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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-03-01 TranscriptionPage 1 ITEM 2. OUTSTANDING STUDENT CITIZENSHIP AWARDS -Helen Lemme Elementary Hayek: Would the students from Helen Lemme Elementary please step forward. Well, hi, guys! I'm Mayor Hayek and this is the City Council, and welcome to City Hall! We're very excited to have you, and uh, at the beginning of our meetings, we invite student leaders from the various elementary schools to come and talk to us a little bit about what they're up to in school and then we've got something we'd like to read for you. So I see the three of you have brought a little piece of paper with you. I think what I'll do is just hand the mic down the, uh, row here and I can hold it for you, or you can hold it yourself, and we'd love to hear what each of you is up to! Gordon: Hi, my name is Amelia Gordon. I would like to thank the City Council, my teachers and classmates at Lemme Elementary for this award. Being a good citizen is one of the six pillars of character I try to follow every day. Some ways I show citizenship are I prac...participate in safety patrol. I have volunteered at the Johnson County Crisis Center. I volunteer in the first grade classroom helping the teacher, and also working with students who need extra help. Plus I work in the lunchroom at school sometimes, and read with kindergarten students. Most importantly being a good citizen means helping others without being asked and not expecting anything back in return. Thank you again for this honor. (applause) Woodward: Hello, my name is Clare Woodward. To me, citizenship is all about helping others in the community, even if it means missing something you would rather do, like in my case playing with friends or going out to recess. I (mumbled) citizenship in many ways. For starters, I help the first grade class by checking papers, and helping the kids with the worksheets they do in class. Next, I am in Girl Scouts where, for example, this year we went to the Johnson County Crisis Center and helped bag rice. Finally, every year around Christmas time, my family finds a less fortunate family through Handicare, and buys them presents like clothes and toys so they can have a better Christmas. I feel very honored to have received this award. Thank you. (applause) McGehee: Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen of the City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. My name is Lucy McGehee. I'm a sixth grader at Lemme Elementary here in Iowa City. I would like to share with you some examples about what being a good citizen means to me. You could do something as simple as volunteering at a free lunch program here in Iowa City, or something as big as helping people overseas. When the earthquake happ...in Haiti happened, it left many people without safe houses or clean water. At Lemme, we had a school fundraiser and raised over $1,300 for tents and medicine. I helped in my church's youth group fundraiser to get bicycles to children in Africa. They have to walk up to three hours just to get to school. Bikes help cut that... cut that time down in half. When you go home tonight, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 2 think about what we can do to make this world a better place for us, and for generations of people to come. Thank you. (applause) Hayek: So those are fantastic! Very eloquent, and I applaud you for all of the work you've done, despite your young ages, and uh, the award we're giving out is a Student Citizenship Award. And, clearly you are very strong students at your elementary school, but you are also citizens of this community, like the rest of us are, and it's important to set an example, and I think the three of you do that with the work you've done at school and in the community here locally, and for less unfortunate individuals around the world. So, I applaud you for that! I also want to recognize your parents and teachers, uh, they have a little bit to do with your success, I suspect, and I'm glad they're here this evening as well. Um, I have...an award and, uh, one for each of you, and it reads the same. I'll read it as follows: Citizenship Award, for her outstanding qualities of leadership with Lemme Elementary, as well as the community, and for her sense of responsibility and helpfulness to others, we recognize you as an Outstanding Student Citizen. Your community is proud of you. Presented by the Iowa City City Council. Congratulations! (applause) Congratulations and thank you! (applause) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 3 ITEM 3. PROCLAMATIONS. a) Special Olympics Month -March 2011 Hayek: (reads proclamation) Karr: Here to introduce our Special Olympians is Joyce Rossie, Hawkeye Sports. Rossie: Sergeant Eunice Shriver founded Special Olympics in 1978 and started with less than a thous...or excuse me, a hundred participants. Special Olympics Iowa serves, um...over 2,300...excuse me, 22 sports, 11,300 athletes across the State of Iowa. Our mid-winter tournament is coming up here, March 18th and 19th, at the Field House, and our competitions are in basketball, basketball skills, cheerleading, gymnastics, and power lifting. Once our athletes arrive in Iowa City, they bear no expenses. We keep them overnight in hotels, we have their meals, and we have a banquet for them on Friday night. (unable to hear person away from mic) (laughter) (applause) Everyone loves the banquet! We have three campaigns in order to do that. We have the Sponsor an Athlete campaign, which raises about $5,000, and it's generally through businesses throughout the Iowa City area, and we thank those businesses. We also have our Polar Plunge, which is coming up at the end of this month, March 26th, if anyone would like to join me! Come on down to the Reservoir! Um, last year we, uh, was our largest total, and that was $30,000. June 8th this year we have our Special Olympics Swing With Celebrities golf tournament at Brown Deer Golf Course. Um, we would like to once again