HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-21 TranscriptionOctober 21, 2014 Iowa City City Council Work Session Page 1
Council Present: Botchway, Dickens, Hayek, Mims, Payne (via phone), Throgmorton
Council Absent: Dobyns
Staff Present: Markus, Fruin, Yapp, Dilkes, Karr, Bockenstedt, Hart, O'Brien, Ford,
Boothroy, Fosse, Bramel, Andrew, Reichart, Bowers
Others Present: McCarthy (UISG)
Questions from Council re: Agenda Items:
Hayek/ Okay, why don't we get started with our work session for October 21, 2014. Want to
welcome everyone. Michelle, are you available by phone?
Payne/ I am!
Hayek/ Okay, welcome! So Michelle Payne is, uh, plugged in by telephone. Rick Dobyns is
home sick. I spoke to him earlier today and ... he gets a hall pass. He did not sound good.
So ... uh, let's jump right in. The first bullet point is questions, uh, regarding agenda
items.
Mims/ Not a whole lot there!
ITEM 9. NOISE ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS - ORDINANCE AMENDING
TITLE 6 OF THE CITY CODE, ENTITLED "PUBLIC HEALTH AND
SAFETY," CHAPTER 4, ENTITLED "NOISE CONTROL," TO
SIMPLIFY AND CLARIFY THE NOISE CONTROL PROVISIONS, TO
DELETE PERMITS BASED ON DECIBEL LEVELS, AND TO
REGULATE LOUD CAR RADIOS. (FIRST CONSIDERATION)
Payne/ Matt, I have a question on IP9.
Hayek/ Okay!
Payne/ Um, it's on page... 141. Um, it's the discussion of loud car radios.
Hayek/ Uh huh.
Payne/ In the, um, at the bottom of page 141, uh, is a little ... is the excerpt from the, um,
ordinance, and it has two items in there, either across a real property line, da, di, da; and
number two is for more than 30 continuous seconds, but when you go on to the next ... top
of the next page, it's talking about in discussing this problem, staff felt this provision
should address the noise over a sustained period of time. They talk about high school
students driving home after school would be in violation of the ordinance if they were at
a stop light or stop sign, but I see the word `and' in there, so 50 -feet or more, and 30
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seconds. Am I ... is this, should this be an `or' or is it ... should it be an `and,' because
their discussion made it sound like it should have been an `or.'
Dilkes/ Hi ... hi, Michelle, this is Eleanor. No, it should be an `and' because ... if it was an `or,'
that high school student who passed my property ... for 3 seconds would be in violation.
So you need ... you need the `and.'
Payne/ So that's why the time component is in there.
Dilkes/ Yeah!
Payne/ Okay, got it!
Dilkes/ Okay.
Payne/ Thank you!
ITEM 4f(11). Letter from Iowa City Community School District to Area Mayors, J.C.
Board of Supervisors: Inclusionary Zoning
Throgmorton/ Matt, I'd like to note Item 4f(11), which is a ... part of the late handout. It's a letter
from the School District.
Hayek/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ Steve Murley and Chris Lynch, directed to you and the other Mayors, and the
Chair of the County Board, urging all of us to act with regard to inclusionary zoning and
a couple other things. I don't remember the particulars, but it's a ... an interesting letter to
receive and... at... at some point we need to take it into account.
Hayek/ Uh, I ... you know, obviously we will.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Hayek/ It just arrived, uh, a few days ago. So we'll ... I know we intend to take it up. Tom.
Staff 11 look at it?
Markus/ Yes!
Hayek/ Okay. Other, uh, agenda items?
ITEM 4d(4) CPRB EXTENSION - MOTION GRANTING A 60 -DAY EXTENSION
TO THE CITIZENS POLICE REVIEW BOARD FOR THE FILING OF THE
PUBLIC REPORT WITH THE CITY COUNCIL ON COMPLAINT #14 -02.
Botchway/ I had a question about ... Item 4d(4). Urn ... regarding extending an extra 60 days.
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Hayek/ On CPRB?
Botchway/ Yeah. Um ... one of the things that came out of the Diversity Committee was the fact
that it would be extended to that length of time, cause I think before it was like 45 days.
Or ... maybe you can help me out. It was a particular time limit, and then we extended it
to be ... even greater a time limit, and now we're giving extension for even more of a time
limit. I just saw that as...
Karr/ It's a request for additional information to allow time.
Dilkes/ (off mic, unable to hear)
Botchway/ Yeah, I guess...
Karr/ The change was from 45 to 90.
Botchway/ Okay.
Markus/ What ... what was the change, Marian?
Karr/ The change was extending that length of time ... for review.
Botchway/ So I guess my question is, is if we extended it to 90, now we're giving an additional
60 day extension, I ... I guess I'm just trying to make sure we make note of it in some type
of sense because ... um ... you also got to think of the ... the person filing the complaint in
the situation. I mean, we're already... we're three months in now, um ... you know, I
don't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. I mean, it's just ... it ... I don't
know, I feel some type of way about this. So I mean I ... I, just make a no ... I mean some
type of note if this continually happens (both talking)
Karr/ We can certainly communicate that to the ... to the Commission.
Botchway/ Okay.
Markus/ Was there a reason stated for the continuation?
Karr/ They've requested additional information, to allow additional information from the Police
Department.
Hayek/ Wait, so there was an addi ... there was a request for additional information from the
Police Department?
Karr/ That's correct! We had the deadline for the Police Department to respond. They've
responded. The Board has reviewed it and they've requested additional information.
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Dilkes/ (off mic) From the Police...
Karr/ From the Police Department.
Hayek/ But now they're beyond their (both talking)
Karr/ That's correct!
Hayek/ ... deadline.
Karr/ That's correct.
Hayek/ So this was a Board - initiated, uh...
Karr/ Yes! Request.
Hayek/ ...uh, request.
Botchway/ And this came up when I was on the Board, as well, to you know ... in the sense of
thinking about that particular timeframe and, you know, the particular complaint and then
not being able to hear some type of resolution in... in some type of reasonable time.
So ... I'm just making a note of it now that I'm on a different committee.
Karr/ Well just to clarify, the complainant has received a copy of the report as well. So I mean
the complainant is involved (both talking)
Botchway/ Right, right!
Karr/ ... in the process.
Botchway/ In the process, right.
Hayek/ So there's always some tension, right? You want to resolve it quickly, but when the
Board on its own asks for more information, you have to ... it seems to me, provide that
time to provide that information ... urn ... (unable to hear person in audience) You'll
probably have to come up here (laughs)
Hart/ If it helps out, they asked to have that additional information by November 4t ", which is
their next meeting, and we ... we're, uh, prepared to do that.
Hayek/ Thanks, Doug! Anything else?
ITEM 9. NOISE ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS - ORDINANCE AMENDING
TITLE 6 OF THE CITY CODE, ENTITLED "PUBLIC HEALTH AND
SAFETY," CHAPTER 4, ENTITLED "NOISE CONTROL," TO
SIMPLIFY AND CLARIFY THE NOISE CONTROL PROVISIONS, TO
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DELETE PERMITS BASED ON DECIBEL LEVELS, AND TO
REGULATE LOUD CAR RADIOS. (FIRST CONSIDERATION)
Botchway/ I guess going back to Michelle... Michelle's question, uh, regarding the, uh ... the
noise ordinance. What exactly prompted at least the car noise ordinance... portion of it?
Dilkes/ I think it's complaints that we've been ... that the PD has been getting.
Botchway/ I guess I'm ... I'm thinking of this simply because I sometimes play loud music from
my car and I would not like to get a ticket, um, from that sense, and ... just making sure
that we're not ... I mean obviously we're ... we're saying that it isn't for students driving
from high school, but I'm now worried about that it's possibly for particular drivers, um,
and I just want to make sure that we're not making a ... I want to say a generalization
but ... I just want to make sure we're being fair.
Hart/ That's... that's a fair question! So the complaints don't only just come into the Police
Department. They also come in to, uh, the City Manager's office and the, uh, other
departments within the, uh, City. So I think the intent of the ordinance is to give a police
officer the opportunity to, uh, maybe have a little more leverage in enforcing ... uh, a
disturbance and uh, that's complaint generated. Um, I think uh ... I ... I understand the
concern about the potential for, uh ... uh, maybe uh ... uh ... specific, uh ... uh, members of
our community being, um, more inv ... in violation of this, and I think that is true, but I
think that mostly has to do with the age, uh...
Botchway/ Right!
Hart/ ...and nothing else.
Botchway/ Okay. Then my other question is, is, I mean this is going to be something that
happens. Are we going to ... allow for a warning type of period, where you can, um, once
it happens, you know, there's a warning and at least you can have something that lets you
now that, you know, this has been a change and that you can't do this in the future. You
k now, again, I'm thinking of myself, you know, I don't want to be blasting, um, Kenny
G, so to speak, and then all of a sudden I ... I get a ticket, um, you know, based on not
knowing this particular ordinance came into effect.
Hayek/ I'm pretty sure we have an ordinance against any Kenny G! (laughter)
Markus/ Yeah, Kenny G would get the ticket! (laughter)
Hayek/ So that ... that's a different chapter of our (laughter) That's a health safety and (laughter)
public (laughter) Sorry, I don't mean to...
Botchway/ No, no! (laughter)
Hayek/ ...walked into it!
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Botchway/ I was more just using that as an example! (laughter)
Hart/ The ... the goal ... the goal is voluntary compliance. So an officer would take the appropriate
action, if they felt like a warning would be sufficient to, uh, address a particular situation,
that ... that's way ... um, most of these encounters would probably go as ... as well as much
of the other things that we do as far as, uh, response to complaints from the ... the
community. Um, but that would provide us another option to ... uh, to provide to the
person that's in violation. It's like, you know, if you choose to continue this, this ... this is
another route we could go, which would be a citation, and then we'd hopefully would
just ... saying that would be enough to obtain voluntary compliance (mumbled) turn their
music down.
Markus/ Clearly you don't have any authority right now to take any kind of action...
Hart/ No, we do not.
Markus/ ...under the way the ... the ordinance is currently written.
Hart/ That's correct.
Throgmorton/ I guess a ... a ... a different way of stating Kingsley's question, if I understand it
correctly, is ... is do we have sufficient information about, uh, the ... the types of
complaints, uh, the situations in which complaints have been arising, uh, whether there's,
you know, any... any... sort of new onset of, uh, of uh... of complaints or activity in
genering ... engendering the complaints? What do we know about that?
