HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-01-31 TranscriptionJanuary 31, 2012 Iowa City City Council Boards & Commissions Work Session Page I
Council Present: Champion, Dickens, Dobyns, Hayek, Mims, Payne, Throgmorton
Staff Present: Markus, Fruin, Bollinger, Karr, Bentley, Moran, Craig, O'Malley, Tharp
Others Present: Graham, UISG
Parks & Recreation Commission:
Hayek/ Okay. Welcome, everyone. This is the, uh ... this is the, uh, boards and commissions, uh,
budget presentations evening. We appreciate you being here. We're getting a slightly
late start cause we had a meeting that ran over, uh, just prior to this. Um, we've got a list
...a schedule for this evening's presentations. I believe your, uh, as a group should be
aware of that schedule. A couple of things, uh, number one, if...it will help speed things
along if you will get one of those sign -in stickers at the back, prior to when you come up
to the podium, fill it out, and then when you get up to the podium you can just slap it on
there and we'll be off to the races. So if you wouldn't mind doing that sometime this
evening before your presentation that would be great. Secondly, uh, I believe there are
some groups that sent in applications, but failed to get onto the list, failed to sign up for
presentations this evening. Um, if you're on... if you're one of those organizations, um,
we will try to make time for you to speak, if there is a gap in the schedule for this
evening. Uh, and I just can't promise if that'll be the case, but uh, we'll... we'll see what
happens. We'll try to fit you in as ... as time permits. So, with that, uh, our first
organization this evening is the Parks and Rec Commission.
Claussen/ Good evening. On behalf of the citizens of Iowa City and the Parks and Recreation
Commission, I appreciate the opportunity to provide Council an update on the state of the
Parks and Recreation Department. Uh, I am Clay Claussen, the current Commission
Chairperson, and also with us this evening is another Commission Member, Cara
Hamann, who provided some handouts to Council. Uh, and also here to make sure I tell
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is Mike Moran, the Director of Parks
and Recreation. We would all like to offer our thanks for your hard work and
commitment to our community, and would really, really like to thank you for placing us
first on the agenda this year (laughter). Numbers tell a compelling story about the
excellent work product of the Parks and Recreation management and their staff, and their
staff of 44.25 full -time employees. 1,506 acres of parkland. 43 designated parks. 27.4
miles of trails. 60,000 linear feet of irrigation lines. They move 486 acres of residential
style turf. Maintain 212 acres of rough areas, including highways and water retention
basins. Maintaining diverse offerings, including two dog parks, Riverside Festival Stage,
skateboard park, splash pad, disc golf course, and the carnival rides! They supported
4,130 games and practices on sports' fields this past year. They maintain 31 playground
structures and 14 restroom facilities. Clear snow and ice from seven dedicated snow
routes, involving just under 28 miles of trails and sidewalks, in parks and adjacent to City
property. The recreation program handled 1,108 reservations, just for the Farmers
Marker, garden plots, and shelters this past year. They offered over 1,200 programs with
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January 31, 2012 Iowa City City Council Boards & Commissions Work Session Page 2
over 12,700 participants. Facilities host over 375,000 annual visits. They also maintain
over 100,000 square feet of indoor facilities, including the rec centers, pools, and gyms.
The Forestry operations maintain all street and public tree plantings and care, planting a
minimum of 125 new trees each year, and pruning approximately 1,800 trees. CBD,
which is the Central Business District, maintains the downtown ped mall and adjacent
areas, City Hall, and Chauncey Swan Park. Their responsibilities include maintenance of
site furnishings, play equipment, trash pickup and receptacles, bike racks, the Plaza
Fountain, and tree grates. Yes, they are the ones who clean up all the messes downtown
after the bars close. They also clear snow from 3,200 linear feet of the City Plaza and
adjacent areas. The Oakland Cemetery crew maintains 40 acres of land, 2.64 miles of
roads, and approximately 18,000 internment sites. And the Parks and Recreation
provides custodial and maintenance support for City Hall and the Cable TV offices, so
they will be the ones cleaning up right here, following the presentations this evening. In
fact, somebody was working as ... when we came in ... in this evening. Now in the past ten
years, the City has obtained an additional 473.4 acres of parkland, bringing the total to
over 1,500 acres. In those ten years, the department has not acquired any additional staff,
remaining at 4...44.25 full -time employees. And that is not including the 6.2 miles of
unpaved trails, 22.61 miles of paved trails, and 45.19 miles of paved and trail -wide
sidewalks that must be maintained on an annual basis. I'm done with numbers now! Uh,
we recognize these are uncertain times and there are extraordinary budget stresses that
challenge us all to continue to present quality services and facilities to the city's, excuse
me, to the citizens of Iowa City. The department is committed to thinking outside the
box to move forward without compromise. The following are several action items being
taken or under consideration. Increasing fees so the department if more self - supporting.
Increasing to a rate of at least 50% of non - property tax support from the City budget on a
self - imposed basis. Conducting a feasibility study to determine if a cost -share recovery
program is valid to collect fees to offset costs from affiliate groups who have not had to
pay in the past. We are committed to the part ... to the department's master plan and a
copy has been provided for you this evening. We appreciate your continued funding to
update the plan, to make sure we move forward during budget, capital, and CIP projects
in accordance with the needs of the City and changing budget demands. We're also
trying to decrease services in non - essential areas, and examples would be set back
mowing intervals from every 10 to 14 days, and the snow removal on some of the trails,
and go to limited maintenance in non -use areas of parkland. Increase the use of contract
services for forestry, trash pickup, park security, and mowing. Carefully preview any
additional parkland or trail expansions until the committed resources are in place for
purchase and maintenance. The two dog parks are flourishing. The contract with dog
park expired last year so all revenue from the sale of user tags now goes to the
department. Staffing was increased last season to both monitor dog park usage and to
educate the public on the fee structure. That department pilot program resulted in a
dramatic surge of usage and revenue, and will be continued this year. The Farmers
Market continues to thrive in the downtown Chauncey Swan Park location. Surveys have
been completed by the vendors and the public, and results are being analyzed. A
strategic planning committee has been working hard to design a comprehensive plan to
be presented to Council by March of this year. The Farmers Market will celebrate its 401H
year in downtown Iowa City this season, and is stronger than ever. Both the Terry
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True ... excuse me ... both the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, which we call TTRA, and
the Ashton House, which is located off Normandy Drive and Park Ride, near Lower City
Park and the Iowa River, will be open to the public in the near future. The TTRA on
South Gilbert has already had a substantial increase in trail use since the Napoleon Park
trail was connected, uh, excuse me, was extended to connect TTRA to the trail system.
This calendar year, the completed concession area will open with canoe, kayak, paddle
boat, bicycle, and fishing equipment rentals planned to help citizens of Iowa City enjoy
the 90 -plus acre lake and the nearly two miles surrounding trail. Hopefully later this year
the new lodge or maybe a little bit later than that, uh, which you also have a handout, uh,
with a layout of the lodge, will be completed. We anticipate it will be very well received,
and are confident both the TTRA and Ashton House will be revenue generators for the
City. So the duties... hopefully we tried to represent that the duties and responsibilities of
the Parks and Recreation Department go far beyond the recent local stories concerning
the Occupy Iowa encampment and ridding downtown of pesky crows. Thank you again
for your time. Do you have any questions... for us?
Dobyns/ Only comment I'd make is that there's going to be some, uh, community push for, to
become a blue zones area possibly in the next year, and that has some ... I'm not sure with
the strategic plan for Parks and Rec says but some of the blue zones, um, outcomes, uh,
strategies can, you know, possibly part of next budget cycle. Um, so you all may want to
take, you know, commission and your department take a look at those things and see how
they may articulate (both talking)
Claussen/ Yeah, we very much support the Blue Zones project, and they're trying to get as many
people involved as possible and look forward to working with, uh, that program.
Dobyns/ Great.
Champion/ And I thank you for getting rid of the crows! (laughter)
Hayek/ Take a bow, Mike! Thanks to you and the other volunteers on the commission (both
talking)
Claussen/ Thanks to you too!
Hayek/ All right! Okay ... Library Board.
Library Board:
Martin/ Is this the tag you want put someplace?
Hayek/ Yeah. Right on the...
Karr/ On the book!
Hayek/ There's a book.
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Martin/ Oh, right there! I'm sorry! Okay.
Hayek/ Thanks, Tom!
Martin/ Good evening. I'm Tom Martin, President of the Iowa City Public Library Board of
Trustees. On behalf of the board, the Library Director, the managers and staff, and most
importantly, our many, many patrons, I want to express a heartfelt thank you for your
continuing support. Without that support, we would not be able to remain one of the very
best and well- respected libraries in the state. For the record, we remain the busiest single
library in the state of Iowa. I'd like to go off script for just a moment. We don't want to
brag... and that old philosopher from Lucas, Arkansas, better known as "Dizzy Dean," the
pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals once said, it ain't braggin' if ya done it! Folks, we
done it!
Hayek/ Did you just plagiarize from Hayden Frye?
Martin/ Pardon me?
Hayek/ He plagiarized from Dizzy Dean (laughter)
Martin/ According to this morning's Press - Citizen, and I'm just gonna read you one paragraph,
right next to the ad, the story about the Girl Scout cookies, it says: Iowa City Library
among top five for kids ... is the ... is the headline. Livability.com a web site dedicated to
ranking the nation's best libraries, ranked Iowa City as 5th in its top 10 libraries for
children. Not in the state — in the United States. We done it, so we ain't braggin' !
Champion/ My grandchildren will testify to that!
Martin/ Pardon me?
Champion/My grandchildren will testify to that!
Martin/ Thank you.
Throgmorton/ As would my stepdaughter! (laughter)
Martin/ As all of our numbers continue to rise, as library usage con ... across the state increases,
the only number I want to mention tonight is 116,512. 116,512. That's the number of
items checked out by non -Iowa City residents in the last six months. First six months of
the fiscal year. Although non - resident circulation is only 15% of total circulation, the
impact those visitors bring to downtown Cedar ... Iowa City is substantial. If everyone
averaged four items, that is almost 30,000 people brought into downtown. And that's at
four items apiece. Or I'm sorry, three items. If it were four items, it was three ... it'd be
more people. Those 30,000 people should be viewed as potential customers to receive
the marketing efforts of all Iowa City merchants. The Library is an economic tool that is
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seldom mentioned in development circles. Keep in mind all of those visitors come from
communities that support local libraries, and that Iowa City residents benefit from being
able to visit other libraries, as well. Rather than bore you with numbers, I want to
mention briefly outreach and collaboration. Activities ... I want to mention briefly
outreach and collaboration activities because in the big picture, these may be as important
as the numbers. Outreach, we offered 155 outreach programs, primarily at daycare
centers. We also ... are also now offering a computer center in Pepperwood Plaza for use
by southeast Iowa City residents. As you well know, this is in cooperation with the Iowa
City Police Department. The center is slowly gaining traction. Collaboration, we have
collaborated with numerous organizations in the city on various events and activities. All
of which help create many of the "amenities of life" that make Iowa City so special.
Those groups include Friends of Historic Preservation, Johnson County Livable
Community, Orchestra Iowa City Public Library, University of Iowa College of Business,
Accounting, and Fraternity, Iowa City Hospice, Neighborhood Centers, Iowa City
UNESCO City of Literature, Iowa City Community School District, Summer of the Arts,
University of Iowa Rhetoric Department, Iowa City Book Festival. As you can see, the
Library is much more than books, computers, and items for electric devices. The Library
continues to be a driving force in the vibrant life of Iowa City. Thank you again for your
support. It's very much appreciated. If you have any questions, I brought the A -Team
along for the answers! Thank you very much (noise on mic)
Hayek/ Thanks, Tom! Any questions for, uh, Tom or the rest of the Library Board?
Champion/ Well I just want to ask a quick question. Susan, are you ... did the summer reading,
uh, program work again last summer? With the busing the kids into...
Craig/ Yes. We're continuing that program, um, where... children in elementary school age just
show their library card and get on the bus to come downtown, and then during the non -
peak business hours for the buses, and then we give them a pass that will get them home.
Champion/ Good!
Hayek/ Any other questions for Susan while we've got her up there? Okay! Thank you! Thanks
for your good work and ... the commission's work. (several talking) Okay, the next item
is the, uh, Youth Advisory Commission.
Youth Advisory Commission (YAQ:
Fosse/ Let's see, uh, my name's Sam Fosse, um, I'm a senior at City High, and I'm currently a
member of the Youth Advisory Committee. Um ... a little over a year ago my dad
approached me about the Youth Advisory Committee. He didn't say much, but he told
me that it only met once a month and it looked good on, uh, job applications and college
applications (laughter). I was a little caught off... ah, I was a little caught off guard so I
agreed to join. I didn't think much of it, I mean, this seemed like a group that was for
overachiever students just looking for more to add to their resume. Uh, little ... to my
surprise I was accepted and uh, I attended my first meeting in, uh, December of 2010 to
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see what it was like. My first official meeting was in January of 2011. And I'll admit I
was a little timid at first, uh, saying about five words a meeting. Uh, after a couple
meetings I got my feet back under me and began to understand the impact of this, uh,
committee, not only on the community, but the teenagers that are involved. Uh, we have
participated, uh, not only in the funding and planning of certain community events, but
we have learned a lot about how our local government, uh, meeting is run. We have
organized the funding of events from Regina Christmas Basket program to City High's
Gay /Straight Alliance program to Global Village at Arts Fest. Most of the time the
organi ... organization project... process (cough) has required more than the monthly
meetings ... we have to meet up with each other outside of the meetings. (mumbled)
youth empowerment grants, we organize an annual budget, and we divide ourselves into
subcommittees to take some ... some subjects including the Global Village and
empowerment grants into more detail outside the meeting, uh, across the room. Or,
across the hall. Uh, the committee has taught me a lot and I'm glad my dad caught me
off guard that day a year ago. Um, I've learned a lot, and I've met quite a few new
people on the way. I know my public speaking skills aren't the best, but don't judge the
committee on that. It's a great group with great intentions, and we very much appreciate
your support.
Hayek/ Sam, thank you! Uh ... any questions for our representative from the commission?
Dickens/ Thank you for serving (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Could I ... could I ask a quick question? Uh, for me the Youth Advisory
Committee is ... is new, I mean, I was on the Council 15 years ago and there was not such
an entity, at least I don't remember one. Uh, are there representatives from each of the
high schools?
Fosse/ Um, yes, except for Tate.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, so seven members?
Fosse/ Uh, right now we have... six.
Throgmorton/ Six, and um ... and what do you all try to do in order to connect with other students
in each of your high schools?
Fosse/ Uh, can you repeat that?
Throgmorton/ Well, you're at City High (several talking) and there's a whole bunch of students
out there. What do you ... what do you and the other representative, or representatives
from City High, try to do to connect with the other students at City High to ... to, you
know, talk about things that the Youth Advisory Committee could do, uh, and so on?
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Fosse/ Uh, well, I'm ... I mainly bring it up informally just with friends, just let `em know that
I'm a part of it and what we do and see if anybody's interested... in joining or ... uh,
supporting it.
Hayek/ It's a good point though. There ... there might be opportunities for, I guess, for a more
formalized communication between the members of the Youth Commission and the
schools that they represent. Maybe the commission (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...I'm the liaison for the group, and that's something I anticipate doing is, as I'm
learning how the group works ... um, is how they interact with their own, uh,
communities.
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Hayek/ (mumbled) Good! Sam, thanks, we ... we sure enjoy workin' with your dad! (laughter)
Okay, Airport Commission is next.
Airport:
Tharp/ Oh, good evening, Council Members, Mr. Mayor. I'm, uh, hopefully you're tired of
listening to me so I was able to bring, uh, Airport Commission Chair, Minnetta Gardinier
to, uh, the meeting tonight, and she's going to talk to you a little bit about the, uh, 2011
annual report, uh, that we have developed and was in your Info Packet.
Gardinier/ A little sticker in your book here.
