HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-26 Council minutesMINUTES
JOHNSON COUNTY ENTITIES JOINT MEETING
JANUARY 26, 2015
HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL, IOWA CITY
Present: Hayek (IC), Mims (IC), Rettig (JC), Fitzmaurice (H), Harney (JC), From (UH),
Nielsen (NL), Donahue (NL), Chipman (NL), Jackson (T), Sullivan (JC),
Hoffinan (NL), Dorau (ICCSD), Neuzil (JC), Throgmorton (IC), Goodrich (C),
Lundell (C), Carberry (JC), Kemp (H), Kirschling (ICCSD), Botchway (IC),
Payne (IC), Gill (C)
(IC = Iowa City; NL = North Liberty; C = Coralville; JC = Johnson County; H =
Hills; ICCSD = Iowa City Community School District; O = Oxford; S =
Solon; UH = University Heights; T = Tiffin; CCA = Clear Creek Amana
Schools; UI = University of Iowa)
Iowa City Staff: Dilkes, Fruin, Boothroy, Markus, Karr, Davidson, Andrew, Nagle-Gamm,
Yapp
Coralville Staff: Hayworth, Habel
Johnson County Staff. Johnson
North Liberty Staff. Heiar
CALL TO ORDER
Iowa City Mayor Hayek called the meeting to order at 4:30 P.M.
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Hayek welcomed everyone to the meeting. He then asked that those in attendance around the
table introduce themselves. Gill (C) stated that Dodds is unable to attend due to illness and that
Gross is in negotiations with the School District.
ICCSD LETTER TO AREA JURISDICTIONS REGARDING HOUSING ISSUES:
Kirschling with the Iowa City Community School District stated that Chris Lynch of the ICCSD
School Board is unable to attend today's meeting as he is in Des Moines speaking at a hearing on
school funding. Kirschling continued, thanking everyone for taking up the issue of housing and
coming today to discuss this further.
Responses and updates from:
a. Iowa City — Hayek noted that Iowa City has shared a memo that City
Manager Markus provided to Council giving some history and background on this
issue, Hayek said in late 2003 the School District wrote to the Iowa City Council,
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asking them to carefully review locations of future affordable housing. In
response to this, the Council formed the Scattered Site Housing Task Force.
Hayek reported that this group looked at a lot of the issues involved with poverty
and housing and how they impact the School District. Hayek continued, in the
beginning of 2005 the Council started to encourage a better distribution of
subsidized housing. In early 2011, the Council adopted the Affordable Housing
Location Model, which was done in collaboration with School District staff. This
is a map -based GIS system that is updated yearly and helps to show the
distribution and location of this housing stock.
Hayek noted that some of the local housing developers have not been too happy
with this model, as it has meant no Iowa City dollars being available for assisted
housing in certain parts of the community. Hayek stated, however, that Iowa City
has continued to work on this issue; and reviewed the three areas identified in the
ICCSD's letter:
■ reinvesting in neighborhoods that are more socioeconomically isolated
■ consider restricting rental units and rental density
■ considering inclusionary zoning within the community
Hayek responded that the short answer is that Iowa City is either currently doing
or looking at doing all three of these issues. In regards to reinvestment in
neighborhoods, Hayek said that this comes under one of the Council's strategic
priorities, and that it dictates what is done when it comes to budgeting and
programming. Hayek reported on highlights that Iowa City has invested in such
as neighborhood parks throughout the city that have been upgraded, as well as
numerous Parks and Recreation facilities. The City has also invested millions of
dollars in public infrastructure in the areas identified as higher poverty areas,
including such projects as streetscapes, utilities, and street improvements. Public
art is another area that Iowa City has invested in, according to Hayek. The
UniverCity program was mentioned as another program the City, in collaboration
with the University of Iowa, has undertaken to strengthen older neighborhoods.
Hayek continued, noting improvements made to several areas of town, especially
to commercial areas such as Towncrest. Also noted was the redevelopment of the
Sycamore Mall area. In regards to the restriction of rental units and rental
density, Hayek stated that the City has used its housing model to provide yearly
updates to enable the City to see exactly where the concentrations of lower-
income housing are. The South District Plan has shown a concentration in this
part of the city, and steps are being taken to alleviate this issue.
