HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-12 Info Packet~ i
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET
May 12, 2011
MAY 16 WORK SESSION
IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenda
IP2 Memorandum from the Assistant City Manager and Administrative Assistant
to the City Manager: Pedestrian Mall
IP3 Summary of Pending Work Session Issues
MISCELLANEOUS
IP4 Agenda: Joint Meeting May 18, 2011
IP5 Memorandum~from the City Clerk: KXIC Radio Show
IP6 Police Department Bar Check Report -April 2011
IP7 Memorandum from the Director of Public Works and the Director of Planning and Community
Development: Update: Flood-related activities
Johnson County Board of Supervisors: Minutes of Joint Meeting February 23, 2011
[Distributed at 5/17 formal meeting]
DRAFT MINUTES
IP8 Economic Development Committee: April 19, 2011
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"~~~~~ CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET
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CITY OF IO~A CITY
www.icgov. rg May 12, 2011
MAY 16 WORK SESSION
IP1 Council Meet gs and Work Session Agenda
IP2 Memorandum fro the Assistant City Manager and Adminis ative Assistant
to the City Manager. Pedestrian Mall
IP3 Summary of Pending ork Session Issues
MISCELLANEO,CJS
IP4 Agenda: Joint Meeting May 1 2011
IP5 Memorandum from the City Clerk: XIC Radi Show
IP6 Police Department Bar Check Repo - A ril 2011
IP7 Memorandum from the Director of Public orks and the Director of Planning and Community
Development: Update: Flood-related cti ities
DR~4FT MIIV,UTES
IP8 Economic Development Commj+ftee: April 19, 20'1
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~~ City Council Meeting Schedule and
CITY Of IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas May 12, 2011
www.icgov.org
• MONDAY, MAY 16 Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30p Regular Work Session
• Agenda Items
^ City Plaza Ordinance Revisions (IP2]
^ Information Packet Discussion (May 5 & 12J
• Council Time
• Budget Priorities
^ Summary of Pending Work Session Issues (IP3]
• Upcoming Community Events/Council Invitations
• Discussion of Meeting Schedules
• TUESDAY, MAY 17 Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
• WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 Coralville
4:OOp Joint Meeting
TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
• MONDAY, MAY 30 Emma J. Harvat Hall
Memorial Day -City Offices Closed
• MONDAY, JUNE 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30p Regular Work Session
• TUESDAY, JUNE 7 Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
• MONDAY, JUNE 20 Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30p Regular Work Session
• TUESDAY, JUNE 21 Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
• TUESDAY, JULY 5 Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30p Special Work Session
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
• MONDAY, JULY 18 Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30p Regular Work Session
• TUESDAY, JULY 19 Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
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"'"'®'"~ City Council Meeting Schedule and
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CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas May 12, 2011
www.icgov.org
• MONDAY, AUGUST 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30p Regular Work Session
• TUESDAY, AUGUST 2
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
• MONDAY, AUGUST 15
5:30p Regular Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
• TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
7:OOp Regular Formal Council Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
• FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18
1:OOp-5:OOp Strategic Planning Session
• MONDAY, DECEMBER 5
2:OOp-5:30p Strategic Planning Session
University of Iowa Boathouse
Emma J. Harvat Hall
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DATE: 5/12/2011
TO: Tom Markus, City Manager
FROM: Dale Helling, Assistant City Manage
Kathi Johansen, Administrative Assistant ,~
RE: Use of the City Plaza and downtown sidewalks
INTRODUCTION
This Memo discusses what changes we recommend regarding the use of City Plaza (a/k/a the ped
mall) and downtown sidewalks. In particular, we are recommending changes about the use of tables in
City Plaza, amplified sound in City Plaza, and selling items in City Plaza and the "downtown." Notably,
this Memo does not discuss sidewalk cafes, soliciting/panhandling, or mobile vendors. Council has
enacted soliciting/panhandling regulations to support the economic vibrancy of the downtown and to
provide for the free flow of pedestrian traffic. The recommendations and concerns set forth below are
consistent with those regulations.
In recent years, requests to use City Plaza and downtown sidewalks have increasingly taken up
more and more of our time. In addition to the administrative time devoted to these issues, the City
Attorney's Office advised us that line drawing is usually fraught with peril. By line drawing, we mean
deciding who or what organization can use City Plaza and the downtown sidewalks and who cannot.
The following suggestions are the result of multiple staff meetings, including the City Attorney's
Office.
TABLES
Presently the City does not allow someone to put up a table on City Plaza without permission.
These tables are often referred to as "info tables." Permission is presently granted to those who will
not use the table for a commercial purpose.
1. Staff recommends that no one be allowed to place a table on City Plaza. In the past, we
considered it a "non-commercial purpose" if the funds went toward a charitable endeavor rather than
into one's own pocket. These requests take an inordinate amount of time to process and require
difficult line-drawing that is problematic from a legal perspective. Moreover, we believe that any time
money is exchanged for a good or service that that is a commercial undertaking; the recipient of the
funds is not what makes something commercial. This is the same reasoning why the
soliciting/panhandling prohibition applies to a person seeking donations for personal reasons as well as
for the American Cancer Society. People can walk around City Plaza and hand out flyers, but they will
not be allowed to have a table for the flyers.
2. Similarly, staff recommends that tables be prohibited on the sidewalk outside Chauncey Swan
during the Farmers Market. This area is not part of the Farmers Market and not governed by the City
Code on the Farmers Market. Presently, various persons and groups set up tables, and the City does
not issue a permit for this use, but does not prevent the use either. Once the City opens up the space
for use by a person or group to place a table, it cannot deny another person or group the right to do so.
Again, persons can stand at the entrance and hand out flyers or walk through the Farmers Market and
hand out flyers. This is only about prohibiting tables.
AMPLIFIED SOUND
The typical situation is a person who wants to play a guitar with an amplifier on City Plaza.
Presently a permit is granted for 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
1. Staff recommends that, except for certain public assembly permits, amplified sound (including
public address systems) be limited to Black Hawk Mini Park and the stage south of the fountain for two
primary reasons. One, electrical outlets are available at these locations and thus cords do not have to
be placed in City Plaza. Two, these locations allow for the free flow of pedestrian traffic.
2. Staff recommends that public assembly permit holders who are allowed to sell items (see
discussion below) also be allowed to have amplified sound at locations other than Black Hawk Mini
Park and the stage south of the fountain. This will include Arts Fest, Jazz Fest, and the
Friday/Saturday Night Concert Series.
3. Presently, amplified sound is allowed on downtown sidewalks with a public assembly permit.
An example is the musicians in front of Ginsburgs. Staff recommends that businesses be allowed to
get a public assembly permit for musicians to perform on the sidewalk in front of their businesses.
4. Staff does not suggest limiting the sound to a certain decibel level. Staff believes that permitees
will self-police this to a large degree because they likely will want another permit. Also, the police have
not had many complaints in the past about amplified sound. Assuming the location is limited as
suggested above, the performers will not be near most businesses or sidewalk cafes, which should
decrease the likelihood of noise complaints. We also discussed this with the DTA, and the DTA does
not recommend limiting the sound level.
SELLING ITEMS
Presently, non-commercial entities can sell items. A good example is the Girl Scouts. They sell
cookies in the spring.
The easiest, from both a legal and administrative view point, is to allow everyone to sell or to allow
no one to sell. Legally, the City must have a defensible reason why it is treating one
person/organization (those that can sell) differently from another (those that cannot sell). We also
acknowledge that a blanket prohibition on all sales on City Plaza and downtown sidewalks/streets is not
feasible.
In consultation with the City Attorney's Office, we suggest two lines, or two exceptions, to the
prohibition against selling. The first exception is for the person/organization that is specifically allowed
in the City Code to sell, namely ambulatory vendors, mobile vendors, sidewalk retailing (aka, sidewalk
days), temporary use of sidewalks, and sidewalk cafes.
The second exception is a person/organization that obtains a public assembly permit for an event
that will (a) reasonably expect to draw more than 500 persons, or occupy a substantial area within City
Plaza or a similar area within the downtown; and (b) is a community-wide attraction that supports the
economic vitality of the downtown. This second exception would allow selling at Jazz Fest and Arts
Fest and a few other events. As a reminder, a public assembly permit is required when there will be a
gathering of more than 25 persons on the right-of-way that interferes with the normal flow or regulation
of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
In crafting an exception, the City Attorney's Office advises that we must begin with the reasons for
an exception. The reasons for granting an exception are to support the downtown merchants/enhance
the economic vitality of the downtown and to provide for the free flow of pedestrian traffic. Any
exception must be based on these two concerns.
2
Those not falling under these two exceptions, for example the Girl Scouts, could not sell items
unless they get an ambulatory vendor permit. Although many communities allow non-profits to sell, we
have been told that that is not a legally defensible line to draw.
Outside of the downtown, no one could sell on the sidewalks or streets under this proposal.
Downtown would be defined as the central business district, the northside market streetscape, and near
southside. Our soliciting/panhandling prohibitions are applicable to these same locations.
CONCLUSION
It is our objective to be consistent and allow the kinds of uses that seem to be compatible for a high
traffic pedestrian mall area and allow certain special activities. Doing so will leave the ped mall a
relaxed commonplace for people to gather.
This item is scheduled for discussion at your May 16 Work Session. Staff will be present to answer any
questions you may have.