Hayek/ Thank you.
Gardinier/ Hopefully it's legible! Uh (noise in mic) it's warming up! Well, anyway, um, I think
most of you probably recognize me now. I've tried to make a point in my year, I'm
nearing the end of my year tenure as the Commission Chair. But I've tried to make a
point in that time to ... come in and introduce myself and ... and kind of the things we do at
the Airport. Um ... so what I'd like to do is I'm just going to ... I've got, uh, just a few
slides and just to kind of highlight and actually put some pictures out here for some of the
things that go on at the Airport. I recognize that probably everybody around the table
here is, you know, goes out to the Public Library but maybe not all of you have been out
to the Airport on a regular basis anyway. So I've kind of gone through my little
photograph galleries and pulled out a few pictures to bring this, put a little more life to it,
if you will. Um, and I know there are, I think three new members on the Council and so
I'm also using this opportunity to kind of highlight, uh, again what goes on at the Airport
and to introduce you probably to some things maybe you haven't, uh, heard about
necessarily. Can everybody hear me okay? I know I'm kind of wondering away here
from the mic. Um, so the Iowa City Municipal Airport, the aerial shot is shown here,
let's see ... there we go. Oops! Let's back up here. So we have two main runways that
are sort of depicted here by these little X, or this little crossing X here. This runway here
is one that was decommissioned. So we have two runways, um, and the one that's
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marked 7 -25, that's 5,000 feet long, that was one that was lengthened a bit, uh, in a recent
construction job and that makes us, um ... sort of very, um ... a desirable airport in terms of
some of the business traffic that can come in and out of Iowa City. Um, we have a
terminal building, as you know, uh, there's a maintenance facility where aircraft can be
worked on. Uh, a number of hangars. We also have 24 -hour fueling operations. So
basically a, if you will, a self -serve fuel tank, and /or for some aircraft they might have to
call in, uh, a member of the FBO, the fixed base operator, uh, to come in and fuel an
aircraft at night. Uh, but anyway, there's the option to have 24 -hour fueling. I myself
have been out there at about 10:00 at night or later some evenings putting fuel in my
aircraft. Um, and it works pretty much like your gas station down the street. Uh, so the
FBO or the fixed base operator is Jet Air. There's another operation on the field called
Air Care. This is, uh, a ... a corporate operation that interfaces with Jet Air. Jet Air
provides medical transport for some patients, and, uh, Air Care provides the staffing for
the aircraft, the medical staffing for the aircraft, as well as they provide ground
transportation to get a patient from the airport say to the hospital, or vice versa. Uh, we
also have a ... a very, uh, prominent research operation, um, as part of the University of
Iowa. They have what's called the Operator Performance Lab. Uh, where they do some
really cutting -edge research, uh, and some of the visual, um, aspects of, uh, of flight.
Um, as well as some other neurological, neuroscience related, uh, type studies. And Iowa
Flight Training is now what provides flight training on the field, so Jet Air used to
provide the flight training operation. They've split that off and Iowa Flight Training,
which also is not only at Iowa City but a number, well, located at a number of other, uh,
airports around Iowa, uh, provides that. This, um, is really a great summary and I think
you should take it as a great kudo for the Airport, uh, here in Iowa City. In 2009 the
Office of Aviation at the Iowa Department of Transportation did an economic impact
study, um, of all the airports across the state of Iowa. And, um, basically Iowa City
Airport, which I've indicated here as IOW, ranks 4th among the 10 best ... among the top
10 airports, uh, general aviation airports based on its total output. So what I've done is
I've simply excerpt ... made an excerpt of the top 10 airports shown here, and I've
highlighted Iowa City ... in its number 4 spot. So you should be aware that there are eight
commercial airports around in the state of Iowa, and in addition to this, the state included
in this study not only that ... not only those airports, but also two other commercial
airports in Moline, which is technically in Illinois, just across the border, and also Epley
Field, uh, just across the border in Nebraska. So they included those in the study, and
I'm just citing the Iowa Airports, so there're eight commercial airports in the state of
Iowa, there are 101 publicly owned general aviation airports, uh, and then 10 privately
owned airports, and so ... the top 10 listing here is really taken from just the GA airports,
the general aviation airports. And so out of those 101 publicly owned, we are number 4
in the state in terms of the busiest and the ... and the top economic output, uh, to our
community. So I think this is, you know, we really do have a gem of an airport here in
the ... in the city. This just, uh, gives you an overview in terms of the Airport capital
improvement funding that we've received since 2004, um, because we have a lot of ...we
do a lot of good business, uh, through the City, uh, the Municipal Airport, um... the
efforts of Mike Tharp, um, in terms of writing grants and um, in consultation with the
...with the Commission, but I really want to emphasize Mike's contribution to this effort
at the Airport as the, uh, Iowa City staff, uh, Operations Spec... Specialist, um, we ... we
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do very well in terms of, um, applying and uh, successfully competing for funding for
this airport here in Iowa City. Um, the yellow area, the large ... the bulk of that shows that
we've had nearly $12 million invested in our airport, um, by the federal government. So
those federal grants, uh, when we have a ... there's a urn ... uh, a ... um, how should I say?
There's certain items that the Airport ... one example would be, uh, construction and
lengthening of runways. We've have two essentially brand -new runways at Iowa City
now, thanks to federal funding that was garnered in the last few years. So in general,
federal dollars pay for 95% of a project, and then we come ... the expectation from the
federal government is that the community would provide the additional 5% necessary to
complete a project. And similarly, the state also provides a large proportion of...of funds
for certain projects, in the neighborhood of 70 to 85% that they contribute, and then the
community, uh, puts in the additional 15 to 30 %. And then the City portion that is shown
here, which is showing at about a million dollars, that orange wedge, that represents that
5 %, or that 15 to 30 %, over time that the City has contributed to various projects, uh, at
the Airport. And then the 400,000 that's indicated there for the Airport is ... that's most
recently a, uh, one of our lot sales that has gone forward, and those are funds that are
being utilized. Some of those funds that are being utilized towards, urn ... the capital
improvement funding needed towards a project. So it's actually... we're trying to make it
a joint effort now between the City as well as the Airport contributing to these projects.
So just as a ... an introduction, this photograph, what's shown here is ... uh, the blue and
yellow airplane, that's the jet, one of the two jets that the operation performance lab has
from the University. You'll see some corporate jets that are on the field there. Uh, some
of these larger aircraft that are just on the other side of the yellow, and then you'll see
some small aircraft, uh, that are off on the grass or just taxing in, some of the general
aviation aircraft, and this shot was actually, um, taken from the Iowa City Aviation
celebration from 2010, and that was celebrating again the opening of these new runways.
So, um, just gives you an idea of some of the stuff that goes on. Urn ... what we're
showing here, what I want to emphasize here, again, looking at just the operations and the
facilities themselves, uh, there are about 36,000 flight operations that occur over the
course of a year. There are 84 aircraft that are actually based on the field, uh, there's one
fixed base operator, the main ... their maintenance hangar where they do the work, uh,
there are 59 t- hangars. These are generally for the smaller, uh, GA aircraft. Uh, there are
four corporate hangars, and then one corporate building, and the corporate building right
now is the, um, houses, uh, Air Care, if you will. Um, and again, just as a ... to give you a
flavor for some of the things that go on out at the Airport, uh, the large military helicopter
was one that came in, uh, just, I think it's in the past year. Basically it was traveling
crossing the country from, I think Arizona or New Mexico if I recall, and I just happened
to walk out, or happened to go out to the Airport at that time and ... and it had just landed
and you can see the fuel truck out there, and I'm sure that Jet Air was, uh, very happy to
see that plane land after a long trip, because I'm sure they put in a lot of fuel, and uh,
again so that ... that goes towards our fuel sales out at the Airport. Uh, the other aircraft,
the one that says CTLS on its tail, that's a light sport aircraft and that's with Iowa Flight
Training. So that's one of their aircraft that they can use for flight training. The aircraft
on the other side is the civil air patrol, and so they do, um, some work out at the field
also. So they ... they'll have sometimes meetings that they hold out at the field, as well as
running flight operations. This has been a particularly special year in terms ... this past
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year, for community events. Um ... one thing that occurs every year is the annual Sertoma
Fly- In/Drive- In/Pancake Breakfast. Sertoma is, uh, service to mankind. It's a ... um,
philanthropic organization, and they hold an annual, uh, pancake breakfast that probably
serves about a thousand people, if I'm not mistaken, on that Sunday morning, uh, when
they hold that. It's very popular event, uh, across... across the area, and brings, draws a
lot of the public over to the Airport. Uh, and what you see with the cars there, basically
they also run a classic car show. Then the cars are usually on the field and so between
these two events there are a lot of airplanes around that people can wonder and uh, kids
can wonder around and sort of get to look at, um, as well as, uh, the cars. And the cars
are probably more for the grownups in (laughter).
Hayek/ Minnetta, could I ... sorry, could I interrupt?
Gardinier/ Sure!
Hayek/ We're comin' up on your 10 minutes and I just wanted to ... to throw a couple of
questions out there, and they relate to, uh, the ... the revenue side of the budget.
Gardinier/ Uh -huh.
Hayek/ I mean, obviously the general levy support is decided by the Council.
Gardinier/ Right.
Hayek/ And the two other areas, as ... according to your annual report, are hangar rentals
and... and fuel sales.
Gardinier/ Right.
Hayek/ And we've, over the years the Council's pushed you guys on ... on hangar rates and
whether you can increase them, and I think your sense is that you're about where you
realistically can be, and ... and still be competitive with other options that ... that airplane
owners have ... have in the area. Um, you know, I guess my question is has ... has that
changed, are there any plans with that, and then my second question is, with fuel sales,
uh, you're showing the chart that I was looking at here.
Gardinier/ Uh -huh.
Hayek/ You know, where ... so we've rebounded from the economic downturn. Where do you
see fuel sales going, and what impact will that have on ... on revenue?
Gardinier/ I think ... um, it's ... I would believe that fuel sales are continuing to go up, but I don't
that they've plateaued off. If ... if anything the, um, the first set of bars in each group is
the (mumbled). Those are general aviation planes. And ... and those you can see, they've
increased a little bit, but they're not increasing as much, um, as the jet A sales, which are
the orange bars. So the total fuel sales that you see rising is probably more attributed...
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attributable to the jet A, which represents corporate business. So what that's telling us is
that corporate business is definitely on the rise. And from what I've heard in terms of
talking to the folks at Jet Air, they seem very positive that the ... this is a continuing trend
that will ... will go up. So I ... I think our fuel sales will continue to rise. Now, for how
long I don't know, but ... I don't know, do you have anything to add to that, Mike?
(unable to hear response, away from mic) Yeah.
Hayek/ And how about hangar rents, are you, I mean, are there ... is there...
Gardinier/ So hangar rents are...
Hayek/ A perennial question that you get...
Gardinier/ Perennial question, yeah, and I'm, uh, even before I went on the Commission, um,
one of the things that I've pushed Mike to do, well, I've kind of pushed Mike to do this
before I went on the Commission, when hangar rents were discussed, is because is to tell
me what the other surrounding airports charge. We are on the high side of what...
everybody around us charges. So I think what we are charging is a fair hangar rent, and
generally we also have, um, we have a waiting list, but it's not like, um, generally the
first person you ask on that waiting list, are you ready to take a hangar, you know, so I
think Mike does go through a few names before somebody's really ready to take over a
hangar. So...
Hayek/ Okay. That ... those answer my questions. And I'm sorry to interrupt. We're just trying
to...
Gardinier/ Yeah. No, that's fine. That's fine.
Hayek/ (mumbled)
Gardinier/ Um ... I guess, do you want me to just finish up with a couple of things here or...
Hayek/ Yeah, quickly if you could. Real quickly if you could! Just... cause we gotta... hundred
people (both talking)
Gardinier/ The Airport Commerce Park, I think that's the other plus side ... of what's going on at
the Airport now. So we've had a ... uptick in the activity in terms of lot sales, I would
say, so what's depicted on here is this ... area over here, these two lots — 16 and 17 — were
recently purchased by Deery, with the option to purchase these other, uh, three lots, and
we'll know that hopefully within, um, 180 days whether they're going to make that
purchase or not. Um, but there are six lots here, these four lots plus these two that remain
open, but... so we've actually sold a fair number of lots in this block over time. And the
other thing that we've done is we've created a more formal arrangement for taking 70%
of each lot sale and just turning it back to the City immediately, rather than us keeping it,
which is going to allow us to pay down debt to you guys, which makes you all happier,
I'm sure. So that's one of the things ... I would say that's a big emphasis on the
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comm .... on the commission when we have discussions, uh, with ... as regards what to do
with lot sales. So that's one of the things I would ... I would see that as happening. The
things that we look forward to doing in the next year, um, I've tried to sort of summarize
them in these kind of four major areas, but looking at infrastructure, um, you'll see this
red line here. This represents a parallel taxiway to runway 7 -25. So one of the next big
FAA projects that we're looking to complete, are putting in these parallel taxiways,
which are really important for the Airport in terms of increasing safety, and just allowing
lower minimum approaches in a safe manner, uh, for aircraft landing on the field. Um,
and that also goes towards making the Airport another desir ... a more desirable airport.
So again, that's going to help, uh, draw business in. Uh, the terminal building is
relatively old, um, and so we're ... we're going to be undertaking, um, some maintenance
on the building, and so that's something we're looking at. We're looking at, uh, building
another hangar. Again, this is a corporate hangar to bring in more corporate traffic that'll
be based here in Iowa City. Um, increasing security and then improving lighting around
the, uh, facility. Again, we're focusing a lot on debt reduction and we're looking
towards, um, really, um, putting more emphasis towards looking at economic
development, trying to draw more business in to the Airport, and also continuing
community outreach. So we're hoping to have some more events out there this ... this
coming... and again, I would like to invite on behalf of the Airport Commission and Mike
and everybody out there, we would really like to have, uh, some of you come out some
time for a look around, have lunch, um, and we'd be happy to set that up.
Hayek/ Great! Thank you. It's clear the activities down there are robust! Any questions (both
talking)
Gardinier/ Questions?
Hayek/ Okay. Thanks, Mike, Minnetta. Okay, next up is the Public Art Commission.
Public Art:
Finlayson/ Hi, my name is Jan Finlayson. I'm the current Chair of the Public Art Committee.
Um, our main reason for being here is just to remind you how vibrant this committee has
been in the past and how important we still feel that we are to (noise on mic) Iowa City
area. (several talking, noise on mic) Um ... (laughter) ... we, in the past when we first
were formed in 97, we came from a very large budget, as many of you know, of $100,000
that we have ... had backed off over the years, and rightly so given the current economic
situations that have come up, but we have some major, major accomplishments that we
done with that money, and I think that have been... a very important part of our
community. The literary walk on Iowa Avenue and most recently the extension into the
Northside Market area. We have had our hands in the four pedestrian mall sculptures,
um, you know, it's great to see people getting their pictures taken next to those, as well as
Irving Weber, during the summertime. The Court Street Transportation Center, uh, the
Dulcinea mural. The Just for Kicks out at the soccer park. Benton Street Hill archway.
The neighborhood art projects have been a huge part of this, and unfortunately with our
budget cuts, those have, uh, had to go away, which we hope is a temporary situation,
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because those have been such a vital part of the neighborhoods and... and uh, creating
camaraderie there. Um ... the Willow Creek Park most recently there are some wonderful
wooden sculptures that we installed there, about a year ago. Uh, the Wetherby and
Creekside Park murals. The Lemme leopard. Um, in addition to having rotating
sculpture that was in the ped mall. Um ... that has been, uh, an important feature, but right
now we are in kind of a maintenance mode and we'd like to sustain that, you know, in the
years to come we hope to build back up and be able to do more things but um ... right now
our current projects that are ... we are able to do at a very low cost or no cost — the Poetry
in Public art program in which students submit poetry, art, poetry works that are, um,
judged and eventually read in public, and it's a very exciting thing for them. The Kids
Tent during the Iowa Arts Festival, um, the artists graciously donate a piece of art that is
then sold for $5 to, um, children during the kids' day, and then we in turn give that
money back to the Summer of the Arts program. Uh, the donation station art projects,
which is the meters that have gone up around town. Um, those we've had artists give us
plans for what they'd like to do with those. And um ... you know, and again, mentioning
the new Northside Marketplace that new extension. So those are the things we've been
working on, um ... the funding we have now is mostly to keep maintenance going and...
and making sure that things look well and are well attended to. So, we'd like to ... we'd
like to make it more at some point, and we, you know, even be open to looking at other
funding options, but this is where we've come and we think we're still a very important
part of the whole scheme of things. Do you have any questions to me about some of
those projects?
