HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-01-31 Info PacketI SOIII
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CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET
CITY OF IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org January 31, 2013
IN Council Tentative Meeting Schedule
FEBRUARY 5 CITY CONFERENCE BOARD MEETING
IP2 Agenda and Meeting Packet
FEBRUARY 5 WORK SESSION
IN Work Session Agenda
IP4 Memo from the City Clerk: Proposed Meeting Schedule — July and August
IP5 Pending Work Session Topics
MISCELLANEOUS
IP6 Article from City Manager: US unions suffer steep decline in membership
IP7 Article from City Manager: The Anti - Economist
IP8 Article from City Manager: As good and important as it is, LEED can be so embarrassing
IP9 Memo from Adm. Asst. to the City Manager: Impact of the Public Housing Program and
the Housing Choice Voucher Program on concentrations of students participating in
the Free and Reduced Lunch Program
IP10 Iowa City Municipal Airport 2012 Annual Report
IP11 Memo from Human Rights Coordinator: Age and Public Accommodations
DRAFT MINUTES
IP12 Housing and Community Development Commission: January 3
IP13 Planning & Zoning Commission: December 17
IP14 Planning & Zoning Commission: January 14
.:t_.• City Council Tentative Meeting Schedule I� P••�1..�.
January 31, 2013
CITY OF IOWA CITY
Subject to change
Date
Time
Meeting
Location
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
5:00 PM
City Conference Board Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
5:00 PM
City Conference Board Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
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Tuesday, April 9, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Special Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Special Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
T=
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Special Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
44
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Tuesday, June 4, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
5:00 PM
Work Session Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall
44 -
OFFICE OF THE
IOWA CITY ASSESSOR 1P2
JOHNSON COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
DENNIS BALDRIDGE
ASSESSOR
BRAD COMER
DEPUTY
MARTIN BURKLE
DEPUTY
January 30, 2013
Dear Conference Board Member:
The annual meeting of the Iowa City Conference Board for the consideration of the Iowa City Assessor's
FY 2014 budget is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 5:OOP.M. at the Iowa City Civic Center.
Enclosed for your review before the meeting are:
1. The Agenda.
2. A copy of the July 10, 2012 minutes.
3. The Proposed Budget.
4. A Salary Survey.
5. The 2012 Annual Report including the program division statement.
There is an increase in the amount to be raised by the Assessment Expense Fund from last year's amount.
The increase consists of:
a. $
9,980
for a 2.25% COLA increase in salaries.
b. $
8,770
for merit increases.
c. $
1,857
for an increase in FICA.
d. $
3,398
for an increase in IPERS.
e. $
3,700
for an increase in health insurance.
f. $
5,000
for an increase in leave contingency.
g. $
600
for an increase in Board of Review salaries.
h. $
8,550
for an increase in Data Processing Services.
i. $
1,000
for an increase in software maintenance.
j. $ 3,000
for an increase to the auto replacement fund.
$
45,855
Total Increase
This increase is offset by the following decreases:
a. $ 4,500 to decrease postage.
b. $ 3,000 to decrease printing.
c. $ 7,878 to decrease appraisal service.
$ 15,378 Total Decrease
$ 30,477 Net Increase
The Assessment Expense Fund levy rate will change from 0.24337 to 0.25873.
The largest increase is for salaries, with a 2.25 percent cost of living increase. Union contracts and county
compensation board recommendations for other local taxing bodies appear to be in the two to three percent
913 SOUTH DUBUQUE STREET • IOWA CITY IOWA 52240
TELEPHONE 319- 356 -6066
range. And the enclosed salary survey indicates that our salaries fall below those of comparable assessment
jurisdictions in Iowa.
Merit increases allow step increases similar to the pay plans used by the city, the county and the schools.
Those increases are also reflected in FICA and IPERS. The employer share of IPERS contributions will
increase from 8.67% to 8.93% beginning July 1, 2012.
Health insurance costs are expected to increase by 3.25 percent for the upcoming year.
Leave contingency was increased by $5,000. This amount allows for payout of vacation and sick leave for
staff who leave employment with the assessor's office.
Individual Board of Review salaries were increased from $2,500 to $2,600 for a total increase of $600.
Data Processing was increased to pay a share of the update and training to a new version of the county real
estate program. This is a one -time expense.
Software maintenance was increased to pay for rising costs. New programs have been added and fees have
grown.
The auto replacement fund was increased by $3,000. This account builds by $3,000 per year and carries over
until a new car is needed.
There were also decreases in the budget.
Postage and printing were decreased because 2014 will not be a reassessment year and we won't be mailing
assessment rolls to all property owners.
And Appraisal Services was decreased. $7,878 had been sitting in the Special Appraisers Fund for several
years as a carry -over from past projects. With the elimination of Special Appraisers Fund, this is a good time
to reduce that amount from the budget.
If you have questions about individual items or wish to see any of the supporting documents for this budget,
please feel free to phone me at the office at 356 -6066 or at my home at 688 -2661.
Sincerely,
Dennis Baldridge
Iowa City Assessor
Iowa City Assessor's Conference Board
January 30, 2013
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
The Iowa City Conference Board will meet at 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday February 5, 2013
at the Iowa City Civic Center. The purpose of this meeting is to set a date for a public
hearing on the Iowa City Assessor's proposed budget for FY 2014.
AGENDA:
1. Call meeting to order by the Chairperson.
2. Roll call by taxing body.
3. Act on minutes of July 10, 2012 Conference Board meeting.
4. Assessor presents proposed budget amendment.
(Approve for Publication.)
5. Assessor Evaluation Committee report.
6. Assessor presents proposed budget.
7. Discuss proposed budget.
8. Conference Board acts on proposed budget.
(Approve for Publication.)
9. Set date for public hearing. (Suggested date: March 5, 2013)
10. Appoint Examining Board member.
11. Re- appointment of Assessor.
12. Other business.
13. Adjournment.
Dennis J. Baldridge
Clerk, Iowa City Conference Board
IOWA CITY CONFERENCE BOARD
MINUTES
July 10, 2012
City Conference Board: July 10, 2012 at 5:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers at the
Iowa City City Hall, Mayor Matt Hayek presiding.
Iowa City Council Members Present: Champion, Dickens, Dobyns, Hayek, Mims,
Payne and Throgmorton.
Johnson County Supervisors Present: Harney, Neuzil, Rettig, and Sullivan.
Iowa City School Board Members Present: Cook and McGinness.
Others Present: Baldridge, Comer, Markus, Karr, Dilkes, Fruin.
Digital Recording: July 10, 2012,
Chair Matt Hayek called the meeting to order and Clerk Baldridge called roll and
stated that a quorum was present.
The County (Rettig) moved to accept the minutes of the last Conference Board
meeting, March 6, 2012, the City (Payne) seconded and the motion carried
unanimously.
The County (Sullivan) moved to transfer all moneys in the Iowa City Assessor's
Special Appraiser's Fund to the Assessment Expense Fund pursuant to House File
524 of the 2012 Iowa Legislature, the City (Champion) seconded and the motion
carried unanimously.
The County (Rettig) moved to approve the new Iowa City Assessor's Office
Employee Handbook as revised from the Johnson County Employee Handbook, City
(Dobyns) seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
The County (Sullivan) moved to approve the new Iowa City Assessor's job
description as presented by the Merit Evaluation Committee, the Schools (Cook)
seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
The Merit Evaluation Committee presented its recommendation and the County
(Sullivan) moved to adopt the recommendation of a 1.5 percent salary increase, the
City (Dobyns) seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Dennis Baldridge, the Iowa City Assessor, requested that the Conference Board go
into executive session for its performance evaluation of the assessor. The County
(Rettig) moved to enter into executive session, the City (Champion) seconded and the
motion carried unanimously. The board entered into executive session at 5:10 PM
and returned at 5:23 PM.
There being no other business it was moved by the City (Mims) and seconded by the
County (Sullivan) to adjourn at 5:24 P.M. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Dennis Baldridge
Clerk, Iowa City Conference Board
ITEMIZED BUDGET - ASSESSMENT EXPENSE FUND
15,000
EMPLOYEE EXPENDITURES
FY 2013
FY 2014
INCREASE
SALARIES
Current
Proposed
0
CITY ASSESSOR
94,970
$ 99,010
104.25%
CHIEF DEPUTY ASSESSOR
80,520
$ 82,330
102.25%
DEPUTY ASSESSOR
75,800
$ 77,510
102.26%
REAL ESTATE /GIS SPECIALIST
51,920
$ 53,090
102.25%
APPRAISER (NEW CONSTRUCTION)
45,410
$ 46,430
102.25%
OFFICE MANAGER
46,590
$ 47,640
102.25%
APPRAISER (REAPPRAISAL)
47,760
$ 48,840
102.26%
MERIT INCREASES(FY2013 INCL IN SALARIES ABOVE)
(6000)
$ 6,870
15,000
SUBTOTAL
$442,970
$461,720
104.23%
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
105.00%
BONDS & WORKER'S COMPENSATION
1,500
EMPLOYER SHARE: FICA
36,188
38,045
105.13%
EMPLOYER SHARE: IPERS
41,013
44,411
108.28%
HEALTH INSURANCE
112,300
116,000
103.29%
SUBTOTAL
189,501
198,456
104.73%
TOTAL EMPLOYEE COST $632,471 $660,176 104.38%
--R EXPENDITURES
LEAVE CONTINGENCY $15,000 $20,000 133.33%
BOARDS
BOARD OF REVIEW
15,000
15,600
104.00%
BOARD OF REVIEW EXPENSES
200
200
100.00%
CONFERENCE BOARD
0
0
25.00%
EXAMINING BOARD
30
30
100.00%
SUBTOTAL
$15,230
$15,830
103.94%
OFFICE EXPENSES
MILEAGE & AUTO
4,500
4,500
100.00%
OFFICE SUPPLIES
3,500
3,500
100.00%
POSTAGE
6,000
1,500
25.00%
TELEPHONE
1,300
1,300
100.00%
PUBLICATIONS & SUBSCRIPTIONS
700
700
100.00%
PRINTING
4,000
1,000
25.00%
INSURANCE
4,200
4,200
100.00%
EQUIPMENT PURCHASE
3,400
3,400
100.00%
EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE
200
200
100.00%
UNEMPLOYMENT
2,000
2,000
100.00%
DATA PROCESSING SERVICES
15,000
23,550
157.00%
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
20,000
21,000
105.00%
BONDS & WORKER'S COMPENSATION
1,500
1,500
100.00%
AUTO REPLACEMENT
6,000
9,000
150.00%
COMPUTER REPLACEMENT
2,500
2,500
100.00%
SUBTOTAL
$74,800
$79,850
106.75%
PROFESSIONAL EXPENSES
SCHOOLS & CONFERENCES
12,000
12,000
100.00%
DUES
2,000
2,000
100.00%
SUBTOTAL
$14,000
$14,000
100.00%
TECHNICAL SERVICES
LEGAL FEES & EXPERT WITNESSES
52,000
52,000
100.00%
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
10,000
10,000
100.00%
APPRAISAL SERVICE
8,878
1,000
11.26%
SUBTOTAL
$70,878
$63,000
88.89%
TOTAL OTHER EXPENDITURES
$189,908
$192,680
101.46%
TOTAL ASSMT EXPENSE FUND BUDGET
$822,379
$852,856
103.71%
UNENCUMBERED BALANCE
$112,998
$83,112
73.55%
TO BE RAISED BY TAXATION
$709,381
$769,744
108.51%
MAXIMUM LEVY ALLOWED
MAXIMUM ASSESSMENT EXPENSE FUND 2,975,085,246 X.000675
IPERS & FICA FUNDS
UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION & TORT LIABILITY
MAXIMUM ALLOWED WITHOUT STATE APPROVAL
MAXIMUM EMERGENCY FUND
(requires State Appeal Board approval)
2,975,085,246 X.00027
MAXIMUM THAT COULD BE RAISED BY TAXATION FOR FY 2013
$2,008,182
$82,456
$4,000
$2,094,638
$803,273
$2,897,911
FY
PRIOR YEARS LEVIES AND RATES
ASSESSMENT EXPENSE FUND SPECIAL APPRAISERS FUND
AMOUNT LEVIED LEVY RATE AMOUNT LEVIED LEVY RATE
TOTAL LEVY
1996 -97
319,513
0.2045
17,000
0.01088
0.21538
1997 -98
318,270
0.19946
52,834
0.03311
0.23257
1998 -99
318,699
0.19269
184,357
0.11146
0.30415
1999 -00
341,910
0.19784
352,508
0.20398
0.40182
2000 -01
359,341
0.19823
180,293
0.09946
0.29769
2001 -02
396,829
0.20636
6,442
0.00335
0.20971
2002 -03
403,136
0.20694
4,426
0.00227
0.20921
2003 -04
412,379
0.20818
10,051
0.00507
0.21325
2004 -05
470,398
0.22926
15,728
0.00767
0.23693
2005 -06
472,050
0.22525
25,995
0.01240
0.23765
2006 -07
529,702
0.23164
0
0
0.23164
2007 -08
603,916
0.25868
4,792
0.00205
0.26073
2008 -09
611,955
0.24917
1,540
0.00063
0.24980
2009 -10
600,013
0.23848
0
0
0.23848
2010 -11
621,785
0.23147
8,730
0.00325
0.23472
2011 -12
680,786
0.24538
2,608
0.00094
0.24632
2012 -13
700,997
0.24164
8,384
0.00289
0.24453
2013 -14
769,744
0.25873
N/A
N/A
N/A
i
* *2011 -12 Salary. No report for 2012 -13. *City population has been deducted
- 2010 -11 Salary. No report for 2012 -13. from counties with a city assessor.
IOWA ASSESSORS SALARY SURVEY 2012 -13
Assessor
Chief Deputy
Deputy
Assessed Value
2011 Est.
Year
Number of
Rank
Jurisdiction
Sala
Sala
Sala
in millions)
Po elation*
Appointed
Em to ees
1
Polk County
$122,330
$114,097
$ 101,231
31,859
437,399
1984
36
"•2
Ames (City)
$116,662
$93,340
3,680
59,042
2006.
3
Cedar Rapids (City)
$114,015
$96,104
$ 82,958
9,459
127,905
2007
16
4
Pottawattamie County
$108,067
$86,453
$ 86,453
6,899
93,518
2010'!"
5
Story County
$104,485
2,425
30,621
2004
6
B
Johnson County
$101,616
$88,475
6,050
64,091
2002"
6
7
Davenport (City)
$97,189
$78,440
6,528
100,802
2008
12
8
Iowa City
$94,970
$80,520
$ 75,800
4,801
68,947
2002
7
9
Linn County
$93,581
$84,614
$ 69,660
6,454
85,970
2009
10
10
Scott County
$93,316
$80,759
$ 71,332
6,053
66,293
1983
7
11
Cerro Gordo County
$91,740
$73,390
2,019
15,944
1979
5
12
Muscatine County
$91,540
$59,706
$ 53,195
5,486
42,815
1992
6
13
Black Hawk County
$90,420
$63,300
8,736
131,549
2009
14
14
Woodbury County
$89,660
$71,730
1,770
19,542
1995
__5..
15
Boone County
$88,000
$48,464
1,970
26,255
2010
7
16
**Dubuque (City)
$87,317
$70,881
4,202
58,234
2001:`,.
17
* *Dallas County
$87,150
$70,050
6,745
69,444
2004
9
18
Sioux City
$86,537
$76,348
$ 72,011
4,491
82,967
2007
11
19
Dubuque County
$85,912
$73,025
3,072
36,414
2005
6
20
Mason City
$79,3`
1,61M
27,944
1982
21
Jasper County
$75,700
1,313
36,547
1986
6
22
Warren County
$73,800
'�0
3,2(�:.,
46,732
2010
23
Washington County
$72,317
1,718
21,855
1993
5
24
Clinton County
$71,586
$51,000
1,7M
22,286
2002
25
Marshall County
$71,392
2,459
40,980
2009
4
26
** *Clinton (City)
$70,056
26,830
1982
4
* *2011 -12 Salary. No report for 2012 -13. *City population has been deducted
- 2010 -11 Salary. No report for 2012 -13. from counties with a city assessor.
IOWA CITY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE
2012 ANNUAL REPORT
]ASSESSOR
WO-AR- F-
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IOWA CITY
ASSESSOR
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
Contents
EXEMPT PROPERTY IN IOWA CITY FOR 2012 .............................. ...............................
2012 -2013 IOWA CITY CONFERENCE BOARD .................................. ...............................
II
IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL ............................................................... ...............................
II
IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD .................................... ...............................
II
JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ........................... ...............................
II
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND FINANCE .......................... ...............................
II
OTHER BOARDS AND SUPPORT STAFF .......................................... ...............................
III
IOWA CITY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE STAFF ...................................... ...............................
III
IOWA CITY BOARD OF REVIEW ..................................................... ...............................
