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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, I Page 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 2 1 P a g e 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 31 Page 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 41 Page 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 51 Page 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 61 Page 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. 71 Page 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 81 Page 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 9 1 P a g e 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. 10 1 Page