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Home My WebLink About2012-11-13 Correspondencer ^`� ®-4 CITY OF IOWA C I T Y 4f(1) RAND U Date: October 30, 2012 To: City Clerk From: Kent Ralston; Acting Traffic Engineering Planner Ge *- Re: Item for November 13, 2012 City Council meeting; Removal of the existing passenger loading zone from the east side of the 10 block of S. Johnson Street — restoring normal odd /even calendar parking. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action: Action: Pursuant to Section 9 -1 -3A (18); Removal of (2) existing passenger loading zone signs from the east side of the 10 block of S. Johnson Street. Comment: This action is being taken as the Agudas Achim Synagogue building in the 10 block of S. Johnson Street has been demolished. The passenger loading zone was originally established for the synagogue and is no longer necessary. EME CD 71 f_ � I -1" -fir„ CITY OF IOWA CITY -- 4f(2) MEMORANDUM Date: November 15t, 2012 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle -Gamm, Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for November 13th, 2012 City Council meeting; Installation of NO PARKING 8 AM — 5 PM MON — FRI signs on the east side of the 400 block of 2nd Avenue. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9 -1 -3A (10); Install of NO PARKING 8 AM — 5 PM MON — FRI signs on the east side of the 400 block of 2nd Avenue. Comment: This action is being taken to reduce commuter parking congestion which has narrowed the street making it difficult to provide city services. CD CD �~� r i7� Al ®,. CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM 777 Date: November 1St, 2012 To: City Clerk From: Darian Nagle -Gamm, Traffic Engineering Planner`s Re: Item for November 13th, 2012 City Council meeting; Install NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER and NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE signs on the north side of River Street to the east and west of the intersection with Magowan Avenue. As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action. Action: Pursuant to Section 9 -1 -3A (10); Install NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER and NO PARKING CORNER TO HERE signs on the north side of River Street to the east and west of the intersection with Magowan Avenue. Comment: This action is being taken in response to neighborhood concerns about visibility limitations caused by vehicles parked on- street during University special events. CD CZ) oaf - From: Melvin Kelly <kellyresearchplan @yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 6:30 PM To: ctham.AWP @gmail.com ; danmartinez @indio.org ; council @cityoffullerton.com ; cthomas @ci.adelanto.ca.us ; cthurmond @brokenarrowok.gov ; ddickerson @obms.us ; cpucheu @gulfport - ms.gov ; dblitch @rosweligov.com; cwheeler @augustega.gov; council @town.barnstable.ma.us ; council @suffolkva.us ; darrell.smith @draper.ut.us ; csierra @phenixcityal.us ; croth @kenner.la.us ; cshaheen @wrga.gov; dbelleisle @alpharetta.ga.us; dechols @cityofrockhill.com; councilclk @tompsc.com; david.combs @rockymountnc.gov; Council; council @altoonapa.gov ; cshannon @baycitymi.org ; cvalente @lexingtonma.gov ; darbyj @bossiercity.org ; council - distl2 @brgov.com ; council- dist9 @brgov.com ; council- dist8 @brgov.com ; council -dist7 @ brgov.com ; council- dist6 @brgov.com ; council- dist5 @brgov.com ; council -dist4 @brgov.com ; council- dist2 @brgov.com ; council- dist3 @brgov.com ; counciladmin @brgov.com ; cweathersward3 @www.greenville.ms.us ; council @shreveportla.gov ; csawyer @cityofpatterson.org ; dan @senatorkotowski.com ; dan @senatorduffy.com ; ddehaney @usmayors.org ; dclough @cityofwestiake.org ; dbrumfield @mtlebanon.org ; dbelleisle @alpharetta.ga.us ; cs @odessa- tx.gov ; council @ci.pearland.tx.us ; davidsweets @rockwall.com ; darren.dioh @mail.house.gov ; dave.earling @edmondswa.gov ; curtiel @boe. rich mond.k12.ga.us; CWayneGuilfoyle @ augustega.gov Subject: Homelessness, Housing Authority and HUD by Melvin Lorenzo Kelly Attachments: Homelessness, Housing Authorities and HUD.doc From: Melvin Lorenzo Kelly 2014 Olive Rd. Augusta, Ga. 30906 706 - 796 -3044 Email: kellyresearchplan@yahoo.com To: United States Mayors / Elected Officials Sub: Homelessness, US Housing Authorities and HUD (Old Wine in New Bottles) Date: October 24, 2012 Cc: US Senators US Representatives US Civic Leaders Dear Honorable Elected officials, Tearing down old housing authority complexes across America because of gang and drug infestation is not the solution to the gang and drug the problems. Introducing employment training, providing employment and educational opportunities for the less fortunate in low- income housing is a good start towards reducing crime and revitalizing troubled neighborhoods. I have seen many housing complexes face with killings, drug distribution and gang violence. Some complexes were torn down and some complex administrations evicted all its residents and restored the physical structures of the facility and reopened it again. Most low income housing facilities built in the 1940's and 1950's are some of the best housing structures ever built in America, compared to the cheap low energy efficient homes built today. Personally, I truly believe that if a public housing authority complex becomes excessively problematic the root of the problem should be faced eye to eye and not put a bandage on it. Tearing down livable dwelling because of criminal activity is not the solution to crime. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development spend millions of dollars yearly demolishing low income housing through -out African American communities, suggested by the "Weed and Seed" program advocated by the United States Department of Justice. As though crime and the distribution of crack cocaine and powder cocaine and gang violence is an African American problem only, No, it is an American problem and it should be treated that way overall. The Miller Holmes which was once called the `Killer Homes" located in Trenton NJ is a perfect example of what happens when public housing is shut down because of drugs and violence. This action doesn't stop the negative behavior pattern of gang members; it spreads it across the city, neighborhood by neighborhood. The Techwood Homes in Atlanta, Ga. was designated by the members of the United States Congress as the deadliest housing project in the country, torn down in 1996 an Atlanta, Ga. still remains one of the most violent cities in America today. If a city government decides to tear down or shut down any public housing facility across America I truly believe other options should be taken it consideration before doing so, instead of putting old wine in a new bottle. Drugs and crime existed in the world long before I was born, and I believe it will be here long after I am dead and gone, but never have I seen such destruction in America within the last 30 years as with the smuggling, selling and use of powder and crack cocaine in America today. Demolishing present low income properties and rebuilding the same amount that was taken down is not a remedy for eradicating homelessness and other problems to support less fortunate Americans, the following information describes what my proposed projects will do and how much it will cost to complete step one. Four Point Homeless to Homeownership Proiect Objective: The first stages of this proposed project entail hiring 16 professionals, architects contractors, etc for a period of 8 weeks to complete the final research process. Goals: 1. Eliminate Homelessness 2. Create Employment 3. Create Employment Training 4. Re -build torn down Urban Neighborhoods 5. Reduce Recidivism 6. Create constructive human activity for impoverish Americans to reduce crime. Total needed to finish homelessness research process.... $191,118.00 Education Proiect Objective: The first stages of this proposed project entail hiring 16 professionals, computer engineers, school teachers, etc for a period of 8 weeks to complete the final research process. Goals: 1. To help eliminate Drop -Out Factories 2. To help eliminate Abbott Districts 3. To elevate obtaining a basic education as a top priority within Urban America 4. To introduce a new way of obtaining a basic education in America 5. Create Employment Total needed to finish educational research process...... $141,000.00 Overall total for both projects $332,118.00 The war against any negative situation in America is only over when we quit. I need your support to complete the described research process. Let's build a better America Melvin Lorenzo Kelly Marian Karr From: JJWHITE <jjwhite499 @yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 4:59 PM To: Council Subject: A few reflections after last night's City Council meeting 4f(5) Dear Council Members, A few reflections after last night's City Council meeting. Long ago WE suggested to City Staff that Laura Drive and other streets near or in the trailer court be used as secondary access roads to the west end of the Peninsula. If such access roads are now going to be built there is no need for a Taft Speedway- Dubuque Street intersection which would be a tremendous cost savings to.ANY project. As for the tunnel /drain pipe to drain the acres above Foster Road that currently drain under Foster Road into the Idyllwild ponds, is this legal? Legal to build such a structure across the former Bill Gilpin property? Also, such a drain pipe /tunnel would only put more water into a flooding river north of every house on Taft speedway save one. When one considers all the pumping stations the City of Iowa City and Coralville are placing north and west of our homes one wonders about the validity and reliability of current hydrology studies. Also, one wonders how a river, which will be decreased in width by Coralville (from 180 to the CRANDIC underpass) and Iowa City (if a Taft Speedway Levee/Wall is constructed) can withstand and hold all the new "storage water" that will be placed into it. One of the Consultants (Mike Ryan) last evening talked of "storage area" as if it was just that - - -A STORAGE AREA. Well I hope that someone informs Mr. Ryan that there are homes and people in those so called "storage areas." Where will the money come from to build a Laura Drive access to the west end of the peninsula? Where will the money come from to build the tunnel /drain pipe under Foster Road, across Elk's Club property, across the former property of Bill Gilpin? I assume such a drain pipe /tunnel would have to meet approval of the US Corps of Engineers and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Does the Council realize that there are people in Idyllwild who do not cherish or welcome the thought of looking out their windows into an earthen levee and /or a concrete wall? Talk about decreasing a home's salable value. So even within Idyllwild some home owners will benefit at the expense of others if a levee /wall is built on Taft Speedway and No Name Road. One of the consultants last evening (John Engle) when quizzed about maintenance costs implied that only the concrete wall would need such expense. When quizzed further he did agree that the pumping stations would incur maintenance costs as well. If Mr. Engle does not think that earthen levees need constant attention and maintenance he had better review the Internet links I recently shared with the council members. One of the biggest reasons given for the failure of earthen levees is that they have not been upgraded or maintained properly. To not raise Foster road "because it is a new road" does not make sense. If it is a new road then I can only assume that the water mains and the sewer mains etc under its surface are new as well. To add a few more feet of fill, gravel, asphalt on top of the existing road should present no problems -- especially in light of all the problems associated with the other alternatives! Except for Joel Wilcox and myself, every person who lives on Taft Speedway is or was involved in the construction /building trades profession. They have many associates and friends who are also involved in the construction business. There is not one person who believes that the project, as proposed, can or will be built for 8.1 million dollars. Likewise, the proposed road is below even Iowa City's own standards for new road construction. Will this end up like the streets in the Peninsula Neighborhood? Too narrow for fire trucks even with no street parking and mandatory off street parking? Finally, is the council aware that only emergency vehicles may drive on a levee road "during a flood event ?" Compounding even more the use of such a road either by Taft Speedway residents, Elk's Club members, west end peninsula residents, etc. Thank you for reading my e-mail letter. James J. White 121 Taft Speedway St. Iowa City, Iowa 52245 319- 321 -1643 Marian Karr From: MECrawford @aol.com Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 2:23 PM To: Council Cc: CLINESALLY @cs.com; TMChait @aol.com; layton.olson @byetm.com; Kurtkimmel @aol.com; jholland @icialaw.com Subject: Taft Speedway Levee Members of the City Council and Staff City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 REFERENCE: IDYLLWILD FLOOD MITIGATION Dear City Council and Staff: I recently learned that misinformation relative to Idyllwlild has been given to some City staff, perhaps some members of the City Council, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, and the Community Development Block Grant offices in HUD. All of these have been incorrectly told that there is disagreement among Idyllwild homeowners about the levee issue. Somehow all of the above have been told that some In Idyllwild support the construction of a levee and others do not. This is simply NOT true. Of our 92 homeowners I am certain that 91 agree we should have levee protection. The one homeowner that may not agree has family members in one of the 8 homes along Taft Speedway that chose not to take the buyout. So, if you have heard this please know again that it is not true. In fact, I would be more than happy to meet with the person who provided this misleading information. I further would like to request that City Staff inform those at the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the appropriate office in HUD with correct information on this matter. Thank you. Michael Crawford 54 Pentire Circle Iowa City, Iowa 52245 319- 512 -5510 Marian Karr From: JJWHITE <jjwhite499 @yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 10:36 PM To: Council Subject: Fw: Earthen Levee damage in Des Moines County, Iowa Attachments: CIMG0004.JPG; CIMG0023.JPG; Pictures _390[l].JPG; CIMG0022.JPG; CIMG0013.JPG; CIMG0009.JPG; CIMG0006.JPG; CIMG0005.JPG Iowa City City Council Members: I would hope all council members would read the following e -mail and review the attached photos of earthen levee damage and the problems a friend and resident of Des Moines County had after a 6 inch rain in May 2010. My friend lived on the "dry" side of a levee! James J. White 121 Taft Speedway St. Iowa City, Iowa 52245 319- 321 -1643 - -- On Tue, 12/14/10, Michael Schwenker <MSchwenkert'amybd.com> wrote: From: Michael Schwenker <MSchwenkergmybd.com> Subject: RE: have a favor to ask c^ To: " JJWHITE" <jjwhite499gyahoo.com> Date: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 1:09 PM Jim. There have been major developments since I saw you. Because of the impending winter weather, the county and levee district actually decided to forgo fighting me and my neighbors and they put out bids to repair and most of it has been repaired and I now have access (as of last Friday) to my home. The levee which has a road on top of it going by my house is probably 12 -15 ft. high and probably at least a two lane road with shoulders wide. I will send several attachments for you, but you must be concerned from two vantage points. One is what happens when water is diverted by a flood on the creek because of this raised road and what happens when there are heavy rains on the other side of the raised road and what that could potentially do to you. In my case the road was raised in the event of the Mississippi leaving it's banks. I actually got nailed from the other direction by a creek that escaped it's banks and came over and hit the levee built to hold back the Mississippi. There were not adequate culverts .... to catch this water. Any time they (engineers) monkey with the natural flow of water .... there are or should be major concerns. You are right to seek answers BEFOREHAND. They need intense study of this and take all causes of water flow, be it the creek in spring or a 6" rain in the summer that fills your yard or comes at you from a direction other than the creek/river, into account. I will send several pictures, etc. and I hope this helps and you have a great Christmas! Incidentally ... this was 80' wide, 10 -12' deep and 300 ft long canyon. Mike Schwenker, CLU®, ChFC® Program Manager/Financial Consultant Four Points Financial at F &M Bank Sorrento Pacific Financial, LLC Member FINRA /SIPC Note 1.: Mike lives in Des Moines County just north of the City of Burlington, Iowa Note 2.: Take notice of the date on e-mail. Eight months AFTER the levee damage! +3 E l�k t�; Marian Karr From: and rosenquist <mdrosenquist @hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 1:59 PM To: Council Subject: Taft Speedway Levee Dear Iowa City Council Members, I am writing to voice my opinion in favor of the city council voting NO on the Taft Speedway Levee. 