Copy to:
Mike Moran
Rick Fosse
Eleanor M. Dilkes
Marian K. Karr
Capt. Jim Steffen
Wendy Ford
Sue Dulek
3
IP3
SUMMARY OF PENDING WORK SESSION ISSUES
5/12/11
Review Traffic Calming Policy (JUNE 6)
Library Facilities Study (JUNE 20)
Traffic Enforcement Cameras (AUGUST)
Sanctuary City
Review Function of Boards/Commissions: Explore Possible Consolidations
Flood Recovery & Mitigation Update (PERIODIC)
June 6 - 7
June 20 - 21
July 5 -Combined
IP4
AGENDA
Joint Meeting
Johnson County Board of Supervisors
City of Iowa City
City of Coralville
City of North Liberty
City of Tiffin
Iowa City Community School Board
Clear Creek Amana Community School Board
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
City Hall in Coralville; Council Chambers
4:30 PM
(Meeting preceded by 4:00 PM Reception)
Call to Order
Welcome and Introductions
1. "North Liberty Transit and Community Survey" presented by Dan Wiese (North
Liberty)
2. Discussion on Green House Gas Reduction and Sustainability Goals. (Johnson
County)
3. Tax Increment Financing. (Johnson County)
4. Legislative Update. (Johnson County)
5. ~~Overview of the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts" presented by Megan
Flanagan (Coralville)
6. RAGBRAI Update. (Coralville)
7. Other Business.
Adjourn
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EMC~RA
Date: May 11, 2011
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk
Re: KXIC Radio Show
We are booked through May 18 but need to schedule for the next few weeks. Please take a
look at your calendars and come prepared to help fill in the schedule Monday evening:
May 25
June 1
June 8
June 15
U:radioshowasking.doc
Iowa City Police Department
Bar Check Report -April, 2011
Possession of Alcohol Under the Legal Age (PAULA) Under 21 Charges
Numbers are reflective of only Iowa City Police activity
05-12-11
IP6
Business Name Occupancy
(occupancy loads last updated Oct 2008) Monthly Totals
Bar
Checks Under2l PAULA Prev 12 Month Totals
Bar
Checks Under2l PAULA Under 21 PAULA
Ratio Ratio
(prey 12 Mo) (Prev 12 Mo)
[Iowa City] Yacht Club 206 13 2 0 39 3 1 0.0769231 0.0256410
[It's] Brothers Bar & Grill 556 23 4 6 120 5 15 0.0416667 0.125
[The] Deadwood 218 3 0 0 18 0 0 0 0
[The] Dublin Underground 57 2 0 0 19 0 0 0 0
[The] Hilltop Lounge 90 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 0
[The] Mill Restaurant 325 3 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
[TheJ Summit 736 21 4 1 111 15 10 0.1351351 0.0900901
[The]Vine Tavern 170 5 4 0 33 4 0 0.1212121 0
Airliner 223 12 0 8 71 0 17 0 0.2394366
American Legion 140 2 0 0 8 0 1 0 0.125
Blue Moose 436 4 0 0 45 0 0 0 0
Bo-James"' 200 1 0 0 38 0 0 0 0
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar^' 189 1 0 0 6 0 0 0 0
Caliente Night Club 498 8 0 0 29 3 0 0.1034483 0
Carl & Ernie's Pub & Grill 92 1 0 0 11 0 0 0 0
Coaches Corner 160 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 0
DC's 120 11 1 0 65 4 3 0.0615385 0.0461538
Donnelly's Pub 49 1 1 0 17 1 0 0.0588235 0
Gabes 261 7 0 0 20 4 0 0.2 0
Hawkeye Hideaway 94 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Joe's Place 281 2 0 0 33 0 0 0 0
Martini's 200 2 1 0 41 3 0 0.0731707 0
Micky's~ 98 2 0 0 19 0 0 0 0
Pints 180 5 0 0 60 3 2 0.05 0.0333333
Sam's Pizza 174 5 0 8 17 0 20 0 1.1764706
Shakespeare's 90 1 0 0 12 0 0 0 0
Slippery Pete's aka Fieldhouse 178 13 2 0 61 3 0 0.0491803 0
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 Page 1 of 2
Sports Column
Studio 13
TCB
Union Bar
Off Premise
Grand 1
* includes outdoor seating area
^' exception to 21 ordinance
400 17 1 6 81 5 12 0.0617284 0.1481481
206 1 0 0 24 0 0 0 0
250 6 0 0 43 1 0 0.0232558 0
854 26 4 8 109 14 21 0.1284404 0.1926606
Totals 201 24 37 1166 68 102 0.0583190 0.0874786
0 0 22 0 0 51 0 0
'otals 201 24 59 1166 68 153 0.0583190 0.1312178
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 Page 2 of 2
~~,®; CITY OF IOWA CITY _
~ ""'~''~ IP7
RAN
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Date: May 9, 2011
To: City Manager
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.
• A Phase 1 Intensive Archeological Study for the Animal Shelter relocation has been
completed by the University of Iowa. The study revealed no archeological sites within
the area of study and no further investigations are necessary.
Dubuque Street Elevation and Park Road Bridge Reconstruction Project
• HNTB continued Park Road Bridge type, size, and location study. Conceptual design
on reasonable alternatives to begin the week of 05/09.
• Continued draft of Initial Alternatives Screening Report as roadway and bridge
reasonable alternatives are developed. This report should be finalized the week of
05/09.
• HNTB held a bridge type workshop with City staff on May 4 to introduce bridge types
and preliminary selection criteria that would be analyzed.
• Began development of bridge-type and location screening matrix to complete initial and
reasonable alternatives screening. A draft version was presented to City staff for review
on 5/06.
• HNTB presented conceptual design of existing and proposed horizontal and vertical
alignment for the 500-year +1-foot alternative on Dubuque Street to City staff -this
being the `worst case scenario for elevation and impact to adjacent properties.
• Received approval of the purpose and need for the project from FHWA. After this
approval, a cover letter and package materials were finalized for the Concurrence Point
#1 (purpose and need) package and transmitted to resource agencies. They will have a
30 day review period to provide comment.
• City Staff is working with HNTB to schedule a Funding Charrette and the next
public meeting in the month of July.
• Wetlands and habitat field survey to begin the week of 05/16.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Consolidation Project
• Printed draft Tech Memo on BAR process
• Printed draft Tech Memo on Plant Hydraulics
• Updated draft Tech Memo on Grit Treatment improvements
• Presented workshop meeting with City on April 26
• Updated process flow diagram for BAR process and primary clarifier
• Developing system plan and layout for primary sludge pumping
• Continued work on developing site piping sizing and arraignment
May 9, 2011
Page 2
• Work on finalizing Preliminary Engineering report for submittal to IDNR
• Continued work on cost estimating
Rocky Shore Drive Pump Station and Floodgates Project
• Developing an opinion of cost fora 2 pump 10-year and 100 year
• A neighborhood meeting has been set for 7 PM Tuesday May 10 to be held at Lincoln
Elementary School Media Center
• City is working with IDED for environmental clearance and has posted the environmental
notice and determination. No comments have been received.
Iowa River Flood Modeling
• The report is complete and has been distributed to the University of Iowa and Coralville.
West Side Levee
• The appraisal and title services are currently being completed for the property
acquisition for the project.
• Army Corps of Engineers has received the permit application and the review process will
be approximately 4 months.
Water Division
River Crossings
Phase I field visit will be performed by an architectural historian prior to the proposed
construction activities.
A proposal for the Phase I study is expected to be received from the University of Iowa
by May 13th. Upon completion of the study, the Hwy 6 site design can be completed.
Peninsula Source Protection
• Due to weather impacts several punch list items remain to be completed.
• An extension request is being forwarded to FEMA by Deb Mansfield.
• All punch list items will be completed by May 13, 2011.
• The schedule meets FEMA program criteria and 5% retainage is being withheld pending
final completion.
Water Works Prairie Park Source Protection
• Public Works staff is reviewing 90% plan and specification submittals. Review
comments will be presented to HRG next week.
PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
A total of 71 residential properties have been acquired through disaster recovery buyout
grants. Of the 71 properties, 33 properties have been acquired using Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, 32 properties with Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program (HMGP) funds, and six properties with Community Disaster Grant (CDG)
funds. A total of 59 properties have been demolished in the Parkview Terrace and Taft
Speedway neighborhoods.
Request for Qualifications (RFQs) for the Taft Speedway Levee impact evaluation study
were submitted on May 6th. Five firms submitted proposals and three firms will be
May 9, 2011
Page 3
interviewed. A decision will be made by May 20`h. In late-May or early-June, a public
meeting will be held to gather initial public input on the scope and timeline of the study.
The final report for the study is due in September.
• An amendment to the CDBG buyout program was approved by the Iowa Department of
Economic Development in order to add four properties on Normandy Drive. The
amendment increases properties eligible for a buyout with CDBG funds from 58 to 62.
• Staff is now processing loan pre-approval letters and property preference forms for
Single Family New Construction Round 3. There will be a total of 31 owner-occupied
affordable housing units built in Round 3 of the program.
• Applications for Federal Jumpstart funds for repair, rental rehabilitation, 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.
• Due to the possible rescission of federal grant funds, staff is continuing to provide
information to our Congressional offices in Washington on the City's active federal flood
recovery and mitigation grants. Staff is also providing information to our state
representatives regarding the status of our flood recovery efforts.
MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD 0... Page 1 of 18
MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS, IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, CLEAR CREEK AMANA
COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND CITIES OF IOWA CITY, CORALVILLE, NORTH
LIBERTY, AND TIFFIN:
FEBRUARY 23, 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Discussion/Update .................................................................................................................. 2
Date and Time of Next Meetmg..
Inquiries from the Public ..........................