In regards to inclusionary zoning, Hayek stated that this is something that the
Council has asked staff to look into a pilot project in the Riverfront Crossings
District. As the City delves into this issue, they will be meeting with interested
stakeholders — developers, housing providers, non -profits, etc., to try and come up
with something that not only makes sense but is also realistic. Hayek added that
even if the pilot project goes well, he does not expect staff to come up with a
blanket inclusionary zoning policy citywide. Both staff and Council believe that
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any inclusionary zoning policy they may consider would need to be strategic.
Hayek stated that zoning issues represent long-term solutions to issues that are
being faced presently. He noted that many of the schools and neighborhoods
noted to be in problem areas are already developed out. Therefore, inclusionary
zoning policies won't have much effect on older, existing schools. They can,
however, make a difference in developing areas.
To summarize, Hayek stated that Iowa City takes the ICCSD's letter very
seriously and have scheduled a lot of staff and Council time around it. He
reiterated the City's stance that zoning issues are long-term approaches to these
problems that they face right now. The City of Iowa City believes that the
District needs to address the current needs as quickly as possible. Kirschling
stated that as a response, he does not believe that the purpose of the letter was to
ask the various municipalities to solve the issues, but rather to ask for some type
of discussion regarding long-term commitment, while the School District attempts
to address current issues.
b. Coralville — Lundell spoke to Coralville's City Council and staff
discussions regarding all aspects of housing within their community. He stated
that they have come up with a multi -faceted approach, ones that include looking
at new and creative funding sources to support rehabilitation and construction of
new housing units; looking at the current inventory of lower-income homes and
multi -family units to determine underutilization; looking at housing that is
targeted at the senior population and the ensuing turnover of smaller homes and
units. He then asked City Manager Hayworth to speak further to this issue.
Hayworth handed out a brief summary of what Coralville has undertaken. Three
areas that have been selected for closer review are senior housing, of which
several new projects are coming online; rehabilitation of existing housing stock;
and also a workforce housing tax credit program that the State of Iowa has
developed. This program is just now coming online, and Hayworth expects
strong competition for this program.
In regards to inclusionary zoning, Hayworth noted that all of their existing
neighborhoods are in the ICCSD, and only one has room for new development.
Like Iowa City, their older neighborhoods are already developed out. Rettig then
spoke to Coralville's three hotel/motels with long-term housing availability,
noting that she has heard some changes are coming for this type of housing
option. Rettig added that County staff has expressed concern for where these
residents will go should they have to move. Hayworth stated that one of the
places, Capri Lodge, had legal action taken against them by the City of Coralville
as they were not meeting codes and were not providing adequate housing. Capri
Lodge is set to no longer exist as of July 1, 2015. Hayworth noted that another
one of these facilities is also not meeting codes for rental housing, adding that he
believes they have undergone a change in ownership recently.
C. North Liberty — Nielsen then spoke to North Liberty's discussions
regarding the ICCSD's letter. She stated that historically North Liberty has done
a pretty good job of spreading out the different housing types. Nielsen shared
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what the City has been doing to tackle housing issues, especially with their
growth, such as adding a rental inspector position to the City. There are nine
properties in North Liberty that receive public funding, and the City does
contribute to the Housing Trust Fund. Nielsen stated that they have been careful
in their planning and zoning as their city has grown over the years. Rettig asked
if North Liberty has considered some type of inclusionary zoning around the
newer schools, such as other communities have mentioned. Nielsen stated that in
their conversations, the Council felt that inclusionary zoning as a whole was not
something that was appropriate for North Liberty. She added that this could,
however, be something they consider for specific areas. Hoffman said the land
across the road already has site plans drawn up, and added that what they have
had good luck with is a mix of housing types. Payne asked what the average cost
of a duplex is in North Liberty. Nielsen replied that she has assessed values for
condos and single-family homes, which shows the median value of single-family
at approximately $181,500 and condos at $95,500. Nielsen added that their
existing residential housing units are approximately 35% multi -family, 38%
single-family, and 17% duplex.