thank the Iowa City Council for making March Special Olympics Month. Thank you very much. (applause) I would now like to read all of our athletes names that are here participating with us tonight. Mary Arnesdorf, Julia Brumbaugh, Mallory Ernst, Eliana Friedman, Charles Lee, Sherry McKee, Jill Michalek, Emily Redlinger, Brian Nancy, Justin Conklin, Donna Butterbaugh, Shauna Prescott, Brian Bates, and thank you all for coming so much. (applause) Hayek: Thank you, and I just want our Olympians to know how proud we are of you. You, uh, do such great work, and we're very excited to have you tonight. Thank you for being here! (applause) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 4 ITEM 5. COMMUNITY COMMENT (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA). Hayek: This is the opportunity we have at each Council meeting for members of the public to address the City Council on items that are not on tonight's agenda. If there's something you'd like to bring to our attention, please uh, step forward, uh, sign in, uh, give us your name, and please limit your comments to five minutes or less. Gravitt: My name is Mary Gravitt (coughing) excuse me, and I'm here about my neighborhood, Towncrest, and I'm here about Broadway, and I'm here about Block money being given to this Broadway development, when they are going to discriminate. There was a story in the Press-Citizen that they're not taking Section 8 vouchers. If they're going to get our Community Block money, which is meant to help the people in need, then they shouldn't get our Block money if they're not going to have Section 8! And then there was some story in there about they're going to do background checks. You can't get Section 8 without a background check! So these people are going to take, what, $900,000 that they need? They are a private corporation, and they...they, uh, redevelop that, uh, parking mall. I mean, pardon me, that shopping mall over there. I forgot the name of it. They have money to do those townhouses and those condos or whatever they want to do. My second point is Towncrest is declared a slum! A blighted area. Towncrest is a community of homeowners, it's an affordable community, and it's the only community that doesn't flood. And, the homeowners should be here protesting! Cause once you get this redevelopment stuff in the...in the mix, their homes, as soon as the paperwork is done, their homes, or the value of their homes are stuck there at slum value. If it takes that person 20 years to make that development, their house is what it is worth today. I know, because my mother got caught up in that so-called development. Now, if that slum landlord, who should have been keeping his property up, couldn't keep his property up, why should he get our money, our City money and our Block Grant money, and if you've been listening to the news, next year there probably won't be any Block Grant money. They're shaving everything away. What we're having is a class war here, where everything that the middle class or the working class has is being eroded, and I don't think Broadway should get any Block Grant money to discriminate against people who (mumbled) earned tax money went into making the Block Grant money! And, furthermore, Towncrest is a viable neighborhood, and it's not a slum! Thank you! Hayek: Thank you for your comments. Is there anyone else from the public who would like to address the City Council tonight? Seeing none, we will move onto Item 6, Planning and Zoning matters. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 5 ITEM 7. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION GRANTING THE CITY MANAGER LIMITED ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FUND. Bailey: So moved. Dickens: Second. Hayek: Moved by Bailey, seconded by Dickens. Discussion? Bailey: Well, um, in the Economic Development Committee we talked about this, and we feel like this will make us, um, give us the ability as a community to be more responsive to opportunities that come available, and naturally there's a process that we would be informed and advised of what has occurred, so...feel like this is a good step in the right direction to be responsive to the environment. Do you have anything to add, Susan? Mims: Nope! I think that covers it! Hayek: Well put! Any further discussion? Roll call, please. Item passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 6 ITEM 8. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE ANNUAL BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2012. Mims: Move the resolution. Dickens: Second. Hayek: Moved by Mims, seconded by Dickens. Uh, we'll open up the discussion, and... since Items 8 and 9 are somewhat related, if anyone wants to make comments as to either, I suggest we do so, uh, at this time. Bailey: Well, as I said at the work session, um, where this budget was revised and proposed, I continue to have some problems with the budget as...as put forward to us. You know, we've heard a lot about budgets being a reflection of our values and also, um...I see budgets as a tool to move our policies and our goals forward, and just certainly is how we should use it, for sure, and in many ways it doesn't do that. Um, when we come to our priorities of public safety that we talked about for the last couple of years in the community, we voted on, we've made decisions in that direction, um...to take the cuts or to...to slow down our progress in those departments concerns me, and it doesn't seem to speak to those priorities. Insofar as the CIP, um...our flood mitigation policy for the last, you know, two and half years has been to remove people from harm's way, and yet we removed some money that would enable us to continue buyouts in the Parkview Terrace area, and once again...we're not using this budget as a tool to...to move forward on some of those priorities, and...and that's concerning to me. We talked in the...in the work session a little bit about how next year's process will be very different and we expect that next year's process will be very different, and