............................................................................. 23
Chairperson Harney called to order the Joint Meeting in the Johnson County Health and Human
Services Building at 4:35 p.m. Members present were: Hills resident Bonnie Anderson, Hills Mayor
Russell Bailey, Iowa City City Council Member Connie Champion, North Liberty City Council Member
Coleen Chipman, Iowa City Community School District School Board Vice-President Mike Cooper,
Iowa City Planning and Community Development Director Jeff Davidson, Iowa City City Council
Member Terry Dickens, Iowa City Community School District School Board President Patti Fields,
County Supervisor Pat Harney, Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, North Liberty City Administrator Ryan
Heiar, Iowa City Assistant City Manager Dale Helling (arrived at 5:20 p.m.), University of Iowa Student
Government/Iowa City City Council Liaison Elliot Higgins, Iowa City City Clerk Marian Karr, Iowa
City Community School District School Board Member Gayle Klouda, North Liberty City Council
Member and Mayor Pro Tem Gerry Kuhl, Coralville City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem John
Lundell (arrived at 4:50 p.m.), Iowa City City Manager Tom Markus, Iowa City Community School
District Superintendent Steve Murley, County Supervisor Terrence Neuzil, Tiffin Mayor Royce Phillips,
County Supervisor Janelle Rettig, United Way of Johnson County President and CEO Christine Scheetz,
Johnson County League of Women Voters Representative Carol Spaziani, County Supervisor Sally
Stutsman, County Supervisor Rod Sullivan, Iowa City City Council Member Mike Wright, Metropolitan
Planning Organization of Johnson County Executive Director John Yapp. Staff present were: County
Board of Supervisors' Executive Assistant Andy Johnson and County Auditor's Office Recording
Secretary Nancy Tomkovicz.
DISCUSSION/UPDATE
Welcome and Introductions
Harney welcomed everyone and acknowledged there is a good turnout. He said the Board of
Welcome and Introductions ......................................................................................... 2
United Way of Johnson County President and CEO Christine Scheetz: Results of the Community Needs
Assessment (Johnson County) .................................................................................................. 2
Alcohol Policies and Ordinances (Carryover from Last Meeting) .................................. 6
Response to Board of Supervisor's Letter of 12/16/2010 Regarding the Joint Emergency Communications
Center (Johnson County) .................................................................................................. 8
Legislative Update (Iowa City Community School District) ......................................... 10
City High Fine Arts Addition (Iowa City Community School District) .......................... 11
Borlaug Elementary (Iowa City Community School District) ....................................... 12
Building Projects (Iowa City Community School District) ............................................ 12
Location of Affordable Housing (City of Iowa City) ................................................... 13
Policies Regarding Dangerous Weapons in Public Buildings (Johnson County) ............. 15
Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee Plans for Justice Center (Johnson County).... 16
Format of Future Meetings -Possible Presentations on Issues and Plans of Mutual Interest/"Round
p ( ty) ..............................................................................................
Robin" U dates Johnson Coun 18
...........................................22
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MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD 0... Page 2 of 18
Supervisors did invite a representative from the Cities of Hills, Lone Tree, Swisher, University Heights,
and from the University of Iowa. All individuals present introduced themselves as noted in the
preceding paragraph.
United Way of Johnson County President and CEO Christine Scheetz: Results of the Community
Needs Assessment (Johnson County)
United Way of Johnson County President and CEO Christine Scheetz said she is going to talk about
what has happened since the 2010 Community Needs Assessment was done and about the process. A
number of the people have heard presentations on the data, and this is available on the United Way of
Johnson County (United Way) website. She said she will discuss a few points about the data, but she is
mostly going to talk about the process United Way has been convening with many of the people in the
room and with other community partners in response to the 2010 Community Needs Assessment. An
assessment is only important if something is done about it. She is therefore going to talk about that
process and what United Way's ongoing commitment is.
Scheetz said the 2010 Community Needs Assessment was a chance for United Way to pull together
data that existed in many forms and data that many people are very familiar with. The data is about
demographics, education, youth behaviors, income, workforce and economy, housing, and health and
safety. United Way organized the data according to those classifications. Approximately 120 indicators
were looked at, collected, and will be tracked by United Way on an ongoing basis as the data is updated.
Scheetz said the next step of the process was to develop a 2020 Vision Commission, which was lead
by Co-Chairpersons University of Iowa President Sally Mason, MidWestOne Bank President and CEO
Charles Funk, and Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President Joshua
Schamberger. The three Co-Chairpersons issued the invitations to multi-sector groups in each of the
areas of education, income and health. The reason for this is because United Way thinks the foundation
for a good life for everyone is built around education, income, and health. Everyone needs a good
quality of education to lead them to stable employment and an opportunity to support their family
through retirement, and everyone also needs the best possible mental and physical health.
Scheetz said three commissions were formed with that in mind. Neuzil has been Chairperson for the
Education Commission. The Income Commission has already completed its work, and it was chaired by
University of Iowa Director of Business Services and Finance and Operations Assistant Vice-President
Mary Jane Beach. Mercy Iowa City President and CEO Ronald Reed is the Chairperson for the Health
Commission. She said these commissions have been multi-sector, so there is representation from the
private sector, local businesses, the public sector, government elected officials, the school districts, and,
nonprofit communities. Nonprofit communities will be increasingly involved as strategies are
examined, as will all the other parts of the community as the effort moves forward.
Scheetz said these groups have put in a lot of work, diving deeply into the data. She said the
presentation slide captures how the commissions started to look at all of the community issues. When
looking at the root causes of anything, one starts with data. One must then look at what influences a
community issue. All of these things influence a community issue. Strategies developed to try to move
the focus in any of these areas must encompass an understanding of all of the different areas. This
includes public attitudes, economic conditions, historical trends, media messages, health care system
practices, educational system practices, and all of the other areas.
Scheetz said in looking at the data around each of the designated areas throughout this process, the
commissions would start to look at how to develop a goal. The goals will be finalized in the spring of
2011, but this list is a first indication of what the goals are going to look at. The list does not include the
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MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD 0... Page 3 of 18
metrics. The work going on now is to understand the metrics that will be used and to understand how to
establish the target to be reached by the year 2020. The target must be realistic, but it also must be a
strong reach for the community to make sure that community conditions are changed. The 2010
Community Needs Assessment showed that despite many tremendous efforts going on in the
community, community conditions had changed. In many areas, these changes were not favorable.
Scheetz said the assessment showed an increase in poverty. It showed a 40% increase of children
living in poverty in Johnson County, as compared to a 28% increase in Iowa and a 10% increase across
the United States. That information is something to take notice of and something that people are very
concerned .about as a community. It showed an increase of seniors living in poverty. Poverty amongst
seniors had increased by 63% in Johnson County, as compared to a 5% increase across Iowa and a 1%
decrease across the United States. Again, that is a very notable area of concern. This means that 3,100
children are living in poverty in Johnson County. One in three kids in Johnson County is eligible for
free or reduced price lunch. That is only counting the kids that are known because they have come
forward to apply. The data means that 580 seniors are living in poverty in Johnson County, and 400 of
those seniors are over the age of 75.
Scheetz said the 2010 Community Needs Assessment also examined income. There is a wage gap
for people in the community of about $3.00 to $6.00 per hour between the median income and the
family supporting wage. The family supporting wage encompasses the basic necessities for a family to
get by; this includes housing costs, transportation costs only to and from work, food costs for eating all
meals at home, and the cost of childcare. For those few things on a regular basis, the gap for most
family structures is about $3.00 to $6.00 per hour. This is broken down by family structure in the 2010
Community Needs Assessment.
Scheetz said the question is what to do about this. She said United Way looks at the 2010
Community Needs Assessment and establishes goals. The 2020 goals will be built in the area of
education around the topic of closing the preparation gaps. In the area of income, the goals will be built
around increasing the percentage of households in Johnson County that are financially stable. In the
area of health, the goals will be built around increasing the percentage of children, youth, and adults in
Johnson County who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior.
Scheetz said preparation gaps are noticed when evaluating whether children are: ready to enter
school, prepared to go into Kindergarten, ready to succeed in school, prepared to learn, reading
proficiently by fourth grade, making a successful transition into and out of middle school, graduating
from high school, and well prepared for success in college, work, and life. Closing the gaps means that
the community has made sure to follow each child along that path into adulthood and made sure that this
extends to every area of the community. United Way is looking at the supports that are necessary in
homes, at work, in schools, and in the community. The community needs to be looking at all of those
kinds of things in a collective way.
Scheetz said when looking at increasing the percentage of households in Johnson County that are
financially stable, United Way will be focusing on employment and job training, affordable housing,
income support, manageable expenses, and savings and assets. The most basic necessities come from
the very beginning of that path. The household members must have the ability to secure a job and
maintain a job, and that job must come with a livable wage. One thing that drives up family costs is the
cost of housing. She said she knows that topic is on the agenda for the current joint meeting, and this is
something that everyone spends a lot of time talking about.
Scheetz said in the area of health, the goal is to increase the percentage of children and adults who
are healthy and avoiding risky behavior. This goal focuses on healthy beginnings, which relates to
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prenatal care and making sure children are getting a healthy start in the birth-to-five-years-old cohort.
Another focus is safe homes and community, and this encompasses all the areas that relate to people
feeling safe in the community to issues related to crime. Healthy eating and physical activity is another
focus, and the task is to identify where it happens, where it falls apart for people, and where the
community can look for more support in workplaces, support for both kids and parents, and support for
people of all ages. The health area also focuses on supporting healthy choices and improving access to
health care.
Scheetz said the United Way commitment is to do a full scale Community Needs Assessment every
five years and to be monitoring progress toward the ten-year goals. This is a way of making sure the
community is moving forward. This is not something people always think of as the role of United Way.
For this reason, Scheetz wants to explain how United Way has changed over the years. Many people in
the room and community think of United Way as the organization that raises money and gives it to
nonprofit organizations. That is what United Way has done for a long time, and something United Way
will continue to do. However, United Way has also increasingly looked at opportunities for
collaboration and looked into what was unique to the role of United Way.