Hart/ I guess I might need to have, uh, you be more specific in your query? I did try to run a
computer query to isolate, or try to identify specific calls for service, uh, relating to loud
music coming from a vehicle and to be honest with ya, we don't code that way. So it's
really not something we can do. So I ... all I can tell you is based upon ... on what my
experience has been the last 20, uh, years of service. Um, and basically these happen in
residential areas, um, could be apartment buildings, uh, you know, that ... that's not
uncommon where you have somebody playing loud music and somebody calls in to
complain about it.
Hayek/ And presently we have a decibel based approach.
Hart/ I think that's ... I'll have to defer to Eleanor. I think that's more for permits.
Dilkes/ Yeah. Actually what we ... we do is we say ... um, though shall not make this loud noise
unless you have a permit and it's very hard to charge someone for making that large noise
without a permit when you don't ever issue any permits. And so we're just making it ... I
mean really ... this provision is not completely new. It's just getting rid of the permit
requirement. So now we're just saying that... you... you can't make this kind of loud
noise. You... and you can't get a permit to make this kind of loud noise.
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Hayek/ Okay.
Payne/ Hey, Matt.
Hayek/ Yeah!
Payne/ I'm going to go back to my question that I had again about the ... the 50 feet and the 30
seconds. And... the... the argument that the staff makes does not make sense to me. The
requirement of 30 seconds also means that it will not apply to the person in the car next to
you, unless for example you are at a stop light for more than 30 seconds. Well, if the and
truly is an `and,' that car next to you isn't more than 50 feet away anyway. I mean,
we've had all these discussions about how wide ... uh, lane widths are, and you'd have to
be on the opposite side of a four -lane street to be more than 50 feet away. So I don't...
that doesn't make sense!
Hayek/ The sound has to be audible, not at the car but 50 feet away or across a real property line.
Payne/ Or 50 (both talking)
Dilkes/ And it has to be for longer than 30 seconds.
Payne / Right. So the car next to you is never going to be more than 50 feet away anyway.
Dilkes/ I understand that, but ... the test is whether that is loud enough to hear, not in the ... just
from the next car, but at a distance of 50 feet or across a real property line.
Payne/ So their argument just doesn't make sense.
Dilkes/ I ... I don't, well, since I reviewed that memo and approved it, I think it does make sense.
(laughter) So I ... I'm not understanding your question. (both talking) I had the same
question about the ... the example that Sue gave about being next to another car. About
the 30 seconds, but...
Payne/ Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It says it will not apply to the person in the car next to you,
unless you're at a stop light for more than 30 seconds. Well, if that truly is an `and'
you're never going to meet the other test of the `and.' So I ... I'm good with it. It just
doesn't make sense to the lay person reading it.
Dilkes/ I still don't ... I ... I don't think you're following what ... what I'm saying. The test for how
far the ... how noisy it has to be is still 50 feet or across a real property line. If I'm sitting
next to another vehicle and ... the sound is not audible, not to me, but across the next
property line or 50 feet away, it doesn't matter how long the noise lasts. Both of those
things have to be present.
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Payne/ I understand that, but that's not what the sentence says. I understand perfectly what
you're saying. That's not the way the sentence reads in the memo. Or in the work
packet. So, I ... I mean, I'm not against it, it's just that a lay person coming in and reading
this is not going to read it the way you're explaining it, if they're just reading it to
themselves.
Dilkes/ Understood.
Hayek/ (mumbled)
Mims/ I think the confusion in that sentence is if ... if the sentence just said: If a car ... was
stopped... would not apply to a car stopped at a light unless they were there for more than
30 seconds. Forget that there's two cars next to each other. That has nothing to do with
it. It's only going to apply to that car if they're sitting there for 30 seconds and it goes
the 50 feet.
Dilkes/ Yeah. I ... I think she was using it as an example for why you want a duration of time.
Mims / Right.
Dilkes/ Um ... and not thinking about the other component of the definition.
Mims/ Yeah.
Hayek/ I mean it strikes me as about as ... simple and fair an approach as one could come up with.
It allows for the flow of traffic, which is inevitable, and it ... establishes a ... a bright line in
terms of distance. I ... I'm inclined to ... to support the staff recommendation on this, um,
and I ... and maybe you'll have to agree to disagree, Michelle, on the ... on the clarity from
your perspective.
Payne / Right! I ... I ag ... I totally agree with the ... the ordinance itself. It's just the ... the example
could probably be clearer, like Susan said.
Dilkes/ I agree with you on that sentence. (laughter)
Botchway/ And like I said, I support it as well. I'm just ... I don't want a ... you know, how I
initially read it and then how we talked about it, I just don't want like a ... a rash of, um,
you know, citations because of this without, you know, letting people know that this is
the case. I just ... I just don't want a problem. Basically I'm seeing a potential problem.
just don't want it to happen. That's all.
Hayek/ I remember when I boycotted our high school homecoming dance and a couple of loser
buddies of mine and me and I, uh, parked my station wagon in front of City High School
and played our rock music for about an hour or so, until we realized it was ... that was
even stupider and ... (laughter) ... cleared out, but this would apply, uh, to ... to that. And
so there's probably an, uh, an age element to this. So...
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Dilkes/ We also made the fine as ... as low as we have authority to make it...at $65.
Hayek/ Okay! Any other agenda items? All right, let's move on to the emerald ash borer
presentation!
Presentation on Emerald Ash Borer Plans and Strategies:
Hall/ Good evening! My name is Zachary Hall. I'm the Superintendent of Parks and Forestry.
Um ... I am ... let me get this loaded up here real quick. Um, I have a little handout here.
This is kind of a... a, uh... identification kit from, uh, AFIS and so it kind of gives you
a ... a up close and personal view of kind of what I'm going to be talking about,
so ... unfortunately I only have one so there is a couple ... bark examples and then a larvae
example and an actual beetle (away from mic) So ... um, as I said I'm, uh, one of the
newer or ... I was about to say one of the newer members of, uh, the organization. I
started in May. Um, my wife and I moved back here from northern Colorado. I've, uh,
been in forestry, urban forestry, for about 14 years. Um, four of which were in the
private industry in Ft. Collins and then um, six with the, uh, City of Ft. Collins forestry
division. And we just moved back, uh, about a year and a half ago and ... uh, as I said, I
started in May. So, um, within my first two months I had the privilege of having this be
found, and then a flood (laughter) so ... um, it's kinda jumpin' right in. So, uh, we did
find one beetle, uh, in June. Uh, the State... State Forest Service found a beetle on the
east side of Iowa City in June and urn ... they did not find any evidence of infestation,
therefore no larvae, no eggs, no other, um, identifiers, um, to ... to suggest that there's an
actual infestation. Just one lone adult beetle. So, this is, uh, this is the emerald ash ... ash
borer. Um, the (mumbled) on the right hand side on the bottom, that is a female.
Um ... uh, what she's doing there is actually, uh, a mating, um, a mating technique. Uh,
she's displaying the lower half of her body and it has a yellowish, or excuse me, a
purplish hew and so basically that's a ... kind of a, um, visual signal to the, uh, to the
male, uh, for mating, and if you've been in any state parks or even out at the reservoir,
they've been putting up purple traps. That's basically to emulate that, um, purple, uh, on
the lower half of the body, and then those traps have a, um, adhesive substance and then a
pheromone to try and, uh, attract the males to ... determine if there is, uh, any beetles in
the area. So, um ... life cycle of the beetle, um, and this presentation is just a really
general kind of overview of what emerald ash borer is. Um, so this is kind of the life
cycle of the beetle. They have a life cycle of about a year to ... to two, uh, two years.
Um, the adults, uh, mate. The females lay the eggs on the bark. The, um, and the ... they
mate in spring. I don't like to use months cause it kind of changes, but pretty much in
mid ... mid to late spring they mate into summer. Um ... and ... and the, uh, larvae, um,
hatch, uh, during summer months, burrow into the bark, uh, and feed during late summer,
fall, uh, and then over winter, and then emerge again in the spring. Um, and so the
feeding of the ... of the larvae is actually what causes the devastation of the trees. And
um... so emerald ash borer is a beetle native to Asia. Uh, came to the United States in
2002. Uh, we really saw the devastation in 2004 in Michigan and uh, it only attacks
fraxinus genus, uh, so only ash trees, not mountain ash. Mountain ash are a sorbus
variety, or a sorbus genus, excuse me. Um, and they basically aphis and ... and the
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National Forest Service basically, uh, think that it came in on packaging material. So
pallets and ... and other wood materials. Um, so this is a larvae. Uh, this is actually what
causes the destruction of the ... of the ash trees. As I said before, they burrow in
underneath the bark and they, um, they feed on the cambium layer, which is the first cell
layer of the ... of the tree, and so they basically disrupt the vascular system of...of the tree.
So the tree's ability to uptake and transport nutrients, um, if you can kinda see on the, uh,
just above the top larvae, that little speckle, that's actually, um, excremented, uh, wood
material, uh, referred to as `frass' um, and so the ... the, like I said, the larvae feeds on the
cambium later ... layer, disrupts the transportation of...of nutrients up and down the ... the
tree. Uh, the galleries, um, take on a distinct shape and pattern. Uh, the photo on the left
kind of displays it the best. Um, it's often referred to as a serpentine or an "S" shaped
pattern. So if you start at the top, it kind of zig -zags and winds back and forth. So, um,
that's just kinda ... if you flipped over the bark samples, you could kind ... you could kind
of see an outline of that. Um ... these are some of the false, uh, identifications, uh, that
have come through APHIS and the USDA in ... in this particular case in Nebraska,
Department of Agriculture. (clears throat) Um, on the upper left is the actual emer...
