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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-07 Correspondence01 -07 -14 Marian Karr 2f(1) From: Joseph M. Jason <jmj2400 @yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 9:51 PM To: rshults@dhs.state.ia.us Cc: cehlers @dhs. state. ia.us; sups @co.johnson.ia.us; jlyness @co.johnson.ia.us; press @treatmentadvocacycenter.org; Council; Mondicsj @treatmentadvocacycenter.org Subject: Subject: Daniel S Jason should get treatment instead of incarceration. The criminalization of Asperger Syndrome must end. Attachments: Petition.docx; Jason Letter final (1).pdf Please see the attached letter from Joseph M. Jason, President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness - Barrington Area. Joseph M. Jason, President NAMI BA Board Member of Criminal Justice Advocacy for People with Mental Illness Member /Director of CURE (847)537 -3009 CORMI National Alliance on Mental Illness October 10, 2013 The Honorable Paul D. Miller Johnson County Courthouse 417 S. Clinton Street Iowa City, Iowa 52244 -2510 Re: State v. Jason, 06531 FECR 099690 Dear Judge Miller: I am writing concerning Daniel S. Jason whose case is scheduled for trial on October 22, 2013. 1 am the National Legal Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is the nation's largest mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by serious mental illnesses. Although I do not know Mr. Jason personally, I have followed his case closely through his father, an active member of NAMI. I have also reviewed medical reports that have been written about Mr. Jason, most recently the psychiatric report written by Mark J. Mills, JD, MD, a well -known forensic psychiatrist, who has evaluated Mr. Jason several times in recent years. Mr. Jason is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a brain disorder formerly called Asperger's Syndrome. People with this disorder frequently possess normal or even superior intellectual capacities, but experience significant deficits in judgment, social skills, empathy and communications. Highly stressful situations or environments tend to exacerbate these problems. Mr. Jason's life is an illustration of the mystifying dichotomy between high intellectual functioning and very low emotional functioning that so often exists in individuals with Asperger's Syndrome. He was a straight A student in college and graduated early from the University of Iowa. At the same time, he demonstrated very low emotional maturity and extremely poor judgment, as illustrated by his impulsivity, failed interpersonal relationships, and frequent verbal altercations. The charges that gave rise to Mr. Jason's case exemplify these problems. After his girlfriend broke up with him, he sent her threatening emails and text messages. He never acted on these threats but his ex- girlfriend got an order of protection against him which he repeatedly violated. After he was criminally charged for violating the order of protection, he fired the lawyers hired to represent him and sent threatening written correspondence to one of them, leading to the filing of federal charges against him. Despite these repeated inappropriate behaviors, there is no evidence that Mr. Jason has actually engaged in violent behavior or physically harmed another person. It does 3803 North Fairfax Drive • Arlington VA 22203 (703) 524 -7600 • NAMI Helpline 1 (800) 950 -NAMI • www.nami.org CORTI liss seem evident that the lengthy incarceration that he has already experienced has led to deterioration of his condition. According to Dr. Mills, Mr. Jason "is doing less well than when I evaluated him on May 18, 2010." Dr. Mills concludes that while Mr. Jason is not "grossly psychotic, his mental state has deteriorated over the last three years and he now incorporates some delusional thinking into his beliefs." Without attempting to excuse or condone Mr. Jason's inappropriate behaviors and extremely poor judgment, his long -term incarceration will serve neither his best therapeutic interests nor the interests of society in preventing a recurrence of these behaviors. Mr. Jason desperately needs a structured, secure residential placement in a suitable program with expertise in providing psychiatric treatment and training in developing better social skills, judgment, and avoiding the impulsive, obsessional behaviors that have given rise to his legal problems. There are many individuals with Mr. Jason's diagnosis and profile who live and function appropriately and productively in society. With appropriate treatment, there are reasons to hope that he can reach this level as well. Long -term incarceration, without such treatment, is likely to exacerbate his condition and decrease the likelihood that he will eventually successfully re- integrate into society. Your honor, I appreciate your time and attention. Sincerely, Ronald S. Honberg, J.D. National Director of Policy and Legal Affairs Cc. Joseph Jason 3803 North Fairfax Drive • Arlington VA 22203 (703) 524 -7600 • NAMI Helpline 1 (800) 950 -NAMI • www.nami.org n R National Alliance on Mental Illness 12/11/2013 To:Governor Branstad, Barrington Area CC: Janet Lyness, Johnson County Prosecutor CC: President Obama, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Charles Grassley From: Joseph M. Jason - President National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) BA Regarding: Petition Regarding Daniel S. Jason - Signed by 537 people including many residents of Iowa(See Attached) Subject: Daniel S Jason should get treatment instead of incarceration. The criminalization of Asperger Syndrome must end. The crucifixion of Daniel S. Jason in Iowa Cites Posted on September 28, 2013 by josephmiason Overzealous Prosecutors in Johnson County take care of the mentally ill problem by Joseph M. Jason - President NAMI BA Iowa prosecutors are intending to convict my son and send him to prison again for perhaps 55 years for non - violent crimes. The trial was going to commence October 22, 2013, but there has been a continuance-Recent actions of the prosecution in Iowa City are indicative of the criminalization of Asperger Syndrome. My son will be tried at a future date for extortion and stalking. My son sent various emails and made two phone calls. These charges are a travesty. My wife and I met with the prosecutor in December of last year and explained Asperger Syndrome and mental illness. We explained that our son's behavior is childlike rather than criminal. We told them he needs treatment and not incarceration. We gave them a forensic psychiatrist's report that demonstrates he is not violent. He is a nuisance. We told them that his behavior according to Dr. Mills is typical of one with Asperger Syndrome. We told them he has an organic brain disorder. His criminal behavior consists only of phone calls and emails. This meeting has made no difference. If the Iowa prosecutor's office was serious about avoiding an expensive trial, they would have offered a humane plea agreement. Instead they offered an agreement of ten years. Subsequently, they even withdrew this offer. Perhaps the voters of Iowa should be told how much it has cost to prosecute and imprison Daniel in Iowa. It has to be in the millions and Daniel could have been treated for a fraction of that. The typical offender sitting in Johnson County right now has been charged with robbery, theft, murder, sexual abuse, domestic abuse assault, drug offenses etc. My son is not a thug, but yet will get the stiffest sentence out of all of them. It is the criminalization of Asperger Syndrome. A full one -third of the nation's states get a D or F grade for using mental health