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Council Present: Botchway, Cole, Dickens, Mims, Taylor, Thomas, Throgmorton
Staff Present: Fruin, Andrew, Karr, Dilkes, Bockenstedt, Boothroy, Ralston, Yapp,
Hightshoe, Rackis, Sovers, Bowers, Schaul, Knoche, Kopping
Others Present: Simpson (UISG)
Questions from Council re Agenda Items:
ITEM 2d(3) SILVER SLOPE, PART TWO - RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE
WORK FOR THE STORM SEWER, SANITARY SEWER, WATER MAIN, AND
PAVING PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS FOR SILVER SLOPE - PART TWO, AND
DECLARING PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS OPEN FOR PUBLIC ACCESS AND
USE
ITEM 2d(5) MORMON TREK 4 -LANE TO 3 -LANE CONVERSION -
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY
INTERESTS NECESSARY FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE MORMON TREK
4 -LANE TO 3 -LANE CONVERSION PROJECT
Throgmorton/ Okay, so we can begin the work session for the night of August 2, 2016. Agenda
items. I guess I'll start by saying we're going to pull .... you notice this already, but we're
going to pull Item 2d(5), about Mormon Trek. We're gonna pull that for separate
consideration. We're also gonna pull Item 2d(3), which has to do with Silver Slope.
We're gonna pull that for action at a later date. So, at the .... at appropriate moment I'll
need a motion about that .... during the formal meeting. Okay, other agenda items?
ITEM 2f(6) Bob Oppliger: Road Diet on Mormon Trek & 1st Ave
Mims/ I just wanted to bring up, uh, because it's in here as, under Correspondence, and that's
2f(6). It's the road diet on Mormon Trek and First Avenue. And I know City staff has
had some conversation with individuals, and this was brought to my attention over the
last few days and not something I was .... maybe as aware of as I should have been and
that is .... on the south end of First Avenue, between Mall Drive and Lower Muscatine, in
that roughly 2/1 Oths of a mile, there are 13 curb cuts. And .... that is basically adjacent to
Southeast Junior High. And I know some issues have been brought forth about safety
of. ... and I'm not sure how we adjust this in terms of the road diet and bike path, but I
know the suggestion has been made to widen the sidewalk around Mall Drive and make
that the bike path where there's good signalization to get across Lower Muscatine, um...
and then I realize people might .... I'm thinkin' of junior high kids, they might cut through
the parking lot, which is not safest thing to do either, um, and get over to Sycamore
Street, particularly if they're riding to the south side of Highway 6. Urn .... I don't ... I
don't frequent a lot of those businesses a lot, but when I am over there, I would agree
with the comments that people have made to me about how difficult it can be to get in
and out of those businesses, and then if we add .... that being major bike lanes, particularly
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for junior high kids, I share ... those mem. ... the concern that those members of the public
have brought to me about the safety. Urn .... if there's some way of really realigning
the .... the bike path and the directional information, particularly for those young people. ,
The last thing we want to see is some kid riding home from junior high and gettin' hit by
somebody trying to pull out from one of those businesses and that just .... I had ... I
honestly had not even thought about it until that was brought to my attention.
Throgmorton/ Susan, wouldn't a .... a person on a bicycle riding on a sidewalk that crosses those
curb cuts be every bit as .... (both talking)
Mims/ But see they wouldn't cross the curb cuts. If you took it around Mall Drive ... (both
talking)
Throgmorton/ Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah.
Mims/ Go around Mall Drive instead of -instead of staying on First Avenue, from Mall Drive to,
um, Lower Muscatine.
Throgmorton/ I understand.
Mims/ I mean I know staff has heard this .... I'm really worried ... I'm concerned about (both
talking)
Fruin/ We'll obviously watch it, very carefully, um, as it's implemented. Um .... but yeah,
we've .... we've heard that, um ... suggestion, uh, and concern. We've .... we've looked at
that, um.....and one thing to keep in mind just because Mall Drive has ... you know, a few
undeveloped parcels right now doesn't mean it always will. And .... and there have been
discussions about development along Mall Drive that could change the .... the nature of
that too and.... typically people riding or walking aren't gonna find the shortest path, and
so.....diversions sometimes sound good on paper but depending on where they're going
they may not .... may not always work, but .... we understand and we'll... we'll watch it
carefully. Uh, obviously these are .... this project's bein' funded in part with safety dollars
from .... from the State, so .... we feel comfortable with it goin' forward and the State
agrees.
Mims/ Is there any possibility even of -urn ... at those curb cuts, as people are exiting those
businesses, extra signage in terms of. ... (both talking)
Fruin/ Yeah....
Mims/ ....walk...watching for bicyclists, I mean I'm just (both talking)
Fruin/ ...check into something like that.
Mims/ Okay.
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Frain/ Yeah!
Mims/ I'm just thinking of kids beeboppin' south after school and you kind of come around that
corner and it can be hard enough to come out from some of those curb cuts, where you
can't really see around the corner as you look to the north, and if kids are flying down
through .... and not just kids. Any bicyclist, you know? Comin' down there at a pretty
good clip around that corner, it wouldn't be that difficult to imagine a collision. So .... all
right. Thank you.
Frain/ It's a good suggestion.
Dickens/ I know traffic wise you've done studies, but I don't know ... has anybody actually been
out there and watched how backed up it is right now with the two lanes? It's .... (laughs) I
mean I .... I drive, I go to the Post Office and come through there to see how the
construction's goin' and there's always a line almost all the way back to the railroad
tracks to .... to Lower Muscatine .... (both talking)
Frain/ Yeah....
Dickens/ ....any time of the day. So I think we need to be looking at that as well because
that's... you know, the center lane's for turning, but nobody's using the center two lanes
right now, so it's kind of a....
Fruin/ I think you'll.... you'll find it to ... well, at least in my estimation, you'll find it to operate
very similar to the three -lane section on First Avenue near HyVee, Walgreens, and ... and
the strip centers there. I mean those ... those businesses all have several curb cuts, uh, curb
cuts and, um ... each of `em generate a significant amount of traffic and it....it operates
pretty well down in that part but.....you know, it's all .... all speculation and modeling at
this point, and um, as we've always maintained, we can .... we can undo it if it doesn't
work out (both talking)
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Frain/ Right.
Dickens/ But Mormon Trek sounds like there's more things going on there, as far as .... (both
talking)
Frain/ Mormon Trek there's actually some widening around the intersections so we can add a
tum lane, and we'll .... we'll talk about that as ... as it's being, uh (both talking)
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Frain/ Yeah.
IP12 Memo from Finance Dir.: FY2017 SSMID Distribution to TCDD
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IP12 Memo from Finance Dir.: FY2017 SSMID Distribution to ICDD
Cole/ I had a question about IP12 and maybe this'd be for either, um, Dennis or Geoff, is that
just sort of a description as to what happened in terms of the air, or do we anticipate
Downtown, uh, District requesting supplemental funds? I ... I guess I didn't see that in the
memo itself but .... urn .... (both talking)
Botchway/ It seemed like it left off.
Fruin/ You're talkin' about the Info Packet item?
Cole/ The Info Packet, IP 12. Um .... was that just sort of a description of what happened, just sort
of an FYI, or given the reduction in revenue that they're.... they're expecting, are they
requesting additional assistance or can we see that down the pipeline or is it just sort of
(several talking)
Throgmorton/ Just as a matter of, uh, format here. We're supposed to be discussing Information
Packet items (both talking)
Mims/ Agenda.
Throgmorton/ ...so you just....you just mentioned Information Packet (both talking)
Cole/ Oh, sorry, okay.
Throgmorton/ ....want to be clear what you're referring to.
Fruin/ Want me to go ahead and jump in? Um, so on that particular item, that memo was ... was
produced for a couple of different audiences. Certainly we wanted to inform you, but
that's also bein' passed along to the Iowa City Downtown District board, um, to explain
what happened there. Um .... the .... the Downtown District is still digesting this and
trying to .... to figure out, uh, what they're going to do. I wouldn't be surprised if they
came back and ... and asked, uh, for us to fill the gap in .... in some way, shape, or form,
and .... urn .... frankly I think over the years we've demonstrated that, you know, we've....
we'll partner with them on specific projects as they .... as they come up and we'll continue
to look for those partnerships and .... most of those, or a lot of those, are unplanned, that
we ... come up outside of the budget cycle, um .... so, you know, an example would be the
Northside lighting project. We used some of our capital dollars to partner with `em there,
uh, we've increased power washing, we've brought on the police officer position. All
those things required additional City resources and partnership with the District and we'll
continue to look at that, but .... uh, I'm not sure that their board has decided if they're
going to come forward (both talking) specific requests or not.
Cole/ Fair enough.
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ITEM 2d(4) SENIOR CENTER GRANT AGREEMENT WITH JOHNSON
COUNTY - RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN AND THE
CITY CLERK TO ATTEST A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH JOHNSON
COUNTY FOR FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE IOWA CITY / JOHNSON COUNTY
SENIOR CENTER.
Botchway/ 2d(4), urn .... just in relation to, uh, the recommendation, the acceptance of the
Johnson County Board of Supervisors, um.....59,000 or so. I think we had this
conversation maybe at the budget session as well, um....I.... what are we gain' do? You
know, cause I think that the memo outlined, um, pretty clearly that there's a gap in, um,
funding from, um ... other entities, and so if it's not from the County, then is there, you
know, some pitch -in that some of the other municipalities can do. Um, I think the Senior
Center is an established institution in our town and urn .... I think that it's something that
people are attracted to the area because of. Um, I don't see Linda in here so I guess I'm
just talking, but um.....we need to do somethin', cause this doesn't seem like a very
sustainable model. It seems like, you know, the funding isn't there, um.....it seems like
we're making sure that obviously our residents, uh, or we're providing the cost amount
for our residents to participate but ..... $300 is a huge gap, like that doesn't even make
sense.
Frain/ Yeah, we're providing the cost for our residents and the County residents...
Botchway/ Right.
Frain/ ....to.....to participate and um.....uh, I know at the last couple of, urn ... rate increases or
membership fee increases, uh, we have, um, moved up the, uh, County, or the non -Iowa
City rate at....at a higher clip than the Iowa City rate, so we've tried to close it .... close
that gap, but .... you're right. As resources get tighter and we have to make those
decisions, organizational wide, on where to spend our general fund dollars, it's .... and
you're gonna find staff is .... more likely to turn toward those situations where we're
subsidizing non-residents and uh.... um.....sayin' we can't continue to do that. We're not
at that point now and I think, uh, certainly a lot of people outside of Iowa City benefit
from the ... the Center and they .... and they frankly bring, urn .... uh, benefits to the Center
as well, you know, in terms of, uh, the relationships that they have with people there, the
programs that they may help teach and coordinate. So .... we're not there yet, but it's on
our radar, it's on the Senior Center Commission's radar for sure, and .... um.....you know,
we're .... we're grateful for the County dollars, but they're clearly not enough.
Botchway/ So one of the things I was going to propose was, you know, that this be on the agenda
for the next, urn .... joint meeting ... to discuss, cause this is ... this gap, and you know, I .... I
think it's gone around a couple times. I know that Linda's come and presented before us.
Urn .... there seems to be some politics, so to speak, behind it. Um, but again, you know,
this is about people, you know, (mumbled) not necessarily .... I guess technically we are in
the politics business but it is about people, um, and.....I would be interested to have more
of a .... a joint discussion about it to see .... not only what Johnson County has to say, but
the other municipalities as well. This, you know, having meetings to discuss this
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privately has not worked, and so I'd rather have a more open meeting to discuss it as
well, where (both talking)
Taylor/ You mentioned the board, but did you mean like a .... at the joint entities meeting (both
talking)
Botchway/ Correct!
Taylor/ ...is what would be appropriate because ... I mean, I (mumbled) Senior Center is a jewel
for Iowa City, as the population's aging, uh, and we've been noted to be the place to age,
and I think it's very important and I was very distressed to see the .... the County as such
is not kicking in their fair share that they're supposed to, uh, and I applaud the Center
because they're looking at private fundraising. Obviously they're looking at those kinds
of means and we've got to keep it, uh, a ... a valuable, uh, asset for the community.
Somehow! So I think it should be on the next joint entities meeting.
Frain/ It gets to be a much larger discussion than just the Senior Center. As soon as we start to
bring this up because the other communities will likely cite examples of things that our
residents may take advantage of, um....
Taylor/ That's true!
Frain/ ...where they're not charged a .... a non-resident rate or the County may point to things
where Iowa City residents, uh... disproportionately access some of their services, uh, more
so than rural residents or ..... so .... we can place it on that joint agenda, but .... I would .... I
would caution you that the ... the discussion is quickly going to get much broader than just
the Senior Center.
Botchway/ Well and that's fair and I think that, to your point, I think it's going to be .... then if
that's the fact, it's going to be clearly informational, from the standpoint of that this is a
gap. We're going to continue to, you know, possibly move up rates for, you know,
individuals that are accessing the Senior Center that aren't in Iowa City, and you know,
that's kind of the conversation but....(several talking)
Cole/ I don't support, I mean, is this one of those deals where we need three or .... um, I would
support placing it on there. I think we need to have the conversation, and I think the
conversation will mean a mutual exchange of views. So I would support that.
Throgmorton/ (several talking) I think we need four, but there probably are four (several talking)
I hear one, two, three. (several talking)
Karr/ Are you talking about a joint meeting or a work session?
Throgmorton/ Joint! (several responding)
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Karr/ Joint. It's just a majority with the Mayor discretion on agenda items. So we can add it to a
pending list and we'll come back with that before the next agenda.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, so I ... I don't oppose doing that but I'd say .... to the best of my recollection,
this question of fairness has been an issue for at least 25 years. Kind of always been a
topic — how much is the County's fair share of the Senior Center's.... budget. So...
Cole/ (both talking) ....that's how the conversation .... yeah.
ITEM 2f(2) Kevin Burgess: Bicycle Commuter bene£t for city employees
Throgmorton/ Okay, I would like to, uh, briefly mention Item 2f(2), which is an email from
Kevin Burgess, who I do not know. He advocates that the City offer ... that we offer our
employees a bicycle commuter's benefit of $20 per month, subject to certain conditions.
I don't have any real stake in that game, but it seems to me like a reasonable proposal
that, uh.... uh, I'd like to hear more about in terms of viability and all that kind of thing.