emerald ash borer and then these are all samples that had been, uh, brought in, uh, from
citizens who thought they found emerald ash borer. So you can see there's a, you know,
this speaks to ... urn, you know, educating the public and ... and the lack of...of getting the
message out and people understanding what an actual emer ... emerald ash borer looks
like, which is difficult, I mean, the honeysuckle flat head borer, and the honey locust flat
head borer just ... the two next to the emerald ash borer look very similar. Uh, we actually
had, um, a citizen after the June discovery we ... we had a citizen, uh, bring in a bronze
birch borer, which is just next to the emerald ash borer, and these are some examples that
were brought in to, uh, Iowa State Extension, um, as false identifications. Um, the cicada
is a little... suspect (laughter) but maybe they're not from the Midwest so (laughter) Um,
another, um, identifier as you saw on the bark samples is the `D' shaped exit hole. That's
...that's actually an outline of the, um, head of the borer once it, uh, begins to emerge out
after ... after pupation. Urn ... the left example ... uh, you can see that the ... the tree is
declining, the canopy is. Uh, it's defoliating, uh, in comparison to the rest of the,
um ... uh, street tree population there, and then the other two examples, the bottom and on
the right, is showing, uh, basically ec ... (clears throat) excuse me! Epicormic growth or
sprouting, um ... that's essentially a ... a survival technique that the tree does. It's losing
leaf ...leaf mass, um, so it's losing that ability to produce energy and so it's basically
shooting out more, uh, more leaf material to make more energy cause, uh, because it's
starting to decline... which all of those happen to trees no matter what. If its ... if it's not
specific to emerald ash borer, it's not specific to any of the things specific. Trees, that's
the natural progression of trees when they start to decline. So, it makes it tricky to detect
this unless you, um, start to find these `D' shaped exit holes or frass or larvae. Um, kind
of a tertiary, uh, indicator, woodpeckers, but again woodpeckers, you now, they're...
they're feeding on other, um, varieties of... of bugs and insects, and, um, ash (clears
throat) in the Midwest and, um, in the west, um, are, um, susceptible to lilac ash borer,
which is kind of in the green industry refer to it as a aesthetic, um...it...it makes your ask
trees, uh, aesthetically not pleasing, but it won't, you know, mortally wound them. Um,
and so it ... and woodpeckers like to feed on those as well. So the ... it ... it's a little tricky
when identifying. Um... EAB population, um, perspective from, um, you know,
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population expansion and why this gets, or can get, uh, ramped up so rapidly. Um, all
these numbers and figures are from, uh, the APHIS, uh, web site. Uh, each female lays a
hundred eggs, approximately 50 of those eggs will be female. Uh, each year the female
population increases by a factor of 10. So ... um, by year 10, the total EAB population
therefore including males, uh, originally from that one female will be 50 billion. So you
can kinda see how this really just ... takes off!
Throgmorton/ What are its natural predators?
Hall/ Uh, domestically there are none. Um...
Throgmorton/ Because it's a ... an invasive species.
Hall/ Because it's a foreign invasive, yeah. Um, there are ... there are natural predators in Asia.
Um, and ash populations in Asia aren't as susceptible because, obviously, they're
evolved with this beetle and so they have a, um, you know, they have a... a defense
against them. Um, but there are no domestic predators. Um, there is research being
done, um, to determine if any of the biological predators from Asia ... would work here
without having adverse affects but we've all seen that before so ... urn ... we'll ... we'll see
how the ... the research is still out so ... um, going off of that 10 billion, you can kind of
see, um, that the ... the percent of mortality over years. Um ... and as far as the ... the loss
of, uh, population is from Dr. Dan Herms from Iowa State with, uh, in conjunction with
Davit Resource. Um, talking with, uh, Dr. Cliff Sader from ... en entomologist from
Purdue University. He has a ... a new model that kind of has a cost calculator associated
with it and ... um, and has, urn ... kind of adjusted this mortality. So ... you can see that Dr.
Herms starts at five and a half years (clears throat) after infestation detection. But, uh,
Dr. Sader's actually kinda pushes that back to about four years. So, um, speaking with,
uh, Dr. Sader, four years you can really ... after four years of infestation detection, you can
really see, um, the mortality and the loss of... of your population, on up to eight years, 12,
and then ... and then it really starts to drop off after that cause you ... you've pretty much
run out of resource. Um...
Throgmorton/ Uh ... um, Zach, uh ... does 100% mean 100 %? In other words, does ... is the
com ... does the ash borer completely eradicate (both talking) ash trees?
Hall/ Um, the ... the way that APHIS and Dr. Sader and Dr., uh, Herms, uh, put it is that all ash
trees are susceptible, uh, to death by this, without any kind of treatment. So ... yes. Given
time. Over ... over time that they are susceptible to being completely eradicated 100 %.
Hayek/ And so those models suggest that roughly four or five years after infestation you start to
see a decline, and that that decline goes from zero to 100, roughly over a period of
roughly a decade? Is that ... (several talking) ... little less than that?
Hall/ Yep, pretty much! Um, there... there... the models are adjusting, like I said, with Dr.
Sader's compared to Dr. Herms' but ... uh, essentially from four years, um, 12, you know
they are going by, you know, four year increments. So 12 is kinda the ... the end game
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with it, as far as 100% mortality. Um, and the... (clears throat) excuse me. Those are
going off of examples in Ohio and Indiana, um ... so...
Hayek/ What ... what triggers infestation from a ... community-wide perspective?
Hall/ Yeah, that's a good question. So we've had one beetle, uh, and the State has determined
that is not an infestation. So an infestation would be, um, a detection of any eggs, uh, any
larvae or um, any other ... any other adult beetles, anything the ... anything to indicate
mating.
Hayek/ Just one of those examples would indicate infestation for the community.
Hall/ Um, essentially as I understand it from the State's perspective...
Hayek/ Okay.
Hall/ ...but I ... I can clarify ... I can touch base with the District Forester and clarify that for you.
Dickens/ Do we have an inventory of the number of ash trees on City property and...
Hall/ We have a, uh, windshield inventory, which uh, literally is what it suggests — driving by
and counting, um, and that's a ... that's a rough estimate, but approximately 2,000 is what
we're estimating.
Dickens/ Is that include Hickory Hill Park or...
Hall/ It does not include the interior of Hickory Hill Park. Nor the interior of Ryerson Woods,
nor the interior of any of the other natural areas, or any trails. That's street right -of -ways
and parks.
Throgmorton/ With regard to the ash trees, uh, how does evolutionary adaptation, uh, affect this
...the possible survival of...of some trees and hence of their off ...and of their offspring?
Or is it, you know, complete eradication?
Hall/ Um, that's a good question. I would defer to the State. Um, so I can ... I can contact them
and ... and better answer that. Um ... yeah, um, I don't, honestly I don't know what other
communities in the Midwest are finding with that or the research is suggesting. From
what I've understood, it's complete... eradication.
Throgmorton/ Okay.
Hall/ There is no... evolution of... of the species.
Throgmorton/ Okay.
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Hall/ So this is of October 1St. Um, as far as the distribution of counties, uh, within the United
States that have, uh, been detected. In the yellow it's, uh, detections that were, uh,
determined between 2002 (clears throat) and 2013, and then the red is, uh, 2014 EAB
county detections. You can see out west, uh, it's the ... farthest west outlier and that's
Boulder County. Um, and that was, uh, determined just in 2013. Uh ... you can see the
...the spread of it. I ... I first learned about this, urn ... in 2006, um, in ... in Ft. Collins as
far as ... as far as emerald ash borer, and um, one of the ... I couldn't find the maps but one
of the, uh, APHIS reps that came and presented to us, they had a map of... of the
distribution at that time, um, and they were trying to figure out why it was spreading so
quickly, and they ... they looked at the nursery industry as far as, uh, trans... transportation
of nursery stock in the, um, the milling industry as far as, you know, the transportation of
wood products, and then somebody somehow got the bright idea to ... overlay a map of
the NASCAR circuit, and they discovered that it matched up pretty well. So folks who
were camping up in Michigan and starting out the NASCAR circuit and whatnot were
bringing firewood from Michigan down into Illinois and Ohio and Indiana and other
places. So it spreads on its own. The beetle only has about a two to five -mile flight
pattern, but it spreads quickly by humans. Um... so kind of the same thing as far as with
identification. Um, infestation, you'll have a decline, um, when you should have, you
know, full leaf coverage or a full canopy, um, as in the example on the right. And you
can kind of see some epicormic growth at...at mid - trunk. Urn ... these are not pictures of
Iowa City. I'll ... I'll tell ya that (laughs) These are ... these are communities in, uh, in
Michigan. Um ... uh, this is, uh, in one growing season, um, and then this is the next
season, um, same time of year, same season, just a year later after ... after infestation. It's
a little skewed because the photographer kinda stepped back from their perspective, but if
you go just farther down the road in front of that drive, it's the same exact picture. So if
you look in the middle you can see that ... that, yeah, the ... it goes pretty quickly.
Dickens/ So what can we do as far as individual citizens or ... you know, just look for `em or if
you know, if...like I live next to Hickory Hill Park and I know Doug Boothroy lives on
the other side of Hickory Hill. Is there a way we could put traps up or...
Hall/ Um...
Dickens/ To help...
Hall/ Yeah, I would contact, uh, Robin Pruzner or ... or our District Forester, uh ... um, Mark
Fitosch, and I have some contact information, and ... and I can put you in touch with folks
as well. Um ... yeah, um, trapping is ... is one way to, you know, determine if we have an
infestation or to ... I ... I assume that the ... that the forest service is, uh, not trapping as
heavily as they used to, since we did find one beetle, uh, just because we have a number
of counties, which I'll show in some, um, slides coming up, a number of counties around
us that have been declared infested.
Markus/ You know, Zach, when you look at that, uh, picture, the thing that you notice is that
...that it's kinda a mono - species planting that occurred on that particular street.
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Hall/ Yeah!
Markus/ I know a lot of cities have gone away from, you know, single tree planting on a street.
Hall/ Yeah!
Markus/ Even though in a lot of urban planning and ... and streetscapes that was considered
highly desirable but now they're starting to mix up the species a lot more.
