hart, Michael McKay, Rebecca McMurray, Rachel Zimmermann Smith MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Tracy Hightshoe, Linda Severson OTHERS PRESENT: Charlie Eastham RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL: 1. The Commission voted 8-0 to recommend Aid to Agencies funding that continues the FY11 funding level for last year's applicants, funds five new agencies at their requested amounts, and reserves the remaining $7,197 as a contingency fund. AGENCY FY12 Re uest FY12 Recommendation Arc of SEI* $2,000 $2,000 Bi Brothers/Bi Sisters $40,000 $32,000 Com eer $32,000 $5,000 Consortium for Youth Em to ment $16,000 $14,000 Crisis Center $44,000 $40,000 Domestic Violence Intervention $52,850 $52,000 Elder Services, Inc. $55,620 $54,000 4 C's* $2,000 $2,000 Four Oaks* $1,000 $1,000 Free Lunch Pro ram* $2,000 $2,000 Free Medical Clinic $8,000 $7,500 Housing Trust Fund $40,000 $8,000 (CARE $8,950 $8,950 Lifeskills* $1,500 $1,500 MECCA $43,000 $10,000 MYEP $15,000 $10,000 Nei hborhood Centers $95,000 $60,000 Rape Victim Advocac $12,600 $12,000 Red Cross $6,000 $6,000 Shelter House $39,050 $36,500 United Action for Youth $90,000 $60,000 Contin enc $7,197 Total Allocations $606,570 $431,647 2. The Commission voted 8-0 to recommend that the City Council not pursue a HOME Consortium unless Coralville, as the second largest municipality, is interested in participating. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 2 of 9 CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Michael McKay at 6:30 p.m. APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 10 8~ 18, 2010 MINUTES: Chappell moved to approve the minutes. Hart seconded. The minutes were approved on a 7-0 vote (Zimmermann Smith not present at time of vote). PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. STAFF/COMMISSION COMMENT: Hightshoe noted that round three of the Single Family New Construction Program, which will fund 31 homes, will begin this spring. The intent of the program is to replace single-family housing that was eliminated due to flood related buy-outs. McMurray asked if this was the same as the UniverCity program and Hightshoe said that it was not. Hart asked how many of the homes in the UniverCity program had been rental stock and how many owner-occupied. Hightshoe said she was not certain; however she thought most of the homes considered did have an existing rental permit. (Zimmermann Smith arrives) REVIEW OF THE FY12 ALLOCATION PROCESS AND PROFORMA: Hightshoe stated that the online application process was up and running. She explained that this was the first time applications were being submitted online. Hightshoe said the system has been helpful in allowing staff to provide feedback to applicants prior to the submission of the application. Hightshoe said the first applicant workshop had been held December 28th and was attended by 10-12 people. The next applicant workshop will be held January 12th following the Local Homeless Coordinating Board meeting. Hightshoe said that staff anticipates a lot of Public Service applicants this funding cycle due to the greater than usual funding amount for Public Services. McMurray asked why there would be so many additional applicants. Hightshoe explained that there is additional funding available for Public Services; typically the allocation is for between $10,000 and $15,000. This year there is approximately $100,000 available. McMurray asked if that had been well publicized and Hightshoe said that it had. Hightshoe stated that applications are due by noon on January 25th. There is a question and answer session for applicants and commission members scheduled for February 17th at the Iowa City Public Library. Once the number of applications has been determined, it can be better assessed how many meetings will be necessary to complete the question/answer session - if we need one or two meetings. The ranking sheets completed by commissioners should be turned in by February 28th. There are two meetings scheduled for March: one on the 10th and HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 3 of 9 one on the 24th. She noted that due to timing of City Council's meeting schedule and HUD deadlines, the Commission will only have a few days after the March 24th meeting to revise its Annual Action Plan and submit their justification memo. City Council can review and approve the allocations at its May 3~d meeting, and work can start on funded projects as of July 1St McMurray asked when the site visits were scheduled to take place. Hightshoe said that site visits had not been scheduled, but typically take place prior to the question and answer session. She said that they would likely do a lunch tour of Public Facilities projects the week before February 17th. She said that generally tours are not done for Housing projects because the locations are not always known, and that Public Services tours are not done to prevent issues with the confidentiality of service recipients. Hightshoe said that typically whatever Commission members are available to do so will tour four to six facilities over an