Frain/ Let's get back to you on that .... a memo. Sure.
Throgmorton/ We also need to make some appointments, don't we. So we could do that at this
moment, so....
Botchway/ Before we move on from that I guess I....Jim, to that extent, you know, I ..... I would
be interested in more of a, kind of an extension of that, I mean, obviously I think bicycle,
um, you know, the use of bicycle .... use of bicycles and individuals getting some type of
stipend to use their bicycle is important but .... I also think about maybe individuals that
want to commute and ride together. Um, that could be another, you know, stipend or
something like .... I just don't wanna hold it to bicycles (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ....car pool.
Botchway/ Employees that car pool, um, employees that walk. I know that .... some of you, y'all
are here avid walkers (both talking)
Thomas/ I was a little .... this mem .... this letter revealed a fact that there currently is a subsidy for
what I understand single occ .... occupancy employees to, urn .... they get half, 50%
discount on their parking rate.
Frain/ Correct, yes.
Thomas/ I mean I .... that kind of took me a little bit by surprise actually.
Throgmorton/ Well there are reasons for it but maybe we could consider the possibility of
looking also at bicyclists as well.
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Fruin/ But keep in mind, and we'll outline this in a memo and we can... explore all these topics
with you but there's.....always complicating factors. A number of employees don't work
downtown here at this site. We have a lot of, uh, places where there, you know, free
surface parking lots, whether it's Public Works or Parks or .... um.....uh, fire stations,
things like that. And also, um, there are collective bargaining agreements, um, in place
that, uh, cover parking, um, as well with our three bargaining units. So we can, uh,
certainly give you some .... some thoughts on this letter and even expand that to just talk
about employee transportation. Um, we'll try to .... again, outline all the complexities of
that .... that argument and if you want to have us pursue some changes we can look at that.
ITEM 6. COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS
ITEM 6a Community Police Review Board
Throgmorton/ Okey doke. Well, any other agenda items before we do the appointments? All
right. Item 6a, it's three applications for two appointments to the, uh, Citizens, um,
Police Review... Community, uh, Police Review Board. Uh, and there's a requirement for
one female, at least one position requires a female. Uh, so um.....anybody want to make
recommendations?
Mims/ I would (several talking) I guess I would say, um .... you know, in our effort to rotate new
people through, I think Melissa Jensen's done a really good job, but I .... I guess I would
not reappoint, simply from the standpoint of trying to give new and different people,
urn ... on the one female, I didn't have a strong sense between, uh, the two .... um, and not
that we have to have just one female, but we have to have at least one, urn .... I mean,
Orville Townsend, again, he's the one... he's... he's served on a lot of different things and
so I guess the question, I don't know that Orville's been ... has Orville been on Community
Police (several responding) Okay, but he had .... he is one again who's been on a number
of other things. Urn .... so again if you're trying to get new people involved in the
community, then maybe we go with the other ... I believe the first one is a female, uh,
Dromi and Monique as the two.
Taylor/ I was impressed with the Monique. She had been in the Iowa City area for 10 years and
had a history of involvement with human rights issues so I was very, uh, impressed with
hers.
Botchway/ I would agree with Monique. That was one of mine.
Cole/ I'd agree with Monique as well.
Botchway/ I was going, I mean, Susan brings up a good point. I think that's where I kind of left
it when I was reading it late at night, kind of between, um, Dromiand um .... Orville. I
know that she's applied for another position, um, as well and so I was kind of. ... puttin'
that in my thoughts, um .... cause she would be somewhat new, urn ... sorry, I don't want to
convolute the rest of the discussion, but ..... I'm strong on Monique, um, you know, I can
go either way on Orville, um, and Drani.
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Throgmorton/ Are there any objections to Monique? All right, so we're settled on that, uh, how
bout this second person? Could be a man, could be a woman, so.....
Thomas/ (mumbled) Orville is currently on the, um.....Human Rights Commission (both talking)
Mims/ ....he still is, that's right.
Throgmorton/ He's not eligible then.
Karr/ He'd have to resign. Cannot serve as two, he'd have to resign one.
Thomas/ Yeah, and he said he would prefer to be on this body, um .... but what I noticed was that,
um, he ... he would be (mumbled) Human Rights Commission until January of 2017.
There would be a couple of openings on this board, uh, in July of 2017. So .... (mumbled)
disrupt the current composition of, um, the HRC and (mumbled)
Mims/ That's fine with me.
Cole/ Fine with me as well.
Taylor/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ Any objections?
Botchway/ Wait a minute. So do what?
Thomas/ Dromi and Monique.
Throgmorton/ Dromi would be the other.
Botchway/ Okay. Gotcha!
ITEM 6b Housing and Community Development Commission
Throgmorton/ All right, so I don't hear any objections, so we'll appoint Dromi Etsey as well. All
right, turning to item 6b, we have nine applications for .... to fill three positions on the
Housing and Community Development Commission.
Mims/ I would start (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Two .... two female.
Mims/ Yeah, and I would start with the two that are currently serving unexpired terms.
Typically.... typically when we've appointed somebody to an unexpired term, unless
there's been some extenuating circumstance, we at least give `em a full term .... after that.
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We haven't just given `em a year and then kicked `em off, so.....so I would suggest that
we go with Christine Harms and Bob Lamkins to allow them to do a full term since
they're currently serving an unexpired term. Um, and then that would leave us with
another female, urn .... I think the one for me that came to the top was Paula Vaughn. I
thought she....her application looked really good and again, Dorothy Persson is doing her
first term. We ... at least have stated that we really want to try and get more people
involved and rotate people through these boards and commissions, and so .... um, that was
the reason I looked strongly at Paula.
Botchway/ I don't .... I'm not in disagreement. I actually agree.
Mims/ Okay, then we're done! (several talking and laughing) You always say you agree, but
then you go on to say something contradictory! (several talking and laughing)
Botchway/ So I'm .... I don't know the diversity. Do we know the diversity of the, um .... the
Housing Development Commission? Cause now I'm going back and thinking that I think
Orville should be in the PC .... or CPRB and that Dromi should be in the, um, in this one,
if we have an open space. Cause I don't think (both talking)
Karr/ I know the gender but I do not know the make up of....
Botchway/ I just don't think we do. And this would be an opportunity to diversify, slightly, that
commission.
Throgmorton/ Do you want to know .... now, as we make this decision, cause somebody could
check. Yeah. And ... while we're doin' this, uh, Marian, could you do a quick check of
the names of the people on the HCDC?
Botchway/ But that would be my .... that would be my kind of....
Karr/ Tracy .... Tracy may know. Do you happen to know the .... make up? (several talking)
Botchway/ Yes. Yes. So ..... you know, that would be .... for me, that would be why I .... I chose
Dromi. I know I said that I would be cool with the other one but .... um.....I had her in
both pots and .... (both talking)
Karr/ I think....I... you have some, don't you .... on HCDC? (unable to hear response, away from
mic) Do you have .... you have no .... they're all (unable to hear response) white,
Caucasian? On HCDC? (unable to hear response) Okay. Okay!
Throgmorton/ So you're recommending we (both talking)
Botchway/ Switch.... yeah.
Throgmorton/ ...change.
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Botchway/ So I'm okay with, I agree with the Bob Lamkins and the, um, I think his name's
Lamkins (several talking) Christine Harms, as well, cause I agree that we have always
done that and I ... I frankly think Christine Harms has an awesome application every time
she submits it, but um .... urn ..... but yeah, I would want Dromi on, um, for that, um,
HCDC role and then move Orville to the, uh.....CPRB.
Throgmorton/ What do the rest of you think?
Taylor/ Actually on ... on Dromi, I mean, she looked like a good candidate but um, the fact that
she was an attorney, I was a little leery of her being on the Police Review Board. I didn't
know. Not that she would be biased but .... I did have that concern, so I might agree with
Kingsley .... Kingsley's suggestion. Cause my other thought, uh, I think it was Nicholas
as a student and we don't get a lot of student applicants, and I thought he might be good
since he's applying and shows an interest, um, and talking about the under -served, I
thought he would be an excellent candidate for that.
Mims/ The issue is ... you're talking on the HCDC?
Taylor/ I'm ... yes, uh huh.
Mims/ Yeah, but we have a ... we have a gender issue here.
Taylor/ That's true!
Botchway/ Ter y? Give me ... give me your support!
Dickens/ (laughter) Urn ..... I'd be all right with that, cause I know ... I've known Orville for a
long time. I think he would be very good on that board, and if that works ... (several
talking) works a little better (several talking)
Karr/ And we will contact him to be sure that he does resign (several talking) Yes.
Cole/ ...on the, uh (several talking) ...support that.
Throgmorton/ Got it! Okay. Sounds like we have agreement there. And.... Marian, you said
you'll contact Orville (both talking)
Karr/ Yes!
Throgmorton/ ...resignation.
Karr/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ Okay. Good deal! Okay, we can I think move on from agenda items. Next topic
is to discuss budgetary goals for fiscal year 18, FYI 8. Geoff, I asked you to kind of put
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something together, you did, uh, maybe you could summarize that and we could address
the questions you posed.
Discuss budgetary goals for FY 18 lIP # 3 Info Packet of 7/281:
Fruin/ Sure. The staff in the audience are probably going to cringe when we start talking budget,
uh (laughter and several talking) Yeah! Except Dennis — he's pretty excited. Nick's
pretty excited here too! Um (laughter) you know, this is the time of year when .... when
everybody starts to think about, um, the department budgets and, uh, we felt this year,
particularly with, uh, several new Members on the Council, this'll be your first time, uh,
working through an entire budget process. You got it ... you got a taste for the, uh, the end
piece here last winter, but we thought it would be good to, uh, get any real big picture
guidance from you, um, right now. I don't think this is necessarily the .... the time or the
place to .... to talk about.... the.... the details and maybe cert .... certain smaller projects that
you want, but certainly if there are overarching goals for the, uh, budget, that would be
helpful to know, and if there are any, um, large-scale projects or initiatives that will
require significant financial resources, it's a lot easier for us to plan for that now heading
into the budget than trying to, um.....uh, adjust, um, after the work sessions in January.
So, I...I listed a few questions in the memo that, um .... maybe can help start the
discussion, but .... but certainly you might have other ideas on .... on how you want to
proceed.
Throgmorton/ Why don't you walk us through each of those questions, and .... and we'll find out
how the Council responds.
Fruin/ Okay. Well it's been a .... it's been a stated goal, um, of the City for the last several years
to try to bring our property tax rate more in line with those of, uh, the 10 largest Iowa
cities and some of the surrounding communities, and we have made some progress.
We've reduced our property tax rate in each of the last five years, and I think we moved,
um, if memory serves me correct, um, from maybe ninth out of tenth as of. .... as in we
had one of the highest tax rates out of the 10 largest, uh, cities down to more the middle
of the pack, where we're sixth or so, I think. Um ... uh, and again, that's the ... that's the
direct result of the .... the decisions at the Council table the last five years. Um, relative to
other, uh, local communities, we're still on the high end, uh, Coralville, North Liberty,
Cedar Rapids, uh, all have significantly lower tax rates than us, and there's reasons for
that and we don't need to get into those today, but we .... in many cases offer more
services than .... than they may, but .... um.....so yeah, I guess the question is is that a
continuing priority for you.
Throgmorton/ My answer's yes.
Dickens/ Is this is an evaluation year, as far as property taxes?
Fruin/ No, it's not.
Dickens/ That was last....
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Fruin/ That was last year. Yeah.
Botchway/ Terry messed up the flow!
Mims/ I would certainly agree, you know, with Jim. I think ... one of the questions I think, Jim, it
was you asked Geoff at one point what keeps him up at night, and it was ... it was budget
and it was property taxes, and .... you know, we still have not felt the full impact of the
State property tax reform that was implemented in 2013, and again, that was estimated to,
you know, impact our budget negatively by about $50 million over 10 years. And .... by
continuing to reduce this in manageable ways gives us some room, potentially, three,
five, seven years down the road where we can't reduce. We may have to raise it, because
of feeling the full impact of that State property tax reform. So I think to be able to
continue to reduce it while we can, obviously.....with the idea of how is that impacting
services, if at all, um, I think is really important to do it as much as we can.
Botchway/ I agree!
Dickens/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ How bout the rest of ya?
Thomas/ I'm afraid to disagree (laughter)
Cole/ Almost like we're out voted!
Thomas/ I don't want to be viewed as a (mumbled) (laughter) City Councilor (mumbled) I'm
hearing lots of complaints about the conditions of the roads, you know, the, urn .... the,
just the sense that we are an older city and our infrastructure is aging, and ... (clears throat)
I don't know that (mumbled) I suspect there are other ways of...of, um, addressing that
need then (mumbled) property tax rate, urn .... (clears throat) I just wanted to express that.
I think I'm sensing that, you know, people have said `look, I don't care if my property
taxes go up; we really need to improve the roadways.' Uh, and of course affordable
housing would be another issue. There are a number of really pressing issues! And,
um .... so the question is where's the money going (both talking)
Fruin/ Yeah, and that's also ... that's really our job as staff to kind of package this and ... and
achieve that balance, and then ultimately you.....you adjust it as you see fit. Um .... but...
but those comments there, if those are shared amongst the group, that .... that helps us
direct some priorities a little bit. If I know that roads are a big priority, then we're gonna
look at what we can do to ... to bolster our street resurfacing program. Um, affordable
housing, I think we all anticipate that that's gonna.... there's an expectation there. Um,
and what I'm trying.... trying to sense is what are those priorities and .... uh, you know,
how much .... how much flexibility here do we have, um.....with the tax rate, because
there's give and take.
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Dickens/ And how much State money do we get for like Highway 1 that goes through Iowa City,
when we do any resurfacing on those? Is it a 50/50 or.....
Fruin/ No, the State owned, um, roads, they'll.... they'll do like Highway 1, Highway 6, they did
that a few, a couple years ago now and they resurfaced that. That's a .... that's 100% on
the State.