Scheetz said the three major roles of United Way are to research community needs, develop
strategies and target resources, and make sure the community is delivering results. This is a measure of
accountability and it is making sure United Way is not just doing the one role. The model of raising and
distributing funds has not been fully successful for United Way. If nonprofit organizations could do all
of their work with the resources that are available with that strategy, then conditions would not be
changing or changing in ways of great concern. She said the assessment process is a way of making
sure United Way is moving in a direction that is more positively focused and that holds the community
accountable. Also, the assessment process gives United Way a framework for working together across
all disciplines in making sure that everyone is moving towards the same target in the 2020 goals.
Scheetz said she has a few additional slides, so she will send the PowerPoint presentation to anyone
who requests it. These slides include data, and there are also slides on the website at
www.unitedwayjc.org. Scheetz said she would be happy to give anyone a more in depth presentation on
specifics of the data.
Neuzil said elected officials would like to know what they can do beyond the Community Needs
Assessment in the three areas of education, income and health. He asked what role elected officials
should take as specific strategies are identified through the process. Scheetz said one of the things that
can be done collectively is to talk about how resources are targeted and determine the most effective use
of those resources. Resources are scarce, and everyone in the room and community wants to make sure
the resources are being used to have the greatest positive change. Working together and having those
conversations will be critical in achieving this. As policy decisions are being made, elected officials can
use this information in a way that furthers the progress toward meeting the 2020 goals. The actual
metrics will be available in April, 2011, and that is when everyone can start working through what that
means. A significant component of the process comes down to public policy. Programs are not enough,
and directing resources is not always enough. Fundamental changes will need to take place at the policy
level. Everyone in the room plays an essential role in that process.
Hills resident Bonnie Anderson asked what the living wage is for a family of four. Scheetz said she
cannot remember that number off of the top of her head, but she may have it in her presentation. The
living wage for a family of four is just over $19 per hour within Johnson County. That is for a family
with two parents and one of those parents working outside of the home; the cost of childcare is
decreased because someone is there providing that function. There are many jobs and households that
are not making $19 per hour in Johnson County. Anderson asked if that number includes health
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insurance. Scheetz said the number does include very basic health insurance. The family sustaining
wage does not include any debt reduction or cover for any type of emergency. It does not include any
sort of savings, either for children's education or for an emergency fund. The family sustaining wage
for a family of four with two parents and both parents working is almost $14 per hour per person, so that
is roughly a $28 an hour combined hourly wage for the two parents.
Alcohol Policies and Ordinances (Carryover from Last Meeting)
Stutsman said during the last Joint Cities Meeting, the group talked about an alcohol policy for the
county. According to the minutes, the meeting participants decided to table the topic until after the
November 2010 General Election. The Board thought it would be a good idea to revisit this topic to see
if anyone wants to move forward with an alcohol policy for the county. The group talked about a
countywide policy requiring servers and bartenders to attend Training for Intervention Procedures
(TIPS) training, regulating drink specials, and granting all new bars asix-month conditional license with
some form of monitoring. She said the Board talked a little bit about this at a Key Issues Meeting earlier
during the day. The Board knows there are some legal things they will have to work through along the
way, but if there was interest to continue to pursue the effort, then the best route would be to form a
subcommittee and to see what the County can do in terms of countywide ordinances or policies.
Neuzil said everyone basically knows the trend of what happened in Iowa City and knows about the
vote. He asked if there is any kind of trend that is going to continue or if any of the communities that
are present have thoughts about this. With the exception of the Iowa City Community School District,
all of the communities represented at the current meeting have bars. The Cities of Coralville, North
Liberty, Hills, and Tiffin all have the potential for a different policy than what the City of Iowa City
has. He asked if there is a desire to have some ability to work together to create some consistent policies
within the county.
Coralville City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem John Lundell said he was attending another
meeting which just adjourned and he apologized for being late. He said that several members of the
delegation from the City of Coralville are at the League of Cities Meeting and he apologized on their
behalf for their absences; it is Legislative Day in Des Moines. He said the Coralville City Council has
occasionally talked about the alcohol issue in Coralville. The police chief has told the Coralville City
Council that Coralville has not experienced the different issues faced by downtown Iowa City. The
Coralville City Council has not taken any action, nor have they discussed making any changes, because
there is no problem yet.
Neuzil said he is going to ask his question in a different way. He said he always hears about people
that say they will go elsewhere to use alcohol now that the policies in Iowa City are what they are.
Lundell said the problem moves. Neuzil asked if the other communities surrounding Iowa City are
prepared for the potential of having a younger clientele wanting to come to those communities instead.
He asked if that is something the other communities have thought or talked about, because the weather is
getting warmer. Lundell said he would not be surprised if Coralville public safety employees have
discussed this, but it has not been discussed by the Coralville City Council.
Iowa City City Council Member Connie Champion said she mentioned this topic to a couple of
Coralville employees, but Coralville does not have a lot of bars. Champion does not think Coralville
will have the anticipated problem unless people start building bars. At that time, Coralville may have to
take a look at this issue, but there are not currently a lot of bars in Coralville. Neuzil said there are more
restaurants with a bar than bars with a restaurant. Champion said she does not anticipate Coralville
having any problems unless people start building bars.
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North Liberty City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Gerry Kuhl said North Liberty does not
have a problem at this point, but he also does not want to encounter a problem. He put this issue on the
agenda for the Joint Cities Meeting so that everyone could work together to come up with a policy, so
that the other communities do not encounter some of these problems. He said the communities also
want to be supportive of what Iowa City is doing now that the issue has passed the vote.
Champion said when looking at past statistics, the problem in Iowa City had a lot to do with the
tremendous amount of young people invading the city every weekend. The problem was not necessarily
due to the young students already in Iowa City; they were only responsible for 20% of any alcohol
violations. About 5,000 young people from Ames, the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, and elsewhere came
to Iowa City each weekend. The new policy is hurting the Iowa City economy, but at least those young
people are not coming to the city.
Iowa City City Council Member Mike Wright said the other factor is the bar entry ages in the other
communities. That would have a lot of bearing on whether the right atmosphere is present for a problem
to even begin. Neuzil asked if North Liberty, Coralville, and Hills, and the other surrounding
communities want to have a bar entry age of 21 years old. Wright asked if those communities already
have a bar entry age of 21 years old. Hills Mayor Russell Bailey said Hills does not have a bar entry age
of 21 right now, Hills just has one bar restaurant in town. There are no issues right now. He said he
does not know if he should just leave the issue alone and let everyone else go forward. There are no
problems in Hills right now.
Lundell said he has not heard any interest from anyone in wanting to move forward with a policy
until there are more indicators that a policy is needed. Stutsman said it sounds like there is not any
interest at this point. This is not to say that the topic will not be revisited in the future. Harney said he is
surprised that there was not an influx of youth going to outlying areas because he thought that would
happen. However, from what he is hearing, that is not happening. Neuzil said the weather is not quite
good enough for that yet.
Response to Board of Supervisor's Letter of 12/16/2010 Regarding the Joint Emergency
Communications Center (Johnson County)
Rettig said the Board has brought copies of the letter sent to everyone on December 16, 2010
requesting a formal reply from the Joint Emergency Communication Center (JECC). As of now, the
Board has not received a formal reply from any of the JECC signatories. In addition, the letter also
mentioned that the Board would put this topic on the current Joint Cities Meeting agenda for further
discussion. The topic is on the agenda to see if anyone has any updates and to find out whether the
Board should be expecting a reply to the December letter.
Rettig said the Board had sent a letter to JECC on May 28, 2010. At that time, the Joint Emergency
Communications Services Association (JECSA) Policy Board replied that they would have no response
because that group could not do anything about some of the issues raised in the letter. She said the
JECSA Policy Board replied that it would have to be done in an amendment to the 28E Agreement. In
the December 16, 2010 letter, the Board lays out a couple of concerns or topics the Board is interested in
talking about. The first topic is management and administrative staff. The second topic is the concept
of a modest buildup of reserves while relying on bonding for major purchases. This plan would allow
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts to pay into the emergency response fund. Also, the Board was
concerned at the time that the JECC User Advisory Committee's minutes would be published. She said
she thinks this has been fixed. The JECC User Advisory Committee makes many recommendations to
JECC.
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Rettig said the fourth topic was the Board's interest in nonbinding votes by all of the 28E Agreement
signatories on the JECSA budget before January 15th of each year. This would be done to elicit the
public's response on the vote on JECC, so they would get to see what their governing bodies think about
the JECC budget. Finally, the Board is interested in all of the members of the JECSA Policy Board be
elected officials. Currently, one member is not an elected official. That letter was sent in December of
2010, and the Board has yet to receive a formal reply from anyone. She said the Board would like to
know what people have to say about this.
North Liberty City Council Member Coleen Chipman said the North Liberty City Council has
discussed the letter topics during an open meeting. She said the North Liberty City Council went
through each issue for discussion. The North Liberty City Council did not send a formal
recommendation to the Board, but they can find the minutes of the meeting in order to send the Board
the information about what was discussed and what the North Liberty City Council would like to see.
Chipman reiterated that this has been discussed by the North Liberty City Council.
Kuhl said the North Liberty City Council had a 45-minute discussion on January 11, 2011 with the
JECC Executive Director and the JECC Interim Executive Director present. One of the North Liberty
City Council members raised the question of having a body that is able to set a levy but is not actually
one of the entities in the community. In other words, the question was raised about an independent
entity that has taxing authority. With the appointment of Oxford Mayor Don Saxton, everyone on the
JECSA Policy Board is an elected official, so the North Liberty City Council did not see that as a
concern. The North Liberty City Council discussed the size of the reserves, and they thought the size
was probably alright. These reserves are set at $1.5 million, and he asked if that is correct.