1. Using tax dollars to build this levee is bad public policy — pitting one neighborhood against another- one getting all the benefits, the other all the liabilities. 2. You will be throwing good money after bad by following the lead of the 1992 city council that overruled its own zoning commission's veto of the original request to rezone the area from flood zone for the Idyllwild development. 3. I think simply common sense tells us levees and floodwalls force floodwaters to more damaging levels somewhere else, either upstream or downstream. 4. The levee will give a false sense of protection to the Idyllwild residents; they will be living inside a New Orleans style bowl- Foster Road above to the north, and the levee to the south. During the flood of 2008, water cascaded down Foster like a waterfall. Flash flooding and water seepage, during times for intense rain, will cause flooding. The drainage system propose in the levee project will get obstructed with sand and sediment, the natural soil content of the area. 5. More than 40 of the 92 Idyllwild units were purchased after the flood. The owners knew what they were purchasing. 6. The total cost of the project would be roughly $13 million. CDBG/FEMA grants will cover $8 million. The rest will be funded by local taxes. The estimate is at least $5 million. As a community, we have so many other pressing needs - schools, repairing the landfill, justice center to name a few. 7. The $30, 000 levee maintenance fees for the levee will be funded by city wide property taxes, but benefit only the Idyllwild residents. 8. The levee design includes a road for access to the Peninsula development. We no longer need that road because of the proposed road as part of the Dubuque Street Exit development. This new road will give access to the Peninsula from the north side of Foster Road. The levee road would be closed to traffic in times of high water, so of no value during times of flooding. The Dubuque Street Exit road will be north of Foster Road and north of the flood zone. 9. I am extremely uncomfortable with the fact that this project will be using federal and local taxes to favor one street over many others, particularly the people right across the street. It is unfair that the benefits will be felt only by the Idyllwild condominiums residents and that all the negative impact will be felt by the neighbors across the street, across the river, but also upstream and downstream. 10. The only fair solution is for the Idyllwild residents to get flood insurance like the other residents who live along the river. Why is the city not considering dredging the river? I was told it is because of the toxic river sediment. Removal and disposal of the dredged material would be cheaper than building the Taft Speedway levee, Rocky Shore floodwall and replacing the Park Street bridge. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this request. Sincerely, Marilyn Rosenquist 323 Mullin Ave Iowa City, IA 52246 November 5, 2012 Dear Mayor Hayek and City Council members, I don't love In any of the neighborhoods potentially affected by the tevee/tioodwall proposal. However, foilowing this subject has always left me with the following observations and questions... I remember when the Idyllwiki housing development first started years ago. I could not understand why any approval was given to a #ow a substantial housing development and a church be built In a flood zone that was destined to flood repeatedly. In hindsight, where was the logic In that decision? The part of the levee/ftoodwail topic I find the most disturbing Is that anyone would find It acceptable to build a levee/floodwail that protects ONLY SOME residents In the flood zone —and that the only residents to be protected are from the newer development. Why would anyone find this an acceptable or equitable solutfon? It's been a mystery to me how and why this entire levee discussion has progressed this far without someone saying — "Waft a minute —let's stop and look at this again." Residents who choose to build or buy a home In a flood zone all need to assume the realties and responsibilities of what it means to live In such an area —buy flood Insurance and prepare that flooding will happen — because it will. For our city to build any type of levee or floodwall that will only protect some Is just wrong. Please vote no on the proposed levee /foodwali project. Thank you, cW, Cindy o erts= Grant Wood neighborhood resident 3 i Marian Karr From: Kurt Kimmerling <kurtkimmerling @msn.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:41 PM To: Council Subject: Idyllwild Flood Insurance November 6, 2012 Member of City Council and Staff City of Iowa City 410 E Washington Street Iowa City Al 52240 Dear City Council and Staff: During the October 23rd City Council work session, Councilperson Throgmorton asked City staff about the availability of flood insurance for communities like Idyllwild. Details on Idyllwild's flood insurance coverage follows. Standard homeowners insurance doesn't cover flooding. In 1968, Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to help provide a means for property owners to financially protect themselves from the floods associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rains and other conditions that impact the U.S. The NFIP offers flood insurance to homeowners, renters, and business owners if their community participates in the NFIP —Iowa City does. Participating communities agree to adopt and enforce ordinances that meet or exceed FEMA requirements to reduce the risk of flooding. From the NFIP Summary of Coverage Manual: Flood insurance protects two types of insurable property: Building and Contents. The first covers buildings, the latter covers possessions; neither covers the land they occupy. Building coverage includes: • The insured building and its foundation • The electrical and plumbing system • Central air conditioning equipment, furnaces, and water heaters • Refrigerators, cooking stoves, and built -in appliances such as dishwashers • Permanently installed carpeting over unfinished flooring Contents coverage includes: • Clothing, furniture, and electronic equipment • Curtains • Portable and window air conditioners • Portable microwaves and dishwashers • Carpeting that is not already included in property coverage • Clothing washers and dryers What is not insured by either Building Property or Contents Property coverage? • Damage caused by moisture, mildew, or mold that could have been avoided by the property owner • Currency, precious metals, and valuable papers such as stock certificates • Property and belongings outside of a building such as trees, plants, wells, septic systems, walks, decks, patios, fences, seawalls, hot tubs, and swimming pools • Living expenses such as temporary housing • Financial losses caused by business interruption or loss of use of insured property • Most self - propelled vehicles such as cars, including their parts The Idyllwild Condominiums Owners' Association does have Building coverage through the NFIP. We insure our 23 building against flood damage at an annual cost of US$40,000; the expense is shared equally by our 92 homeowners. Contents coverage is the responsibility of individual owners. Cost varies depends on how content is valued and at what deductable. We estimate Content coverage costs between US$250 - US$300 annually per property owner. It's important to recognize insurance doesn't protect our flooded residents against: 1. Difficulty finding suitable short-term living arrangements in Iowa City. Idyllwild owners discovered this in Year 2008. Three to six month rentals are nearly impossible to find in the area, many were forced into one year rental contracts. 2. The expensive for rental housing. Idyllwild reconstruction in Year 2008 took about six - months equating into rental housing costs of between US$6,000 to US$12,000 per owner. For those on fixed income this can be difficult to finance. 3. The financial strain of funding temporary housing, mortgage payments on the flooded property and reconstruction costs at the same time. 4. Employment pressures and loss of income. Being displaced makes working nearly impossible in the short -term. For those employed on an hourly basis, not working means loss of real income. For salaried employees, it means negotiating with employers over time -off and the possibility of lost compensation while taking leave. 5. The emotional expense. The whole process is exhausting and until you've lived through losing your home to a flood it's something that is impossible to explain. Additionally, here are some other important points concerning flood insurance. 1. The NFIP has to be authorized yearly by Congress. While it's been authorized every year since 1968, there is no guaranty it will be available in the future. 2. Premiums are set yearly based on insurance expenses incurred by the program. Events like the October 29th hurricane on the east coast will likely drive premiums higher. 3. There is no private or other government sponsored flood insurance program available in Iowa. If you have additional questions about our insurance coverage feel free to ask and we will review and get you answers. We would also recommend reviewing the information at on the NFIP link: http: / /www.floodsmart.gov /floodsmart/pdfs /NFIP Summary of Coverage.pdf. Please protect Idyllwild residents by supporting the levee project on Taft Speedway and No Name Road. Kurt Kimmerling 33 Trevose Place Iowa City IA 52245 ar�s� v - nif -- - _ _ - - -- - -- - - - E- - - -_ _ -- - - - Gt - - �►�___1oc_ % __Ct� C� ; -home'r , z t5 , - -o n 4ku VLA _OILS i n,,9,� -O a ICQ . I n \^1e- 65 c do ov irw_f"S_al >dt ,_ o►��►� .t - shvij -c�, b m e I-Or� C.t., _._C aru V'\.e L-01 V e- - 4 15S U e's j .i ► —�-.. _ vie.c�°�'�e� yr 1 iy { -- �1'll I Gj GYG C1S�s5 Tl ( �� G1omSC, Ir nom_ _ ands -Q� l►mice2o ►�S an =�'vz- - "f✓is�-Ur� ti1�, }�� a1\0 r E V4--- fi BLS �`UU�1 VV Ix _or Cc, tl c ?Ge_cican - to --- - - - - -- cu _CLmm.w-d ha In v pp OCT 19 2012 c.Ly fuwa f ci From Red Line Cab To The City Of Iowa City We suggest that: All cab in the city has to be limited to the number of each company (if a company has 10 cabs in the law season, so cabs should be same number in the busy season) Each cab in the city get the sticker from the city March 15t they could go in one full year of term (if a cab get dropped from a company it will be dropped from the company's list and that will reduce the number of cabs per company) Some classes should be taking to people and students who need to be educated about a hot line for immediate help or report an over charge that they can reported right away (listing a phone number and taking action on the spot so that will stop the over charge ) Red Line Cab Hany Hamza 319 631 -5146 r..s © +ti Z A" • V David Tiet 1404 Prairie Du Chien Iowa City, IA 52245 I have a suggestion that would benefit both legitimate taxi businesses and the city of Iowa City. I propose that taxi companies operate with the total number of vehicles in their fleet that were registered at the time of their annual renewal. Additional vehicles could only be added to increase fleet size at the time of renewal. To replace a vehicle in the fleet, the decal for the deleted vehicle would need to be surrendered in order to obtain a decal for the replacement vehicle. Businesses could decrease the size of their fleet at any time but only increase the size of their fleet at the annual renewal. Iowa City would have a designated time period when new taxi companies could apply to operate in Iowa City. The time period would be the same as the annual renewal period for current taxi companies in Iowa City. This suggestion would be fair to all parties. It would prevent new businesses, commonly know as fly -by -night operations, from starting just before the most lucrative seasons and then discontinuing during the less lucrative months. Iowa City residents would have reliable taxi service operating year round. The city would benefit from reduced paperwork that would occur during set time periods. Vehicle inspections would also occur during set time periods. Respectfully Submitted, / David Tiet October 26, 2012 —� To: City Council -City of Iowa City' q Re: Taxi service in Iowa City --� I have a suggestion that would benefit both legitimate taxi businesses and the city of Iowa City. I propose that taxi companies operate with the total number of vehicles in their fleet that were registered at the time of their annual renewal. Additional vehicles could only be added to increase fleet size at the time of renewal. To replace a vehicle in the fleet, the decal for the deleted vehicle would need to be surrendered in order to obtain a decal for the replacement vehicle. Businesses could decrease the size of their fleet at any time but only increase the size of their fleet at the annual renewal. Iowa City would have a designated time period when new taxi companies could apply to operate in Iowa City. The time period would be the same as the annual renewal period for current taxi companies in Iowa City. This suggestion would be fair to all parties. It would prevent new businesses, commonly know as fly -by -night operations, from starting just before the most lucrative seasons and then discontinuing during the less lucrative months. Iowa City residents would have reliable taxi service operating year round. The city would benefit from reduced paperwork that would occur during set time periods. Vehicle inspections would also occur during set time periods. Respectfully Submitted, / David Tiet Marian Karr From: Mark Paterno <paternorealtor @yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 3:06 PM To: Marian Karr Subject: Iowa City Taxicab Standards 2012 -2013 Dear City Clerk's Office & The City Council of Iowa City: As one of the owners of Marco's Taxi, I would like to encourage you to take this opportunity to increase the City of Iowa City's image; the Iowa City taxicab industry's image; the efficiency of licensing in conjunction with other cities, and the overall safety of the public in regards to Iowa City taxis. -COLOR SCHEME: When we opened Marco's Taxi in 2006, there was a city rule that all taxis had to be uniform in color scheme. This rule is no longer in place and I can think of no other city than Iowa City that does not require that all taxis within a company be uniform. As a parent, this is a major safety issue if a patron can not even be certain of what taxi they were in the night before. There is no reason why all companies should not be required to have matching cars. As a taxi company owner, I believe that it is of the utmost importance that we present a professional atmosphere within our industry. A professional atmosphere can not be achieved while taxi companies are able to have 20 different cars with 20 different color schemes. - INSPECTION & LICENSING DATES: As of November 1st, 2012; any Iowa City taxi company that picks up at the Cedar Rapids Airport must now be licensed with the airport and also the City of Cedar Rapids. Currently Iowa City has their paperwork & inspection due on March 1st; Cedar Rapids has their deadline on July 1st. To avoid the duplication & redundancy of identical paperwork, inspections, owner criminal background checks, etc; we encourage Iowa City to extend the licensing dates to coincide with Cedar Rapids and / or work with the City of Cedar Rapids to streamline the application process with a common form, etc. In addition, the current licensing date of March 1st is during peak season for taxis and also the city inspection garage. A date of June 1 st would ease much strain on both the city garage and the taxi companies. -LIMIT NUMBER OF COMPANIES: Iowa City is a unique place in endless ways. One of the most conspicuous ways is the increase of local business during football games & late night weekends. As an end result, there are many taxi companies and drivers who appear for these peak times only. Although they technically comply with city regulations most of the time, it is imperative that all taxi companies operating in Iowa City be a true 365 day / year operation that is a true full service taxi company. A cap on the number of companies would be a step in the right direction. As of now, there is no end in sight for part time / hobby taxi companies, cars, & drivers. At some point, the motivation for the full service companies to remain open will be broken by the overwhelming presence of part time companies who seek the exploits at the peak hours only. - ENFORCEMENT: The