III
IOWA CITY EXAMINING BOARD ..................................................... ...............................
III
LEGALCOUNSEL ............................................................................. ...............................
III
ANNUALREPORT ................................................................................ ...............................
1
MISSION STATEMENT: ................................................................................................
1
GOALS:.......................... ............................... ...................................... ..............................1
OBJECTIVES: .............................................................. ... ...............................
VALUATIONS..................................................................................... ...............................
2
COURTCASES .................................................................................. ...............................
2
PROPERTY ASSESSMENT APPEAL BOARD .................................. ...............................
2
BOARD OF REVIEW .......................................................................... ...............................
2
EQUITY VERSUS MARKET IN ASSESSMENT ................................. ...............................
2
WEBPAGE ........................................................................................ ...............................
3
ROLLBACKS...................................................................................... ...............................
3
NEW LEGISLATION ........................................................................... ...............................
3
• HF 2460 -A — Iowa Urban Renewal and Tax Increment Financing Reform .............. 3
• SF 2137 — Property Tax on joint County — City Buildings ......... ............................... 3
• SF 2342 -A — Exemption for Geothermal Property .................... ............................... 3
CONTINUING EDUCATION ................................................................ ..............................4
ASSESSMENT DATA AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ......................... ............................... 5
2012 ABSTRACT OF ASSESSMENTS FOR IOWA CITY .................. ............................... 5
EXEMPT PROPERTY IN IOWA CITY FOR 2012 .............................. ...............................
5
VALUE COMPARISONS WITH ROLLBACKS APPLIED ................... ...............................
6
COMPARISON OF RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL VALUES TO
TOTAL ASSESSED AND TOTAL TAXABLE VALUE ....................... ...............................
8
2012 TOP TAXPAYERS ..................................................................... ...............................
9
COMPARISON OF TAX RATES TO CITIES WITH A CITY ASSESSOR ........................
10
PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS: .................................................. ..............
10
RESIDENTIAL SALES STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ........................... ...............................
11
COMMERCIAL SALES STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ........................... ...............................
12
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
2012 -2013 IOWA CITY CONFERENCE BOARD
L � �' � `L• t �] �'�� �'t � � I � 1 L� I
2012 Council
2013 Council
Matt Hayek, Mayor
Matt Hayek, Mayor
Susan Mims, Mayor Pro Tem
Susan Mims, Mayor Pro Tem
Connie Champion
Connie Champion
Terry Dickens
Terry Dickens
Rick Dobyns
Rick Dobyns
Michelle Payne
Michelle Payne
Jim Throgmorton
Jim Throgmorton
IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD
2011 -12 School Board
Marla Swesey, President
Patti Fields, Vice President
*Karla Cook
Tuyet Dorau
Sally Hoelscher
*Jeff McGinness
Sarah Swisher
*Conference Board Designee
2012 -13 School Board
Marla Swesey, President
*Karla Cook, Vice President
Patti Fields
Tuyet Dorau
Sally Hoelscher
*Jeff McGinness
Sarah Swisher
JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
2012 Board
Rod Sullivan, Chairperson
Janelle Rettig, Vice Chairperson
Pat Harney
Terrence Neuzil
Sally Stutsman
2013 Board
Janelle Rettig, Chairperson
Terrence Neuzil, Vice Chairperson
Pat Harney
Rod Sullivan
Vacant
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND FINANCE
Courtney M. Kay- Decker— Director, Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
OTHER BOARDS AND SUPPORT STAFF
IOWA CITY ASSESSOR'S OFFICE STAFF
Dennis J. Baldridge — Iowa City Assessor
Brad Comer — Chief Deputy Assessor
Marty Burkle — Deputy Assessor
Mark Fedler — Appraiser /Clerk
Diane Campbell — Accounting Clerk
Todd Kruse — Real Estate Clerk
Mary Paustian — Appraiser
IOWA CITY BOARD OF REVIEW
Jane G. Downer,
Ernie Galer
Dave Hintze
Chuck McComas
Vacant
Date of Employment: 12 July, 1982
Appointed: 2002 thru 2007
Re- appointed: 2008 thru 2013
Date of Employment: 14 Jan, 2002
Date of Employment: 01 Feb, 2006
Date of Employment: 20 Jun, 1994
Date of Employment: 16 Feb, 1998
Date of Employment: 14 May, 2001
Date of Employment: 05 Jan, 2011
Chairperson Appointed 2010 through 2015
Appointed 2012 through 2017
Appointed 2007 through 2012
Appointed 2008 through 2013
IOWA CITY EXAMINING BOARD
Karin Franklin for Iowa City
Michael Kennedy for Johnson County
School Board Position
LEGAL COUNSEL
Eleanor Dilkes — City Attorney
Eric Goers — Assistant City Attorney
Appointed 2012 through 2017
Appointed 2010 through 2015
Vacant
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
FaZIi! ilia W142*T:m
To: Members of the Iowa City Conference Board
From: Dennis J. Baldridge — Iowa City Assessor
Subject: 2012 Annual Report — Issued December 31, 2012
The following report covers the activities of this office from January 1, 2012 to date of issue.
MISSION STATEMENT:
The purpose of the Iowa City Assessor's Office is to find, list and value for tax purposes, all
real property in Iowa City and maintain records for all parcels in Iowa City.
GOALS:
To establish values according to Iowa law on all commercial, industrial, agricultural and
residential property within the City of Iowa City; to achieve equitable assessments across
all classes of property based on actual physical aspects of the property and all pertinent
sales data available; to improve the efficiency by which these assessments are made; to
provide prompt and courteous response to all inquiries for information.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Receive calls and inquiries and dispense information efficiently and in a timely manner.
2. Complete all daily record changes and related duties as they are received.
3. On a quarterly basis, inspect and review all new construction and demolition, and make
final review of said construction and demolition by January 1 every year.
4. Notify all new homeowners of potential eligibility for the homestead and military credits
by July 1 every year.
5. Remove all homestead and military credits from the permanent file for those who are no
longer eligible to receive the credit by July 1 every year.
6. Efficiently process all other new and routine annual filings, making sure they are in
compliance with all laws and rules, and filed by their statutory dates.
7. Send out assessment notices to all properties requiring assessment notices, by April
1st.every year.
8. Accept formal written protests for the Board of Review from April 16 to May 5 every year
and coordinate the Board of Review meetings during the month of May.
9. Receive and review tentative equalization orders from the State Department of Revenue
and Finance in August of reassessment years.
10. Receive final equalization orders by October 1 of reassessment years.
11. Accept formal written protests for the Board of Review Special Session from October 15
to October 25 of reassessment year and coordinate the Board of Review Special Session
from October 15 to November 15 of reassessment years, if needed.
12. Prepare and distribute the annual report by December 31 every year.
13. Hold preliminary Conference Board and public hearings to adopt the annual budget by
March 15 every year.
14. Prepare and submit annual abstract to the Department of Revenue & Finance by July 1
every year.
15. Maintain assessment information on website at http : / /iowacity.iowaassessors.com and
make improvements based on input from the public. The site went on line February 15,
2001 and has over 1.6 million hits since that time. Provide on -line access to application
forms for Homestead Credits, Military Exemptions, and Board of Review petition forms
which are available on our Johnson County website at http: / /www.gohnson- county.com
16. Review sales as they occur and compare selling price to assessments.
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
17. Review selling price /assessment ratios by neighborhood, age, size, building type and
other relevant criteria.
18. Make adjustments to assessed value as indicated by the sales review and land value
review at least every 2 years.
19. Physically inspect properties with selling price -to- assessment ratios outside acceptable
standards.
20. Utilize GIS for quality control of assessment data and analysis of valuation.
21. Update recording information (book & page) on our website for older sales.
22. Maintain recently completed in -house re- appraisal of all Commercial properties in Iowa
City.
23. Annually inspect/re- appraise 10% of residential properties in Iowa City.
VALUATIONS
Since 2012 was not a real estate revaluation year, assessed values remained the same as
2011. New construction added approximately 39 million dollars to residential and 16 million
dollars to commercial property for 2012.
788 residential deed sales in 2012 give us a median ratio (assessed value /sale price) of
96.60% compared to 97.74% for 766 sales in 2011. This tells us that the selling prices of
homes have remained fairly stable since last year and very little change will be necessary
for the 2013 assessments. There will be internal adjustments to selected neighborhoods
and property types, but overall assessments will probably not be increased for 2013.
It should be kept in mind that when a jurisdiction is at the State mandated sales ratio level
of 100 %, a full one -half of home sales will be for less than the assessed value. Sales for
less than the assessed value tend to result in appeals to the Board of Review.
COURT CASES
• Of the sixteen appeals to District Court from 2011, three Hy -Vee cases are still
pending and thirteen residential cooperative cases have been settled.
• There was one appeal to District Court for 2012 and is still pending.
PROPERTY ASSESSMENT APPEAL BOARD
• All four appeals to the PAAB remaining from 2011 were withdrawn.
• There was one appeal to PAAB for 2012 and is still pending.
BOARD OF REVIEW
The Board of Review was in session from May 1 through May 23, the day of adjournment.
105 protests were filed, with 23 being upheld and 82 denied. The total value of real estate
being protested was $37,545,840. The Board allowed a total reduction of $649,000.
EQUITY VERSUS MARKET IN ASSESSMENT
It is difficult to be both equitable among assessments and in tune with the market. Similar
properties do not always sell for similar prices, so the market is not always equitable and
sometimes a long way from it. Most assessors would lean toward equity if they could
choose between the two. Our first priority is equity since it is not always possible to have
every assessment match the selling price. Our statistics show that we are doing a good job
in this regard.
2
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
WEB PAGE
The Iowa City Assessor's web page went online during the spring of 2001. Internet
availability of comparable sales and comparable assessments has been very helpful to
taxpayers concerned about the fairness of their assessments. Links are also provided to
the Johnson County Treasurer for tax information and to the Johnson County GIS for
online maps and aerial photography. We continue to expand the breadth of our data online
and to increase the ability to query our data. We continue to look for ways to get more of
our information accessible online. We hope in the next year, to have much of our historical
property record cards available online. All of this has, and continues to reduce traffic at our
counter, and frees up personnel to focus on our core function of equitable assessment of
property.
There have been over 1.6 million hits on our web site since it went online. It can be seen at
http :Hiowa city. iowaassessors.com (note that www at the beginning of the web address is
no longer a valid part of our web address). We also have an internet presence through the
Johnson County website at http: / /www.iohnson- county.com. Electronic forms for the
Homestead Credit, the Military Exemption, and Board of Review appeal are available to the
public on this web page site.
ROLLBACKS
The residential rollback has gone up from 50.7518% for the current taxes to 52.8166% for
taxes payable in 2013 -2014. The rollback for agricultural property will increase from
57.5411 % to 59.9334 %.
Commercial rollback remains at 100% which makes the effective tax rate for commercial
property about twice that of residential property.
NEW LEGISLATION
The 2012 Iowa Legislative Session produced relatively little property tax legislation, but
three property tax bills were passed and several bills remain alive from last year.
• HF 2460 -A — Iowa Urban Renewal and Tax Increment Financing Reform
House File 2460 -A enacts new reporting requirements and other rules for urban renewal
and tax increment financing (TIF) areas. This law does not directly affect the assessor's
office.
• SF 2137 — Property Tax on joint County — City Buildings
Senate File 2137 puts taxes levied for a joint county — city building into a separate account
in the applicable county or city debt service fund and imposes other rules on the use of
those taxes. This law does not directly affect the assessor's office.
• SF 2342 -A — Exemption for Geothermal Property
Senate File 2342 -A establishes a new exemption. For any new construction or refitted
installation of geothermal heating or cooling systems occurring on or after July 1St, 2012 on
residential property, the value added to the property by the construction or installation if
exempt from property tax.
3
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Continuing education is a requirement for the assessor and deputies for re- appointment to
their positions. Over a six -year term, assessors must complete one hundred -fifty hours of
classroom instruction including at least ninety hours from courses requiring a test.
Deputies must complete ninety hours of classroom instruction including at least sixty tested
hours over their six -year terms. It is also beneficial for other employees to attend classes
so they can update their skills and stay current with assessment practices.
The Assessor attended the following courses and conferences during 2012:
IICA Summer Seminar and Workshop
11.75
C.E. Hrs. (7 tested)
(Institute of Iowa Certified Assessors)
ISAA Annual School of Instruction
11.50
C.E. Hrs.
(Iowa State Association of Assessors)
IAAO Annual Conference
13.00
C.E. Hrs.
(International Association of Assessing Officers)
East - Central District ISAA Commercial /Industrial
15.00
C.E. Hrs. (Tested)
Pricing School
The Chief Deputy attended the following courses and conferences during 2012:
IICA Summer Seminar and Workshop
11.75
C.E. Hrs. (7 tested)
ISAA Annual School of Instruction
11.50
C.E. Hrs.
CommerciaNndustrial Pricing School
15.00
C.E. Hrs.(Tested)
The Second Deputy attended the following courses and conferences
during 2012:
IICA Summer Seminar and Workshop
11.75
C.E. Hrs. (7 tested)
ISAA Annual School of Instruction
11.50
C.E. Hrs.
Fundamentals of Mass Appraisal
30.00
C.E. Hrs. (Tested)
Other staff attended classes and seminars related to operation and maintenance of various
third party software utilized by the assessor's office.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My staff and I would like to thank the Conference Board, the Board of Review, the City
Attorney and her assistants, and the City Staff along with Johnson County and the Iowa
City School Board for their assistance, cooperation and confidence during the past year. A
special thank you goes to the Johnson County Human Resources Department for their help
with the Handbook. I would also like to recognize and thank my staff at this time for their
part in establishing and maintaining the professional standards of the office
4
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
ASSESSMENT DATA AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
2012 ABSTRACT OF ASSESSMENTS FOR IOWA CITY
Value of Agricultural Land and Structures
Value of Residential Dwellings on Agricultural Realty
Value of Residential Lots and Buildings
Value of Commercial Lots and Buildings
Value of Industrial Lots and Buildings
Value of Industrial Machinery and Commercial Equipment as Real Estate
Actual Value of All Real Estate*
$2,743,540
$1,190,610
$3,371,349,260
$1,122,041,780
$78,576,040
$0
$4,575,901,230
*All the above values are based on the 2012 abstract as reported to the Iowa Department
of Revenue on July 1, 2012. The values for Railroad and Utility Property are supplied to
the Auditor by the Iowa Department of Revenue. The value of utilities and railroads in Iowa
City for 2012 was $101,122,574.
EXEMPT PROPERTY IN IOWA CITY FOR 2012
Religious Institutions
Charitable and Benevolent Societies
Literary Societies & Educational Institutions
Low Rent Housing
Associations of War Veterans
Forest and Fruit Tree
Partial Industrial, Urban Revitalization, Recycling, Mobile Home
Storm Shelter, Public TV & New Jobs
Sub -Total
University of Iowa (As Reported by U of I as of June 30, 2011)
TOTAL EXEMPT
5
$80,169,190
$124,933,190
$4,674,590
$14,425,720
$500,000
$502,540
$4,380,750
$229,585,980
$2,256,215,182
$2,485,801,162
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
VALUE COMPARISONS WITH ROLLBACKS APPLIED
M.
STATE
STATE
ADJUSTED
YEAR
ORDER TYPE
VALUE
ROLLBACK
VALUE
2012
Agricultural
2,743,540
59.9334
1,644,297
Ag Dwelling
1,190,610
52.8166
628,840
Residential
3,371,349,260
52.8166
1,780,632,053
Commercial
1,122,041,780
1.000000
1,122,041,780
Industrial
78,576,040
1.000000
78,576,040
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$4,575,901,230
$2,983,523,010
2011*
+6.1% Agricultural
2,566,040
57.5411
1,476,528
Ag Dwelling
1,313,570
50.7518
666,660
Residential
3,264,269,180
50.7518
1,656,675,366
Commercial
1,182,516,370
1.000000
1,182,516,370
Industrial
80,153,050
1.000000
80,153,050
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$4,530,818,210
$2,921,487,974
2010
Agricultural
2,317,426
69.0152
1,599,376
Ag Dwelling
1,256,350
48.5299
609,705
Residential
3,182,677,000
48.5299
1,544,549,965
Commercial
1,170,960,470
1.000000
1,170,960,470
Industrial
81,786,730
1.000000
81,786,730
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$4,438,997,976
$2,799,506,246
2009*
+62.6% Agricultural
2,382,167
.662715
1,578,698
Ag Dwelling
1,256,350
.469094
589,346
Residential
3,124,020,860
.469094
1,465,459,944
Commercial
1,170,461,470
1.000000
1,170,461,470
Industrial
81,979,330
1.000000
81,979,330
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
4,380,100,177
2,720,068,788
2008
Agricultural
1,548,650
.938568
1,453,513
Ag Dwelling
1,244,640
.455893
567,423
Residential
3,089,020,200
.455893
1,408,262,686
Commercial
1,153,802,900
1.000000
1,153,802,900
Industrial
74,852,940
1.000000
74,852,940
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$4,320,469,330
$2,638,939,462
M.