I hope it is. Um, but I don't think that that responsibility can completely rest on the shoulders of our City Manager. It shouldn't! It should be shared equally. We're the policymakers, we set the direction of what and why, and so what I'm hoping is that we can consider this year finally getting to the place where we set some priorities in the fall before the budget is developed, and give some direction to staff. I mean, we have a great staff here, um, probably the best in the State, and there's no reason that we shouldn't be coming together to talk about our collective priorities, so I hope that we can put that on a work session and actually commit to that this year, and not sort of, um, put that off because we don't have a strategic plan, which obviously we need to get to, or because it's an election year. So I'm hoping that we can do that. Um... all that said, there are some really great things in this budget. Um, we continue our commitment to the Library, which is probably the biggest jewel of the city, um, we continue our commitment to parks and open space and recreation, and there's some incredible visionary opportunities with the Towncrest redevelopment and Riverfront Crossings. So, um, so it's a mixed bag for me. I just wanted to put those things out there. I...um...I will support this because I think that we come together collectively, but those concerns will remain and I will continue to advocate for public safety. I will continue to advocate for our budget to...to advance our priorities as we This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 7 previously stated and previously voted on, and I...I want all of us to consider that as a body, as we continue to have discussions, in difficult economic times what are our priorities and how do we accomplish those with a challenging budget. So, thank you for indulging me for expressing that, um, L..you know, I've wrestled with this budget since we talked about it, so I really am...um, mixed bag, but all in all moving forward just not as quickly in some areas as I'd like to see. So thanks! Hayek: Sure! Mims: Well, I think Regenia's expressing...I think the thoughts really of the whole Council, I mean, I don't think any of us were excited about looking at public safety cuts. And, I mean, we had just gone through the whole franchise fee and doing that to add positions, and this is not an area certainly that we...that we wanted to backslide on. And so I would certainly concur with you...with you on that, Regenia. I think one thing that...that the community needs to be very much aware of is certainly in the Fire Department. It's an inspection position. It's not a front-line firefighter, and I certainly expect that City staff will, uh, manage to still cover those inspection needs with...with other staff so that there's not going to be a public safety issue, um, with that cut, and I think it's important for people to also realize in the Police Department, if I can recall correctly, we've been down about three individuals who've been on military assignment. So those people will be coming back, I think late summer, early fall so even with the cut, we're up two really bodies from where we are right now. That aside, I agree, um....I came into this, uh, advocating for public safety when I was campaigning, and I still say that that should be the number one priority of the City, and I do, as I said at the work sessions and have said before, expect that we will, uh, be looking at a very different process and hopefully, um, a very different outcome next year. Gives Tom time to get his feet wet, and really, uh, dig in to what's going on in the city and hopefully find areas of efficiencies and I also agree with you that we need to really sit down and talk about priorities, and I hope really get started moving forward quickly on strategic planning now that we've got Tom onboard. So, um, I certainly will be supporting it. Uh, is it 100% what I'd like to see? No. The other...point I would make is, as we look at this whole area, and we look at economic development, which I think is important to all of us, we have got to keep our eye on our overall taxes and fees, and we are not particularly competitive at times with some of our neighbors, and so I think we have to look very carefully at what we can do, what our community wants us to do, and ways that we can be more efficient to hopefully, uh, lower our tax rate so that we can be more competitive when it comes to, uh, keeping and attracting businesses. Hayek: Those are, uh, excellent comments from both of you, and I...I just want to amplify a couple of things. I do want the public to understand that, uh, and I think I speak for the entire Council, that...that public safety is a high priority of this Council, and a couple of things to add to...to the discussion, at a time when we are not adding, uh, general fund positions here within our city operations, we are This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 8 adding 13, uh, positions in public safety, eight in the firefighting side and...and five on the police side, and we are opening Fire Station #4 on time, uh, and we have opened a police substation, uh, as well and those are obviously expensive to the city. Um, so uh...these are tough choices, but at a time when we're not in a position to add, uh, staff, despite the needs of other departments who are serving increasing demands throughout the community, whether it's Park and Recreation or anything else, um, we have made that commitment within public safety to make those expansions to...to keep up with the need, even at a time when we're unable to do so, uh, elsewhere. Um, and yes, L..I think, uh...uh, confirming or affirming our priorities, uh, throughout the balance of this year, uh, is...an especially critical time, uh, thing to do, given the...the budget and municipal finance outlook, um, we are in a far better position than most communities nationwide, but we are not immune from this economic downturn, and we are seeing that the...the trend, uh, for communities