City of Iowa City has made many great strides in passing rules that help improve & increase the professional standards of the taxicab industry, locally. We do believe, however that these rules must be enforced with explicit repercussions for violations. There will never be a motivation for drivers or companies to comply with rules that are not cost affective to them if there are not clear consequences. It is our belief and experience that rules are only followed if there are clear consequences for violations. - UNIFORM PHONE NUMBERS ON CABS OF THE SAME COMPANY: It appears that cabs within the same company have different phone numbers printed on their cars. We encourage a mandate that requires all taxis within the same company to display the same phone number on the exterior of their taxi that rings at the physical location of the company's dispatch office. - DISPATCHING FROM AN OFFICE ONLY: Although there is already a rule requiring that company's have a dispatch office in effect; I would like to remind everybody that this is the single most important factor to public safety in the taxicab industry. There is absolutely no way that a driver can safely transport passengers, answer the phone, write down an address, & dispatch the call to another driver in a safe manner. In fact, there could not possibly be a more dangerous recipe / protocol for dispatching a taxi call. We encourage the city to adopt a severe penalty for any driver or company found in violation of this rule & create a plan for enforcement. Thank you, Mark Paterno - CRS, GRI Cell: 319 - 936 -7447 Fax: 319- 351 -8035 Lepic Kroeger Realtors Licensed Realtor in the State of Iowa �UOU" Yellow Cab of Iowa City P.O. Box 428 Iowa City, IA 52244 �IOwA�CITY (319) 338 -9777 October 31, 2012 www.yellowcabic.com 1) Color Schemes. We continue to request the requirement of color schemes for each taxicab company's vehicles. Our drivers continue to receive' complaints from customers who have taken taxicabs from other companies and have either received poor service, or were victims of overcharging. Our drivers are trained to listen to these complaints and to suggest to the customer that they register their complaint with the Iowa City Police Department. Too often, our drivers are told that the customer does not know which company provided the poor service or overcharging. Many times our drivers are simply told "it was a (white, blue, gray) van." If color schemes were required, taxicab companies that wish to violate the City's regulations might be more easily discovered, and our industry's service to the general public would improve. These types of unprofessional behaviors damage our area's tourism industry, and therefore affects those companies who follow the regulations. 2) Increased enforcement. We believe that increased enforcement of the existing regulations is warranted. We currently have reason to believe that several taxicab companies are not dispatching from a central location, rather,.they are dispatching from one of the vehicles. It appears that last winter, the Iowa City Police Department performed a check of taxicab companies to see which companies had a staffed, central dispatch operation. We have been told that only two companies were operating within the regulations. Further, we have members of our own driving staff who have worked for other taxicab companies licensed in Iowa City. I have been told that one reason they wished to switch companies is that they were required to answer a phone and dispatch calls while driving a taxicab themselves, and they didn't wish to do so for safety reasons. We believe that increased enforcement of the regulations with this and other matters would prevent these taxicab companies from operating illegally. RE: modifications to Taxicab regulations E �; , � TO: Marian Karr, City Clerk; Iowa City City Council °- w Yellow Cab of Iowa City would like to suggest the following nOdtfic onset the Iowa City Taxicab regulations. ' ' ,., JJ 1) Color Schemes. We continue to request the requirement of color schemes for each taxicab company's vehicles. Our drivers continue to receive' complaints from customers who have taken taxicabs from other companies and have either received poor service, or were victims of overcharging. Our drivers are trained to listen to these complaints and to suggest to the customer that they register their complaint with the Iowa City Police Department. Too often, our drivers are told that the customer does not know which company provided the poor service or overcharging. Many times our drivers are simply told "it was a (white, blue, gray) van." If color schemes were required, taxicab companies that wish to violate the City's regulations might be more easily discovered, and our industry's service to the general public would improve. These types of unprofessional behaviors damage our area's tourism industry, and therefore affects those companies who follow the regulations. 2) Increased enforcement. We believe that increased enforcement of the existing regulations is warranted. We currently have reason to believe that several taxicab companies are not dispatching from a central location, rather,.they are dispatching from one of the vehicles. It appears that last winter, the Iowa City Police Department performed a check of taxicab companies to see which companies had a staffed, central dispatch operation. We have been told that only two companies were operating within the regulations. Further, we have members of our own driving staff who have worked for other taxicab companies licensed in Iowa City. I have been told that one reason they wished to switch companies is that they were required to answer a phone and dispatch calls while driving a taxicab themselves, and they didn't wish to do so for safety reasons. We believe that increased enforcement of the regulations with this and other matters would prevent these taxicab companies from operating illegally. "10 Yellow Cab of Iowa City P.O. Box 428 Iowa City, IA 52244 (319) 338 -9777 www.yellowcabic.com 3) Decals. We would also request that the City's regulations on taxicab decal placement be enforced. Our drivers are instructed to report to our management any vehicles from other taxicab companies that may be operating illegally. We continue to get reports from drivers that some taxicabs on the street do not have the proper decals. While I feel that some taxicabs do not have decals at all, I have seen some that have decals, but they are not in the proper location according to code, namely, the lower passenger side of the front windshield. 4) Badge Display. We would like to request a change in the taxicab code to allow for the display of driver badges so that the passenger may view it. Currently, section 5.2.6 (D) requires that driver badges be worn `on the driver's person." To comply with this requirement, most of our drivers simply pin the badge to the front of their shirt/coat, which is facing the windshield and away from the passenger's view. If the passenger cannot see the badge, they cannot identify the driver and cannot offer this information to authorities should the passenger wish to submit a taxicab complaint. Further, I often receive telephone calls from our customers who either have concerns about a recent service call, or wish to compliment the driver. In either case, I am forced to ask the passenger for a physical description of the driver in order to determine their identity. If City code were changed to allow for the clipping of the badge to a part of the dashboard (say, onto an air vent on the passenger's side), then customers in both the front passenger seat and in the back seat of the taxicab can view the badge and be able to offer a name should they need to. 5) Dispatch locations. We would like to see the council amend section 5.2.2 (B) (1) to indicate that dispatch office locations are not permitted in residential zoning districts. Currently, the Coralville taxicab code expressly forbids a taxicab dispatching operation to be located in a residential zone, and we would like the code in Iowa City to reflect that as well. This might further prevent taxicab companies from dispatching from vehicles, or from unusual /unacceptable locations. t:. Thank you very much. c :, Sincerely, Roger E. Bradley r Manager To whom it may concern: OCT 31 2012 3 � 3 s'� p • yy� , I would like to start by thanking the city for taking our concerns as business owners seriously. That being said the invitation to the council mandated that all requests regarding new ordinances be submitted in writing and as such here are a list of three simple ordinances that if passed I feel will help the city regulate the taxi companies as well as provide the denizens of Iowa City with the best possible service. . First and foremost I feel that all companies must be registered by a specified date (March) and no more companies can be licensed afterwards until the next registration date. This will prevent companies from starting up prior to games and significant events and mandate yearlong service to the city in exchange for the privilege of such events. .Secondly no company can increase the amount of cabs in their fleet by more than 50% between registration periods which will prohibit companies from adding up to 35 cabs prior to games and flooding the market with what I like to refer to as the locust effect. .Finally, In order to be granted a license to operate in IC, each cab company must have an office/HQ IN IOWA CITY I thank you again for your consideration and I am looking forward to a cooperative relationship with the city for the benefit of all legitimate businesses. Mohamed Hassanein Five Stars Taxi CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: November 7, 2012 To: Mayor & City Council From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk Re: Meeting with Taxi Company Owners Introduction: The City Clerk's office currently licenses 14 companies and 148 vehicles. Background: The City Clerk's office has received a number of complaints from companies regarding the proliferation of taxi companies and vehicles especially during the peak football season. "Gypsy" vehicles are harder to spot when the City is busy and other tasks take priority for the Police Department. Owners have contacted staff repeatedly, as well as individual Council Members regarding better enforcement, and a commitment on the part of the City to companies that do follow the rules. All 14 companies were invited to a meeting on October 31 to discuss possible changes for the next licensing year. Companies could attend the meeting and /or provide a written statement concerning changes. Six letters were received and discussed at the October 31 meeting and will be accepted on the November 13 consent calendar. A summary of the meeting is attached. Recommendation: Staff is prepared to proceed with item # 1 -7 with Council concurrence for the November 27 agenda. However, staff would like direction form Council on item # 8. Police and Transportation Services will pursue items 9 & 10. In addition staff would like to initiate a passenger feedback form that would be available in every licensed taxi vehicle to allow a quick way to report a problem or acknowledge service; and to require a second re- inspection for any vehicle removed from company insurance and asking to be re- instated. Passage of the changes would become effective with the 2013 licensing year. cc: Tom Markus Sue Dulek Chris O'Brien Sam Hargadine Chris Akers 14 Taxi Companies s/taxi:memo1112.doc Taxi Cab Company Meeting 10/31/12 Page 1 of 3 TAXI CAB COMPANY MEETING OCTOBER 31, 2012 3:30 p.m. Owners Present: Adil Adams - American Taxi Cab David Tiet — Big Ten — Aardvark Taxi Cab Mohamed Hassanein - Five Stars Taxi Maisara Abdelrazig, Ali Ahmed - Jowan Taxi Cab Hany Hamza - Red Line Cab Mark Paterno - Marco's Taxi Roger Bradley - Yellow Cab Others Present: Dennis Doderer, Independent driver for Red Line Cab Staff present: City Attorney's office — Asst. City Atty. Sue Dulek City Clerk's office — Deputy City Clerk Julie Voparil and City Clerk Marian Karr Police Department — Sgt. Chris Akers and Chief Sam Hargadine Transportation Services — Director Chris O'Brien City Clerk Karr stated the purpose of the meeting was in response to a number of owners asking for changes for the upcoming year. A letter was sent to owners of the 14 companies asking them to provide input by attending the meeting and /or providing written comments. A summary of the suggestions follows. 1. COLOR SCHEME - Unanimously agreed to re- instate color scheme. ➢ Will allow easier identification of cab companies ➢ Safety issue ➢ Same configuration of colors (pattern) for each company ➢ All vehicles for a company would need to have same distinct color scheme ➢ More professional, cleaner look ➢ More investment into company appearance ➢ Would not prohibit same colors from being used again but require distinctive appearance 2. DISPATCH OFFICE - Unanimously agreed for dispatch offices to be located in Iowa City or Coralville. ➢ Important to do business in the community, the office should be in the community ➢ Better accessibility should problems arise ➢ More availability for inspections by Police ➢ Does not preclude an office being located in residential area but will require sign off by Inspection Services to ensure cars are not stored in residential area Taxi Cab Company Meeting 10/31/12 Page 2 of 3 3. DISPATCH OFFICE - Unanimously requested clarification and flexibility in dispatching from office 24/7. ➢ All agreed with requirement of 24/7 service ➢ All agreed no dispatching from the car ➢ Many noted that drivers receive calls from preferred consumers on their cell phones but are not dispatched ➢ Would like ability to dispatch from home as long as phone is answered 24/7 ➢ All dispatching should be done from the office allowing flexibility between midnight and 6AM (but all calls must be answered) 4. NEW CAB COMPANIES ONLY AT ANNUAL RENEWAL TIME - Consensus that new cab companies could start only at annual renewal time (and not any time during the year). ➢ Established companies adversely affected when companies come in for seasonal events ➢ Established companies invested in year round business ➢ Established companies could expand if needed knowing the total companies for the year 5. VEHICLE LETTERING - Unanimously agreed that the phone number on outside of all company cabs should ALWAYS be the same number listed for dispatch office and on rate card.) 6. DRIVER IDENTIFICATION — Unanimously agreed to alternate ID ➢ clipped or attached "badge" to dashboard so persons in back of cab can see it (not on person as Code currently states). 7. CHANGE ANNUAL RENEWAL TIME - Consensus that annual renewal be changed from March 1 to June 1. ➢ March 1 is busy with time for City equipment inspections and companies for inspections given weather conditions ➢ Changing to later would miss busy time of taxi operating year ➢ Cedar Rapids renewal is July 1 and could eliminate duplicating efforts of inspections 8. NUMBER OF VEHICLES PER COMPANY - Consensus for limiting number of vehicles added to each company per year, ➢ Suggested: Controlling by letting company add no new vehicles during the cab year unless they are replacing. ➢ Suggested: Controlling by letting companies increase by 50 percentage of what they start out with at annual renewal. Note: A minimal amount of growth should be allowed for licensed companies during the year. No agreement was reached on providing that growth flexibility. Taxi Cab Company Meeting 10/31/12 Page 3 of 3 9. ENFORCEMENT WITH FINES - Unanimously agreed that taxi code violations should have consequences; should be fined. 