The adjusted values given are not exact but are meant to give a representation of the
growth of Iowa City's tax base.
*Reassessment Year
7
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
VALUE
COMPARISONS WITH ROLLBACKS APPLIED
- CONT'D
STATE
STATE
ADJUSTED
YEAR
ORDER TYPE
VALUE
ROLLBACK
VALUE
2007*
+12% Agricultural
1,612,266
.901023
1,452,689
Ag Dwelling
1,244,640
.440803
548,641
Residential
3,010,144,280
.440803
1,326,880,629
Commercial
1,131, 561,840
.997312
1,128, 520,202
Industrial
70,694,850
1.000000
70,694,850
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$4.215.257.876
$2.528,097,011
2006
Agricultural
1,584,472
1.000000
1,584,472
Ag Dwelling
1,327,700
.455596
604,895
Residential
2,736,579,660
.455596
1,246,774,747
Commercial
1,083,407,140
1.000000
1,083,407,140
Industrial
68,308,290
1.000000
68,308,290
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$3,891,207,262
$2,400,679,544
2005*
Agricultural
1,785,931
1.000000
1,795,931
Ag Dwelling
1,295,110
.459960
595,699
Residential
2,642,786,683
.459960
1,215,576,163
Commercial
1,038,950,930
.991509
1,030,129,198
Industrial
65,878,350
1.000000
65,878,350
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$3,750,697,004
$2,313,975,341
2004
Agricultural
1,812,134
1.000000
1,812,134
Ag Dwelling
1,126,450
.479642
540,293
Residential
2,236,008,098
.479642
1,072,483,396
Commercial
938,957,340
1.000000
938,957,340
Industrial
63,882,310
1.000000
63,882,310
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$3,241,786,332
$2,077,675,473
2003*
-8% Agricultural
1,968,057
1.000000
1,968,057
Ag Dwelling
1,186,690
.484558
575,020
Residential
2,154,612,478
.484558
1,044,034,713
Commercial
921,889,040
.992570
915,039,404
Industrial
59,784,450
1.000000
59,784,450
M & E
0
1.000000
0
TOTAL
$3,139,440,715
$2,021,401,644
The adjusted values given are not exact but are meant to give a representation of the
growth of Iowa City's tax base.
*Reassessment Year
7
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
COMPARISON OF RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL VALUES TO
TOTAL ASSESSED AND TOTAL TAXABLE VALUE
ASSESSED VALUES
YEAR
RESIDENTIAL
%
COMMERCIAL
%
INDUSTRIAL
%
OTHER
%
2012
3,372,539,870
73.7
1,122,041,780
24.5
78,576,040
1.7
2,743,540
0.1
2011
3,265,582,750
72.1
1,182,516,370
26.1
80,153,050
1.7
2,566,040
0.1
2010
3,183,933,350
71.7
1,170,960,470
26.4
81,786,730
1.8
2,317,426
0.1
2009
3,125,277,210
71.3
1,170,461,470
26.7
81,979,330
1.9
2,382,167
0.1
2008
3,090,264,840
71.5
1,153,802,900
26.7
74,852,940
1.7
1,548,650
0.1
2007
3,011,388,920
71.4
1,131,561,840
26.8
70,694,850
1.7
1,612,266
0.1
2006
2,737,907,360
70.4
1,083,407,140
27.8
68,308,290
1.7
1,584,472
0.1
2005
2,644,081,793
70.5
1,038,950,930
27.7
65,878,350
1.7
1,785,931
0.1
2004
2,237,134,548
69.0
938,957,340
29.0
63,882,310
1.9
1,812,134
0.2
2003
2,155,856,028
68.7
921,901,280
29.3
59,784,450
1.9
2,103,884
0.2
TAXABLE VALUES
2012
1,781,260,893
59.7
1,122,041,780
37.6
78,576,040
2.6
1,644,297
0.1
2011
1,657,342,026
56.7
1,182,516,370
40.4
80,153,050
2.8
1,476,527
0.1
2010
1,545,159,671
55.2
1,170,960,470
41.8
81,786,730
2.9
1,599,376
0.1
2009
1, 466, 048, 788
53.9
1,170,461,470
43.0
81, 979, 330
3.0
1,578,698
0.1
2008
1,408,830,109
53.4
1,153,802,900
43.7
74,852,940
2.8
1,453,513
0.1
2007
1,327,429,270
52.5
1,128,520,202
44.6
70,694,850
2.8
1,452,689
0.1
2006
1,247,379,642
52.0
1,083,407,140
45.1
68,308,290
2.8
1,584,472
0.1
2005
1,216,171, 862
52.6
1,030,129,198
44.5
65, 878, 350
2.8
1,785,931
0.2
2004
1,073,023,689
51.6
938,957,340
45.2
63,882,310
3.1
1,812,134
0.2
2003
1,044,637,285
51.7
915,051,553
45.3
59,784,450
2.9
2,103,884
0.3
75%
70%
65%
a) 60%
rn
m
55%
a�
50%
a
o 45%
co
40%
w
Q 35%
30%
25%
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Percentage of Taxable and Assessed Value - Past 10 Years
65%
2012
�x• n Residential
60% Assessed
aD
rn
55% 2
...... Commercial &
Industrial
a`)
Assessed
50% n.
Residential
CU
Taxable
45% M
I-
--/�- Commercial &
40% Industrial
Taxable
35%
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
2012 TOP TAXPAYERS
(Excluding Utilities Assessed by the State)
* Utilities and railroads actual taxes billed for 2011 assessment year, were $533,226, which
would make them 7th on the list of tax payers.
9
Actual
Rank Contract or Title holder
Taxable Value
# Parcels
2011 Taxes
1 American College Testing
$48,030,634
16
$1,893,418
2 Russell Gerdin (Warehousing)
$22,005,980
4
$828,220
3 Dealer Properties IC LLC (Billion Auto)
$17,339,180
4
$393,008
4 Alpla Inc (industrial)
$16,090,179
3
$635,274
5 Procter & Gamble LLC
$15,440,570
3
$595,870
6 National Computer Systems Inc. (Pearson)
$14,409,710
2
$569,172
7 United Natural Foods Inc
$12,902,550
1
$509,640
8 Southgate Development Company
$12,733,740
34
$501,784
9 Wal -Mart Real Estate
$12,639,860
1
$372,082
10 CCAL Hawk Ridge Drive LLC (The Lodge Apartments)
$12,542,517
201
$476,124
11 Menard Inc.
$11,418,170
2
$451,008
12 Core Sycamore Town Center (Sycamore Mall)
$11,335,850
1
$646,796
13 Plaza Towers LLC
$10,917,014
76
$445,894
14 RBD Iowa City LLC (Sheraton)
$10,463,560
1
$434,230
15 MidWestOne Bank
$9,156,870
9
$375,768
16 Lublin Properties LLC (Apartments)
$9,103,100
14
$359,560
17 Mercy Facilities Inc
$9,080,269
10
$365,316
18 Oral-13 Laboratories
$8,308,410
7
$328,172
19 McLaughlin, Michael T. (Retail /Apartments)
$8,086,499
63
$302,468
20 OC Group LLC (Old Capitol Mall)
$7,900,260
2
$327,854
21 Dolphin Residential (Lakeside Apartments)
$7,781,600
1
$307,366
22 Blackhawk Partners LC (Retail /Apartments)
$7,748,492
7
$306,096
23 Melrose Retirement Community LLC
$7,677,520
1
$303,256
24 Mark IV Investors (Pheasant Ridge Apartments)
$7,545,540
2
$298,042
25 Legacy Independent LP (Legacy Gardens)
$7,470,530
2
$285,288
* Utilities and railroads actual taxes billed for 2011 assessment year, were $533,226, which
would make them 7th on the list of tax payers.
9
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
COMPARISON OF TAX RATES TO CITIES WITH A CITY ASSESSOR
(Sorted by Assessor levy - Low to High)
.00289
ASSESSOR
SPECIAL
TOTAL
11 -12
12 -13
CITY EXPENSE
APPRAISERS
ASSESSOR
TOTAL
TOTAL
FUND
FUND
LEVY
LEVY
LEVY
CEDAR RAPIDS .20993
.00878
.21871
37.78537
37.84009
MASON CITY .21793
.01479
.23272
35.94965
34.11471
IOWA CITY .24164
.00289
.24453
40.75369 39.49917
DAVENPORT .22693
.08797
.3149
40.29606 41.43018
DUBUQUE .23173
.13015
.36188
35.57108 34.32049
SIOUX CITY .17643
.21516
.39159
42.84862 41.92927
AMES .22731
.16954
.39685
32.30014 32.36045
CLINTON .27000
.39734
.69584
41.86580 42.63840
PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS:
The median sales ratio (median) is the
middle sales ratio and a measure of the percent of
our assessment to the actual sales prices. The coefficient of dispersion (C.O.D.) is a
measure of assessment uniformity based
on the degree to which individual sales ratios
vary from the median sales ratio. The goal of the
Iowa City Assessor is to keep this C.O.D.
below 10. A C.O.D. of 10 is considered excellent.
The following table shows the median,
C.O.D., and the number of deed sales
for Iowa City Residential Property since the
assessments went to the 100% level in 1975.
Year
Median
C.O.D
# of Sales Average Sale Price
Estimate 2012
96.72
7.85
825
195,798
Estimate *2011
97.70
7.07
766
193,179
2010
95.92
9.99
745
182,635
*2009
95.42
8.29
796
191,459
2008
95.92
7.92
833
188,873
*2007
95.00
7.88
856
192,294
2006
88.70
9.67
665
197,878
*2005
90.50
8.61
717
186,437
2004
84.50
9.57
751
176,136
*2003
88.30
7.93
809
159,766
2002
94.32
8.03
777
152,219
#2001
94.60
7.83
682
144,912
2000
89.00
9.16
675
137,725
*1999
93.30
9.38
691
134,200
1998
91.60
8.24
699
129,556
*1997
93.45
8.71
658
123,278
1996
91.20
9.59
636
121,069
*1995
91.20
8.48
595
117,681
1994
84.10
9.59
627
109,872
*1993
90.80
8.57
651
101,591
1992
85.00
9.88
688
*1991
90.40
8.49
659
* Re- Assessment year
# Re- Appraisal /Inspection year
10
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
RESIDENTIAL SALES STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
The following statistics are for Residential sales, and below are tables of the ranking of
Iowa City in comparison to the other 106 assessing jurisdictions in Iowa. For brevity, only
the top 10 are shown. Data is for 2010 sales which is the last complete year available.
These tables show that Iowa City is still one of only a few jurisdictions in Iowa with a C.O.D.
of less than 10. The average selling price of a home in Iowa City is one of the highest in
Iowa for 2010. Iowa City also has a large number of sales as could be expected by its size
and mobile population.
SORTED BY COD
NO
JURISDICTION
MEAN
MEDIAN
WGHTD
C O D
REGR INDEX
1
AMES CITY
100.94
98.45
99.90
9.14
101.04
2
JOHNSON
97.62
96.37
95.64
9.83
102.08
3
IOWA CITY
96.85
95.92
95.00
9.99
101.95
4
SCOTT
99.86
96.11
97.20
11.94
102.73
5
LINN
95.59
95.54
94.52
12.54
101.13
6
CERRO GORDO
97.98
97.15
94.67
12.79
103.50
7
WARREN
101.55
99.35
98.24
13.21
103.37
8
DUBUQUE
96.15
94.29
93.53
13.67
102.79
9
DALLAS
104.34
101.15
100.94
13.80
103.37
10
CEDAR RAPIDS CITY
104.04
99.76
99.46
14.05
104.60
SORTED BY AVERAGE SALE PRICE
NO
JURISDICTION
1
DICKINSON
2
DALLAS
3
SCOTT
4
JOHNSON
5
CERRO GORDO
6
LINN
7
DUBUQUE
8
IOWA CITY
9
AMES CITY
10
GUTHRIE
NO
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
NO SALES
374
869
913
915
220
1001
371
745
497
94
TOTAL PRICE
95,574,040
177,977,485
181,255,670
181,338,294
41,827,409
186,544,038
68,011,879
136, 062, 994
88,547,580
16,452,752
AVG PRICE
255,546
204,807
198,528
198,184
190,125
186,358
183,320
182,635
178,164
175,029
SORTED BY NUMBER OF SALES (URBAN RESIDENTIAL)
JURISDICTION
POLK
CEDAR RAPIDS CITY
BLACK HAWK
DAVENPORT CITY
LINN
JOHNSON
SCOTT
DALLAS
SIOUX CITY
IOWA CITY
NO SALES
4028
1685
1465
1104
1001
915
913
869
788
745
11
TOTAL PRICE
669,409,296
254,039,024
203,648,941
147,210,884
186, 544, 038
181,338,294
181,255,670
177,977,485
87,915,461
136, 062, 994
AVG PRICE
166,189
150,765
139,010
133,343
186,358
198,184
198,528
204,807
111,568
182,635
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
The Regression Index, also known as the Price Related Differential, is an indicator of the
degree to which high value properties are over or under assessed in relationship to low
value properties. An index of 100.00 indicates no difference in assessments of high value
properties in comparison to low value properties based upon that year's sales. An index
over 100 indicates that high value properties are under assessed in relation to low value
properties. As you can see in the following table, Iowa City's regression index is still close
to the ideal 100.00 level. For brevity, only the top 15 are shown.
SORTED BY REGRESSION INDEX (URBAN RESIDENTIAL)
NO
JURISDICTION
MEAN
MEDIAN
WGHTD
C O D
REGR INDEX
1
AMES CITY
100.94
98.45
99.90
9.14
101.04
2
LINN
95.59
95.54
94.52
12.54
101.13
3
IOWA CITY
96.85
95.92
95.00
9.99
101.95
4
JOHNSON
97.62
96.37
95.64
9.83
102.08
5
SCOTT
99.86
96.11
97.20
11.94
102.73
6
MADISON
106.82
102.18
103.95
14.20
102.76
7
DUBUQUE
96.15
94.29
93.53
13.67
102.79
8
DALLAS
104.34
101.15
100.94
13.80
103.37
9
WARREN
101.55
99.35
98.24
13.21
103.37
10
CERRO GORDO
97.98
97.15
94.67
12.79
103.50
11
SIOUX
100.16
96.96
96.42
17.50
103.88
12
PLYMOUTH
102.21
97.82
98.28
14.55
104.00
13
CEDAR RAPIDS CITY
104.04
99.76
99.46
14.05
104.60
14
DELAWARE
107.33
98.91
102.20
19.52
105.02
15
BUENA VISTA
102.53
98.39
97.57
17.77
105.08
COMMERCIAL SALES STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
2,848,700
149,932
96.68
The Coefficient of Dispersion for Commercial properties varies from 8.96 to 257.46 with a
median of 23.64 for all Iowa jurisdictions while Residential C.O.D.'s vary from 9.14 to
122.67 with a median of 23.61. Commercial properties are typically more difficult to
appraise than residential properties because of the wide variety of building types and fewer
comparable sales.
12
COMMERCIAL SALES SORTED BY C O D
NO
JURISDICTION
NO SALES
TOTAL PRICE
AVG PRICE
MEDIAN
C O D
1
FLOYD
19
2,037,850
107,255
97.94
8.96
2
WAYNE
12
667,000
55,583
97.64
10.38
3
I DA
16
867,100
54,194
97.79
10.51
4
GREEN
18
2,422,500
134,583
98.27
10.66
5
WARREN
23
4,633,947
201,476
98.54
11.30
6
OBRIEN
23
3,279,500
142,587
100.29
11.31
7
WORTH
17
1,397,850
82,226
97.58
11.49
8
MITCHELL
19
2,208,600
116,242
98.32
11.69
9
LYON
19
1,708,810
89,937
96.68
11.81
10
IOWA CITY
29
17,499,020
603,414
97.77
12.82
11
CHEROKEE
19
2,044,800
107,621
102.20
13.04
12
WINNESHIEK
22
5,649,766
256,808
99.31
13.42
13
GUTHRIE
20
1,495,200
74,760
100.11
13.58
14
TAYLOR
15
606,200
40,413
97.69
13.84
15
JONES
19
2,848,700
149,932
96.68
14.62
12
Iowa City Assessor's Office 2012 Annual Report
Below is a tabulation of year by year sales statistics for commercial properties. Because of
the small number of sales, one or two bad sales can greatly influence the performance
measurements, therefore creating greater fluctuation in the numbers. See data above to
illustrate this and to show Iowa City's standing.
YEAR
MEDIAN
C.O.D.