courts and crisis intervention teams (CIT) — diversion programs proven to reduce the criminalization of mental illness, the study found. Iowa received a well deserved F. "People with untreated psychiatric disease should be getting the treatment they need before law enforcement shows up at their door because of behaviors caused by their illness," said Doris A. Fuller, executive director. I had a deposition earlier this year recently and they tried to twist Dr. Mills' report. They not only want to lock him away for 55 years, but they extended the time period of the stalking to include the time he has been in jail. That is punishment fit for a major drug dealer and /or murderer. This case, as it always has, cries out for treatment and not incarceration. I have found a place for my son to live. It is called Trinity in Illinois and it is an excellent place for people with issues similar to my son. That is where he belongs. Daniel was living with us for the entire time and did not go to Iowa. This has not stopped the charges of stalking and extortion. This is not what our founding fathers envisioned that America should be. Daniel has already been in jail and prisons for most of the time since 2007. Dr. Mills has stated that Daniels's so called criminal conduct is caused by his Asperger Syndrome. "Mr. Jason cannot legitimately be considered morally responsible for his misconduct." Dr. Mills also states that "The lack of significant history of violence is important." As stated in the article, Forensic aspects of Asperger's Syndrome by Justin B. Barry -Walsh and Paul E. Mullen in the Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, "It behooves us to draw to the court's attention the obvious: that patients with Asperger's Syndrome suffer from mental disorder and that their offending and subsequent disposition must be placed in this context. The core features of Asperger's Syndrome and how they determine what the individual knows and understand of the world should form a basis for sophisticated assessment of the issues of disability." NAMI National, Senator Durbin, and Senator Harkin have been apprised of this situation. NAMI National sent a letter to the presiding Judge. The Autism Society of America believes this to be the most egregious case in the United States. Even Drew Peterson and other murderers have received less of a sentence than my son is facing. Daniel has a brain disorder and needs mental health treatment not incarceration. National organizations such as NAMI and CURE are following this trial. This typifies everything that is wrong in the State of Iowa regarding the Criminalization of the Mentally Ill and Asperger Syndrome. This Criminalization of the Mentally ill must be confronted and stopped. I have seen and heard the overzealous prosecutors. It took courageous people to say no to slavery in our history. We must say no to the incarceration of our non- violent mentally ill. This is my mission in life. Joseph M. Jason, President NAMI BA (847)537 -3009 Member of Criminal Justice Advocacy for People with Mental Illness Board Member -CURE- Illinois 583 Cobblestone Lane Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60089 "if societies are judged by how they treat their most disabled members. Our society will be judged harshly indeed, " said E. Fuller Torrey M.D., a research psychiatrist and Treatment Advocacy Founder. Marian Karr 2f(2) From: Barron, Sara [CO PD] <barrons @iastate.edu> Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 5:12 PM To: Council Cc: kb4council @gmail.com Subject: From Big Brothers Big Sisters - -Our year -end progress report Dear Councilors, Thank you for your support of youth and their mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters. We can't do this important work without you. We hope you'll take a moment to celebrate the year's accomplishments with us. The following is a progress report on our current strategic plan, as well as just a snapshot of some of the great opportunities enjoyed by our youth, families, and mentors in 2013. Take care, Sara Barron Community Relations Director Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County Last year, we set some ambitious three -year goats" for our organization. Now, at the end of 2013, it's time to share our progress with you. Thanks to everyone for your support and action on behalf of our youth, Score HANSEN arq eromers &q sisters •to view the tu11201a-2016 sbatroK plan, please v1s1t vnsw blabs,c wq Vaunt to find out how you can contribute to the mission Strategic Plan 2013 Progress Report Big Brothers Big Sisters of J< Outcomes Stronger, longer mentoring relationships s Organization Training, collaboration and supported g Public Relation. Visible, meaningful, and clear comr s Revenue Diversified and well- managed income growti 75% increase in the number of school -based mentoring relationships lasting longer than Over 5000 personal contacts by our staff Expa with volunteers, youth, and families in scho( support of their mentoring relationships menu to Grant V 12 months Welcomed 72% of youth in our school -based program reported academic improvements after one year with their mentor 155 new youth into our programs, and continued to served more than 300 youth for a second year or more Offered 35 group learning opportunities and social events for our youth and mentors such as science nights, community- service activities, and outdoor recreation Sought out training on cultural competency, mentoring best practices, mental health, and substance abuse among youth Launched anew partnership with The Dream Center in order to strengthen mentoring opportunities for 14— and 1 5-year-old African - American males 2 Created leadership roles for experienced program staff in order to facilitate better day - today collaboration, skill - sharing, and decision - making Particip partner) such as the Dif Contact comm, Youth Develop Way and the V Network, Comr Protecting Chil, Oistrict Parent Assi lead role In radio ethnic d juvenile Sara Barron, Community Relations Director Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County 3109 Old Hwy 218 South I Iowa City, IA 52246 319 - 337 -2145, x. 143 1 FAX: 319 - 337 -7864 A program of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Help children reach their potential. Start Something. TM www.bbbsic.org I www.facebook.com /bbbsic I www.twitter.com/bbbsmentoring Marian Karr 2f(3) From: Charles Eastham <eastham @mchsi.com> Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 5:40 PM To: Council; Tom Markus; Stefanie Bowers Subject: Thank you for supporting FasTrac December 12, 2013 Iowa City City Council Mr. Tom Markus, City Manager Ms. Stefanie Bowers, Equity Director City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Council Members, Mr. Markus and Ms. Bowers, I am writing on behalf of the Coalition for Racial Justice to thank you for your recent decision to allocate $15,000 to be used to transition the FasTrac Cultural and Diversity Awareness Program from Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program to Diversity Focus. We appreciate your assessment that minority and low- income students participating in FasTrac have high graduation rates and have been more likely to pursue secondary education and that FasTrac has been acknowledged as impacting a great many students in the Iowa City area. We are very much encouraged by your support of FasTrac and thereby of minority and low- income youth at this critical time in the program's development and continuation. Very truly yours, Charlie Eastham For the Coalition for Racial Justice 2f(4) Marian Karr From: Jannette Taylor < Jannette. Taylor @unitedactionforyouth.org> Sent: Friday, December 13, 2013 11:39 AM To: Council Subject: United Action for Youth and Community Partners- Find Your Voice Project Attachments: Partner Sheet.docx Good afternoon City Council Members. We are writing to inform you of an exciting collaboration project UAY is organizing with community partners. We are currently applying for a foundation grant to fund a project titled "Find Your Voice ". If funded, this project will begin in the summer of 2014, and will provide a series of youth led workshops and performances that will foster dialogue within the community. The participants will include a variety of groups throughout the city; ranging in age, ethnicities and demographics. This is an inclusive project that is designed to use creative storytelling and performance art to foster better understanding of the uniqueness of individuals and their experiences in the metro area. With audience participation, we will address perceptions and misconceptions as well. Immediately following our events, we will hold facilitated, roundtable discussions, to dialogue about the issues presented. Committed community partners are: The Englert, the University of Iowa Art Education and Theater Arts departments, The City of Literature, Iowa City Public Library, Riverside Theater, ArtShare and Summer of the Arts. At this time we only want you to be aware of the project. We do not intend to seek local funding support for the project. We will be submitting a letter of intent this week and hope to be invited to submit a proposal. We will keep you informed of our progress and, as always welcome your questions or feedback. Thank you for your ongoing support of UAY. Jannette Taylor, MOL, NDR Executive Director United Action for Youth (P) 319.338.7518 (F) 319.337.7999 www.unitedactionforyouth.org United Action for Youth and It's Community Partners Present: Find Four Voice Using ,ART tc inspire community and embrace diversity Community Partners: ArtShare Cartha — Collaborative Doers for Humanity The City of Literature The Englert The Iowa City Public Library The Riverside Theater Summer of the Arts The University of Iowa Arts Education Program /Theater Arts Department /Confucius Institute Working Group Theater uniAm Il o for Youth -k-k -k QW,* IOWA CITY AW PUBLIC Arts,,, , , irp THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA CAHTHA IOWA ,CITY s ro 9 B UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE Marian Karr 2f(5) From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: Dear Bob Thompson, Jim Throgmorton Monday, December 16, 2013 4:14 PM thompbobson @mchsi.com; Council RE: Fwd: RE: Iowa City "Citizens Survey" ATT00002.jpg Thank you for sharing your data, map, and assessment with me. I think you offer a powerful and important critique, and I would encourage you to share it directly with the Council as a whole. You can do so by sending an email to council @iowa - city.org If you do share your assessment with the whole council, however, I would strongly encourage you to state your findings more constructively. By quickly implying that the staff /consultant intentionally biased the survey you run the risk of immediately alienating the very people you want to influence. With that in mind, I would ask you to frame your email as an effort to support the City in its effort to determine what city residents think. If the Council and the staff really want to know what the residents think, they /we won't limit the survey primarily to homeowners who have utility accounts, and hence largely ignore people who rent in multi - family units or mobile home parks. It is also possible that some of your assumptions are wrong. I'm not saying there are. I'm just saying you could write in a way that makes you appear open to learning too. You probably would want to know that several Council members, myself included, expressed considerable skepticism about the survey when we held a 6 -hour strategic planning work session on Nov 25. So, thank you for sharing your critique. And please do consider revising it in the manner I've suggested. Best regards, Jim Throgmorton From: Bob Thompson [thompbobson @mchsi.com] Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2013 12:11 PM Cc: Jim Throgmorton; coulter.joe.d @gmail.com; Stefanie Bowers Subject: Re: Fwd: RE: Iowa City "Citizens Survey" A brief update, I just posted this on the Facebook group: I think I found the major source of extreme bias in the survey sample. As Rachel noted, on p. 84, it says "City of Iowa City officials were concerned about the large number of students in the City. Therefore, they opted to provide their own list from which the sample was obtained." It goes on to say, "Utility customer households within the City of Iowa City were eligible to participate in the survey." This bothered me, so I looked at it a bit more. It's too vague because it doesn't specify which utilities: Water? Garbage collection? If garbage collection was used, that probably would eliminate all multifamily housing units and trailer courts in the entire city, which obviously would exclude a huge swath of students and lower income people. Since every apartment complex I found on the map has no survey recipients whatsoever, I'm guessing that's how it went down. Is this really the standard methodology NRC uses? No, but apparently they allow paying customers (city governments) to determine who gets excluded, because the City provided the list of households. This isn't the standard method NRC uses at all; for example, in the Sunnyvale CA survey, the sample was obtained from "a comprehensive list of all housing units within the City of Sunnyvale boundaries. The basis of the list of all housing units was a United States Postal Service listing of housing units within zip codes." HUGE difference between IC's horribly, deliberately biased sample, and the correct method. Furthermore, in Sunnyvale, "Multi- family housing units were over sampled as residents of this type of housing typically respond at lower rates to surveys than do those in single - family housing units." That's how you go about doing a valid "Citizens Survey "; you not only include all households in the jurisdiction, you over sample for those statistically less inclined to respond. The City opted to silence them completely. On 12/14/2013 01:30 PM, Bob Thompson wrote: Jim, I'm forwarding the information below at the request of Human Rights Commissioner Joe Coulter. He hoped I'd share it with "the appropriate City Offices and members of the City Council." He copied it to Stefanie Bowers, so that pretty much covers the appropriate City Offices. And sending this to you covers the appropriate members of the City Council. Based on past experience and subsequent sense of total disenfranchisement, I estimate that there's approximately a 100% chance it would be ignored by anyone else in local government. Since you're my District representative on the Council, I'm kicking this ball at you so I can get back to being reticent about Iowa City politics; I have no expectation that anything whatsoever will come of it. I guess the main point of this has to do with the legitimacy of using this "Citizens Survey" as a basis for making decisions, when the sample so obviously fails to represent all citizens. This failure appears to me to be a result of deliberate manipulation of the sample; but I could be wrong, and I actually hope I am. -- - - - - -- Original Message -- - - - - -- Subject: RE: Iowa City "Citizens Survey" Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2013 15:35:51 +0000 From: Coulter, Joe D <joe- coulter @uiowa.edu > <mailto:joe - coulter @uiowa.edu> To: thompbobson @mchsi.com<mailto:thompbobson @mchsi.com> < thompbobson @mchsi.com > <mailto:thompbobson @mchsi.com> CC: stefa n ie-bowe rs @ i owa-city.o rg<m a i Ito: stefa n ie-bowe rs@ iowa -city.o rg> <stefanie- bowers @iowa - city.org><mailto:stefanie - bowers @iowa- city.org >, coulter. joe. d @gmail.com<mailto:coulter.joe.d @gmail.com> < coulter. joe. d@ gmail.com > <mailto:coulter.joe.d @gmail.com> Mr. Thompson: Thank you for your concern and analysis of the City of Iowa City "Citizens Survey ". I hope you will share your work with the appropriate City Offices and members of the City Council. As a member of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, I have copied this email to Ms. Stefanie Bowers, the head staff of the Commission. Joe D. Coulter, Ph.D. Professor Community and Behavioral Health College of Public Health 105 River Street, N414 CPHB The University of Iowa Phone (319) 384 -1478 Iowa City, Iowa 52242 FAX (319) 384 -4106 Joe Dan Coulter <http: / /www. public - health.uiowa.edu /faculty- staff /faculty /directory /faculty- detail. asp ?emailAddress =joe- coulter @uiowa.edu> From: Bob Thompson [mailto:thompbobsongmchsi.com] Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2013 1:09 AM To: Coulter, Joe D Subject: Iowa City "Citizens Survey" Dr. Coulter, In a recent City Council Info Packet, I saw your breakdown of demographics in the City's "Citizens Survey" compared to U.S. Census data, and posted it on the Facebook group "Reform the Johnson County Justice System." That topic revived recently, and some scrutiny of the full report ensued. As your comparison reveals the significant racial disparities of the survey's sample, and a lot of questions in the survey were relevant to the local justice system, we looked at stuff related to economic disparities, which are of course related to the racial ones; one very striking economic disparity is the percentage of home ownership. 91% of survey respondents live in an owner- occupied household (p. 62), whereas U.S. census data shows that only 48.8% of the I.C. population reported this. It's doubtful that selection bias (e.g. financially stable people more likely to respond to the survey) alone could account for this huge disparity; obviously some condition of the survey methodology was responsible for this. Someone noticed on page 84 of the survey that "City of Iowa City officials were concerned about the large number of students in the City. Therefore, they opted to provide their own list from which the sample was obtained." Fair enough, by their own admission they didn't want students participating in the survey. No details pertaining how City staff went about excluding students, but whatever method of exclusion was used, it was pretty effective, since only 5% of respondents reported being U of I students. However, that's not the problem you pointed to, and it appears to me that the method of exclusion may have had some effect in the extreme disparities your data show. A map of survey recipients was provided on page 85 of the full report; however, it was conspicuously lacking in detail; the map background is merely a blue background, with dots indicating the survey recipients, with no useful detail such as street locations. Useless, in and of itself, because of the total lack of detail in the background. It occurred to me that it would be easy to make that image semi - transparent, and paste and align it to a real map. So I did that, aligning it with a map of neighborhood zones. There are minor spacial distortions of one or both maps, but the result is accurate enough to get a picture of the alleged "random" distribution of the recipients of the survey: Noticing a large number of "dead zones" with few or no recipients, I then did a visual comparison of this map with Goo leg 's hybrid satellite /street may of Iowa City (zoom in, and move around a lot, an informal visual comparison of these maps will be arduous). I may have better visual comparison skills than most people, so one might not be convinced by this evidence tr alone. What this shows (to me) is that quite a number of "dead zones" on this map correspond to areas with housing where low income people are likely to reside: trailer parks, large apartment complexes, and areas with a high density of rental housing. And let's remember that this map of dots is a map of recipients of the survey, not respondents, so points to deliberate manipulation of the sample. I conclude that since City staff elected to grant themselves the luxury of excluding whoever they wanted, they elected to disproportionately exclude low income people. Some specific areas of systematic exclusion I've identified so far: -Bon Aire Mobile Home Court - Hilltop Mobile Home Court - Forest View Mobile Home Court -the large apartment buildings around Lakeside and Highway 6 (where "them Black people from Chicago" live, as local white racists are prone to say) -large apartment complexes in the vicinity of Benton and Melrose -and obviously, the rental neighborhoods in the vicinity of downtown I think there are many more excluded zones than what I've identified so far. Thank you for your efforts at debunking this remarkably bogus "survey." I have yet to see any official reaction to the questions you raise, but that's not at all surprising. Maybe we need an inquisition to discover the precise methods used by City staff to exclude lower income people from this survey; to me, it's pretty obvious that they were in fact systematically silenced. Memo originally sent in December 19 Information Packet CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: December 19, 2013 To: Tom Markus, City Manager h From: Simon Andrew, Administrative Analyst �..I Re: 2013 National Citizen SurveyTM This memo is in regards to the Iowa City 2013 National Citizen SurveyTm and the rationale behind using utility accounts as the basis for the sampling frame. First it is important to recognize that because this survey sampled only utility account households, it is not meant to be, nor was it used as, a definitive snapshot of the perceptions of Iowa Citians as a whole. Rather, it is one piece of a large puzzle that includes, but is of course not limited to, input from boards and commissions, the ad hoc diversity committee recommendations, neighborhood and community organizations, various planning documents, Council meeting public comments, staff, and other department- specific surveys. Each of the sampling frames staff considered had advantages and drawbacks. Many of the same addresses that were left out of the utility account sampling frame were also not included in the USPS mailing list. These include dormitories, assisted living facilities, and other group living quarters. Mobile home parks, with the exception of Baculis, have individual utility accounts and thus were represented in both sampling frames. Similarly, the vast majority of multifamily units have individual utility accounts and were also included in the sampling frame. Furthermore, the large number of questions in the survey that are specific to City utility services made utility account - holding households a logical frame to consider. Given the number of dormitory/group living quarters represented in neither frame, utility accounts were deemed more useful. Registered voter roles and telephone lists are also frequently used as sampling frames; both are also prone to selection bias. The 2011 Iowa City survey used a telephone sampling method. Another factor that was considered was the overall response rate. The timing of the survey's distribution gave rise to the concern that the potentially large number of empty student apartments would drive