10. PARKING OF CABS DOWNTOWN IN LOADING ZONES AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET — Unanimously agreed to provide alternatives to provide safety to passengers and vehicles. ➢ City staff hope to have solutions presented in January MISCELLANEOUS: Insurance rates are too high. Small business loans for starting a company. Quarterly meetings with cab companies and staff. Have a designated person for complaints. Education (classes) for persons and students including a "hotline" so someone can call and immediately report a taxi violation (overcharge of fares are a main concern), so immediate action can be taken. INDEPENDENT TAXI DRIVERS: Too much emphasis put on companies ignoring rights of independent owners of vehicles driving under company name. 11 -� (4, ) Marian Karr, The problem, as I see it, with the taxi services in the City of Iowa City and Coralville stems from a lack of unified rules, regulation and enforcement. The situation will not improve until the following points are addressed: Uniformity — As long as cab companies are allowed to license any vehicle without regard to color or paint scheme, those that choose to act without regard to their company's rates will continue to avoid being identified. This is of utmost importance. Licensing —As the companies operate in the Iowa City / Coralville area and are required to maintain an office, they should be required to have valid and current Johnson County registration. Taxi Commission/Commissioner — The police department is already overworked, so I would propose that commissioner be appointed to oversee the establishment of the rules and regulations while a full commission is being formed. This would give the city one person to act in the role of enforcement during the period while order is being established. There are other points, but these are the three most important. Aric Hopkins Old Capitol Independent Taxi 521 -0691 Usu 7_5 _ �° z From: Melvin Kelly <kellyresearchplan @yahoo.com> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 7:39 AM To: ctham.AWP @gmail.com ; citymanager @hollister.ca.gov ; council @cityoffullerton.com ; cityclerk @dalycity.org ; cthomas @ci.adelanto.ca.us ; citycommission @salina.org ; cmomail @springfield - or.gov ; christopherc @cityofwestsacramento.org ; citycouncil @cityoflamirada.org ; cpucheu @gulfport- ms.gov ; cjackson @cityofdalton- ga.gov; clarissa.rowe @comcast.net ; council @town.barnstable.ma.us ; constituenttsservice @weymouth.ma.us ; council @suffolkva.us ; csierra @phenixcityal.us ; contact @huntsvilleal.gov ; citymgr @johnsoncitytn.org ; croth @kenner.la.us ; cshaheen @wrga.gov; councilclk @tompsc.com; cityhall @melbourneflorida.org ; cityhall @westonfl.org ; citycouncil @cityofrichfield.org ; Council; council @altoonapa.gov ; cshannon @baycitymi.org ; cohmayor @co.hawaii.hi.us .; cityclerk @derrynh.org ; council - dist12 @ brgov.com ;council-distll@brgov.com ;council-distlO@brgov.com ; council -dist9 @ brgov.com ;council-dist8@brgov.com ;council-dist7@brgov.com ; council -dist6 @ brgov.com ;council-dist5@brgov.com ;council-dist4@brgov.com ; council -dist2 @brgov.com ;council-dist3@brgov.com ;council-distl@brgov.com ; counciladmin @brgov.com ; clfowlerjr @suddenlink.net ;cjordan@Www.greenville.ms.us ; council @shreveportla.gov ;citymanager@cox-internet.com ;csawyer@cityofpafterson.org ;CityClerk@quincyil.gov ;ckohler@cantoncityhall.org ;cityhall@valdostacity.com ; contact @gov.state. la. us; cs @odessa- tx.gov ;council@ci.pearland.tx.us ;cio@ame- church.com ;cliff@wvon.com ;clee@bellevuewa.gov ;cityclerk@melbourneflorida.org ; Commission @largo.com ; cjohnson5 @augustaga.gov; cpd_web_mail @hud.gov Subject: Shelter in the Time of a Storm, by Melvin Lorenzo Kelly Attachments: Hurricanes and Tornadoes.doc From: Melvin Lorenzo Kelly 2014 Olive Rd. Augusta, Ga. 30906 706 - 796 -3044 Email: kellYresearchplankyahoo.com To: The United States of America Elected Officials Sub: Natural Disasters, Hurricanes and Tornadoes (Employment Creation) Date: October 26, 2012 Cc: United States Civic Leaders Dear Hon. Unites States Elected Officials, Today I would like to share a proposed project with you, one that will create employment and employment training and help save human lives known as "Shelter in the Time of a Storm." Far too many American lives are lost to Tornado's, Hurricanes and other natural acts of the nature because they are left without somewhere to hide for immediate shelter. In the past, many Emergency Management Divisions and National Weather Services have reported as many as 50 Tornadoes or more activated at one time in the same day, here in America especially within the mid - western part of the country. I believe it is a good thing for the American Government to create in -house positions of employment for unemployed Americans, especially in areas that is well needed to save human lives while giving hope to the less fortunate at the same time. Most scientists predict that because of Global Warming we can expect more unusual weather behaviors in the future on dry land and in the seas. For more information about my proposed project named "Shelter in the Time of a Storm" Please feel free to contact me. Let's build a better America Melvin Lorenzo Kelly From: Del Holland <delholland @aol.com> Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 11:08 AM To: Council Subject: Sharrows on Gilbert St. This correspondence will become a public record. Yesterday, I sent a note to Kris Ackerson and I thought I should send a copy to you, Del Kris, This morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find, when riding from the current BL location to the new location, that there were sharrows out in the lane on Gilbert. I was amazed at how much more confident they made me feel taking my legitimate place on the road as I proceeded south. Thanks for this first step toward a "road diet" there, Del Marian Karr From: audrey wiedemeier <audreywied @gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 3:32 PM To: Council Subject: Bike Sharrows on Gilbert - Thank You Dear City of Iowa City, The Iowa City Bike Library would like to acknowledge recent improvements the City has made to Iowa City's bicycle network- lining Gilbert Street with bicycle sharrows. Volunteers of the Bike Library are proud to be heavily vested in advocating for improvements to our bicycle landscape, yet we hadn't any idea this project was in the works. Needless to say we are thrilled that there is now bicycle infrastructure traversing this main North /South corridor. At the beginning of the year there was much talk of putting Gilbert Street on a road diet, as there are numerous benefits in terms of traffic operations, safety, and livability, providing more space for bicycles and pedestrians. Regardless of whether the City chooses to put bike lanes on Gilbert Street in the future or provide an alternate North /South route for bicyclists, we are happy to see that progressive actions are being taken in the meantime to increase bicyclists' and motorists' awareness of our shared rights and responsibilities in traffic. This past weekend the League of American Bicyclists came to Iowa City, conducting their League Cycling Instructor Training. The Bike Library hosted the Seminar and we are delighted to announce that Iowa City has seven newly League Certified Instructors. We can now offer bicycle education classes to a multitude of audiences. We're working on our end to bring safe cycling education to riders in our community who use Gilbert Street on a regular basis. We want to thank the City Council, the City Managers Office, and the Public Works Office for working on your end to make bicycling for transportation a priority. On behalf of the Bike Library and the hundreds of people we serve who rely on bicycles for transportation - Thanks Again! Ride on Audrey Rose Wiedemeier Iowa City Bike Library - Americorps bikelibrary.org (515) 451 -4903 Cell Life's a garden. Dig it. 1-�. -� �% ) Marian Karr From: bakercity56 @aol.com Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 9:32 AM To: council @iowa - city.org. Subject: Sharrows on S. Gilbert St. November 10, 2012 City Council Members- I'd like to comment on the positive correspondence included in the 11/13/12 Agenda Packet regarding the addition of bike sharrows on S. Gilbert Street. As a road diet may be a good option on S. Gilbert St. located more closely to downtown, the portion of S.Gilbert Street from Kirkwood Ave. to Hwy 6 with little concentration of commercial businesses or foot traffic tying up sidewalk space for bikes should not have sharrows until ROW (Right- of -Way) improvements are made. Most notably because of the high traffic volume that comes off of & goes on to Hwy 6. There is no assured amount of safety to bicyclists on the current ROW. Traffic swerving around bicycles is not safe. The draft of Riverfront Crossings Development related to this portion of S. Gilbert St. from Hwy 6 to Kirkwood Avenue specifically states Gilbert will need to be redeveloped into a 5 lane road with a center turn and median. And will be expanded from 66' ROW to 114' Row. The outside lane to include a sharrow will be 14'; the inside lane 12'. Why would bike sharrows be added before this development begins? The Riverfront Crossings ROW change identifies research was done on what measures would need to be taken to manage and add safe bike travel on Gilbert. I'm all for alternative, "green means" of transportation. I am excited to watch Riverfront Crossings unfold. But S. Gilbert Street, from Kirkwood Ave. to Hwy 6 should not currently be designated as an appropriate segment for road diet. The heavy amount of vehicular traffic this street carries has in less than a month's time worn off the painted bike sharrow markings. Thank you for considering my thoughts - Sheldon Baker 1 Shelter Community Shelter & Transition services HOut-a1cw The Shelter House Endowment is our assurance to the community that people in need will always have an opportunity to move beyond homelessness. Board of Directors Gale Kolbet, President Alan Elgar Carolyn Gross William Liu Mark Pries Sara Rynes- Weller Jayne Sandler Steve Schornhorst Gene Spaziani Liz Swanson Kay Weiler Nancy Williams Julie Zielinski Endowment Committee Joyce Leff, Chair Mary L. Larew Michael Lensing Gay Mikelson Carrie Z. Norton Dr. E. Toxage Shivapour Alan Swanson Liz Swanson P.Q. Box 3146 Iowa City, IA. 52244.3146 319.338.5416 M 4 2012 OCT 29 AM : 13 Opening Doors City Council of Iowa City 410 E Washington ST Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear City Council Members: 0 f...5. 'g(^ Cl 4'� u 'i October 26, 2012 There was an event in downtown Iowa City on October 10th that highlighted why Iowa City is such a special place to live. And it could not have occurred without the efforts of two organizations which are supported in part by the City of Iowa City. Shelter House had a challenge. After holding a number of focus groups, Shelter House learned that our community is committed to serving the homeless, and at the same time, there is not an accurate view of who the homeless are and how Shelter House helps these folks move beyond homelessness. "Well, let's make a video to introduce our clientele and programs, and then let's have a big free community event to have a conversation about homelessness in our area." And that's just what we did. Ty Coleman of CityChanne14 worked with Shelter House volunteers to produce a professional, powerful and informative video so that our community could meet some current and former residents of Shelter House, see the new facility and learn about Shelter House's programs. Ty is an Iowa City treasure: he's a wizard with video production and just the nicest person to work with on such a big, complex project. The Englert welcomed us to use that perfect community venue for a fee that fit our modest non - profit: budget. On October 10th, 'The Englert accommodated 473 community r embers for an evening of "education, entertainment and conversation about homelessness" which featured the premier of Ty Coleman's fabulous video: We Are Shelter I- louse. Dave Moore opened the event with musical selections about home and, consistent with Iowa City's designation as a UNESCO City of Literature, a participant in the Shelter House Writing Program read his work. Among the packed audience were high school students, undergraduate students, and a few graduate students (nursing, education and social work). Some homeless folks attended, and some formerly homeless folks as well as some well - heeled residents who may someday be interested in contributing Shelter House. is a tax exempt 501(03) organization. Asa partner agency of the United Way of Johnson County, me have successfully met all local I Y 1 membership accountability statxtards in finance, r ethir_q, govetdance, and diversity. Unhod Way of iohnon Cavnly to our endowment fund. There were mental health professionals and some folks who had been involved with the Consultation of Religious Communities' Overflow Project. And each of the 473 audience members left with a cookie baked by the Shelter House Culinary Starts Program. How can we thank Ty Coleman? One way is to let the leaders of our city know that without CityChannel4's Community Programming Division and 'Fy Coleman's considerable skills and efforts there would be no video. Ty's video helps us promote our mission of serving the homeless in our community. Something very special happened for our community and Shelter House on October 10, 2012. Sincerely It )4e Christina M. Canganelli Carrie I. Norton Executive Director Endowment Committee cc: Andre Perry Bob Hardy Ty Coleman c� C) " zqn N) to .�.. FILED 201? OCT 29 PM 1: I � IO►�9k CCPT` , Ic; �VA i0 1354 Curtis Bridge Rd. NE Swisher, IA 52338 October 26, 2012 Mayor Matt Hayek & Council Members 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mayor Hayek & Council Members, Thank you for your grant of $200.00 to the Iowa City Community String Orchestra, received July 31, 2012. Without the support of the Community Event Funding, the orchestra would not be able to continue its tradition,of presenting two free concerts a year to the Iowa City community. Part of our tradition includes not only the free concerts, but we feature fine soloists and the works of living composers who reside in Iowa or have connections to Iowa. ICCSO is a non - profit 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the IRS. Contributions are tax deductible under Section 170 of the Code. With respect to your donation, we acknowledge that you have not received any consideration for your gift in either cash or kind. Thank you for you part in helping us provide rehearsal and performance opportunities for amateur players and great listening for area concert- goers. We hope you can attend our November 18 concert at the Englert Theatre, 3:00 p.m. Sincerely, qit�. Janice Horak ICCSO Treasurer IOWA CITY COMMUNITY STRING ORCHESTRA WWW .ICCOMMUNITYSTRINGORCHESTRA.COM celebrating 33 Years . From: Matt Ohloff <mohloff @fwwatch.org> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 5:29 PM To: Council Subject: City Council Resolution: Support of GE Labeling Attachments: GE labeling local resolution.docx; CaseForGE Labeling. pdf; How- Much - Will- Labeling- Genetically- Engineered- Foods - Really - Cost.pdf; MostamericansWantGELabels.pdf; GeneticallyEngineered Food. pdf Dear Council Members, Food & Water Watch, along with our allies in the Iowa City area, will present a resolution to the Council at your November 13 meeting, which will then likely be voted on at your November 27 meeting. The resolution is a non - binding resolution in support of legislation requiring the mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. We are working with Iowa state legislators to get state legislation introduced and passed in the upcoming Iowa legislative session. I'm attaching the resolution, along with some supporting documents on GE food labeling. Some of you may be aware of California's Prop 37 on the ballot for Nov. 6 that would require labeling of genetically engineered foods. Some of the attached documents address some of the misinformation put forth by the biotech and junk food interests opposing Prop 37. We can expect similar misinformation in Iowa, which is why I'm attaching the documents for you all to be aware of. Please let me know if have any questions. Sincerely, Matt Ohloff Regional Organizer Food & Water Watch 351 E. College St. Iowa City, IA 52240 office: 319- 512 -7825 fax: 319- 512 -7835 cell: 515- 988 -3737 mohloff Owwatch.org www.foodandwaterwatch.org LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoodWaterWatch Iowa This correspondence will become a public record. RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the City of recognizes that consumers want accurate and thorough information about the food they feed their families; and WHEREAS, the potential long -terms risks to public health and the environment from genetically engineered foods are unknown; and WHEREAS, safety studies on genetically engineered foods are limited because biotechnology companies prohibit cultivation for research purposes in their seed licensing agreements; and WHEREAS, some independent, peer- reviewed research that has been done on genetically engineered crops has revealed problems with liver and kidney functions in rats, deformities and neurological problems in vertebrates and lower nutrition content in Roundup Ready crops; and WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure that genetically engineered crops are safe to grow, the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that genetically engineered products will not harm the environment and the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that genetically engineered food is safe to eat; and WHEREAS, the patchwork of federal agencies that regulates genetically engineered crops and animals in the United States has failed to adequately oversee and monitor genetically engineered products; and WHEREAS, farmers who produce organic or non - genetically engineered crops run the risk of crop contamination from nearby genetically engineered crops; and WHEREAS; farmers who unintentionally grow genetically engineered - patented seeds or who harvest crops that are contaminated with genetically engineered traits could lose marketing options and face costly lawsuits; and WHEREAS, a 2008 CBS /New York Times poll found that 87 percent of U.S. consumers wanted all genetically ingredients to be labeled; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that on the day of 2011, name of town j supports mandatory labeling of all genetically engineered products. PASSED, APPROVED, AND EFFECTIVE on this day of . 