# OF SALES
Estimated 2012
91.86
15.27
14
Estimated 2011
88.19
15.82
20
2010
97.77
12.82
29
2009
89.21
13.60
29
2008
95.29
21.32
36
2007
91.80
23.24
35
2006
87.55
17.05
26
2005
85.65
15.52
34
2004
80.90
17.82
17
2003
89.22
15.08
39
2002
92.40
16.81
17
2001
93.50
15.04
23
2000
96.85
14.99
28
1999
87.50
14.14
33
1998
89.10
11.68
25
1997
87.80
11.57
21
1996
89.50
15.78
24
1995
90.10
12.76
22
1994
87.90
12.44
24
1993
90.35
14.24
26
1992
89.90
14.86
21
1991
87.85
8.38
8
1990
89.60
19.53
13
1989
94.40
13.81
13
1988
95.40
19.77
20
1987
87.65
17.27
16
1986
98.20
14.21
15
1985
82.00
12.63
16
1984
76.80
18.30
13
1983
87.85
10.58
26
1982
78.00
10.25
8
1981
87.55
10.07
14
1980
80.85
22.69
12
1979
78.00
16.66
15
1978
84.60
13.49
12
1977
62.90
28.20
27
1976
72.30
13.19
18
1975
84.30
19.75
14
13
IP3
%ffi� A-4
0 Ali-
CITY OF IOWA CITY
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, 10w3 S2240 -1826
(3 19) 3S6 -5000
(3 19) 356 -5009 FAX
www.lcgov.org
CITY CONFERENCE BOARD MEETING
(Separate Agenda Posted)
February 5, 2013
5:00 PM
Emma J. Harvat Hall - City Hall
410 E. Washington Street
City Council Work Session Agenda
February 5, 2013
Following City Conference Board Meeting
Emma J. Harvat Hall - City Hall
410 E. Washington Street
• Questions from Council re Agenda Items
• SEATS Transportation Update
• Information Packet Discussion [January 24, 31]
• Council Time
■ Pending Work Session Topics [IP # 5 ]
■ Meeting Schedule [IP # 4]
■ Upcoming Community Events /Council Invitations
CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: January 31, 2013
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk
Re: Proposed Meeting Schedule for July & August
At your January 22 work session you agreed to a meeting schedule for April, May and June.
Those dates are included in the tentative meeting schedule (IP1) of your information packet.
However, a number of you had conflicts with the proposed July and August schedule.
Please check your calendars with the proposed meeting schedule dates below and let me know
what changes you'd like to make at your February 5 work session.
July 9
July 23
August 6
August 20
U:sch.doc
IN
IP5
CITY OF IOWA CITY
PENDING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION TOPICS
January 29, 2013
Pending Topics to be Scheduled
1. Discuss concept of a community business attraction and anti- piracy compact
2. Continue the discussion on the sale or dispersion of public housing units
3. Discuss potential procedures and/or policies related to requests for habitable private
spaces constructed over public right -of -way
4. Presentation on local homeless services
5. Presentation on Gateway project design options (February or March 2013)
6. Strategic Plan Update — Neighborhood Stabilization
7. Strategic Plan Update — All Other Priorities
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'a`HE ANTI-ECONOMJST""� IP7
The American dream has never
been the rags -to- riches fable of the
Horatio Alger stories. But there
once was a real American dream,
and it went like this: If you work
hard, your income will rise consis-
tently and will enable you and your
family to have a decent life, a good
life —even a secure life.
No more. For at least half of all
Americans —those on the bottom
rungs of the economic ladder —that
dream has been dead for more than
thirty years. Their household incomes
have hardly risen since the glory
decades after World War II. In many
cases, their incomes have actually
fallen. The only protection these
Americans have had from a complete
collapse in their standard of living
has been government social programs.
This bears repeating: the only rear
son incomes for the lower half have
risen more than marginally since the
1970s is that such federal programs as
Social Security, unemployment in-
surance, the earned - income tax cred-
it, and food stamps have provided
support. "Without America's net of
social programs," political scientist
Lane Kenworthy argues, "income in-
equality would be much worse than it
already is."
It wasn't always that way, says
Kenworthy, who teaches at the Uni-
versity of Arizona. In the 1950s and
1960s, and through much of the
19708, the American economy itself
produced considerable wage growth
for workers up and down the in-
Half Empty
By Jeff Madrick
come scale. Since the late 1970s,
however, the wages paid to the low-
er half have fallen far behind the
growth of gross domestic product.
For households whose income
places them in the bottom 25 per-
cent in America, only twenty cents
of every dollar of new income over
the past thirty -plus years came from
earnings on a job. The remaining
eighty cents, as Kenworthy demon-
strates, came from the social pro-
grams mentioned above. Those in
the next quartile up did slightly bet-
ter, but two thirds of their new in-
come still came directly from the
federal government.
This isn't, of course, a uniquely
American problem. The free market
is failing the bottom half of the pop-
ulation in Europe as well, where
lower - income people also depend on
government programs for most of
their monetary gains. In their case,
however, the damage is lessened by
the fact that most European social
programs are considerably more gen-
erous than those in the
DUnited States.
oesn't this simply confirm
Mitt Romney's argument that 47 per-
cent of Americans are parasitical
loafers, who think of themselves as
victims, entitled to help for just
about everything? Of course it
doesn't. Maligning these people is
particularly offensive given their pal-
try income gains in the past few de-
cades. These supposed good -for-
nothings have jobs in factories,
hospitals, malls, restaurants, and su-
permarkets. Try getting along with-
out them.
More to the point, these people
have never stopped working hard.
The problem is that wages stopped
growing —and that good jobs became
harder to find. A lot of attention has
been paid to the lack of good jobs
created in the recent economic re-
covery. But economists John Schmitt
and Janelle Jones of the Center for
Economic and Policy Research in
Washington have published striking
studies showing that high - quality
jobs began to dry up long before the
financial crisis of 2008.
Schmitt arid Jones:wanted to find
out whether the economy was pro-
ducing more bad jobs than it once
did. They defined a bad job as one
that paid less than $37,000 a year —
the 2010 equivalent, in inflation,
adjusted dollars, of the median male
income in 1979 —and offered neither
employer -paid health insurance nor a
company retirement plan. (I'd call
these really bad jobs.) In 1979, some
18 percent of jobs fell into this cate-
gory. By 2010, the proportion had
risen to 24 percent.
The current working population is
more educated, more experienced,
and older than the working popula-
tion in 1979, and the economy itself
has grown since then. Logically
speaking, there should be far more
good jobs. Instead there are fewer.
Here is another demonstration (as if
THE ANTI - ECONOMIST 11
we needed it) that the free market is
not working as promised.
There are several conventional ex-
planations for the rise in bad jobs and
the general stagnation of low- to mid-
level incomes. One is globalization:
Americans buy imports from low -
wage nations and essentially ship jobs
overseas. Another is a lack of ade-
quate education, which makes Amer-
icans ill prepared for today's sophisti-
cated, skill- intensive jobs. Yet as
Schmitt and Jones point out, one out
of three workers had a four -year col-
lege education or better in 2010, com-
pared with only one out of five in
1979. The increase in educational
attainment certainly didn't lead the
market to create a glut of high -tech,
high -wage positions.
Another factor that is often ne-
glected is pressure from Wall Street,
and in particular from private- equity
firms like Bain Capital, to restrain
wages in' otder to raise stock prices
and pay down the high levels of debt
needed for corporate acquisitions.
Nor should we overlook the reduced
clout of unions—only 7 percent of
private workers today .belong to
unions, compared with more ' than 24
percent in 1973 —and Congress's fail-
ure to raise the minimum wage
enough to keep up with inflation. No
matter who occupies the White House
on January 22, 2013, none of these fac-
tors is likely to change in
any substantial way.
In his callous but calculated talk to
wealthy donors back in May, Mitt
Romney lodged yet another perennial
complaint about the shiftless 47 per-
cent: They pay no income taxes. This
was hardly a novel talking point for
the candidate. Indeed, it has been a
favorite of one Republican presiden-
tial hopeful after another —and one
Fox News host after another —as far
back as 2010. It was as ludicrous then
as it is now.
There are two reasons these Amer-
icans don't pay federal income taxes.
One is that they don't make enough
money. The other is that their tax
loads have been reduced or eliminated
by two valuable social programs wide-
ly praised by Republicans, the earned-
income tax credit (EITC) and the
child tax credit (CTC). Ronald Rea-
12 HARPER'S MAGAZINE / DECEMBER 2012
gan expanded the former, George W.
Bush expanded both. (One of Reagan's
mentors, the conservative economist
Milton Friedman, was a leading pro-
ponent of EITC -type plans.)
Of course, the vast majority of
Americans do pay federal taxes of
one kind or another. Of those Amer-
icans not required to pay income
taxes, about two thirds still contrib-
ute to Social Security and Medicare
through their payroll taxes. And let's
keep in mind that these taxes are re-
gressive. All workers pay the same
rate up to an income of $110,000, be-
yond which no further taxes are col-
lected. The rate for the very wealthy,
in other words, is low. These taxes,
which hit working people pretty
hard, were raised under Reagan. Pro-
gressive income taxes, which take
more from the rich by pegging rates
to income level, were sharply low-
ered by the same administration.
That leaves the relatively small
group that pays no federal taxes
whatsoever: basically students, the
elderly, and the very poor. In many
cases, these people have hardly any
income to speak of. Yet even they
enrich the public till in their modest
way by paying state and local sales
taxes, which are currently creeping
as high as 9 percent. One Arizona
municipality dings consumers for
13.725 percent, a rate considerably
higher than the lowest federal
income -tax bracket —and only
slightly less than the rate paid on
personal income by candi-
date Romney.
Clearly something is amiss in
our faith that free - market economies
distribute income fairly. And clearly
social programs are the last thing
keeping many Americans out of pov-
erty. But do these programs them-
selves nourish the sort of depen-
dence that Republicans, from
Ronald Reagan to Paul Ryan, so love
to disparage? To put it another way:
Are the programs themselves the
cause of reduced earnings for the
lower half, because they enable them
to work less hard?
A big flaw in this popular right -
wing supposition is that to qualify for
the earned - income and child tax
credits from which such a large por-
tion of government benefits are de-
rived, you have to have a job. In other
Words, they encourage work rather
than dependence.
What about programs like unem-
ployment insurance? No doubt some
unemployed workers are less motivat-
ed to take a job because they have a
weekly check to support them —at
least for a while. But those who con-
demn the "disincentive" aspect of
such programs vastly underestimate
their long -term effects. By sharply
lowering the poverty rate, these pay-
ments result in far better opportuni-
ties for the children of the poor.
Jared Bernstein, a former econom-
ic adviser to Joe Biden who is now
with the Center on Budget and Poli-
cy Priorities, explained in recent tes-
timony before Congress how reduc-
tions in poverty improve children's
performance in school, ultimately
boosting their prospects for better
pay and sustainable jobs. One piece
of research cited in his testimony: an
analysis of ten antipoverty programs
has demonstrated that consistently
increasing a poor family's annual in-
come by $1,000 —which is about the
equivalent of a single CTC— results
in measurably improved test scores
for their children. Raising a family's
annual income by $3,000, roughly
equal to the amount received from
the EITC and a CTC together, leads
to a 17 percent increase in future in-
come for the children once they en-
ter the workforce.
Denied their cherished argument
about disincentives, many on the
right will revive an even older objec-
tion to antipoverty programs: they
will insist that poverty in America,
and in the rich countries of Europe,
isn't all that bad. Even the poor can
scrape together enough cash to buy
cutting -edge consumer products,
from cell phones to flatscreen TVs.
And McDonald's, of course, is al-
ways affordable.
Surveys show otherwise. A few
years ago, the Pew Research Center
gathered information about home
heating, mortgage arrears, diet, and
access to health care. Pew posed the
following question in its survey:
"Have there been times during the
last year when you did not have
enough money (a) to buy food your
family needed, (b) to pay for medical
and health care your family needed,
(c) to buy clothes your family need-
ed?" The study covered seven wealthy
nations, and the United States
ranked worst among them.
The reason is unambiguous: our
nation has the least generous social
programs of those surveyed. Yet we
are now likely to cut these programs
even more significantly. Material
deprivation, reduced prospects for
children, high levels of inequality,
and political polarization
will result.
Can we change this? The best
antidote to low wages is fast econom-
ic growth. In the late 1990s, when
the Clinton boom was under way
and unemployment crept down to
around 4 percent, incomes rose sub-
stantially for all For the lower half of
wage earners, however, the good
times lasted only a few years.
The debate about how to achieve
that kind of growth again goes on.
But the outlook is hardly optimistic.
Congress will likely reduce govern-
ment spending next year, and the
pressure to cut the deficit may handi-
cap government policy for years to
come. Add to that the weight of
global economic pressures, and slow
wage growth will likely be with us for
a long time.
In that case, a nation truly con-
cerned with social justice will be
forced to adopt policies that directly
address low wages and the scarcity of
jobs. We will need higher minimum
wages —and a willingness to enforce
them. As the number of involuntary
part -time employees grows, we
should expand medical coverage for
them, and perhaps even require com-
pany retirement programs. We may
also need to consider government -
paid jobs in areas like teaching and
construction.
Is there any prospect for a re-
newed commitment to social pro-
grams and job - creating rules and
regulations? The nation seems to
have too little faith in government
to do what will be necessary. And as
we enter the fifth year of brutally
high unemployment, this failure of
imagination and national will is
nothing short of tragic. ■
THE ANTI - ECONOMIST
As good and important as it is, LEED can be so embarrassing I Better! Cities & Towns O
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As good and important as it is, LEED can be so embarrassing
Blog post by Kaid Benfield on 28 Jan 2013
feature architecture building enerav environment
Kaid Benfield, Better! Cities & Towns
As most readers are likely to know, "LEED" (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a
voluntary set of standards for judging and certifying green buildings. It was developed by the US Green
Building Council, a consortium of industry (there are still formal requirements that certain segments of
the building industry sit on the board) and environmental interests.
The system is based on builder- applicants both meeting certain requirements ( "prerequisites ") and
earning a minimum number of points from a menu of optional building components or performance
achievements ( "credits "). Depending on the number of credits achieved, a qualified applicant may earn a
rating and certification at one of four levels (certified, silver, gold, or platinum). More than 7000
buildings have been certified through LEED, a slim majority of them reportedly located outside the US.
A number of my NRDC colleagues and partners have participated in the US Green Building Council and in
volunteer committees related to LEED since its inception in 1998. My former colleague Rob Watson,
LEED's founding chairman, devoted so much time to the development of the system that he became
known as "the father of LEED." I devoted a huge chunk of my own time to developing a sort of sequel
called LEED for Neighborhood Development, a partnership attempt to create standards that could define
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and encourage smart growth projects in the same way that the original LEED had defined and encouraged
green buildings.
It's not much of a stretch to say that, more than any other single force, LEED has put green buildings on
the map and institutionalized building performance measures shown to reduce resource consumption and
pollution. A lot of wood, water, and energy has been saved, a lot of pollution has been avoided, and a lot
of conditions protective of public health have been adopted because of LEED and because of the hard
work of USGBC and their volunteers.
Warts in the system
But, man, there are a lot of warts in this system. For starters, LEED has been criticized for being
insufficiently demanding of its applicants. I believe that, to the extent this criticism is well - placed, it
stems from a belief held by many involved with the Green Building Council, some of them representatives
of the building industry, that the standards should be set only a little bit above what industry is likely to
do anyway. The theory is that applicants will be more likely to adopt green measures if they perceive them
to be well within their reach by aiming just a little bit higher; otherwise, the feeling goes, they won't
bother and there will be no environmental benefit.
Another problem may be that USGBC, although a non - profit, operates as a business and needs revenues
to keep the system going; if difficulties in the standards or the process of application are too demanding,
fewer potential applicants will be willing to pay the costs of documentation and formal review.
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arge leveled at the system is that LEED has
-o forma, more about earning points than
actual environmental performance. The two
related, of course, but there is a belief that
and their consultants "game the system" by
low- hanging fruit to rack up a good score,
underlying measure doesn't result in a
environmental improvement. I worked in a
tat, when applying for a LEED -gold
certification, simply turned off its water fountains,
presumably in a strategy to grab another water efficiency credit point. The result was that the building
probably did use less water, but at the cost of reducing workers' access to drinking water.
LEED also gives a point for installing an outdoor bike rack, which few seasoned cyclists in urban
situations would risk using, but not for actually giving employees bikes or heavy -duty locks, which might
be more effective in encouraging cycling. LEED even gives a credit point for itself; an applicant who
employs a LEED "accredited professional" will score higher than one that does not, even if the applicant's
building is identical to one whose sponsor lacks accreditation.