down the response rate to the point that the survey would be neither a useful assessment of utility account holders nor the City as a whole. Using utility accounts allowed the minimization of vacant addresses. The large number of Iowa Citians that aren't represented in any of the sampling frames considered made demographic weighting undesirable. Even using a USPS mailing list that excludes dormitories /group living quarters could make the sampling frame deviate from census data substantially, making weighted results questionable. Rather than attempting to generate a survey that manipulates statistical data in order to broadly characterize the City as a whole, staff thought it better to present a more specific survey of utility account holders. Ultimately, while the survey does not characterize the perceptions of the City as a whole, it does represent the opinions of over 500 utility customers in an identical format simultaneously. Though not used to represent the City in its totality, staff believes that it is useful as a piece of public input to be considered as one among many. Marian Karr 2f(6) From: Mike Carberry <mikecarberry@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 5:23 PM To: Council Subject: Fwd: Please either slow down or cancel the Fiberight deal Attachments: Fiberight Iowa City Council.docx; trash incineration factsheet.pdf This is a bad deal for Iowa City. I am concerned about the effect on the City in many area including financial risk, jobs, recycling but my professional expertise is the environment, so that is my main concern. Please see the attached documents. Mike Carberry 2029 Friendship St. Iowa City IA 52245 319 -594 -6453 mikecarberry_gemail.com Please consider the environment before printing this email. Fiberight: Right for Iowa City & the Environment? Waste to Energy or Waste of Energy? • Trash to Ethanol (Trashanol) Process New & Unproven Do we want Iowa City & Marion to be the Guinea Pigs? • Financially and Environmentally Risky Ethanol has a bad financial & environmental history and getting worse. Not commercially viable without massive Federal Subsidies which are on the chopping block or have already been axed. Who holds the bag if this deal goes bad? • Trashanol uses risky GMO's Genetically Modified Enzymes that melt all organic matter used in process. A Bio- Hazard if released, leaked or stolen. Do we want to risk it? • Trashanol is Dirty and Polluting Municipal Solid Waste's carbon footprint is the dirtiest of all ethanol feedstocks including sewage sludge and automobile tires. Can't we do better? • Burning Trashanol contributes to Global Warming Iowa City has experienced two 100 year floods in the last 20 years that have been fueled by the burning of fossil fuels. Do we really want our land -fill waste to exacerbate the problem of Climate Change? • Many new Waste Streams with Trashanol Iowa already has the worst water quality in the country thanks to industrial agriculture and its lust for Corn Based Ethanol. Do we really want to add to these problems with all the additional waste water and other waste from this process? • There are Better Alternatives Upstream solutions exist that find the Highest & Best Use for our solid waste. Zero Waste Plans divert over 90% of solid waste from going into the land -fill and are working in communities like Austin, TX and Oakland, CA. Can't Iowa City be added to this list? • Too Many Questions, Not Enough Answers Need to slow the process down, ask the right questions, get the correct answers, get more expert and public opinion and the move forward only if it is prudent. Mike Carberry — Green State Solutions — 319.594.6453 — mikecarberry @gmail.com 46 Energy Justice J0lIlllll0LkM Network Incineration 101 Municipal solid waste (trash) incineration is the most expensive and polluting way to manage waste or to make energy. Only 11.7% of U.S. trash in the U.S. is incinerated. The rest is recycled, composted or landfilled. Incineration is a dirty word, and industry knows it, so they use other terms to make it sound good, like resource recovery, trash - to- steam, waste -to- energy and energy from waste. All of these terms are untruthful and misleading. The most aggressive in arguing that they are not incinerators are specific types of incinerators using technologies known as gasification, pyrolysis and plasma arc. In the U.S. and in the European Union, these technologies are legally defined and regulated as incinerators. They share the same fundamental problems with conventional incinerators, but they operate in two stages, first turning the waste into a gas, then burning it, letting the companies pretend that they aren't actually incinerating (burning) the waste itself. In reality, incinerators are waste -OF- energy facilities. Incinerators destroy resources that are better reused. If the same materials burned in trash incinerators were recycled or composted, they would save 3 -5 times more energy than incinerators can make from burning them, since raw materials don't need to be extracted and produced all over again. Most of the energy in materials, like paper, was spent making them, but is not physically present in the paper itself. FACT SHEET Trash Incineration ( "Waste -to- Energy ") www.energyjustice.net /incineration/ Not Renewable Incineration is not renewable energy. While many state renewable energy laws count it as renewable energy, municipal waste is non - renewable, consisting of discarded materials such as paper, plastic and glass that are derived from finite natural resources such as forests that are being depleted at unsustainable rates. Burning these materials creates a demand for "waste" and discourages much - needed efforts to conserve resources, reduce packaging and waste and encourage recycling and composting. Environmental Racism Incinerators are an environmental racism issue. Incinerators for trash, hazardous waste, sewage sludge and other types of waste are typically located in communities of color and low- income communities. At least with hazardous waste facilities, race is more of a factor than class, so it's not just that people of color tend to live in low- income communities. Some are located in relatively affluent communities of color. Dirtier Than Coal To make the same amount of energy, burning trash pollutes the air far more than burning coal, even though incinerators are generally newer and have more air pollution controls than coal power plants. Trash incinerators release 28 times as much dioxin air pollution than coal, about six times more lead and mercury, 3.2 times more nitrogen oxides (NO), 2.5 times as much carbon dioxide (CO2), twice as much carbon monoxide (CO) and 20% more sulfur dioxide (S02). Sometimes called "trash -to- steam" plants, incinerators cannot turn trash into mere water vapor, as there are all sorts of elements in waste, not just hydrogen and oxygen to make H2 (water). Trash contains toxic metals like arsenic, lead and mercury, halogens like chlorine that produce acid gases and ultratoxic dioxins and furans when burned, carbon, sulfur and nitrogen compounds that form some of the above - mentioned pollutants, and much more. Incinerators are really "trash -to- toxic- ash - and - toxic- air - pollution" facilities. Imagine that you throw an old pen "away" and it goes to a nearby landfill. There are metals in the pen, some of which may be toxic, as well as plastics and inks that may be chlorinated. Buried in a landfill, it will take a very long time before any of those chemicals can reach you in a form that you can breathe or drink. However, if that pen were sent to an incinerator, any toxic materials in the pen are instantly made