2012. ATTEST: Mayor Council President Date Date PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS SIGNED RESOLUTION TO: 1. Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios BuildingM1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.OWashington, DC 20460 2. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250 3. Margaret Hamberg M.D., Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993 4. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510 S. Local Representative, United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 6. Food & Water Watch, 2727 2nd Ave., Suite 136 / Detroit, MI 48201 ThI,Case for GE Labeling Genetically engineered (GE) crops are created by transferring genetic material from one organism into another to create specific traits, such as resistance to treatment with herbicides or to make a plant produce its own pesticide to repel insects.' Unlike traditional plant and animal breeding, which tries to develop better varieties by selecting traits from the same species, genetic engineering techniques can insert specific genes from any plant, animal or microorganism into the DNA of a different species. The first GE crops became commercially available in the United States in 1996, and now GE varieties constitute the vast majority of corn, cotton and soybean crops grown in the country.2 At this point, most GE food crops are geneti- cally engineered to produce a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that repels insects, or to allow the crop to withstand treatment with an herbicide, like glyphosate (of- ten sold as Roundup)' More recently, biotechnology firms have developed genetically engineered animals, including food animals such as hogs and salmon Proponents of the technology contend that these altera- tions are improvements because they add desirable traits. Yet companies submit their own safety- testing data, and independent research on GE foods is limited because biotechnology companies prohibit cultivation for research purposes in the restrictive licensing agreements that control the use of these patented seeds' Some of the independent, peer- reviewed research that has been done on biotech crops has revealed troubling health implications including deterioration of liver and kidney function and impaired embryonic development.? However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no way to track adverse health effects in people consuming GE foods, and because there is no requirement that foods containing GE ingredients be Iabeled,8 consumers do not know when they are eating them. Major Commercially Available GE Crops6: • alfalfa • soy • canola • squash • corn • sugar beet • cotton • sweet corn • papaya The FDA does not require the labeling of GE food products as such because the agency views GE foods as no differ- ent from conventional foods. The FDA does permit volun- tary GE labeling as long as the information is not false or misleading.' Food manufacturers are allowed to affirma- tively label GE food or indicate that the food item does not contain GE ingredients (known as "absence labeling "). But virtually no companies disclose that they are using GE ingredients under this voluntary scheme. This means that consumers in the United States regularly consume foods that contain GE ingredients without knowing it.10 For consumers to have the opportunity to make informed choices about their food, all GE foods should be labeled. A 2008 CBS /New York Times poll found that more than half of American consumers would choose not to buy GE foods, and 87 percent wanted all GE ingredients to be labeled.16 A 2010 Consumers Union poll found that 95 percent of U.S. consumers favor mandatory labeling of meat and milk from GE animals.17 Labeling GE foods is not a novel idea. The European Union specifically addresses the new properties and risks of bio- tech crops and evaluates the safety of every GE crop.1B Ad- ditionally, the EU requires all foods, animal feeds and pro- cessed products with biotech content to bear GE labels." Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea all require labels on GE foods, although their labeling thresholds vary from zero tolerance to 5 percent GE content ?° Without an affirmative label on foods containing GE ingre- dients, the only way for consumers to avoid GE foods is to buy organic. The USDA National Organic Program prohib- its the use of GE material in any product that carries the "certified organic" label" Hidden GE Foods in Our Food Supply Perhaps one of the reasons there is no require- ment that GE food be labeled is that food compa- nies do not want consumers to know exactly how much GE content there already is on supermarket shelves. Since most corn, cotton and soybeans are now genetically engineered, it can be assumed that ingredients made from these crops contain GE content. For example, corn starch, corn meal, corn syrup, glucose, dextrose, canola oil, cottonseed oil, soy oil, soy flour, soy lecithin and "protein extracts" — present in many processed foods — are all likely derived from GE crops." Since the partial approval of Roundup Ready sugar beets, 95 percent of sugar beets grown in the United States are genetically en- gineered, so products containing sugar made from beets are most likely GE foods.72 Other foods with "hidden" GE content are dairy products like milk and cheese that came from cows treated with rBGH, a GE growth hormone.13 Most feed consumed by livestock consists of GE grains and grasses14 —like Roundup Ready soybeans, corn and alfalfa —so dairy products and meat from these animals are considered GE foods as well. Also, GE sweet corn, papayas and virus - resistant squash have been commercialized1s and may be sold in supermarkets without a label. Certified organic foods cannot be genetically engi- neered or contain GE ingredients. It took government regulation to make food processors put ingredient lists and nutrition facts on food packaging — la- bels that consumers are now accustomed to seeing and are using to make food choices. But the government has failed to require that consumers get to know other basic informa- tion about our food, like that it is genetically engineered. Tell your state and federal lawmakers you want mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. For more information: http : / /www.foodandwaterwatch.org / food /genetical ly -engi neered- foods/ Endnotes 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 Shoemaker, Robbin (Ed.). U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Economic Research Service (ERS). "Economic Issues in Agricultural Biotechnology." AIB- 762.2001 at 9. 2 USDA ERS. "Adoption of Bioengineered Crops." Available at httpJ/ 21 www. ers.usda.gov /Data/BiotechCrops/ and on file. Accessed Septem- ber 9, 2009. 3 Fernandez - Cornejo, Jorge. USDA ERS. "The Seed Industry in U.S. Agriculture." AIB -786. January 2004 at 2. 4 University of Guelph. "EnviropigTM" Available at http: / /www. uoguelph.ca/enviropig/ and on file. Accessed March 3, 2011; AquaBounty Technologies. "Press Room." Available at http: / /www. aquabounty.com/PressRoom /. Accessed February 8, 2011. 5 Pollack, Andrew. "Crop Scientists Say Biotechnology Seed Compa- nies Are Thwarting Research." The New York Times. February 20, 2009. 6 Cowan, Tadlock. Congressional Research Service. "Agricultural Bio- technology: Background and Recent Issues." June 18, 2011 at 2. de Vendomois, Joel Spiroux et al. "A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health." International Journal of Biological Sciences, vol. 5, iss. 7. 2009 at 716 to 718; Malatesta, Manuela et al. "Ultrastructural Morphometrical and Im- munocytochemical Analyses of Hepatocyte Nuclei from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean." Cell Structure and Function, vol. 27. 2002 at Abstract; Cisterna, B. et al. "Can a genetically- modified organism- containing diet influence embryo development? A prelimi- nary study on pre - implantation mouse embryos." European Journal of Histochemiwy. 2008 at 263; Agodi, Antonella et al. "Detection of genetically modified DNA sequences in milk from the Italian market." International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. January 10, 2006 at Abstract; Mesnage, R. et al. "Cytotoxicity on hu- man cells of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac Bt insecticidal toxins alone or with a glyphosate -based herbicide." Journal of Applied Toxicology. 2012 at Abstract. Fernandez - Cornejo, Jorge and Margriet Caswell. USDA ERS. "The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States." EIB No. 11. April 2006 at 3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Guidance for Industry: Volun- tary Labeling Indicating Whether Foods Have or Have Not Been Developed Using Bioengineering; Draft Guidance. 2001. Available at http://www.fda.gov / Food/ GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryinforma- tion/Gu idanceDocuments/Food Label i ngNutrition/ucm059098.htm. Accessed December 15, 2010. Fernandez - Cornejo and Caswell (2006) at 1. Cowan, Tadlock. Congressional Research Service. "Agricultural Biotechnology: Background and Recent Issues." June 18, 2011 at 6; USDA ERS. NEW Feed Grains Data: Yearbook Tables, Corn: Food, seed, and industrial use. March 15, 2012. Available at http: / /www. ers. usda. gov/ data/FeedGrains/rable.asp ?t =31. Accessed April 10, 2012. Cowan (2011) at 17. ibid. at 6. USDA, National Resources Conservation Service. "Animal Diets and Feed Management." Nutrient Management Technical Note No. 8. January 2012 at 4. Kaskey, Jack. "Monsanto to sell biotech sweet corn for U.S. consum- ers." Bloomberg. August 4, 2011; Cowan (2011) at 2. CBS News Poll Database. "CBS News/New York Times Poll, Apr. 2008." Available at http : / /www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007 /10/12/ politics /main3362530.shtml ?tag= cbsnewsLeadStoriesArea. Updated April 2008. Accessed May 6, 2011. Consumers Union. "FDA will not require labeling of meat or fish from genetically engineered animals." [Press Release]. January 15, 2009. Shoemaker (2001) at 32. European Parliament and Council. Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 at Article 12.2. Dr. Sato, Suguro. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Global Ag- riculture Information Network (GAIN). "Japan Biotechnology Annual Report 2008." September 19, 2011 at 1; Lagos, Joshua Emmanuel and Wu Bugang. USDA FAS, GAIN. "China- People's Republic of, Biotech - nology—GE Plants and Animals Annual 2010." January 28, 2011 at 6; Crothers, Linda. USDA FAS, GAIN. "Australia, Biotechnology —GE Plants and Animals, Agricultural Biotechnology Report 2010." July 14, 2010 at 6; Lee - Jones, David. USDA FAS, GAIN. "New Zealand, Bio- technology—GE Plants and Animals, Annual Update for Biotechnology in Agriculture." July 15, 2010 at 8; Silva, Joao F. USDA FAS, GAIN. "Brazil Agricultural Biotechnology Annual 2011." July 13, 2011 at 6; Vassilieva, Yelena. USDA FAS, GAIN. "Russian Federation, Agricul- tural Biotechnology Annual, Annual 2011." July 18, 2011; Mousa, Hussein. USDA FAS, GAIN. "Saudi Arabia, Agricultural Biotechnol- ogy Annual, Saudi Arabia Agricultural Biotechnology 2011." July 18, 2011 at 2; Chung, SeungAh. USDA FAS, GAIN. "Korea— Republic of, Biotechnology —GE Plants and Animals Biotechnology Annual Report 2010." December 22, 2010 at 8. 7 CFR 205.2. For more information:) web: www.foodandwaterwatch.org email: info@fwwatch.org phone: (202) 683 -2500 (DC) • (415) 293 -9900 (CA) Copyright Q May 2012 Food & Water Watch food &water W81Ch How Much Will Labeling Genetically Engineered Foods Really Cost? ILETME C� C MAKE GE LABELING THE ELAW FACT SHEET • SEPTEMBER 2012 Smce the first genetically engineered (GE) crops were introduced in the United States in the 1990s, consumers have not been able to tell whether they are eating these controversial new ingredients. And whenever the subject of mandatory labeling of GE foods comes up, the food industry claims that labeling will be prohibitively expensive. But the industry's most frequently repeated claims about the cost of labeling are based on cherry- picked eco- nomic analyses and extreme scenarios. The biggest food companies and agribusinesses are worried that consum- ers will be wary of "scary- sounding" GE labels.' But if GE products are as safe and natural as these companies claim, then why not let consumers decide what they want to buy? Food Industry Claim: GE labeling is unnecessary. Consumers deserve the right to know what's in the food that they are providing for their families. Not only is GE labeling required in other countries, but the U.S. public has been clamoring for it for years. A 2008 poll by CBS /New York Times found that 87 percent of U.S. consumers wanted all genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled? A 2010 Thomson Reuters survey of consumers found 93 percent in support of GE labeling.' And 91 percent of voters polled in a 2012 Mellman Group study favored having the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) require labels on GE foods or foods containing GE ingredients; of those, 81 percent "strongly favored" the labeling pro- posal.* With labeling, consumers would be able to find out the differences in how various foods were produced and decide for themselves what those differences mean. Whether or not someone chooses to read a label is entirely their choice, but people deserve the right to know what they are buying, eating and feeding to their families. Food companies always seem to find room on the label to make a marketing claim — such as "new and improved" or "all- natural" —to try to convince us to buy, but somehow they cannot find any space if they are required to tell us a fact about the process by which the item was produced. A label stating that a product is genetically engineered will not mislead customers; it would simply provide the facts about the food they are eating. Food Industry Claim: GE labeling means higher food costs. opponents of some labeling proposals claim that man- datory GE food labeling would increase food costs "for the average family by $600 per year."' These kinds of claims are often based on analyses done by labeling op- ponents in the food industry and are far from objective examinations of the facts. It is not very surprising that a study with those kinds of figures was commissioned by the Grocery Manufacturers Association. According to a recent GMA report that has not been made public, the cost of labeling would end up being as much as $825 more per family every year 6 Yet a look at the literature on mandatory food labeling reveals that a much lower cost is likely. An impartial consulting firm did a study in 2001 for the U.K. Food Standards Agency and found that GE labeling would increase a household's annual food spending by only 0.01 to 0.17 percent — a very small figure rang- ing from an increase of $33 to $5.58 in 2010 real U.S. dollars (inflation- adjusted) annually.' The GMA's esti- mate of $825 would be 13 percent of the 2010 average annual household food expenditure in the United States — about 150 times more than the U.K. Food Standards Agency's forecasted increase in household food spend- ing.' The GMA report grossly overestimates the impact that labeling would have on food costs for consumers. It is worth looking at some of the costs that could be in- curred with mandatory labeling. Labeling would require segregating seeds according to GE content through- out the food chain, which is already done with many identity - preserved crops. Farmers are already segregating crops to prevent cross - contamination in fields, although some cases of GE contamination do still occur. Label- ing requirements would not necessarily require farmers to incur any extra costs while keeping seeds separated at the field level.9 Depending on the markets where the seeds or grains are sold, grain handlers and seed compa- nies do testing to ensure the purity of the seeds that they sell or distribute. There are already segregation methods in place today for crop and seed export to countries with GE labeling requirements, such as European Union countries, Japan and China.10 Once labeling is required in the United States, these practices would have to be expanded, but an entirely new system would not have to be developed. Food processors and manufacturers would have to make sure that there is proper segregation in crop storage and cleaning of equipment," but as long as labeling is main- tained throughout the process this should be straight- forward. Manufacturers can reduce the costs of actually changing their labels by waiting until their inventory of labels is low and making the change before reorder- ing packaging materials, or coordinating the required labeling change with a scheduled labeling change. According to an FDA Labeling Cost Model, "the pricing for graphic design services does not differ substantially if additional changes are made because of a regula- tory requirement at the same time as a scheduled label change. "" Food Industry Claim: GE labeling means more bureaucracy and taxpayer costs. For decades, the food industry has opposed any new food labeling requirements, including nutrition labels and ingredient listings. One of their favorite arguments is that new labeling requirements will drive the growth !ng SiZe y C I r a c ngs Per Con sine 89) "ftiiiii r2 It per r'es 250 Calories from Fat y �t Fat 7 2g % daily yalue, rated Fat 3g 78% Fat 3g of government bureaucracy and cost taxpayers money. 