Kulh said the North Liberty City Council had an extensive discussion on the JECC User Advisory
Committee. Their opinion was that the tactical portion of those meetings should always be closed.
However, other recommendations coming to the JECSA Policy Board should be an open discussion and
should follow the open meetings rules. This includes providing appropriate public notices and posting
minutes. He said the North Liberty City Council also thought they needed an opinion from the County
Attorney regarding what could be closed and what could be open. He asked Chipman if he is correct on
his account of the discussion. Chipman said it is correct.
Kuhl said in terms of the JECC budget, it was the consensus of the North Liberty City Council that
the City of North Liberty JECC Representative, which is North Liberty Mayor Tom Salm, would share
the JECC budget with all of the North Liberty City Council members before it was approved by the
JECSA Policy Board. This would be done so North Liberty City Council members would have some
input to the JECC budget. The North Liberty City Council also discussed an invitation to all of the
communities to participate in some of the discussions, even though the communities might already be
represented by the Board of Supervisors. Those entities may not participate as JECSA Policy Board
members, but they could at least be a part of the audience. He said that summarizes the North Liberty
City Council's lengthy discussion. He said Salm thought the $0.77 levy was appropriate and was a cost
effective way of handling the resources that were available.
Wright said this topic is an agenda item for an Iowa City City Council Regular Work Session
Meeting scheduled for February 28, 2011. He said the Iowa City City Council will have something to
report to the Board of Supervisors following that Regular Work Session Meeting.
Rettig said the December 2010 letter was sent to the Cities of North Liberty, Coralville, and Iowa
City, and the Emergency Management Commission. Although the North Liberty City Council met and
discussed the concerns in the letter, the Board did not know what was said other than what they saw in
the newspaper. She said the Board would appreciate a formal reply, as they requested in the letter.
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Members of the Iowa Legislature requested to know whether the Board had received the replies.
Kuhl said the North Liberty City Council probably misunderstood the Board's request in the letter.
They thought the topic was going to be discussed at the current Joint Cities Meeting and that the entities
would provide their response at this time. He said he will ask the North Liberty City Administrator and
staff to provide a summary of the discussion to the Board. Rettig thanked Kuhl.
Lundell said he can also request that the Coralville City Council send a letter to the Board. On most
of the issues, the general consensus of the Coralville City Council is to wait and see what stability will
bring. JECC has finally hired a professional Executive Director who just started on January 3, 2011.
JECC will soon have been operating for one year. Generally, the Coralville City Council wants to see
how things go with the new leadership. However, they will respond with a formal letter to the Board.
Legislative Update (Iowa City Community School District)
Iowa City Community School District School Board President Patti Fields said the Iowa City
Community School District (ICCSD) School Board is in full session, and many of the things hanging in
the Iowa Legislature will affect the ICCSD in the upcoming fiscal year. The statewide Voluntary
Preschool Program issue is something the ICCSD School Board has been watching carefully. On one
end of the debate, there is a suggestion to zero out preschool funding, and the other end of the debate
suggests having some funding put back in with some means testing requirements. The ICCSD School
Board is monitoring that. Other entities are certainly welcome to join the ICCSD School Board and
strengthen their voice in any advocacy issues surrounding the debate.
Fields said allowable growth is the biggest issue for the ICCSD School Board right now. The
ICCSD normally knows about the allowable growth a year ahead of time. Because of the state of the
budget in 2010, the Iowa Legislature decided to push the decision off until 2011. The ICCSD School
Board is facing the need to certify a budget for FY12 by April 15, 2011 without knowing the allowable
growth for the 2011 to 2012 school year. These are desperate times for the ICCSD School Board, and it
is a really difficult situation. If there is ultimately zero allowable growth, then the ICCSD School Board
would experience over $3 million in cuts for FY12. The Iowa House of Representatives has voted for
zero allowable growth. If allowable growth comes in at 2%, which is currently the best case scenario,
then is the ICCSD School Board still will have over $1 million in cuts for FY12. All of those things
affect the ICCSD, and the ICCSD School Board wants to make sure the other entities know what is
happening and how it affects what the ICCSD is doing. She welcomed anyone to join the ICCSD in
those efforts; their knowledge and the value of education in all of the communities for economic
development efforts and the future of the local children is important.
Champion asked how many schools have preschools. She asked if preschool is only offered at Mark
Twain Elementary School and Hills Elementary School. Fields said no. The ICCSD actually has a
strong preschool program with public and private partnerships. The ICCSD does not have the capacity
to have preschools in all of the schools, so there are spaces at Handicare Child Care and Preschool as
well as other public and private providers in the area. The preschool program currently serves ten hours
per week with a certified teacher, and this is paid for. Most people need to have their children in
preschool longer than ten hours per week. There are wraparound services that are either tuition-based
for the parents who can pay, or on other programs providing that wraparound service. If the ICCSD
loses preschools, or if it becomes ameans-tested program, then the ICCSD will most likely have to
change the preschool program to a tuition-based program. It is difficult for the ICCSD to commit to a
contract to pay for afull-time teacher when they do not know how many students will be in a preschool
program from month to month. Those are some concerns about what the legislation would mean for
access to preschool for some of the most vulnerable children in the community.
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Stutsman asked Fields if the ICCSD School Board has talked about strategies such as layoffs or
property tax increases if the cuts happen. Fields said there is an issue of spending authority and how
much can be put into the school budgets. The ICCSD General Fund is over 80% personnel costs, and
that is the same fund being used for preschool. Cuts will most likely mean a reduction in staff. She said
the ICCSD School Board has an Apri130, 2011 deadline to make those decisions. All of this is going to
be happening soon, and the ICCSD welcomes anyone willing to help in advocacy efforts.
Rettig said she read an article in the newspaper about a conflict in the delegation to the Iowa
Legislation. She looked up the Iowa House of Representatives Study Bill. The Iowa Association of
School Boards and the Iowa League of Cities is on the anti-labor bill. The Iowa State Association of
Counties (ISAC) is undecided on this. She asked if Fields has found out any more information than
what was in the newspaper. Fields said she has submitted the formal request to find out about the
process. The ICCSD has a delegate assembly where members vote on legislative priorities and have
resolutions around certain topics. This particular topic did not come up during the legislative resolution
vote. Right now, the ICCSD wants to know more about the process and how the decision is being
made. Fields said she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Iowa Association of School Boards
and her fellow Board members are not happy with her right now.
Rettig said the County has a Mental Health/Disability Services (MH/DS) Planning Council Meeting
scheduled for February 25, 2011 at 3:30 p.m. The MH/DS Planning Council will be figuring out how to
cut $2.5 million in mental health services in Johnson County if that becomes necessary. That is a drastic
cut in the budget and one that is being prohibited by Iowa Law from being backfilled with any local
dollars. If anyone cares about intellectual disabilities, disability services, and mental health, a $2.5
million cut to MH/DS is unimaginable.
City High Fine Arts Addition (Iowa City Community School District)
Iowa City Community School District Superintendent Steve Murley said at a previous meeting the
ICCSD School Board took action to increase the allowance for an addition to the City High Fine Arts
division. The increased amount is $6.2 million, and the original budget placeholder was $4.5 million.
That project is now in phase three, which is the plan/design phase. The ICCSD is working with the
Shive Hattery Architecture and Engineering firm.
Borlaug Elementary (Iowa City Community School District)
Murley said Norman Borlaug Elementary is no longer being listed as the school at The Crossings;
the school now has a name. The ICCSD School Board is very pleased to have selected the name of
someone who has such strong roots in Iowa. Norman Borlaug has done a lot in the field of education,
both in kindergarten through 12th grade education and on the worldwide stage. Borlaug Elementary is
projected to open in the fall of 2012.
Building Projects (Iowa City Community School District)
Murley said he does not know what this agenda item is for because the City High Fine Arts Addition
and Borlaug Elementary are the two big building projects for the ICCSD. He asked if anyone has
questions about any other building projects.
Murley said the ICCSD is in the process of developing plans to move the ICCSD Central
Administration Office from the Henry Sabin Elementary School site to the current Iowa City Press-
Citizen building on North Dodge Street. The plan requires that the current facility be vacated no later
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than October 15, 2011. The ICCSD is working with designers right now, and they will begin the
process of remodeling that building on or after March 15, 2011. This move will enable them to bring
many programs together under one roof. This will make the ICCSD far more efficient and effective
from an operational perspective. The University of Iowa will be taking control of the Sabin Elementary
School property on October 15, 2011.
Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek asked if any planning is underway that relates to upkeep or upgrades
of existing facilities throughout the district. There is a facilities plan that may be a little older, but
Hayek wanted to know if there is any activity currently underway. Murley said the ICCSD Facilities
Committee is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. One of the main topics on the agenda for that meeting is
the ICCSD Comprehensive Facilities Plan. This looks at all of the facilities in the district and funding
sources, including the School Infrastructure Local Option Sales Tax (SILO) money, Physical Plant and
Equipment Levy (PPEL) money, and the ICCSD General Fund. The ICCSD Comprehensive Facilities
Plan looks at detailed projects over the course of the next three years, and it also looks at the long term
life of each building in the district. It recognizes needs from a safety and compliance standpoint, an
infrastructure standpoint, and an instructional development standpoint.