available for breathing and drinking through a combination of air pollution and the toxic ash produced, which still goes to a landfill, but now can blow around and leach into groundwater more readily. In addition to making toxic elements more available, burning creates new pollutants that weren't there to begin with, including acid gases, NOx, CO, COZ, SO,, dioxins and furans. Incinerators, like nearly all facilities with smokestacks, do not monitor what they are putting into the air on a day -to -day basis. Permits only tend to require three pollutants — CO, N0, and SO, (none of the toxic ones) — to be monitored on a continuous basis. Several other pollutants are tested once per year, many not at all. Annual testing is like having a speed limit where a speed trap is set just one day a year, there are signs warning "speed trap ahead" and the driver's brother runs the speed trap (the companies do their own testing). In reality, incinerators are "speeding" many other days of the year, with excessive emissions during startup, shutdown and malfunction times, when testing is not done. Incinerators do not replace landfills, but require smaller, more toxic, landfills for their ash. Any pollutants captured in air pollution controls are added to the ash, so the cleaner the air, the more toxic the ash. Ash is more toxic than unburned trash because new toxins were formed by burning, and since existing toxins are more available. Think of coffee beans vs. coffee grounds. Pour water over beans and you won't get coffee, but grind them up and increase their surface area, pour water over them, and you get coffee. Ash is similar in that its higher surface area means more toxins can leach out, polluting groundwater. Health Effects Incinerators are bad for people's health. Studies have found, in communities around incinerators: • Increases in pre -term babies and babies born with spina bifida or heart defects. • Increased cancers, especially: larynx, lung, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers, leukemia (blood cancer), childhood cancers, soft - tissue sarcoma and non- Hodgkin's lymphoma. • Increased dioxins in the blood of incinerator workers. Most Expensive — Bankruptcies and Bailouts Studies done for U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2010 and 2013 show that trash incinerators are, by far, the most expensive way to make energy. Even though trash incinerators get paid to take their fuel, they're the most expensive to build and most expensive to operate and maintain — even worse than nuclear and biomass. They're nine times more expensive to build than a conventional natural gas power plant and 30 times more expensive to operate. They even cost about twice as much to build as solar and nearly four times as much as wind. Incineration is also far more expensive than landfilling. It competes only by locating in high - priced waste markets and by locking local and county governments into long -term monopoly contracts, often with "put -or -pay" clauses. Such clauses require that a certain amount of waste be provided to the incinerator, or the governments pay the full amount, even if not providing enough waste. This discourages waste reduction, recycling and composting, because the community can't save money by doing these things. It also allows the incinerator company to fill that extra capacity with waste from other places, getting paid twice for the same capacity. Expensive incinerators have driven some local governments into bankruptcy. The most spectacular examples have been Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (the largest city bankruptcy at the time, filed in 2011), and Claremont, New Hampshire, where 29 towns filed for bankruptcy due to "put -or -pay" contracts. In other cases, massive bailouts have been necessary, such as the $1.5 billion in state bailouts for New Jersey's five incinerators, and the $1.2 billion in debt payments at the Detroit incinerator, contributing to that city's bankruptcy. In most other cases, the expense of incineration is covered other ways, such as through hidden fees on property tax assessments, by accepting more profitable industrial wastes, and/or by cranking up fees on the captive local community while offering discounted waste disposal to outlying areas to compete with landfills and attract waste to meet capacity. Incinerators are terrible ways to produce jobs. For every 10,000 tons of waste processed per year, incinerators and landfills create one job, while recycling facilities create 10 jobs and reuse, remanufacturing and repairing materials creates far more (20 -300 jobs depending on the material). With a national recycling rate of less than 33 %, the U.S. recycling industries currently provide over 800,000 jobs. A national recycling rate of 75% would create 1.5 million jobs. Competition with Recycling and Clean Energy Incineration competes with waste reduction, recycling and composting, both through its contracts demanding a certain amount of waste generation, and by virtue of the fact that incinerators need recyclable materials, like paper, tires, wood and plastics, to be able to burn effectively. Within renewable energy policies, incinerators (and landfills that burn their gas for energy) often get subsidized as renewable energy, but recycling and composting do not. Burning trash, "biomass" and landfill gas crowds out wind power in renewable energy mandates. CO2 Emissions from U.S. Electric Power Plants in pounds of carbon pollution per unit of energy produced (lbs/MWh) 6,000 ■ Biogenic 5,000 Carbon a 4,000 ■ Fossil p Carbon 3.000 ry 2.000 i a 1,000 w o o S`: Cozy O� t. oo .m, VOa g 'ao ,R wo \01, The "Carbon - Neutral" Myth While EPA data shows that trash incineration is 2.5 times as bad as coal for global warming (CO, pollution per amount of energy produced), the industry pretends that they're carbon negative! They pull off this trick by comparing themselves to methane emissions from landfills, and by not counting the portion of emissions from burning paper and other organic material. Even if you don't count that "biogenic" fraction of what is in waste, the CO, emissions from the rest (plastics and such) is still 55% worse than coal. However, the "carbon neutral" myth has been repeatedly busted in recent years, since it takes trees centuries to suck all of the carbon back up, even if trees were replanted and left to grow for that long. It's true that landfills are worse than incinerators for global warming, but this can be avoided by keeping clean compostable organics out of landfills, and by digesting dirty organics before landfilling them, so that their methane can be contained and used for energy in a cleaner way. It Doesn't Work in Europe Incinerator pushers like to point across the ocean and claim that incineration works in Europe and Japan, where they rely heavily on incineration. Incinerators in these countries are also very polluting, still compete with recycling, and some European countries have found themselves having to import waste from neighboring countries just to keep their incinerators fed with enough waste to operate. Real Solutions for Energy and Waste We can meet all of our electricity needs with conservation, efficiency, wind, solar and energy storage. Sometimes incinerators are used for heating as well, but those needs are best met with conservation, efficiency, geothermal, air - source heat pumps and solar hot water. The "zero waste" alternative aims to eliminate incinerators and cut use of landfills by at least 90 %. Some communities, especially San Francisco, are well on their way. These solutions involve maximizing source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. For