13 Mandatory labeling would take monitoring and enforce- ment, but this does not have to be difficult as long as all players participated in labeling along all steps of the food chain. If GE labeling is mandatory, federal and state agencies could simply add GE labeling to the food label- ing requirements that they would already be assessing during compliance inspections. Food Industry Claim: GE labeling would burden grocers and retailers with mountains of paperwork. Changing food labeling to reflect the presence of a GE ingredient wouldn't be any different for grocery stores than stocking a product that has changed its ingredients or added a nutritional- benefit claim to the package. At the retail level, the costs for pre - packaged foods will be very small, because the labels will have been added long before the food gets to the store. For foods that the store handles (such as produce or some meat that is repackaged on site), retailers will have to be sure that GE and non -GE products are kept separately and labeled as such, not unlike what they do to provide country- of -ori- gin information or even pricing information. The bulk of the labeling costs will be incurred at the processing and manufacturing stage, with grocery stores having small additional Costs. 14 Food Industry Claim: It is not the responsibility of the states to create food labeling requirements. States often lead the way when the federal government is too slow, too gridlocked or too weak to take action. Long before the United States enacted a mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) policy, eight states required this labeling on their own .15 Some states have also led the way in enacting renewable energy stan- dards and mandates, as funding for federal initiatives has declined. 16 California has been building its renewable energy program since 1998, and by 2009, 12 percent of the state's electricity came from renewable sources, almost three times the national percentage of renewable energy use.17 It is more than reasonable that states are once again taking the lead on the issue of labeling GE food, where the federal government has failed to do its job. Food Industry Claim: GE labeling conflicts with science. One common refrain from opponents of GE labeling is that giving consumers information on how their food was produced is in conflict with "good science." Yet the science that the food industry likes to talk about is far from complete. Although the FDA contends that there is not sufficient scientific evidence to prove that eating GE foods leads to chronic harm,18 the agency's process for evaluating the safety of these controversial new foods is completely inadequate. Companies submit their own safety- testing data, and in- dependent research on GE foods is limited because bio- technology companies prohibit cultivation for research purposes in the restrictive licensing agreements that con- trol the use of these patented seeds.19 This has resulted in few independent studies on the effects of GE foods on health, and those that have been done were performed on rats and mice for short feeding trials. Some of the in- dependent, peer- reviewed research that has been done on GE food consumption has revealed troubling health implications including deterioration of liver and kidney function and impaired embryonic development.20 The chronic effects of eating GE foods are still largely unknown. And without labeling of GE foods, we can- not associate any health problems with people who ate them — because we do not know who ate them. Since the FDA has no way to track adverse health effects i n people consuming GE foods, and because there is no requirement that food containing GE ingredients be labeled," there is no effective way to gather data on health problems that may be happening. Because GE foods contain novel genetic combinations that do not occur naturally in our food system, the least that con- sumers deserve is that these foods are labeled with this information in the grocery store. What You Can Do Go to http:// www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/ genetically- engineered- foods/ to take action and learn more. Endnotes 1 No on 37: Coalition Against the Deceptive Food Labeling Scheme. "Questions & Answers About the Food Labeling Proposition." On file and available at http: / /nopmp37.com /uploads /1342545312- Noon37 QA_FACT.pdf. Accessed July 26, 2012. 2 CBS News Poll Database. "CBS News /New York Times Poll, Apr. 2008." May 11, 2008 at Q88 and Q89. Available at http: // v . cbsnews .wm /stories/2007 /10 /12 /pol itics/main3362530.shtm Rtag =cbs newsLeadStoriesArea. Accessed July 9, 2012. 3 Thomson Reuters. "National Survey of Healthcare Consumers: Ge- netically Engineered Food." October 2010 at 3. 4 The Mellman Group, Inc. "Support for Mandatory Labeling of Ge- netically Engineered Foods Is Nearly Unanimous." March 22, 2012. 5 No on 37: Coalition Against the Deceptive Food Labeling Scheme. "Fact Sheet." On file and available at http: / /noprop3Zcom/ uploads/ 1342813362- Noon37FactSheet.pdf. Accessed July 26, 2012. 6 Clayton, Chris. "Food Lobby says defeating California measure is highest priority." Western Livestock /ournaL July 23, 2012. 7 Food & Water Watch analysis of data from: National Economic Research Associates. "Economic Appraisal of Options for Exten- sion of Legislation on GM Labelling: A Final Report for the Food Standards Agency." May 2001 at 69 to 70; U.S. Internal Revenue Service. "Yearly Average Currency Exchange Rates." On file and available at http://www.irs. gov /businesses/smalltinternational/ article /0 „id= 206089,00.htmL Accessed August 9, 2012; U.S. Federal Reserve. "G.S A Foreign Exchange Rates.” Federal Reserve Statistical Release. January 5, 2004. On file and available at http://www.federal- reserve.gov /releases /g5a/20040102/; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "CPI Inflation Calculator." Available at http;//www.bis.gov/data(nfa- tion_calculatochtm. 8 U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Consumer Expenditures - 2010." [News Release]. September 27, 2011. On file and available at httpv/ www.bis .gov /news.mlease /pdf /cesan.pdf. 9 National Economic Research Associates, 2001 at 23. 10 Bullock, David S. et al. "The Economics of Non -GMO Segrega- 20 tion and Identity Preservation." Paper for the American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Tampa, Florida. July 30 — August 2, 2000 at 18; U.S. Trade Representative. "2011 Report on Technical Barriers to Trade." March 2011 at 49. 11 National Economic Research Associates, 2001 at 24. 12 Muth, Mary K. et al. Research Triangle Institute. "FDA Labeling Cost Model: Final Report." January 2003 at 4.2. 13 No on 37: Coalition Against the Deceptive Food Labeling Scheme. "Fact Sheet.' On file and available at http: / /nopmp37.com/ uploads /1342813362- Noon37FactSheet.pdf. Accessed July 26, 2012. 14 National Economic Research Associates, 2001 at 24. 15 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). "Countryof - Origin Labeling: Opportunities for USDA and Industry to Implement Chal- lenging Aspects of the New Law." Report to Congressional Request- ers. (GAO -03 -780). August 2003 at 14. 16 GAO. "Department of Energy: Key Challenges Remain for Develop- ing and Deploying Advanced Energy Technologies to Meet Future Needs." Report to Congressional Requesters. (GAO -07 -106). Decem- ber 2006 at 6 to 7. 17 The California Energy Commission. "History of California's Renew- able Energy Programs." On file and available at http://www.energy. ca.gov /renewables/history.html. Accessed August 22, 2012; U.S. Energy Information Administration. "Annual Energy Review 2010." October 2011 at 290. 18 GAO. 'Genetically Modified Foods: Experts View Regimen of Safety Tests as Adequate, but FDA's Evaluation Process Could Be En- hanced." Report to Congressional Requesters. (GAO -02 -566). 2002 at 30. 19 Pollack, Andrew. "Crop Scientists Say Biotechnology Seed Compa- nies Are Thwarting Research." The New York Times. February 20, 2009. 21 de Vendomois, Joel Spiroux et al. "A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health." Intemational journal of Biological Sciences, vol. 5, iss. 7.2009 at 716 to 718) Malatesta, Manuela et al. "Ultrastmctural Morphometrical and Im- munocytochemical Analyses of Hepatocyte Nuclei from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean." Cell Structure and Function, vol. 27.2002 at Abstract; Cisterna, B. et al. "Can a genetically - modified organism- containing diet influence embryo development? A prelimi- nary study on pre - implantation mouse embryos." European Joumal of Histochemistry. 2008 at 263; Agodi, Antonella et al. "Detection of genetically modified DNA sequences in milk from the Italian market." international Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. January 10, 2006 at Abstract; Mesnage, R. et al. "Cytotoxicity on human cells of Cry1Ab and Cryl Ac Bt insecticidal toxins alone or with a glyphosate -based herbicide." Joumal of Applied Toxicology. 2012 at Abstract. Fernandez- Gamejo, Jorge and Margriet Caswell. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. "The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States." EIB No. 11. April 2006 at 3. LET ME D C DIED C DIE E For more Information: FLAKE GE LABELING THE LAW WEB: www.foodandwaterwatch.org E -MAIL: info @fwwatch.org PHONE: (202) 683 -2500 (DC) • (415) 293 -9900 (CA) Copyright © September 2012 Food & Water Watch From: Matthew J. Hayek <mhayek@hhbmlaw.com> Sent: Friday, November 02, 2012 9:44 AM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: Fesler From: David Kimm Fesler [mailto:dkf3(&g.com] Sent: Friday, November 02, 2012 1:20 AM To: Matt Hayek; Rick Dobyns; Jim Throgmorton; Susan Mims; Terry Dickens; Michelle Payne Subject: Fesler I am Dave Fesler and currently on the Ballot for Johnson County Board of Supervisors. I have been attempting to knock on as many doors as possible, however running on a Nominated by Petition has limited the time to get the word out. We are therefore using different media to cover the entire county in the best way. Swisher and Shueyville should be partially covered by the Iowa City Press Citizen and the Cedar Rapids Gazette, but not the North Liberty Leader. The North Johnson County Paper is produced by the Leader. Mediacom in Iowa City does not serve Swisher and Shueyville. The North Johnson County paper does not cover Lone Tree, Hills or Iowa City; as examples. That is the reason for this email and the attachments My thought at this time, is to continue to door knock and at the same time, attempt extra exposure by emailing a great video to those who may be able to pass on through email. Any help you can give to all in Johnson County, is appreciated. In talking to a number of you who were kind enough to sign my Petition papers, I learned that the Johnson County Board of Supervisors does little to cooperate or communicate with the Northern part of the County, that I spent much time in throughout my life. I would personally like to say, that if you can forward this email to everyone and get me elected, that I. will personally be in your area after November 6tn. Sincerely, Dave David Kimm Fesler, nominated by petition for Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Marian Karr From: jahensch @aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 12:23 PM To: Council Subject: Fwd: Support of Senior Center 4f(13) There seems to be some misinformation being spread that is damaging to the Senior Center. I have checked with the staff and have received confirmation that the rumor concerning congregate dining is false. As a member of the Center I wish to respond in support of our excellent facility and staff. The Senior Center is in full support of congregate dining and has no desire to have it relocate The Center is proud to provide the space, furniture and the utilities for the dining program at no charge to the sponsoring agency. The dining program serves many of the areas seniors and the Center members and staff understand the need for this to continue. Many of the patrons live in Ecumenical Towers and rely on this program for their daily nutrition. Meals on Wheels for the home bound are provided through the Center kitchen. The Center is proud to be a partner in this worth while program and the present location is the most desirable for this service. Howard and Jo Hensch 1 From: Matthew J. Hayek <mhayek @hhbmiaw.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 1:34 PM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: Iowa City Juvenile Curfew Ordinance From: Matt Hayek [mailto:Matt- Hayek @iowa - city.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 8:28 AM To: Matthew J. Hayek Subject: FW: Iowa City Juvenile Curfew Ordinance From: Michael Haring [ mai [to:ha ring. michael(5gmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 9:21 PM To: Matt Hayek; Susan Mims; Terry Dickens; Rick Dobyns; Michelle Payne; Jim Throgmorton Cc: redlinger.jeanine @ iccsd.kl2.ia.us Subject: Iowa City Juvenile Curfew Ordinance Hello, My name is Michael Haring and this trimester I am taking State and Local Gov't with Mrs. Redlinger at City High and recently we have been writing our civics projects. I chose to do the Iowa City Juvenile Curfew ordinance. So now I am going to share my opinion as a 16 year old that has lived in Iowa City his whole life, and see if I could possibly get you to bring this subject back up and possibly change the Ordinance. My views about the curfew are that for the most part the curfew is pretty good and fair because many of the kids my age have a curfew at home that is midnight anyway. However, I think that for 17 year olds their curfew should be dropped because in one year the majority will be going off to college, others will get jobs and so on. They will have way more independence then most of them have ever known before. When they turn 18 they will be able to vote and do many other things that you can do when you turn 18. This may cause some of them to make stupid decisions and screw up, but there has to be a gradual transition in order to succeed, "The interval between the decay of the old and the formation and the establishment of the new, constituates a period of transition which must always necessarily be one of uncertainty, confusion, error, and wild and fierce fanaticism" -John C. Calhoun. I think it's better to learn your lessons now, early on, rather than later. If you do something stupid and mess up it's better to get it out of the way now and move on with your life rather than going off into the world unprepared and overwhelmed with your new freedoms and responsibilities. You should learn your life lessons while you're young so that you can help to teach the next generation. That is why I think you should consider changing the Iowa City Juvenile Curfew Ordinance and would like you to consider trying to change the curfew. Thank you for your time, Michael Haring From: Melvin Kelly <kellyresearchplan @yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 7:49 AM To: ctham.AWP @gmail.com ; citymanager @hollister.ca.gov ; council @cityoffullerton.com ; cityclerk @dalycity.org ; cthomas @ci.adelanto.ca.us ; cthurmond @brokenarrowok.gov ; citycommission @salina.org ; cmomail @springfield- or.gov ; citycouncil @cityoflamirada.org ; cpucheu @gulfport- ms.gov ; cjackson @cityofdalton- ga.goV; clarissa.rowe @comcast.net ; council @town.barnstable.ma.us ; constituenttsservice @weymouth.ma.us ; council @suffolkva.us ; csierra @phenixcityal.us ; contact @huntsvilleal.gov ; citymgr @johnsoncitytn.org ; croth @kenner.la.us ; cshaheen @wrga.gov; councilclk @tompsc.com; cityhall @melbourneflorida.org ; cityhall @westonfl.org ; citycouncil @cityofrichfield.org ; Council; council @altoonapa.gov ; cshannon @baycitymi.org ; cohmayor @co.hawaii.hi.us ; cityclerk @derrynh.org ; council- distl2 @brgov.com ; council - distll @brgov.com ;council-distlO@brgov.com ;council-dist9@brgov.com ; council -dist8 @brgov.com ;council-dist7@brgov.com ;council-dist6@brgov.com ; council -dist5 @brgov.com ;council-dist4@brgov.com ;council-dist2@brgov.com ; council -dist3 @ brgov.com ;council-distl@brgov.com ;counciladmin@brgov.com ; clfowlerjr @suddenlink.net ;cjordan@www.greenville.ms.us ;council@shreveportla.gov ; citymanager @cox - internet.com ;csawyer@cityofpafterson.org ;CityClerk@quincyil.gov ; ckohler @cantoncityhall.org ;cityhall@valdostacity.com ; contact @gov.state. la. us; cs @odessa- tx.gov ;council@ci.pearland.tx.us ;cio@ame-church.com ;cliff@wvon.com ;clee@bellevuewa.gov ;cityclerk@melbourneflorida.org ;Commission@largo.com ; cjohnson5 @augustaga.gov; cpd_web_ mail @hud.gov Subject: Poverty in America 2013 by Melvin Lorenzo Kelly Attachments: November 7, 2012.doc From: Melvin Lorenzo Kelly 2014 Olive Rd. Augusta, Ga. 30906 706 - 796 -3044 Email: kellyresearchplankyahoo.com To: The Hon. Elected Officials of the United States of America Sub: Employment, Homelessness, Employment Training and Poverty Date: November 7, 2012 Dear Elected Officials, During the past four years I have read and heard about a lot of issues pertaining to the rich and middle class Americans, very little have been discussed to solve the problems of poor Americans. When you mention the poor, it is very likely the subject of unemployment, homelessness, employment training and poverty will arise to characterize the description of being poor. What can be done to help the poor? That is what I would like to discuss with you very briefly. It is a very rough situation to be poor and homeless at the same time living in America with all its prosperity being flashed on the television through sports and Corporate America. First of all during these hard economic times America needs a welfare reform program that treats all poor Americans the same. For example if you live in the state of New Jersey, Pennsylvania or New York a single man or woman will get more support with housing and Work first opportunities than states like Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Second America needs a nationwide project that supports the homeless to eliminate homelessness all across America operating at the same time; my proposed project will do just that. Federal Government agencies such as The Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Veterans Administration, The Department of Health and Human Services and The Department of Labor spend a lot of money yearly supporting low income housing, the homeless and employment training. My proposed research project in the area of homelessness is designed to create and demonstrate other ways the government can become more effective utilizing the tax payer's dollars to create employment, employment training while eliminating chronic poverty through out America within the departments mention above. Four Point Homeless to Homeownership Proiect Objective: The first stages of this proposed project entail hiring 16 professionals, architects contractors, etc for a period of 8 weeks to complete the final research process. Goals: 1. Eliminate Homelessness 2. Create Employment 3. Create Employment Training 4. Re -build torn down Urban Neighborhoods 5. Reduce Recidivism 6. Create constructive human activity for impoverish Americans to reduce crime. Total needed to finish homelessness research process.... $191,118.00 Within my efforts to complete this research process I need your help accumulating the Rinds needed to finish. I believe that new I deals can make a difference in America contributing towards the way we live and treat our less fortunate American Citizens. Let's Build a Better America Melvin Lorenzo Kelly From: Brian Loring <brian- loring @ncjc.org> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 2:06 PM To: Council Subject: Thank you from Think Bicycles Dear Council Members, I am writing this email on behalf of the Think Bicycles coalition and the volunteers and leadership at the Iowa City Bike Library. In that capacity, I want to thank the City Council and the Iowa City staff for your ongoing support of on- street cycling infrastructure. The most recent example is the shared lane arrows in the southbound lanes of Gilbert Street. This is just the most recent illustration of the City's growing support for bicycles as an important, healthy, and sustainable form of transportation. One of the reasons we organized the Think Bicycles group was to bring together the area's cycling- friendly businesses and membership organizations for the purpose of establishing a unified voice for the area's cycling community. Members include area bicycle shops, Bicyclists of Iowa City, The Bike Library, Johnson County Trails Foundation, and more. Over the past few months, members of the Think Bicycles coalition have met with various Iowa City staff to discuss making improvements to the Burlington Street Bridge and Lower Muscatine Avenue. Your staff have been exemplary in their courtesy, helpfulness, and patience. Special thanks goes to Public Works Director, Rick Fosse and City Engineer, Ron Knoche. Also to Brian Boelk and Jason Havel from Engineering, and John Yapp and Kris Ackerson from the MPO. Thanks again and we look forward to working with Iowa City in the coming months and years. Sincerely, Brian Loring http://www.thinkbigycles.org/ A&4BI"CLES Promoting bicycle culture and Healthy living in Johnson County ;O�5 NOVEMBER 1$,2012 My name is Linda Watkins; address is 2017 Rochester Ave., Iowa City 52245. Because of three strokes the words that I want to express .often don't come easily; so, to save time and frustration, I'm reading the reason that I'm at this micro- phone tonight. I have copies for each of you. I appreciate the opportunity to tell you that I rave attempted to live my life based on an Old Testament Bible verse: Micah 6:8. The New Revised Standard Version says: "what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God ?" I am not asking for kindness nor humility -- -only a just resolution of a problem during a drought. In the New Testament, Jesus,' life gives examples and interpret- ations to follow concerning justice. So, this forms the premise of why I'm asking you City Council members to please direct the Water, Wastewater and Revenue Divisions and /or Utility Review Board to make an exception to policy during extreme drought conditions like we experienced this summer. All 99 counties in Iowa were declared disaster areas according to the Iowa Emergency Management Association. Now, what would constitute warranting an exception? Well, a wastewater relief for- mula is already on the Sewer Fee Adjustment Guidelines for malfunctioning plumbing or leaks. Obviously high consumption is flagged during the billing process because a notice is included in those utility bills advising that a problem may exist. I received an enclosure with my bill covering service from July 4 - August 1, 2012: I had made a conscious decision to try to save my considerable investment in land- scaping, perennials and yard by watering until the rains came. As we all know, the rains never came and my bill approximately doubled to $79.53 total during this period. I really didn't analyze the,situation; but, instead paid the bill on time as I've done for every month for 17 years, However, when the next bill was received for service from August 1 - September 5 the total amount due was $241.13. That's when I realized that the Sewer charge of $123.38 was higher thah the Water charge of $92.76 and questioned the excessive Sewer charge for wastewater that went into my yard, not-into the city sewer. After going back eight months and figuring my average Sewer charge which was 115.53, I called and spoke with a Customer Service Rep who referred me to Melissa Miller, the Revenue & Risk Manager who referred me to Rick Fosse, Public Works Director. Melissa Miller had reported to me that a dozen otter households had called and while this summer's drought conditions were extreme, the City is not making exceptions to their policy. That to me is when a red flag went up as a situation and policy was unfair and somewhat arrogant! I wrote a check for $141.13 which covered all of the Water, Refuse, Recycling, Storm - water, the 70/. Sales Tax on the Water and $23.38 on the Sewer charge. In other words, $100 of the Sewer charge was withheld and a note to that effect was included with my payment. And thus began correspondence stating that the City's normal collection procedures would apply if not paid by November 1st. Melissa Miller's letter did not indicate what "normal collection procedures" were, so Thad to call her to get that information. During every phone conversation, I reinterated that I would not he paying the $100 balance or purchasing a second meter nor did I need a payment plan. We're talking about fairness, not money... On November 3rd I received the "Friendly Reminder" letter from the Revenue Division letting me know that a 50/6 late fee had been applied to my account which now is $105. At the bottom of correspondence was an enclosed box entitled "Customer Rights & Further Procedures:" which informed me that an informal hearing could be requested. Melissa Miller had not told me this when we had a conversation o*% October 22nd. Page 2 Of course, I immediately requested a hearing, and she scheduled it on November 7th at 4:00 pm at City Hall. When I inquired who would be in attendance, she said that besides herself 2 or 3 city employees would be invited. On November 6th, Melissa called to let me know that she'd failed to provide me with the Sewer Fee Adjustment Guidelines from the Utility Review Board. I received this via mail three hours before the hearing. Eric Goers, Assistant City Attorney, Geoff Fruin, Assistant to the City Manager, Melissa Miller and I convened for approximately 28 minutes. I asked why the threat wasn't to shut off my sewer instead of the water for which every drop had been paid. "We can't legally do that." was the answer. The follow -up decision was received via mail on November 10th from Geoff Fruin; therefore, I will be assessed a $35.00 "carding service fee" on November 15th. On November 16th a "carding notice" will be hand - delivered and on November 27th the water will be shut off. Instead of breaking rules and laws, my life has included helping change unfair practices and policies: 1) Before Title IX passed, I had the audacity to ask a High School male principal why sports weren't offered to girls. "Oh, there is no way girls' practice or games could be scheduled in the boys' gym!" A letter from the Iowa High School Athletic Union director cleared that up by stating that the school and gym were paid for by taxpayers and it wasn't built for just one gender. As I remember, within five years, the Belmond girls team played in the state tournament. Title IX actually was not about sports. It was about equality and fairness. 2) In the 80's I belonged to GASP (Group Against Smoking Pollution). I don't remember that "second -hand smoke" was even a concern back then -- -some of us just didn't like the smell. 3)When I moved to Iowa City in 1995, I joined CME (Clean Air For Everyone). Of course, we all know how long injustice to non - smokers prevailed until the State Law was finally passed. To date cassino money controls the exception. 4) For five years I was known as the "Fair Trade Coffee Lady" at First United Methodist Church in Iowa City while educating about and selling fairly- traded products as a justice issue (Micah 6:8). I mention all of this to explain my passion for fair policies and justice. If you elected members of the City Council do not agree that a rigid policy during an extreme drought can and should be changed by issuing an exception, I invite you all to my house on November 27th to witness our Iowa City justice in action when my water supply is shut off. In an attempt at kindness, I'll serve you fairly- traded Equal Exchange coffee made with water saved from the day before. In the meantime, I'll continue to wear my butterfly pin - - -a Christian symbol of HOPE. Thank You for your consideration and time. 4--5 Raven Street Parking Problems Kelli Schneider Kelli Schneider Raven Street Parking Problems I recommend the City of Iowa City restrict parking to only one side of the street on a section of Raven Street. Raven Street is located on the east side of Iowa City, near Helen Lemme Elementary. Raven Street starts at Washington Street, going south, and after crossing Court Street curves to the West to Kenwood. The issue is that on the curve after intersecting Court Street, the street gets narrower and parking is allowed on both sides. That section of the street gets really dangerous because of the closeness of cars when they are parked directly across from each other. It is hazard for cars, buses, snow plows, and especially emergency vehicles. If there would ever be a fire or some kind of accident, emergency services might not be able to get through the maze of parked cars on Raven Street. The width of my street is 23'9". The average width of a vehicle ranges from 6'6" to 8. If an 8' truck and T vehicle are parked directly across from each other, the space left for a fire truck would be 8'9" which isn't even to enough for it to get by. The width of a fire truck is 9'6" wide. It is impossible for them to be able to get through and that is a huge problem. The cars could prevent people from receiving emergency attention and creates a life threatening situation. Every weekday a school bus and a SEATS bus come down Raven Street and pick up residents. They have trouble maneuvering between the vehicles on the street and it becomes hazardous. Usually, Raven is one of the last streets to get snow plowed in the winter and one of the likely causes would be because the city snowplow cannot get through the street because of the parked cars and people not following procedures for snow emergencies. Then when the street isn't plowed, the street keeps getting narrower and even more unsafe with the extra snow. The leaf pick up and garbage trucks also face similar problems. Interview with Assistant Superintendent of Streets and Traffic, Mr. Sobaski: Kelli: Are you familiar with Raven Street? Mr. Sobaski: Yes, I drive around to all of the streets and have driven this street. Kelli Schneider Raven Street Parking Problems Kelli: Has there been other streets that have changed because of parking issues? Mr. Sobaski: In other neighborhoods, there are at least 30 streets in Iowa City with parking issues. Kelli: What would happen if emergency services couldn't get through? Mr. Sobaski: That is very much an issue and is very unsafe. Kelli: What other issues do city run vehicles have with Raven Street? Mr. Sobaski: With leaf pickup and snowplow they won't even take the risk of going down the street. Raven Street isn't just a problem for buses and fire trucks, but also a problem for vehicles. Every day it is like a maze, weaving between vehicles on both sides of the street. Cars are parked so close together on opposite sides that there is barely enough room for one car to get through. At night it is even more of a problem as there are very few street lights. Raven Street should only have parking allowed on one side of the street. It doesn't make sense with school buses, SEATS buses, snowplow, emergency services, and leaf pickup trucks to allow parking on both sides of the street. It isn't only a hassle for residents on Raven Street but for the city that takes care of our street. It is a serious hazard and Raven Street can be very unsafe at times. Many times I have had to turn around and come in from the other direction to get home. Following are pictures that show the situation described above. I urge the City of Iowa City to enact changes so parking is allowed only on one side of the street. 