Cole/ I think our goal should be to, in terms of what our aspirations are for the budgetary
process, should be to reduce the property tax in a way that's consistent with what, um,
previous leadership has done. Um, but I know we're supposed to do this one at a time,
but as I sort of hook into that second issue, the financial cushion, I totally hear what
Susan is saying about the need to .... to lower it so we can raise it back up, um, but it does
get hard to raise going forward in the future. So I think just byway of discussion, um, if
we're going to be able to build up additional cash reserves, which I know is also a goal,
but I think as between the two, I really want to build up that financial cushion. Um, so
that if we have that, you know, that .... you know, to reduce your nightmares of the
budget, which I share those concerns as well. We don't know what the backfrll's going
to look like and we're all struggling with that. Um ... but I really want that financial
cushion, so that ... the rainy day fund, for lack of a better term, so that would be a greater
priority for me than the immediate reduction, because as the way I look at it, we're taking
away those, uh, funding ability right now, and I think it's ... it's always hard to raise taxes.
No one wants to do that; I certainly don't, as opposed to, um, not reducing it any further.
So I think it should remain a goal, um, for us to look at. That we can tweak, like we did
last year for example, with the bookmobile. We didn't quite get our I0 -cents. We had 7 -
cents, so....
Throgmorton/ How bout the rest of you?
Botchway/ You know I feel like ... we're almost sayin' the same thing, you know. Obviously
everybody wants to reduce the property tax rate. I mean, in prior budget years, we've
always been able to do one and two, um, where, you know, we've been able to reduce it,
but still, you know, put a considerable amount into our emergency reserve. Um ... I ... I
think, and Geoff, help me out if I'm wrong, I mean, you're looking for are there major
projects that you need to know ahead of time, so in the event that, you know, there's
going to be a 10 -cent reduction, um, we're sayin' that we want to continue that 10 -cent
reduction in next year's budget cycle. You're saying well based on all the priorities we...
you talked about now, um, in the discussion that we had with different departments, it's
going to be more like a 6 -cent reduction. Is that what you're looking for?
Fruin/ Well, it's ... it's hard... it's... even if you ..... you all said yes, it's an absolute priority for us to
reduce the property tax rate, I can't promise you I'm going to come and deliver that
because it all depends on what, uh, you know, the taxable base is and the changes in our
taxable base versus growth in labor costs and equipment and fuel and all those things that
factor into our budget. So, um, I just want to get a sense, um, yeah, from you how much
of a .... how much of a priority is that, given all the other, uh, pressures you have, whether
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it's roads, affordable housing, or .... uh, any number of other things that ... that we've
talked about over, um, you know, climate mitigation projects, all those things.
Throgmorton/ My sense is that we can get a better feel for that by addressing question #3.
Fruin/ Right.
Throgmorton/ Cause, you know, otherwise we'll just start answering question #3 without really
getting to it. So .... I think I'm hearing, just in principle, yes and yes to the first two
questions, and then there's... there's judgment involved, and now we really need to think
about the particulars about whether there are any initiatives, you know, enhancements or
whatever that we really want to foreground. So, um ... are there suggestions along those
lines? John, you already suggested that we find ways to .... to commit more City dollars
toward improving the paving on our older streets.
Thomas/ Right, and I would add to that that, you know, with any physical infrastructure
question.... you know, let's take ... taking roads is one example, there comes a time in the
life of a road where, uh, you ... you, if you don't address the condition, it moves from
being a .... a resurfacing project to a reconstruction project. So the cost starts escalating,
dramatically. So .... so that's the kind of thing I would be interested in looking at is...
because that's sort of a ... a penny-wise, pound-foolish approach if we're saying we're
gonna keep our costs down when in fact the .... the cost of the infrastructure,
improvements will escalate.
Throgmorton/ As .... as we consider that, we should, without going too deeply into it, we should
bear in mind that the cost of resurfacing is pretty high. What is it per mile, per linear
mile?
Fruin/ Oh gosh, I .... (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ....I don't remember what.
Fruin/ We're .... we're lucky to get, you know, out of our 1.5 million, and I'll just guess here,
eight, nine, 10 blocks.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, so (both talking)
Fruin/ ...resurfacing done.
Throgmorton/ We don't have enough money really to accomplish a lot, but we can shift some
priorities, some ... some funds in that direction. All right, other suggestions (both talking)
Fruin/ ....and we have, you know, just on the roads example, we've doubled our road resurfacing
project the last probably three years, so....
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Botchway/ You know, so I .... I would agree about, you know, kind of the road degradation and
as far as maintenance as well, but.. A personally see that kind of under, um .... not
necessarily .... I kind of see it as a 4a, so to speak, cause I view it under, you know, other
strategies that we can use to, um, find different funding sources, and so I wrote on my
note LOST. We need to have that discussion sometime soon because I think that, uh,
attributing that to roads and affordable housing, um, could potentially, you know, push
that into something that would be very favorable for, you know, our residents.
Dickens/ That's what we tried to do last time it was on the ballot.
Botchway/ We did, but I think we ... our balance was off a little bit and I think that's where we got
ourselves caught, and obviously the political, you know, issues around that. Um, I ... I will
say that there's two issues that I ... I kind of want to bring up and one is the affordable
housing thing. I think that, you know, that's a consistent theme that's, you know, been
talked about and we have a plan that you've kind of laid out in place, that I think we
can .... we can move on and .... and um, and make a considerable effort on, and I think that
you .... going back to those notes, I think that you were planning that affordable housing
plan under our current budget framework, right? Some of the small things on our current
budget framework. So, I mean, I would assume those things would continue and some of
the larger items we would obviously address, um, when you're doing that kind of budget
discussion. The other piece is around, you know, urn .... don't necessarily know if it's
around social and racial equity but .... uh, is the Police Department, and so, um, I've had
some conversations with, um, you know, Interim Chief Kelsay, um, and urn .... another
officer there, and I've talked with Geoff about this too, and I didn't necessarily want to
bring it up right now because it hasn't really been fleshed out, um, too much, but because
we're talking about major initiatives and ... and to me that's the, uh, possible addition, um,
of more officers. Um, currently, and Geoff, you know, kind of chime in if I'm wrong,
currently we use a model that is very, um, call -based and so our police officers are, um,
are called and they respond, um, to those, um, particular complaints. Um, or yeah, calls.
But, um, we've seen other times in the community where, um, that community, um,
policing model has worked really well, obviously downtown is a great, um, situation, or
great situation that worked out for us as far as how, uh, Officer Schwent's doing. Um, I
think that there are key areas in our community where, um, we could employ a dedicated
officer, um, and we know some of those key areas, uh, one key area I'm thinking of right
now is the Broadway, Taylor Street neighborhood because I've been in conversations
with some of the residents, um, in that neighborhood as well, um, that I think it would be
huge, and I think that would, you know, help to bolster, um, not only, um, the
relationship that, you know, maybe residents have within that community, but also the
relationship that, um, the Police Department has, um, with various, uh, demographic, um,
various people from various demographic groups in our community. So that's my
major.... issue, major thing, and I know that's a big one and I hadn't.... again, I hadn't
necessarily had time to really flesh it out because I still wanted to meet with, um, Interim
Chief Kelsay again and talk with him about it and other things, cause this isn't comin'
from them, I mean, this is coming from me understanding some of the constraints that
they have in their current model, and what I want to see as a resident of Iowa City, more
moving to that community policing model.
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Mims/ And I would say related to that .... I think what we need also to look at is the fact that
we're hiring a new police chief, who may not be on till November, you know, and give
obviously Geoff the .... the, you know, discretion in working through that whole process
that, um, I think we also need to give a new police chief a chance to get their feet on the
ground and analyze the situation here in Iowa City, assuming it's, you know, if I'm
making the assumption right now, it's somebody that's coming from the outside, to get
familiar with the community and .... what they like and don't like about what's in place
and what kind of changes they would recommend. So while philosophically, you know, I
support the idea, we might be movin' too fast if we try to do it in this next year's budget.
Botchway/ I agree! I just.....cause....cause the question was asked and I wanted to make sure it
was on everybody's radar.
Mims/ Yeah.
Cole/ Well in particular I know last year we went from a part-time community service only
officer to a full-time. I think one of the original goals that expressed during the budget
process was having two community servi.... service officers, um, so that's something I
think as we have these discussions with our future police chief that we could take a look
at, so I would be supportive of that. I was going to give one larger, um .... uh,
infrastructure project, uh, that I'd like to have on the radar is this question of everyone's
favorite topic — road diets (laughs) Um, I would really like to evaluate, um, I understand
a lot of the heavy lifting has been done, evaluating Gilbert. Um, we had a work session
on it .... I want to say what was it, a couple months ago, and it wasn't clear to me whether
we actually, um, what the resolution was on that, whether we were just going to stay
decision on that or if we would seriously consider it in the 18 months, but um, that is the
type of thing that if we did go forward with it, I would like to have that happen at the
conclusion of some of the other downtown road diets that we have and I know that during
our last capital improvement project that wasn't on the radar screen at all, um, so that
would be a project that if we had support for I'd like to look at, but in terms of this
particular process, I'm wondering whether we're really, you know, painting it with a
broad brush, um, whether maybe in September we could have one where we could
articulate with a little bit greater degree of specificity, then you could roll in those, um,
you know, those .... those recommendations with ... with your, um, budgetary process.
So....
Fruin/ Yeah, I think if.....if you've got those specific smaller projects that you would like us to
consider, let me know, preferably during the month of August. Let me know and we'll
consider those as we ... we put forward and when I present you the budget, I'll be very
clear on here's all the ideas I heard from Council. We were able to incorporate this one
and this one, but we did not incorporate this one and here's the reasons why, and again,
you'll have a chance to, uh, modify that if you see fit. So, but I think what's important is
today I think I've got a pretty good sense based on some discussions, um ... uh, on just the
overall philosophy heading into the budget. No surprises, uh, which is always nice. Um,
and then again .... uh, if you get me those, if you have individual ideas for projects,
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we'll .... we'll vet those with the... literally hundreds of other, you know, projects and
initiatives that come through each department's budget.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, before we move away from this, I'd like to paint with a very broad brush,
and it's real simple. I'd like to see our budget more clearly reflect our strategic plan
priorities, and I think we've done a really good job collectively of trying to get the two to
match, but .... as you're preparing the next budget, have that strategic plan and the key
priorities in mind, uh, so that .... we and the public can clearly see that we're trying to
direct funds in the way called for by that strategic plan, as well as providing the routine
services that people rightly expect to be provided. I ... and I have one particular, uh, thing
as well, uh, that we have like $25,000 currently in the racial equity grant program.
Frain/ Correct.
Throgmorton/ I'd like to see a little more money in that, if we can do it, I mean, I'm not telling
you to do it but, you know .... I think that'd be a healthy thing to do.
Botchway/ I would support that.
Throgmorton/ Uh...
Mims/ This is the first time we've had it is this year, right, and they're just now (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Right.
Mims/ ...now....
Throgmorton/ We're testin' it out. Right.
Mims/ Yeah. I guess I'd like to see it tested first before we start talking about increasing it,
personally, and I guess that's .... I appreciate what you're trying to do, Geoff, so that
you're not trying to redo the budget in January. I totally get that. I'm a little concerned
that we sit up here with one-off ideas that don't necessarily have the support of the
majority of Council and I think you're gonna have to kind of flesh that out as you go
through things.
Fruin/ I think ... I think what is not said is just as important as what is said here tonight, in all
honesty. You know, if I ... if I know there's not some really big initiative that's on your
radar here, then I can breathe easier and work with staff to ... to produce something that I
think will align with your strategic plan and .... frankly what I'm hearing, uh, even all the
projects you mentioned here aligns with your strategic plan. So ... uh, I .... I feel very
comfortable with that. If we can deliver something, that shows good progress on that
strategic plan and still lowers the tax rate and bolsters our reserves, of course that's going
to be our goal and we'll feel good about it, but .... again, what's not said is probably more
important (both talking)
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Throgmorton/ So, Pauline, Ta, uh, Terry, this is your opportunity to propose some .... earth, uh,
earthshaking (laughs) (both talking)
Taylor/ Usually when it comes to financial and budget kinds of things I do listen very closely to
Susan cause I think she .... she always seems to have her finger on the pulse of things
when it comes to budget and finance. So (several talking)
Mims/ And you'll notice I have not added anything.
Taylor/ Right (laughter)
Botchway/ (mumbled) (several talking)
Taylor/ Well you're coming, I mean, you keep talking about our, uh, strategic priorities and
plans and a big part of that has been the, uh, social justice and racial equity and I think,
uh, Rockne had mentioned some things and Kingsley, of course, had mentioned some
things also that relate to that and I think that ... that would be a priority, uh, with ... if there
are items that go along with that.
Dickens/ My biggest concern is that we don't go overboard with bicycles, because I know there's
a lot of people up here that are very enamored with bicycles, but I know just as many
people that aren't (laughs) that still think the automobile is a good deal and that we
shouldn't just throw them off the bus. So I ... I just want to make sure that we don't forget
that a good share of the money that comes from road use and everything are from people
that drive cars. Most people do both and I just want to make sure that both are heard
because I know we had a very strong here and on the County with all the ... the bike paths
that we built all over, that a lot of money is spent there and, you know, some of that may
need to go back to taking care of our roads.
Throgmorton/ I ... I, you clearly make an important point. I'll bet every single person up at this
dais drives a car, or a truck.
Dickens/ Most likely!
Throgmorton/ Yeah. So .... I think it's very clear, we have to make sure that....
Dickens/ ...there's a good balance (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ...good balance and then, uh, what .... and then we'll deal with that as we
(mumbled)
Thomas/ Terry, I would say, you know, having had the conversations you've had, but I ... I don't
view projects like road diets as favoring one mode of transportation over another, uh,
that, you know, the ... the safety....
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Dickens/ I think it's an inconvenience for the .... the automobile driver, from the people I've
talked to, and .... some of the bicycles that I have talked to said .... they would choose a
different route if it's a busy street. They'll.... they'll take a little longer if it's a safer
route or a different route. So ... so there's... there's different, uh, different (both talking)
Thomas/ Different ways of interpreting it, and as I said the last time, the ... the collision rates on
Mormon Trek really (several talking)
Dickens/ Yeah, the stats ... the stats speak for themselves.
Throgmorton/ So we'll have to (several talking) with regard to particular proposals as they come
up and it's clearly a, you know.... complicated pro ... uh, topic. Any other particular
suggestions?