d. Johnson County — Sullivan noted that everyone should have the County's
handout in front of them. He began by laying out some of the spending that the
County already does, noting that the vast majority of this is directly County
property tax dollars, with a small amount of state and federal included. The
$682,000 for FYI is pretty much everyone's taxes at work. Sullivan noted that
this amount has not changed much over the years. He then moved on to six goals
that the County has set out, beginning with the first, which is to maintain the
current level of spending. Second, Sullivan spoke to a piece of land that the
Board of Supervisors owns which may be a potential for affordable housing.
They also have land out at the Poor Farm, which may hold some possibilities for
Johnson County to work with developers on affordable housing.
Sullivan then spoke to Johnson County's $12 million in General Obligation debt,
adding that they have almost $600 million in borrowing capacity. He stated that
the County does not have any particular proposals at this time, but that they would
definitely be open to exploring cooperative projects that could tap into this. A
fourth goal is working with the County Planning and Zoning Department to talk
about ways in which their ordinances might support more affordable housing.
Sullivan spoke to some of the issues they have had with county residential,
especially the mobile home parks. The biggest concerns here are sewer, water,
and transportation. Continuing, Sullivan spoke to the County's fifth goal of
working with the rest of the municipalities, stating that affordable housing is
probably not most appropriate in the county. This being said, Sullivan noted that
the County could work with any of the municipalities on affordable housing
issues. The final goal goes back to the mobile home park issue with the County.
Sullivan stated that this has been an extremely difficult issue for the Board, with
safety being a major concern for the residents living in these locations.
e. University Heights — From noted that the City of University Heights has
begun working on the issue of affordable housing. They held a work session on
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January 19, meeting with the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition. She
noted that at this meeting they reviewed affordable housing policies and are
looking at various programs and options that may work for them.
L Hills — Kemp stated that in Hills they have limited areas for development.
He noted that the development that is occurring includes some 12-plexes, zero lot
line, and duplex units. Kemp stated that Hills certainly does offer affordable
housing.
Botchway then spoke to affordable housing and whether they have defined what
`affordable housing' means. Continuing, he noted that all of the programs he has
heard about sound wonderful, but he questioned if they actually meet the needs.
Botchway continued to speak to the realities of `affordable' housing and
suggested that they work on the definition of `affordable,' and also take into
consideration who they are trying to speak to. Sullivan noted that before they
held their discussion at the County, they looked at the updated report from Tracy
Ockenbach. By doing this, they used the definitions that were included in that
report in terms of how they approached the issue.
Throgmorton stated that it appears to him that on a regional scale they face two
problems or challenges. One is to increase the supply of affordable housing, and
the second relates to the School District. He stated that they need to find a way to
improve the socioeconomic balance among neighborhoods within the region.
Throgmorton stated that he completely agrees with Hayek's comments earlier,
that these are longer-term things that will unfold over time. Continuing,
Throgmorton stated that they need to decide what steps they can viably take to
improve this imbalance, and secondly how to know whether in fact over time they
are actually improving this balance. He stated that they need some way to
measure the change in socioeconomic balance among neighborhoods, over time.
ICCSD's Dorau thanked everyone for their time and dedication to the issue,
stating that the School District did not come to this request lightly. She stated that
the District recognizes the significant amount of work over the years that each
entity has put into these issues. Dorau stated that the District has been diligently
looking at how they can help solve this problem, and how they can partner with
the various municipalities. She stated that the District also recognizes that they
must have strong partnerships with all of the municipalities, because the District
does not control housing nor economic development within each municipality.
The District's sphere of influence is to educate children, and to help contribute to
the vibrancy and viability of communities.
Continuing, Dorau spoke to the 2013 spending revenue plan, the RPS. This,
along with the District's Master Facility Plan, which is a 10 -year multi -phase plan
with over $120 million worth of investment — not in just new property, but also
investing in existing property — is something the District has committed to, in
order to help revitalize areas within the communities, and to help attract people to
areas that are existing neighborhoods. Dorau spoke to various schools in the area
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and the neighborhoods around them, noting that they have all invested too much
to just let this issue go.