Hall/ Yeah, that's a good point, um ... you know, after ... this is kind of, you can kind of see
human ... human thought with this. Um, as you point out, you know ... emerald ash borer
was the next latest and greatest thing after Dutch elms disease went through, and so now
we're finding out oops, we ... thought wrong and mono - cropped and now we're paying
the price, and so, um ... I, yeah, diversification is kinda the positive spin that we all, you
know, have to put a smile on it and put with this because it, yeah! We need to learn from
our mistakes. So ... um, again, just some, uh, decline, epicormic growth on the, uh, mid -
trunk on the right -hand side picture. (clears throat) Um, ash tree identifications, um...
ash trees are... are one of a number of, uh, tree species that have opposite, branching. So
literally it means like on the picture on the left -hand side, the ... the, um, the branches or
the leaves coming off the parent stem are directly opposite of one another. Um, the trunk
kind of...I like to equate it to ... like corrugated cardboard. Um, and then, um, most ash,
except for ... in this area, except for, um, white or, um, autumn purple ash, which are
basically the same, um, have a yellow fall color. Um, so those are kinda the phenotypic,
uh, identifiers for ash trees. Um... and to make sure, you know, your... you're identifying
them correctly, these are kinda some, um, look -a- likes, and we've had misidentifications
of this before. I've received calls. Hey, I think we have emerald ash borer. Can you
come look at it, it's over on such - and -such street, and I get there and it's a walnut tree
(laughter) So, um ... so walnut, uh, has alternate branching. You can kinda see that the...
the leaves are alternating from one another and not directly opposite. Beech the same
way. The ... the one with the black background is an ash, but then box elder, up top,
which is often referred to (clears throat) excuse me, as a maple leaf ash, or as an ash
leaved maple, um, does have opposite branching but uh ... at the, uh, at the last leaflet it
has a different characterization. Um, so it's ... it's a little tricky. Um, so management
options and I apologize. This slide kinda jumps right into, um, different... into
treatments, um, but management options, um, speaking with, uh, other communities
around eastern Iowa — Davenport, uh, Chris Johnson in Davenport, the City Forester
there; uh, Steve Pregler in Dubuque who actually, uh, a lot of this information came from
him. So, uh, I appreciate his help, um, and then um, Todd Fagan in Cedar Rapids. Um..,
kinda the... the... the sentiment in eastern Iowa is for removal and replace. Uh, and that's
not ... that's not to say without a treatment option. Um, what's not to say that that works
for every community. Obviously, um, some communities have, uh, larger, smaller, uh,
populations of ash trees. Um, more resources, more developed forestry programs, um...
as far as Iowa City goes, like I said, we have approximately from our, uh, rough
estimates, 2,000 ash population. Um, I will say that we've been proactively for the last
10 years removing ash trees. Um, and have really, um, ramped up that program in the
last three. And so, um, that's basically removing trees that already show decline or, um,
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or some other, uh, symptoms, urn ... so, just trying to get `em out of our... our... our
population. So, some of the key questions for thinking about treatment, cause treatment
is one option. Urn ... is....um, age, size, condition, current health, and expected longevity
...current location. Um, these are just some of the insecticide treatment options that are
out on the market. Um ... (clears throat) ... the... the biggest two that are popular, the
imidacloprids, um, and then emamectin benzoate. Um, both of those can be applied by a
trunk injection, which is literally taking a needle and boring it into the trunk and injecting
the tree with the ... with the chemical. Um, I know that there's some talk and information
out there, research going on about, um ... um, neonicotinoids and ... and bee pollinator
population or pollinator populations. Um, all of these as far as I understand, uh, from the
information I've received from the State, are um ... have a ... neonicotinoids base except
for the emamectin benzoate. Um, so there's a trunk injection, um ... one company is
Arbor Jet. Um, a soil drench is another, uh ... uh, another type of application. Um, and
then those are kind of the rough estimates of cost. I can say talking with, um ... talking
with Chris Johnson from, uh, City of Davenport, they have a very robust, um, forestry
program. They ... they have a complete, um, inventory. Uh, they ... they contracted it out,
um, and, uh, completed it within three years and they've determined that they have
approximately, uh, 3,500 ash trees and they will be removing 3,000 and treating 500 is
their, uh, management plan. So, as I said before, um, the spread is, uh, definitely
perpetuates with, uh, with firewood and ... and human ... human interactions. So, as you
can see on the firewood pile, there's a ... the characteristic `S' shape or serpentine
galleries. (clears throat) Um, and in Iowa, we have 13 counties that have, uh, that have
been declared infested with, uh, Johnson County as the outlier, as only being one, uh,
beetle detected. So as you can see, we have Cedar, Muscatine County are our closest
counties, and then, uh, pretty much Henry, uh, next in line. So, um, as far as treatment,
the State's recommendation is, um, defer treatment until, um, until infestation is within
15 miles. So, um, we're ... we're pretty much there, we're pretty close. Um ... techniques
for, um, for detection. Folks in this picture are drawknifing the bark away from, uh, from
the branch to, uh, get at some of those galleries to see if there's, uh, see if there's any
larval activity and then as I said before, those are ... that's a picture of some of the purple
traps used to ... uh, to try and attract the males. Um ... this is, uh, kind of the, uh,
recommendations from the State and from APHIS, uh, as far as a readiness plan. Um,
comprehensive tree inventory, public education and outreach, um, review and update
your city ordinances, uh, obviously if there's no language about EAB there needs to be
some in there. Um, purchase and upgra ... upgrade equipment, urn ... uh, wood waste
utilization options. Um, currently, um ... well, in the next week I'll be meeting with, uh,
the University, um, with folks from their Facility Management and Sustainability, uh,
Department to discuss any cooperation or collaboration that we can do as far as wood
waste utilization. Um, so ... I can provide informa ... more information after that meeting.
Um ... update your contractual agreements and ... and, you know, essentially their
recommendation is lock in, um, if you can early cause everybody in town will be busy
and there will be a number of crews and ... and stormchasers, fly -by- nighters, whatnot
coming from out of town, out of state, to ... help with the cause. (mumbled) reduction,
literally removing, um, proactively removing, uh, ash populations from... from your...
from your urban forest, and uh, that one's bolded right now because that's basically what
Iowa City has been doing, uh, for ... like I said, the past 10 years and... and more
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aggressively over the last three. Uh, then preservation and treatment and then, uh, an
infestation announcement, which we do not have an infestation. We only have one
detected beetle.
Hayek/ Well we do have infestation... adjacent to us in Cedar and Muscatine, which Cedar can't
be more than 15 miles from here or ... maybe roughly 15 miles. So are we at the point of
gearing up, whatever that means?
Hall/ Um, as far as, uh, as ... far as talking with the State, Mark Shore and District Forester, uh,
Mark Bitosh, uh, we're ... we're right on the line with Cedar County being so close and...
and the detection site, yeah. So ... as far as ... essentially it's ... the recommendation
is ... don't treat and waste your money too soon, but... obviously from the counties that we
can see around us, you know, it is closing in on us.
Mims/ What does this mean in terms of, um, wood and branches and stuff that get taken out to
the Landfill and chipped and then people go pick up wood chips?
Hall/ So the State has been, uh, declared, or has been put under a federal quarantine. So
essentially no wood byproducts, um, nursery stock of ash trees or any, um, wood chips or
whatnot can be transported outside of the state ... to a ... an uninfected area without a
permit. Um, and as far as within the state, um, they recommend not transporting out of
a ... infested county, but as far as I understand, there's nothing stating that it can be
transported within city limits or whatnot like that. Um, so ... the ... the recommendation
used to be that, you know, wood c hips needed to be chipped up to one inch by one inch
diameter cause the beetle could still live within anything, uh, anything larger than that.
Um, but now with the state being under a ... a federal quarantine, um, we can ... we can
take material out to the Landfill.
Mims/ But are we at risk of materials coming in from ... those two counties to the east of us? I
mean, if somebody's doing work there. I mean, I don't know what contracts we have or
what limitations there would be if people bringing stuff into our Landfill from...
Hall/ Sure!
Mims/ ...those communities.
Hall/ Um, I mean, that's... that's definitely a risk, but, um, as far as I understand the, uh, the
quarantine that there's nothing, uh, in the language that prevents... prevents any
transporation within a... a state quarantined area.
Throgmorton/ Zach, with regard to the readiness plan, I find myself thinking a... about how I
think you said that we have an inventory of ash trees, uh, in our right -of -way.
Hall/ And ... and parks!
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Throgmorton/ And ... but no ... but not the interior of Hickory Hill, not the interior of Ryerson,
etc., etc., nor do we have an inventory I gather with regard to privately -owned land.
Hall/ Correct!
Throgmorton/ Yeah. So what I'm wondering is whether our readiness plan should not also
include working with neighborhood associations and work with ... working with voluntary
groups, uh, to ... try to ... get a more invent ... get an inventory with regard to those other
parts of the city, not... (both talking)
Hall/ Sure!
Throgmorton/ ...not City -owned land, but other parts of the city, right? So have you thought
about that as well?
Hall/ I know, um, I know the Heritage Tree group and ... it's more with, that's more with, uh,
publicly owned trees as well, but um, I know that's the only group that I've spoken with
personally, um, who was looking at doing any kind of inventorying, urn ... uh, yeah! I
mean, you know, in a perfect world, I'd love to have the whole city mapped out. Um, I
like maps. I work with maps, and that would make my job a whole lot easier because
then I would know what we need to manage, what we have to manage, even from a
public perspective, having that information, but...
Throgmorton/ It sounds to me like a way to mobilize support from the public at large. Uh,
primarily through the neighborhood associations. And then second... secondarily
through, I don't know ... I don't know who else is active these days, but uh ... uh ... other
particular sort of interest groups that, you know, do work in Hickory Hill Park, for
example.
Hall/ Yeah.
Throgmorton/ (mumbled) I don't know, other....
Hall/ Right.
Throgmorton/ ...kinds of organizations like that.
Hayek/ Does a ... a properly administered chemical treatment save a tree or does it forestall the
inevitable?
Hall/ Um, the ... I can't specifically answer that, but the models that Dr. Sader is showing, um,
that, you know, there's obviously attrition rate with, um, you know, with treatment, as
well. Um ... it can ... it can prolong. It can save some. I ... I don't have the research on
that to ... to (both talking)
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Hayek/ Yeah, but I mean I think that's information we'll need to know, if our ... if our readiness
plan or our reaction involves a mass treatment, there's a budgetary impact, and if we're
just...
Hall/ Definitely!
Hayek/ ...pushing this down the road, we may or may not want to expend the funds to
accomplish that.
Hall/ Correct!
Hayek/ And is there a mix between chemical treatment and culling, you know.
Hall/ Yep!
Hayek/ We'll need to have...
Markus/ Matt, we, um, some of us that were previously from the east, uh, have experienced this
process and we had whole neighborhoods attempt to save the trees through the chemical
treatments, with direct injections into the trees, and ... and I think they had some success
in that regard but it's an expensive proposition, and I think at the end, um, those trees, uh,
ultimately succumb to the, uh, beetle. Uh, so I ... you know, I ... how much we would go
into that area, I think ultimately culling is probably the most efficient process to ... to deal
with the problem. But you had neighborhoods, like you saw. We had substantial
neighborhoods like that with beautiful canopies over the streets and they were just
devastated and ... it's a huge loss and a huge change to the (both talking)
Throgmorton/ (mumbled)
Markus/ ...neighborhood.
Throgmorton/ So what's the tree replacement thinking?
Hall/ Uh, well as we discussed before, you know, diversifying our species in what we put in.