Cole/ Well I guess to Susan's point, um, if we wanted to have a work session where we did want
to sort of make sure that there was four votes on a particular, or whatever, um, on a
particular proposal, maybe that would be helpful so staff isn't spinning their wheels on a
project for which there's not four votes. Um, so I guess I don't have an objection to that
either, um, cause I think we all want to avoid doing a more extensive process at the end
of the budget process, like we did last year. So if we can incorporate some of those work
sessions maybe on the ... on the front end, we could maybe avoid that, so .... just my (both
talking)
Mims/ I guess from my experience of going through the whole budget process, I don't know, six
times now or whatever, the ... the problem I think with that, Rockne, is that .... we can do
that, but we're doing it in isolation project by project, and we're not seeing the whole
picture. Whereas I think staff, you know, as Geoff said, he can sit here and listen to what
you said and not said and have a pretty good idea of what the sense of the majority of the
Council is, I think, on most things, and if not, he can come back and ask us, but he and
staff are gonna be takin' those thousands of pieces and trying to fit `em all together with
the idea of still trying to (both talking)
Cole/ No, I understand that.
Mims/ ....lower the taxes. So I ... I don't think piecemealing different projects and seeing if
we've got four is necessarily going to get us where we need to get, so I don't think it's
really worth our time.
Cole/ Okay!
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I agree with Susan on that. Geoff, it seems to me if ...if you feel like you
need guidance as you're putting this draft budget together...
Fruin/ I'll let (both talking)
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Review Council Member Cole and Council Member Botchwav's proposals for Rose Oaks
assistance 11P # 4 Info Packet of 7/281:
Throgmorton/ ....on any particular part of it, you know .... yeah, sure. (several talking and
laughing) Good deal! Okay, we can move off of that and move to the next item. So, uh,
that is to review Rockne Cole's and Kingsley Botchway's proposal for Rose Oaks
assistance, and I'd like to recommend a certain procedure that we would follow. Uh, I'd
like to begin, uh, by asking Geoff to .... provide us with a brief update on the current
situation out at Rose Oaks, cause there... there's new facts on the ground, uh, and then, uh,
it seems to me that the reason ... the most reasonable way to proceed is to pro .... step
through, walk our way through the steps outlined in .... in your separate proposals havin'
to do with, you know, there's six elements, if I remember right. Just work through `em
one at a time, and see where that leads us. So, Geoff, could you begin?
Fruin/ Sure. Really quickly, um .... uh, according to the Rose Oaks' ownership group, there are
26 households on site as of today. Uh, so that's post -August I" move. Um ... and again,
that's down from the 209, uh, where they started in .... in late February. So, um. ... reduced
quite a bit, uh, in that short period of time. Uh, Crissy Canganelli's here from the Shelter
House and can speak to specifics on the funds available, but I know in just the last month
there's been, uh, considerable more, uh, activity, as you would expect with the August 151
deadline. So, uh, it was my understanding that the $30,000 from Rose Oaks is now, uh,
measured by just a couple of thousand, uh, left and uh, that we are, um .... uh, going to be
likely tapping into the Home funds, uh, more. I think there's, uh, three applications
for... assistance to three different households, uh, for the .... those Home funds. Um, so
those, uh, those funds are still being used. There are people still accessing, uh, those
services that are being provided by Shelter House, on site. Uh, but the numbers are, uh,
getting smaller out there. Any specific questions that you have?
Botchway/ What about the funds from, uh, Rose Oaks?
Fruin/ A couple of thousand left.
Botchway/ So it's all that's (both talking)
Fruin/ Yeah.
Botchway/ Okay.
Fruin/ There... there's still more Home funds, and....
Throgmorton/ I want to finish typin' some notes to myself here, Geoff.
Fruin/ Sure.
Taylor/ But, Geoff, that was due to the fact that some of the folks didn't qualify as such for the
Home funds so they'd use the Rose Oaks' funds?
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Fruin/ I ... I probably shouldn't offer that, uh, because I'm not .... I'm not working with that. If
you wish, uh (both talking) Crissy would probably be willing to speak to that a little bit.
Throgmorton/ Well, uh, if ..if need be we might ask.... where.... where is Crissy? I know she's
out there. If need be we might ask you to address that but .... hold off otherwise. All
right, so sounds to me like we can move our way through the specific items.
Cole/ Yeah, and I would just like to indicate that having reviewed Kingsley's email, I'm lar ... I
largely concur with his ... so, Kingsley, do you want to sort of take it away?
Throgmorton/ Well I .... no, I thought I would just say the first item is the proposal to have a fixed
transition payment of $250 per household.
Cole/ Yes. Yes.
Throgmorton/ All right, so .... I want to find out if there's majority support for that idea. And
there... there's a nuance there, I guess, having to do ... that you proposed, Rockne, but that
the key point is ..... do we support the idea of providing a fixed transition payment of $250
to each household, and I take that to mean each of the 209 or whatever, right? Uh,
so ... you know, I have an opinion about that, but I ... I'd like to hear from the rest of you as
well.
Mims/ I guess I would start with a question, and I ... I guess this .... I guess I can't just step through
this, and I apologize that I can't follow the procedure you're trying to lay out, Jim. I ... to
me there's some definitions that need to be addressed, um, this started out being, um,
compared numerous times to a natural disaster. Um, significant number of people,
sudden dislocation. Okay? Um .... one of the things that I have talked about is precedent
in terms of this, and I know Rockne's addressed that in here, but I think it's really
important before we move forward with something like this that there is some sort of
definition of what constitutes a sudden dislocation and what kind of numbers of people
being dislocated in that sudden dislocation would constitute this Council taking this sort
of action again in the future.
Throgmorton/ My sense is that that can be addressed when we visit the affordable housing action
plan in September because this directly connects with what Eleanor, uh, addressed for us
when we were doing this like a month and a half ago.
Mims/ I totally disagree. I mean, this is something that has come up as a `emergency' funding,
okay? I don't see anything that we might do in a long-term affordable housing plan
addressing this kind of emergency `natural disaster,' `sudden dislocation' kind of
circumstance.
Botchway/ I would disagree as well cause .... I think....
Mims/ Disagreeing with....
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Botchway/ With what you're saying as far as it's not being addressed in the affordable housing
plan because I think that it was laid out when Eleanor talked about what possibilities we
could do (clears throat) what possibilities we could do as far as notification for
relocation. This to me was, I mean, and I guess I'm separating the issue from this
standpoint. This to me was a lack of notification, that hopefully we can build in possibly
with some of the (mumbled) lookin' at me weird, Eleanor, and I'm hoping ... I hope I'm
thinking about the ... it was the notification piece in that plan, right?
Dilkes/ Well we talked about, um, including a not .... a longer notification period in the site plan
review process, but that's ... I mean I'm concerned that you're kind of looking at that
as .... as ..... as something that's going to fix (both talking)
Botchway/ No, no!
Dilkes/ ....a lot of problems. Number one, a lot of times you're not going to have a site plan
that's necessary, um, it's .... it certainly doesn't provide for any relocation assistance. So
it .... I think, I mean, it can help in terms of giving people notice, but it ... this ... this plan,
what you're talking about here goes a lot farther than that.
Botchway/ So it changes somewhat, I mean, somewhat outlined in our affordable housing plan
before, but for me the difference is is that we're at least as a Council addressing it, um, in
some type of meaningful way, um, in the future. Previous to that....we hadn't, we didn't,
I mean, nobody thought about this. I don't think anybody in Council would have
thought, maybe some people did, that this could have happened, and you know, I ... I'm
not trying to do the numbers, um, in my head, but I mean this is substan .... to me it's a
substantial amount of people. That's an entire community that's moving that has, you
know, had reverberations not only obviously with our (mumbled) community, the
Council, the School District, multiple organizations. You know, I .... I've only seen this
when we ... we had the ... and when I say see this I wasn't here for the summer of the
floods, um, cause I was back home, but I've only seen this kind of, you know,
cooperation by multiple entities when we had that. (mumbled) necessarily think I've,
you know, talked about it as a natural disaster, but I have talked about it as a major
displacement of residents that, you know, to me it's .... and I .... that's why (mumbled) to
kind of answer your question, so I don't support the, uh, $250. The reason why I like the
model here, as far as 300, 250, and 150, um, and that doesn't necessarily have to be the
framework, but it is to speak to, um, you know, um, residents that had, you know,
children or families, cause that was my major concern. Not that Shelter House was doing
a terrible job — they were doing a great job, I mean, they're trying to, you know, really fix
the situation that I feel like, you know, again we should have had more of a handle on.
Um, but.....I.... I think there's been not only miscommunication, um, from a lot of
different things, but I .... I think that there's a .... a greater need for, urn ... uh, bigger
families than have been a part of the Rose Oaks' situation that I ... I want to address... that's
why I want to (both talking)
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Throgmorton/ ...your proposal address that. I ... I want to bring up, uh, a .... a couple, or three
principles that have guided my own thinking about this. In addition to the basic idea that
I believe we should provide some funding to the displaced residents. And those
principles are I think the process needs to be simple in design and easy to administer. It
could be a very complicated design if we wanted it to be and that would be pretty
difficult for the staff. I don't want to have to go that way. Secondly, I think the funds
need to be fairly allocated among the residents. So, what's fair? Well, again, that could
become very complicated, and you .... you propose something that's more complicated,
and I think that's not ... not something where we want to go. I think we want to have as
simple a process, uh, as ... as we can reasonably get to, but it's gotta feel fair, and lastly,
we need to finish our discussion tonight so that we don't revisit this time and again, at
least with regard to this particular, uh, situation. So, uh, in that spirit, my sense is that
sort of on av... well, on average, $250 per household sounds completely reasonable, but
some of the households have already received 200....250 or more dollars in assistance
either from the owners or from Shelter House, and others have received no assistance. It
seems to me the priority should be to make sure that everyone receives at least $250, uh,
so which ... which means for me, ex .... excluding that the ... the, uh, the people who have
already received support, either from the owner or from Shelter House, should not be
eligible to receive this $250, and that's my own sense about it.
Cole/ Okay, I can support that, Jim, so you have two.
Dickens/ And then there's a question of people that .... were moved out because they hadn't been
paying their rent. I mean (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Right, so, Rockne, your.... your proposal addressed that, didn't it, Rockne?
(several talking)
Thomas/ So, Jim, are you suggesting if...if a household has received this assistance thus far, of
any ... of any level, they would not be, uh, eligible to receive (both talking)
Throgmorton/ No, if they've received, uh, more than $250 in assistance, either from the owners
(both talking)
Thomas/ ....kind of a cut off.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Thomas/ If they've received less than 250 then they can receive the difference or the 250...
Throgmorton/ No.
Thomas/ It starts getting complicated, in my mind, as you (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah. Yeah.
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Thomas/ ...details.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, so I'm .... I don't know how to answer that particular question.
Botchway/ Yeah, I see that as inherently more difficult, I mean, my proposal is simply... went
back to what Rockne was saying as far as using the lease agreement, lease agreement
speaks to the amount of, um, you know, uh, the amount of bedrooms within the particular
property. That's why I liked the DOT model and then you give out, uh, based on what
that person brings back as proof of residence, and that's it. I think that even if you
incorporate, sorry, I'll (both talking)
Mims/ No, go ahead.
Botchway/ Even if you incorporate the, um, you know, who is being given money by the owners
or Shelter House, then there's going to be .... have some type of matrices that goes
through and who's been given what and ... that seems also more difficult to me.
Mims/ What are you going to do if you have two people on a lease ... who maybe are not gonna
move to the same residence in the future and they've.... they're going their separate
ways? Person A walks in with the lease, gets $250. The next day person B walks in with
a lease to get their 250 and it's already been paid out.
Cole/ Per household.
Mims/ So .... I get in there first and I get the 250 and the other person in the household is left
holding nothing.
Throgmorton/ There is a lease holder.
Mims/ You could have multiple lease holders.
Throgmorton/ Okay. Well then that's.... that's who the funding would go to is whoever the ... the
lease holders are for a particular unit. (several talking)
Taylor/ ...had a date, that if they had the lease by a certain date. So that it couldn't be somebody
that had the lease in March and then again somebody in (both talking)
Mims/ No, that's not what I'm talking about. (several talking)
Botchway/ So if Jim and I have, uh, are on the same lease for a particular unit, you know, who
would get the money first if somebody comes first. I ... I think that we can't .... (several
talking)
Mims/ We can't what?
Botchway/ We can't do anything about that.
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Fruin/ The Rose Oaks' ownership has provided us a list .... from the day they took ownership,
which was February 27a' and that is the, uh, 200 and ... uh, sorry 207 households, um,
there and I have one name per unit. I have the unit they were in, and I have the number
of bedrooms and bathrooms at that unit. Um, I would .... I would suggest that we use that
list. Again, there's one name per unit. I assume that that's the primary contact on the
lease. I don't know how that was distinguished. I don't think that, um, we want to
require verification of the lease, just from an administrative standpoint, um, my guess is
that the vast majority of households will not, particularly those that have moved, will not
have copies of that lease, and I'm not sure how anxious the Rose Oaks' management
group is to .... to, you know, how receptive they're going to be to.....several dozen, if not
a hundred or more inquiries on, hey, can you send us this person's lease so we can verify.
So if we're goin' down this path, I would suggest that we just focus on the primary lease
holder that we have received from the Rose Oaks' ownership group.
Mims/ I still don't have an answer, and this ... this bothers me, is what is the definition of a sudden
dislocation. If we're going with people who were lease holders on .... I don't know,
March I" or whatever, and you've got people who still have leases that don't expire until
some time this fall, you're talking about people who potentially have had five or six
months notice that they were going to have to move and so you're still gonna give them
money? Why? I....I.....
Taylor/ I think the intent is because these people were, uh, placed in a situation through no fault
of their own....
Mims/ There's lots of people that don't get their leases renewed.
Taylor/ But these folks it was unexpected, I mean totally unexpected.
Mims/ I would say if you go around this community and start asking a lot of the people who
work in social services and work with these folks, you're going to find there are a lot of
people who are not lease holders at Rose Oaks who end up in the exact same situation of,
and ... and Crissy's here and she could probably address that as well.
Throgmorton/Well, you ... no doubt you're true, I mean you're correct. I mean who could deny
that. What's unique about this is it's one site, and ... which more than 200 people were
affected immediately, even though not everybody had to leave immediately. That's
definitely true as well, but the announcement that they would have to leave was
immediate for 207 households.
Mims/ So I .... I .... (both talking)
Cole/ But we've already decided that. (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, we've already decided (both talking)
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Cole/ We've already decided this, so .... can't we just move to the individual criteria, based upon
the number of votes?