Hayek/ I just had a general question, Jan. I'm looking at where you guys appear on our capital
budget, and ... and there's a reference to the Public Art program starting in the mid -90s, in
collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce.
Finlayson/ Uh -huh.
Hayek/ Are they still a partner in this?
Finlayson/ They are not!
Hayek/ Okay. Was there funding from them at that time, does anyone recall?
Finlayson/ I don't go back that far with it, and I ... to my knowledge there was not, but I might be
mistaken. There have been some matches along the years, uh, for some of the funding, I
think. Um, and I don't know ... the Irving Weber, there was a matched fund for that.
Hayek/ Okay. I just... curiosity!
Finlayson/ Yeah!
Hayek/ Any questions for Jan?
Finlayson/ All right!
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Hayek/ Okay, thank you for your service. Appreciate it! Mission Creek!
Mission Creek Festival:
Perry/ Good evening, Council. My name is Andre Perry. I'm the Director of Mission Creek
Festival, and just have some of our team here. Craig Ealey is Development Director,
Chris Rearsma, Head of Production, and Joe Teventoler, he's, uh, Programming,
especially literary programming. Um, thanks again for hearing us out tonight. Um, just
have three quick things that I want to impart upon you guys, which is ... which are ... just
give you a quick refresh on what we do, um, why we think we're important to the culture
here in Iowa City, and just a quick note about our future. Um, so Mission Creek Festival
is an arts festival, and it's a weeklong festival. It takes over the venues and spaces of
downtown Iowa City. We are going into our seventh year in 2012, and um, it ... the
programming involves music, it involves literature, it involves now a food culture
program that we're doing, it involves public lectures. We have a growing educational
outreach program that we're doing, um, and it involves things that are, you know,
difficult to categorize at times, but um, it's the ... the idea here is to have a lot of fun, and
um, beyond that we always have ... try to have a balance between supporting the local and
regional arts communities that are here ... are here in the Iowa City area and beyond, as
well as bringing in a national flavor and as we grow, bringing in an international flavor of
artists who are coming to Iowa City, and what we think is really important is that our
artists don't just come here for a show or for a one -off event. Many of them come here
and they interact with the community, um, and that can happen in several ways.
Sometimes it's just, you know, a comedian such as David Cross will come from New
York, who's coming this year, and hang out for three days just to understand what's
happening in Iowa City. His fiancee, Amber Tamblyn, who's a slam poet, is going to be
working with the Iowa ... Iowa Youth Writers Program to, um, to do a project with middle
school and high school students to work with them on their poetry. Um, and then we also
have folks like Tim Hecker who's in ... who's an ambien artist, a Ph.D., composer's
coming down and he's going to give a lecture at the University and working with the
Overman Center, and we have a group of short story writers who are coming to read, but
in addition to that they're also going to hold a workshop both for undergraduate students
and MFA students, as well as writers in the community. So ... there is a lot of fun here,
but there's also kind of a two -way thing happening where we are working with the people
who are coming to our town, and at the same time we're still supporting the people who
are already here, whether they're writers or visual artists or musicians or something else.
Um, one thing about the importance I think of having cultural events like this, um, like
ours and like many of the other ones that are happening in Iowa City, is that I think if I
talked to my parents and their generation, you know, they would look for a job, get that
job, and then they would move to a town and I think as we get older maybe my
generation or maybe I'm getting too old now, but um, maybe the generation below me,
they look for towns they want to live in. They make that decision that they want to live
in Kansas City, want to live in Minneapolis, want to live in New York, maybe Iowa City,
and then they kind of find a way to make it work out, and as we get into that mindset of
college graduates coming out of school, and thinking where they want to live, we have to
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think about well, what does our town offer that's going to make us different from the
places around us. Um, and I think even more so you have people who can kind of get off
the grid. I think even the idea of the grid is being reimagined right now as we speak,
such that if you worked in tech, maybe you had to move to Silicon Valley 15 years ago,
but now you've got a growing tech area happening in Omaha, starting to try pop up
around here in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. So you can live in the places you want to
do, that you want to live in, and do the things you want to do, and so all of a sudden, you
know, there are things that drive your ... what's going on in this town that I'm moving to.
Do they have good schools? Is it easy to go get the things I need to get? Can I get to
work easily? Do I have to drive my car, and can I have fun, can I do interesting things
and be culturally vibrant person? Um, and so within the whole Iowa City spectrum of
culture, we think that we are offering some things that are not offered, I mean ... we
actually have an event that occurs when everyone in the city's here. So, it can be the
citizens of Iowa City, but it's also the students are here. It happens in the spring. Um,
we reach out to a lot of different demographics. I think we used to get associated with
being a youth culture thing, but if you look at some of the folks that have come in, the
writers, the musicians who are coming in, it reaches the whole spectrum, from high
school students to even younger than that now, to people who are older, um, my parents
came out, and that's getting' pretty old (laughter). Um, we work in several mediums.
It's not just one thing. It's music. It's literature. It's food, um, it's visual art. It's things
like I said earlier that we can't categorize, um, and we work with several different
institutions. We've worked with city ... with the City before. We've worked with the
Visitors Bureau. We've worked with the University, several different arms — Hancher,
Overman Center, the Lecture Committee, so we're really trying to reach out and make
connections among these groups at some times, and even such a small place, can be
disparate from each other, and last year we had about 10,000 attendees, which we think is
important, growing from about 1,800 in our first year and these are folks who are
engaging downtown Iowa City. They're engaging the businesses. When we get out of
those main venues, like the Englert Theater or The Mill or Gabe's or the Yacht Club
people are going to places like the Times Club, Prairie Lights. People are going to the
Java House. They're going into Catherine's store. Um, and that ... instead of having, you
know, a big event downtown in the middle of downtown, people are actually going to the
places that make up downtown. Um ... and I, you know, it's rather than ... Iowa City
becoming secondary to the event, it really becomes the event, and so we think that's
really important, that really gives people a kind of a ... an edge, you know, tourists...
tourism -wise, of what's happening here, and just ... just one quick thing about our future.
Um, I know some of you who've been just ... known some of us here for years, and you
guys have been extremely supportive and we really appreciate that. You guys have only
been 110% behind us, but um, as ... I think we're kind of at a crossroads of sorts, where
some of us are getting older and starting to move on, and uh, we want to bring in fresher
blood because we're also just not as relevant anymore, which is really sad to admit but
it's the truth (laughter). Um, and as that new blood comes in, it's really important that
there is a foundation, you know a financial foundation to make sure that this festival can
continue. Um ... I remember when Tanner and I started this, you know, seven years ago
now, you know, it was based on like student loans is how we were going to make it
happen, but as we've gotten more responsible, we've become a non - profit, you know.
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We want to make sure that that foundation is there so when new people come in they can
keep this thing going. So as much (mumbled) give us, you know, I think it will ensure
that this will be around for longer than, you know, just another year So, thanks!
Hayek/ (mumbled) question, um, you mentioned 10,000 as the ... the overall audience. Uh, at
least last year. I don't know what this year's projected to be, but how ... how many total
artists come to town for this?
Perry/ That's tough, I mean, any (both talking) anywhere from 100 to 200. It kind of depends
how you count them. If there're three people in a band ... we just try to count the band as
one so ... at least a hundred every year. I think the first year we had about 70, 75 and it's
just been growing from there, and depending on the year it'll kind of vary a little bit.
Hayek/ And how many venues do you utilize?
Perry/ Probably up to about like 20 total. Um, of course there's the standard performance venues
in town, which I think get most of the traffic, but increasingly we try to use, you know,
just alternative venues, um, like Catherine Champion's store. It's great to have, you
know, a place where you have people playing music, people giving readings, and kind of
just engaging the community in a different way. So...
Hayek/ Any questions for the ... these representatives? Okay, thank you.
Perry /Thanks, guys!
Hayek/ (mumbled) Should we fit one in? Why don't we, yeah, so, Keith, would you like to
come forward. We've got a short gaf...gap here in our presentation. We could...
Karr/ Keith Ruff is here for the ADA Celebration.
ADA Celebration:
Ruff/ (noise on mic) Okay. As you know, ADA has been (mumbled) in helping people with
disabilities find equality with the whole community. (mumbled) managed to (mumbled)
to become that much more independent. (mumbled) celebrate ADA we not only
celebrate (mumbled) people are equal, we're educating people that are not disabled that
we are equal to anyone in any community (mumbled) support we've really managed to
not only educate the public, we've managed to remind ourselves that (mumbled). If we
don't take responsibility, no one else will. (mumbled) go to very good use.
Hayek/ Thank you, Keith. Are there, uh, questions for Mr. Ruff?
Champion/ Keith, I have some questions for you.
Ruff/ Yes.
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Champion/ Um, this event is now being held in Coralville, is that correct?
Ruff/ Yes.
Champion/ And is Coralville giving you any money for this?
Ruff/ No, they haven't.
Champion/ They haven't?
Ruff/ No.
Champion/ Well I have some problems with that.
Hayek/ Is this at the Mall?
Ruff/ Yes (both talking)
Hayek/ ...last year I went (both talking). Okay.
Ruff/ ...and we've done it that way because (mumbled)
Hayek/ Insurance reasons, okay. Any other questions for Keith? Okay. Thank you for your
time this evening and... and for what you do.
Ruff/ Thank you!
Hayek/ Have a good one! Okay, it's 8:00. Why don't we hear from Riverside Theater. Go
ahead, yeah, hi! Sorry. Welcome!
Riverside Theater Shakespeare Festival:
Hovland/ Oh, wonderful, wonderful... and yet again, wonderful, and after that out of all
whooping...
Clark/ (mumbled) he is a good man is to have you understand me that he is (mumbled)
Hovland/ The fool doth think he is wise! But the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
Clark/ I never knew so young a body and so old a head.
Hovland/ Live a little, comfort a little, cheer thyself a little.
Clark/ I will buy with you so with you talk with you walk with you and so following, but I will
not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.
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Hovland /All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their
exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays man parts.
Clark/ The quality of mercy is not strained. (mumbled) the gentle rain from heaven upon the
place beneath. It is twice blessed. It blesseth him that gives him that takes. (noise on
mic)
Hovland/ All lines from the two plays that we'll be producing during Riverside Theater's 13
outdoor season this summer, The Merchant of Venice and As You Like It. As You Like It
has everything we adore about Shakespearean comedies, mistaken identity, cross -
dressing, madness, mayhem, laughter, and of course, plenty of romance! The Merchant
of Venice is Shakespeare's most exciting and suspenseful play. Challenging the power of
faith, the power of money, and the power of love.
Clark/ Even though we're also immersed in our indoor season at Gilbert Street, casting for this
summer has occupied a good part of our time over the past several months. We've
traveled to Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Milwaukee, and held auditions here
in town to find the artists who will join our community for eight weeks, here, from mid -
May through mid -July.
Hovland/ Our casting includes a familiar and new faces. We're showing you just a few of the 35
artists who will be adding to Iowa City's vibrant, cultural landscape, and contributing to
our local economy. Riverside Theater pays festival artists, both the professional
company and the apprentice company.
Holan/ This year we have some unique opportunities to increase awareness and grow our
audiences. We've secured an NEA grant that will allow us to present free edu ... audience
education and community outreach program, centered on the theme of the other, in
Merchant. We're partnering with the Iowa City Public Library, various members of the
local clergy, working group theater and others to develop free public discussions that
confront the anti - Semitism reflected in the play, and reveal how the play, rather than
being a relic, is relevant today because of the way it illustrates prejudice in general. One
of the clergymen we're collaborating with has said Shylock goes by many names in
today's conversations. And his examples were Obama sometimes or Joe from Chicago.
It'll be easy to emphasize how relevant the play actually is. We expect these activities
will engage the community on these important topics, but we also anticipate that they'll
build awareness of our outdoor season, lure new people to City Park, and enrich each
audience member's play -going experience. We're also working with, um, Nick
Westergard of Westergard to rebrand the festival, to accomplish some key strategic
objectives. First to connect our indoor Gilbert Street season with the outdoor season in
City Park. To minimize the confusion that sometimes comes up when we include non -
Shakespearean plays in our programming, and to emphasize one of our strongest
differentiators among arts' organizations, the magic of the outdoor natural setting. So
we'll be unveiling a new logo and a new name, something along the lines of Riverside
Theater in the Park in the next few weeks. And, we've secured additional funding from
the Community Foundation to expand our family night's program. On family night's, up
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to two adults partic... accompanying a youth get in at the $17 youth price. Previously
we've held family nights on two Tuesdays, and we'll have four this summer. And, the
funding we've received, um, will also allow us to subsidize tickets for youth and adults
from organizations that work with youth, unlikely to have the opportunity to attend. So,
Big Brothers, Big Sisters, specifically, increasing access for other types of family.
Hovland/ This is all in addition to our usual festival activities. Our apprentice company will
present Green Shows in the ped mall in advance of each play's opening. Our willpower
educational outreach brings a team of performer educators every spring to up to ten
schools in the Iowa City /Cedar Rapids area.
Clark/ Having the City of Iowa City's support and endorsement continues the long partnership
that began well over 13 years ago. It will allow our community to allow professionally
acted, professionally produced theater, and it keeps professional entertainment options
here, at home. We're the only festival of our kind within the 3 -hour radius of Iowa City.
Hovland/ These plays represent what Riverside Theater is all about. Our mission is to connect
exceptional artists to our audiences, through intimate, engaging and provocative
productions. We strive to produce work that will both entertain and challenges...
challenge our audiences, and our artists.
Clark/ The City of Iowa City and its support will help us with our mission and help keep our
City's vibrant cultural landscape thriving. Thank you for hearing us tonight, and we
welcome your questions.
Hayek/ Thanks for the always unique presentation! (laughter)
Clark/ You've got such great pictures, you've gotta use `em!
Hayek/ I know it! I know it! Are there questions for our, uh ... representatives?
Champion/ Thank you!
Hayek/ Okay, thanks for all you do!
Clark/ Would you like to hear a sonnet (several talking and laughing)
Hayek/ Appreciate it! Thanks so much! (several talking) Why don't we try to fit in one other,
quick, uh, presentation if we've got one on the list, Marian.
Karr/ Uh, let's see, yes, go ahead.
Johnson County Historical Society — Irving Weber Days:
McCollum/ Good evening. My name is Meagan McCollum, and I'm the Education and
Outreach Coordinator for the Johnson County Historical Society. Um ... thank you for the
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opportunity to speak a little bit more about Irving Weber Days. Irving Weber Days was
established in 1998 as a way to honor Irving's memory and instill the desire for current
residents to appreciate and preserve our community's history. Irving B. Weber lived his
entire life in almost the entire 201h century in Iowa City. He was the University of Iowa's
first all- American swimmer, long -time businessman, popular community leader, and
founder of the Quality Check Dairy Association. Irving wrote over 850 newspaper
articles on local history, after his 72nd birthday. And in 1989 earned the title of Iowa
City's official historian. He's still a valuable resource for researchers, and those
interested in hearing a good story. Each May, several community organizations partner
to offer a month full of activities, lectures, exhibits, and events based on our local history.