Location of Affordable Housing (City of Iowa City)
City of Iowa City Planning and Community Development Director Jeff Davidson said the City of
Iowa City (Iowa City) is an entitlement community for the Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) Program and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds through the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. He knows many entities have accessed those funds
through East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) on a case by case basis. However, Iowa
City is an entitlement community and has received $1.4 million to $2 million on average for the each of
the last five years. A lot of those funds go to affordable housing projects. Over the years, there have
been some controversies about the location of the affordable housing in Iowa City. It came to a critical
point in October 2010 when the Iowa City City Council (City Council) directed staff to develop some
more objective criteria for making decisions about where affordable housing projects funded by Iowa
City are located.
Davidson said Iowa City Planning and Community Development staff commenced a process that
just culminated with the City Council in the last week. The process developed a model for bringing
more objective criteria to the decisions about where affordable housing is located. The first thing
Planning and Community Development staff did with the Gity Council was ask what the concerns were
about the location of affordable housing. He said the City Council was able to succinctly relay that they
did not want to create concentrations of poverty in Iowa City, and they did not want to burden
elementary schools that had issues. Specifically the City Council wanted to know more from the ICCSD
about their concerns regarding where affordable housing projects were located.
Davidson said Planning and Community Development staff determined that the best way to
approach this topic was to develop a model, and that is what was done. A geographic information
system (GIS) based model was developed that allowed staff to input data, weight the data, and produce a
map to help make location decisions. He said Planning and Community Development staff members
were able to get some very valuable information from Murley and ICCSD Youth & Family
Development Coordinator Joan VandenBerg. He said Murley and VandenBerg were very helpful and
he cannot thank them enough.
Davidson said staff developed a set of criteria that was taken to the City Council. To summarize, the
location of existing affordable housing was an important factor, and the median household income was
an important factor. The change in residential sales price was an important factor; the City would not
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want to focus affordable housing in areas where housing stock had been declining in value. Fortunately,
no applicable areas were found in Iowa City where that factor was significantly occurring. However, it
is a factor that the model does consider. The elementary school information that was provided by the
ICCSD was based on the following three data sets: mobility, meaning the rate of turnover at each
elementary school, the academic performance at elementary schools, as indicated by the Iowa Test of
Basic Skills scores, and the percentage of students at any given elementary school that are eligible for
the free and reduced lunch program. All of these data are things that can be updated on an annual basis,
and that is very important for the model. The model provides a snapshot of the current data. However,
the model will be updated annually and will be used to make decisions on where affordable housing
funded by Iowa City is located.
Davidson said Planning and Community Development staff then provided weights to the data. The
City Council made all of the decisions about what is important and what is less important. The primary
concerns of the City Council were the concentration of affordable housing in the community and the
impact on the elementary schools. The data is weighted, so 70% of the weight goes to those factors.
Davidson said the map that has been handed out at the present meeting is the 2011 map. It clearly
shows where funding will be made available and where funding will not be made available for
affordable housing projects funded by Iowa City. The map is based on the criteria developed in the
model, and the map will change. Every November, the data and map will be updated and used for
decision making on CDBG and HOME programs. They would also use this map for other affordable
housing funding sources that become available.
Davidson said this effort was based on the City Council's input for rental and transitional type
affordable housing projects. Transitional refers to types of shelter housing, where families or
individuals are only present for a short amount of time before moving on to more permanent housing.
Rental refers to owner-occupied housing for elderly persons and for persons with disabilities. Those
were not considered factors, so they are not included in the model.
Davidson said he would like to formally thank the MPOJC, formally known as Johnson County
Council of Governments (JCCOG). He said the MPOJC staff was very helpful in developing the GIS
model, and he thanked them for their assistance.
Harney said the map is showing areas that are not available. He asked if that is because there is
already affordable housing in those areas or if that is the darker coloring. Davidson said the dark color
on the map is where the model produced evidence that there is a concentration of concerns, as
represented by the data which inputs the model. The City of Iowa City does not want to focus additional
affordable housing in those locations at this time. That primarily relates to concentrations of existing
affordable housing and impacts on elementary schools. For example, at one location it is alright to put
affordable housing on one side of a street but not on the other side. The reason for that line is the
elementary school boundaries. As ICCSD updates the elementary school boundaries, that data will be
updated in the model and the model will change.
Stutsman asked if she would be unable to offer a Section 8 rental voucher if she had a rental property
close to Mark Twain Elementary School and wanted to do this. Davidson replied that a Section 8
voucher is decided upon between the landlord and the potential tenant with the voucher. It will continue
to be that way; Iowa City is not involved in that decision. Stutsman said the model is applied only if
there is Iowa City funding for rental housing. Davidson said it would be impacted if the landlord's
rental property unit was constructed with assistance from Iowa City. It would likely not be allowed for
someone to locate a new unit next door to that landlord's unit. Stutsman said OK. Davidson said in east
Iowa City areas identified on the map with a concentration of dots is based on a concentration of
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housing units at that location.
Policies Regarding Dangerous Weapons in Public Buildings (Johnson County)
Harney said he thinks every entity is currently addressing this topic regarding the legislative impact
on the economy of all sales, permits, and signs. Sullivan passed out a copy of a resolution the Board
adopted on February 17, 2011. The Board adopted the resolution a couple days after the Iowa City
adopted a policy. Sullivan said he is not sure whether there is a separate policy for the Iowa City Public
Library. The Board thought it would be good for others to know what the County had done about the
issue and what steps were taken. He said the Board decided to present this resolution, and anyone can
criticize it, adopt it, or do what they want with it.
Lundell said the Coralville City Council has not yet discussed this issue. He said they have had a
request from the Coralville Public Library to discuss it, and he is sure it will be discussed: One of the
reasons they are probably the last entity to discuss this issue is because one of the Coralville City
Council members thought he had heard discussion from Iowa State Senator Joe Bolkcom about passing
a statewide ban on carrying a weapon on public property. He said the Coralville City Council was
wondering if that would potentially resolve the problem for everyone. He asked if anyone else has heard
the same thing that his colleague heard.
Rettig said the bill for a statewide ban has been introduced, but it has not moved in the Iowa
Legislature. There is similar legislation in the other direction. For example, this could include a bill that
would make silencers legal and remove the requirement for a person to have a permit to carry a
concealed or non-concealed weapon. She said she is not sure any of the legislation is moving at this
point. Rettig said the potential legislation that Bolkcom told the Coralville City Council member about
does exist, and this would make the city government building similar to the Iowa Capitol Complex. The
Iowa Legislature exempted the Capitol Complex. None of those bills have started moving. One may
have gotten out of committee, but she is not sure.
Sullivan said part of the reason the County chose to act is because there are about 100 social workers
in the Health and Human Services Building, and a number of employees in the Administration Building
work with the public. Those people were coming up to the Board to say that they are scared. Those
people are scared in their place of employment because of all of the threats being made by people who
say they are going to come into the County buildings with their guns. Sullivan said the Board felt the
need to take some action. The Board did discuss that it would be nice if the State of Iowa did something
that was consistent. However, the Board decided to do something, rather than wait for the State of
Iowa. Lundell said the County was being proactive and that is good.
Harney said the County has always had a policy stating that employees cannot have weapons on the
premises. This resolution applies this same rule to the public.
Kuhl said the North Liberty City Council was planning to address this at a formal meeting until they
decided to wait and see what the Iowa Legislature comes up with before taking any action. He said they
will schedule a work session about this if it becomes necessary.
Bailey said the City of Hills (Hills) has talked about this, but they were under the impression that
there are certain things Hills cannot do yet. He said Hills was waiting to see what everyone else is
doing. Something obviously needs to be done, but Hills is waiting and watching to see what everyone
else does.
Tiffin Mayor Royce Phillips said there was some peripheral discussion about this issue when the
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County Sheriff made his budget presentation in January 2011. He said the Tiffin City Council does
meet at the Clear Creek Amana Middle School, so there is already a prohibition on weapons at that
location. The Tiffin City Council had some peripheral discussion, but Phillips does not expect City
Council to take any action on this issue at all.
Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee Plans for Justice Center (Johnson County)
Harney said this topic is moving along slowly, though the County has made some progress. The
County is working on purchasing three more buildings on the west end of the U.S. General Services
Administration (GSA) parking lot. The County Attorney has approved moving forward with those
purchases. However, that will leave one facility in the area that is still privately owned, and that is the
bonding agency. If the County needs that parcel of land, the County will move forward on it at a later
date. He said there is a cooperative seller for the other three homes at a reasonable price, so the County
decided to move forward with that process. The County is working toward design plans, with the
cooperation of the City of Iowa City, to include wrapping a structure around the west side hill of the
Courthouse onto East Harrison Street.
Board of Supervisors' Executive Assistant Andy Johnson said the Criminal Justice Coordinating
Committee (CJCC) had a planning retreat on January 5, 2011 that was led by former University of Iowa
Campus Planner Larry Wilson. Having been periodically working on the justice center for 14 years,
there are times when the project needs to stop so people can evaluate where everyone is and make sure
everyone is on the same page. During that retreat, the CJCC discussed some individual key issues to
determine where there was consensus and where there was not consensus. In summary, everyone agreed
that it was necessary to go forward with the project, and the group agreed that the proposed location be
adjacent to the Courthouse. Everyone was in support of going forward with that site. The CJCC
determined that more work is needed on the Space Needs Analysis. The analysis is nearly complete, but
there were some remaining questions about it. One of the key items that were discussed was
determining a way to gauge what level of funding the public would be willing to support through a bond
issue. Ideally, that would involve finding an outside group that would be willing to do a survey to gauge
that. The CJCC Outreach Committee is going to work on plans for a survey. If an outside group is not
found, the County may need to conduct the survey.
Johnson said the CJCC addressed renovating the existing Courthouse and Jail as part of the project,
and they discussed some of the issues involved with that process. In general, there was support for
renovating the Courthouse as part of the project if that could be done to provide the adequate security
that would be needed if it was a part of the justice center. In the discussion about funding, there was
agreement that there was not going to be a bond referendum in 2011. However, the CJCC is perhaps
looking to do this in 2012.