Botchway/Susan, I understand (both talking)
Mims/ You guys are opening an incredible, incredible can of worms. I ... I guess what .... I guess
one of the things I find .... so hard to understand is .... four of you are sitting here who ran
on social justice and fairness and equity. Those were terms that you used repeatedly in
your campaigns. And there is nothing about this proposal that is fair and equitable when
you look at people in need across this community. We have people every day whose
leases are not being renewed. You go down and talk to Crissy. I called her this afternoon
and asked a number of questions. They are inevitably getting people coming in there,
single parents with families, you know, whatever the situation, whose leases have not
been renewed, with virtually no notice. They are just as deserving as people living at
Los ... at Rose Oaks, the fact that their lease holder was not Rose Oaks.... what you are
saying by this action is that they are not as deserving because they are not part of this
"200 people." (both talking)
Botchway/ But what I'm saying (both talking)
Mims/ No, I'm not finished! I'm sorry! (both talking) This ... this is....I'm sorry, I cannot get
my head around, no matter how compassionate and caring anybody wants to be, and I
know you all think I'm not. I get that. That's not true, but I believe in doing things in a
fair and equitable way across the community. Not just for one group who happened to
have one landlord on one date who got a notice that their lease would not be renewed for
some of them in two weeks, heaven forbid. Some of whom have six months! And
you're telling me that simply because no other reason, no other reason you are giving me,
than the fact that they had a lease with Rose Oaks on that specific date and it is not going
to be renewed .... we are going to give them money.
Botchway/ So....
Mims/ Go ahead!
Botchway/ So equitable.... it's one of those things I get kind of jazzed about because, you know,
we're not talking about fairness across the board. Equity speaks to different situations for
different groups of people. Everybody in this community uses equity and equality
interchangeably, and that's not the case cause I do see this as a equitable situation. I see
this situation where we are treating the situation differently because it is a particular
project. Um, because it is a particular project in a closed location. I mean I'll be frank,
you know, if we're going to talk about predatory, you know, issues or pricing by
landlords, and we're going to talk about extending money to affordable housing,
extending money to Shelter House, we can have that discussion. I mean, we can add that
to the list of things that we have as priorities. I'm all for that! I've been for that for the
last two and a half years. If we're willing to spend the money to do that, let's do that, and
we can have more of a fair conversation across the board. Millions.... for me it's about
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helping people and so if that's the case, let's do it, especially if we're going to come in
from the argument that, you know, there are other people that have gone through similar
things. It shouldn't happen in our community. It shouldn't happen in a community that
I'm a part of, so I'm totally in favor of spending more money toward that particular
effort. In regards to this particular situation, let me be clear, and I do apologize because I
know at times I can't be, this was an .... an utterly disgusting place to live for a lot of
people. I mean, it .... we pulled out! We pulled out of the residence because of it. That's
a problem for me, I mean we .... I feel .... I feel morally obligated that we should have done
more at the time, and I blame myself. I don't blame any staff members here. I blame
myself for not clearly understanding when I found out that we pulled out for those
reasons, that I didn't ask more questions, that I didn't spend more time talking about what
we could have done differently or what .... put pressure on the owners in this particular
situation, and so you know, some of it is, Susan, you know, and I don't think you're
going to get an answer or a clear answer, a definition, from me because some of it is gut.
Some of it is from the standpoint that I think that we failed (mumbled) particular people
of this housing complex with not asking enough questions, with not being on top of it.
Now, again, I think you bring up a great point and again, I haven't had my conversation
with Crissy, and so, Crissy, I do apologize cause I keep saying I'm going to meet with
you and I don't. There is a substantial need in this community. If we want to spend the
next five Council meetings having that conversation .... I.....I'm all for it. And I ... I think
that you bring up a good point, and we should do that. But again, towards this particular
issue, that's where I stand. I ... I stand on the fact that, you know, frankly for me it wasn't
enough time. Um, it .... it, there was ... there's been so much miscommunication, not only,
you know, among constituent groups, but just in the overall management that seems
confusing just as it was told to me by the Rose Oaks' management. Um, and overall,
again, going back to what I was previously saying, I mean, we had people living in
terrible situations. And we didn't do anything! And I ... I don't even think this is enough.
I think I brought that up initially when I said there was going to be an ultimate gap of
over $100,000 that we were supposed to look at, but .... for me it is a gut check. For me it
is a moral obligation, and you know, if I have to .... you know, hear the complaints from
constituents, you know, on the phone, email, whatever the case may be because I'm not
making it with some type of criteria in mind other than my gut or my feeling or my
reaction or my visceral reaction to the situation, I ... I'm all ears. People have my number,
but that's... that's my reasoning, and that's why I want to move forward on this proposal.
Cole/ Well I thought we had already had this discussion two weeks ago, and this is the
particulars. So I guess that's what I'd like to focus on are the particulars of ..of what we
want to try to do, and as the alternative too, Jim, I'm wondering whether if we can
address all of these tonight. Well, I guess you don't want to have staff come back (both
talking)
Throgmorton/ No, let's do it tonight.
Cole/ ...do it.
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Thomas/ Well I ... I would just want to say to ... to Susan's comments about equity, you know,
what this, what Rose Oaks presented to me was an experience of, uh... you know, of...of a
large number of people being dislocated.... through no fault of their own. Urn ... from
their .... from their homes. And opening me up to how that is becoming increasingly an
issue across the country, particularly in areas with ... with, uh, housing markets which are
hot. And Iowa City has the highest rents in the state of Iowa. So we're.... we're seeing
that here, in part we're seeing a Rose Oaks happen here because our rental markets are so
strong. So ... and it was a large number of people. I always translate numbers like this,
numbers of households, to my neighborhood. This would be the equivalent of roughly 10
blocks of housing that would be displaced. So it .... it's a significant number. I
understand, Susan, your concerns and I do think, you know, based on Eleanor's
comments, how do we address this moving forward is an issue. The ... the issue isn't
going away, um, as we move forward and so it is something I think we and, as a Council
and we as a community, will be needing to address. How do we solve or begin to
acknowledge that, uh, particularly low-income families have difficulties with relocation.
So I think that is something we need to look at. Um, because there are people who are
being evicted through no fault of their own, uh, in Iowa City and will continue to be
evicted. But in (both talking)
Mims/ I think you need to be careful about using the word eviction.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, it's not legally an eviction.
Cole/ Dislocation.
Thomas/ Dislocation then.
Taylor/ I ... I see this, I mean, these folks were some of the most vulnerable people in our
community. These were ones that worked hard. They didn't even, um, Kingsley
mentioned that, uh, the City backed away from offering any sort of assistance to them.
These folks, uh, did not even apply for such things as Section 8, um, they worked hard,
some of `em two or three jobs, uh, some of `em spoke very little English, some of `em,
you know, were living there out of a need because they worked just across the highway,
because they don't have transportation. So I see this as a different population, and I see
this as the kind of folks that we talked about during our campaign, for social justice and
equity in this community. We ... we have to look out for those kinds of folks, those
individuals that Susan talked about — yes, we care about those folks also, but they have
the option of going to the Shelter House on a one-to-one basis. In this instance we're
talking about large numbers of people, uh, that .... that needed someone help speak for
them and do something to .... to help them out in this situation.
Throgmorton/ All right, folks. I think it's clear we .... as a, you know, the Council majority have
a ... a commitment. We are making a commitment to provide some funding, all right.
So ... we're gonna have to deal with that. I want to run through some of the other
elements here. I think we can get them off the table and .... and, uh.....and then, uh, move
back to this, to the larger point. So, uh, Item 3, proof—residents, which you proposed,
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Rockne, is that residents would either need to provide a copy of their lease or a receipt
written verification from College Properties that they were Rose Oaks' residents. Geoff,
uh.... that sounds pretty close to what you had in mind. What .... what was your
suggestion?
Fruin/ From an administrative standpoint, I think just practically speaking I don't think that
copies of the lease should be a requirements, otherwise it's going to just create a whole
lot of angst, um, for people seeking these funds. So .... we have the list, um, we would....
we would likely, uh, the way that we would handle it, um, if you .... if you think it would
be okay is we would send out, uh, letters to the last known address of everybody on
this .... on that list, 207 households. Uh, advising them that, um, you know, the simple
form that they can fill out, um .... that says they were, uh, entitled to this, uh, to this as part
of the, uh, as part of their dislocation from Rose Oaks, um, and we would simply ask for
them to .... to fill out the form and let us know what their, uh, new mailing address is. In
all reality, um, not very many of these letters are going to reach the people, uh, because
the Rose Oaks' folks do not have forwarding addresses. Um, so we would be mailing to
their Rose Oaks' address, with the hopes that the postal service would forward, that ... that
they reset their, or they forwarded their, um, regular mailing to wherever they're at now,
and I doubt that'll be the case for many of these folks but .... that's the best way that we
know, um, to reach out, and so they could just mail in, uh, the form that we provide them.
We would mail back a check for those that do.
Throgmorton/ Okay, setting aside for the moment the total number of residents that would
receive this kind of letter, would you .... the rest of you agree that the process Geoffjust
laid out is acceptable?
Cole/ Yes.
Mims/ The one thing I would disagree with ... and you know I disagree with the whole process,
but setting that aside is the use of the word `entitled.' I ... I think, I would strongly
discourage that, um, I would say something to the effect that based on the decision of the
Council to provide assistance, I do not think from ... and Eleanor's the attorney in the
room.
Fruin/ Sure.
Mims/ Um .... I wouldn't put entitled.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I support that (several talking) All right, sounds like we're good to go on
that. All right. Method of disbursement. Well you just....you just described it, uh, and
apparently we're in full agreement, uh, with the caveat, uh, just laid out. Uh, you
recommended a sunset date — October 31", 2016.
Cole/ Yep!
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Throgmorton/ Geoff, you and I talked about the....this this morning. Sounds reasonable to you
from an administrative point of view, so doesn't just drag on and on and on.
Mims/ I have a question. If the only requirement is that they were a lease holder, if they're on
that list, it does not say they have to have relocated. So these things seem to be in
contradiction to each other.
Dickens/ Isn't there some families that aren't going to relocate?
Mims/ Yeah, that's my point, and the only thing for qualification is they're on the list. There's
nothing on the qua] ... on the eligibility that says they have to have moved.
Throgmorton/ It's poss... it's a reasonable sug... it would be a reasonable suggestion to say that
people, there are 20 -some odd, maybe (several talking)
Fruin/ Twenty-six households.
Throgmorton/ Twenty-six households that currently remain on site.
Mims/ So are they eligible?
Throgmorton/ If they remain on site ... (several talking)
Mims/ I'm just asking the question because to me the eligibility .... and the other piece were
con ... in contradiction with each other. (several talking)
Taylor/ Some of those folks, it's my understanding that some of those folks, and they could be
part of those 26, I don't know if somebody can clarify that, had moved. They had moved
from a building that was going to be remodeled into another one that had been remodeled
already. So...
Fruin/ Twenty-six is what is on site as of today.
Cole/ And a lot of `em are going to be moving too, aren't they?
Fruin/ Sure, they'll be moving in the fall. Some have leases that .... the, uh, furthest lease date
that I saw out there on the Rose Oaks' report was March 3155 of next year. So you may
have folks that are there for quite a bit longer.
Throgmorton/ Okay, so I ... I think this question can best be addressed with regard to eligibility, I
mean, how many of the 207 households do we want to treat as eligible? So let's come
back to that in a second. Uh.... Rockne, so is .... this sunset date...
Cole/ October 3151.
Throgmorton/ (both talking) ...okay with the rest of you?
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Cole/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ All right. Uh, the last point you made, Rockne, and, uh, also Kingsley. I don't
mean to be (several talking) Uh, has to do with a proposal about how to use the
remaining funds. I'll tell you what my gut, uh, my .... my sense is. We won't use all of
the 50,000, and I must say I never agreed to literally sp.... spending $50,000 and whatever
sort of `residual' is left over would have to come from the affordable housing fund
anyhow. So I don't like the idea of figuring out some other way to use residual funds.
Cole/ That's fine, Jim.
Mims/ So you're saying they should stay with the City.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Cole/ That's fine, Jim.
Mims/ So that you would be authorizing up to $50,000.
Throgmorton/ Well certainly not to exceed that, but it should be significantly less than $50,000,
but it depends on how we are .... are, what we decide about who's eligible.
Cole/ That's fine, Jim, and that's something that Kingsley brought up and I'm supportive of that.
Throgmorton/ Okay, so .... we can go back, basically to the question of who's eligible.
Botchway/ I think Susan brings up a good point because there are 20...I mean I think, Pauline,
what Susan's trying to say is there's individuals who have left the property, individuals
who are still on site, correct?
Mims/ And individuals who may still be on site by the sunset date.
Botchway/ Right. I mean .... I will say coming from the op ... opening discussion with Rose Oaks,
I mean, the thought was that, you know, eventually they were going to raise rents, I
mean, there was a lot more, um, kind of attenuated from this particular discussion that we
frankly haven't discussed, I mean, um, there's a .... I'm .... I'm making the assumption and
maybe I'm wrong that a lot of the residents currently in that location won't be living in
that location long. I mean I think this is just a .... a timing game basically to .... you know,
not have residents there and go through with the rest of the project. Now if some
residents are able to stay, I think that obviously Rose Oaks is going to have `em stay, but
um, I just remember basically from that initial meeting, you know, the thought was that
they plan on raising rent, they plan on changing the property substantially and I ... I didn't
believe that any residents would, you know, continue to live there past the lease term.
And again, this wasn't something that anybody said to me explicitly. This is me reading
between the lines. I do want to make sure that's very clear and this is just my own
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interpretation, not anybody elses. So, I don't think there should be any type of eligibility
from that standpoint.
Mims/ From what standpoint?
Botchway/ From a standpoint of, you know, the 207 households that were, um, of that particular
date we would loop them into the entire discussion.
Cole/ All of `em would be eligible (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ....sorry.
Cole/ That all of `em would be eligible is what you're saying.
Botchway/ Correct.
Cole/ Yeah, and I agree with that. Cause I think the whole issue too is setting aside who's
moved and who hasn't. Obviously this is intended to assist with a...with a, with moving
to a new location. But even for the residents that have been there, back to Kingsley's
point, the length of time they've been in these conditions and what they've had to endure
in terms of the uncertainty, um, it's sort of the least that we can do to cushion, I think,
some of the ... the uncertainty, the distress that they've had. So .... um, I think just for
simplicity purposes, everyone.... every household should be eligible that was there as of
March of 2016. It's simple. Um, the only exception would be to Terry's point, it would
be no fault. Um, if you were evicted for cause, you are not eligible.