Dorau noted that in those schools that are socioeconomically isolated, the students
in these schools are doing very well. She added that the media may not be
reporting the test scores that they should, as they simply report one test score,
which is one snapshot in time for these schools. She stated that the students in
these areas are improving greatly, year after year, and that this is due to the
dedicated faculty and staff at these facilities. Speaking to funding issues, Dorau
noted that the District has had their funding continually cut year after year, and
unlike the municipalities, they do not have the privilege of simply raising taxes to
offset these decreases in funding. Over the past 10 years, Dorau noted that the
educational spending in this state has continually decreased, leaving Iowa behind
the rest of the nation. Students are funded at over $1,500 less, per student, than
any other state, according to Dorau. Speaking to how each community can help
in this effort, Dorau noted that having a strong tax base and sustainable
neighborhoods will go a long way in this effort.
Kirschling stated that the District very much appreciates each entity taking the
time to address this issue in response to their October letter. He added that the
District looks forward to continuing these discussions and partnerships with all of
the various entities. He agreed with Dorau in that the expectations for excellence
for the District remain, despite a decrease in funding. Hayek thanked Kirschling
and Dorau for sharing the District's perspective on the issue. He stated that he is
excited about redevelopment of existing areas, and that every municipality has
these areas. Hayek spoke to the Twain Elementary neighborhood, noting that the
possibilities for this neighborhood alone are endless. The District's investment in
schools like Twain is extremely important, according to Hayek. He noted that he
really appreciated the comments regarding the growth areas and that perhaps there
are ways to help the District by helping with the planning in all of these areas. In
this way there would be some collaboration, which would help achieve the
desired effects. Dorau stated that the District recognize that there is no `silver
bullet' or panacea for this issue. It will take a multi -faceted approach, and she
added that it is nice to see that the municipalities have indeed taken a multi-
faceted approach to development of housing stock.
Sullivan asked about moving forward, stating that everyone has given their report
now on these issues and that he hates to see things just drop now. He questioned
if they should have staff from each entity keep in touch, that perhaps
municipalities could build on some things together, perhaps items identified in
their reports. Neuzil stated that to build on this, some type of measurement is
needed. He spoke to the need to identify those areas where socioeconomic
isolation is occurring, and to see if there are ways to invest in these areas.
Speaking to some of the County's areas, things like lack of sidewalks and
transportation were briefly touched on. Neuzil again reiterated that they need to
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identify these problem areas and then target them with ways to invest in these
already developed areas to make them less isolated.
Mims responded that she believes they need to look at this as a two-pronged
approach rather than stepping back. She added that she is afraid that if they just
step back, the new areas will be developed without these ideas of multiple types
of housing, thus creating the same sort of thing again. Mims stated that they need
to look at this as how can they help each other with ideas of how they can try to
ensure that they have multiple types of housing stock in the growth areas, as well
as stepping back and looking at the older neighborhoods and doing some
investing. Payne asked if they don't already know this about Iowa City from the
housing model they use. Mims stated that they do have quite a bit of information
for Iowa City.
Rettig spoke to the suggestion that Sullivan made, that each entity have at least
one staff member that work together to keep each other informed on ways they
can work together. The joint government entity group would then get an update
in six months. Dorau stated that she thinks it would be helpful for each entity to
have a representative on a task force so that data can be combined, and resources
can be shared, as some municipalities may be somewhat behind and could use
these resources. She suggested a collaborative regional approach to the issue.
Hayek agreed that each entity should have a representative for a task force, but to
put this under the umbrella of the District for some guidance. He stated that it
would maintain the theme of `School District relevance' this way, and would also
cross jurisdictions, as opposed to one entity leading it. Rettig suggested the MPO,
but others noted this is mainly for transportation matters. Hayek stated that the
concept would be similar though, that the District would have a messaging
advantage and an organizational advantage to be over this task force. Rettig again
suggested that this be under the MPO, that they would merely send out the agenda
and call the meeting. Gill stated that the MPO staff and budget are very tight. He
questioned putting this to the MPO as well, and stated that he does not believe this
is a good place to put such a task force.