"The new face of efficiency"
I recount this long - winded intro because my friend Lloyd Alter of the environmental website Treehugger
has just written a terrific story about a new, supposedly super -green house being touted as "the new face
of efficiency" even though it's really a gigantic luxury house placed in a location where residents have no
choice but to drive long distances to do anything. This is ultra - green? Sadly, LEED seems to think so.
In particular, did you know that this latest LEED- Platinum home — the highest rating bestowed by the
Green Building Council, in theory only for the very greenest of green buildings — is nearly three times the
size of the average new American home? Would you be surprised to learn that it sits on a lot occupying
two- thirds of an acre, consuming nearly twice as much land as the average new -home lot in a US metro
area? How about that it is located in a "gated communi on the far outskirts of Las Vegas, 1.2 miles to
the nearest transit stop? Or that its Walk Score is a miserable 38 out of a possible loo points?
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The building in question is the latest in a series of showcase homes featured by The National Association
of Home Builders every year during its annual trade show. It's called "The New American Home" and the
idea is to celebrate and publicize the state of the art in American homebuilding. This one has 6,721 square
feet of floor space, nine bathrooms (but only three bedrooms, plus a home office and library), and
extensive "water features." The house also includes 17,261 square feet of "outdoor living space." (The
average size of a newly completed American, single - family home in 2011 was 2.480 square feet.)
It is one of 33 "estate homes" planned for the exclusive Marquis Seven Hills community, itself a
component of the master - planned Seven Hills development being built by Blue Heron Homes in
Henderson, Nevada. The marketing tag for the Marquis enclave is "luxury without limits."
I'll grant that The New American Home 2013 is loaded with green bells and whistles. An article titled
New Face of Efficiencv" and posted on NAHB's BuilderOnline website earlier this week lists over fifty of
them, including the use of certified wood, solar panels, energy - efficient lighting, and a carbon monoxide
alarm monitor. "Overall, the home uses approximately 67 percent less energy for heating and 83 percent
less energy for cooling compared to a similar home in the same climate zone," says the article. (Put a bit
more candidly, the building uses that much less energy for heating and cooling than your run -of- the -mill
6,721- square -foot home in a desert climate where the average high temperature in July is 1o4 degrees.)
The house has, according to the article, received an "emerald" certification from NAHB's National Green
Building Standard and, as noted, a platinum certification under the branch of LEED called LEED for
Homes.
To my eyes, the new American home is spectacular and beautiful. I love the architecture and think all the
water features would be soothing (and certainly a contrast from the building's dry, desert surroundings;
Henderson, the exurb of Las Vegas where Marquis Seven Hills is located, receives a mere four and a half
inches of water per,). The photos look wonderful.
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But is it worthy of being certified LEED- platinum, the greenest of the green? Maybe not, if you consider
its outlandish size and challenging climate setting.
Environmental building performance is determined by location
And certainly not, if you consider the location. Contrary to myth, the environmental performance of a
building is not determined just by what happens inside the building. Research shows, for example, that
Americans generally consume more energy — and emit more carbon dioxide — getting to and from a
typical building than does the building itself. Research also shows that location and neighborhood factors
can create a dramatic difference in how much energy is consumed and emissions are generated in the
getting to and fro.
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Additional research also shows that even ordinary households in transit- oriented locations save more
energy and emissions than "green" households in sprawl, across several housing types. In other words, a
home with no green technology, if in the right place, is actually greener than a house with every bell and
whistle imaginable, even if the latter gets a platinum rating.
In the case of the New American Home 2013, as noted, the Walk Score is 38. That's poor even by the
standards of notoriously sprawling Henderson, Nevada. Walk Score reports that 77 percent of Henderson
residents have a higher rating. Las Vegas as a whole has an average Walk Score of 49. (Walk Score is a
rough measure of how easily one might be able to get around from a given location to typical daily
functions such as food stores, schools, parks, and restaurants without a car or with minimal driving.)
A typical household in the Seven Hills development where this year's New American Home is located
drives 20,053 miles per year and emits more than 8.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year from household
auto use for transportation. This is mediocre environmental performance at best, more driving and
emissions than even an average household in the Las Vegas- Henderson metro region, as well as more
than the average American household nationally.
All this means that a household living in the New American Home, all
things considered, is as likely to be brown as green in its environmental
performance if the measure of that performance is determined by a full
accounting of the home's characteristics, no matter how many efficiency
gizmos are built into it.
Just to be clear, I don't really fault the Homebuilders for showcasing
conspicuous consumption far beyond most Americans' wildest dreams,
even if it remains a time of persistent unemployment and struggling
household debt. The purpose of the New American Home is to be
impressive and attention- grabbing while showing off building techniques
and state -of -the -art products, not to show where someone attempting a
restrained green lifestyle would be likely to live. I think the home is
impressive. While I personally wouldn't prefer living in a relatively
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isolated gated community, I do like the way the house looks and would probably enjoy visiting if I knew
someone who lived there.
Why a Platinum rating
But I do hold the LEED standards accountable for bestowing the system's highest rating on a building that
not only isn't likely the best of the best in total green performance but may not even be average,
considering its size, land consumption, climate conditions, and especially its transportation
characteristics. LEED does a lot of good; but, unfortunately, at its worst the system doesn't really
measure how green something really is but how many credit points it can check off for having compliant
technology.
The US Green Building Council is a fantastic organization of talented and dedicated people. Those
inclined to defend a platinum rating for an ostentatious house in sprawl would likely respond with a
theory of "market transformation ": a system of forgiving incentives placed in a certification program for
implementing green technology gradually transforms the market precisely because the standards are not
too difficult to achieve; as a result, more builders will employ green measures than they otherwise would,
conserving resources and reducing pollution, regardless of what might be considered truly green.
In other words, since we can't stop people from building trophy houses in the desert even if we wanted to,
we should at least encourage them to build those trophy houses a little better: if you're determined to
build a house almost three times bigger than the average American house, in a gated luxury subdivision
where you have to drive long distances to do anything, it's better to do so with green technology than not.
But, come on, platinum? The Seven Hills development wouldn't come close to qualifying for a
certification under LEED for Neighborhood Development, which takes location and neighborhood design
into account as well as building technology. LEED -ND includes a prerequisite that a development
applying for a rating, even at the lowest level, include certified green buildings. As a leader of the
environmental groups involved in constructing that system, I supported that prerequisite. I wanted us to
create a system that defined and encouraged smart growth; it's my belief that, in this day and age, smart
growth isn't really smart unless it includes green buildings.
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But why shouldn't that work in both directions? Why should a building be considered green if its location
is brown? Or, at the very least, why should a building qualify for the highest, platinum rating — signifying
the greenest of all green buildings — if it is completely dependent on long automobile trips that will
collectively emit more carbon than the building's efficient heating and cooling systems will save? Maybe
ten years ago, the green building movement was so new that it would have been counterproductive to have
high standards. But we should be better than that now.
Kaid Benfield is director of sustainable communities at The Natural Resources Defense Council in
Washington, DC. This blog also appeared on NRDC Switchboard where Kaid writes (almost) daily
about community, development, and the environment.
^r -r, CITY OF IOWA CITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: January 30, 2013
To: Tom Markus, City Manager
From: Adam Bentley, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager
Re: Impact of the Public Housing Program and the Housing Choice Voucher Program on
concentrations of students participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program.
Introduction:
Attached to this memo is an update regarding two
Authority. The first program is the Housing Choice
Public Housing Program.
Background:
programs operated by the Iowa City Housing
Voucher Program (HCVP) and the second is the
The attached document provides an overview of the programs managed by the Iowa City Housing
Authority. Both programs, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, are
managed through the authority and are utilized countywide.
There has been notable debate regarding the impact of these programs relating to concentrations of
students participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) program. The attached document, derived
mostly from the 2012 Housing Authority Annual Report, provides data that highlights the demographics
of the participants in the two programs.
Discussion:
In the report, the following will be highlighted:
1. Both programs serve predominantly the elderly and /or disabled;
2. The majority of those being served by the HCVP do not have minors;
3. The Public Housing Program serves a limited number of households with minors;
4. The majority of FRL eligible students are not associated with either program;
5. The City Council has supported the distribution of public housing through the Iowa City Housing
Model which was adopted by resolution in January 2011.
While there are concentrations of students participating or are eligible for free and reduced lunch in
specific locations throughout the City, these locations are generally not supported through the Housing
Authority. It is often the case that these locations are areas where private affordable housing exists and /or
are nearby social service agencies.
The Iowa City Community School District provided data on the distribution of FRL eligible students in
the District. In 2010, the District provided a map of the Iowa City Community and highlighted the
locations of the eligible students. Those maps are attached for your review.
City of Iowa City
2012 -13 Strategic Plan Goal:
Neighborhood Stabilization - Affordable Housing
January 2013
The City aims to invest in and deliver core services to neighborhoods in a manner that enhances
overall stability and maintains the intended character while facilitating new opportunities to
improve the quality of life.
The City of Iowa City in conjunction with the Housing Authority works to improve the quality of life for
clients, acting as a community leader on affordable housing by providing information and education,
housing assistance, and public and private partnership opportunities. The Housing Authority is a division
of the City of Iowa City established in 1969 to administer housing assistance programs throughout its
jurisdiction, including all of Johnson County and portions of Iowa and Washington Counties.
Rental assistance includes the Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing Programs. Homeownership
opportunities exist under the Tenant -to -Owner Program, Affordable Dream Homeownership Program,
and the Housing Choice Homeownership Program. Participation in all programs requires the family be
within federally established income guidelines.
The information provided in this report is derived from the Iowa City Housing Authority 2012 Annual
Report. There are two programs that are generally cited as public /assisted housing in Iowa City; the first
is the Housing Choice Voucher Program and the second is Public Housing.
Housing Choice Voucher Program (HVC)
The HVC is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The intent of the
program is to offer affordable housing choices for low- income families, the elderly, and persons with
disabilities. There are 1,250 vouchers that are currently in use in Johnson County; 875 of which are in
use for Iowa City purposes (70%); 204 in Coralville (16.5%), and 123 in North Liberty (12.2 %).
Public Housing
Public Housing was established to provide affordable housing for eligible low- income families, elderly
persons, and persons with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
distributes federal subsidies to the Housing Authority which owns and manages the housing. The City
owns 81 low- density units which represents half of 1% of the total number of rental units in the City of
Iowa City.
Public Housing /HCV serves predominately the elderly, disabled, or working
Of the total 1,322 families being served, the largest percentage, 1,255 (95%) are either elderly or
disabled or working. The majority of the households (58% or 764) that are being served do not have
minors that would participate in the ICCSD. Less than half (42% or 558) of the households have minors.
• Elderly or Disabled or Working
= 1,255 (95 %)
• Elderly and /or Disabled
= 895 (68 %)
• White Head of Household
= 830 (63 %)
• Households Without Minor Children
= 764 (58 %)
• Disabled
= 706 (53 %)
• 1 Person Households
= 705 (53 %)
• Households With Minor Children
= 558 (42 %)
• Working
= 552 (42 %)
• Female Head of Household with Children
= 508 (38 %)
• African American Head of Household
= 450 (340/)
• Elderly
= 189 (14 %)
• Elderly and Disabled
= 1 13 (9%)
* (Totals do not add up to 100% because individuals can be counted in multiple categories)
Housing Choice Voucher Program predominately serves households without minors
Of the 875 vouchers in use in Iowa City from HUD, 320 (36.6 %) of them indicate that they are
households with minors while 555 (63.4 %) do not have minors in the household.
Voucher Utilization by
% of Total Johnson
Total
% of Total
Households % of Total
% of Total
Place As of 2/29/2012
Total
County Incorporated
Vouchers
Voucher
without
Vouchers
Households
Vouchers By
Population
Population
By City *
Utilization *
Minors
By City
with Minors
City
Iowa City
61,862
62.0%
815
10.9%
555
63.4%
320
36.6%
Coralville
18,901
11.3%
204
16.5%
10
51.5%
99
48.5%
North Liberty
13,314
12.2%
123
10.0%
69
56.1%
54
43.9%
Public Housing serves a limited number of households with minors
The total number of units with minors being served by the Public Housing program is limited in scope.
The program serves 66 units with minors out of a total of 81.
Public Housing Units Total by Location
Grant Wood
31
Friendship
22
Village Green
11
Washington Hills
5
Miller Orchard
3
Shimek
2
Longfellow
2
Lucas Farms
2
Wetherby Friends
&
Neighbors
1
Creekside
1
Pepperwood
1
TOTAL 81
Total Occupied Units
Occupied Units No (includes non -
Occupied 2/29/2012 Minors school aged minors)
31 4 27
22 1 21
10 8 2
5 0 5
3 0 3
2 0 2
2 0 2
2 1 1
1 0 1
1 0 1
1 0 1
80 14 66
Majority of Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) Students do not come from publicly supported housing
The majority of students that are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program are not participants of
publicly supported housing. Of the 3,618 eligible students for FRL in the ICCSD, 778 (21 %) are publicly
supported.
Iowa City Community SchooI District (ICCSD) information 2011 -2012
• Total ICCSD Enrollment K -I2
= 12,159
• Total ICCSD Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch (29.4% of total)
= 3,618
• Total ICHA Minors K -12
= 861
• Total ICHA K -12 Eligible for Free /Reduced Lunch
= 778
Significant populations of FRL students are located in income sensitive housing spread throughout the
City. An example of such locations is the mobile home parks (manufactured housing) in Iowa City. While
9 families, which reside in mobile home parks, receive vouchers, only 1 family indicates the presence of
a minor. Approximately 607 (16 %) FRL students are concentrated in trailer parks. These are non - public
supported housing.
Mobile Home Park
FRL Students
Lake Ridge
65
Baculis
15
Thatcher
22
Hill Top
91
Bon Aire
33
Saddlebrook
18
Breckenridge
59
Sunrise Village /Modern
Mannors
105
Michael Camp
11
Hawkeye
7
Forest View
101
Knollwood
0
Western Hills
0
Regency
80
Total 607
Total % of FRL in ICCSD (3,618) 16%
Of further note, many FRL students are concentrated in specific areas of the community. The locations
would be the Broadway area and Pheasant Ridge area (which are not managed by the City). These areas
are served by various non - profit social service agencies. Housing options near these resources are
appealing to those who need them as ease of access is considered.
Other programs and incentives exist that encourage the development of affordable housing. The
Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County receives support from state and local governments as well as the
private sector to encourage and incentivize development of affordable housing. Their organization
awarded $365,000 for projects in Johnson County to encourage affordable housing in the county. With
the exception of $20,000 supplementing the minor repair program, all of the projects that were funded
developed exclusively within the jurisdiction of Iowa City.
City Council supports the Iowa City Affordable Housing model which distributes affordable housing
throughout the community
Housing Model Summary
Housing Model History
Many affordable housing developers, including nonprofits and municipalities, build as many
affordable units as feasible — typically by buying inexpensive land. However, cheap land is often
located in lower income neighborhoods. As a result, some assisted housing projects
unintentionally contribute to the concentration of poverty.
In 2003 the Iowa City School Board sent a letter to the city council identifying "living conditions
associated with poverty" as a barrier to student learning and asking the council to carefully
consider locations of future assisted housing. This letter prompted the formation of the
Scattered Site Housing Task Force, which in 2005 recommended the use of two tools when
funding eligibility was being decided: inclusionary zoning and a modified Census tract map.
After using a modified Census tract map for about five years —and being challenged by a local
affordable housing developer claiming violations of the Fair Housing Act the city took another
path.
In a November 2010 memo, the city council outlined three goals for future funding of assisted
housing projects: "1) we do not want to further burden neighborhoods and elementary schools
that already have issues related to concentration of poverty, 2) there is a desire to have diverse
neighborhoods in terms of a range of income levels, and 3) we need to have a better idea from
the Iowa City Community School District as to its views on the affordable housing issue."
That year, a team of staff from the Iowa City Planning and Community Development
Department, the city attorney's office, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson
County developed a GIS -based location suitability model to determine funding eligibility for
new assisted rental housing projects requesting city funds, including federal Community
Development Block Grant and HOME funds. Staff developed a tool to meet the city council's
goals that also included neighborhood demographics.
The proposed map would not replace the existing review process for funding applications; the
city council envisioned the map as a tool to initially vet funding requests. The map also gives
affordable housing developers the assurance that the locations chosen for their applications are
eligible for funding.
Data Collection
After identifying the criteria to include in the spatial analysis, the council asked the school
district to further articulate its concerns and was told that low- income students, indeed all
students, do better when they are educated among peers from a mix of income levels. The
school district recommended using three variables to gauge diversity at each elementary
school: mobility rates, free and reduced lunch rates, and standardized test scores.
With the exception of crime density, all of the included criteria reflect the goals and concerns
identified by the city council. Crime density is included because it is assumed that people living
in city- assisted housing also benefit from living in areas where crime is less prevalent.