extended lunch period (approximately 11:30 to 1:00). Hightshoe noted that if there were more than five Commission members who wish to go on the tour it would be considered a public meeting and she would have to know at least 24 hours in advance. Hightshoe explained that the proforma is the same as it has been for the last several years. She said that the proforma is only used for rental projects and is used to evaluate each project individually for its cash-flow, viability, and capacity to pay back debt. It is also used to compare projects to one another. Hightshoe said that a lot of research is required on the part of the applicant in order to complete the proforma and the document gives staff a good indicator about the project's overall viability and whether there is; the possibility for loan repayment. McKay noted that Charlie Eastham of The Housing Fellowship had requested permission to ask questions about the proforma at this point in the meeting. Eastham noted that the ranking guidelines were useful for indicating categories; however, because the guidelines were published in 1996 any attempt to use the actual numbers in the guideline would be totally inaccurate. Eastham explained that some of the standards and requirements of the proforma wind up painting a less than accurate picture of the project as a whole. Eastham said that while it is prudent to use per-unit cost and operating expenses in evaluating the viability of a project, the goal for everyone providing affordable rental housing should be to have low rents. Eastham noted that the City's guidelines do not necessarily take that into account as there are no additional points awarded for low rents. There is no incentive to set rent levels below those required by HUD, an issue which Eastham thinks the Commission should address. Eastham said that for its last two projects The Housing Fellowship set its rents below the HUD standards and found that there was a huge market for that price range. Eastham said that the only way to get rents down to that level is to pay close attention to debt service and try to avoid as much debt service as possible. McKay said that he had been asked by a number of community members what role the Commission has in setting the guidelines and he had been unable to answer them as fully as he might wish to. McKay asked if it would be helpful to applicants to be provided more specific guidelines. Hightshoe said that the proforma is,used to pick up any red flags in the project's financing and administration. She said that there is a question on the application that asks how the project will address affordability issues. McKay asked if the Iowa Finance Authority's expense ratios are available to applicants and Hightshoe said they are available in the Qualified Allocation Plan to anyone who wants them. Hightshoe said that she did not think at this point the City would require all housing providers to meet the guidelines of the Low-Income Housing Tax-Credit Program for all types of rental housing projects. McKay said he was not suggesting setting that as a requirement; rather, he is suggesting making the guidelines available to applicants. Hightshoe said that was definitely possible, though she cautioned that different projects and lenders have different guidelines. Hightshoe explained that after the allocation HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 4 of 9 process each year the Commission reviews the process and determines whether or not any aspect of it should be changed. She said that would be a good time to review Eastham's proposal that extra points be awarded for low rents. McKay said that Eastham's suggestion would be something for the Commission to at least consider at that time. DISCUSSION REGARDING FY12 AID TO AGENCIES FUNDING REQUESTS: Discuss Aid To Agencies Applications Hightshoe introduced Linda Severson to present and answer questions on this topic. Severson explained that Aid to Agencies typically provides operational costs to non-profit organizations in the community. She noted that agencies were permitted to use the funding in whatever way they needed to, and that few restrictions were in place in terms of what the money could be spent on. She said that the funds were used for anything from utilities to insurance to matching funds for federal grants. Severson said that the flexibility of the funds is very helpful to local agencies because many of their funding sources come with specific strings attached. In the past, Aid to Agencies applications were reviewed by two City Council members who then made allocation recommendations to the full Council. This year, Council has asked HCDC to review the applications and make recommendations. Severson explained that one joint application was used by agencies requesting funding from Iowa City, Coralville, Johnson County and/or United Way. In FY11, $415,915 was allocated to 15 different agencies and programs; a contingency fund of $9,318 was retained for that fiscal year. Severson said that the contingency fund is used for unexpected expenses. She noted that the contingency fund was not used