Throgmorton stated that he is inclined to agree with Hayek, that if the District
would be willing to organize such a task force under their rubric, that all of the
various staffs could then come together and try to make collective sense out of the
documents they have. He added that one very important issue will be a way of
measuring whether or not they are succeeding. Donahue spoke to the MPO issue,
stating that it gives the appearance of being totally unmanageable. However, he
believes they need to reduce the affordable housing to a couple of short-term
objectives. Once these are accomplished, they would move to the next set that
everyone agrees to. He spoke to the issue of upward mobility and the importance
of this in today's society. He added that as this happens, they need to remember
to look at the older areas.
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Rettig suggested that everyone come up with a representative for them, and give
the name(s) to Andy Johnson with the County. He will then call the first meeting
to get this group together. They can then come up with a plan on how everyone
can work through these issues. Then the group can come back to the joint
government group and report out. Hoffman noted that he is in agreement with
this, and that he also wanted a slight amendment. He stated that he wondered at
the beginning if the School Board and the District would get satisfaction from the
responses and this conversation. He stated that he would like the District to lead
them through this process, as it was their request to ask each entity to participate.
He believes they need to do this in other areas as well, such as transportation, and
he strongly agreed that this is a good way to move forward. Kirschling agreed
that they need to go back and report to the School Board and District as a whole,
and that he believes they do need to move forward now and not let this drop.
Hayek thanked everyone for their input on this issue, noting that they will keep
things moving forward.
DIVERSITY POLICY / SOCIOECONOMIC BALANCE (Iowa City):
Hayek stated that Iowa City put this issue on the agenda in order to inquire of the District where
things stand with the Diversity Policy. Dorau responded, noting that in January 2013, the
District received a letter from the Iowa Department of Education indicating that they believed the
District's Diversity Policy would be in violation of the USDA's Free and Reduced Lunch
policies regarding privacy of student information. At that time the Board decided to go ahead
and pass the Diversity Policy, contrary to the recommendation of the Iowa Department of
Education. Dorau noted that as time went on, the District continued to discuss with the
Department of Education how they were implementing the Diversity Policy. Also at this time,
the District was in the process of redistricting several quadrants of the district.
This past November, the District received a very extensive, detailed letter from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, explicitly spelling out how the District was violating the USDA's
Free and Reduced Lunch Program, and that if the District continued to do so, they would be
subject to losing millions of dollars in Free and Reduced Lunch subsidies that the USDA
provides to the District. Due to this, the District Board opted to rescind the Diversity Policy.
Dorau added that the District is not giving up on having a Diversity Policy for the ICCSD. The
District's Policy and Engagement Committee is working on a policy that the District will be able
to implement without fear of jeopardizing federal or state funding. Hayek asked when the
District anticipates redistricting. Dorau stated that they tried it in 2009 and 2010, without much
success, and then again in 2011. Now they have moved to a more regional approach, taking it in
smaller chunks and in more relevant areas. This way it is more manageable for the staff and for
the community, according to Dorau. Next to be discussed will be the high school boundaries.
Also coming up is a look at the Hills and Twain area, and Dorau further explained what they
have tried to accomplish here in the past. Dorau continued to discuss some of the schools
coming online in the next several years and how the District hopes to handle these transitions.