Um, I can say right now, um, we remove about two - thirds more trees a year, not ... not
just ash, but two - thirds more trees a year, um, than we plant. Um, so, um, we're pretty
top heavy already in removals, um, you know, we have a pretty mature forest, urban
forest, and um, you know, um ... re ... replanting it is ... is ... is a tough, it's tough to do! It's
tough to keep up with your removals and your replanting. So, you now, throwing in
another component like this is going to be challenging but, um, but uh ... yeah, we just
need to diversify and ramp up our planting program.
Mims/ Is that (both talking)
Hayek/ What...
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Mims/ Is that budgetary? I mean, why you're re ... removing two - thirds than you're replanting.
Is that budgetary? In terms of not having the money to replant or...
Hall/ Um, I ... I wouldn't say that it's a... a factor of money. I mean, we have grant money from
MidAmerican, uh, Trees Please grant money that we, you know, spend every year. So
you know, we have enough money. Um ... um, you know, honestly being in in five
months, I don't ... I don't know all the ins and outs (laughs) as far as what the history of it
is. I'm ... I'm still learning that, to be honest (laughs) with you. Um, so ... I personally
hope to ramp that up. I think our Arbor Day program could be, um, bolstered quite a bit.
Um, so that's one of my goals.
Botchway/ You mentioned collaboration with like the University. Is t his going to entail, you
know, possible inventory, you know, will they possibly seek students from (mumbled)
departments to go out and do that type of thing? I mean, I guess I'm ... I'm kind of asking
and requesting to see whether or not that conversation's going to take place.
Hall/ Sure! No, I ... that ... yep, exactly! I ... I ... that conversation will take place. That's another
one of my goals is to get at least one or two interns in the next year to do some, either
um, either mapping, um ... um ... just with (mumbled) or actually going out and shooting
points, but at least doing some kind of inventorying that's better than what we have right
now.
McCarthy/ What gets done with infested trees that are removed? Is it useful for anything besides
burn for fuel or... (noise on mic) Thanks! Or... or are there other options that other
communities have pursued with infestations?
Hall/ Sure! Um, it kind ... it really kind of depends on the area and the I guess market. If...if you
can say. Actually Tom and Geoff and I were just talking about this, uh, earlier. Um, in
Ft. Collins we had a local milling operation that we would take, um, just regular street
trees or, you know, other trees that we would remove and... and they would utilize them.
Um, and then we would also give away wood chips to the community and whatnot. Um,
but without a market for wood milling or... or then kiln drying the wood to kill the beetles
or ... or whatnot, um, you know, our options are pretty limited, um, as far as ... as far as
what we can do with it.
Botchway/ So I guess my next question is, is ... all right, well we just talked about the fact that
Cedar County's, you know, right down the road, I mean, are we ... are you asking for us to
say go ahead and do a, you know, some type of plan or push forward or what are we ... I
guess...
Markus/ We're gearing up. You'll see some recommendations in this upcoming budget to ... to
deal with the program (several talking)
Botchway/ Okay.
Hall/ Yeah, that was a point I was going to get to. There's, yeah, there's some requests.
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Botchway/ Okay.
Throgmorton/ So I need to state what I think is really obvious (clears throat) and that is for the
core neighborhoods in Iowa City, the tree canopy's enormously important, the streetscape
depends overwhelmingly on those trees. The quality of the streetscape. So at a minimum
we need to have a pretty aggressive tree replacement strategy in mind. And I ... I mean,
the two - thirds thing as you referred to, uh, worries me.
Hall/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ If we start wiping out trees on these ... on these streets, which we'll have to do,
without replacing them... this... this will be very harmful for those core neighborhoods.
Botchway/ Well and then the next question I have is, I mean, and I don't know when
necessary... whether this is going to be part of the recommendations. I'm sure it's going
to be part of the process. What type of communication are we going to have, um,
regarding that? So obviously if you see a whole bunch of trees, you know, disappearing,
um, you know, what type of communication we give to the community, obviously the
neighborhoods, um, and good communication, you know, not just ... um ... some
convoluted piece of material that nobody really understands, because you know while
this presentation is good, if there's any way to get in like a minute, you know, kind of
spiel for the casual reader, obviously like myself who's just going to read it for that
minute and move on...
Hall/ Sure!
Botchway/ ...to let me know of like the possible, uh, problems with this from happening. So...
Hall/ Yeah, that's a ... that's another one of my goals, um, you know, the public education piece
is huge, like I said. Um, ramping up our ... uh, Arbor Day program will, you know, be in
conjunction with that. The City as a whole is in the process of redesigning our web site.
Our ... uh, Facebook page, our ... our own personal web site for the Forestry and Parks
program will be redesigned with a focus on this, um, outreaching to the neighborhood
associations, um, in conjunction with the University, with the State Forest Service. Uh,
Thursday I'm meeting with the Iowa Arborists Association, um, board ... board members
to kind of discuss with them how they can, you know, help get involved. Essentially I'm
learning who all the players are and who I need to get in touch with and... and make it
happen.
Hayek/ Okay. Well this was a good overview, introduction to ... to this stressing issue, but we
look forward to the staff recommendations and ... come up with a plan!
Hall/ All right!
Hayek/ Thanks, Zach!
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Hall/ Thank you (several responding)
Throgmorton/ Thank you, Zach!
Hayek/ Welcome to the organization!
Hall/ Thank you! Glad to be here!
Hayek/ Okay, let's move on to, uh, an update from Tom on the, uh, Board of Regents' meeting.
Iowa Board of Regents Meeting in Iowa City re: property and facilities (addition):
Markus/ Sure. The Board of Regents is in town this week. They're going to be meeting here
Wednesday and Thursday. And as you recall, uh, the City staff put a pretty substantial
report together initially about PILOT agreements. And so as a result of all of that, um,
the Board of Regents' staff has come back with a proposed policy and if you look in your
late handout documents, um, I'd suggest you go to that particular, uh, draft of the
proposed policy. I think initially it is a, uh, good attempt, uh, to start to address this
issue. First it creates a policy, um ... and prior to beginning the entity is required to notify
the executive director of the Board of Regents, so that the ... the executive director and the
staff of the Board of Regents can actually look at, uh, the poli ... or the particular PILOT
agreement. Uh, it eliminates in perpetuity agreements. You recall that was one of our
criticisms of... of the agreement that we evaluated. It had a perpetual, uh, timeframe,
which is no timeframe at all. (clears throat) And I think that was coincident with the fact
that that particular PILOT agreement was occurring within a tax increment financing
district, a slum and blight district, which is another topic unto itself. Um... and the other
provision that we addressed was that in that particular case, all of the proceeds were
going to one taxing jurisdiction, the municipal taxing jurisdiction, instead of being
dispersed to the County, the School District, and the other jurisdictions that would
traditionally be eligible for, uh, that type of funding. So we reviewed it and knowing that
we were also going to be talking about the, um ... late dispersal policy this evening, I
decided to just submit to you copies of the actual policies. There is a, uh, substantial
report from the Board of Regents' staff, which I can submit to you, but for the purposes
of this discussion and because I was sending it out late to you, I just wanted to give you
the proposed policy by the Board of Regents, and then show you the policy, um, that the
Administrative staff of your city submitted to the Board of Regents. And in fact, I met
with, uh, Bob Donnelly today, who's the Executive Director of the Board of Regents and
we had a, um, I thought a very positive conversation about, uh, what they have done, and
then I walked him through our particular report, and the proposed policy that, uh,
amendments that we would have suggested in terms of, um, this whole PILOT policy,
and so what we recommended and what you'll see if you look at our particular policy, is
that, um, their policy initially was limited to just PILOT agreements, and we have
suggested that it be recommended, that the policy address all types of service agreements
between the institution, the educational institutions and the local governments that they
would have those arrangements with. You recall that, you know, we have, uh, service
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agreements, uh, for example for fire service. In that particular case the fire service
agreement is, uh, specifically called out and identified in State law here. But then there
was also a, uh, a pretty substantial discussion, as you recall, the PILOT agreement
discussion, about the parking facilities and the difference between our parking facility
and the parking facility in the PILOT... associated with that PILOT agreement that we
had talked about. And the significant cost differential there. So we wanted, um, the
policy to be expanded to include not just PILOT agreements, but service agreements as
well. And the objective, of course, is to, um, ultimately get to a point where these types
of agreements, um, reimburse for the actual costs of services, and so we've added some
provisions to address that kind of, uh, situation, as well. So one of the requirements,
additional requirements we suggested that the Board of Regents incorporate in their
policy is that the statement comparing the terms of the agreement to similar agreements
or arrangements with other municipalities should be a requirement of the policy so that if
the staff goes ahead, or the, uh, yeah, the staff of, um, the University and the jurisdiction
that they're entering into an agreement with, they would have to submit not just the
agreement, but they'd have to show, uh, what comparable agreements look like in other
jurisdictions at the other institutions, as well. And quite frankly we think that that's very
consistent with, um, the general policies that are incorporated, if you read the Board of
Regents' policies about equity and fairness in terms of how they treat, um, different, uh,
institutions and the agreements that those institutions have. That's pretty well identified
in their general policy statement. Uh, the other thing that we, uh ... um, talked about was
a concurrence from the applic ... applicable public, uh, assessor, or to, um, check to see
what, again, what comparable, um ... information was available as to the cost of those
services. One of the things that we noted in the previous agreement is the Assessor
hadn't calculated the value that was used, um, against the tax rate and then once
extrapolated, um, what that number related to and how that number was derived. So we
wanted to make sure that the policy included some language that addressed the issue of
...of relating, you know, the value of that building and getting those values established by
the local assessor of that particular jurisdiction. And then the other item that we added to
the, um, agreement, and you'll note that in these late handouts, these are some of the ... if
you ... if you look at that ... that policy amendment, you'll see that we've added and
subtracted different language, but there's an explanation, uh, need for a PILOT
agreement versus a service agreement. In most respects we believe that, um, the
arrangements can, uh, probably be, um, better addressed through a service agreement,
and the advantage from my perspective on a service agreement is that it... it identifies the
service that's being contracted for specifically and then you can monitor that cost from
year to year to make sure that ... that the agreement itself is reimbursing for actual costs,
delivered to that particular facility, um, that the University would operate. And then
finally we suggested that, uh, the policy statement should include annual review and an
adjustment mechanism to assure that it remains consistent with the orig ... original intent
of the agreement. Typically policy or, uh, PILOT agreements can be done on a service
basis or they can be done on a ... a replacement of tax type of basis, and I think when you
talk about a replacement of tax kind of basis, that gets to be a little bit, um ... uh, trickier
in terms to nail down exactly, you know, what's ... what the exchange of service and
receipt of service is from the jurisdiction back to the, uh, educational institution. So like I
said, we met today, uh, Bob Donnelly and myself. Uh, initially we thought that we
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might, uh ... uh, be making a presentation to the Board of Regents. Uh, Don ... uh, Mr.