every year, nor was it available every year. Severson noted that the Free Medical Clinic had applied for the funds one year due to an industry-driven, sudden and drastic change in their insurance premiums. Severson said that $1.,50,0 in contingency funds had been allocated this year to help Shelter House deal with its bed-bug infestation. Severson said that, historically, Aid to Agencies has been a reliable and stable funding source to help agencies cover operational costs. Severson said that HCDC dollars typically help create or improve the environment to deliver community services and Aid to Agencies typically provides operational dollars. Severson said that Patti Fields of United Way and Amy Correia of Johnson County had spoken with her about discussing the Aid to Agencies allocation process and seeing if there are ways to change or improve it. Severson noted that if massive changes were going to be made to the process, then agencies would need as much lead time as possible, since this is a funding source upon which many agencies rely from year to year. Severson noted that $431,647 is available for FY12 allocations and asked where the Commission would like to start. McKay noted that there were a number of applications that were minimally different or the same as last year. He suggested addressing those applications first and then moving on to those requesting large increases in funding. Chappell noted that Amy Correia is a client of his on matters unrelated to her application. He said there is no conflict with his reviewing the application as far as he is concerned, but that if someone had concerns about the appearance of impropriety he could reevaluate that for the next year's allocation process. At this point, however, he does not intend to recuse himself as he sees no conflict. Hightshoe noted that if a Commissioner feels he/she may have a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest for the CDBG/HOME allocations then they can let her know ahead of time and she will have it reviewed by the legal department. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 5 of 9 McKay suggested beginning with The Consortium for Youth Employment. Severson explained that this was a consortium of a number of agencies that are youth-serving that pool funds to help get youth ready for employment. Severson said that the program involves both classroom and practicum work. She said that the youths are paid a stipend rather than wages, but that the hope is that at the end of the program the youth would be offered a job at the placement site. Even if a job is not offered, then at least the youth will have some background information and experience that could help lead to other employment. Drum noted that a number of these children are foster children that are aging out of the system. Severson said that typically these are at-risk youths who do not have a lot of experience or exposure to regular employment. McKay asked if anyone had a funding recommendation for this agency, noting that the request was for $2,000 more than was allocated n FY11. Chappell said that he had not seen any applications that had jumped out at him as deserving a big bump in funding at the expense of another agency. He recognized that this could be a function of his not having been through this process before. He said that his understanding is that there is a certain level of expectation attached to these funds, and that taking funds from one agency to give to another should probably only occur with some pretty clear reasons. Chappell said that the funding level allows the Commission to consider allocating to existing agencies at the FY11 level and to add in the modest funding requests made by new applicants. Chappell said that his own recommendations had allowed fora $10,000 contingency fund and slightly reduced funding for a few agencies that had received significant allocations in recent funding cycles. Zimmermann Smith said that everyone can be funded at the FY11 level. The Commission indicated a consensus that they would like to have a contingency fund for FY12. Zimmermann Smith asked what the contingency fund would be if everyone was funded at their FY11 level and the new agencies were also funded. Hightshoe said that would leave $7,197 remaining as a contingency fund. Dragoo commented that this allocation formula seemed remarkably fair and easy. Hart said her only concern was that some of these agencies would likely be back before the Commission for FY12 CDBG/HOME funds. McMurray noted that there would be more money for Public Services this year. Chappell noted that the Commission did not know what the agencies had actually requested in FY11. Zimmermann Smith said that she did not see anything in the applications that gave a significant justification for an extra $30,000 being requested. Severson explained that in FY11, MECCA was reduced from a $27,000 funding level to a $10,000 funding level with the rationale that MECCA was requesting less than 1 % of their overall budget and MECCA could absorb it. Severson noted that MECCA had not seen it exactly that way, and