In 2011, those organizations were the Iowa City Public Library, Friends of Historic
Preservation, the Iowa City Host Noon Lions Club, the Iowa City - Johnson County Senior
Center, the Pentacrest Museums, and the Johnson County Historical Society. As the
facilitators of Irving Weber Days, JCHS believes that this event provides opportunities
for Iowa City residents to celebrate and explore this rich local history. What we aim to
do is to make history come to life and not only be an educational resource, but also an
entertaining aspect of the Iowa City community. The Irving Weber Committee hopes to
add more activities and work with even more partners, and to respond to the interest of
event participants. In order to make this year's celebration a little bit more of and for the
community, we're aiming to create new events that encourage collaboration and
involvement of Iowa City residents. For example, this year, um, we're going to be doing
a pop -up museum. Um, we're going to be asking the public to bring an item of personal
significance to create a short-term community sourced museum, in much the same way
that Irvin told the history of this city, interwoven with his own personal anecdotes,
projects such as the pop -up will tell local history through the conversations and memories
of participants. We hope that this will be just the beginning of more participatory
projects. Irving Weber Days continues to be a vibrant and exciting attraction to Iowa
City residents, as well as outside visitors. And through this event, Iowa City has
demonstrated its appreciation and support of the value of the rich history in this
community, as well as continuing to honor Irving Weber's legacy and years of
community leadership. In 2011, close to 1,000 people enjoyed the eleven events and
many more enjoyed the six exhibits that were part of the Irving Weber Days calendar.
Programs offered a glimpse into past businesses, prominent community figures, historic
events and places. 2011 was also the first year that the Old Capitol Museum participated
in Irving Weber Days, and they added significantly to the variety of programs that we
were able to offer. The annual ice cream social was also moved this past year and was
held on the grounds of the Iowa City landmark, Plum Grove Historic Home, combining
the opening of the home for the season and this yearly ice cream social. Uh, the
committee hopes to keep adding to the partners, um, and be able to, at the same time,
widen our audience that we're able to reach. Over the past couple of years, the Historical
Society and the committee has worked to refocus the event, from what it's previously
been to its essential purpose, which is to share the story and legacy of Irving Weber, and
create opportunities for the community to explore Iowa City's history. In doing so, um,
we've increased the quality of events and the reach of the associated programs. And I
can answer any questions!
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Hayek/ Questions for, uh, Meagan?
Dickens/ This ... makes me want to get my Irving Weber books out.
McCollum/ Yeah (laughter)
Hayek/ Yeah, I've got a few in my basement!
Dickens/ I've got the whole set! (laughter)
Throgmorton/ Matt, I'd like to ask a quick question. I'm a lover of history, in fact I'm reading a
history of the city of Jerusalem right now so I mean, done this all my life! Uh, but I
wonder when does history end? And ... and what I mean, I don't mean to put you on the
spot, but what I mean by that is, with regard to Irving Weber Days, when does ... when
does the historical perspective end, and... and the contemporary moment begin? In other
words, are ... are ... is there a way to make the Irving... Irving Weber Days, um, event
something that is, uh, alive and not simply focused on some moments in the past?
McCollum/ Sure, I understand what you're saying. Um, and I mean, that's a very good question.
Um, I think that through doing things where we're making people look into, um, their
own personal stories. That doesn't necessarily have to be, you know, your grandfather's
story or your great - grandmother's story, but you know, looking at items of your own
personal significance. Um ... whether it be your Irving Weber book that you pull out of
the basement, um, that relates to your life in some way, um, and I don't think that we
need to go back in generations to be able to tell our local story. Um ... just as an example,
we've opened exhibits that talk about, you know, country schools and our local small
schools, um, throughout Johnson County, just to the 60s. So we've told that recent story.
Um ... we've had exhibits up out ... the flood, so 2008, people telling their own stories, and
looking at how their current events do become history. So encouraging people to save
what they're doing today.
Dickens/ Maybe we can create a new Irving Weber! (laughter)
Throgmorton/ You volunteering? (laughter)
Dickens/ Start takin' notes!
Hayek/ Other questions for Meagan? Well thanks for what you do, uh, here in the community.
We appreciate your time!
McCollum/ Thank you.
Hayek/ Um, Marian, why don't we try to fit ... if there's anyone else who's not on this list...
Karr/ Ken, do you want to ... do you want to step up?
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Hayek/ Ken, you want to...
Karr/ Ken Longdon is here, um, and he's the Corridor Black Business Committee, and there are
three events listed under that category.
Hayek/ Okay, we got about five minutes for you here, so hopefully you can squeeze all three in!
Corridor Black Business Committee:
Longdon/ My name's Kenneth Longdon, 1940 S. Ridge. Um, I provided the City Council with a
various information packets, courtesy of the Clerk. And it pretty much details everything
that, uh, I wanted to say, so I don't have to really speak a lot about (mumbled) take a look
at it in your own spare time, and this year here if you take a look at (mumbled) logo on it.
That's actually my speech to you today, for the City Council, describing the three events,
uh, two of the events here, urn ... African-American History Month and uh, Martin Luther
King Day, celebrations. Here in Iowa City area, um ... actually already, uh, had about, uh,
about 70 signatures on (mumbled) survey that I did. Just kind of showing, uh, (mumbled)
that might be interested in attending (mumbled) celebrations. And uh... (mumbled) take
up too much of your time, unless you had any more questions for me?
Hayek/ (mumbled) Martin Luther King Day and African - American History Month. You've got
ideas for programming for all three of those events.
Longdon/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ I ... I'd just like to say I'm generally supportive of the idea and there's a lot of
material here which, you know, we're just now seeing, so I don't know what to make of
it, um, but I think it would be terrific if we could find a way to provide some support. I
know we're ... our budget's constrained and all that kind of stuff, but um, you know, I'm
...I'm just trying to express a general support for the ... for the notions behind, uh, what
you're proposing.
Longdon/ Thanks! (noise on mic) And I've given the Mayor my, uh, business card (mumbled)
email and contacts, so anytime you have any, uh, questions or whatever, feel free to
contact me.
Hayek/ Are there any other questions for, uh, Kenneth at this time? Okay, well we thank you for
your, for the materials you provided, and you presentation tonight, uh, what you do for
the community.
Longdon/ Thanks!
Hayek/ Shall we take a short break (several talking) Okay, let's take a five minute max break
and then jump back in the saddle. Thanks!
Summer of the Arts:
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Hayek/ So we'll resume our meeting. And, uh, invite Summer of the Arts up front.
Parrott/ Hi, I'm Steve Parrott and I am the Vice President of the Summer of the Arts Board of
Directors. And on behalf of the board, it's my privilege and pleasure to be here tonight to
say a hardy, uh, thank you for your support, both in cash and in kind, your support is
substantial and it's essential. We couldn't do this without you. Uh, and while we
appreciate your generosity, we want you to know that as a board we're doing all that we
can to be good stewards of your investment in us and the community, and especially by
hiring great professionals, like Executive Director Lisa Barnes, and her assistant, Shane
Shemmel. These two have just done a wonderful job this past year in developing private
support to go along with the public support that you provide for us, and besides that, I
would say they worked tirelessly at the festivals, but they do work so hard that I'm sure
they get tired and yet they keep working and they keep smiling. So, they're fabulous!
Uh, we also couldn't put on our events without all of our volunteers and interns, and we
hope that you recognize that the very substantial number of those people who volunteer
to help us is an important measure of how much Iowa Citians and other ones love our
festivals. Finally, it, uh, bears noting that our volunteers include our board members, and
in particular we want to very publicly thank some board members who retired this year.
Uh, people who were involved in beginning some of these festivals, uh, they were
passionate and tireless in their efforts. Mark Ginsberg, Gary Applebee, Bob Goodyear,
Kevin Hannick, and Don Thompson. So now I would like introduce Lisa Barnes, and
she'll tell you the real story!
Barnes/ Thank you and good evening, and on behalf of our staff and as Steve said, our board and
volunteers, we so appreciate the relationship that we have with the City, and not just the
money that you give us, but also the staff that we work with on a regular basis.
Everybody has been so supportive and cooperative, and it makes it so much easier for us
to produce these very large festivals, year after year. And I will say, I'm not very good
with scripts, but I'm going to try to stick with my script so I don't take a whole lot of
your time. Since 2005, Summer of the Arts has not only grown from producing four
festivals to six, but we've also expanded some areas of the festivals, continue to work to
improve the ... the festival -goers experience, while working on ways to streamline our
operations and lessen the environmental impact we have on our community. In 2011, we
greatly increased our green initiative and we are continuing to do that on an expanded
basis in 2012. We continue to reach out to other organizations so that arts and cultural
collaborations can flourish. Through our festivals and these creative collaborations, we
have a positive economic impact on Iowa City. In 2011, we worked with the Downtown
Association of Iowa City to help produce Celebrate the Seasons, City of Coralville for
Winter Fest, KCCK Jazz 88.3 Radio to produce the Corridor Jazz Project, and numerous
other collaborations. We are looking at expanding these connections in 2012, including a
potential partnership with the UI Division for Performing Arts. We are also working
with the Downtown Association/SSMID and the UI Athletic Department to produce Fan
Fest, in conjunction with the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials in April. With over 100,000
people attending our festivals each year, they not only enjoy free world -class
entertainment and opportunities to involve themselves in the arts, but they also have the
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opportunity to experience all of the nuances that make Iowa City a great place to live.
Summer of the Arts continues to promote Iowa City as a destination for great arts and
culture, while partnering with downtown businesses to encourage out of town guests to
visit local businesses. We had a great year in 2011, and in large part due to the weather,
but also because of the support we received from the City, local businesses, and
community members. To be able to produce quality events which have a strong
economic impact on our community, we need the continued support from the City of
Iowa City, as our presenting sponsor. And I also want to add which isn't on the script, I
love my job (laughter). I've had various jobs over the years and I love getting up and
going to work every day. And after 14 years of working with the Downtown
Association, I'm very passionate about Iowa City and what Iowa City has to offer, not
just people in the surrounding communities, but our country at large, and these festivals
bring people from throughout the country to Iowa City, and they're able to experience
what we all know and love about this community. Thank you for your time. Do you
have any questions? Sorry, I was ready to just go sit down! (laughter)
Hayek/ Thank you.
Barnes/ And West High is beating Dubuque Senior, at least that's of half -time! (laughter)
Hayek/ Thanks, Lisa. Thanks, Steve, Karen. Okay. Uh, Iowa City Community String
Orchestra.
Iowa City Community String Orchestra:
Semken/ Hi! My name is Laura Semken and I'm a member of the Iowa City Community String
Orchestra. I'm also the one that wrote the grant. Um, I'm also the Vice President. Um
(laughter) um ... I really love the Iowa City Community String Orchestra and what I'd like
to do is just, I don't have a script. Um, I'd just like to tell you a story about my journey
with music. Um ... when I was a young girl, 10 years old, I was led into a music room
with all the string instruments and I fell in love with the viola. Um ... unfortunately my
parents did not have the resources to buy a viola for me, and they never did. Um, they
did not have the resources for lessons, um... so I was a beneficiary of public funding for
music basically. Um, I continued playing through junior high and high school. Uh, I was
lucky enough to have a friend who's mom was in the symphony and we got to sneak in
and ... and watch symphony orchestras do their thing, urn ... when I was about 17 I picked
up a violin for $100 in a pawn shop. I was very excited, so I switched to the violin while
I was still playing the viola, but I actually owned my instrument. I continued playing in
college, but I had to make a choice, um, between art and music. Um, I chose art and I
have been a professional artist, um, for many years. When my daughter was born, uh, 11
years ago, we were at the, um, we started doing Kindermusic together at West Music, and
they're ... uh, they were, urn ... at West Music as I was coming out with my toddler, um,
New Horizons Orchestra was playing, and I just was like, oh! I could play music again!
Here's New Horizons! They take beginners. They take anybody. How great is that?
And so, I got out my violin and I started playing and I met new people, and um, there was
a group of people who wanted to start up a quartet and they needed a viola player, and
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they couldn't find one. And, urn ... my friend Julie said, didn't you used to play the viola?
I was like, yeah! But I don't own one! Well, do you want to join our quartet? And I
thought to myself, oh, my grandmother... she, uh, she died recently and she's giving me
this money and I haven't known what to do with it, and I could do something special with
that money that I know that she would love, and I went out and bought myself a viola!
(laughter) And I joined the quartet, and um ... then I discovered the Iowa City
Community String Orchestra, and I've been playing with them for seven years, and I've
loved every minute of it, and I, uh, I think what they do is wonderful in supporting
orchestral music, bringing it to the public, doing free concerts at the Englert. The
Englert's a whole other amazing thing! Um ... where was I? So, the Iowa City
Community String Orchestra, I've only been with for seven years. It's been around for
more than 30 years. Um ... we do two concerts a year, and um ... so part of the grant is for
that. The other part of the grant is for ... um, the Summer of the Arts program at the
Englert with the Iowa Arts Festival. And, urn ... we are doing a collabora ... a
collaboration, uh, called The Perfect Pig, uh, story's by Janet Burroway, with music and
illustrations by Phillip Worten. She's done other things for us. I don't know if any of
you remember, urn ... the Giant Jam Sandwich from a couple years ago. It was, uh, art
and music and voice. It was everything put together! It was wonderful. Um, we're also
going to be doing something called The Sonata Representativa, which, um, Phillip
Worten, uh, rearranged for string orchestra, and Janet Burroway wrote poems for it. And,
um ... they are going to ask the public schools in Iowa City to the art teachers to, um,
listen to the music and listen to the poetry, and have their students do art for it. You
know, so it's ... you know, they're listening to the music, they're doing the art, and then
that art is going to be projected on the screen during the concert, um, in June. So it's...
it's really an exciting project. Um ... I just got my hands on all of this stuff, so I know you
guys don't have it. And I'm sure if any of you wanted copies of it you could get it, and I
could probably even leave this with you, whoever would be the lucky person to get to
have it tonight. Um, I just wanted to read you one of the poems from this. It's called the
Cuckoo. I like my caterpillars hairy. I like my larva squishy, very cuckoo! My song is
hiccups and a hack, two toes point forward and toe point back. Cuckoo! When I lay eggs
I think it best to lay them in some other nest. Cuckoo! I'm very famous for my clock,
but this what I find a shock: of all the words that sail and swoop, why should my name
mean nikumpoop? Cuckoo! (laughter) And then there's music and there's fabulous
violins, and all that great stuff. So anyway, um ... I assume you guys all have my grant
application in front of you. Do you have any questions?
Hayek/ Any questions for Laura? Okay.
Champion/ No, but thank you for speaking!
Semken/ Oh, sure! (laughter)
Hayek/ (mumbled)
Semken/It's been quite a day!
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Hayek/ (laughter) Appreciate your, what you do for the community. Uh, do we have any others
to fit in or...
Karr/ Um, Bike to Work Week, we've got a couple minutes before the next one. Do you want
to...
Bike to Work Week:
Duggan/ My name is Ann Duggan. I'm the, uh, Co -Vice President of Bicyclists of Iowa City,
and I'm here to, uh, represent our request for Bike to Work Week. Um, I'm sure you all
are fairly familiar with it. We do it every year in, uh, May, what ... the second week of
May, and um, it's a number of...uh, a range of activities. We're trying to attract a lot of
people to, uh, to bike to work. We're encouraging them. Um, I think one of the notable
things about it is besides all the volunteer effort, a lot of local businesses are involved,
including the, uh, all of our bike shops and, as well as the bike shop up in North Liberty.
Um, we start out with a, uh, a breakfast and uh, there's a, the first day there's also a race
between, uh, bike, bus and car. And, which is always fun. Hopefully the bike wins, but
it doesn't always. And, uh, there's ... one of the other, uh, really well attended activities is
always the bike ride from the old New Pioneer to the new New Pioneer, uh, which is
always, it attracts, uh, bicyclists of all ages and types. It used to be called the Mayor's
Ride. I was sort of hoping we could resurrect that again this year. (laughter) (mumbled)
Hayek/ Is that a challenge? (laughter and several talking)
Duggan/ You can do it!