Mims/ So just to clarify, you are going to then give money to people, if you're ... if you're keeping
a deadline, a sunset date of October 31" and you're only eligibility is they're on that list,
you're going to give money to people who are not ... moving. Or at least who have not
moved as of October 31 ", and who may in fact be staying in Rose Oaks long term.
Cole/ That's correct.
Botchway/ And let's.... since we're mincing words, they have moved from different sites in the
property, but they're still on the property.
Fruin/ I don't know that.
Botchway/ Okay, cause I do believe some folks have moved within the property and so I .... I....
Fruin/ Some certainly have, but I don't know if all 26 have been asked or forced to move within
the property.
Throgmorton/ Let's .... let's deal with the particular question at hand, which is.....of the 25 or so
people who currently still reside in Rose Oaks, and whose future is uncertain with regard
to where they're going to be living, do you ... do we want to provide $250 to them?
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Cole/ Yes.
Taylor/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ I hear three yeses.
Thomas/ I would prefer if possible if...if we can, um .... hold that until they actually move out of
the Rose Oaks' facility. They would be eligible upon leaving Rose Oaks. (several
talking)
Throgmorton/ This is what I would prefer as well.
Botchway/ But then we're waiting past the date of the....
Thomas/ But they would qualify by the 315`. They'd get the paperwork in and then once they
chose to leave Rose Oaks .... they would be eligible to receive the .... the support.
Botchway/ Then I still think we're handling the administrative piece (both talking)
Thomas/ If that's not an onerous ... task to do it in that way.
Throgmorton/ Geoff, do you have any sense about that?
Frain/ It ... I think it...it adds confusion. I mean we'll ... just from a staff point have to explain
those rules to the ... to the 26 and I think there may be some.... confusion there. It
certainly.... it's doable, I mean.....I'm not sure what the harm is in just getting them
the .... the check now as opposed to waiting until they move out. Uh, we'll have some
folks, you know, probably moving out every.... every month between now and March.
So....
Thomas/ The expectation is that they will all be, at some point....
Frain/ Yeah!
Thomas/ ....leaving Rose Oaks.
Frain/ Yeah. That would be ... the assumption we have to make, which I think is ... probably a ... a
decent as .... assumption.
Dickens/ And even if they've already received funds, they're still gonna get more funds. Is that
correct? (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Let's revisit that in a second.
Dickens/ I just wondered if that was part of the .... (both talking)
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Throgmorton/ I just want to focus on these 25 or so .... households. Are there four votes in favor
of. ... uh.... in favor of providing $250 to these 25 or so households who currently still live
at Rose Oaks, under the assumption that they will have to move at some point.
Cole/ I'm sup .... I'm supportive of that.
Throgmorton/ I've heard three.
Thomas/ Yeah, I ... I think I can support that.
Taylor/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ All right, there are four votes for that. Uh, I want to return to my, uh, original
suggestion that residents who have already received.... 250 or more dollars from the other
processes that we've ... that have been taken, you know, the owners' money and the money
we provided to Shelter House for, uh, using Home funds, uh, should they also receive
that additional $250 or should they be excluded so that the other people who have not
received any funds, uh, should be the people who receive this $250. I wonder if there are
four votes for that proposal, if I'm being clear enough, or not.
Dickens/ That would be the .... if they have received funds, then they don't receive any more.
Throgmorton/ If they've received more than $250, yes.
Dickens/ That's fine with me.
Mims/ That's fine with me.
Taylor/ I'm not really certain of that because I think the original intent of Rockne's proposal
was, uh, to kind of help these folks, not necessarily for moving expenses. The Shelter
House funds and the Rose Oaks' funds were to help with moving, applying new, uh,
apartment, uh, contracts, the, uh, credit checks, etc., and that was what that .... those funds
were to help with, and this was more to kind of help ease the situation, this undue stress
that they were put under, to ... to go through this situation. So I think it's like totally
different funding.
Dickens/ First come, first serve. I mean the people that have .... that got in there first, they're
getting this money and then they're going to get some more money. So ... cause once that
other money's gone, these other people are going to be out. So it's ... it's just not a...1
don't think that's a fair way of dealing with it (mumbled)
Botchway/ To me though as a reduction overall total is not necessarily....
Cole/ More complicated.
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Botchway/ Yeah. I mean, basically we're stating that folks that have already received assistance
would not get, I mean, not receive additional assistance, and so it's just a reduction of the
amount of money that we're putting out there from a $50,000 standpoint.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Mims/ There's.... I'll just throw out one other idea. I realize you guys have already decided,
okay, but....if any of these individuals are on any kind of state and/or federal programs,
you might want to consider the fact that getting a $250 check in a given month may
disqualify them ... from the programs that they're on, and they might be in a position
where they have to repay funds to the state or to the federal government because they got
this additional money.
Throgmorton/ So I think that, uh, that's a reasonable question but no one would be compelled to
cash a check or apply for a check. Uh, a per ... a person would have to fill out this simple
form and say, you know, send me the money. So....
Mims/ The thing that I find interesting about that is a lot of this discussion has been about how
people find the systems so onerous and they don't understand and ... you know, we need to
help everybody. Well I can tell you that for a lot of these people .... the first thing they are
going to do when they get that check is they are going to go cash it. They are not going
to think about.... potential repercussions and then later maybe when they go out and fill
out some form or somebody discovers, oh, you were at Rose Oaks, did you get that
money, and now they are going to have to .... maybe pay it back, maybe pay a penalty,
maybe pay interest. I don't know, but for you to sit here and think, oh, they don't have to
cash the check, I think is a .... I'm sorry, that's a pretty naive position to take. If they get
the .... if they're in need and they get the check, they're cashing it. That's.... that's human
nature. The repercussions that could come back on them .... could be significant.
Botchway/ I guess we could also answer questions as far .... or ask questions as far as the
implications of, um, if there was rent paid by, you know, Shelter House or .... or Shelter
House or Rose Oaks, you know, whether that would have implications as far as them,
you know, that being included in their income or not. I mean .... (several talking)
Mims/ Crissy's shaking her head no, cause it's not paid to them.
Botchway/ Okay, so it's paid to the organization.
Frain/ It's been paid to the organization, and .... and we're required to report to the IRS $600 or
more.
Botchway/ So we're ..... we don't have to report that information.
Frain/ (both talking)
Botchway/ ....don't have to report that information, so basically (several talking)
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Mims/ ...they should report that information (several talking) Legally they are required to...
Frain/ I'm saying what our responsibility is as the ... as .... as the City here, as the payer. Unless it
hits 600 or more, we don't notify the IRS.
Throgmorton/ Geoff, I .... I made a specific suggestion. So far three people agree, and we'll find
out if maybe there's a fourth, I don't know. But I want to ask you .... from a .... an
administrative point of view, is it feasible and reas... reasonably simple from an
administrative point of view to .... to do what I suggested, to exclude (clears throat)
excuse me, the people, the households that have already received 250 or more dollars in
support.
Frain/ Well we .... we would have to work with Shelter House staff and basically cross reference
their ... their, urn .... uh, list of folks that they've assisted and .... and eliminate people from
our list, um, so from that standpoint I think that's doable. I'm sure that Shelter House
would be willing to share that information with us. They've done that in the past. I think
the bigger complication, um, is in communication with the, uh, tenants themselves. So
if...if I'm not eligible but I know my next door neighbor was or my, you know, friend that
also lives in Ro... Rose Oaks was, we have to explain to them as the administrators of this
program that I'm sorry, you already received funds so we're not going to give you this
250. It can create, you know, some ... some, uh, some tension in those kinds of
conversations. So it ... it's not as easy to administer. Is it doable? Yeah.
Cole/ Let's just keep it simple. And do the 250 and get it done.
Throgmorton/ Well are there.... well..... with regard to my proposal, let's see if there are, you
know, what the number of votes are here. So I think there are three.
Mims/ I'd say no.
Cole/ No. (several talking)
Throgmorton/ I know you're a no. John?
Thomas/ I'm kind of inclined to just keep it as simple as possible.
Throgmorton/ Okay, so there's that decision. Kingsley, you made a .... a suggestion about
allocating differentially by size of household basically.
Botchway/ Correct.
Throgmorton/ Right. Is there support for doing ... I understand the rationale, uh, and I can
imagine it a simpler way of doing it, you know, like having two tiers, urn ... one tier for
households with one to two residents; another tier for households of greater than two.
But what I want to know...
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Dilkes/ It's gonna be based on bedrooms, not on residents.
Throgmorton/Thank you, so....
Fruin/ We don't have the number of residents.
Throgmorton/ Thank you. Is ... is there support for doing what Rockne... I'm sorry, what Kingsley
suggested in terms of, uh, this differential allocation. I personally am not in favor of it. I
want to keep it simple.
Thomas/ I like the idea but I would .... I think the simplicity of just a flat rate, at this point in time
especially, is preferable to me.
Botchway/ And just to be clear, my reasoning for doing that was because, you know, the nature
of the bedrooms in a particular location. There's more members that you have to think
about from a potential family. I'm not saying that's the case, and so, um, I just wanted to
be cognizant of that, and I think that's why (clears throat) the DOT model spoke to that
particular (coughing, unable to hear speaker)
Throgmorton/ I don't sense enough votes in favor of that. Okay, so what I'm hearing, help me if
I'm misstating something here, is that we have decided to allocate $250 per household to
each of 207 households. (several responding) And they .... and they're gonna be able to
demonstrate .... we're gonna send `em a letter, uh, with .... asking just real simple
questions that Geoff already laid out. If they want to apply they can. If they don't, they
don't.
Botchway/ Yeah, and just to be clear, the .... so I agree you ... with what you said. The math
doesn't add up cause I didn't know it was 207. I thought it was a little bit more. So ... a
little bit less, and so whatever that amount would be....
Dickens/ It's $51,750.
Botchway/ Up to that amount.
Dickens/ Based on the 207.
Botchway/ And please double-check Terry's math (laughter)
Fruin/ So our plan.... we'll... we'll immediately start working on this program. I think it's
appropriate that the Council memorialize this discussion in resolution form. So we'll
prepare that for your next meeting, uh, so that you're very comfortable with the manner
in which we're going to be executing that, and ... it's consistent with what your discussion
was today. But we won't .... sit on this for two weeks. We'll get it all ready to go
and ... and uh, assuming passage of the resolution, we'll.... start.... start administering the
program.
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Throgmorton/ And .... and the funds would be pulled from the affordable housing....
Fruin/ The affordable housing, the .... the million dollars essentially from Court -Linn.
Throgmorton/ Okay, so, uh, I think I sense probably with Susan being an exception that
there's ... I don't know about you, Terry. No? Okay, so there's like five .... five votes in
favor, two against, even though it's not a formal vote. (several talking) And then we'll
come back to it the way you just described. Right? Okay. Thank you. So we should
stop.
Botchway/ Got one Information Packet.
Throgmorton/ I know but, uh.... the...
Cole/ We can do that afterwards, right?
Mims/ Yeah, we got a short meeting. (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Okay, so we're gonna .... uh, adjourn the work session....
Karr/ Gonna recess the work session.
Throgmorton/ Recess the work session and come back after the formal meeting ends.
(RECESS TO FORMAL MEETING)
Information Packet Discussion [July 281:
Throgmorton/ All right so now we are .... we're going to reconvene, uh, the work session. And
we had stopped at Information Packets. Uh, and we ... there was no Information Packet
for, what, July .... what's the month, for July 21, uh, but that leads us to the July ... the July
28`s packet. Uh... any discussion about any of the items in that packet? I ... there is one I
want to address, I'm sorry. I wanted to (both talking)
Mims/ Go ahead!
Throgmorton/ I had asked Geoff to walk us through the process that he set up for selecting,
identifying, uh, a new police chief. So, Geoff, I wonder if you could, uh, walk us
through, and the public through, that process.
Fruin/ Sure, uh, well our aim through this whole process is to ... is to keep the public apprised of,
um, where we're at in the, uh, selection, um, so we created a web site that anybody can
go to — icgov.org/policechiefsearch and it will give you a description of the process and,
uh, over time as we complete the various steps, we'll post, uh, information under those
subsections, uh, so the public can ... can review, um, where we are. Overall I expect, um,
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that the....uh, search process will likely take us into November. Um, and as we've
discussed before, that will, uh, likely require and will require a, uh, appointment of a
second, uh, interim chief, um, because there is a 90 -day limit by State, uh, code. So, uh,
we do, uh, anticipate that. In terms of the process, um, we spent a .... a good portion of
July working with the consultants that we brought on board, Slavin Management
Consultants, to develop a recruitment profile. Um, as part of that process, uh, the, um...
uh, representatives from Slavin met with a variety of, uh, community, uh, stakeholders,
uh, to get a sense of what, urn ..... uh, folks with different perspectives want out of the
next police chiefs, what type of characteristics, what types of values, um ... uh, are people
looking for in the police chief, and again that's going to aid them in, urn... developing this
profile and really going out and speaking to interested candidates who, um, are looking at
this. We want to make sure that they can convey the sentiment of the community, the
expectations of the community, uh, to those, uh, to those candidates. So, each of you,
thank you for taking the time to meet with them. I think that's important that they hear
from ... from you as, uh, elected representatives. Uh, they also met with, uh... uh, City
department heads and they met with police, uh, staff, uh, they met with our diversity
roundtable, uh, they met with representatives from local law enforcement agencies and
the County Attorney's office, uh, and I'm probably leaving out a group or two, but they
had a busy, uh, certainly a busy couple of days, um, speaking with different folks. We
are reviewing the final draft of the recruitment profile which is essentially a five to six-
page document that, uh, describes the community to a ... to an outsider, um, lays out the
key issues, um, that we see as a community, and then describes some of the
characteristics that we'll seek in a new chief. So, that's our pri .... our primary, um,
recruitment tool, uh, that we'll put out. Um, I hope to have that on the streets, uh, next
week, and then from that point we'll have 30 to maybe 45 days, uh, of an application
period, um, where any interested, uh, person can .... can apply. Uh, from that standpoint,
we'll work with the consultants internally to get the list of applicants down to what I'll
call a semi-finalist group and at the semi-finalist stage, um, the names will still be, uh,
kept confidential. Um, hard to say the number. It depends on the applicant pool that we
have, but you know I wouldn't... if we can get it down to eight to 12, um, folks, that's
usually a .... a.....a good target for a position like this. Those semi, uh, finalists candidates
we would try to engage in ... in in-person interviews. Uh, the interview process, uh, will
involve, uh... uh, people of...uh, with different perspectives, again, very similar to the way
we conducted the focus groups for the, uh, recruitment profile. So in addition to internal
City staff, um, I will be asking, uh, various representatives of the community to join on
what is likely to be two different interview panels, uh, for the, uh, for the chief. Those
teams of, um .... you know, maybe six, seven, eight people each, um, will then provide
some feedback to me. Uh, we'll, uh, from there go to ... from semi-finalists to a finalist
stage, where we may have two or three, uh, finalist applicants. At that point we would
anticipate, um, releasing the names of the applicants to the public and providing some
background information on them, uh, bios, resumes, uh, whatever may be appropriate,
and uh, holding some sort of meet -and -greet process, uh, for the public where you can
come in and .... uh, meet the finalist candidates. They would do that along with a .... a
final interview. Um, again, we're hoping that, uh, process to be sometime maybe perhaps
late October, urn .... and then, uh, ultimately I will be, uh, forwarding you one name that
you will have to, um, confirm, uh, for the police chief position. And that's, uh, that's
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unique, uh, in that there's only two positions, um, two department head positions where,
um, you have that kind of final confirmation say, and that's the police chief and the fire
chief. So for those of you that were here when we appointed, uh, Chief Grier in the Fire
Department, it's largely that same ... same process.