Donnelly suggested that, um, he would speak with the various committee members, um,
and that, um, he felt that what we had written was appropriate. Um, that it,
urn ... deserved, um, consideration by the committee, and that he would speak to those
individuals and attempt to, uh, encourage them to incorporate it. If there was a concern
about incorporating these changes at this point, the other option was to defer this ... this
matter, uh, to the December meeting of the Board of Regents and then bring it up at that
point. He indicated that he would be in communication with me during this process, and
so my expectation is that, uh, he'll let me know how his discussions go and if in fact, uh,
there's a need for us to attend the Board of Regents' meeting, um, I've spoke to the
Mayor and the Mayor pro tem and, uh, we will try and make ourselves available to stress
the points that we made. We wanted you to be aware of this, um, we ... I have sent the
letter with these changes, and so I wanted you to be aware that, uh, this, uh, this had
happened. Uh, we received this late last week and so, uh, staff scrambled to evaluate the
proposal, um, to send a letter, um, and a ... and an accompanying, uh, amended policy so
that they could see what the policy would look like, if they incorporated the suggestions
that we were making in the letter. Um, we were complimentary of the Board of Regents
for taking this up because it is one of the suggestions we made, um, that they should have
a policy on PILOT agreements, uh, so that there was consistency. Again that is
consistent with their whole argument about equity, in terms of how they deal with, um,
the institutions across, um, the Board of Regents' responsibility. So, with that, um ... uh,
I'll be glad to answer any questions you have at this point. We ... I, you know, at this
point, I trust, uh, the communication I had with Mr. Donnelly, that he will carry that
message and um ... hopefully they will enhance their policy to incorporate these things.
Again, I would say to you that, you know, we ... we drafted that initial PILOT report some
months ago. We had communications with University officials. We had
communications with Board of Regents, um, and Board of Regents' staff, uh, we
conveyed our views on these things. Uh, we weren't certain that the existing agreement
would be altered, urn ... our objective was to make sure that it was not repeated, and I
think this is an attempt to refine that process and to make those types of agreements, uh,
more representative of a fair, um, relationship in terms of the service delivered and the
cost for those. Um ... I guess that ... the other thing I would stress to you is, I think we
have a good relationship with the University. It's im ... paramount that we maintain that,
um, they are the major employer in our area and the major generator of a lot of tourist,
uh, interest and attraction to our community, um, and at the same time I think it's
important for us to engage in ... in issues that we think impact us and impact our
competitive... competitiveness, so ... that's why we've taken this issue on and I ... I feel
good about the ... the dialogue we had today. So ... wanted you to know that.
Mims/ Well I want to thank staff for ... I know you got the original stuff from the Board of
Regents. They sent their stuff out kinda late last week and... you folks have spent a lot of
time looking at it and analyzing it, and I think coming back with a very, uh, reasonable
response in terms of some issues that ... that, from the City's perspective, we felt were
important to be included, um, in that policy and... appreciate the time and effort you've
put into that, and ... and the direct communication because I think when you can sit down
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and talk to people and explain why ... why we have this view, um, that certainly helps in
terms of building those relationships. So, appreciate the time and effort.
Hayek/ Yeah, I'd echo that. I would commend Tom's, uh, engagement on this issue and ... and
his interactions with both the Regents office and uh, the President's office. We ... we've
talked to them as well. These are important relationships, and there's a strong rapport, I
think. So ... please keep us posted.
Mims/ Yep!
Markus/ We will. I'd just like to reiterate — I think Mr. Donnelly is, um ... was, um ... appreciative
of our input, and I ... and I think that was completely sincere. So...
Mims/ Good! Good!
Review of Late Handouts Policy (IP3 Info Packet of 10/16):
Hayek/ All right! Next item is review of late handouts policy. What are we gonna do?
Mims/ I have a suggestion... since I kinda started this thing (laughs) Um, I think a lot of us find
ourselves in a situation where we get these late handouts emailed to us at 3:00 on
Tuesday afternoon and all of us except Jim work, but I'm sure Jim's schedule is busy too,
and so trying to actually look at these things, and I think people have the expectation if
they're emailed to us they kind of have the expectation, `Well of course you've read it
before you get here at 5:00!' Um, I'd like to propose that we set the deadline Monday
afternoon at whatever time Marian needs to set it so they can get it out to us before they
leave at 5:00. Okay? So with respect to her so that they're not staying here till 5:30,
6:30, 7:30 at night to get it out. So I would leave that to Marian if people agree, and then
anything that comes in after that ... that is relevant to our meeting, we would get in hard
copy at our meeting. So people understand, if it doesn't make that late handout, we're
not gonna see it till we walk in here at 5:00, because literally even if I get it electronically
at 3:00, I'm not typically seeing it till I get here at 5:00 anyways, but people have the
expectation that we've seen it and then anything that comes in after that cut -off that's not
related to this meeting, just goes in this week's packet. That's my suggestion.
Throgmorton// How bout noon instead?
Mims/ Pardon?
Throgmorton/ How bout noon on Tuesday instead?
Mims/ I'm still not gonna guarantee I see it. I mean I'm in my office working and if I've got
client appointments and...
Throgmorton/ I mean, I think a couple crucial things are first, uh, any ... we can't do anything,
shouldn't do anything that inhibits the public's ability to speak, write on a topic that we'll
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be addressing during the meeting that night. So if they ... they can't get it to us before a
certain deadline date, we ... we still need to accept it, you know.
Mims/ Right!
Throgmorton/ But then the second thing is, we all know we can't necessarily really read
everything we get in hard copy, uh, to ... you know, late in the day. It's just ... so the
public really needs to know that very clearly, that ... we'll try to read it, but we can't
guarantee that we will if it ... if it comes in hard copy after a certain time. So the only
question really is, I think, at what time should we get the electronic.
Botchway/ And what was your suggestion again?
Mims/ Monday afternoon. So we'd at least have it 24 hours ahead. So I've at least got Monday
night to read it. I can stay up till... whatever time I need to if something comes in that's
really important. If it comes in to me any time on Tuesday, I can't guarantee that I'm
going to get a chance to read it. It just depends on my work schedule, and ... but I think if
people see that, oh, there's a noon, Tuesday cut -off or there's a 3:00 Tuesday cut -off, I
think the public assumes that we're gonna have the time and take the time to read that.
So ... I think having the Monday cut -off, saying if it comes in after this we'll hand it to
`em in hard copy but...
Dickens/ It could be deferred.
Mims/ It ... right! If it's really important we can always defer it. If there's late information that
comes in that we haven't had a chance to read. But anything that comes to me on
Tuesday, I cannot promise anybody that I've read it before I walk in here. I just...
Hayek/ I mean I think it's a good app ... you know, staff's concern was that, you know, we... they
can't keep documents from us that come in late, and I understand that. So if something
comes in late, late defined by whatever we set it up as.
Mims/ Right.
Hayek/ You know, would still in ... would still be sitting here at 5:00 when we walk in. So we
would get it. Um ... but ... but I agree, I don't want anything coming to me electronically
on Tuesdays, because l... Monday night is my last chance really to review things.
Tuesdays I typically can't.
Mims/ Right.
Hayek/ So ... so that's why I need it by ... by some reasonable time on Monday, and then if the rest
comes in in a stack that we have physically on our desks here at 5:00 on Tuesday, that's
fine! (both talking) but we have to have that educational piece where we...
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Throgmorton/ Yeah, I'm wondering what ... what signal do people currently get, Marian, in terms
of expectations with regard to our ability to actually read stuff that comes in late
handouts.
Karr/ Well I can't give the message on the expectation of whether each individual Council
Member's going to read it. I think what we project is the policy. We as staff will deliver
it electronically to you at 3:00. I think the expectation is because it's delivered at 3:00, it
will be considered. We never say whether it's going to be read or not read or ... we
encourage people to make the packet deadline so they have ample time over the weekend
to read it in context with everything else.
Throgmorton/ I'm wondering how strong that encouragement is.
Karr/ Well we ... all we can do is encourage it. Individuals ... I can tell you some individuals
don't want it buried in the packet. They want it...
Mims/ As a late handout.
Karr/ ...as a late handout, or separately, because they believe it isn't then buried, and it may be
read... differently than in context with everything else. And I can't ... we certainly
encourage that and we certainly can ... can also add, as you just clarified now, is that it
cannot possibly be read if everybody waited until a late handout on Monday evening.
And then you jeopardize the item ... the item being considered, whether it be deferred or it
be considered without your input because it can't be read. We can deliver those
messages, but how people receive them ... um...
Throgmorton/ Yeah, of course.
Karr/ I think there's also an expectation that if they send an email it's going to you directly.
Throgmorton/ I think that's true as well. If it goes to council @iowa - city.org, people think that.
Karr / And we can certainly... yeah, and we certainly can clarify that on the web site, but again,
how people wish to read that.
Mims/ Is it possible with that, I hadn't really thought of it from that perspective. Is it ... possible
that the...that there's an automatic reply sent from the email...
Karr/ There is!
Mims/ There already is? Okay.
Karr/ Yes, there is. And that automatic reply ... just made a note I'll double check that, but again
it probably says something to the effect it will be automatically ... it'll be electronically
sent at 3:00 or hand...
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Throgmorton/ Does ... oh, I'm sorry!
Karr/ No, go ahead! (both talking) But I will take a look at that as well.
Mims/ Okay! Thank you.
Throgmorton/ Didn't mean to interrupt. Uh, does the automatic reply say something like this: If
you want individual Council Members to have a chance to read this, before the meeting,
you ... contact them individually.
Karr/ It doesn't...
Throgmorton/ ...or something like that.
Karr/ It doesn't say that directly because once again if it's Council correspondence and a
majority of you are getting it, we like to have it go through one source so we can archive
it. What it does say is that individual Council Members ... the web site, not the automatic
reply. The automatic reply is very short. This'll be distributed to Council either at their
next meeting or if it's an agenda item, at 3:00 on ... on Tuesday. It will now change ... if
they wish to contact you individually, we certainly offer that ... those options on your
Council contact page. All ... the only thing that comes to my office is if they use the
Council. I do not see what you individually get.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Karr/ So therefore the automatic reply that I'm referring to is only to the Council site.