Hayek/ But Ross was ... I mean, the guy ran ... Tour de France, I mean, I don't know what he
hasn't done in his life. (laughter and several talking) I've got a bike ... maybe I will!
(laughter)
Duggan/ So, um, it's ... this is one of those activities where we do ask people to register ahead of
time, but of course they don't because it turns out that last year we had about 300
registrants who rode a total of ... 6,664 miles in the week, but uh, the New Pioneer ride
always has several hundred people, so most of them probably didn't sign up. Um, this is,
uh, Iowa City is ... I just have a little bit more ... Iowa City is a great town for bicycling.
We have about 6% who regularly ride to work, which is ... fortunately or not, way more
than most communities. Um, with ... and I assume that, uh, you all have heard last week
there was a report released that said that the economic impact of bicycling in Iowa is
$364 million. So ... it's pretty, I think that's pretty cool, isn't it? And that is just ... not
just people who buy bikes and all the do -dads that go with `em, but it's the trails and the
businesses that benefit from that, as well. And uh, Des Moines I just found out is having
a Bike to Work Month. So, with all sorts of fun things.
Hayek/ Any questions for Ann? Thank you.
Duggan/ All right, thank you!
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Hayek/ (mumbled) Uh, Iowa City Book Festival.
Iowa City Book Festival:
Bontrager/ Hi! How are you guys tonight? (several responding) Good! I'm Kristi Bontrager.
I'm the Director of the Iowa City Book Festival and the Public Relations Manager for the
University of Iowa Libraries. It was leopard print librarian day today at the library, so I
had to wear my pants. Anyway (laughter) I'm not here to talk about that! A couple of
years ago ... I'm here to talk to you about the Book Festival and thank you very much for
your support last year. Um, and ... and I'm very interested to talk to you more about it for
this year. A couple years ago I was sitting in the back of Shambaugh Auditorium, it's in
the University main library, and I was listening to David Rhodes, um, he's a graduate of
the Writers Workshop and he was reading from his book, uh, Driftless, it's an amazing
novel. Um, I've been to author readings before. I'm sure you all have as well. They
happen about every week here in Iowa City. Um, but this was different, it was a different
kind of experience. At first I could tell David was very nervous, I mean, it was a room
full of about 200 people, people he would probably consider his peers. Um, people he
would consider his friends, people he considers book - loving people. Um, but when he
felt how engaged that room was, that ... with what he was reading, it was like he opened
up and let us look inside him as a writer, and the room was electric, and as a reader I
really felt connected to him as an author. As the Festival Director, it's that electrifying
moment between readers and writers that I think the Iowa City Book Festival's all about.
As you may know, the book festival's in its fourth year. Each year the festival has
continued to grow and garner more attention from readers and writers alike, and this
growth has come on the strength of our programming. On Saturday we host readings,
primarily on the University campus. This year we're planning to move the festival to the
Pentacrest. It has previously been on Gibson Square, which is outside of the main
library. The main library's going to be renovated so ... beginning this fall, or this spring,
so we're trying to change locations, which I think could be a real benefit for the book
festival. On Sunday we plan activities across Iowa City. We work with Iowa ... down-
town business owners to host events in their business, driving new traffic to them, and
offering out of town guests a convenient way to get a feel for Iowa City and all that the
City of Literature has to offer. Each year our authors from ... form a dynamic mix of local
writers and nationally tour ... touring authors that satisfy a wide range of tastes and topics.
Like I mentioned, the festival has been garnering more attention. Last year, for example,
Iowa City Book Festival was one of four festivals in the country recognized in the O
Magazine's summer reading issue. Um, which I know draw ... drew several attendees
from the Chicago area. We had dinner with them on Friday night. Um, we've also been
growing. We estimated a 25% increase in attendance in 2011 and in order to continue to
build this community event, we need to strengthen our marketing efforts. We've
developed a comprehensive, multi - channel marketing communication plan that will build
on our previous grassroots' efforts, utilize our University connections, and collaborate
with a marketing company, Bankers Advertising. Number one, we know people are
interested in books. Reading is among the top three leisure activities that Americans
pursue, and 73% of all adults in the United States read books. Um, and that number only
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goes up, um, for ... with the years of education. Number two, we know that people will
travel to attend events. Over half of leisure travels... travelers say that their hobbies and
interests includes where they decide to travel. And since people are still a little bit
uncertain about the economy, they're more likely to travel closer to home. And so those
two facts are driving our marketing efforts this ... this year for the festival. We're
focusing within a two to three hour radius of Iowa City and we're focusing on University
...of alumni. We want to grow the festival into a major Midwestern event that remains
free and open to the public. We want to continue to electrify readers and connect with
authors. Do you have any questions?
Hayek/ Are there any questions for Kristi?
Dobyns/ Just taking a look at expenses and sources, um...
Bontrager/ Yes!
Dobyns/ ...they /'re not equal. Is there a reason for that? There's 50,000 total expenses, but...
Bontrager/ Uh -huh. Well... since the time that I've sent this proposal in, um, our revenue sources
have gone down. The HI programming that I list there, we actually only received half of
that funding. So ... that number's quite a bit lower. At this point.
Dobyns/ What was your budget last year?
Bontrager/ Um, our total budget last year was probably... hang on a second. I have it right here.
Um ... I believe that our total budget last year was about $30,000.
Dobyns/ Okay.
Bontrager/ We spent about... 10 to 12 on author expenses. We spent probably another 5 or so
on ... um ... wouldn't have been 30,000 then. We spent another 5 or so on operations,
tents, and yadda, yadda, yadda. Um, and then the rest is for marketing.
Dobyns/ Thank you.
Bontrager/ Uh -huh.
Hayek/ Any other questions? Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
Bontrager/ Thank you.
Historic Preservation Commission:
Hayek/ Okay, uh ... we have a fit in or...
Karr/ Historic Preservation...
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Hayek/ Yeah, okay, let's ... let's go with Historic Preservation.
Trimble/ (noise on mic) Hello, my name is Alicia Trimble and I currently serve as the Chair for
the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission, and thank you for the opportunity for
allow ... for allowing each commission to have input in your discussion. I'm here tonight
to request that the funding levels for the planning, consulting services and therefore the
HPC remain unchanged. I have served on the commission for nearly five years, and in
that time, the HPC has worked hard to streamline and thereby accelerate the process by
which applications are renewed, or reviewed. We also have been active in neighborhood,
or issues such as neighborhood stabilization, education, and we've worked incredibly
hard for the ... hard for the residents of Iowa City to see the HPC as a resource. The
changes the commission has made during the last five years have been substantial. And
I'd like to think that the HPC is now a model for other communities. In the past couple
of years, the commission has already take ... taken a number of funding cuts in a variety of
ways. In 2009 the HPC lost their training budget, which allowed the commission to
review new materials and process... and processes by which, um ... uh, sorry! That may
be used to aid those restoring older homes and thereby expedite and improve the
certificate process. Then last summer after the departure of Christy Necker from the
Planning staff, it was decided her position would not be filled. As a result the
commission lost the only staffer dedicated, albeit half -time, to historic preservation. This
means that there is no longer anyone dedicated to writing and issuing certificates, and
there is no longer ... there is no longer on staff anyone whose job is explicitly to help
homeowners, uh, go through the process of repairing, remodeling, and restoring their
older homes in a timely fashion. Christina's salary and benefits equated to approximately
$90,000. Since half of her time was devoted to historic preservation, you could say the
budget for HPC staffing has essentially been cut $45,000. To replace all the resources
that are no longer available, Sherry Peterson was hired out of funds allocated normally to
cover planning and consulting services, and she covers just the bare necessities the com
...the commission needs to stop from basically grinding to a stop. Because of these
financial restraints, Sherry only works 15 hours a week and has no benefits.
Furthermore, in the past we used the funds that we now use to pay Sherry to match grants
to do work like the Northside and Manville Heights historic district research. The money
was also used for other planning and consulting not related to historic preservation, for
example the Towncrest project. Because Sherry's services are absolutely critical to keep
the commission running and because that money now must be used for Sherry's salary,
we no longer have the resources to match grants that bring far more money into our
community. For example, just in the recent past, when we completed the Manville
Heights' study, we provided $18,000 in local matching funds. This resulted in the City
receiving $20,000 in historic resources development program grant from the State.
Another example would be the Northside National Register nomination, where we
provided $4,000 to leverage $7,000 in a certified local government grant. Just in the very
recent past we have had the ... we have had to pass up the opportunity to again play
...apply for both of these grants, due to our limited staffing and funding. This money is
no longer coming into the community, and is no longer being used to stabilize
neighborhoods. Most of all I fear that the fund ... if the funding is cut even further our
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relationship with the community, which we have worked incredibly hard to build upon,
will deteriorate quickly and with it our efforts in neighborhood stabilization. If Sherry
works fewer hours, there is no way that certificate... the certificate process will not be
bogged down and it will start taking people much longer to receive their certificates to
procee ... and proceed on their work, weeks if not months. When I started on the
commission, we saw many angry homeowners who were unhappy with our place in the
review process. Since that time, I believe we have become ... we have become ... we have
come to be seen as a resource instead of a hindrance. And a force that is recognized for
its work on the promotion of stable, healthy, vibrant neighborhoods. For these reasons, I
ask the Council not to ... not to reduce the funding of the HPC any further, and consider in
the future restoring some of our funding. Thank you. Is there any questions?
Hayek/ Any questions for Alicia? Well thanks for your service on the commission.
Trimble/ Thank you.
Hayek/ And your presentation tonight. Thanks much! Okay. Um, do we have any other
filler... groups or should we just proceed with the list?
Karr/ Are there any other organizations here with the exception of Landlocked and 319 Music
Fest? I think that's the two you've got.
Hayek/ Okay, well let's, uh, take up Landlocked!
Landlocked Film Festival:
Blackwood/ I ... I have a couple of ... ah! (laughter) Do I just...
Karr/ Just double -click on your icon.
Blackwood/ Okay. Sorry! I guess it ... how do you make it do the whole screen? Just
(mumbled) Thank you! Okay, thanks everyone. Um, I just ... felt that we should
entertain you with some photographs from this year's ... this past year's festival. And I'm
going to read from this because it'll be faster that way. Um, my name is Mary
Blackwood. I'm President of Landlocked Film Festival, and this coming fall we'll be
presenting the sixth annual film festival in downtown Iowa City. In the past I've tended
to share stories with the Council about the out of state visitors who attend the festival,
and about the fiction films which we show, and that's because my own first love is fiction
or story- telling movies. And uh ... it's really great show that, uh, show that kind of movie,
and it's great to have people come to Iowa City for our festival. That's a bunch of
people, myself with some other people, film makers, um, it's great to have these people
coming to the festival and we ... we get lots of them all the time now, we expect them
every year now. It provides business for our hotels, motels, restaurants, and shops around
the area. Local audiences get to see the latest in independent cinema. Often straight from
established film festivals around the country. They get to meet and even learn from film
professionals, from the film making centers at L.A. and New York, as well as from other
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countries. Um, but there is a ... there's another side to Landlocked I haven't talked about
that much in the past. Um, but it's a very important one, and from our very first year
we've shown amazing documentary movies and we've had really big audiences for them.
Uh, the topics are ... really wide ranging. We ... we've ... had one about the man
who grows gigantic pumpkins. Uh, one that was about the history of the integration of
the first public high school after Brown vs. Board of Education took place. Um, a
reunion of former inmates at Alcatraz. Inmates and guards at Alcatraz. Um, the
Zabaleen people of Cairo who ... who collect and recycle garbage. Um ... we've had, uh,
popular ones about the Iowa Native Americans who, uh, are from this area. We've also
had one about the world's largest lava lamp, killerian strawberry, and this ... this year I
want to tell you about some of the documentaries we showed just this past August. Now
this is ... this is a picture showing what 650 people inside the Englert looks like. This
crowd came to see Black American Gothic, which is a documentary about urban
migration from Chicago to Iowa City. And we brought the film maker from Los Angeles
and as with all our film makers who attend, the audience was able to hear from her and
ask questions. This is just another, uh, shot of the audience there. Now when we showed
this documentary we collaborated with local groups and came up with a new idea.
Instead of having a long question and answer session after the film, where often the same
people do a lot of the talking, we invited audience members to join small discussion
groups around, or throughout downtown, immediately after the festival, and about 100
people went and did that and had, spent an hour or two discussing this issue, which is
very central to Iowa City. So we provided a, a kind of service above and beyond just
going to the movies. Um, this is just going to be a picture about ... while I talk about a
few more documentaries. Uh, Gork was a documentary about how one family raised and
learned from their adopted and severely autistic brother and son. It was at the
Bijou during Landlocked and then a month later we showed it again in a packed room at
the Library, because not everybody could see it at Landlocked. Um, Adam Terrell was,
uh, he was a ... their adopted child was thought to be so severely disabled that he would
never be able to perform even basic life functions, but the family who adopted him didn't
accept the verdict and they tried new methods. And Adam turned into a fun - loving, crazy
individual who surprised the doctors who had given him the grim diagnosis. And that
story was told in Gork by the family members themselves. We worked with Access to
Independence to promote the documentary and get more people to be aware of it, and I
heard from the film's director later and the film's director by the way is also the sister of
Adam Terrell. An audience member with an autistic child talked to her afterwards and
said that she was going to change the way she was raising her own child, based on what
she'd seen in the documentary. Another exciting documentary and a very new one that
we showed was Misrepresentation and that film has looked at how media portrays
women, especially in leadership roles. We collaborated with many local groups on that
one, including the League of Women Voters, the Iowa Women's Foundation, and the
American Association of University Women to create a panel that followed the film and
that panel featured Rox ... Roxanne Conlin who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010 in Iowa,
and she spoke about her personal experience of media bias and how to work at a
grassroots' level to change how media portray women. So those were three wonderful
documentaries among many others we showed this year. Now of course... it's not all
serious business at Landlocked. We're also responsible for having brought the Zombie
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Army bus to town, uh, this came along with a movie we, uh, screened called The Mole
Man of Belmont Avenue. It's a horror- comedy, um... starring Robert England, the
original Freddy Krueger, from Nightmare on Elm Street, and when I was talking with the
director before the festival, I said, he ... absolutely had to come because he couldn't miss
out on our rad VIP party, and that apparently convinced him to grab his crew and seven
people drove this bus from Chicago to Iowa City. And they parked across from the
Englert and uh, every night of the festival they made a lot of local friends,
and... including police officers who stopped by to see where all the loud music was
coming from. So every year it's something different and it's always something fun! Uh,
we now have five years under our belts and we've been having increasing numbers of
community partners who come to us with requests to collaborate. They want to reach our
audiences and expand, you know, their reach for a topic that's of interest to them. These
collaborations are becoming a real ... a core part of Landlocked and they allow us all to
increase visibility and promotion. And to grow we need to increase that visibility and
that requires paid media. We're still surprised to find there are people in town who have
never heard of Landlocked. Um, for all the effort we've made to get the word out. And
our goal is to change that so everyone knows. It does also take money to bring in film
makers, but we strongly believe this adds a really big value to the film festival, and to the
people in the community to have the chance to talk with people who not only made a
fiction film, but who made a documentary and really know that topic well. Uh,
Landlocked remains the premiere film festival of Iowa, thanks to the good luck of being
in Iowa City, and thanks to the amazing work done by our all volunteer staff and
generous donations of funding and in -kind services and goods from local businesses and
citizens. To continue to serve our community, we ask for the City Council's continued
support. And this year we are requesting an increased amount. Without past support
from the City, Landlocked would not be where it is now. With increased support we can
go even further. And thank you very much, by the way, for the past support, and we hope
to continue this collaboration with the City. Thank you.
Hayek/ Thanks, Mary. Are there any questions? Okay. Thanks so much!
Blackwood/ Okay, thank you.