whatever is left, it must be examined to see what failed to get diverted upstream, so products can be redesigned or phased out. Any remainder should go through mechanical and biological treatment before landfilling to get out more recyclables, and digest the remaining waste first, avoiding gassy landfills and their global warming impacts. Energy Justice Network • Mike Ewall • 215- 436 -9511 • incineration@energyjustice.net • www. energyjustice.net/incineration/ Marian Karr From: Holden, Palmer J <pholden @iastate.edu> Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2013 7:19 PM To: Council Subject: Fiberight I oppose using my tax dollars to contract with a business that has no functioning facility, only a pilot plant. Would you buy a pig in a poke ? Neither would I. If it is so good let a private investor eat the losses. Remember all of Obama's unproven green energy projects that were busts but cost taxpayers millions. Dr. Palmer Holden ISU Emeritus Prof. 15 Mary Court Iowa City, IA 52245 515- 231 -5543 Marian Karr From: Dieterle, Caroline M <caroline- dieterle @uiowa.edu> Sent: Friday, December 20, 2013 2:33 PM To: Council Subject: Fiberight (Trash to ethanol) - BAD idea To the City Council: On Tuesday (12/17) I came to the Council's formal meeting and told you that the trash -to- ethanol process you are contemplating (signing a contract for it) with Fiberight is a bad idea, if only for the wastage of water - a resource we in Iowa cannot afford to waste. I promised to send you more information. There are other environmentally destructive characteristics of the process besides water waste. Please consider the information in the link below and DON'T sign Iowa City into this arrangement. The process of converting municipal solid waste to ethanol is both water and chemically (feedstock) intensive, and largely untested on a commercial scale. Because solid waste is heterogeneous, efficient fermentation and other conversion will not occur without significant processing, i.e. grinding, shredding, etc. Rule #1 in solid waste management is that you want to handle the waste as few times as possible. Those disposal or recycling technologies that involve multiple (logistical and process) steps are rarely cost effective. For more information, see: http://www.energyjustice.net/fuels/ - Caroline Dieterle Marian Karr 2f(7) From: Corey <corey @pniowacity.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2013 11:38 AM To: Council Subject: Foster Road Egress To the Honorable Councilmembers from the City of Iowa City, I have recently become aware of a push by residents of the Foster Road area of Iowa City to have a second road put in place to provide egress during potential flooding. I would like to chime in with my support for this action. It would be a great comfort to know that our homes would continue to be accessible during not only a flood event but any other instance in which Foster Road may be temporarily blocked. I understand that due to budgetary or land ownership issues, some options may be off the table, but urge that all ideas be fully explored and vetted so that landowners and residents of one of Iowa City's most dynamic neighborhoods be provided a level of repose when planning for the future. Sincerely, Corey Wilson 1451 Foster Road Iowa City, IA 52245 Marian Karr From: Paula Brandt <paulaobrandt @gmail.com> Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 9:05 AM To: Council Subject: Peninsula access Dear Councilors - -This morning's Press Citizen had an article about a second access to the Peninsula. What most of us are concerned about is flooding and being able to stay in our homes. Aside from one person who was quoted, I have not spoken to anyone who supports anything but pedestrian /bicycle bridges across the Iowa River. The last thing we need is to have Foster Road become a short cut between Coralville and 1 -80, or an alternative to 1 -80. Our first concern is flooding and access to our homes. The simplest solution that has been proposed so far has been to raise that small, low section of Foster that floods so that we can still drive up the hill to our homes and so emergency vehicles could also get to the Peninsula. The long term second access solution seems to be with a road that would run parallel from Forest View Mobile Home Court along 1 -80, turn south, and intersect with Foster at the top of the hill, across from the entrance to the Elks Golf Course. These two proposals would, together, solve the problems of flooding access and provide a second access in case of some other type of emergency. The Gateway Project would, for the most part, take care of the problem of access to Iowa City. Access to Coralville is absolutely not an issue since, as long as we can get down Foster and turn north on Dubuque St., we have access to 1 -80. The problem is that low flood prone section of Foster Rd., the issue is not being able to get to shops and businesses in Coralville. Best wishes, Paula O. Brandt 67 White Oak PI Iowa City 52245 354 -6948 Marian Karr From: Marian Karr Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 11:22 AM To: Marian Karr Subject: FW: Peninsula Iowa City Secondary Access Dear Esteemed Council Members, My name is Amy Pretorius and I am a resident at 670 Walker Circle in the Peninsula Neighborhood. I am also the Assistant Project Manager at the Peninsula Development Company and have been so for the last 4 years. I have recently met with a group of people that represent different area neighborhoods within the Iowa City Peninsula on Foster Rd. As of recent we are; The Peninsula Neighborhood, Mackinaw Village, Elk Run, White Oak, and Elk's Golf Course. We have come together with one single motive, to have a second way out of our subdivisions in the event of a flood similar to that of 2008. It would be impossible I am sure to find one common solution that all would fully support, because of this it is our intention to simply ask you the City Council for the answer. I plan to support any solution given, even though it may not be one I have already considered, and ask others to do the same. I understand launching an idea onto a platform is only the first challenge and supporting an idea and seeing it through will be the last. The only thing that I do not think would be acceptable is any solution that is not in the near future, even 5 years may be too long to wait. As a resident I fear losing access to my home for any period of time, and the flood of 2013 was a recent reminder of this potential. If Foster Rd. did in fact flood again, the question is not only where would I live, but would my home and my neighbors homes be safe from vandalism? Perhaps more than a typical resident of this area am I reminded of the flood potential and lack of access to the Peninsula. Almost every time when talking to potential future residents, they ask "what happens when Iowa City floods ?" I quickly remind them that the Peninsula Neighborhood itself is high on a bluff approximately 50 feet above the river, but I reluctantly inform them access can be lost and in the past the neighborhood was evacuated. I have learned that certain real - estate firms in the area refuse to show homes here because it does not have secondary access. I believe even with this handicap we have been able to successfully sell homes, but surely not at the speed first anticipated by my company or the City of Iowa City. My company has battled many issues in the building of the Peninsula Neighborhood subdivision, and though the lack of secondary access is not the only issue, it is still a very large one. Many other issues we have learned how to overcome, but