like Iowa City in terms of the expansion of revenue relative to the expansion of, uh, operational costs, uh, is unsustainable, and we are going to have tough choices to make in next year's budget and beyond in all likelihood, and I think that's, as you guys have said, uh, all the more reason to...for us to focus on those priorities, uh, as this year unfolds. Champion: I don't think there's ever a budget that I'm totally happy with. Um...I for one think the Police Department and the Fire Department are very well staffed now, and it's taken a long time to get... get them to the point they're at, and I think it's a very, very positive thing. L..my unhappiness with it is the amount of capital improvements. I would like to see us cut some of those to keep...to keep people's taxes down, but I didn't get my way on that, but I'm going to support the budget because I think it's a good one and I don't think you ever have one that's 100% agreeable to everybody. Wright: I don't think any of us think it's a perfect budget. It's... Champion: A perfect budget we'd have a lot more money! Wright: Yes we would! Um, but it is a workable budget. I think it does...it does meet most of our goals, as you've pointed out, we added public safety positions, um, everybody's already made all the really good points so I'm not going to talk very much, but it's...it does recognize the fact that, uh, a cycle of increasing property taxes every year, um, is in the long-term not sustainable, and we certainly have had quite a few discussions along those lines going through this budget, and I think um...it's something, as Regenia pointed out, we need to do some serious discussion to later in this year and going into the budget season next year, and I fully expect we're going to do that. Bailey: I hope so! Hayek: Any further discussion? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 9 Wilburn: All I can add is, uh, this'll be my final city budget and (coughing) those, um, City Council candidate wannabes out there, start studying up, and all the comments you've heard out here (mumbled) Hayek: Roll call, please. Item passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 10 ITEM 9. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE THREE-YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN FOR THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA, AND THE FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM. Wilburn: Move adoption of the resolution. Mims: Second. Hayek: Moved by Wilburn, seconded by Mims. Discussion? Roll call, please. Item passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page I 1 ITEM 10. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING, AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST AN AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY AND THE STATE OF IOWA-VISION IOWA BOARD FOR A RECAT GRANT (11-RECAT-003-TERRY TRUEBLOOD RECREATION AREA) Wright: Move adoption. Mims: Second. Hayek: Moved by Wright, seconded by Mims. Discussion? And for the public's uh...knowledge, this has to do with a $1.6 million grant that the City has received from the State of Iowa for development of the Trueblood Recreation Area. Bailey: And as I've stated before, um, despite the fact that I'm the Chair of that board, our attorney has reviewed the potential conflicts and I will voting on this item, and I'm happy to vote on this item! (laughter) Hayek: Further discussion? Roll call, please. Item passes 7-0. Dilkes: And let me just clarify for the public that the reason for that is you don't participate with, uh, on the Vision Iowa Board with respect to Iowa City funding. Bailey: Right, right! Exactly. I should have clarified that. I recuse myself at that level, not this level. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 12 ITEM 12. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN AND THE CITY CLERK TO ATTEST A CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE FY2011 ELEVATOR MODERNIZATION PROJECT. Champion: Move the resolution. Wright: Move the resolution. Hayek: Moved by Wright, seconded by Champion. Uh, discussion? And for the public's, uh, information, the engineer's estimate for this was $788,200. Um...Public Works and Engineering recommends awarding the contract to McComas-Lacina Construction of Iowa City. Uh, this project will be funded with parking operations revenue and GO Bond proceeds and McComas-Lacina came in at $789,000. Discussion? Roll call, please. Item passes 7-0. Karr: Motion to accept correspondence. Wilburn: So moved. Mims: Second. Hayek: Moved by Wilburn, seconded by Mims. Discussion? All those in favor say aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011. Page 13 ITEM 15. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION. Hayek: Why don't we start down with you, Susan? Mims: Um, just a reminder to the public that tomorrow we have a...not tomorrow! Thursday, excuse me, the 3rd, um, an open house meeting at Parkview Church from 4:30 to 7:00 on the Gateway project, which is the elevation of Dubuque Street and replacement of Park Road bridge and the Taft Speedway levee, and there will be a presentation at 5:30. So would encourage anybody who has an interest in that to come, get some information, offer, uh, your ideas or suggestions. Again, 4:30 to 7:00 on Thursday the 3rd at Parkview Church! Champion: Nothing! Wright: Nothing. Wilburn: Nope! Bailey: Um, we know that spring is on its way because on our Consent Calendar we had some sidewalk cafe approvals, and as the snow melts, one of the things I've been noticing is how much our City loves dogs, and um, sometimes how we forget to pick up after our dogs. So I just want to remind people that that's really important, especially as we get into warmer weather and we have kids running around and if you need bags for that, I have a closet full of them. So just let me know, and I will deliver them to you (laughter). Dickens: Nothing! Hayek: I've got nothing! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the formal Iowa City City Council meeting of March 1, 2011.