Hayek/ (mumbled) We look forward to this year's festival! Okay. Uh ... unless there's a fill -in,
let's go, uh, to 319 Music Festival.
319 Music Fest:
Mims/ Hi, uh, Mr. Mayor, Council Members, thank you for the, uh, invitation for us to come
present our idea to you. Um ... the end of a long day and a lot of presentations — I'll be
brief. Um, my name is James and I work at the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson
County, uh...
Mims/ It's actually James Mims.
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Mims/ James Mims! (laughter) Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, and uh,
Neighborhood Centers, uh, we take a, uh, a four -part approach into affecting the
neighborhoods in which we work. Uh, first is, uh, early childhood education; um, second
is school -aged youths, focusing on education and keeping them, uh, positively focused;
uh, third part is adult education; and then fourth is community development. Um, we feel
that, you know, along with education, um, early childhood care, uh, developing the
neighborhood in which you live is ... is a big part of having a vibrant community. And so
the 319 Music Fest, I think, falls right in line with what we're doing to try to develop
these communities. Um ... and the first thing, and as I was listening to the Summer of the
Arts' people, I couldn't help but notice a lot of the similarities in there, the feelings that
they have, uh, myself I'm from Iowa City. I grew up here, and I understand this vigor
and life that Iowa City has for the arts. And how much we like to share it with ... with all
of our residents. Um, one of the problems is for the residents that we work with at the
Neighborhood Centers that live over on the southeast side is they often don't get to take
part in the events that happen downtown and other parts of the city, particularly the
youth, um, they just don't get to get out of their neighborhood very much, and so
bringing, um, something like this, a music fest, to their neighborhood helps them
experience that vigor and life that we have here in Iowa City for the arts, and help them
really understand, um, what it is to be a part of Iowa City. Um, another way ... that the
319 Music Fest is going to help vitalize this area is that it helps to bring residents from
other parts of Iowa City over to Wetherby Park where we have our music fest every year.
Um, I think, you know, with some of the negativity that's in the press and what not, a lot
of people get misconceptions about that neighborhood, that its full of gangsters and drugs
and you might get shot if you, you know, walk down Broadway Street, but as a ... people
have found out for the past three years when we've done this event that it's really a nice
place, you know, the neighborhood's pretty nice. The people there are very nice. You
know, Wetherby Park is a wonderful park. And many people when they come to this
music fest, this is the first time they've ever been there. They've never even seen
Wetherby Park, you know, and so it helps to dispel some of the misconceptions I think
people have. It helps bring all the neighborhoods in Iowa City together, and uh... one of
the other benefits then that it does have for the ... the people that live there in that part of
town is that we have a lot of volunteers that are from the neighborhood that help us put
on the event, and we have a lot of the performers are youth, you know, dance groups,
singing groups, if they have a band, um, and... and there's one of the pictures here, uh, is
one of the, is a City High student that, uh, has a burgeoning rap career, if you will, and he
got his first public performance at this festival. And so, um, it helps the people that are
there in... in the community be a part of it, and so they really do feel like they are a part
of Iowa City and what goes on in Iowa City, um, as ... as opposed to feeling like they're
on the outside, kinda south of the highway and not part of this ... this part of Iowa City
that I know, that I grew up with. Um ... I brought along with me Ryan Fisher. Ryan last
year was in AmeriCorps. This ... this, uh, music fest was started by AmeriCorps
members, volunteers that worked at the Neighborhood Center, and each year then the, uh,
AmeriCorps that are placed at the Neighborhood Center are kind of in charge of...of
making it happen, and last year Ryan as AmeriCorps was the guy in charge of running
the whole thing. And so, um, I'm going to hand it over to him. He can tell you a little bit
more about the actual event and uh, there's some pictures that he can explain (mumbled)
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Fisher/ Uh, yeah, thank you, uh, for your time. Uh ... last, uh, last May on the first Saturday, uh, I
don't know if you guys remember it but it was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, cloudless
day, uh, and it was a perfect day for the 319 Music Festival. Uh, we had over a thousand
people, uh, that came throughout the day, uh, to the event. Uh, we had over 50
volunteers help us put on, um, and after an 8 -hour day, I was absolutely exhausted
(laughter) but by the end. Uh, we had local acts, uh, Dave Zollo, uh, we had a gospel
choir that came down from Cedar Rapids, uh, and we, uh, even had a, uh, very interesting
grunge band that came from Waterloo, uh, which I have to remark was totally rad. Uh
(laughter) uh ... it was, uh, it was a good way to, uh, for the community to come together,
urn ... to see the community, uh, get to know each other really, and an excellent way to
kick off, uh, summer of 2011. Um, last summer we had probably one of the most, one of
the best summers, uh, in our neighborhood that we've had in a long time, and I think it
really started with that, just that positive message, uh, that 319 had. Urn ... if you look
through the packet with the ... with the pictures, um, this was actually taken by an
AmeriCorps, um, member, uh ... who was a amateur photographer and if you can just see
the ... the diversity of the people that came, um, white, black, Hispanic, uh, we even made
an effort to reach out to, uh, the community, uh, for those who have intellectual
disabilities, uh, to come out, uh, and enjoy, uh, the concert and enjoy the day, uh, and get
to know each other. Um ... and we did this all on a shoestring, uh, shoestring budget, uh,
doing fundraising from local businesses like Hills Bank and University of Iowa
Community Credit Union, um, Southgate, and doing multiple fundraisers, even including
spending many Saturdays, uh, removing garlic mustard, uh, for that ... for money. So, that
was, uh, that was very interesting, and last year, uh, this, or the last Council from last
year, uh, is given us money for this upcoming, uh, music fest of $2,500, um, and... and in
planning this that makes all the world of difference, having that committed, uh, money
from the City Council, uh, and we want you to continue that ... that, uh, that support for us
because we can do amazing things with just a little bit of money. So urn ... thank you.
Mims/ And uh, I just want to add one thing. If you look at the pictures, um, even Herky's on
board, so (laughter) I mean ... and...
Dickens/ One question, uh, what's the 319?
Mims/ That's our area code! (several responding) It's kind of a common thing in the music for
bands and stuff that they (several talking and laughing)
Dickens/ ...where it came from and...
Mims/ Yeah, it's a ... it's a somewhat common theme kind of in the music world of people will
use the area code to try ... to show geographically where the music's coming from.
Hayek/ That's inexcusable. He's probably ... of all of us, the biggest music lover (laughter) but...
oh well!
Throgmorton/ I can't tell what Herky's singing here. What uh ... what was the tune?
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Mims/ It looks like that grunge band (several talking)
Fisher/ No, that's Amanda Miller and the Honey Bees.
Mims/ Oh, okay, well, another local act. It's also a very good stage to bring in a lot of local acts.
(both talking) And then, I guess, one final point that I want to, uh, make here is that, um
...having the City Council and the City, officially Iowa City supporting this, I think
shows residents in that neighborhood that ... that you guys do care about them, and that
you are going out of your way to ... to help revitalize their neighborhood and make it a
good, make Iowa City a welcoming place for them, so I think even just symbolically it's
a... it's a good message to send from the City, and from the City Council, that, you know,
all the residents of Iowa City have your support. Any... any questions or anything else
from any of you guys?
Hayek/ (mumbled) Ryan, thank you for your presentation (several talking) what you do ... for the
community. Okay. This is good. We're a little bit ahead of schedule. Um, why don't
we just, if you're still comfortable doing this, let's just keep rolling here. Try to wrap this
up. What we need to do at this point on these, uh, requests is I think twofold. Number
one, decide whether we concur with the overall proposed budget, uh, the ... what's the
number? 9, uh, 104,654 and then number two, cram 170 grand worth of requests into
that. And ... and the way this works historically is ... we're basically horse trading, I mean,
it's... it's... proposals get thrown out, can you support this, I'd like to propose that.
Dobyns/ Well, I have a recommendation, uh...
Hayek/ We need to decide the first issue first.
Dobyns/ Okay.
Payne/ Which is...
Hayek/ Which is to, whether we support the proposed budget.
Payne/ The 104.
Hayek/ The 104, yeah.
Champion/ Well, I think it's low but I support it, but I would also like to ... I don't know.
Sometimes I'd like to think ... I like to keep some kind of contingency fund, but I don't
think it's going to be possible this year.
Mims/ It's going to be tough to get down to 104.
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Throgmorton/ I ... I don't see what the consequences would be if we, uh, added a ... a, you know,
10,000, 20,000, I don't know, Tom, you'd have to speak to this, but what's the difference
between 104,000 and 124,000 as far as our City budget's concerned?
Champion/ It's 20,000. (laughter)
Throgmorton/ It's 20,000 but it's ... but it's you know, like a ... it's miniscule so...
Markus/ Every 30,000 is another penny in tax. (mumbled)
Throgmorton/ Okay. So, what ... what that just leads me to conclude is if...if, uh, if we see merit
in, um, you know, another 10 or 20,000 worth of, uh, of activity, I don't think we should
shy away from funding it.
Champion/ But why don't we see what we can do with 104,000?
Throgmorton/ Sure, I think we should start there.
Dobyns/ Well, the first thing is that it seems to me, most of this is going toward, um, the fine
arts, which I think really defines Iowa City apart from other regional, uh, municipalities,
except for one. There's one here, and at the risk of sounding like a total unpatriot, but the
4th of July fireworks is ... the one part that other cities, municipalities have. I mean, it's
redundant. In terms of having the 4th of July fireworks.
Champion/ We're not going to give up the fireworks, are we?
Mims/ I'm not going to.
Champion/ I'm not going to!
Dobyns/ But it is redundant, I mean ... other communities do it, um...
Hayek/ I think that's why people love it though, I mean, I ... I'm with ... I'm with (both talking)
Champion/ And I think they're thinking of doing it this year not on the 4th of July. I think Arts
Fest is going to try to do it...
Mims/ Cause 4th of July's Wednesday.
Karr/ No, the City of Iowa City will do it.
Champion/ Right. I said the Arts Fest ... I meant they're going to approach about changing it.
Karr/ They have, but we have some logistical things between the University schedule and the
Jazz Fest schedule.
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Champion/ Okay.
Karr/ That may not allow that to happen.
Champion/ I see!
Karr/ But...
Champion/ Okay, anyway...
Dobyns/ It has to be on the 4th of July, because in 1992 we had it on Labor Day, uh, just because
of the floods.
Karr/ That's correct.
Dobyns/ That is correct.
Karr/ It's...
Hayek/ 93.
Dobyns/ And so ... I mean...
Karr/ 4th of July this year is a Wednesday.
Hayek/ It's kind of hard to move that (both talking)
Karr/ So the Jazz Festival, and we're ... we do have a meeting coming up on Friday, but we're
waiting until after, to discuss it internally until after you made your budget decisions.
Dobyns/ (mumbled) part of the rest of the discussion, I just wanted to test the Council and see
(laughter)
Champion/ It has been tested! (laughter)
Dobyns/ Well I want to know where the sacred cows are here!
Champion/ That is a sacred cow! (several talking)
Markus/ I heard some moo -ing!
Dobyns/ Okay!
Champion/ Can we leave that at 25,000? Does everybody agree to do that? We're not going to
cut it!
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Payne/ That doesn't seem like very much money for fireworks. I mean, I have friends that spend
$25,000 on fireworks, privately! (laughter)
Karr/ Part of this (several talking) part of the success we have with the fireworks is ... is ordering
it early, at discount prices. The earlier we can lock in the location and the pricing, the
better, and that's been the success of it.
Throgmorton/ Are there any large dollar amounts that can easily be cut for, uh, for good reasons?
Mims/ I can! I ... I've looked through this really carefully, and I don't want this to, uh,
potentially seem insensitive, but I think when you look at ... the Corridor Black Business
Committee, I'm very concerned about the size of the requests. I'm concerned the
redundancy of expenses in all three events. Um ... to the tune of...you know, $450 in
each one for professional photos, $320 in each one for internet marketing, um, I think the
...they're talking about a parade on January 16Th. They're talking about another parade
on the February 1st, 2na, or 3 d event. They're projecting 1,700 to 2,300 people at each of
those events. I'm just very concerned that this is an exceptionally large request that to
me does not show a background of experience or track record in... in putting together
something like this. And ... and since we're on the public record, I know this is a work
session. It's not out there, but and I ... everybody here knows it, but so it's in the minutes,
my husband's African American. I've got four biracial children. This is not a racist
issue. This is an issue of...of a proposal that I just don't think shows, um, the
background to ... to do something ... I ... I just can't support it at all.
Champion/ Well, I'm ... I'm going to, I'm going to have to agree with you for some of the
reasons you said, but also because it is a new request and I think the lack of experience of
the group, it bothers me that they would come to us with such a large request for
inexperienced ... it just, I mean, (mumbled) to come to us and say I want to do $15,000
and have a Halloween party, you know? I mean...
Dickens/ The last ... the last two years we've pretty much not even looked at anything new
because we ... still trying to take care of ones that are established (several talking) and
build (mumbled)
Dobyns/ So, Susan, you suggesting zeroing it out, just not ... no funding at all?
Mims/ I would. I will not support anything. I just don't see a track record there and I'm just
really concerned about even with the budgets put together.
Dobyns/ Uh -huh.
Throgmorton/ No, I ... I wouldn't want to ... I wouldn't oppose that but ... but I ... I wonder if it
would be possible to, uh, encourage them to rethink a much smaller proposal for the
coming year.
Champion/ Sure!
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Throgmorton/ That, uh, will give us an opportunity to ... to see them establish a track record, start
small, and ... and maybe build some other collaborative, uh, you know, connections.
Mims/ Yeah, and I mean ... yeah, and one of the things is, I mean, we've got ... we've got the
African American Museum in Cedar Rapids. And ... I've been involved with them, and
how long it has taken them to ... to build things and do events and ... and they would be a
good resource for people, I think, to work with and say, you know, we want to try and do
something in Iowa City, related to this, you know, maybe how can you help. But ... um, I
think that would be a good way for them to start.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, you know, when I think about the various activities they ... they've referred
to, the one that strikes me as really innovative for Iowa City is Juneteenth. You know, if
you do Martin Luther King Day, well, all right, that's ... you know, there's a lot of activity
oriented around it, um, and ... and African American History Month and so on, but
Juneteenth is a special day for African Americans and others could speak better about
that I could, but if we ... they could be encouraged to focus some attention on that, that
could...
Mims/ And the museum historically has done some of that, related to that, so...
Champion/ And I'm also going to be insensitive... and I do not ... (several talking and laughing)
no, I mean ... (laughter and several talking)
Hayek/ ...like the sun saying I'm going to be bright! (laughter and several talking)
Mims/ Good thing this is a work session, huh?
Dickens/ I know what you're going to say about (both talking)
Champion/ ...it bluntly to anybody so ... (several talking) um, I tend not to ... I tend to say what's
on my mind, as you all know. I am bothered by the ADA request, which we've always
supported and it's been done in Iowa City, and it's been kind of a big deal, and now
they're asking me to support something that's going to take place in the Coral Ridge
Mall, to which Coralville is taking all the credit and giving none of the money. And I
would like to give them much less than they're asking, and tell `em the reason. That's
the reason! I'm not going to support Coralville with any more of my Iowa City tax
dollars!
Payne/ Where have they had it in the past, I mean ... just out of curiosity...
Champion/ Oh, they've done like parades here and ... in College Green Park and ... you know,
it's...
Dickens/ ...downtown in the...
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Champion/ ... downtown.
Dobyns/ Was this the first year in Coralville?
Champion/ Last year!
Dobyns/ Last year? Yeah.
Champion/ And I ... you know, if they could ... they could do it at the Rec Center! They could do
it in ... you know? I don't (mumbled). I don't care! But I'm not going to support, does
that sound really horrible?
Mims/ No. I agree.
Champion/ ...but it's the way I feel. For the same reason the Children's' Museum wanted us to
use Iowa City equipment to do something outside of town!
Dickens/ That year was down at the 4 -H Fairgrounds.