Throgmorton/ Thanks, Geoff, and the .... the fact that you're doing this process and that we have
this opportunity at....at the late stage is a function of the City Charter, is it not, that it
specifies who has what responsibility.
Dilkes/ A confirmation by the Council, yes.
Throgmorton/ Okay, uh, anybody want to ask Geoff any questions or .... make some suggestions
that might possibly be fruitful from Geoff s point of view?
Mims/ No, I just was going to say, you know, before you did, Jim, to thank Geoff for the memo.
I think it lays it out really well. I think, you know, we all understand the issues, I mean,
as I just addressed the other one here, um ... the importance of, you know, public input,
which Geoff has already addressed with this, um, this is going to be a very, um .... a
highly scrutinized hire by Geoff. I mean there's just no question about it. The
community will look at this very carefully and ... um, I think we should have some really
good candidates and look forward to seeing who we end up with.
Taylor/ I just wanted to add I was very impressed when I met with the recruitment folks. They
were very attentive, uh, and listened to what I had to say and, uh, just seemed like they
were really on top of things.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, me too.
Mims/ I think one thing that was helpful with them being hired is they're already somewhat
familiar with the community. So I think that's helpful too.
Cole/ I felt the same way.
Throgmorton/ Okay, good deal. Thanks, Geoff.
Fruin/ Yep.
Throgmorton/ All right, uh, other ... so we can move to other topics and, uh, I cut you off; you
were (both talking)
Mims/ Well and I was going to start with that one but that's okay. Uh, #11, Marian had a memo
in here on distribution of late handouts. I don't see any .... I don't know if anybody else is
thinking about changes or if Marian is, um .... to me continuing what we're doing
but ..... trying to cut people off from (laughs) late ones would be nice, but that's not
possible (laughs)
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Karr/ I think there was just some confusion.... and I thought it would be helpful to, uh, reiterate
again, see if there was any interest in making changes, but some of the confusion with the
late handout in the past has been the fact, again, as was noted, that you don't have the
opportunity then to read it and digest it as ... as quickly and as thoroughly as you'd like to,
but also it makes a difference on when it is available to the City on our web site as well.
Um, again, we had the late handouts that go out Monday. Anything that is distributed
hard copy or later than that waits a week basically, um, for the conclusion finalizing of
the entire meeting folder. So I just wanted to reiterate that.
Throgmorton/ I'd like to say I ... I don't think we have, um, much power to control what the
public does because they always have a right to .... to comment on particular items. But
we should ... we do have an ability to sort of control what we do and it's really important
to recognize that we're all very busy and it's really hard to process difficult, important
information at the last moment. So .... we all know that, so .... urn .... I don't see any reason
to .... change the existing procedure. (several responding)
Karr/ Thank you.
Throgmorton/ Other items? I'll mention one just to get it on the table here. Item #10, IP10, has
to do with the Iowa League of Cities Annual Conference and I just want to tell Marian
that I want to attend that on the fust two days and I'm wondering if anybody else wants
to go up there.
Thomas/ I .... I was interested. (mumbled)
Throgmorton/ It's in Des Moines. Is it not, it's in Des Moines (both talking)
Karr/ Yes, yes it is!
Throgmorton/ It's a three-day thing and I don't want to be there for the third day.
Karr/ Why don't you just check your calendars, let me know, and I'll see if I can coordinate via
emails and possibly do carpooling if there's any interest. But I could certainly do that,
but I'll take a look at that, and the sooner that we do, um, make those type of
reservations, we then have a better chance of securing closer housing.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I personally am imagining staying one night.
Karr/ Okay, and coming back.... okay.
Thomas/ So this would cover the ... the fee of going and, um....
Karr/ It would cover .... (both talking)
Thomas/ ...hotel...
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Karr/ That's correct. It would be a .... a conference, so there's a procedure for, uh, the
registration, mileage, lodging, and meals. We have a .... a, as all City employees who
attend a conference.
Throgmorton/ Okay! So let, uh, Marian know if you would like to attend. Other items on that...
Info Packet?
Cole/ I just had a question about IP 13, uh, first of all I think that the report itself looked great.
The only thing I had concerns about is there .... it was unclear to me about whether she
was suggesting that they would leave open the possibility of a complete $25,000 grant,
that that would be possible. I don't know, what do people think about that? I would sort
of like to keep it where she said most of the grants would be 1,000 to 5,000. I guess my
preference is that it would be that, so we'd be able to get a lot of different organizations
that could apply, but I don't know if there's support for that. Um, the second comment I
had, I saw that there was a component of health. I'm wondering if she would address
also the, um, food insecurity. I think that's a big concern of mine as well. So those are
just two comments I have on IP13. I don't know what any (mumbled) on that.
Throgmorton/ Was there something you wanted to say, Geoff?
Frain/ No, I ... I think, um, from my understanding with the Human Rights Commission is
recommending here is that there ... it be pretty loose this first year because they don't
know what kind of applications they will receive.
Cole/ Okay.
Frain/ Which is why they said let's not rule out one grant for 25,000. It could be a .... a
phenomenal program that's offered and then, you know, it's a City Council decision
ultimately on whether we expand the grant program in future years. My guess is it would
have to be a pretty special application to get all 25,000 (both talking)
Cole/ That was a concern of mine.
Frain/ In terms of the health, I'm ... I'll have to read this again real quick and refresh my memory.
I'm not...
Cole/ Well I think they outlined like five different categories that they would look at. So it's
just ... it's just a thought. I would like to see the food insecurity as part of it, but if there's
no support for that there's not, but.... Just feedback.
Throgmorton/ I think (several talking)
Frain/ I think food insecurity would certainly fall under health, yes.
Cole/ Okay.
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Mims/ Yeah, and I would just say, I mean I hear what you're saying, Rockne, on the 25,000.
Cole/ Yeah.
Mims/ But again, I guess I'd like to leave that open so that if they did get some....
Cole/ Off the charts...
Mims/ Yes, some just off the charts application from a great organization that had a real good
history of really being able to .... do what they say they're going to do, that at least that
option's there and I think we have to, you know, just, uh, go from there and judge
the .... the kinds of grants that are given and are we getting what we want for the money
we're spending (both talking)
Botchway/ I would agree. The one .... piece that I'm focused on as separate is the, um, the group.
I know that we picked the Human Rights Commission to be the individuals that oversee
the funding of this particular, or receive the, uh, the, um, proposals, uh, on this particular
project. You know, when I initially proposed it I was hopeful that we would have a
substantial University presence, um, and they, you know, have a lot of people that have
done a lot of work around, um, you know, racial and social justice. Um, I don't know
how ... um, I ... I was thinking of an ex -officio member or something to provide, um, just
some expertise. You know, I don't know if, um, (mumbled) or anybody in her particular
group would be, you know, want to participate, um, but ... I just feel like there needs to be
an element of the University involved. So I think ... I think that's my proposal, I mean, I
think that everything's fine but I think .... I would like to request that we at least, um,
reach out and ask if they want to be, you know, um, ex -officio members or just have
knowledge of the meetings and, you know, what happens.
Throgmorton/ I think that's a pretty good idea.
Frain/ You do have as one of your strategic plan objectives, um, further cooperation with the
University under the, um, racial equity category, so I think that.... marries pretty well
with that. I know Stefanie and Georgina have had ... recent meeting or two on ... on
collaborations so ... I'll suggest this to Stefanie and see if she can't figure out some way to
make it work.
Throgmorton/ I had a question about that topic as well. If...if I read the memo correctly, it really
refers to next fiscal year and how to spend $25,000, how to identify the projects, etc. So ]
assume there's already ideas that are .... largely in play for this fiscal year, and you know,
I don't .... I don't remember what they are, but I know there're some actions already being
funded. Can you, do you remember what they are (laughs) can you briefly let us in on
(both talking)
Frain/ For this grant program?
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
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Fruin/ The grant program, we would accomplish the first round this fiscal year. Um, I think
they're talking about a, uh, maybe December posting of the grant application. I'm going
off (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, but Geoff, what I'm thinking is they ... they won't be able to identify the
projects until March or something like that.
Fruin/ Oh, sure. So some of the activities may carry over into the next fiscal year.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Fruin/ Um, in terms of what we're .... we have going on this year, I ... I'd have to get back to you
with a, um .... a list. I know the Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights staff,
as well as Simon in our office, we ... uh, administer the small pots of discretionary funds to
sponsor various events in the community, be it Juneteenth or the (can't hear), uh, civil
rights tour trip, those types of things. I'd have to check and see everything we're doing.
Um, we also, you know, had the, uh, summer fund program over at the Rec Center. That
was a new initiative this year, uh, that wasn't out of the HRC, but was, uh, out of some
funds set aside in the Parks and Rec budget for, uh, minority outreach and programming.
So, um ... those things are kind of scattered in my mind right now, but we could pull a list
together and let you know what we're doing.
Throgmorton/ Great!
Fruin/ Okay.
Mims/ But as long as this money .... this money was budgeted for this fiscal year, correct? So as
long as it's awarded, their ... their projecting and awarding date of May lst, even if it's not
fully .... even if all the activities are not done by June 30a', that's not a problem as long as
(both talking)
Fruin/ Correct.
Mims/ Okay. Thanks. That's what I thought!
Throgmorton/ Okay, any other items on that Info Packet?
Cole/ Just briefly, IP 14, um ... the memo from Kent on the, uh, Dodge Street concerns. I was very
pleased with that memo. Um, and I'm also pleased to see that you're reaching out to the
Department of Transportation. We'll see whether they come with the same outcome as
before, um, but I think really getting into the specific stories from the individual members
that reached out to us. I'm assuming they would give input on that, on that application
process, and I would really like to see, at least for school hours, everything we can do to
do the 20 -mile -per -hour, uh, if as John says, 20 is plenty, and I think especially for the
school day, I think that's extremely important. So, but I love the interim measures that
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you guys took and I really commend ya on that. I thought that was great work. Um, and
we'll see what the DOT does, but hopefully we can persuade them and use ... even though
it's a different type of street, what we have on Benton in terms of the flashing lights and
sort of a slow down for the school day, cause I know it's a convenience issue but it's
obviously a safety issue, and I think it's a foreseeable accident that could easily happen.
So I just don't want to have to wait for an accident until we do something, which seemed
to have been the previous point of view of the DOT.
Mims/ The only thing I would comment on that, Rockne, and I understand the concern and I
share it, we moved into the house that we live in now out off of North Dodge in 1987.
I11MM7IOM01
Mims/ And I've been driving that street, especially for the first 10 or 15 years we were in that
house, my kids were still going to Southeast Junior High and City High, and I drove that
street every single day, and .... lots of times in those morning hours in terms of taking kids
to Southeast Junior High, etc., um, I really don't think it's gotten any worse in those 19
years. I'm not saying that's an excuse.
Cole/ Uh huh.
Mims/ Um, but I really don't think it's gotten any worse. I .... I will tell you I know one of the
things that we did in the past, and I .... since my kids are older now I don't drive it all the
time (laughs) but I know at the start of the school year, we had significant police presence
there during school hours, like in the morning and I think in the afternoon, and you know,
you do that for three or four weeks at the beginning of the school year, it's amazing what
it does to the speeds because, you know, all of a sudden people are coming around that
corner, coming down the hill, and there's the lights, or all of a sudden the officer is sitting
in Ace Hardware's alley right there and they're like, you just see the brakes go on and it
just really raises people's awareness and so .... I'm kind of assuming that's still going on.
I just don't tend to drive it every day during the school year like I used to. So, I .... I agree
it's an issue. It's .... it's an old issue. (laughs)
Cole/ It is but I think the perception of it is ... we're more aware of the impact of speed and safety,
I think, now that we (both talking)
Mims/ I think part of it also is .... um, is the turnover in terms of the housing.
Cole/ Yeah.
Mims/ People who have not lived and driven it, you know, or have moved into the Horace Mann
area and now all of a sudden their kids are in second and third grade and they're seeing it
for the first time. It's.... it's a decade's old (both talking)
Cole/ It's like a highway, yeah.
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Mims/ It's a decade's old issue.
Botchway/ Let me confirm for you that they are out there and (several talking and laughing)
Thomas/ Well I'm going to pile on .... pile on this issue here. (laughter) Um, first of all my
recollection was the letter from Christine Boyer concerned Governor Street. Um, so
that ... that's what really what triggered this was not Dodge but Governor, although I
would say both Governor and Dodge have similar problems in terms of their speeds, and
in a way, Susan, your comment on enforcement is the way I would prefer us to try and
look at these issues because what we're .... what we have on those streets are classic
examples of the roadway design itself, contributing to the high speeds. Um, I'm
personally would much prefer us to not take the approach of, well, we're just going to
have enforcement, uh, try to, uh, ticket drivers who are in a way responding to roadway
conditions that are telling them it's safe to drive at speeds over 35 -miles -per -hour. There
are things we can do to try to reduce the speeds on ... on both Dodge and Governor, um,
the most obvious issue is lane width, that the roads there ... the road there from curb to
curb is 30 -feet. I know we have sharrows on Dodge, but ... but basically the land widths
are 15 -feet. Uh, and again, as a reference, freeway traffic lanes are 12 -feet.