this one we cannot do without your help. As we prepare to launch our much anticipated commercial building this spring I only hope the businesses that choose to come here thrive and meet success. A future flood event may have potential to completely devastate these.small commercial businesses in addition to the residential component of this area. Lastly, I want to thank you for your time listening and perhaps acting on this issue. If I can be of help in anyway please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Amy Pretorius Assistant Project Manager Peninsula Development (319) - 887 -1000 amy@pniowacity.com THE PENINSUTA NEIGHBORHOOD DECEMBER 20, 2013 TO: IOWA CITY COUNCIL & ENGINEERING DEPT. MUNICIPAL BUILDING 410 E. WASHINGTON ST IOWA CITY, IA 52240 FROM: H. ERNEST LUND, RETIRED 2423 WALDEN ROAD APARTMENT 110 IOWA CITY, IA 52246 felund @yahoo.com (319) 7219319 FIC.EQ 2013 DEC 27 PM 2: p 1 IOWA CITYEj� V 2f(8) ENCLOSED ARE PHOTOS OF THE WALDEN PLACE THAT SHOWS THE SIDEWALKS - BOTH ON THE PROPERTY & CITY WALKS ADJOINING. I AM REQUESTING A SIDEWALK EXTENSION FROM WALDEN'S SIDEWALK TO THE CITY WALK THAT RUNS ADJACENT ALONG MORMON TREK BLVD. RESIDENTS THAT LIVE ON THE SIDE, THAT FACES MORMON TREK, MUST TRAVERSE THE PROPERTY TO THE ACCESS AT WALDEN ROAD TO ENABLE THEM TO USE THE CITY SIDEWALK THAT IS ALONG MORMON TREK. THIS IS A LONG WAY WITH A WALKER &/OR WHEELCHAIR. A SHORT EXTENSION (SHOWN ON THE COPY "B ") WOULD ALLEVIATE THIS SITUATION. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO INCLUDE THIS IN YOUR 2014 PROJECTS? RESPECTFULL SUBMITTED, H. ERNEST LUND I CL L) cu �r 11 EM t M dDD \Yi I r ,Mormon Trek Blvd, 1 2013 DEC 27 PH 2: 01 CITY CLERK IOWA CITY. IOWA _ Z013 DFr 7 I PR 2.01 CLERK{ iY, IOWA December 30, 2013 Mr. H. Ernest Lund 2423 Walden Road Apartment 110 Iowa City, IA 52246 Re: Sidewalk Connection between Public and Private Sidewalk at Walden Place Dear Mr. Lund: Thank you for your letter dated December 20, 2013. 11 1 � -4 �mewrW� CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 -1826 (319) 356 -5000 (319) 356 -5009 FAX www.icgov.org I have reviewed your request for the City to build a sidewalk connection between the public sidewalk along Mormon Trek Boulevard and the private sidewalk around the Walden Place building. Unfortunately, the sidewalk you request in your letter is a private sidewalk extension and construction of this sidewalk would be the responsibility of the property owner. I recommend you discuss this with the property manager of Walden Place. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at (319)356 -5138. Sincerely, Ronald R. Knoche, PE City Engineer Cc: City Council 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 j 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 E-:l IN THE IOWA DISTRICT COURT FOR JOHNSON COUNTY JERRY BOKASSA,On Behalf of Himself And ALL Others Simimilary Situated. Plaintiff, ivs. HOUSING And Urban Development,H.A.C.A.P.of Iowa City, Iowa City Low- Income Home building Dept,Community Foundation of Johnson County.Shelter House of Iowa city, 429 Southgate st.D.H.S. of Iowa City, And Any Organization providing Financial Aid that results in Criminal Acts in the Stae of IOWA. Others to be amended in later. Defendant JURY TRIAL REQUESTED.. Case No.: CLASS ACTION21:40,Complicity 45:5,45:6,45:8.Aiding and Abbeting. Arm- Robbery,Murder,Burglary,Home invasions.Terrorist threats of Murder. $50,000,000,00 Fifty million dollars for mental and physical damages,destruction environment,busines's by indigents and KNOWN FELON'S. CLASS ACTION21:40,Complicity 45:5,45:6,45:8.Aiding and Abbeting. Arm- Robbery,Murder,Burglary,Home invasions.Terrorist threats of Murder. $50,000,000,00 Fifty million dollars for mental and physical damages,destruction environment,busines's by indigents and KNOWN FELON'S. - 1 C") n rn ,<r- rn "[) M 0 !V CLASS ACTION21:40,Complicity 45:5,45:6,45:8.Aiding and Abbeting. Arm- Robbery,Murder,Burglary,Home invasions.Terrorist threats of Murder. $50,000,000,00 Fifty million dollars for mental and physical damages,destruction environment,busines's by indigents and KNOWN FELON'S. - 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 I, JERRY BOKASSA,Declare as follows: 1. The placement of these people from America "s Slums in Iowa City,Iowa. Or any where outside there home towns with out regards to other Americans safety is a Crime in it self. After spending long periods In America's prison systems to place them in a place like Iowa City, Iowa is like placing a FOX in a chicken COOP.There is no intent of Changing there Criminal mind set.Life time of criminal act that Comtinue's in Iowa City. There for it should be the responsibility of those who are paying There RENT,ELECTRIC and WATER BILLS Bills to also PAY for there CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. With out WELFARE assistance thay could not live Here and only in AMERICA'S SLUMS. I am asking the court for an injunction to STOP ALL FINANCIAL Payments of RENT,ELETRIC AND WATER BILLS Until The VICTEM's Like Me Are PAID Or Settlement made. Be for WE have a mass shooting or-- Gne--of-3.QWA CITY POLICE OFFICER'S Is KILLED during a routine car stop. t —JER BbKPiSSA of Oskaloosa,Iowa,1939 P.O.Box 1905,Iowa City,Ia.522,4 (213- 840 - 2960 -cell) C' O w rn p C-> C?""C N CLASS ACTION21:40,Complicity ::;� .M 45:5,45:6,45:8.Aiding and Abbeting. C::�;�o Arm- Robbery,Murder,Burglary,Home invasions.Terrorist threaf"s of Wrder. N $50,000,000,00 Fifty million dollars for mental and physical damages,destruction environment,busines's by indigents and KNOWN FELON'S. - 2 December 31, 2013 Dear City Council, I urge the City of Iowa City to apply for the designation as a Walking Friendly Community (http: / /www.walkfriendly.o[g). According to US Community census data about one in six people in Iowa City use walking as a form of transportation which ranks us in the top ten cities nationally. Along with bicycling, becoming walking friendly would move our community towards the City Council's stated goal of enhancing environmental friendliness. Becoming walking friendly would be consistent with the goals of the Chamber of Commerce's Blue Zone Project which kicks -off in 2014, and the goal of the Downtown Association's recent Inspire Downtown initiative to make itself walkable. Making Iowa City walking friendly would have market appeal to population demographics such as millennials and baby boomers who would reside in the new River Crossing area which is within a mile of the entire downtown business area. There is no fee to submit the application, and the evaluation provides significant free expert input towards meeting all of the civic goals mentioned above. Walking friendly communities enhance the quality of life, provide significant economic benefit to the community and appeal to "creative" class professionals. I encourage the council to embrace this challenge. Sincerely, V--e) Bob Qppliger 1928 Delwood Dr. Iowa City 2f(10) c� C1 >- w n cam") -< "- _ --t C �M r ;=" -so CITY OF IOWA CITY 21(11) MEMORANDUM Date: December 26, 2013 To: City Clerk From: Kris Ackerson; Acting Traffic Engineering Planner Re: Item for January 7, 2014 City Council meeting — prohibit parking near alley entrance on east side of 10 -block of Valley Avenue As directed by Title 9, Chapter 1, Section 3B of the City Code, this is to advise the City Council of the following action: Action: Pursuant to Section 9 -1 -3A (10), prohibit parking twenty feet south of the alley intersecting on the east side of the 10 -block of Valley Avenue. Comment: This action is being taken to improve visibility for westbound motorists exiting the alley onto Valley Avenue.