Payne/ The Bike to Work Week ... you know, it starts in Iowa City, it ends in Coralville, part of
it, but Coralville also is a contributor towards it so it's ... it's different than this, because
it's... support, funded 100% by us in their town.
Champion/ Right, and they get all the credit for it!
Dobyns/ Yeah, and that begins and ends in Coralville. I agree, Connie.
Champion/ Oh, thank goodness! I mean I know I'm going to get phone calls about this, probably
eggs on my house ... on my newly painted $21,000 paint job. (laughter) I really...
Hayek/ Looks good, by the way! (laughter)
Payne/ So are you proposing...
Champion/ Oh, I want to give them something cause I think we've got to warn them that this
is ... that's not going to be supported, and I don't want to just cut `em out...
Hayek/ Well, they didn't get, uh, anything last year. I don't know if that was for lack of a
request, or we just didn't fund them because (both talking)
Champion/ ... don't remember to be totally honest with you. I don't remember the details.
Dobyns/ Do you want to half it, Connie, or do you want to just go back to what they asked in, uh,
the first year of 972? I mean (both talking)
Champion/ I don't know.
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Dobyns/ ...any rhyme or reason to it, but...
Champion/ Okay, I mean, I think (mumbled)
Dobyns/ I mean ... it's not a whole lot, I mean it's ... not a whole lot but...
Champion/ Well, when we're trying to cut things out, it's a lot of money.
Payne/ Yeah, and we still need to...
Hayek/ Might I suggest ... let me try another approach here. The ... we've got, uh, the ... the
fireworks, which was talked about which sounds to me like it's either staying at 25 or
close to 25.
Champion/ Right. 25.
Hayek/ And we've got Summer of the Arts.
Champion/ 69.
Hayek/ ...which is the ... the big enchilada, and that's, you know, my guess is it's going to stay at
69, or close to 69. Once we decide those two, we've really, you know, narrowed the
options. What would people like to do with those two items?
Throgmorton/ Well, we've got to look at ... oh, with those two? I'm sorry, go ... go ahead.
Hayek/ It would just be a proposed ... a suggestion that we consider those two because that's
going to define the rest of our options.
Champion/ I totally support the 65,000, excuse me, for Summer of the Arts. And I totally supply
...the 25,000 for the 4t" of July fireworks.
Mims/ I do too.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I'm going to support both of `em, as well.
Dickens/ (mumbled) brings that many people to town (mumbled)
Champion/ Plus it's just really ... it's just good politics!
Dickens/ Um...
Champion/ And I'm always concerned about that!
Hayek/ That's fine. That leaves 10,000 and A...700 (both talking)
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Throgmorton/ My eyes are drawn to, uh, first the Mission Creek Festival and secondly the
phenomenal education lecture event. I don't know that we heard ... I'm ignorant about
that, I apologize. The phenomenal education lecture event, uh, I don't know what that's
about, uh, but with regard to Mission Creek Festival, that's uh, a substantial amount of
money, um, for a first time request, uh, I mean, I admire...
Champion/ We've funded them before!
Hayek/ Who?
Dickens/ Mission Creek (several responding)
Hayek/ Mission Creek?
Throgmorton/ Oh, I'm sorry, but smaller amounts earlier, uh, so ... I don't...
Dickens/ ...doing it that much ... I would say somewhere half or less.
Champion/ Oh, I wouldn't give `em 15,000. We can't afford that.
Dickens/ No. But I think their festival, it really has... gained a lot of national prominence.
(several responding) And it, I think it bodes well for the city. That, and the Landlocked
Film Festival, you know, they went up to 10. I ... I can't see bumping that up a whole lot.
You know, 500 or 1,000 would be the max that I would ... you would think would
increase (mumbled) or that one. I think it's very ... it's a really a pretty impressive, uh,
being downtown I get to see so much of the ... these people, and they do. They set up on
everywhere around downtown, and you get to see `em, and they groups of people get
together and talk about these films and go into different places to view these.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, of course we don't have any quantitative measures of this, but I'm ... I'm,
you know, worried about (mumbled) at the cost of losing a dollar, so to speak, you know,
so, uh, maybe it's worth, uh, you know, putting a little bit more money than you just
articulated, um, into the ... both the Landlocked Film Festival and Mission Creek Festival.
Champion/ What would you suggest? What would make you happy?
Throgmorton/ Well I ... let me toss out a number. I mean, I ... I have nothing to back this up with,
you know, but (laughter) Mission Creek 10,000, uh, Landlocked, uh, 8,000.
Payne/ We don't have that much money left.
Hayek/ That puts us 8 over.
Throgmorton/ Recognize that, but you remember the first thing I said when we began this
discussion.
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Hayek/ I know. And maybe we just need to decide that threshold question, you know, are we
going to go with the proposed budget of almost 105.
Payne/ Where did we come up with the 105?
Markus/ It's a 5% reduction over the previous year and ... a little emphasis was on trying to ... tax
rates and (several talking)
Champion/ Well what are we not interested in funding? (several talking) That may help us, you
know.
Payne /Well this phenomenal education lecture event.
Champion/ I have no idea what that is.
Mims/ It's Willowwind. It's...
Champion/ No. Then I'm not going to fund it.
Mims/ It's celebrating their ... 40th anniversary.
Champion/ It's a private school.
Mims/ As I read it, it's not something that I'm particularly supportive of. So I have no problem
cutting that out. (several talking)
Hayek/ Agreed.
Champion/ And what was that one called?
Mims/ Phenomenal education lecture event.
Champion/ And what is this Power up Your Preschool?
Mims/ There's no request there.
Champion/ Oh, okay. I'll just cross it off.
Hayek/ Look in the FYI column there. You'll see (both talking) what's requested.
Champion/ Well, I'm really slow. It's late in the day for me! Um ... (mumbled) support
(mumbled) cultural fair?
Dickens/ Riverside Theater (mumbled)
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Hayek/ Again, there's nothing requested for that.
Champion/ It says ... oh, I see. But it says requested! (several talking) Oh, okay. Riverside
Theater...
Markus/ You know, we're contributing, uh, $30,000 through the Economic Development.
Champion/ To Riverside Theater?
Markus/ That's the request. I think we approved that, didn't we? Did we get there yet?
Hayek/ If... if we haven't, the Economic Development Committee has recommended that.
Mims/ Right, yep.
Champion/ 30,000?
Dickens/ Above the ... the 7 they're requesting?
Hayek/ Of...of new money. Um...
Champion/ Oh, so we...
Hayek/ ...multi -year commitment as well.
Mims/ Right.
Markus/ Exactly!
Champion/ But we don't have to give them any of this money. (laughter)
Markus/ I think they'd argue that this is kind of a different ... I think that's to support the theater
and keep the theater going. I just want to point that...
Champion/ Oh, so it's not the ... the, um...
Markus/ This is the Shakespeare (both talking)
Champion/ ...Festival!
Markus/ Which is probably a different... funding operation for them.
Hayek/ IA could see, uh, cutting the request for Riverside, but I think it's important to try to
maintain some consistency, retain some consistency on ... on that line item. Uh...
Champion/ I don't like this budget! (laughter)
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Payne/ It's awful!
Hayek/ Well...
Dickens/ We're not going to like it!
Mims/ Well, that's what happens in tough times!
Payne/ And the request ... I ... I added up the request is, if we just take what the requests are ... of
the things that, counting out the nixed, there's $46,000 in requests, and we have $10,000
to spend, so...
Champion/ All right. Maybe we can eliminate somebody else!
Markus/ But you know, when you look at Landlocked, Landlocked is consistently been funded at
3,000 and all of a sudden they're... they're asking for $100 and...
Dickens/ That's why I was thinking more 3,000 or 4,000.
Mims/ Yeah, I ... I wouldn't take them up more than ... I don't think I would go more than 5 at the
most, and ... and I think what we have to think about too is, if we're going to try and stick
with what was projected, a 5% decrease, if we increase anybody...
Payne/ Somebody else is going to (both talking)
Mims/ ... somebody else is gonna really get cut! And if we're going to hold Summer of the Arts
and ... the fireworks constant... then anybody else you raise is a double - whammy on
what's left. I mean, yeah, I would love to raise Landlocked and Mission Creek.
Dobyns/ If you keep everybody budget neutral from last year and still fund Summer of the Arts, I
mean, you're still about $25,000 over.
Payne/ Well, Mission Creek didn't get anything last year.
Dobyns/ No. 25,000 by the way.
Champion/ Well, I know we can't afford to give Mission Creek 15,000. So can we give them...
5,000? We didn't give them anything last year (mumbled) forgot to ask.
Throgmorton/ Why don't we pencil it in and find out (mumbled)
Hayek/ I ... I could support that. I...1, urn ... this is, that's one of the festivals that I've, uh...
Champion/ Just going to grow and grow!
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Hayek/ ...it's incredible, and ... and the potential there is ... is essentially unlimited! And...
Payne/ They have a great idea! I mean, their ... I think their idea is right on, you know, you...
people want to live some place and then they find a job there, you know, it's just a
changing world so ... I think that's ... I think that's true! (laughter)
Champion/ So what have we ... okay.
Hayek/ You know, Marian, would... if we trimmed the fireworks budget, back down to its FYI 0
level...
Mims/ You realize you still have to work with her for quite a while?
Hayek/ I know! I know! (laughter) But, I mean...
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Hayek/ How many...
Karr/ You can...
Hayek/ ...bottle rockets, snakes, and Roman candles do we ... do we sacrifice?
Payne/ The fireworks were phenomenal last year, I mean...
Hayek/ They were! I know, they've been phenomenal the last two years! At 25 grand ... and,
not... uh...
Karr/ We will spend whatever money you allocate us to spend! (laughter)
Dickens/ But she knows where you live! (laughter)
Hayek/ Yeah!
Karr/ No, I ... I think ... again, as we go, as we take a look at it, um ... we've been able to save
money and be very, very good, even with the rise in costs, simply because we do order
early, um ... location does make a difference, um, on the supplies we order.
Uh ... everybody's cutting back, so...
Hayek/ Okay.
Mims/ While we're going through these, I'm gong to put in a plug for at least somewhat of a
modest raise for 319.
Champion/ I agree with you!
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Mims/ I think, I mean, I think if we're going to give this kind of money to these downtown
festivals... that we've gotta show a similar kind of support to this one on the southeast
side. And so, I mean, they're... they're really operating on a shoestring and I'd like to see
us, you know, take that up to ... you know, somewhere between 3,000, 3,500, um...
Dickens/ Split the difference, 3,250.
Mims /...to give them, uh, little more support.
Throgmorton/ I agree, uh...
Payne/ I think it's a good thing too.
Mims/ Yeah.
Dickens/ I had to (mumbled) I would have been down there so...
Mims/ Like, I mean, I know it still leaves us short even, but I mean I wouldn't even ... I guess I
wouldn't even consider an increase like in Iowa City Book Festival.
Champion/ No, I wouldn't (both talking) not even funding them.
Mims/ ...or the Community String Orchestra, I mean, I just ... I wouldn't...
Champion/ What I like about that Community String Orchestra is the multi -media that they're
doing, which I think is ... is common in most parts of the country, but hasn't been done a
lot here.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, and it's a tiny amount of money.
Hayek/ Well, all right. If, I was looking at this, and if you go with the full funding for Summer
of the Arts, and full funding for Land, uh, for the fireworks, and you fund 319 at 3,000,
per your suggestion, we modestly increase theirs. If you keep the Book, uh, Festival at
1,500, which is what they got last year. If you keep the, uh, string orchestra at $200,
which is what they got last year. If you keep Landlocked at what they got last year of
3,000. If you give Mission Creek 3,000, and if you drop Riverside down to 5,000, we're
still ... that creates a hole of $5,000.
Champion/ A hole?
Hayek/ Yes.
Mims/ And did you have Bike to Work in there?
Hayek/ And I didn't even fund Bike to Work, and I didn't fund ... the ADA, and I ... did not fund
Irving Weber Days.
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Karr/ Okay. Matt, you retained fireworks and Summer of the Arts at the same figures.
Champion/ Uh -huh.
Karr/ And Landlocked you went 3,000; Mission Creek 3,000; 319 3,000; the Book Festival
1,500; the string orchestra 200; and the Riverside Theater 5,000.
Hayek/ Yeah. To illustrate where we are.
Payne/ Did you ... I mean, I don't know if you noticed on the Irving Weber Days, but the way
they did their budget, if they didn't get money for us, from us ... they weren't going to
have their festival. I mean, that's ... the way they showed their budget.
Champion/ Uh -huh.
Hayek/ Yeah.
Dobyns/ How important are those fireworks?
Champion/ Well...
Karr/ That's entirely up to you (both talking)
Dobyns/ No, seriously, that's why I based it, because I (both talking)
Champion/ Let me talk a little bit about Irving Weber Days. I know they're trying to expand it
and make it more popular, but it actually isn't very well attended.
Dickens/ Yeah, what were the numbers...
Champion/ Tell me what the numbers were for last year.
Payne/ It was 4,000 from us and 1,000...
Dickens/No, the number that attended.
Payne/ Oh, sorry!
Dickens/ It's in here somewhere...
Champion/ I'm sorry, I don't have that packet with me.
Throgmorton/ I know we're just involved in the math here, uh, but two ... two thoughts come to
mind. One is, I think we need to find some way to make the whole greater than the sum
of the parts. There-there're all these great activities and you know we all experience
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them and get a lot of fun and pleasure out of them, and yet my sense is they actually
could be integrated better in a way that, uh, enhances all of them. And the second thing I
think is there's no way to assess the value, uh, comparatively assess the value of these
various, uh, activities. So ... we're just talking about numbers without knowing what
we're losing, or gaining by, uh, approving any particular number.
Dobyns/ Well some of them spoke to that, uh, like the string, I mean, they tried in their
presentations, the string orchestra said they combined with some of the other, you know,
Summer of the Arts, so they were, you know, they see that, they get... some of them get
that, Jim, but... still, we don't have the money for it.
Hayek/ It's an impossible task, and we're trying to squeeze, you know, 20 pounds of budget into
10...10 pounds of, you know, or 20 pounds of requests into 10 pounds of...of a budget.
Um ... so it's an ugly process and ... and at some point, sort of the rash, you know, it's just
an irrational process.
Throgmorton/ What are the current numbers we have before us? Is ... somebody, have you been
keeping track, Marian?
Champion/ Well, can you add 69, 25, and 5,000?
Karr/ Well if you take the 25 and the 69 you're at 94.
Payne/ Right. So we had about...
Karr/ And then you've got 3, 6, 9, 10...15 ... you're about 5,000 over. Give or take. Over of the
104,654.
Payne/ That would still be a ... decrease from last year. Not much, but (laughter) Like 1 %. If
even.
Champion/ What ... on the, uh, Bike to Work Week ... what do they do with that $1,500?
Mims/ Yeah, that's what I was just wondering too.
Dickens/ Didn't look like there's...
Dobyns/ I assume they buy food, I mean, they have tents up and uh...
Dickens/ Printing, t- shirts, educational materials, business recruitment, special events, bike
rodeos, school grants, and $200 in miscellaneous.
Champion/ I wonder what the miscellaneous is! (laughter) No, just joking!
Dickens/ Candy bars!
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Champion/ They oughta be selling those t- shirts!
Mims/ Well, I guess with something like that, and ... and this is something as I look at all of
these, too, and I think something we have to consider is, where else are they looking for
money? I mean, we can't be all things to all people, and you know, some of these
organizations, as good as they are, have gotta be looking for other sources of funding
rather than just coming to the City. And, you know, the Bike to Work is a prime example
of that. They're... they're City of Coralville and Iowa City. They're looking for 1,500
for each of us. They're not showing any other effort to go anywhere, um... for any
money, and so...
Dobyns/ They didn't go to any of the bike shops? (several responding)
Mims /There's nothing in there! Um ... you know, you take the Access to Independence, again,
nowhere else. Just Iowa City; ask us for all the money and then go do the event in
Coralville. We can't keep doing this!