Mims / Right.
Throgmorton/ Well I can say I ... I've always thought that anything addressed to Councilkiowa-
city.org should come to the Council Members first, and ... and also maybe, you know, to
staff, as well, cause I know staff likes to respond, and I ... I get that. Uh, but I think if it's
addressed to the Council, the Council ought to get it.
Mims/ The Council does get it.
Throgmorton/ Well, I know but you know, when it's sent. Not like a week and a half later or
something, which sometimes happens. You know, the next Council packet we'll see
something that was ... was sent a week and a half earlier.
Hayek/ Well are people all right with Susan's suggestions. So a 3:00 cut-off ...for...
Karr/ The cut -off will ... will move from Tuesday to Monday, whatever that cut -off is that we
make...
Hayek/ Yeah...
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Karr/ ...to ensure it's out by 5:00 (several talking)
Hayek/ Yeah. That... exactly!
Throgmorton/ I'm okay as long as...
Karr / And we'll take a look at updating the web site with that message and the automatic replies,
as well.
Hayek/ Okay.
Throgmorton/ As long as we all obviously do understand if anybody submits something in
writing after that .... it, or anything after that time, we'll still get it in (both talking)
Mims/ Hard copy.
Karr/ If it's on the agenda!
Mims / Right.
Karr/ If it's related to the agenda. If it's...
Throgmorton/ Understand.
Karr/ ... general correspondence or not time - sensitive, you will not.
Throgmorton/ Understand.
Botchway/ So 3 ... we're going with 3:00?
Hayek/ I think there's...
Mims/ Well Marian's got to figure it out so that she can get it out by 5:00 (several talking)
Botchway/ ...I was going to say 12. I mean it depends on your schedule.
Mims/ Yeah.
Karr/ Um...
Throgmorton/ 12 on Monday?
Botchway/ Yeah!
Mims/ I mean my point is I think Marian needs to set the time so that they're not staying here...
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Botchway/ Right.
Mims/ ...after 5:00, simply to get out...
Dilkes/ ...time set now for when she needs stuff in order to get it out by 3:00. So ... all ... all you
need to tell her I think is 5:00 (both talking)
Karr/ If we find abuse, but I think that's ... what we do is we say we distribute at 3:00. If
we ... and we do not say we have to have by noon to distribute at 3:00.
Botchway/ Oh okay.
Karr/ So what we're saying here is, we distribute at 5:00 on Monday. Whatever it takes, we'll
take care of it. If we see abuse happening, then we will come back and set a deadline.
Mims/ Okay.
Karr/ If we see a lot of people waiting until 10 minutes to 5:00, I assure you we will make that
adjustment.
Botchway/ Okay.
Mims/ Okay!
Hayek/ Thank you!
Mims/ All right.
Hayek/ You still there, Michelle? (laughter) Oh boy! (laughter)
Karr/ Michelle?
Hayek/ She may have us on mute or something. She may be...
Payne/ I have to take it off mute for you to hear me. (several talking and laughing) I'm still
awake!
Hayek/ All right!
Dickens/ Still awake! (laughs)
Throgmorton/ Hi, Michelle! Hang in there!
Information Packet Discussion (October 9, 16):
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Hayek/ Uh, okay, Info Packet discussion. First is October 91h
Mims/ I just wanted to comment just real quickly on the memos from Housing on the grant
notifications. Nice to see a little extra money for some of those good programs.
Hayek/ And I commend the City Attorney's office on the, uh, informative, uh, lengthy response
on the ... on the DOJ matter. Those ... very well done!
Mims/ Yes! A lot of reading. I'm sure a lot of research on your part! (laughs)
Dilkes/ I had help!
Hayek/ Okay. October ... I'm sor ... yeah, October 16th.
Throgmorton/ IP #7, when whites get it. The three columns by Nicholas Christoff that, Tom, I
think you put in the packet. I think they're, uh, really compelling. I'm glad you put `em
in there. I ... I think this is a crucial issue that ... the columns reveal a lot about how crucial
the issue is.
Mims/ Yeah, I think they were really good and ... I'll just tie into that. It's part of Council time
too, but they're showing the film for the second time, Thursday at 6:30 at 100 Phillips
Hall, "Woke up Black," and uh, it's been shown before but it's being shown again.
Doors open at 6:00, starts at 6:30. Again, 100 Phillips Hall on the University Campus
this Thursday night. So...
Hayek/ Thank you. Marian, the joint meeting is on ... the Info Packet.
Karr/ Right. Are there any agenda items you'd like me to submit, it's ... it's scheduled for next
Monday.
Hayek/ So this is going to occur on the October 27th, days before the election. I can't imagine a
lot will happen at this joint meeting. But...
Botchway/ I mean, if there was any way to add in, I mean this is obviously up to us as well, add
in the discussion or the letter from, um...
Hayek/ I wouldn't do it before the election!
Botchway/ I'd love to have the discussion though, I mean ... either, I mean, I was going to say
actually for the MPO meeting but urn ... I think we should have the discussion. I actually
want to have it before the election.
Throgmorton/ I think it directly relates to the MPO's work with regard to affordable housing.
It's a direct connection.
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Hayek/ It relates to all of those things, um, but we do have a LOST on the ballot and ... we should
give some thought as to, you know, what kind of discussion in advance of November 5 th
It's going to have an impact on that. That ... that's my feeling.
Mims/ I would agree. I think I'd wait for the next one.
Throgmorton/ (mumbled)
Mims/ I think I would wait for the next meeting to put that on.
Hayek/ Whether it's the MPO or the next joint meeting.
Mims/ Joint meeting, yeah.
Hayek/ Or both.
Botchway/ Then my next thing is, um, is there any way we could have a discussion, I know it's
kinda late in the game, uh, about decorum... during this meeting.
Throgmorton/ During which meeting?
Botchway/ During the joint meeting.
Throgmorton/ How ... how do you mean?
Botchway/ Um, basically just decorum between cities and counties, and cities and cities, just
talking about other elected officials, um, just speak to each other basically.
Throgmorton/ Oh, like inter - governmental relations kinda stuff.
Botchway/ Basically, yeah.
Throgmorton/ Well, it is an issue.
Hayek/ Yeah, although the last one, the one in Tiffin, was ... I mean, it was a healthy debate. It
was pretty rigorous...
Botchway/ Well it's never ... it's never the issue where, you know, the cameras are rolling. It's
usually the, you know, the pot shots, you know, on, uh, on the newspaper the next day
or ... or something like that, that I think I'm literally trying to address. Um, because, you
know, normally when we're sitting there, it's never brought up or everybody's treating
each other cordially but, um ... I think it's ... it's after the fact, I mean, is the ... I think is the
real problem, or at least from my standpoint, is the problem.
Dickens/ (mumbled) ..referring to like the last MPO meeting, when they pretty much tried to shut
down the discussion on affordable housing or...
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Botchway/ Um, that but I mean I assumed that was going to happen. I'm more just talking
about, you know, just ... just issues when it ... when we had the situation with, um, Von
Maur and, you know, uh ... uh, people being upset in the newspaper, uh, County officials
being upset and, you know, kind of, uh, using some choice words for, um ... for City
officials in the newspaper, I mean basically that's... that's what I'm trying to get to.
Throgmorton/ When ... when I think about what you're speaking about, Kingsley, I think about
particular exchanges in, uh, that are highly personal in character.
Botchway/ Right.
Throgmorton/ Where, um .... very personal criticisms are directed at individuals, rather than
focusing attention on particular issues or topics that are of concern and about which
people disagree. So the question is how ... cou ... could we, I think the point you're
raising, question you're raising, is could we discuss that, how ... how to take the
personal...
Botchway/ Yeah.
Throgmorton/ ...the very personal out of...public statements.
Botchway/ Yeah.
Throgmorton/ Uh ... A...
Mims/ I'll tell you what I think will happen. If Iowa City puts that on an agenda, all you're
doing is opening yourself up for even more criticism about how people are going to say
we think we're better than everybody else. And ... you know, how we're ... or we're so
sensitive to criticism that we can't take it. I ... I think it's ... I think it's an issue where if
people are... respectful and thoughtful in their engagement of other people, they will
continue to be, and if they aren't, this conversation won't change them. It won't make
them be that way, but even bringing this into the public realm, and I hate even talking
about it with the media here in the room (laughs) because I think it just ... I ... I really think
it opens us up for just more pot shots. That we're cry babies, that we (both talking)
Botchway/ I feel like that won't stop regardless and so I want to have at least some discussion
about it. I mean, that's my ... I mean, at least to say, you know, just ... Jim articulated it
very well, you know, simply taking the personal out of it. If it's issue - based, if you feel
like Iowa City isn't doing something correctly, then say `Iowa City isn't doing anything
correctly.' Don't say ... I'm not saying this is actually the case so don't quote me
(laughter) but like not say like Matt ... Matt Hayek, Mayor Matt Hayek doesn't do this
particular thing when it's not Mayor Matt Hayek. It might just be a City policy, and
that's where I'm ... that's the personal stuff that ... I just would not ... and I just want to
bring it up in a joint meeting, where we're all there and we're all, you know, happy and
you know (laughter) slapping hands and everything else (laughter) talk about it to that
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extent, and you know if it's any ... if it's anything like the last meeting (laughter) there
won't be any hub -bub and everybody will say, you know, we'll make a concerted effort,
but I guess I just want to bring it up to make sure that people say that they'll make some
type of effort publicly.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I ... I think it's a matter of personal practice and there's no way we ... we
could or should try to... shape the way in which the elected officials interact with other
people. We cannot do that and should not do that.
Botchway/ I totally agree.
Throgmorton/ What we can do is focus on our own behavior, what we do. That's... that's all I'd
(both talking)
Mims / And /or if somebody treats you disrespectfully, or me, we can have that personal
conversation with them about ... how they behaved towards us, but...
Dickens/ (mumbled) ...I don't think you're gonna change the way other people do. I mean we...
Hayek/ I would ... I would say that ... that the kind of commentary you're talking about tends to
come from the same people, um, it's my perspective at least, and I don't know that it
would help to create an agenda item in a joint meeting setting to address that. I ... would
prefer, and I've done this myself, uh, to meet directly with people I think are taking pot
shots, to use your term, and I've done it, urn ... and ... I, well I don't know what the long-
term effect will be but ... but I ... but I think, uh, you know, they're highly personalized
statements and you ... you will not be able to control, um, who says what within an
instit ... within a governing body, you know, individuals are elected and they've... they've
got their own approach to, uh, speech.