that the cut was, probably the biggest one in the last five to eight years. • Develop Aid To Aaencies Budaet Recommendations To Council Zimmermann Smith moved to fund agencies at their FY11 level, fund the five new agencies at their requested amounts, and to reserve the remaining $7,197 as a contingency fund. AGENCY FY12 Request FY12 HCDC Recommendation Arc of SEI* $2,000 $2,000 Bi BrotherslBi Sisters $40,000 $32,000 Com eer $32,000 $5,000 Consortium for Youth Emplo ment $16,000 $14,000 Crisis Center $44,000 $40,000 Domestic Violence Intervention $52,850 $52,000 HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 6 of 9 Elder Services, Inc. $55,620 $54,000 4 C's" $2,000 $2,000 Four Oaks* $1,000 $1,000 Free Lunch Pro ram* $2,000 $2,000 Free Medical Clinic $8,000 $7,500 Housin Trust Fund $40,000 $8,000 (CARE $8,950 $8,950 Lifeskills" $1,500 $1,500 MECCA $43,000 $10,000 MYEP $15,000 $10,000 Nei hborhood Centers $95,000 $60,000 Rape Victim Advocac $12,600 $12,000 Red Cross $6,000 $6,000 Shelter House $39,050 $36,500 United Action for Youth $90,000 $60,000 Contin enc $7,197 Total Allocations $606,570 $431,647 Chappell seconded. The motion carried on an 8-0 vote. Severson and Hightshoe noted that if the Commission wished to change the nature or the method for the Aid to Agencies allocation process to fall more in line with CITY STEPS or the United Way assessment then it would be helpful to give agencies as much advanced warning as possible about that. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE FORMATION OF HOME CONSORTIA WITH CONTIGUOUS MUNICIPALITIES: Hightshoe explained that in 2007 the Housing Market Analysis for the metro-area determined that there was a definite need for additional affordable housing. Hightshoe said that local governments are looking for ways to increase affordable housing not just in Iowa City, but throughout the whole area. The Johnson County Council of Governments (JCCOG) has created asub-committee to look at that issue: One. strategy for increasing funding for affordable housing in the area is the idea of creating a HOME Consortium. Hightshoe explained that Iowa City is an entitlement city, which means that it is a city with a population greater than 50,000 people so it receives an annual HOME allocation for which we do not have to apply or compete for funds from HUD. A HOME Consortium would mean pooling the funding from contiguous communities and determining how much each community will get. Hightshoe said that the scenarios for a consortium that were presented to HUD indicated a funding pool of between $610,000 and $714,000 per year, depending on census data and which cities decided to join the consortium. Hightshoe noted that last year, Iowa City alone received $678,000. She said that joining a consortium would mean that Iowa City's actual HOME dollars to be spent in Iowa City may decrease (possibly substantially) and the consortia would have to determine how funds would be shared by the neighboring communities. Severson said that when the idea was presented to neighboring municipalities, Coralville indicated that it is not HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 7 of 9 interested at this time and North Liberty and Johnson County indicated an interest. Hightshoe stated that in the preliminary scenarios, if Coralville is not in the consortia, the total funding available may be substantially reduced. Hightshoe said that this is simply an idea that is being explored and HCDC is being asked for its input. Hightshoe stated the idea of a HOME consortium helps all the communities to start thinking about housing as a regional issue, but it may mean a reduction in funds to support housing depending on which communities are in the final HOME consortia. Zimmermann Smith said that if Coralville is not interested then it does not even make sense to discuss it. Hart said that she had a number of questions about this issue. First, she wondered if this would run up against the idea of a scattered-site policy and issues related to that that the City has agreed it wants to look into to. She said she also wondered how the funds would be allocated and who would be doing it. She said it concerned her that there could be fewer funds available for Iowa City. Hart said that a former City Council member with whom she was discussing the issue told her that HOME funds were already being used for projects in the wider area. Hightshoe clarified that HOME funds allocated to Iowa City could not be used outside of Iowa City, the one exception being Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) administered by the Iowa City Housing Authority. She explained that communities that are not HOME entitlement cities can receive HOME funds by applying directly to the state. Coralville and North Liberty may have received HOME funds in the past through the State, but Iowa City has not awarded their HOME funds for projects outside its corporate boundaries. Hart said that she could not support such an idea without knowing a lot more about the allocation process that would be used as she,was already concerned about funding