Champion/ And the things that I think we should be funding and we are funding are the ones that
bring outside dollars to Iowa City. That, like Mission Creek and... Summer of the Arts!
And ... I don't know, other things, I mean, those are things that are really bringing outside
dollars into ... into Iowa City, not just our own dollars.
Mims/ Matt, can you read that list again that you...
Hayek/ Well yeah, and... well ... um ... I will but let me ... I would be comfortable shaving a grand
or two off Summer of the Arts. As heretical as that may sound, and I go to every single
thing they do, but they ... they're on their feet, um, they have, uh, substantial outside
support, which is what we want them to have, but they take up two - thirds of this budget
(several talking).
Dickens/ Well they take a lot ... they do get a lot of donations. $170... $100,000 -some in
donations and sponsors.
Hayek/ Yeah, I mean...
Dickens/ They may have to (both talking)
Hayek/ If you drop them to 67,000, and ... and you, uh, with a couple other tweaks, you get closer
to filling that $5,000 gap. And if you did that, if you ... if you took 319 down to 2,500 and
didn't give `em the extra, uh, but just ... it was a ... a status quo funding amount, and you
dropped the Book Fest down to like a thousand bucks ... um ... you know, that's gonna
cover about 4,000 out of the $5,000 gap. And you're getting closer.
Champion/ And gonna cut Bike to Work Week by $500. Maybe they can find money (several
talking)
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Hayek/ Well I'm not...
Champion/ Oh, you didn't even fund `em! (several talking) Oh!
Hayek/ I would like to, but... you know!
Champion/ Right! (mumbled) over your list again? Please.
Hayek/ Well ... uh, I guess, yes. Uh...
Champion/ I don't want to cut music test. I think they're right about that. We fund a lot of
things downtown.
Hayek/ What, Summer of the Arts?
Mims/ No, the 319...
Hayek/ Oh, the 319, okay.
Mims/ I want to give them an increase.
Hayek/ Okay. Well ... uh...
Dobyns/ ... something that is new and (mumbled) growing needs to be preserved, but I mean,
Summer of the Arts, as wonderful as it is, I mean, I think it's proved that it, um, you
know, has sustainability, through its years.
Mims/ Yeah, I think you make a good point. The ... both Matt and Rick, I mean, they've been
around. They've got a basis. We need to support `em but ... they've got other means as
well.
Payne/ And I mean, do you guys remember why you increased them, $9,000 last year?
Champion/ Well they combined everything, I mean (both talking) that was contingent. We were
kind of their main funder, um ... and they were totally dependent on that. Where we used
to kind of give (mumbled)
Dobyns/ So are we proposing Summer of the Arts at budget neutral, at 60,000? (several talking)
Champion/ No, they were 69 last year.
Dobyns/ Oh, 69! (mumbled)
Payne/ (mumbled)
Throgmorton/ Matt's adjusting 67. (several talking)
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Hayek/ ...kind of where I am here. (several talking) Okay, so if you took ... (several talking)
Getting' closer! If you ... if you fund Summer of the Arts at 67; if you shave $1,000 of
bottle rockets off of the fireworks (laughter); if you go with $3,000 for 319; a thousand
bucks for the Book Festival; $200 for the orchestra; and I ... they've been consistently just
in there for a couple hundred bucks and I think it'd give `em props for sticking with us,
uh, three grand for the, uh, Landlocked, three grand for Mission Creek, and five grand for
Riverside. You get to $106,200, so now we're within $2,000 of...
Markus/ That's good!
Champion/ Leave it!
Mims/ That works!
Dobyns/ Can we stop, City Manager? (laughter)
Champion/ Can we take ... did you, can we take a thousand dollars off the fireworks and give it to
Mission Creek?
Dobyns/ I would support that! Absolutely, you know, I think Mission Creek is part of what
we're trying to get Iowa City to become.
Payne/ You mean take it to 23,000?
Dickens/ ...or you...
Throgmorton/ I agree!
Champion/ I'd rather have a few less bottle rockets. They make too much noise.
Dobyns/ (mumbled) I'd go with 2,000, Connie, so a thousand's (mumbled)
Hayek/ We're already taking (several talking) yeah, we're already taking (several talking)
Karr/ So go down to 23,000 for fireworks and increase Mission Creek four?
Mims/ I can do that.
Karr/ And you still retain 106,200.
Champion/ Go 3 ... what'd you say? (several talking) Right.
Mims/ 106,000... $106,200. So we're...
Payne/ Where did the 200 come from?
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Mims/ The orchestra.
Payne/ Oh, the, yeah... (several talking) It was off to the side when I was (mumbled)
Champion/ Okay, can someone read to me what we've (several talking)
Dobyns/ ...arithmetic right, Kevin? (laughter and several talking)
Karr/ I think you've got fireworks 23,000; Summer of the Arts 6...
Throgmorton/ Can you start at the top? I can't track things quick enough.
Champion/ Me either!
Karr/ Stop at the top of what? (several talking)
Dickens/ 319 Music Festival.
Mims/ 3,000.
Dickens/ 3,000.
Karr/ Okay, 319 Music Fest is 3,000.
Dickens/ Then we go all the way down to the Iowa City Book Festival.
Karr/ The Iowa City Book Festival is 1,000.
Mims/ 1,000. (several talking)
Dobyns/ ...Bike to Work (several talking)
Karr/ ...didn't do any Bike to Work.
Dickens/ So 23,000 for the...
Karr/ The fireworks.
Dickens/ 3,000...
Karr/ Landlocked is 3,000. Mission Creek is 4,000. Riverside Theater is 5,000. And Summer o
the Arts is 67.
Dickens/ Yeah.
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Champion/ And what does that add up to?
Karr/ 106,200.
Champion/ We have $400 left!
Dickens/ No (several talking and laughing)
Mims/ ...1,600 over!
Champion/ Oh! (several talking and laughing)
Dickens/ You just need to (several talking and laughing)
Throgmorton/ I know I'm a bad guy. I'd like to see 500 ... I'd like to see $500 for Bike to Work.
It's hardly anything. (several talking)
Karr/ Is that an affirmative? Bike to Work?
Hayek/ Yeah, you make a decent case...
Throgmorton/ But what's the effect going to be on the ... on the budget?
Dickens/ Are there four that are...
Markus/ It's negligible.
Dobyns/ Negligible. But that's where we are, we're at negligible. (laughter)
Dickens/ That gets us up to 10 ... er, 106,700 (several talking)
Hayek/ Yeah.
Karr/ It's about 2 ... 2,000 over the proposed.
Dickens/ But 4,000 less, or 3,000 less than last year.
Champion/ Well, you know...
Hayek/ What's the pleasure of the Council?
Champion/ ...the only reason I'm willing to give them any money is to let them know that they
gotta find some other funding. I hate kinda just cutting people off. But actually I don't
mind! I'm not (laughter)
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Dobyns/ You know, there are a lot of things we can do to support biking in this community,
other than this, Connie. I don't think it's a big deal.
Mims/ I mean, if I were going to do another $500, I'd rather give it to 319 for the stuff they're
doing on the southeast side.
Dobyns/ Yeah, I ... yes.
Champion/ Okay. I agree.
Dobyns/ I'm the biker dude here and...
Mims/ 106,200 are we set then?
Karr/ 106,200, taking off Bike to Work Week?
Mims/ Yep.
Dickens /Just keep it as is.
Hayek/ Okay. So it sounds like folks want to bump up the budget to 106,200, and fund... what
we've just gone over in those amounts.
Mims/ Yep.
Hayek/ We okay with that?
Dobyns/ What are we at for the fireworks? (laughter) Did we ... (several responding)
Champion/ 23! (laughter and several talking)
Dobyns/ I don't think God Bless America, meaning before July 4 th
Hayek/ We'll send you a DVD with fireworks. You can watch the D.C. fireworks or something
like that. (laughter)
Throgmorton/ everybody else can go but we got to cut the Council budget by 1/7th. So...
Dickens/ We'll have a restraining order! (laughter) (mumbled)
Hayek/ Okay! (several talking) Are we ... are we comfortable with that? 106,200 is the total
budget. Marian's got the numbers. The individual recipients. Okay. Great! Now, we,
uh, it's, uh, the hour is late but we did reserve a little bit of time if anybody wants to talk
about the budget more generally. You're looking at me like I'm a crazy man! (laughter)
All right!
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Payne/ No, I ... that's ... (several talking)
Hayek/ Okay. Well let's see how much discussion there is. (mumbled) what we do, but we
did ... we did set aside ... this is on the work session, uh, agenda. We can just talk about
the budget, um...
Dickens/ Kevin, do you have anything? New figures that have come up since...
Champion/ Is it going to get worse?
Dickens/ ...there's always some adjustments here and there that...
O'Malley/ ...some adjustments, uh, as far as valuations. And, when we were talking about
$17.22 ... it's about 17.28 now, because of valuation changes due to, um, co -ops. And I'm
expecting one more change and that should be it.
Hayek/ To the negative?
O'Malley/ To the negative, yeah. Maybe another penny (both talking)
Hayek/ ...the bad news?
O'Malley/ ...the bad news.
Dickens/ So the 17.29, 17.30 (mumbled)
Markus/ Were some of these the appeals that finally...
O'Malley/ Yes. The appeals that were in the ... for, uh, FYI 1.
Hayek/ Can I ask a quick question on the Historic Preservation, uh, staffing? Um, my
understanding, but I ... I need you guys to confirm this is that we still intend to ... we didn't
fill the position that became vacant, the half -time FTE, but you ... you guys believe that
the bench within the Planning Department is deep enough to absorb those functions?
Markus/ In fact they, um, when we had this discussion, when those positions were up, they were
going to reallocate staff to handle those functions and I believe they have. In addition,
we allowed them to pull in this person on a ... on a, uh, part-time basis, as well, to backfill
some of those things. So, I think ... I think her message, the message I heard, was that
don't cut us any deeper in terms of historic preservation. Um, but I think that there is a
recognition that ... the Planning staff is deep. It does have depth. And I think they can
handle that.
Payne/ What about the grants that... she said that we didn't apply for because we didn't have
somebody to do it?
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Markus/ Well, first off, I listened to the amounts. The amounts, uh, were ... were not significant
dollar amounts to begin with. So I can find out what, you know, what in fact did or
didn't happen in that regard. I don't ... I don't really know the specifics of that. So I'd
have to ask the staff. But ... dollar amounts I was hearing were not significant dollar
amounts. In terms of projects.
Hayek/ Okay. All right, thanks. Other questions, uh, discussion points on the budget generally?
Dickens/ Um, how soon ... this is a revaluation year, you were saying the City Assessor,
how ... how soon does that affect us? Is that...
O'Malley /' We already have that in the numbers, it's already been plugged in. It was just a little
over 2 %. In years past it was like 6 to 8, 16 %. So it's pretty flat.
Markus/ So what you heard from the assessor, if you read the assessor's report tonight, was right
on the mark with what we told you during the budget process. It's flattening out. Uh,
and that's what we see going forward as well. Plus you're going to have the impact of
additional conversions, uh, and different appeals that will take place, which will cause
that to depress as well.
Hayek/ Is ... is my math right, if there's a 6 -cent increase on the levy, and each cent is 30 grand,
that that's about 180 grand of lost property taxes...
O'Malley/ That's correct!
Markus/ That's correct.
Hayek/ ... on top of.. .
O'Malley/ ...since December.
Hayek/ Okay.
Markus/ That's correct.
Hayek/ Okay. Uh, anything else we can accomplish tonight on ... on the budget questions,
discussion points?
Markus/ By comparison, I think it's ... it's always, it's always relevant to hear, Kevin, back to the
mic (laughter) by comparison, tax rates in Coralville.
O'Malley/ Oh, they're about $13.60, something like that.
Markus/ And North Liberty is less than that.
O'Malley/ Yes.
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Markus/ And we're at over 17.
O'Malley/ Right.
Champion/ Wow!
Hayek/ Okay. Hey, back on the ... on the funding requests for the boards and commissions. Um,
have we ... I think historically we have not, staff hasn't provided a set of
recommendations as to those numbers. We just left that blank, other than the proposed
total amount, and then we figure it all out. Did... does that make sense, I guess a question
I would raise ultimately is does that make sense, or should we ... you know...
Markus/ You mean compared to what you did tonight?
Hayek/ Well, no, like should we have staff make a set of recommendations, like we typically
have on other budget items for... for the community events? Or is it such a...
Markus/ Yes, you should.
Hayek/ Okay.
Markus/ That's what I think you pay staff to do. We should make recommendations to you. We
should evaluate the applications and we should make recommendations to you. You
know, final decision is yours!
Hayek/ Should we employ that next year?
Champion/ Are they going to support Mission Creek? (laughter)
Dobyns/ Well the fact that we had...
Markus/ You can change whatever you want, but I ... you know what? I don't have any hesitancy
about making those recommendations.
Dobyns/ Well the fact that we had one Council Member trying to get rid of the July 4th fireworks
suggests that we really need City staff (laughter)
Payne/ Um ... what I like about that is, then you have a visual in front of you, to how ... how to get
to their recommendation. They're telling you how to get to their recommendation, to
start with, and you kind of have a visual then. It's easier than we can do this, we can do
this ... it's how to get there.
Dickens/ Instead of this! (laughter)
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Dobyns/ Well I think we gave some good strategies, I mean, Susan's suggestion that they've got
to go outside for funding outside the City you know ... that's a benchmark we need to use.
Uh, something that's new and (mumbled) compatible with what we vision Iowa City to
be, and not something that has shown sustainability over, you know, that's a benchmark I
think that City staff can carry away, so I think the discussion was helpful, urn ... for...
Hayek/ Okay.
Markus/ Pain ... painful but helpful!
Hayek/ Yeah!
Throgmorton/ Tom, uh ... I'm wondering if the staff can not now but at some point can make
some recommendations to us about how, uh, these various organizations can be, uh,
encouraged to work together to, uh, develop some, uh, symbiosis or whatever I want to
...looking for the right word (several talking) synergism, right, thanks, um, there is more
here than ... than each individual unit is producing by its ... by itself. And ... and I think
that, uh, if, uh, you know, it's the point I made earlier about the whole being ... how we,
how we want to be able to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts, so maybe
you... you could make some recommendations to us at some point in time here, about
how they could be persuaded to work together in ways that, you know, I'm just
babbling... (several talking) yeah.
Markus/ As that discussion was occurring, I kept thinking Convention Visitors Bureau.
And ... how they can help serve to pull some of these things together too. I, you know, I
know this sounds, um ... maybe out ... out of the norm, but I mean, we ... when Marian and
staff talk about fireworks, we talk about well, do we want it on the same night as
Coralville? Do we want it on another night so people can enjoy it? But we've never
talked about, well, why don't we one big community event, you know, we do it in
Coralville one year, and we do it in Iowa City the next year, and you know, there's ... I
mean, we haven't explored a lot of things here. So there's all those possibilities. And on
the 4t" of July, wouldn't it be a great day for everybody to get together just get along!
(laughter)
Hayek/ (mumbled)
Dobyns/ Baa humbug!
Markus/ (laughter) then go back to normal!
Dickens/ We'd have to shoot it off the middle of the Iowa River between (laughter and several
talking)
Hayek/ The CVB things's a good point though because I mean you know you ... you look at
Landlocked or any of these things, that's ... they do that kind of programming for other
comparable events, and (both talking)
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Markus/ ... so many contacts, you know, for...
Hayek/ ...marketing for free they'll help you with the business plan ... that's a great idea!
Mims/ Yeah.
Hayek/ We ought to tell this Council's liaison to CV13 to ... tell them to step it up! (laughter) I'll
talk to that person! (laughter)
Markus/ (mumbled)
Hayek/ Okay! Yep, let's go home. So good meeting everyone. Thanks for your time and we'll
see ya... soon!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council boards &
commissions work session of January 31, 2012.