Hayek asked if, at least at the secondary level, they most likely will not see redistricting for two
years. Dorau stated that the conversation will begin at tomorrow's meeting, but that 2017 is
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when things will ultimately kick in. The District wants to give families a minimum of a year to
make any adjustments, if desired, for such changes. Dorau spoke further to redistricting issues,
noting that outreach and education are critical factors and the District is being extremely careful
with these issues. Kirschling added that they will be in a unique position over the next 10 years
with so many projects going on. He stated that what they have heard continuously is to tie
redistricting efforts to the opening of the new schools. Mims added that redistricting is one of
the most challenging things for a school board to do. She stated that she agrees with the
District's desire to meet with stakeholders and parents and neighborhoods as they go through the
redistricting process, but she reminded them that they will not be able to please everyone. She
challenged the Board to listen but be objective, and to look at what is in the best interest of the
entire district, not just the loudest voices. Hayek stated that he believes one of the ways they can
achieve more balance for the School District is organically — through the reinvestment in existing
housing stock and what they do at the fringes of their communities. He believes one of the best
ways the District can help the cities to help the District is by ensuring rough balance at the
secondary level. He believes that when you're talking about the elementaries, that is a tougher
one to handle, but at the secondary level, he believes there should be at least rough balance
between the high schools. This enables the cities, he believes, in terms of housing and economic
development within each of the cities.
UPDATES:
X North Liberty Sewer Project (ICCSD) — Kirschling spoke about the
District's Master Facilities Plan, noting they have a number of projects that are
delicately balanced and hinging on the outcome of other projects. The District
would like to know what the status is of this project in North Liberty. Nielsen
stated that so far they have obtained 11 of the 13 easements needed for this
project. They hope that the 12th easement will come in yet this week, and the 13th
is the Weinman property, which is set for a condemnation hearing on February
13. A temporary injunction has been filed, and the City anticipates the hearing to
be next week. The project has been sent out for bids, with completion still
anticipated for June 2016. Dorau asked if North Liberty has any contingency
plans in the event they do not get a favorable judgment. Nielsen stated that there
are a lot of things they have considered, but that they will wait until they need to
find another avenue to complete this project. Dorau thanked North Liberty for all
of their work on this project.
* Local Option Sales Tax (Johnson County) — Neuzil stated that this is
basically just asking that all of them are in on the conversation when or if this
topic becomes active again. He added that for this to be successful in the future, it
will need to be initiated collectively by all of the entities involved. Mims noted
that Iowa City has not discussed this at the Council level. She stated that she has
been doing some reaching out to other municipalities and understands that they
need to work collectively for it to succeed.
* Budgeting for Community ID Program and Disproportionate
Minority Contact Issues (Johnson County) — Rettig stated that the
Community Foundation awarded a grant for promoting this program. There is an
initial budget number of between $8,000 and $10,000. After that it will be self-
funded as people will be charged $10 for an I.D. The idea behind this program is
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that the County would be the host of it, although during training they would invite
particularly libraries and recreation center staff to be trained as well. At the
County this program will only be available during regular work hours, but by
training people at other locations, they could have the program available for
outreach at other times. Rettig noted that the County is providing funding for this
program, as well. She stated that they will gladly work with other entities who
wish to provide funding, as well, for upfront costs.
Speaking then to the disproportionate minority contact, Rettig stated that the
Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee has been working on this issue for
some time now. She stated that Dorothy Whitson prevailed upon the Committee
to undertake a National Council on Crime and Delinquency review. This will
create a gap analysis plan to examine disproportionate minority contact within
Johnson County's adult criminal justice system. The initial funding is $30,000 for
this, according to Rettig, and is expected to produce some fairly major
recommendations to local law enforcement and criminal justice system.
Hayek then asked Rettig some general questions about the community I.D.
program, and she explained the funding needs and what the Community
Foundation's portion will cover. Botchway asked some questions about the
disproportionate minority work and Rettig responded, noting that results should
be ready by late July, early August.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Rettig stated that the Board has been discussing building a new ambulance/medical examiner/
auditor/election equipment facility. The part that concerns the City is the ambulance. She noted
that the current one is inadequate for a modern ambulance. The need is for four ambulances to
be housed in downtown Iowa City. She asked that entities put this item on their radar and help
the County with some temporary locations as needed. Rettig also congratulated Coralville on
securing Ragbrai again. She noted that they will need volunteers for this effort and she invited
everyone to join in the fun.
SCHEDULE NEXT MEETING
The next joint meeting will be held in Coralville on April 20, 2015.
ADJOURN
Mayor Hayek thanked everyone for attending. The meeting adjourned at 6:05 P.M.
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