for affordable rental housing in Iowa City and the;, implementation of scattered-site policies. Zimmermann Smith reiterated that it simply did not even make sense to discuss it if Coralville was not willing to participate. McMurray asked if Coralville had indicated why it was not interested. Severson said that Coralville's representative at the last JCCOG meeting had indicated that Coralville was not interested in a consortium and would be hiring its own consultant to examine affordable housing issues in their community. Hightshoe noted that there are three other HOME consortiums in the state: Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Omaha/Council Bluffs and Sioux City metro area. Hightshoe stated the preliminary interest from our neighboring communities was to use the HOME funds for owner-occupied housing rehabilitation. Chappell agreed with Zimmermann Smith that unless Coralville was interested it did not make sense to pursue it. McMurray asked what the benefits of a consortium would be. Zimmermann Smith explained that the idea was a good one in terms of thinking as a broader community; however, because the second largest community involved did not want to participate, there was no benefit to Iowa City because it would simply result in a decreased funding amount with only a limited ability to think and act more regionally. Severson said the Affordable Housing Committee also looked at different ideas. She said that one idea that was floated was having cities consider pre-approving housing designs as a way of reducing costs. Another idea that had been floated was inclusionary zoning, which was very controversial. Severson said that the idea of a consortium had been that while Iowa City might have to make some sacrifices in its affordable-housing funding, the consistency and scope of affordable housing policy that would result for the larger region might be worth it. Severson said that an application for a consortium would be due by March 1 S` and would likely not be implemented until FY13, if the Commission chose to pursue the idea. HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JANUARY 6, 2010 PAGE 8 of 9 Provide a Recommendation to City Council The Commission voted 8-0 to recommend that the City Council not pursue a HOME Consortium unless Coralville, as the second largest municipality, is interested in participating. Zimmermann Smith seconded. A vote was taken and the motion carried 8-0. MONITORING REPORTS: • Habitat for Humanity -Land Acquisition (Chappell): Habitat purchased three lots, and has until June 30, 2011, to spend the remaining $19,000 of its $115,000 allocation. Habitat is seeking a home to purchase and rehabilitate, and is hoping to acquire that home no later than March. Hightshoe noted that Habitat had asked about the possibility of using the remaining funds for construction rather than acquisition and she had explained that such a change would have to go back before the Commission. Aid to Agencies -United Action for Youth, Elder Services Inc. (Chappell) The UAY funds spent so far were used as matching funds for federal grants to support homeless and runaway youth and to administer programs for victims of crime. The CDBG funds paid salary and benefits for five different positions. Elder Services said that they had expended approximately $23,000 in CDBG funds. Hightshoe said that during the year the CDBG funds had to be amended to cover a CDBG eligible activity, due to an unexpected change in their case management services. Johnson County Ag Extension District -New Construction (Drum) Drum noted that he did not follow up on his assigned projects this month as he had failed to look at the agenda prior to the meeting to see that Nt was his turn. He offered his apologies and said he would provide a written report prior to the February meeting as the February agenda will be very busy. Hightshoe said that Johnson County Ag. had begun construction. MECCA -Facility Rehabilitation (Drum) Deferred to February. • Crisis Center -Operations (Drum) Deferred to February. • FY07 & 08 Habitat for Humanity -Land Acquisition (Draaoo) Dragoo said that all six lots for FY07 have been completed and are occupied by single families. One of the four lots has been completed and is occupied out of the FY08 funds. One of the remaining units is under construction and expected to be completed by May. The other two are slated for completion by Thanksgiving. He noted that the houses are being built "extra green' in order to save the occupants money over the long-term, and that the Commission has a standing invitation to tour the homes. ADJOURNMENT: Zimmermann Smith moved to adjourn. Gatlin seconded. The motion was approved 8-0. Z 0 0 U H Z W W J W W }~ F- Z ~o o~ N QCO~ Z ~ O rn cn~w OZQ =tea Z O ~_ O U H Z W ~ ~ ~ a~ ov W W OC W W ~ ~Zo Q N Z~ = Z H Q 0 U 0 z Q z r x x x x x x x x X N M N M ~ ~- N M W O N O N O N O N O N O N O N N ~ H Q U v _ z w ~- a Q Q Q ~ V ~ Q ~ _ ~"~ a v Z = ~ ~ Ww O ~ 2 C9 Z U D C7 = ~ ~ IV ~ 0 '~ ~ ` ~ ~ x ~' E W ~_' N c~~~ N a~ ~ c~ ~~oo aQZz ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ W ~ YxOZ