If stakeholders disagreed in principle with these criteria, none submitted objections during or
after the well - publicized adoption of the model. And since the model will be recalibrated
annually with new and updated data, it can evolve in response to new ways of thinking
The criteria we used are explained in detail here:
1. Distance to existing assisted housing locations
We mapped the existing locations of assisted transitional, shelter, rental, and Iowa City Housing
Authority public housing (excluding housing choice vouchers for Section 8 tenant -based
housing). Project -based assisted housing for the elderly and those with disabilities were not
included in this analysis because these projects have little impact on elementary school income
diversity.
2. Elementary school mobility data
Mobility is an indicator of stability in elementary schools that consists of the percentage of
students enrolling or leaving each elementary school during the previous school year. According
to the school district superintendent, higher mobility rates tend to negatively affect student
achievement. This dataset was aggregated by school catchment area.
3. Elementary school academic performance
Average standardized test scores, as indicated by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, for each
elementary school (grades 3 -6) were aggregated by elementary school catchment area.
4. Elementary school poverty rate
The poverty- related variable was calculated as percentages of students who receive free and
reduced lunch, similarly aggregated by school catchment area.
5. Crime density
We mapped all 68,496 calls for police assistance between June 2008 and May 2009. Of these
calls, we incorporated 9,991 that related to drugs, most alcohol offenses, property crimes, and
violent crime. Due to limitations of the data and staff time, the addresses of 88 percent of these
9,991 calls were used in the location suitability model.
6. Median household income
The first iteration of the location suitability model used median household income values from
the 2000 Census aggregated by census tract. This year the model was updated for the next
funding application cycle using 2010 American Community Survey data.
7. Change in residential sale prices
The Iowa City Assessor provided the average sale price (fair market value) of residential
properties sold from January 2001 to November 2010 aggregated by neighborhood boundaries
as defined by the city assessor's office. The average home sale price from 2001 to 2005 was
compared to 2006 to 2010 by neighborhood.
Weighting
After each dataset had been reclassified using a linear transformation, scores closer to zero in
an individual cell indicated a location that was less suitable for new assisted housing projects
and scores approaching one indicated suitable locations. These relative values ranging from 0 to
1.0, sometimes referred to as suitability measure values, were subsequently multiplied by 5, 10,
20, or 40 according to the following scale.
Because the city council concluded that certain criteria are more influential than others, their
priorities are reflected in the adopted weighting of the criteria. The distance to existing assisted
housing was given the most weight since the city considers that an effective criterion for
avoiding concentrations of such housing.
In response to input from school district administrators, we weighted elementary school
mobility rate highest of the three elementary school indicators of diversity. Combined, the
distance to existing assisted rental housing and the three elementary school criteria make up 70
percent of the total. The adopted weighting is as follows:
40% distance to existing assisted rental housing, excluding Section 8 vouchers
20% elementary school mobility rate
10% median household income
10% change in residential sale prices
10% crime density
5% elementary school ITBS performance
5% elementary school free and reduced lunch rate
100%
After the weights were applied to each dataset and added together, every 50 -foot by 50 -foot
cell contained suitability scores that represented the suitability of the cell — relative to one
another —for future assisted affordable housing projects.
To be fair across the city, we had to determine what score would serve as the threshold
between suitable and unsuitable sites and cells. Sites with scores above this threshold would be
eligible for federal and local funding. We zeroed in on this threshold score by selecting the
lowest possible score (to ensure the greatest area of eligibility for funding) that was also higher
than any cells within one city block (about 400 feet) of existing assisted housing. This method
guaranteed that, at a minimum, funding would not be granted to new assisted housing within
400 feet of existing locations. It is important to note that the model does not simply draw
buffers around existing assisted housing. In fact, some areas with no assisted housing units are
ineligible for funding based on the cumulative value of the other six criteria.
Approval
In January 2011, the city council agreed that the model met its expectations and adopted it for
use during the local CDBG and HOME funding application cycle. Since the rehabilitation of
existing rental and owner - occupied housing is believed to stabilize neighborhoods, the location
suitability model is used strictly for reviewing proposed city- funded CDBG or HOME assisted
rental housing projects that involve new construction or property acquisition. The model is
updated annually before the CDBG and HOME allocation process to ensure that it responds to
changes in the community over time.
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Iowa City Municipal Airport
2012 Annual Report
Executive Summary
The Iowa City Municipal Airport is owned by the City of Iowa City, and operated by the Iowa
City Airport Commission. The Mayor and City Council of Iowa City, Iowa appoint the Iowa
City Airport Commission.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport houses 89 aircraft, which are maintained in: 59 T- hangars, 1
maintenance facility, 4 corporate hangars, 1 corporate building and 1 Fixed Based Operation
(FBO) maintenance hangar. Two runways, of 5004 (Runway 7/25) and 3900 (Runway 12/30)
feet, are used during approximately 36,000 operations annually.
Based on a 2009 Iowa Department of Transportation Economic Impact Study, the Iowa City
Municipal Airport contributes $11.2 million and 115 jobs in the local economy. Among Iowa's
100+ general aviation airports, it ranks fourth in largest economic impact in the State.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport operations budget for FY12 shows income of $411,487 and
expenses of $389,577. General levy support remained the same as FYI I at $100,000.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport received funds in FY2012 for capital projects from the Federal
Aviation Administration and the Iowa Department of Transportation. These funds are used for
projects to maintain and enhance the facilities at the Iowa City Municipal Airport. The Iowa
City Airport received grant funds in FY2012 to continue development of the Runway 7/25
Parallel Taxiway as well as grant funding for the rehabilitation of the Terminal building. Since
January 1, 2008 the Iowa City Municipal Airport has received over $10,000,000 in grant funds
from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Iowa Department of Transportation Office of
Aviation. The funds have been used for construction and maintenance of the airport facilities.
The City of Iowa City and the Airport Commission collaborated to create and market the
Aviation Commerce Park. We have noted success in that area and approximately 75% of the
area has been sold. Funds from the sales of land have repaid the original infrastructure debt,
which funded road and utility services to the area. In FY12, one sale occurred, the proceeds of
which paid off the construction loan on one of the t- hangar buildings.
The Iowa City Airport Commission has completed its planned reconstruction and extension of
the runways at the Iowa City Municipal Airport. Projects will now focus on enhancing services
and community involvement. The following projects are planned in the future: 1) A master plan
update and obstruction mitigation project; 2) an expanded apron for parking during high traffic
events; and 3) additional hangar space to better accommodate all sizes of aircraft using the Iowa
City Municipal Airport.
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Pam
AIRPORT BACKGROUND
The Iowa City Municipal Airport is located approximately 2 miles southwest of downtown Iowa
City. The immediate controlling responsibility for the Iowa City Municipal Airport is given to
the Iowa City Airport Commission. The Airport Commission consists of five voting members,
who are directly responsible for the planning, operation, and budget management of the Iowa
City Municipal Airport. The Commission works collaboratively with Iowa City's elected
officials and staff to ensure safe, efficient, and effective use of the airport to support Iowa City
and the surrounding area.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in Iowa with over
35,000 flight operations annually. It is currently home to approximately 89 based aircraft located
in 59 T- hangars, and 6 corporate hangars. These aircraft are used for charter flights, corporate
activity supporting local business, flight instruction, rental, pleasure, and charity purposes.
Additionally, thousands of flights in and out of the airport support important community
activities such as the organ transplant program and Air Ambulance flights at The University of
Iowa Hospital and Clinics, as well as economic development for the area. Local businesses that
utilize the airport include Billion Auto Group, ITC Midwest, Kum & Go, Family Video, Lear
Corporation, among many others.
Existing airport facilities include two runways, the terminal building, a maintenance facility,
hangars, aircraft fueling facilities, aircraft parking ramp, tie down apron and vehicle parking
area. Runway 7 -25 serves as the primary runway with a length of 5004 feet. Runway 12 -30
serves as a secondary crosswind runway and has a length of 3900 feet. The airport terminal
building, built in 1951, includes a pilot's lounge with wireless internet access, a weather briefing
room, a lobby, a conference /class room, vending machines, a meeting room, and administration
facilities for airport management and a fixed based operator. The airport has a rotating beacon
and lighted wind indicator. The airport is equipped with a remote communications outlet (RCO)
and Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS).
The airport has been an important element in the Iowa City community since 1918 and in 1944
was placed under the control of the Iowa City Airport Commission by public vote. Since that
time, the airport has remained under the governance of the Airport Commission with fiscal
support from the City of Iowa City. The airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated
Airport Systems ( NPIAS). The NPIAS identifies the Iowa City Municipal Airport as a general
aviation airport. As a designated NPIAS airport, the federal government currently provides
funding annually for eligible capital improvement projects at the airport. The Iowa Department
of Transportation Office of Aviation's Aviation System Plan identifies the Iowa City Municipal
Airport as an Enhanced Service Airport. Enhanced Service airports are airports that serve nearly
all general aviation aircraft and are economic and transportation centers for the state.
Several businesses and University of Iowa enterprises are stationed at the airport. Jet Air, Inc. is
the fixed base operator with 58 employees company wide. They maintain an Iowa City based
staff of 17, offering charter flights, aircraft sales, maintenance, fuel, and sale of aviation related
merchandise. Iowa Flight Training provides airplane rental and flight instruction in several
aircraft models. Numerous faculty members at the University Of Iowa College Of Engineering
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Pam
use the airport for federally funded research on aviation technology and atmospheric weather
phenomena. This research is primarily based out of the Operator Performance Laboratory
located in building H and includes 7 full -time staff and 5 full -time student workers.
Care Ambulance operates a full time ambulatory service and patient transfers. They have
partnered with Jet Air as Jet Air Care to provide medical transport flights to and from the Iowa
City area.
AIRPORT VISION STATEMENT
"The Iowa City Municipal Airport, through the direction of the Airport Commission, will provide a safe,
cost - effective general aviation airport that creates and enriches economic, educational, health care,
cultural, and recreational opportunities for the greater Iowa City area."
AIRPORT MISSION STATEMENT
"The mission of the Iowa City Municipal Airport is to support the strategic goals of the City of Iowa City
and to meet the needs of its stakeholders."
AIRPORT AND THE COMMUNITY
In a continuing effort to develop and maintain a relationship with the community, numerous
community events are held at the airport.
The SERTOMA fly -in pancake breakfast and car show headlines the annual events; this event
raises funds for use by the Service to Mankind ( SERTOMA) organization. The 2012
SERTOMA breakfast took place on August 26. Inclement weather during the day affected
attendance and limited the fly -in traffic. Even with the poor weather conditions, over 1000
breakfasts were served.
LOCAL INVESTMENT IN THE AIRPORT
In 2012, the Iowa City Airport Commission and Jet Air, Inc completed negotiations for a
privately funded hangar building at the Iowa City Municipal Airport. This project is one of the
many ways the Airport Commission considered to ease the capacity issues that have been
affecting the airport. Jet Air and the Iowa City Municipal Airport worked to place this hangar in
Iowa City, and to make the necessary infrastructure improvements to make it accessible. This
hangar project was completed in November.
ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY
In 2009, the Iowa Department of Transportation conducted an Economic Impact Study for the
general aviation airports in the state of Iowa. That study determined that the Iowa City
Municipal Airport contributes 115 jobs and $11.2 million worth of economic activity. The 115
jobs which are linked to the Iowa City Municipal Airport distribute approximately $3.2 million
in annual payroll. Based on economic activity, the Iowa City Municipal Airport ranks as the 4th
largest general aviation airport in Iowa (IDOT "Iowa Economic Impact of Aviation 2009 ")
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Page 4
BUDGET
Relative to the findings of the state's economic impact study, the Iowa City Municipal Airport
provides an extremely good return for the city's investment in the airport. The Iowa City Airport
Commission and staff continue to maintain an efficient operating budget, which provides the
necessary services and repairs to support the airport infrastructure. In FY2012, the City of Iowa
City contributed $100,000 towards operations at the Iowa City Municipal Airport. That
remained steady when compared to FY2011. The Airport Commission also contributed 10% of
the employee costs for the Economic Development Coordinator, which is valued at $11,517 for
FY2011.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport operations budget for FYI shows income of $411,487 and
expenses of $389,577.
The operating revenue of the Iowa City Municipal Airport is received primarily from three
sources: rental income, fuel sales, and general levy support.
The Airport Commission examines T- hangar rental rates on an annual basis, comparing rates to
those at airports within a one -hour drive time to the Iowa City area.
Iowa City Municipal Aimort — Annual Report 2012 page 5
Fuel Sales Commission
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000 —
W$15,000 � .� mEstimated
$10,000 -- ■Actual
$5,000 ❑Difference
$0
- $5,000 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY1 FY FFY12
I
- $10,000 _
Fiscal Year
Airport usage information is best tracked from the fuel flowage fees for fuel purchased at the
airport. FY2008 represents the pre- recession peak fuel commissions. That year the airport
earned just over $21,000 in commissions. Following projects which have increased runway
lengths and enhanced the usability of the airport, as well as a rebound in the charter and medical
flight activities, the Iowa City Municipal Airport has realized increased revenue from fuel
flowages fees. FY2012 brought in over $24,000 from fuel commission. This represents a 40%
increase in the fuel commissions from FY2011. This boost is primarily reflective of an increase
in the jet fuel commissions the aviation gasoline market remains relatively flat when compared to
previous years. Personal and hobby aviation continues to be hampered by high fuel prices
economic challenges. The chart below tracks the fuel sales by type over a calendar year.
Fuel Sales by Type
250000
200000
c 150000
0
(D 100000 ■ 100 LL
50000 ■ Jet A
j4ii" Total Gallons
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012•
(through
10/16/12)
Calendar Year
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Page 6
GRANT SUPPORTED AIRPORT PROJECTS
Major airport projects are funded through partnerships from either the Federal Aviation
Administration or the Iowa Department of Transportation. The 2011 FAA Reauthorization
brought with it some stabilization as it provided funding for 2012 -2015, but it also brought
additional local costs for projects with federal participation. The reauthorization act ended a
series of 22 continuing resolutions which kept the FAA operating following the expiration of the
previous authorization act in 2007. Local impact came from the change in the grant payment
share which lowered the maximum FAA participation to 90% from 95% of eligible project costs.
Federal grants contribute 90% of the project costs and are typically associated with major
pavement rehabilitation and upgrades. State grants fund 70 -85% of project costs, and are
typically associated with minor pavement and facility repairs and upgrades.
The Iowa City Municipal Airport continues
to work on its safety and capacity projects as
planned. Currently a parallel taxiway is
under construction for Runway 7/25. When
finished, this will allow aircraft to transition
from the apron area to either runway end
without taxiing on runway pavement. This
project will be completed in the spring of
2013.
The Iowa Department of Transportation
Office of Aviation also aided FY2012
projects. Grant funds were used to support
projects including a terminal building tuck
pointing and rehabilitation project, an LED
lighting project, an electrical rehabilitation
and security upgrade project, and finally
infrastructure improvements to complete a
taxiway to access additional hangar
development.
The Iowa City Airport Commission also moved to address capacity issues with the construction
of 2 new box hangars. These hangars, located in the new Hangar "L" building, measure 56 feet
by 62 feet deep and will be able to also the Iowa City Airport's most common business aircraft.
The Airport Commission continues to work to improve both the facilities and aesthetics of the
Iowa City Municipal Airport. The Iowa City Airport Commission recently completed a terminal
rehabilitation and tuck - pointing project with the assistance of the Public Works department.
AVIATION COMMERCE PARK
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Page 7
The Airport, along with City staff, continues efforts to develop land available in Aviation
Commerce Park a/k/a North Airport Development. Funds received from the sale or lease of this
land have been used to pay off City incurred debt for costs associated with the improvements of
that land. The original loan for the infrastructure has been paid for by proceeds from the sale of
parcels in this area.
The Airport Commission and City Council entered into an agreement in FY2011 which
memorializes a plan for further sales of Aviation Commerce Park land to be used to accelerate
the payback of other building construction debt balances.
In April 2012 the City sold a combination of lots to Deery, Deery, and Deery L.L.C. The sales
proceeds were applied toward the reduction of principle debt and resulted in the payoff of one of
the remaining hangar buildings. In October 2012, another transaction sold 2 lots to Autohaus
Ltd. and those proceeds were used toward other existing hangar construction loans.
FUTURE AIRPORT ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS
The Iowa City Municipal Airport continues to plan for the future. Utilizing state and federal
grants, as well as local improvement money, the Airport continues to refurbish and replace
existing facilities and expand operational capability.
FAA Grant Pre - Applications are due annually in December. The Iowa City Airport Commission
has submitted its application for funding which includes a master plan update for the Iowa City
Municipal Airport. This update will serve as the road map for federal projects over the next 20
years. The previous master plan was completed in 1996 and has been virtually completed to
date.
The Iowa Department of Transportation has awarded the Iowa City Airport two grants for
projects at the airport. The first grant is funding infrastructure improvements to assist in the
construction of a taxiway extension and utility placements for hangar development. The second
project is providing funding to replace the roofing on the terminal building and a second office
area.