0 'v 4 ,;j 1 e: /• r, , iy T^� Y Am Jw ' t iy T^� Y Am N144 r. CIG27.TXT CONTINUING DISCLOSURE CERTIFICATE This Continuing Disclosure Certificate (the "Disclosure Certificate ") is executed and delivered by the City of Iowa City, State of Iowa (the "Issuer "), in connection with the issuance of $2,655,000 Taxable Urban Renewal Revenue Bonds, Series 2012D (the "Bonds ") dated November 29, 2012. The Bonds are being issued pursuant to a Resolution of the Issuer approved on November 13, 2012 (the "Resolution "). The Issuer covenants and agrees as follows: SECTION 1. Purpose of the Disclosure Certificate. This Disclosure Certificate is being executed and delivered by the Issuer for the benefit of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the Bonds and in order to assist the Participating Underwriters in complying with S.E.C. Rule 15c2- 12(b)(5). SECTION 2. Definitions. In addition to the definitions set forth in the Resolution, which apply to any capitalized term used in this Disclosure Certificate unless otherwise defined in this Section, the following capitalized terms shall have the following meanings: "Annual Report" shall mean any Annual Report provided by the Issuer pursuant to, and as described in, Sections 3 and 4 of this Disclosure Certificate. "Beneficial Owner" shall mean any person which (a) has the power, directly or indirectly, to vote or consent with respect to, or to dispose of ownership of, any Bonds (including persons holding Bonds through nominees, depositories or other intermediaries), or (b) is treated as the owner of any Bonds for federal income tax purposes. "Business Day" shall mean a day other than a Saturday or a Sunday or a day on which banks in Iowa are authorized or required by law to close. "Dissemination Agent" shall mean the Issuer or any Dissemination Agent designated in writing by the Issuer and which has filed with the Issuer a written acceptance of such designation. "Holders" shall mean the registered holders of the Bonds, as recorded in the registration books of the Registrar. "Listed Events" shall mean any of the events listed in Section 5(a) of this Disclosure Certificate. "Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board" or "MSRB" shall mean the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, 1900 Duke Street, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314. "National Repository" shall mean the MSRB's Electronic Municipal Market Access website, a/k/a "EMMA" (emma.msrb.org). "Participating Underwriter" shall mean any of the original underwriters of the Bonds required to comply with the Rule in connection with offering of the Bonds. "Rule" shall mean Rule 15c2- 12(b)(5) adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as the same may be amended from time to time. "State" shall mean the State of Iowa. SECTION 3. Provision of Annual Reports. (a) The Issuer shall, or shall cause the Dissemination Agent to, not later than three hundred sixty -five (365) days after the end of the Issuer's fiscal year (presently June 30th), commencing with the report for the 2011/2012 fiscal year, provide to the National Repository an Annual Report which is consistent with the requirements of Section 4 of this Disclosure Certificate. The Annual Report must be submitted in such format as is required by the MSRB (currently in "searchable PDF" format). The Annual Report may be submitted as a single document or as separate documents comprising a package. The Annual Report may cross - reference other information as provided in Section 4 of this Disclosure Certificate; provided that the audited financial statements of the Issuer may be submitted separately from the balance of the Annual Report and later than the date required above for the filing of the Annual Report if they are not available by that date. If the Issuer's fiscal year changes, it shall give notice of such change in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(c). (b) If the Issuer is unable to provide to the National Repository an Annual Report by the date required in subsection (a), the Issuer shall send a notice to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, if any, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit A. (c) The Dissemination Agent shall: (i) each year file the Annual Report with the National Repository; and 2 (ii) (if the Dissemination Agent is other than the Issuer), file a report with the Issuer certifying that the Annual Report has been filed pursuant to this Disclosure Certificate, stating the date it was filed. SECTION 4. Content of Annual Reports. The Issuer's Annual Report shall contain or incorporate by reference the following: (a) The last available audited financial statements of the Issuer for the prior fiscal year, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board as modified in accordance with the governmental accounting standards promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board or as otherwise provided under State law, as in effect from time to time, or, if and to the extent such financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, noting the discrepancies therefrom and the effect thereof. If the Issuer's audited financial statements for the preceding years are not available by the time the Annual Report is required to be filed pursuant to Section 3(a), the Annual Report shall contain unaudited financial statements in a format similar to the financial statements contained in the final Official Statement, and the audited financial statements shall be filed in the same manner as the Annual Report when they become available. b) A table of the type contained in the final Official Statement under the captions "Top Taxpayers Located Within Urban Renewal Area ", "Tax Increment Tax Rates ", and "Tax Increment Cashflow And Anticipated Debt Coverage ". Any or all of the items listed above may be included by specific reference to other documents, including official statements of debt issues of the Issuer or related public entities, which have been filed with the National Repository. The Issuer shall clearly identify each such other document so included by reference. SECTION 5. Reporting g, f Significant Events. (a) Pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, the Issuer shall give, or cause to be given, notice of the occurrence of any of the following events with respect to the Bonds in a timely manner not later than 10 Business Days after the day of the occurrence of the event; (1) Principal and interest payment delinquencies; 3 (2) Non - payment related defaults, if material; (3) Unscheduled draws on debt service reserves reflecting financial difficulties; (4) Unscheduled draws on credit enhancements relating to the Bonds reflecting financial difficulties; (5) Substitution of credit or liquidity providers, or their failure to perform; (6) Adverse tax opinions, the issuance by the Internal Revenue Service of proposed or final determinations of taxability, Notices of Proposed Issue (IRS Form 5701 -TEB) or other material notices or determinations with respect to the tax- exempt status of the Series Bonds, or material events affecting the tax- exempt status of the Bonds; (7) Modifications to rights of Holders of the Bonds, if material; (8) Bond calls (excluding sinking fund mandatory redemptions), if material, and tender offers; (9) Defeasances of the Bonds; (10) Release, substitution, or sale of property securing repayment of the Bonds, if material; (11) Rating changes on the Bonds; (12) Bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar event of the Issuer; (13) The consummation of a merger, consolidation, or acquisition involving the Issuer or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Issuer, other than in the ordinary course of business, the entry into a definitive agreement to undertake such an action or the termination of a definitive agreement relating to any such actions, other than pursuant to its terms, if material; and (14) Appointment of a successor or additional trustee or the change of name of a trustee, if material. 4 (b) Whenever the Issuer obtains the knowledge of the occurrence of a Listed Event, the Issuer shall determine if the occurrence is subject to notice only if material, and if so shall as soon as possible determine if such event would be material under applicable federal securities laws. (c) If the Issuer determines that knowledge of the occurrence of a Listed Event is not subject to materiality, or determines such occurrence is subject to materiality and would be material under applicable federal securities laws, the Issuer shall promptly, but not later than 10 Business Days after the occurrence of the event, file a notice of such occurrence with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board through the filing with the National Repository. SECTION 6. Termination of Reporting _ Obligation. The Issuer's obligations under this Disclosure Certificate shall terminate upon the legal defeasance, prior redemption or payment in full of all of the Bonds or upon the Issuer's receipt of an opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel to the effect that, because of legislative action or final judicial action or administrative actions or proceedings, the failure of the Issuer to comply with the terms hereof will not cause Participating Underwriters to be in violation of the Rule or other applicable requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. If such termination occurs prior to the final maturity of the Bonds, the Issuer shall give notice of such termination in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(c). SECTION 7. Dissemination Aient. The Issuer may, from time to time, appoint or engage a Dissemination Agent to assist it in carrying out its obligations under this Disclosure Certificate, and may discharge any such Agent, with or without appointing a successor Dissemination Agent. The Dissemination Agent shall not be responsible in any manner for the content of any notice or report prepared by the Issuer pursuant to this Disclosure Certificate. The initial Dissemination Agent shall be the Issuer. SECTION 8. Amendment; Waiver. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Disclosure Certificate, the Issuer may amend this Disclosure Certificate, and any provision of this Disclosure Certificate may be waived, provided that the following conditions are satisfied: (a) If the amendment or waiver relates to the provisions of Section 3(a), 4, or 5(a), it may only be made in connection with a change in circumstances that arises from a change in legal requirements, change in law, or change in the identity, nature or status of an obligated person with respect to the Bonds, or the type of business conducted; 5 (b) The undertaking, as amended or taking into account such waiver, would, in the opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel, have complied with the requirements of the Rule at the time of the original issuance of the Bonds, after taking into account any amendments or interpretations of the Rule, as well as any change in circumstances; and (c) The amendment or waiver either (i) is approved by the Holders of the Bonds in the same manner as provided in the Resolution for amendments to the Resolution with the consent of Holders, or (ii) does not, in the opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel, materially impair the interests of the Holders or Beneficial Owners of the Bonds. In the event of any amendment or waiver of a provision of this Disclosure Certificate, the Issuer shall describe such amendment in the next Annual Report, and shall include, as applicable, a narrative explanation of the reason for the amendment or waiver and its impact on the type (or in the case of a change of accounting principles, on the presentation) of financial information or operating data being presented by the Issuer. In addition, if the amendment relates to the accounting principles to be followed in preparing financial statements, (i) notice of such change shall be given in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(c), and (ii) the Annual Report for the year in which the change is made will present a comparison or other discussion in narrative form (and also, if feasible, in quantitative form) describing or illustrating the material differences between the financial statements as prepared on the basis of the new accounting principles and those prepared on the basis of the former accounting principles. SECTION 9. Additional Information. Nothing in this Disclosure Certificate shall be deemed to prevent the Issuer from disseminating any other information, using the means of dissemination set forth in this Disclosure Certificate or any other means of communication, or including any other information in any Annual Report or notice of occurrence of a Listed - Event, in addition to that which is required by this Disclosure Certificate. If the Issuer chooses to include any information in any Annual Report or notice of occurrence of a Listed Event in addition to that which is specifically required by this Disclosure Certificate, the Issuer shall have no obligation under this Certificate to update such information or include it in any future Annual Report or notice of occurrence of a Listed Event. SECTION 10. Default. In the event of a failure of the Issuer to comply with any provision of this Disclosure Certificate, any Holder or Beneficial Owner of the Bonds may take such actions as may be necessary and appropriate, including seeking mandate or specific performance by court order, to cause the Issuer to comply with its obligations under this Disclosure Certificate. Direct, indirect, consequential and punitive damages shall not be recoverable by any person for any default hereunder and are hereby waived 6 to the extent permitted by law. A default under this Disclosure Certificate shall not be deemed an event of default under the Resolution, and the sole remedy under this Disclosure Certificate in the event of any failure of the Issuer to comply with this Disclosure Certificate shall be an action to compel performance. SECTION 11. Duties, Immunities and Liabilities of Dissemination Agent. The Dissemination Agent shall have only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Disclosure Certificate, and the Issuer agrees to indemnify and save the Dissemination Agent, its officers, directors, employees and agents, harmless against any loss, expense and liabilities which it may incur arising out of or in the exercise or performance of its powers and duties hereunder, including the costs and expenses (including attorneys fees) of defending against any claim of liability, but excluding liabilities due to the Dissemination Agent's negligence or willful misconduct. The obligations of the Issuer under this Section shall survive resignation or removal of the Dissemination Agent and payment of the Bonds. SECTION 12. Beneficiaries. This Disclosure Certificate shall inure solely to the benefit of the Issuer, the Dissemination Agent, the Participating Underwriters and Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of the Bonds, and shall create no rights in any other person or entity. Date: 13th day of November , 2012. ATTEST: City erk CITY OF IOWA CITY, STATE OF IOWA By: Mayor 7 EXHIBIT A NOTICE TO NATIONAL REPOSITORY OF FAILURE TO FILE ANNUAL REPORT Name of Issuer: City of Iowa City, Iowa. Name of Bond Issue: $2,655,000 Taxable Urban Renewal Revenue Bonds, Series 2012D Dated Date of Issue: November 29, 2012 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Issuer has not provided an Annual Report with respect to the above -named Bonds as required by Section 3 of the Continuing Disclosure Certificate delivered by the Issuer in connection with the Bonds. The Issuer anticipates that the Annual Report will be filed by Dated: day of CITY OF IOWA CITY, STATE OF IOWA By: Its: 00896200 -1 \10714 -113 /�V' TXT DELIVERY CERTIFICATE We the u rsigned, Mayor, City Clerk, and F/de irector, do reby certify that we are the o cers, respectively above indicated, nicipal co oration in the State of Iowa, kno as the City of Iowa City, State othat in p •suance of the provisions of Chapter 03.9, Code of Iowa, there haveretof e lawfully authorized and this day us lawfully executed, issued #o a registered and authenticated and delivere filly registered Taxable Un al Revenue Bonds, Series 2012D of the City of wa City, State of Iowa, ount of $2,655,000, dated November 29, 2012, bearing i erest and maturing as Principal Interest Maturity Amount Rate June 1 st $130,000 1.00% 2016 $130,000 .30% 2017 $135,000 1. 00 2018 $135,000 2.0 % 2019 $140,000 2 0 2020 $140,000 .300o 2021 $145,000 2.400/(o 2022 $150,000 2.60% 2023 $150,000 2.80% 2024 $155,000 3.00% 2025 $160,000 3.20% 2026 $165,000 3.40% 2027 $170,000 3.60% 2028 $175,000 3.70% 2029 $185,000 3.70% 2030 $190,000 3.75% 2031 $200,000 3.90% 2032 Each of the b ds has been executed with the manual sign tune of the Mayor and the manual signatur of the City Clerk of the City. The bond lave been delivered to: Securities, Inc. of Minneapolis,- Minnesota, and have bg6n paid for in accordance with the terms of the contract of sal and at a price of $2,656 00 and accrued interest. We further certify that no controversy or litigation is pending, prayed or threatened involving the incorporation, organization, existence or bou aries of the City, or the titles of the undersigned officers to their respective positions, the validity of the bonds, or the pledge of the net earnings of the City - University Proj ct I Urban Renewal Plan, as amended, (the "Urban Renewal Area "), to the payment f the bonds or the power and duty of the City to construct, own and operate its Ur an Renewal Area as a revenue producing undertaki g and to provide, charge and ap y adequate rates and charges for the full and prop payment of the principal an interest of the bonds, and that none of the proceedings or uthority for the issuance f the bonds has been repealed, revoked, rescinded, or modified i any manner. We further certify that each of were in occupancy and possession of executed and do hereby adopt and aff We further certify that the present Total urban renewal revenue above mentioned Taxable Ui Series 2012D All other indebtedness of Renewal Revenues , IN WITNESS Iowa, this day (SEAL) 00899111 -1 \10719 -1 officers w se signatures appear on the bonds r respect' e offices at the time the bonds were their si natures appearing in the bonds. condition of the City is as follows: )on d 'ndebtedness, including 1a en wal Revenue Bonds, kind, paya le from Urban $ we have hereuntp affixed our hands at Iowa City, ,M2. 12. Director Clerk