So .... we .... we have lane widths on a number of our arterials because we've taken away
the parking that .... that create that kind of condition. So, I would ... I would hope we can
view this as not simply a speed issue and can we please have a 20 -mile -per -hour speed
limit, because the ... the foundational .... quality of the roadway isn't going to change with
the speed limit change. So .... you know, I don't know how Kent would want to approach
this in terms of. ... uh, I, you know, I'd be happy to .... to attend that DOT meeting if
necessary. I think the DOT corridors, you know, the designated streets that are DOT,
Iowa designated, are some of the worst streets in Iowa City in terms of their safety.
Ralston/ Yeah, I just wanted to quick comment, I did talk to the City Manager about this as well
and we have scheduled.... there's a quarterly meeting date to be determined by (can't
hear) uh, the 20 -mile -per -hour school speed limit zone, uh, be discussed on that
agenda .... at our next DOT quarterly meeting, and the City Manager and I also discussed,
uh, discussing with them some other potential traffic calming options that they'd be
willing to .... to pursue and we'll press on them a little bit for that.
Mims/ So the, Kent, something like lane widths, like John's talking about, that would require
DOT approval?
Ralston/ Right, that's under their jurisdiction, and we can ask and ... and we'll apply some
pressure but .... you know, that's really the extent of what we can do.
Fruin/ And we will, um, knowing the importance of this issue to ... to the Council, we'll apply as
much pressure as we can. We'll come back and report to you and .... um, you know, if
you want to make an appeal as an elected, we will .... we can help facilitate that. You
guys will have perhaps some additional leverage or we will ask some of our State
Representatives and Senators to see if they can .... can help us with that too. But, I think
the best—best approach, uh, and ultimately the most .... uh, easily achieved outcome will
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be if we canjust accomplish this at a staff level, and we'll push hard. We'll push as hard
as we can and see what we can get done.
Cole/ Thank you!
Throgmorton/ All right (both talking)
Thomas/ And I would just, since if I'm not attending the meeting, I think it's important to, you
know, safety is certainly a key issue here, um, but it's also a quality of life issue. You
know, if you live on any street with speeds that high, your quality of life is diminished.
That then has impacts in terms of our property values on those, in those houses. So if
we're talking about being concerned with our property taxes as the basis of what we fund,
um....it....it makes no sense to me whatsoever that we're .... we're accepting the fact that
we're reducing those property values by allowing this to take place when there are
corrective measures that would help.
Botchway/ I agree (mumbled) I do want to make sure, and I know I have an inherent bias
because of my driving, but urn .... it goes back to, you know, Rick Fosse's, um,
presentation that he gave during CLP that, you know, we are at times, you know, not
allowing for the ability for residents to get from point A to point B across the city and
making it extremely difficult, um, at times, and I just want to be cognizant of that. I think
prior Councils have put the Sheraton, you know, plopped down in a particular way to
stop that and then also the, um, there was another building that was, uh, I think the
apartment complex that was, um, I think the apartment complex that was built, um....
Thomas/ Court Street.
Botchway/ Court Street .... that stopped, you know, I think we were talking about two different
issues because I know that traffic, I mean we're talking about, you know, we're not
changing, not putting something right in the middle of it. I just want us to be cognizant
of it cause as we have these discussions that's like my main fear that keeps creeping up in
my head.
Throgmorton/ All right. I want to bring up Item 16, IP 16, the bar check report for June. You
know I'm a co-chair of the Partnership for Alcohol Safety, along with Tom Rockland and
the University, and attending those meetings has made me much more attentive to the bar
check report, and ... being more attentive I ... I really believe, and Geoff and I have talked
about this a little bit. I think that report should have a summary paragraph at the start,
which draws attention to the key facts presented in it, so that we can use it as a tool to
draw attention to certain bars that are the most problematic bars downtown. Moreover, I
think it'd be helpful to, uh, have someone analyze the patterns and trends over time, so
we can have a sense .... so I could go back to the partnership, uh, for other, uh, among
other reasons, go back to them and say we've looked at our bar check report for the past
five years and this is what we see. Uh, and it shows, you know, some improvement here
and ... things are worse there and .... you know, that kind of stuff. So, uh, I really hope we
could transform that report into more than just a column full of numbers.
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Fruin/ We're havin' those discussions (several talking)
Taylor/ I'm glad you brought that up, Jim, because when I looked at that too and being new to
the Council, uh, it seemed to me like, uh, it's often times the same .... bars that (several
talking)
Throgmorton/ It is!
Taylor/ .... and ... and have large numbers all the time and that was alarming to me! (laughs) And
I didn't know where that went, if then the police pay more attention to those bars or if we
do get some kind of a summary that says, you know, this is what's going on and .... maybe
look at that a little closer.
Mims/ Eleanor, can you remind us and .... and remind me at least and it might be helpful for the
new board, new Council Members as well, as a Council, as a City, we have very limited
discretion because of State alcohol and board, right, I mean .... if they're not doing a
special exemption, regardless of these under -21 numbers and the PAULA ratios, there's
mot ... not much we can do in terms of a liquor license, correct?
Dilkes/ Well, urn .... that's correct. I mean just for a little history, what happened is the, um, we
tried to .... uh, tie the PAULA rate to a liquor license renewal and the State really shut that
down. We, uh, there were appeals and we lost those. They just....they wouldn't allow
that to be a good moral character factor in the license renewal, which is the standard, and
I think that was really instrumental in getting the under -21, um, law passed because
essentially the only authority we had as a city was to stop `em at the door. And so once
we stop `em at the door, in order .... if they have to have an exception certificate from us
to get in, that's where we get our control. In other words we don't .... we have now set
standards where if your PAULA rate, in other words you have, urn .... I can't remember
the exact number. I think it's around 25, one out of every four checks, um, they find a
possession of alcohol under legal age then, um .... their exception certificate is in
jeopardy. Um ... or they don't, they can't get one or it's subject to revocation, that kind of
thing. Um, we also have a standard that .... um .... uh, makes their exception certificate
vulnerable if there's so many sales to minors in a period of time. Those kind of things, so
we got .... that's how we got into having those standards for the under -21.
Mims/ But the problem is there's a lot of these bars that are the biggest violators or problems that
don't have any exemption certificate so there's nothing we can do.
Dilkes/ We can't (both talking)
Mims/ ...basically.
Dilkes/ ...license.
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Throgmorton/ Right, I agree there's nothing we can do legally, uh (laughter) I think (laughter
and several talking) Yeah, what I mean by that is that, uh, you know, Teddy Roosevelt
talking about the bully pulpit. We can ... we can draw attention to certain.... problematic
bars and .... talk about it publicly so that the public knows that we're paying attention, etc.
We can do that. Would it carry much weight? I don't know. Probably not a whole lot.
But it'd be more than doing nothing.
Taylor/ Is there anything like requesting the bar owner to come before us and ... and uh, have like
an improvement plan or what they plan to do to .... we can't even do that probably, right?
Throgmorton/ Probably not.
Dilkes/ It's tough.
Throgmorton/ But there might be (both talking)
Dilkes/ But we can certainly give you the information to highlight it so you don't have to go
through (both talking)
Cole/ Could you just clarify the exception certificate? What is that?
Dilkes/ (several talking)
Cole/ Oh it just, okay.
Dilkes/ Well we have a law that says, um ..... you .... you have to be 21 to get into, urn .... a .... an
establishment whose primary activity is the sale of alcohol.
Cole/ Okay.
Dilkes/ But there ... there are exceptions...
Cole/ Like live music and things like that.
Dilkes/ Well, there's an entertainment exception. There's also an exception for if you ... if you
don't, I mean, it applies to all liquor licenses, but then if your primarily what we think of
as a restaurant or your sales of alcohol are not primary or you're with your parents, you
know, that kind of thing.
Cole/ Thanks.
Dilkes/ Yeah. I can certainly give you that summary if you want.
Throgmorton/ Okey doke, thank you. So, I think we're done with that Info Packet, uh, Council
Time.
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Council Time:
Throgmorton/ Uh, Pauline could you start.
Taylor/ I've already done it.
Throgmorton/ We already did it. Well, actually we didn't. I .... there are things I want to tell
you about so that you know what your Mayor's been up to. Uh, so Geoff and I drove to
Des Moines, uh, on the 20`h of July to meet with Mayor, uh, Frank Cownie. Uh, that
went very well. We discussed many topics, including the Metro Coalition, how we can
participate more effectively as a member of that coalition. Uh, we talked a good deal
about what they ... what initiatives they've, uh, been following with regard to the, uh, to
the East Village, with regard to, uh, carbon emission reductions, with regard to ... a whole
bunch of other topics. It was a very fruitful meeting. On the 21" I meet with, I attended
the Downtown District's open house, for their new office. It was great fun. Susan and I
were there, uh, it was a treat to see them in their new digs. Uh, the ADA celebration on
the, what was it, the 20 ... 23rd, uh, had the pleasure of making a few brief comments there
and spoke the night before, introduced Tai Tomasi, yeah, um, which was good. On the
22nd I .... I welcomed, ub, 20 .... about 25 Mandela Fellows from the sub-saharan Africa at
a reception they were holding, uh, for themselves. They've been here and the Mandela
Fellows refers to a program that President Obama created, uh, it involved trying to create
opportunities for a large number of young entrepreneurial, smart .... people from sub-
saharan Africa. So there's a whole .... many different groups attending, visiting many
different cities, but this one group was here for five weeks and .... it was great talkin' with
them really. Terrific collection of. ... of young people. I don't mean kids, but .... you
know, 25 to .... 35 or 40 years of age, which sounds pretty young to me. Uh.... Geoff, oh
we did the Rose Oaks thing. That was, I mean, what I mean is .... there were, um, I don't
know, 50 or so volunteers helping Rose Oaks' residents move yesterday? Time passes.
Uh, Geoff was there — thank you Geoff for being out there. It was a .... an important move
on your part. Uh.... the July 19`h School Board election, obviously an important election.
I'm very hopeful that, uh, that .... the Board will do its best to make sure that the kids in
our schools get the best quality education and that we will continue doing everything we
can to make their job easier, and on that, uh, note, uh, Susan and I are going to be
meeting with Chris Liebig and Brian Kirschling, um .... in another, I don't know....
Mims/ Couple weeks.
Throgmorton/ ....or something like that, as we have sort of promised ourselves to do over, you
know, like four times a year. And .... praise to Geoff and the staff for developing the
equity impact review tool, which was in that .... packet and .... and for issuing the RFP for
the bicycle master plan. I'm looking forward (both talking)
Cole/ I'm really excited about that!
Throgmorton/ So, all right, enough for me, but I wanted to ... wanted you to know about those
things. Meeting schedule, oops! (several talking)
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Botchway/ ...Council time. Based on the conver, or the community comment that, um, took
place, um, regarding the referendum issue, you know, I don't know if Council.... wants to
put that on a work session or a discussion in some type of way. I do worry about the cost
and.....that's going to be a cost that will be addressed at the, you know, the special
election. So....
Dilkes/ Yeah, I'm not sure there's enough time for you to accomplish that. It takes three
readings of an ordinance to, um .... to amend the City Charter. Once their petition is
filed .... it goes on the ballot.
Botchway/ Right.
Dilkes/ So .... and ... and there's a deadline for getting it filed in order to get the question (both
talking)
Karr/ August 31
Dilkes/ August 315`, so you would have to pass ... pass the resolution at your August 16th meeting
to put it on the ballot. Um, and they're going to want that to happen, uh, so their petition
goes on the ballot. So that means between absent special meetings between.... well,
actually between now and when they file the petition, uh.... you'd have to pass an
ordinance.
Botchway/ Okay.
Throgmorton/ Might actually favor reducing the number of signatures but I would never .... try to
adopt .... uh, a change in the Charter as quickly as that would require. (several talking)
Dilkes/ Well and another thing to think about is that even if you did that, it's subject to reverse
referendum. So it could end up on the ballot anyway.
Botchway/ That's a good point. Okay. Never mind.
Meeting Schedule:
Throgmorton/ Okay, so .... meeting schedule. We have an Economic Development Committee
meeting on ... at noon, from noon to 1 on the, what, the 5a' of August. Is that right?
(several talking)
Cole/ Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to be there. Um, so I don't know .... I'm going to be
in federal court so....
Throgmorton/ Okay, we'll have a quorum.
Cole/ Okay.
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Pending Work Session Topics fIP # 6 Info Packet of 7/281:
Throgmorton/ Anything else with regard to meeting schedule? Okay. Pending work session
topics. Just... just to note this, uh, at our next meeting we're going to discuss future
actions concerning downtown development, and we're .... we're going to review staff's
proposed changes to the neighborhood traffic calming program. So, expect to see a
memo from me about the first of those two topics.
Fruin/ I also suggested a couple of September topics and one in particular I want to get some
confirmation on because it involves a joint meeting with the Parks and Recreation
Commission — we've got schedules to line up but .... our intent at that meeting would be
to, um, review, uh, some of the larger master plans that we have pursued over the .... over
the last couple years, City Park, Riverfront Crossings' park, Hickory Hill, Eastside Sports
Complex, and again, just give you a chance to .... to speak with the Parks Commission
and .... and the Park staff about, uh, the visions for those areas and then allow you and the
Parks Commission to talk, um, not in great detail but, um .... uh, in .... in some fashion
about the budget. You know, headin' into the budget, are any of these larger projects on
your radar, would you prioritize one (coughing, unable to hear speaker) uh, that sort of
thing, so.... I know, I think we've done that before in recent years, but it'll be really
helpful for staff to go through that.
Upcoming Community Events/Council Invitations:
Throgmorton/ Sounds reasonable to me! (mumbled) go ahead, Geoff. All right, uh, let's see...
what else do we have here? Upcoming community events, Council invitations. I don't
see anything, so .... unless I'm missin' something, we're done! Okay! We're done with
our work session meeting for tonight. Thanks to everybody!
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