Johnson said there was some discussion about the possibility of this being a joint project with the
City of Iowa City. However, the current space is limited, and if there was an interest in a joint project, it
would increase the amount of space needed. It is currently a challenge to determine if the space will fit
County-owned property. The use of East Harrison Street was discussed in reference to the properties
that still needed to be acquired. In terms of working with the GSA on the parking lot across the street
from the U.S. Post Office, the GSA has indicated that it would be a five to seven year process if the
process even goes forward. Johnson said that is long range planning, but it is not one of the elements
that will drive the current planning and consideration. Johnson said those were the key issues discussed
at that retreat, and while the decisions reached are not set in stone, they are at least items of consensus.
Hayek thanked those who continue to be involved with planning for a justice center. He said when
Iowa City reads the CJCC Meeting minutes they get a sense of this slow process for the justice center.
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The last set of minutes was 25 pages of single spaced writing, and it reflected a four to five hour
meeting. Hayek said this is a regional issue and affects every corner of the county. He said the disparity
between the adequacy or inadequacy of the justice center facility and the demands placed on it may be
the worst statewide. He said it would be difficult to find a place where there are so many demands
placed on a facility that is so aging and inadequate. This is critical and is a big deal. It is an issue that
requires a regional, countywide approach, similar to the approach on affordable housing and some other
issues. Hayek said he really appreciates the efforts involved.
Harney said people may have read the County is going to invest a little over $400,000 in the existing
Jail. That is for a project to redo the space where the former Communications Center was on the first
floor. That will add at least three holding cells for booking and a place to book prisoners. Some
necessary remodeling will also occur in the entrance way to give the records keeping area some extra
space. Harney said that will be happening in the next year or so. The project may alleviate some of the
problems to some extent, but it will not resolve any of the long terms problems, including overcrowding.
Stutsman said she is glad Hayek brought up the idea that the justice center is a regional issue. This
is something that will indirectly impact all the taxing entities in the county. When the justice center
finally comes forward, it is going to be a big project, and that will have an impact on every property tax
payer in Johnson County. Everyone must be aware that everyone has big projects to do, and everyone
has building plans. She said she wants to stress how much everyone has to work together to make the
justice center a reality. The problems are not ever going to go away; the problems are only going to
become more exaggerated as the county grows. Stutsman said one positive thing is that legislation is
being introduced that would consider a judicial center an essential County purpose. Therefore, the
County would not have to do a referendum on that. She said that legislation will hopefully get some
traction, and the County may be able to address part of the problem.
Champion asked Stutsman if she knows how much money the County spent to move prisoners to
other jails during FY10. Rettig said during FY11, the County is spending about $1.2 million in housing
and about $100,000 in transport. The Board expects the transport costs to increase to $350,000 in
FY12. While that is a lot of money, it is less than a new facility. Rettig said it is true when Stutsman
says it is a major, large, and complicated process and building. The Courthouse is extremely
overcrowded, as Hayek alluded to, and the County cannot transport those people somewhere else. The
County is transporting prisoners in the most affordable way and at a better rate than they had a few years
ago. This is because some counties had overbuilt their jails and gave Johnson County favorable rates.
However, this is a logistical nightmare to move people around and back to the Courthouse for their court
dates. In FY 12 the County will be spending approximately $1.65 million.
Harney said the County is going to do some remodeling in the basement of the Courthouse to make
the Attorney's Office more secure. That results in some added dollars, and it resolves some space issues
in the basement of the Courthouse, but it does not resolve the safety issues for the courtrooms in the
upstairs area. There are two Sheriff's Deputies working in that area full time, but the County does not
have a way to set up a good monitoring station to check for weapons of any kind. This is problematic.
The problem with the Jail is not the only issue. There is also a problem of safety within the
Courthouse. The County will either need to do the whole justice center together, or they will need to do
the Courthouse and then the justice center. The County needs to be addressing both issues, and the
County would like to do that at the same time.
Format of Future Meetings -Possible Presentations on Issues and Plans of Mutual
Interest/"Round Robin" Updates (Johnson County)
Rettig said she, Phillips, and Kuhl are a part of a bylaws committee for the MPOJC to rewrite the
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bylaws that had not been rewritten in 12 years. In all of the long meetings of working diligently on
bylaws, the question was raised of what a Joint Cities Meeting is. She said they discovered that Phillips
had never been invited, but he learned about the meeting from the City of Coralville during a ribbon
cutting event. She said she did not know the history of the Joint Cities Meeting and why everyone
started meeting. It had to do with the school and the roads around the school. The quarterly meetings
have expanded to involve whatever anyone puts on the agenda for a broad based discussion. Rettig said
the main question is what these meetings are about and who should be invited. She said the Joint Cities
Meeting is a public meeting, so anyone can come and say anything they have on their mind. The other
question is how the participants can get the most value out of the Joint Cities Meetings. She asked if the
group wants educational presentations or round robin discussions to find out what everyone is doing.
Rettig said now that JCCOG has been renamed the MPOJC, which is the legal name, Kuhl wants to
call the Joint Cities Meeting the Council of Governments. This is somewhat what the participants of the
meeting act as, but she does not think that name can be used for a while. She said the purpose of this
agenda item is to open up discussion about what the participants see as the value in the meetings and
where more value can be achieved. She said the group only meets quarterly, but everyone can learn
from each other and share information. She asked how that should be done. She asked if every elected
body should be invited to come. Everyone is welcome to come as a citizen. She asked everyone for
their thoughts.
Stutsman said she does not want to put anyone on the spot. She asked Bailey or Phillips if they feel
that the Joint Cities Meeting discussion is beneficial to them. She asked if they feel that it is worth their
time to come to a meeting like this, and she asked what would make the meeting worth their time.
Bailey said the meeting is absolutely worth his time. He said he will take this discussion back to the
Hills City Council members. He said Hills is a very small community, and they can learn from the other
participants at this meeting. He said he thinks this meeting is wonderful; he has never been to a Joint
Cities Meeting before, but he probably should have been to one.
Phillips said as one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Iowa for the past two censuses, it is
critical for the City of Tiffin to be involved in the Joint Cities Meetings. He said the Board previously
mentioned the Jail and the support of the outlying communities. However, he does not believe Tiffin is
apart of that at this point and he does not think Tiffin is involved to any degree. Meetings like the Joint
Cities Meetings help that. If entities are going to cooperate on a regional basis in this metropolitan area,
then this Joint Cities Meeting is absolutely necessary. Phillips said they have to get the people
involved. He is an enormous supporter of trying to get some of the other surrounding towns involved as
well, and he does not know if he could be more vehement about this.
University of Iowa (UI) Student Government/Iowa City City Council Liaison Elliot Higgins said he
would like to thank the Board for inviting the UI. He said it troubles him that the UI decided not to
show up to the Joint Cities Meeting. He encouraged the Board to extend the invitation to the UI one
more time, and he will follow up with them to see why no one was able to attend. It is important that the
UI is represented in the Joint Cities Meetings because they are such a powerful player in Johnson
County.
Rettig said Higgins brought up a good point. She said Johnson sent the agenda to a number of
entities because the County was the host for the Joint Cities Meeting. There had been some concern that
there would not be a big enough room to host the meeting if it was opened to all governmental bodies in
Johnson County. She said she is not sure if that will ever be a problem. Outlying cities may send a city
administrator, but she does not think every single elected official in the county will show up to a Joint
Cities Meeting. From her perspective, it is important for the governmental bodies to know what is going
on, what is being talked about, and to have an opportunity to come if they are interested. That includes
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the UI and the other school districts. The Solon Community School District is a growing entity.
Johnson County has multiple school districts. The Clear Creek Amana Community School District was
added to the invitation list in 2010, and that was about the same time when the City of Tiffin got on the
list. She thanked Higgins for his point. She asked if anyone else has ideas about how to make the Joint
Cities Meetings more valuable. Whoever is hosting the meeting handles the agenda and logistics, but
anyone can submit topics to the agenda. If someone wants the format of the agenda to be more
productive, this can be changed.
Iowa City City Council Member Susan Mims agreed that all of the organizations in Johnson County
should be invited. It improves the cooperation between the various entities when more of them sit down
around the same table to discuss topics, share ideas, and share concerns. She said everyone can learn
from each other, and meeting together in person can help them understand some of the issues and
understand why some entities are making certain decisions. In terms of format, Mims said the
possibilities of educational presentations and round robin discussions both have a lot of merit. The
United Way presentation was very helpful in providing some information about some of the research
that has been done. Finding certain areas and topics that are valuable for everyone to hear about would
be beneficial for these presentations. The round robin discussion is really important, although it should
be done in some format that does not result in a five hour meeting. Both tactics are important to keep
everyone informed about particular issues and about what colleagues are doing.
Hayek said it would be difficult to add much more structure to the Joint Cities Meeting without
prolonging the meetings. All the participants have plenty of meetings. He said he does not know what
the answer is. There is benefit in having the quarterly opportunities for interface between elected
officials and staff. That has merit in and of itself. It is possible that something could be done to make
the Joint Cities Meetings a little more productive, but he is not sure he has the answer. At a minimum, it
is a great idea to gather entities together and remind everyone of what individual entities are doing and
what issues impact everyone. An example of this is the Jail issue.