Dickens / And if you don't like the way they talk about ya, don't vote for `em! (laughter)
(mumbled)
Hayek/ Yeah. I mean, I ... I don't ... I don't disagree that it's an issue. I ... I just, and I'll give
some more thought to your comments, but my instincts are ... to not create an agenda
item, I guess for... for this meeting.
Botchway/ Okay.
Hayek/ So ... I'll chew on it.
Karr/ Are there any agenda items?
Mims/ I don't have any.
Throgmorton/ I didn't think of any prior to coming into our meeting today.
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Hayek/ Staff have anything?
Markus/ No. I was just glad earlier when we were talking about emerald ash borer that it wasn't
attributed to the movement of city managers across the country. (laughter)
Hayek/ That's right! (laughter) You know, I mean would emerald ash borer be an item
we'd ... we bring to the joint meeting? This ... if they find a bug in Iowa City they're
going to find it in University Heights.
Throgmorton/ Why not? I mean ... it's going to be a very big issue around here I think.
Mims/ Yeah, we could. Just have ... (several talking)
Hayek/ You guys up ... to the task of, uh, a more abbreviated but generalized, uh, presentation?
Hall/ Sure! (away from mic)
Hayek/ I'm gettin' some furrowed eyebrows over there. Are you guys ... (laughter and several
talking)
Throgmorton/ He's just remembering all the firewood he carried across the state line (laughter)
Markus/ Gettin' stopped at the Mackinaw Bridge! (laughter)
Hayek/ I mean we ... we, you know our ... I ... I don't know if our level of engagement on this
issue in Iowa City is ... is, uh, greater than our neighbors in the area but we should ... we're
all in the same ... EAB boat (several taking) um ... and...
Throgmorton/ Well you know I ... I don't know if y'all remember but last formal meeting I
started blathering on about something and what I was talking about was ... how I think we
need a ... a ... a biodiversity preservation strategy... that relates to what's called the ... the
sixth great mass extinction. I was talking with Zach about that a little bit earlier today.
There are all sorts of occurrences like this, and ... and there's great worry among
biologists, uh, worldwide. So (laughs) and we own a whole bunch of city land, I mean,
the City owns a whole bunch of land and so we could be engaging the public in... in
trying to develop a strategy that might have some marginal benefit around here, and you
know, they ... we could extrapolate that to the county scale... with... with cooperation.
Council Time:
Hayek/ Okay. Let's, uh, wrap up here. Uh, Council time.
Botchway/ Uh, briefly I wanted to mention, uh, the creation of a ... kind of like a Johnson County,
um, hunger... something, I don't know what it's ... I don't think it's a task force right now.
I think it's just some preliminary thoughts, um, between a lot of affected individuals,
funders, um ... food distributors, uh, also um, people who are providing services, and
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hopefully some people who are receiving those services to try to be a little more, you
know, collaborative, um, or make ... making a collaborative effort, uh, regarding hunger in
this area. I think the Crisis Center, you know, throw out, you know, 18,000 as far as
people being... and people in need and, um, I went to that first meeting and it was a... it
was an interesting meeting. It was one of those meetings where you kind of like, you
know, write something down and see what other people say and stuff like that, and um, it
seemed really ... a lot of the people that were there seemed to really like it and enjoy it,
but um, and ... but I think the discussion's going to go a little bit further next time, you
know, um ... you know, looking for potential problems and hopefully looking for some
solutions later on, but .... um, just wanted you to know that I was going to those meetings
and...
Hayek/ Yeah!
Botchway/ ... sounds like a good thing and it seems like, you know, again, you know, United
Way was there. Um, all ... most of the service agencies was there. Coralville was there.
Um, emails were sent out to, um, some of the other, uh, smaller cities in Johnson County
and so, um, seems to be a good effort.
Hayek/ Keep us posted! Thanks!
Throgmorton/ Matt, I'm just noticing what time it is. I didn't realize time had been flying
so ... by so quickly. I ... I want to propose a work session topic, if...if it's all right to kind
of jump to that.
Hayek/ Yeah!
Pending Work Session Topics (IP6 Info Packet of 10/16):
Throgmorton/ In the last, uh, meeting and a little bit before that we've had several suggestions
about, uh, urging us to create a citizens advisory committee, uh, to help the staff develop,
uh, a climate mitigation and adaptation strategy. I think that's a really good idea. Um,
but what I want to suggest is that we put that on our work schedu ... uh, work, uh, work
session agenda as a, you know, so that we could decide whether we want to, uh,
encourage the staff to do that or not.
Markus/ If you'll allow in a comment on that.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, sure!
Markus/ Um, in ... amongst the staff we've been having that conversation, and as you know we're
a part of a ... a grant project in the Midwest that's studying, um, these issues, and in
talking with Brenda Nations, um, we endorse the idea of this type of committee. The,
maybe the different point of view would be that we're not sure ... we think it might be
premature. We'd like to get the results of the study that that group is working on because
that, to use kind of EPA vernacular that kind of creates a baseline for us. And from that
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baseline I think you have the ability then to, uh, create suggestions for improvements that
I think has meaningful conversation. So, I don't have a problem putting it on the pending
list to, you know, to consider it. I just think to get `em started too soon, um, may cause
them to do a lot of wheel spinning, and you may get candidates that, you know, four
months from now may not be candidates because of life changes in their own personal
lives.
Throgmorton/ Right, right!
Markus/ So, we can put it on the pending list and with your concurrence, um, resurrect it when
we get closer to those ... that data point coming back so that I think we can give them
some direction that has much more meaning.
Throgmorton/ To me that makes a lot of sense.
Markus/ Okay. (several responding)
Meeting Schedule:
Hayek/ Other Council time? Um, meeting schedule.
Karr/ Matt, you were going to talk about, um, scheduling a County meeting on...
Hayek/ Uh, right! So ... uh...
Throgmorton/ ...with the County (both talking) Yeah!
Hayek/ Yeah. Do ... do we need to look at like rough dates?
Karr/ Well or just ... just a general ... we had talked about the last response we ... we gave to them
was suggesting after the election, and potentially after the budget, just because of
scheduling issues, but ... um...
Hayek/ We could do it be ... I mean I'm worried about the budget. Obviously we don't want to
impact that too much, but we could ... I don't think we want to wait until ... March or April
either. I would say... either after the election or very... early in January if we can avoid
much budget impact.
Throgmorton/ You know, if we can do it in November, why not? After the election.
Karr/ Take a look to see about some possible dates in November? (several talking)
Hayek/ Uh huh. Or early December, whatever. (several talking)
Karr/ We could get some possible dates and... and put it together and see. If any of you had any
dates that are off the table, please let me know and we'll...
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Botchway/ Anything after the election is ... (laughter) okay for me.
Hayek/ I ... yeah, so I guess look at November and December dates, if you would.
Karr/ Okay, thanks!
Pending Work Session Topics (IP6 Info Packet of 10/16):
Hayek/ All right. Pending work session topics.
Botchway/ Oh, and then for meeting schedule, I'm not going to be here next...
Karr / Right!
Botchway/ (mumbled)
Upcoming Community Events /Council Invitations:
Hayek/ Upcoming community events, Council invites.
Botchway/ Make sure you vote! It's comin' up!
Throgmorton/ Well Dan Burdens' gonna be here on the 20 ... 9th , 29th and also the Human Rights
Award breakfast, 29th
Hayek/ Yeah. Okay! We'll wrap it up and then come back in 20 minutes for the formal. Thank
you.
(resumed work session after formal session)
Hayek/ We're now in work session! So let's talk about, uh, scheduling.
Botchway/ So I just didn't want it scheduled for the 4th, cause I want to be part of that discussion.
That was my main concern.
Hayek/ Yeah, that's a fair point. So...
Payne/ What are we scheduling, Matt?
Hayek/ So this is the ... the discussion of the Court/Linn, uh, item that was on the work session
agenda last meeting.
Markus/ So this is the ... the meeting that you will determine who you're going to invite to
interview for the finalists.
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Karr / And then from that point you'll set another session for those presentations.
Markus/ And Kingsley's not going to be here on the 4th. We intended to have the meeting on
the...
Karr/ ...6th. The 6th is the date you had set aside previously for those presentations. So...
Markus/ But it doesn't appear that there would be adequate time between the 4th and the 6th for
those that come in. The three finalists that were recommended were Chicago,
Minneapolis, and Chicago? Or L.A.
Davidson/ Yes, um ... two in Chicago and one in Minneapolis. Right. And the fourth one is a
Colorado firm, and ... and again, you're ... you know, all six were responsive proposals, so
you're free to select any of the six or (coughing, unable to hear speaker) the six. So ... so
the top three, I believe, have made travel arrangements, which I told them for the time
being not to let o of, but if, you know, I'll let them know right away if we're not going
to do it on the 6 .
Markus/ But...
Throgmorton/ We could have the preliminary discussion on the 6th. I mean (both talking)
Hayek/ ... if... if we have the preliminary discussion...
Dilkes/ He's talking about cancelling the 6th, the travel on the 6th and having your discussion
(several talking)
Hayek/ Oh, I see. I see (several talking)
Karr/ ...your meeting on the 6th would not be the presentations. It would be your discussion on
the finalists.
Markus/ Because Kingsley can't be here on the 4th. He wants to be a part of the conversation.
Karr/ Then you would need to set a time, another time, for those presentations.
Mims / Right.
Markus/ But you could wait until that point to determine that, and you could bring to that
meeting your schedule of availability.
Throgmorton/ Right.
Dickens/ That way we wouldn't be cramming it in.
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Markus/ Which would probably mean that you'd kick it towards the end of the month or the first
part of December.
Karr/ I'll contact each of you (mumbled) We don't need to do that tonight.
Dickens/ But since we've already got the 6th scheduled, why don't we use that (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, 5:00, right?
Dickens/ 5:00 work session.
Throgmorton/ Sounds good to me!
Hayek/ Yep! Okay, so, Michelle, we're gonna ... hold that 5:00 time on November 6th and have
our initial discussion on this matter at that time. You okay with that?
Payne/ Yep, still works for me!
Hayek/ Okay. Is there anything else for the good of the order? All right, we will adjourn the
work session at this time. Have a good evening! Thank you!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work
session of October 21, 2014.