State Grant Applications are due annually in the spring. Funding from the Iowa DOT Office of
Aviation has been utilized for repairs to hangars, taxiways, and other infrastructure which would
have a low priority on the FAA scale. FY2013 plans are likely to include fueling systems
maintenance projects.
The Iowa City Airport Commission continues to work to achieve the goals laid out in the 2011-
2015 Strategic Plan. This report provides incremental goals over the 5 year period which align
with the broader objectives of the Airport Master Plan and the City's Strategic Plan.
The Airport Commission will continue to maintain and strengthen its relationship with City
Council, staff, and the surrounding community by keeping a focus on the mutual goals for the
Iowa City Municipal Airport.
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Page 8
Airport Staff
Michael Tharp, C.M., Operations Specialist
Airport Commission
Jose Assouline, Chairperson
Rick Mascari, Secretary
Minnetta Gardinier
Howard Horan
Chris Ogren
Respectfully Submitted,
Jose Assouline, Chairperson
Iowa City Municipal Airport — Annual Report 2012 Page _9
��
_t .® CITY OF IOWA CITY
sk —2L
MEMORANDUM
Date: January 31, 2013
To: City Council
From: Stefanie Bowers, Human Rights Coordinato
Re: Age and Public Accommodations
The Iowa City Human Rights Commission ( ICHRC) receives its authority from Title
2 of the City Code, often referred to as the Human Rights Ordinance. The Human
Rights Commission conducts educational activities, participates in and sponsors
community events that promote human rights and the elimination of
discriminatory practices. The ICHRC has the authority to make recommendations
to the City Council for any further legislation that it deems necessary.
Staff of the Commission receives, investigates, and determines the merits of
complaints alleging discrimination. The disclosure of information, by staff, on
whether a charge has been filed or not, or revealing the contents of any file is
prohibited except in a few limited circumstances. City Code 2 -2 -4.
The purpose of Title 2 is to protect citizens of the city against "discrimination" as
defined in the chapter. This title shall be construed broadly to effectuate its
purpose, and shall be enforced by the Iowa City Human Rights Commission
consistent with the intent, language and spirit of the preamble and part I (articles
1 -7) of the "International Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Racial
Discrimination (1966) ", as amended. City Code 2 -1 -3.
One of the five areas currently covered by Title 2 is public accommodation. City
Code 2 -3 -2. Public accommodations are each and every place, establishment or
facility of whatever kind, nature or class that caters or offers services, facilities or
goods to the general public for a fee or charge. City Code 2 -1 -1. Some examples of
public accommodations are a theater, concert hall, shopping center, bank, dry
cleaners, library, sports arena, restaurant, doctor's office, hotel or pharmacy. Civil
Rights Act of 1963 Section 201(a).
Age is one of the 12 protected characteristics covered under the City's prohibition
of discrimination in a Public Accommodation. Title 2 defines age as the
chronological age of a person. City Code 2 -1 -1.
Characteristics are usually described as those things that each of us has, like an
age, race, sex, etc. Some characteristics can be altered or may be perceived on
January 31, 2013
Page 2
the part of another person but are generally speaking characteristics that each of
us possesses intrinsically. Due to biases or prejudices that one may hold against
another person lawmakers have decided to protect certain characteristics
through anti - discrimination legislation.
Iowa City law prohibits a public accommodation from denying a person based on
their age or the age of someone in their accompaniment (for example, a minor in
the accompaniment of an adult) the full and equal enjoyment of the goods,
services, facilities, privileges, advantages of any place of public accommodation.
City Code 2 -3 -2.
Title 2 does allow for a public accommodation to discriminate based on age when
it is related to discounts for services or accommodations based upon age. So it is
perfectly lawful to allow for senior discounts or to charge a lower fee for a child's
haircut as opposed to an adult's haircut. It is also lawful for an establishment that
is public to discriminate based upon the age of its patrons if to do otherwise
would contravene another law.
Historically the nation as a whole first saw public accommodation protections as
part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to make up for past inequalities and to prevent
segregation as it related to African Americans. It was during this time that the
Human Rights Commission was established (1963).
In Iowa City, age has been a protected characteristic in the area of public
accommodation for many, many, years. Iowa City's inclusion of age as a protected
characteristic differs from State law which does not include "age" as a protected
characteristic in the area of public accommodation. Code of Iowa 216.7. Many
local Human Rights Commissions also do not cover age in the area of public
accommodation and if it is covered under public accommodation age is usually
defined as anyone who is 18 years of age or older. City Code 8 -3 -2 Dubuque,
Iowa.
Examples of situations that would be protected in the area of public
accommodation based on age: allowing a mother who is lactating entrance into a
hair salon with her child despite a "no children allowed" policy; allowing
teenagers entrance into a fast food establishment despite a restriction that
children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; or an 81 year old person
being treated unfairly or restricted from services at a bank.
Persons claiming to be aggrieved by a discriminatory or unfair practice within this
city may file a written complaint with the Iowa City Human Rights Commission.
January 31, 2013
Page 3
City Code 2 -4 -1. A person has 300 days after the alleged discrimination or unfair
practice to file. Within the last year (FY 12), the office received 59 complaints. Of
that number 12 were in the area of public accommodation. In 3 of those
complaints, age was checked as one of the reasons for the alleged discriminatory
conduct. Annual Report Iowa City Human Rights Commission FY 12.
IP72
MINUTES PRELIMINARY
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
JANUARY 3, 2013 — 6:30 PM
EMMA HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Andrew Chappell, Michelle Bacon Curry, Cheryll Clamon, Jarrod
Gatlin, Holly Hart, Jim Jacobson, Rachel Zimmermann Smith
MEMBERS A BSENT: Scott Dragoo, Charlie Drum
STAFF PRESENT: Tracy Hightshoe
OTHERS PRESENT: Scott Hanson, Roger Lusala, Ron Berg, Beth Ritter Ruback,
Tracey Achenbach, Phoebe Trepp, Jim Swaim, Lynette Jacoby,
Kafi Dixon, Diane Dingbaum
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL:
Zimmermann Smith moved to approve a recommendation to City Council to approve an
Annual Action Plan Amendment to allow FY13 economic development funds to be used
for a facade improvement program in the downtown urban renewal area. (Passed 7 -0)
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Chappell at 6:30 p.m.
APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 15. 2012 MINUTES:
Zimmermann Smith moved to approve the minutes with minor corrections.
Hart seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 7 -0.
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
STAFF /COMMISSION COMMENT:
Hightshoe reminded the Commission of some important dates for CDBG /HOME applications
and application workshops.
DISCUSSION REGARDING FY14 AID TO AGENCIES FUNDING REQUESTS:
Chappell recused himself from this discussion because of a conflict of interest
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
January 3, 2013
PAGE 2 of 8
Hightshoe explained to the Commission that tonight they will be determining the process they
will follow to make their Aid to Agencies allocations on January 17. Hightshoe said in the past
two years there haven't been significant changes in the process /allocations. She said the
commission elected to have an open allocation process. There may be a growing number of
applicants for the same limited pool of funds.
The Commission discussed and concurred that they would recommend that Extend the Dream
apply through the CDBG process rather than Aid to Agencies as their application was for roofing
and flooring. There is limited availability for operational costs and this application is eligible for
CDBG public facility funds. Hightshoe stated she would forward notice to Extend the Dream
that this application would not be considered for Aid to Agency funds; but encouraged to submit
a CDBG public facility application.
The Commission decided that they would like a spreadsheet with all their preliminary funding
recommendations.
Jacobson said he said he had concerns with the relative amounts asked for from Iowa City
versus Coralville. He said he was looking at the proportion of requested money to populations
served. He said another concern of his is overlap of services with some of the applications and
if the applicant has connected the dots well in terms of CITY STEPS.
Bacon Curry said that duplication and overlap of services has been an ongoing discussion. Hart
asked if there was any prior documentation staff may have concerning overlap of services. Hart
asked if there had been concerns expressed by the City Council. Hightshoe said duplication of
services is a concern for most funders. If there are any specific questions about duplication or
overlap with a certain application, she requested members forward her the question and she will
contact the agency for a written response that will be shared with all the commission members.
Zimmermann Smith remarked that to her the Johnson County Youth Social Services Program
and the Fast Track Program seemed like the same things, although one of the agencies had a
specific, targeted goal that appealed to her more than the agency with the more nebulous goal.
Hart said that there may be agencies that have very similar activities but they might not serve
the same clientele. Jacobson stated that he can't tell that from the applications.
The Commission decided that applicants should be encouraged to come to the January 17th
meeting so the Commission can ask questions.
Beth Ritter Ruback from the Crisis Center said she believes the Commission should make it
mandatory that agency representatives be present at the January 17th meeting. She said based
on the discussion the Commission is having now, she would feel bad if one of their colleagues
missed the chance to receive funding due to their absence.
Hightshoe said she would notify all the agencies that they are strongly encouraged to attend
because of the issues that are being discussed tonight.
One of the applicants said the process was different this year. He was under the impression
that they were applying for funding from Iowa City, Johnson County and United Way. If Iowa
City has different criteria than United Way and other funders, he suggested their own application
so that applicants could better respond to questions about the Consolidated Plan. He also
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
January 3, 2013
PAGE 3 of 8
remarked that the amount of space on the United Way form limited the amount of information he
could provide.
Crisis Center representative said she feels that the process of joint applications may not serve
their purpose well with the passing of Linda Severson, who served as a liaison to all of the
agencies in the cities and in United Way and brought a body of knowledge with her that made it
possible to do joint applications.
Hightshoe said the commission will review the process and will be discussed in April. Bacon
Curry recommended a committee to evaluate the process. Many of the funding agencies
present wanted to provide feedback.
HOUSING TRUST FUND OF JOHNSON COUNTY
Achenbach stated they use to apply independently directly to the City Manager /Council
for funds. They are now included in this process. Jacobson asked how the projects that
the agency funds differ from the projects that CDBG funds. Achenbach stated they at
times fund the same projects due to financial gaps and not enough funding. They are
the only housing trust fund in Johnson County, thus can apply annually for state funds
which brings in more money for housing projects in the County. She said they offer four
funding rounds a year. She said she thinks that the money they make available lessens
the amount a builder would have to ask from the City. She said they are a source of
funding just like City funding.
Bacon Curry asked what the funds are that they, and no one else in Iowa, can apply for.
Achenbach explained that they are appropriated every year through the State
Legislature for housing trust funds and the Iowa Finance Authority is given the job of
disbursing them.
Jacobson asked if they have to ask the City for a certain minimum or maximum level of
funding. She said they are required to meet a local match and are required to have
approximately $60,000 as a local match for their State application.
2. SHELTER HOUSE
Phoebe Trepp said their facility has expanded and their need has also grown. She said
with their expansion their operating costs have increased. Bacon Curry asked Trepp to
address the prior HCDC concern that when the new larger facility was built, how Shelter
House would cover the increase in operating costs. She said Shelter House had
responded that they believed revenues from new programs and energy efficiency
improvements would assist them cover increased capacity costs. Trepp said there is
revenue coming in from established and new programs and they are looking at new
sources for the coming year. Kafi Dixon said the new building was a community need,
and it was time for that growth for Shelter House. Hightshoe asked if the lodge
properties would be self- sustaining. Trepp said the hope is that they will be once they
are fully occupied. She said the plan is to put away enough income generated by these
properties to expand and potentially get another property. She said even if the income
necessary for operations isn't being generated, the need is still there, and no one else is
providing this service.
Jacobson asked them to explain the wages they pay the clients who work for them.
3. CRISIS CENTER OF JOHNSON COUNTY
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
January 3, 2013
PAGE 4 of 8
Bacon Curry mentioned that this allocation is higher than last year's. She asked if the
Crisis Center has statistics on how many of the households that received emergency
assistance for rent also receive some sort of subsidized housing. She said if they were
receiving both kinds of aid, that's a problem in the system that needs to be looked at.
Ritter Ruback said that for emergency services, they are the last resort and have to
show that they have applied for other assistance. She said she will be able to provide
some of the statistics Bacon Curry was interested in.
4. MAYOR'S YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
Jacobson asked for more details in how their program ties in with CITY STEPS. Roger
Lusala explained that they rank pretty high because they provide services for youth with
disabilities as well as job training and mentoring services. He informed the Commission
that the City employs youth from this program at the library, Mercer Park and the Rec
Center. The school district also is an employer of their youth. Zimmermann Smith asked
if the requested money is specifically for the kids on the Fast Track program. Lusala
explained how the Fast Track and Youth Leadership programs work. Gatlin asked how
good their retention rate for employees was. Lusala said most youth they employ or train
come back year after year. Gatlin said he would like to see the retention rates for the
agencies they are employed with.
Jacobson asked if any of their kids belong to other programs. Lusala said if a kid is part
of another program, they will collaborate with them. Jacobson asked how the carry-over
fund balance worked and Lusala explained that it is actual costs for Medicaid and they
have to pay back what they don't use. Lusala explained the staff salary numbers.
5. JOHNSON COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES.
Lynette Jacoby explained that she is requesting $10,000. Bacon Curry asked if she had
numbers for what percentage of youth that they train retain employment. Jacoby
explained that the goal of the program is for summer employment and many students
have commitments to their education once school starts in the fall. She said that many of
the children in this program come from poverty and haven't developed a work ethic, so
the program teaches comprehensive training, including how to communicate, how to
dress, preparing a resume, etc. Jacoby said none of the money stays with the county but
goes out to collaborating agencies. She explained how this collaboration was facilitated
with the other agencies. Zimmermann Smith said this program has been going on for six
years, and it would be great for anyone who was going to give them money to see the
long -term impact of the programs and who they may have helped. She thought it would
be a good idea to conduct surveys to get this information. Jacoby said she and Latasha
Massey had spoken about their intention of a six -month follow -up to track some of the
successes in them finding and keeping employment.
Jacobson said for all the agencies, he would like to see more hard data and even
anecdotal evidence in their applications.
In response to a question by Gatlin, Jacoby talked about how their application process
works and that due to the large number of applicants, students are not allowed to re-
enroll.
6. NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS OF JOHNSON COUNTY
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
January 3, 2013
PAGE 5 of 8
Dingbaum said with the increased funding request, they would allocate more resources
to families and child care positions. Gatlin asked if she could provide any more data that
would show improvement in the total number of students that are moving from an IEP to
general education. Dingbaum explained how they are following students in the various
programs. Jacobson wanted to know why there was such a discrepancy between the
amounts requested for Iowa City versus Coralville. Dingbaum said most of their clients
are in Iowa City. She said she would have to get back to him on how they decided how
much to ask for each city.
7. BIG BROTHERS /BIG SISTERS
Bacon Curry wanted to know if they don't fully fund the request, what happens based on
locality. Scott Hanson said it's an understanding of where there funding is coming from
and how they are allocating that funding. Bacon Curry asked if Iowa City kicks in an
additional $8,000 this year and Johnson County and Coralville fund nothing, will they
spend all of the $8,000 in Iowa City. Hanson replied that they would. He said the more
money they receive, the more kids they can serve. He explained that Johnson County
funding can go for Iowa City and Coralville and outlying areas. He said with the
additional funding, they can serve the 94 children who are waiting. He said they are also
requesting funding from other sources, including North Liberty, where they serve a large
number of children. He said that finding volunteers is not difficult, and that the volunteers
each submit $20.00 to pay for the cost of the background checks. He said they just
recently got a new database system, and can provide more local data as time goes on.
Bacon Curry asked what they will do for staff if they get 94 more children on board.
Hanson said they have some capacity for growth built in and will be adding staff if they
reach a certain level.
8. UNITED ACTION FOR YOUTH
Jim Swaim explained how the carry-over was computed. He said one of the primary
things they use local money for is to match other grants so they are aggressive in going
after Federal or State grants that relate to their mission, and there are still a good
number of these grants available. He said they are successful with three different
anonymous foundations. He said they have had to reduce their drop -in days, and there
has been an increase in the number of kids who have signed up for a structured
workshop they found out about on a drop -in day. Swaim said on the Prevention and
Youth Development work they are doing, they really are collaborating with MECCA,
Neighborhood Centers and Big Brothers /Big Sisters through the county on a
comprehensive youth development effort. He said they have also recently been doing a
lot of mental health counseling through the schools due to recent events. He said they
also got a trauma informed special care grant through the county. The grant is designed
to improve the response among teens and children and their families to the varieties of
trauma that they are encountering, which he feels is especially critical now in Iowa City.
9. MECCA SERVICES
Ron Berg discussed their carry-over rate. Berg discussed contracts for funding and how
they patch their money together from a variety of sources. He explained how and why
they will be ending their affiliation with I -Care in March.
Gatlin recommended that any questions the Commission has for applicants who are not
present should be emailed to staff, who will collect the information and disperse it to the
Commission. The Commission agreed.
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
January 3, 2013
PAGE 6 of 8
DISCUSS FY13 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AMENDMENT FOR CDBG ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
• Recommendation to City Council
Chappell rejoined the meeting. Hightshoe reminded commission members that
the City is under a Workout Plan, required by HUD, to spend down the money it
has in their line of credit. While staff is working with CDBG subrecipients, the
City must also look at City projects receiving CDBG funds. There is currently
$144,000 in the Economic Development Fund for working capital loans for small
businesses. The City has not received an application these last few months and
no applications are pending. Staff has reviewed what other economic
development activities are eligible and potential interest from applicants. Staff
recommends the FY13 economic development allocation (approximately
$70,000) be used for commercial facade improvements in the downtown urban
renewal area. The City Council Economic Development Committee
recommended that half of the $144,000 remain available for working capital
loans for small businesses and the other half be used for the facade
improvement program. She said based on our Citizen Participate Plan, HCDC is
asked to make a recommendation to Council as facade improvements require an
Annual Action Plan Amendment to change the national objective for these funds
from benefitting low -to- moderate income to prevention of slum and blight.
Chappell asked if the proposal is for outright grants. Hightshoe said City
assistance is limited to 40% of total project costs up to $50,000. The City
assistance is in the form of a grant. She said she estimates that the funds will
assist two or three facade improvements.
Zimmermann Smith moved to approve a recommendation to City Council
for an Annual Action Plan Amendment to allow FY13 economic
development funds to be used for a facade improvement program in the
downtown urban renewal area.
Bacon Curry seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 7 -0.
Monitoring Reports
• HACAP - Playground
Zimmerman Smith reported that the project was completed in mid - October and they are
happy with the results. HACAP said it appreciates the Commission's support of the
project, and it has made the area a happier place for many of the homeless children who
live in townhomes.
• Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County — Aid to Agencies
Zimmerman Smith reported she didn't hear back from Brian Loring and will follow up with
him.
• Community Mental Health Center - Accessibility
Zimmerman Smith reported that the Commission is familiar with this project and that it is
being transitioned into something other than the original plan.
• DVIP — Facility Rehabilitation
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
January 3, 2013
PAGE 7 of 8
Hart reported that kitchen rehabilitation and flooring replacement project is in the design
phase, and they are in discussion with an architect. They have a timeline in place. They
hope to have contractor by February 15i and have construction complete by April 151H
They explained how they will accommodate staff and programs while under construction.
• FY12 Habitat for Humanity — Land Acquisition
Hart reported that Mark Patton said they bought five lots in Saddlebrook and one
additional lot at 316 Fourth Avenue, which was dedicated several weeks ago. He said
the five lots cost $142,500, and the one on Fourth Ave. cost $25,000. He said the
remaining $12,500 will be spent on construction costs on the Fourth Avenue property.
He said a minimum of three will begin construction immediately.
• FYI Shelter House — Rental Rehabilitation
Hart reported that the Ashley Street project is done and all the work is beautiful. She
said they are eager to conduct a tour for the Commission to show how the money was
spent.
• FY11 Isis Investments LLC — Rental Housing
Hart reported that they held meetings with UAY to fill the units with teen parents. They
purchased a duplex on Esther Court on August 1, 2012, at a cost of $200,000. A total of
$103,565 in CDBG funds was used for the downpayment and soft costs. As of
November of 2012, rehab of both units was complete. The units are leased. They hope
to find additional property to complete the acquisition phase of the project within the next
two months. Identifying properties for purchase in eligible areas has been difficult.
Hightshoe said if a property isn't identified by March, that money will be available for
reallocation.
• FYI Wetherby Condos South LLC — Rental Housing
Hart reported the Broadway Condominium's name has been changed to Orchard Place.
They are hoping to have a building inspection and get the certificate of occupancy soon.
Hightshoe added that they got their certificate on December 13th, 2012. Hightshoe said
all the interiors were gutted and redone.
ADJOURNMENT:
Zimmermann Smith moved to adjourn.
Bacon Curry seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 7 -0.
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IP73
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION PRELIMINARY
DECEMBER 17, 2012 — 5:15 PM — INFORMAL
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Stewart Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Anne Freerks, Phoebe
Martin, John Thomas, Tim Weitzel
MEMBERS ABSENT: Paula Swygard.
STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, Sarah Greenwood Hektoen
OTHERS PRESENT: None
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 5:15 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
There was none.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM
Consider setting a public hearing for January 3. 2013 to amend the Comprehensive Plan to
change the land use designation on the Central District Plan Map from Office Commercial to
High Density Multi - Family Residential for property located at 821 E. Jefferson Street.
Howard explained that this is the same property that the Commission denied rezoning for last
year. She said there is now another rezoning application for that property, and it will need a
Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change it from Commercial Office (CO -1) to Multifamily.
She said staff had asked the applicant to defer the rezoning request to the next meeting, as it
looked like they weren't quite ready, but the Commission can set the public hearing for the
Comprehensive Plan Amendment so they can both be heard at the same meeting.
Martin asked if it would be appropriate for her to see the previous application from last year.
Howard explained that it is a former medical office building that is proposed for redevelopment.
She said if it is going to be used for something besides a commercial office building, the
Comprehensive Plan has to be changed. She said all the Commission would be doing is setting
the public hearing at the next meeting.
Weitzel said the last application was before the change in number of bedrooms allowed.
Howard reiterated that there will be no discussion about those kinds of factors, and all the
Commission will be doing is deciding whether or not to set public hearing.
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 17, 2012 - Informal
Page 2 of 4
Eastham asked about the different zonings the property could be designated as. Howard
explained that when the Commission has the rezoning case before them, that can be part of the
discussion.
REZONING ITEM
REZ12- 00016: An application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from Multifamily
(R313) zone to High Density Single Family Residential (RS -12) zone for approximately .47 acres
of property located north of 906 N. Dodge Street.
REZONING ITEM
REZ12- 00018: An application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from Commercial
Office (CO -1) zone to High Density Single Family Residential (RS -12) zone for approximately
1. 15 acres of property located at 911 N. Governor Street.
REZONING ITEM
REZ12- 00019: An application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from Multifamily
(R313) zone to Medium Density Multi - Family Residential (RM -20) zone for approximately 1.78
acres of property located at 902 & 906 N. Dodge Street.
Eastham said he would have to recuse himself from discussions of all three of these items.
Howard said the Commission previously recommended approval of a Comprehensive Plan
Amendment for this area to comply with the Central District Plan. She said the current proposed
action would be a rezoning to bring the zoning on the property into compliance with the
Comprehensive Plan and the Central District Plan. She explained how the subject properties
are now being used and what the proposed rezoning designations are for the three properties.
Howard said they did a study of this area and found that approximately 80% of the dwelling
units within this area are rentals. One of the goals of the Comprehensive Plan is to try to find a
healthier balance between renters and owners and long -term versus short-term rentals. She
said that obviously apartment buildings, duplexes, and townhouses can either be rental or
owner occupied, and the idea is that certain types of units might be more likely to have long-
term residents that would bring stability to the neighborhood, regardless of whether they are
renters or owners.
Freeks asked if there were legal issues concerning these properties that would be addressed at
some time.
Greenwood Hektoen said the Commission has the right to rezone the properties despite a
complicated history and potential for litigation.
Howard said they are continuing conversations with the owners, and one of the reasons that
staff decided to go forward with this is because they haven't seen anything that the owners have
proposed that they think really complies with the Comprehensive Plan. She said what the
Commission has to consider is the Comprehensive Plan and what has occurred and what the
goals are here and whether the zoning proposed complies with the Comprehensive Plan.
Freerks said she thought those considerations should be stated at the next meeting so the
public would understand what the Commission is there to talk about.
Thomas asked if the intent is that the staff tries to find a zoning that is most comparable to the
existing density. Howard replied that the idea with the RM -20 is that staff wanted to
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 17, 2012 - Informal
Page 3 of 4
acknowledge what is on the subject property now and not make it non - conforming. She said the
RM -20 for that middle piece is the closest density designation for the density that is currently on
the property. Howard said they have to have zoning boundaries follow the lot lines. Thomas said
the density of 902 Dodge Street is slightly more than the RM -20 zoning would allow, and the
building to the north is 15 units per acre, which is less than what the RM -20 zone allows. He
asked if there is an equivalent to the 15 units per acre in terms of a current zone. He said he
suspects that the community would not want to see higher densities result from any rezoning.
Howard said that the proposed RM -20 zoning acknowledges the density that has already been
built for these two properties and that's what was suggested in the Central District Plan.
Howard talked about how the owner of the properties would continue to have the right to
request a subsequent rezoning or planned development as long as it was in compliance with the
Comprehensive Plan.
Thomas said that his recollection of community comment was that given that the adjacent
properties and Dewey Street are zoned RS -8, that RS -8 was their expectation for the rezoning.
Howard stated that staff was proposing a middle ground where the dwelling units would be
single family as called for in the Comprehensive Plan, but that enough density would be allowed
to make redevelopment financially feasible for a property that has a number of site constraints
and an existing office building that would have to be demolished before anything new could be
constructed.
Greenwood - Hektoen said that a taking claim is defensible with what's proposed because they
still have economically viable uses of the property when the land is rezoned, and there are
some site constraints that limit development. Thomas asked what would be allowed if it was
rezoned to RS -8. Howard replied that if it was rezoned to RS -8, it would only allow a few
detached single family home lots. Thomas asked whether they could do townhouses with an
RS -8 zoning. Howard replied that townhouses would not be allowed in the RS -8 Zone, unless
the property was developed as a planned development where the units could be clustered on
one lot rather than subdivided into separate individual tax lots. However, even with a planned
development, the number of units could not exceed the density allowed in the underlying zone.
She also noted that a planned development would involve a separate rezoning process.
OTHER
None.
ADJOURNMENT:
Weitzel moved to adjourn.
Martin seconded.
The meeting was adjourned on a 5 -0 vote.
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IP14
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION PRELIMINARY
JANUARY 14 — 5:15 PM — INFORMAL
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Charlie Eastham, Anne Freerks, Phoebe Martin, John Thomas,
Tim Weitzel
MEMBERS ABSENT: Carolyn Stewart Dyer
STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, Sarah Walz, Sarah Greenwood Hektoen
OTHERS PRESENT: None
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 5:15 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
There was none.
Rezoning Items
REZ12- 00016: Discussion of an application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from
Multifamily (R3B) zone to High Density Single Family Residential (RS -12) zone for
approximately .47 acres of property located north of 906 N. Dodge Street.
REZ12- 00018: Discussion of an application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from
Commercial Office (CO -1) zone to High Density Single Family Residential (RS -12) zone for
approximately 1. 15 acres of property located at 911 N. Governor Street.
REZ12- 00019: Discussion of an application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from
Multifamily (R3B) zone to Medium Density Multi - Family Residential (RM -20) zone for
approximately 1.78 acres of property located at 902 & 906 N. Dodge Street.
Eastham recused himself from discussions due to a conflict of interest.
Howard explained that these rezoning items had already been previewed at the December 17th
informal meeting, so she would not go into detail unless the Commission had questions that
they would like answered for the formal meeting on Thursday. She explained that these
rezonings were originally scheduled for a formal meeting in December, which was cancelled
due to inclement weather. Now these items are back on the Commission's agenda for the
January 17 formal meeting. She summarized that this is a City- initiated rezoning to bring the
Planning and Zoning Commission
January 14, 2013 - Informal
Page 2 of 5
zoning into compliance with the recently amended Comprehensive Plan. She stated that
rezoning the properties at this time to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan would
establish new base zones. It would not prevent the owners from proposing a planned
development in the future, where the dwelling units could be clustered, but any such plan would
need to comply with the underlying base zone and the Comprehensive Plan.
Development Item
SUB12- 00015: Discussion of an application submitted by Advantage Custom Builders for a
preliminary plat for Mackinaw Village Part 5, a 8 -lot, 3.95 acre residential subdivision located on
Mackinaw Drive.
Howard said this is a preliminary plat that has now expired, and the applicants would like to redo
the plat and add one lot. She showed the Commission on a map where the subdivision is
located. She said staff is suggesting that the applicants plant a tree buffer in the 150 -foot space
between the interstate and any new home sites. Staff also is recommending that the trees be
planted closer to the proposed homes rather than right next to the Interstate. Due to the fact
that the Interstate is at a higher elevation than the home sites, planting the trees nearer to the
homes would provide more screening than if they were located further away.
Eastham asked for clarification about setbacks from interstate right of ways. Howard said this
whole area was platted before the new subdivision code was adopted, which requires a 300 foot
setback along the interstate. She said that while this proposed plat would not comply with the
new standard, staff's opinion is that since this is part of an existing subdivision and this is one of
the final pieces within that larger subdivision and since much of the infrastructure has already
been constructed that the City should give some allowance for this area to be platted as
originally proposed.
Freerks noted they had made this type of allowance in the past.
Comprehensive Plan
Public hearing on an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to adopt an update to Iowa City's
Comprehensive Plan: "Iowa City 2030." (This public hearing will be deferred to the
February 7th meeting)
Walz said this is the first rough draft of the plan, and staff wanted to put it before the Board to
make sure that they are all comfortable with it. She said funding came through the Smart
Growth Iowa program and paid for all the planning that went into this and the Riverfront
Crossings District as well. She said the purpose was to go back and look at the City's
Comprehensive Plan and to revisit it with sustainability in mind. She said simultaneously with
this, there's another process going on in the city that is more focused on measures for making
Iowa City sustainable which will eventually be used alongside this plan. She said last winter the
Clty held two large workshops where they invited people to revisit the Comprehensive Plan and
then respond to its content and talk about things they liked about the city, things that need
improvement, and if they saw the need for changes in the Plan.
Walz said they also got input from people through the Good Ideas campaign. She said they also
looked at the last two district plans that were adopted, the Southeast District Plan and the
Central District Plan because they were the ones that dealt with the most recent issues. She
said they looked at the information they gathered from the Riverfront Crossings Plan and also
Planning and Zoning Commission
January 14, 2013 - Informal
Page 3 of 5
tried to encompass public comment about the controversy with the demolition of the Red
Avocado. She said things that had been put forward before in the Comprehensive and District
Plan have been accomplished but they need to revisit the Plan because there are new
challenges ahead, such as the increasing cost of energy and a changing housing market. She
said that they view sustainability as not just environmental issues but as social issues, questions
of access, of what we value culturally about our community and how those things interrelate
with the economy. She said they really tried to capture the consensus of what people want Iowa
City to be.
Swygard said she thought the language on page 13 "other challenges remain" was too strong.
She said she particularly had a problem with the word "pirating." She had offered some
alternative suggestions to Robert Miklo. Howard explained that three City Managers from the
metro area are working on an anti - piracy policy, so the term is out there. Swygard said if it could
be explained better with a footnote, she would feel better about the use of the word. Howard
said in all the meetings they had, piracy came up in all of them as a Top Five issue in regards to
competition with Coralville.
Freerks said she's okay with the language if it is well explained.
Walz said on pages 18 and 19 they go into principles for sustaining healthy neighborhoods, and
those principles are consistent with what they've had in almost all the district plans, but they
added two new principles – infill development and neighborhood schools.
Thomas asked about the issue of measurable sustainability. Walz said that Brenda Nations,
Sustainability Coordinator for the City is looking at a range of things in a data driven form, and
assigning numbers and values. Thomas said he thought that was an important thing to apply to
the Comprehensive Plan as a whole. Walz said it will become part of the Comprehensive Plan
and will help the city measure progress in a more concrete way. Thomas said by identifying
what the measures are, there is a better idea of what will be identified as the problem or core
issue and then they can look at it and see what happens over time.
Freerks asked when Nations might have put together her program. Walz said Nations thought
her sustainability assessment would be done by the end of spring. Walz said it is part of an
organization called ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability which is the world's leading
association of cities and local governments dedicated to sustainable development that promotes
local action for global sustainability and supports cities to become sustainable.
Eastham asked if the sustainability goals are addressed in the land use section. Walz replied
that it appeared that the "neighborhood principles" support sustainability —the efficient use of
land, transportation, etc. Eastham asked how this plan relates to the proposed measures in the
sustainability assessment that Branda Nations is working on. Walz said there is a good amount
of overlay— things like connectivity, transit, efficient land use, and preserving environmental
features – many things that Iowa City is already doing. She said that Iowa City is ahead of most
communities when it comes to land use.
OTHER
Martin asked about any restrictions that might be placed on the Bowery Street historic building
that is now being sold by the man who bought it. Howard said staff will keep their eyes on it.
ADJOURNMENT:
Planning and Zoning Commission
January 14, 2013 - Informal
Page 4 of 5
Weitzel moved to adjourn.
Swygard seconded.
The meeting was adjourned on a 5 -0 vote.
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