Sullivan said he does not think he was an elected official when the Joint Cities Meetings began. He
knows there were conflicts between local governmental entities. These conflicts included a school
district versus a City, a City versus a City, and the County versus a City. This forum helped to address
some of those conflicts. The primary change was that entities realized they need to have more frequent
communication with the other entities. Sullivan said he does not know that this communication actually
happens during the Joint Cities Meetings. Since he has been a Board member, there have been many
substantive discussions at the meetings. When these meetings first began, entities had awake-up call
and realized they do not operate in a vacuum; they realized they need to discuss issues with other
entities. That has probably started to happen, but Sullivan does not know if that is happening during the
Joint Cities Meetings. Rather, people tend to individually call other people. The administrators speak
more frequently than they did previously, and that is good. However, there is a question of whether
some of those items of discussion should be discussed during the Joint Cities Meeting. Sullivan asked if
the informal channels are working better.
Stutsman said she knows the County structured the current meeting to have refreshments at 4:00
p.m. and begin the actual meeting at 4:30 p.m. Even that half hour was valuable because she had a nice
conversation with two people that she does not see on a regular basis. She said that may be something
that can be done during the Joint Cities Meeting. The schedule could start a half hour earlier so that
people who can come earlier can network.
Champion said when the meetings first began, there was a problem with the ICCSD, Coralville, and
Iowa City, and there were problems with some roads. That is when the meetings started. She said she
thinks the Joint Cities Meetings are very much worth everyone's time. It brings people together in an
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informal way. No big problems are being solved during the meeting, but this is one of the better
meetings she has been to. She said she would like to see the Joint Cities Meetings continue, but she
would like to have them only twice a year. It is fairly frequent to have one of these meetings every three
months.
Phillips said he sees the Joint Cities Meeting as a type of formal networking. While the networking
time before the meeting is beneficial, it is limited. There must be some more formal face-to-face
discussion of issues that are regional, and that is what the Joint Cities Meeting is. Phillips said there is
not a tremendous amount of topics on this agenda that affect Tiffin. However, it is worthwhile for Tiffin
city officials to be present because there are some issues that do affect Tiffin, such as the alcohol policy
and firearms policy. He said he would like to emphasize the regional metropolitan area issues, such as
the Jail, and he would like to focus on that. He said he thinks a quarterly meeting is important because
of those issues and the entities need to meet that often, or else the networking connection is lost. There
are issues on the agenda that are pertinent to one or two sections of the group, but the focus needs to be
on those issues that are more widespread and that will benefit more than two or three entities.
Rettig said she will try to summarize peoples' viewpoints. She said there seems to be consensus that
all governmental entities and the UI to be invited to the Joint Cities Meeting. The group likes the
educational presentation as long as it is limited to ten or 15 minutes. The group likes topics that have
regional significance and that may be one of the reasons the County usually has many agenda items.
The County feels like they are the glue between all the entities. The group is not ready to have more
structure around round robin discussions, because the participants do not want the meetings to last more
than one and a half hours. The group likes the half hour of socializing time before the meeting for those
participants who can come at that time. She asked if she summed it up correctly. Stutsman said Rettig
did an excellent job of summing it up.
Stutsman said legislative issues were discussed well at this meeting. Every entity has particular
legislative issues, and it was helpful to hear what issues are important to the ICCSD. All governmental
entities go to Des Moines occasionally, and now they can ask about the status of legislation on certain
things. Fields said she hopes everyone does ask about the legislation.
Rettig said Johnson has developed a better email list, and the County will share this with whoever is
hosting the next Joint Cities Meeting.
Lundell said if anyone has a concern or interest in a project being done in a neighboring city or
county, then that person should request for that item be placed on the agenda. Most of the items on the
current agenda were self selected. The City of Iowa City chose to put affordable housing on the
agenda. If the County is interested in the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts and how it is being
funded, then the County should make sure to ask that question. He said each entity should not just put
their own items on the agenda. If an entity has an interest or concern with a neighbor, they should ask
for the neighbor to come to the Joint Cities Meeting and be prepared to talk about it. Rettig said that is
good advice.
Date and Time of Next Meeting
Chipman said she would like the agenda for each meeting to indicate who is hosting the next Joint
Cities Meeting. People always wonder who is hosting the next meeting and if it is on the agenda, then it
would be very clear. The entities would all take turns, and this would make the process easier.
The group agreed that the host of the next Joint Cities Meeting is the City of Coralville. Lundell
agreed to send an email suggesting possible meeting dates and to see when others are available.
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INQUIRIES FROM THE PUBLIC
Johnson County League of Women Voters Representative Carol Spaziani said she has been
observing the MPOJC meetings for many years, as well as the Joint Cities Meetings from the time they
began. At first, she was confused about the difference between what is talked about during the Joint
Cities Meetings and what is talked about during the MPOJC meetings so she asked others for an
explanation. She did not hear anyone say that the Joint Cities Meeting could be used to discuss trial
balloons for new ideas, in order to see how much interest there would be in an area-wide attack of an
issue that had not been looked at before. She said she would like to see that added to the list as a
possible forum topic.
Adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary
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~ IP8
MINUTES ~~~
CITY COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
APRIL 19, 2011
LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, 8:30 A.M.
Members Present: Regenia Bailey, Matt Hayek, Susan Mims
Staff Present: Wendy Ford, Jeff Davidson, Tom Markus
Others Present: Marc Moen, Gigi Wood, Gregg Hennigan, Nancy Quellhorst
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
Mims moved to recommend to the City Council to proceed with an agreement
pursuant to the City Manager's Letter of Intent for redevelopment of 118 E. College
Street. Hayek seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
Mims moved to approve the City Manager's Economic Development Policy
statement as discussed. Hayek seconded the motion. Motion carried 3-0.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Bailey at 8:32 A.M.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 15, 2011,
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING:
Mims moved to accept the February 15, 2011, meeting minutes as presented.
Hayek seconded the motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO PROCEED WITH AN AGREEMENT
PURSUANT TO THE CITY MANAGER'S LETTER OF INTENT FOR
REDEVELOPMENT OF 118 E. COLLEGE STREET
Jeff Davidson addressed the Members first, stating that he believes Marc Moen will be
attending this morning's meeting, in case Members have questions regarding this
project. Davidson continued, stating that the project involves the building currently
occupied by Vito's. He ran through the staff report, giving Members an idea of what this
project will entail. The plan is to gut the building and convert the first floor to a retail
space not including a bar or a restaurant, and fit out the upstairs for Class A office
space. Davidson added that the building is in poor shape and that before this project
begins, there are many improvements and upgrades that must be done including a new
roof, and new heating, ventilation and air conditioning. He stated that in working with
Moen, and reviewing the costs of acquisition and renovation, it made sense to assist in
the expenses of building itself. Doing so would ensure that building would become viable
for a new use and that assisting in the costs of a new roof, elevator and HVAC,
approximately 12.5% of the costs of the project, the downtown would have a newly
refurbished building that would serve Iowa City for a long time to come. Assisting in the
building infrastructure costs can be done using tax increment financing. Given that the
2
project will be required to pay full property taxes every year and that the building would
carry a minimum assessed value and generate new property taxes of $32,000 annually,
it would take eight years for the $250,000 to be paid back to the City using TIF,
according to Davidson.
Marc Moen spoke next, adding that part of the plan is to return the face of the building to
its original condition. He briefly shared what this will entail, including tearing off the
green efis facade that exists now and replacing the cornice work and other ornamental
items. He also shared where the elevator will be installed, noting that they are required
to install one by code, since the second floor is going to be office space. The discussion
continued, with Moen sharing with Members what they have found at the 118 E. College
Street building and what all will need to be done before it can be restored.
Mims asked what "class A office space" refers to. Davidson said it is the standard that
commercial realty uses in describing the quality of office space, class A being the best.
Moen noted that it will be state-of-the-art space when completed. He also shared that
they are working with the same realtor that they worked with to get Starbuck's
downtown, in hopes of getting a nationally known retailer in the first floor space. Moen
added, however, that this process can take time and will not happen immediately.
Mims moved to recommend to the City Council to proceed with an agreement
pursuant to the City Manager's Letter of Intent for redevelopment of 118 E. College
Street.
Hayek seconded the motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF CITY MANAGER'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
POLICY STATEMENT
Ford noted that Members have a draft of the Economic Development Policy that was
presented to City Council in January during the budget process. She added that staff is
looking for direction from the Committee as they move forward. Hayek asked for
clarification on some wording and Ford noted the edit to incorporate into the final. There
was some discussion about referring to place of origination for businesses being
recruited to Iowa City with concurrence that the general idea is to NOT recruit business
away from our neighbors. This was also discussed among the Members. Davidson and
Ford will rework this final wording.
Mims moved to approve the City Manager's Economic Development Policy
statement as discussed.
Hayek seconded the motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
STAFF TIME:
Ford noted that they are working on amending the Scott Six Industrial Urban Renewal
Area to include the new industrial park area. She added that they have a couple of good
prospects for the new park. Davidson added that there has been increased interest by
developers in various sites around town, and that they may need to establish an urban
renewal district in the South Riverside Drive area.
COMMITTEE TIME:
Hayek noted the improvement in the streetscape and roadwork on Linn Street. He also
thanked Davidson for taking himself and a few others up to the DOT Commission's
public input meeting last week on rail service.
Bailey noted that there is a discussion today about keeping the Post Office's substation
downtown open. Everyone agreed that it provides amuch-needed service to the
businesses downtown. Staff will see what they can find out about this issue. Bailey also
noted that she will be attending the Smart Conference in Des Moines.
ADJOURNMENT:
Hayek moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 A.M.
Mims seconded the motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
Council Economic Development Committee
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2011
TERM iv ~
NAME EXP.
Regenia 01/02/11 X X
Baile
Matt 01/02/11 O X
Hayek /
E
Susan 01/02/11 X X
Mims
Key:
X =Present
O =Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused