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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-09-20 TranscriptionPage 1 ITEM 2. PROCLAMATIONS ITEM 2a Food Rescue Week With Table to Table — Last week of September Throgmorton: (reads proclamation) Karr: And here to accept the proclamation is Executive Director of Table to Table Bob Andrlik. (applause) Andrlik: I just wanted to express our thanks to the City Council and everybody in Johnson County that really makes this work. It's truly a collaborative effort. If it wasn't for the donor agencies providing the food and the recipient agencies as a place to take that food, and all those wonderful volunteers to physically do the lifting of that food, uh, we couldn't do it, and so it's .... it's a testament to the City and to the County and to everyone involved. Thank you so much! Throgmorton: Thank you, Bob. (applause) It's a very impressive set of statistics in that proclamation. Well done! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 2 ITEM 2. PROCLAMATIONS ITEM 2b Constitution Week — September 17 — 23 Throgmorton: (reads proclamation) Karr: Here to accept the proclamation is Cathy Schiele, representing the Pilgrim Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. (applause) Throgmorton: I .... maybe make one very quick comment. Uh, I had the pleasure of, uh, participating in Constitution Day at Kirkwood Community College several days ago, uh.... uh, and it was a real treat to be able to do that. I spoke for maybe an hour to a group of about 60 students at Kirkwood, and you know, it was really fun to do! Mims: I would just interject for a second. This weekend I was in Washington, D.C. and had the chance to see the original Constitution, and if anybody's in D.C., let me tell ya, the National Archives is an incredible place to go. Um, didn't begin to see everything that you could see in there, but to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights was, uh, pretty neat. So.... Throgmorton: Absolutely! Okay. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 3 ITEM 4. COMMUNITY COMMENT (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA). [UNTIL 8 PM] Throgmorton: This has to do with items, uh, not on the agenda. So if anybody would like to address any particular topic that's not on our formal meeting agenda, you can have .... you have an opportunity to do so now. Please limit your comments to not more than five minutes. Roger, I hope you notice that the podium's been adjusted for, uh, folks like you and Harry Olmstead and others. Knight: Very nice! My name is Roger Knight and I would like to speak on .... well, first of all, happy early birthday! And.....the sidewalk project for downtown — looks great but something needs to be done about the seating areas for .... like in front of ...Moonraker. There just....it looks great but they are taking up way too much space, and then there's a sign, chalk sign/board for their specials. There's a walkway (mumbled) fortunately my wheelchair isn't that big. So there's just a big.....traffic jam every time anybody in a wheelchair or those who don't feel like they.....should have to get off their bike, goes through this area. I don't know what can be done, but something needs to be done because everybody's on a go. We must go! There's the problem with that. Second is .... an issue with, unfortunately, the Police Department. Issues of the crime from.....over in the Mormon Trek area. It's going to continue to happen because when you call the Police Department, they don't ever come and they treat you like you are bothering them when you call for help. On anything! So why would anybody call for help .... when.....you almost get a (sighs) you want help? Why? From dispatch. I just wanted to bring those two .... great things up. Thank you. Throgmorton: Thank you, Roger. Uh oh! Hold on! Oh, it's going back up. (several talking) thought it was moving backwards (several talking and laughing) Okay, anyone else? Don't be shy, Jake! Oh, somebody else is .... good evening! Kirby: Hello, my name is John Kirby and, uh.... when I make my statement, I .... you don't inter -react. I just call it quits and then leave and ... how do I find out what your response is? Throgmorton: It largely depends on what you say. Yeah, so .... why don't you go ahead and speak to us. Kirby: Alright. Well, in 1971 the City of Iowa City, uh, Police Department set up a ... a sting and they took a pinhole camera movie of a date, uh, with a girl that was named Jacqueline, uh, Burns. Unbeknownst to me, sometime later she committed suicide (clears throat) and the reason they got away with taking the pinhole camera movie, cause I was in the ROTC, they waited for me to take my oath and then they coordinated with the Army and, uh.... I was essentially property of the government, and so they took this movie. (clears throat) They didn't use it, uh, maybe because it was an illegal search and seizure, I .... violation of multiple.... constitutional rights. I'm not sure. (clears throat) But I ran some ads in the Iowa This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 4 City Public Citizen, or the, uh.... in the Press -Citizen and I got the obituary. Does anyone want to look at the obituary? Throgmorton: I don't think we're prepared to actually look at it, but uh, why don't you go ahead and say whatever.... whatever else you wanted to say. Kirby: Okay. So.....thanks to the internet, uh, this is a sold -out show every night. Um... in 71 it was illegal to be a ... homosexual or a lesbian. (clears throat) I just happened to back into a .... a table full and they thought that they would probably get some fun and .... make me look foolish. Um ... the result was the death. It was not my idea to have a date. This was City of Iowa City Police Department, because she was a confidential informant, um, it makes it even worse. (clears throat) So .... um.....I think I'm entitled to a copy of that movie. Can you tell me why I'm not entitled to a copy of that movie? Throgmorton: No, I can't but, uh, I ... I could ask our City Manager to look into this and see if you can learn some more details and if there's some way we could respond.... Geoff. Frain: Sure. Throgmorton: We rely very heavily on our City Manager and the staff that, uh, is employed by the City Manager. Kirby: ...very gracious, thank you. Um.....if you have trouble finding the movie, uh, does anybody on the City Council not know Marc Moen? Because, uh.... he could provide a copy of the movie, I think, based on his hostility towards me (clears throat) on several occasions. Um, so it's out there and.....it's public, uh.. and, uh, I think I'm entitled to as much as the general population, as far as seeing me in the buff in a date 45 years ago. (clears throat) How do I get in touch with you? Frain: If you can leave your contact information on the sign -in sheet, uh, we'll follow up with ya. Kirby: You're the City Manager? Frain: Yes. Kirby: All right. Where's the contact thing, here? Karr: Is there a binder there? With a .... name? Kirby: Do you have a business card I could call you in a week? Frain: I don't on me but if you just want to have a seat here I'll get you my information. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 5 Throginorton: Okay, so .... did we get the ... his name? Yeah (several talking) Karr: John Kirby, yes. We have his name, yes. Throgmorton: All right, good deal. Okay. Jake, good evening! Again! Simpson: Hi! (clears throat) Bear with me as I go through this. Uh, Jacob Simpson. I'm from the University of Iowa Student Government. Uh, during tonight's work session, the draft Affordable Housing Action Plan was discussed. Uh, I raised concerns with the plan, including our hesitation regarding the recommendation to exempt the Downtown and the University Impact Area from the Affordable Housing Location Model. Other points of the plan have a potential to affect student housing, specifically the recommendation to review the multi -family design standards and the rec... recommendation to develop more tax abatements. These recommendations have a direct impact on student housing, but it is an oversight to think that the other recommendations or any development policy do not have an effect on student housing. They are not just interconnected, they are interdependent and inter -reliant, so to speak of one without the others in mind leaves us in the sort of ignorance that allows for long-term negative consequences. My comments to follow are not limited to the A£..Affordable Housing Action Plan—they are relevant to past policy discussions and those of the future. In this room and in the community, there is and has been a disregard for the University student when discussing housing policy. For example, this summer, support for an innovative development in Downtown was denied, in part, for the possibility that students may have been able to become residents. Additionally, we can look back to 2012 when the City Council passed an ordinance that restricted to three, the maximum number of bedrooms in high- density multifamily developments. Past studies intended to research the housing situation in Iowa City effectively left out student housing as an interest. In discussions about affordable housing by the City Council and City staff, the mention of students is largely void. When community members speak at this podium, they express disappointment in the concentration of students near Downtown. From the student's viewpoint, this kind of talk and action is too prevalent for comfort. I read ordinances that cite student housing demand as a barrier to demographically diverse populations. The reasoning makes sense: multi -family developments built for students rather than families are consumed by students rather than families. And this reasoning reveals the misnomer that continues to puzzle me: multi -family developments in the University Impact Area are not intended for families, they are intended for students. I think of the misnomer as a symbolic representation of our City Code not being equipped to handle the specing... the special housing demands of a city that is home to a world class university. We must recognize student demand is not going away and it is a faulty solution to imp... implement blanket policies in the University Impact Area that treat student housing as multi -family housing. We need pro -development policies, and we need buildings with higher densities and greater height. There This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 6 also seems to be a derisive sentiment that student housing demand is a burden, that Iowa City would be better off without students, that students are not residents of the community. We can agree that Iowa City and the University could not exist with their same phenomenal identities if they never existed together. And the students are as much the University as the faculty and staff, and I would argue the students are actually the necessary component: without students, the University would better resemble a private research firm. And with regard to the University's benefits to the community, I will focus on finances. In 2015, students contributed $377.8 million in tuition and fees to the University, and the contribution rises every year. Portions of the money are given to community organizations, including the Iowa City Downtown District, the Johnson County Crisis Center, and the Rape Victim Advocacy Program. Students bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local economy every semester. You know the long list of the University's contributions to the community better than I do, but that does not diminish my resolve in the belief that students significantly benefit Iowa City in a way that is incongruent with how we are treated in housing policy. In addition, to think that students can afford the housing prices in this market is a false assumption. The greatest annual expense for the undergraduate at the University is room and board, with $9,728 being spent on average and for context, that expense is 20% greater than the annual expense of tuition and fees. In 2015, of the undergraduates who graduated, 56% graduated with debt and the average debt load was $27, 415. It is hard for me to believe that the 25% of each freshman class who do not reach graduation day do not drop out in large part because of inability to pay for living in Iowa City. And the people who drop out are not white affluent males from the Chicago suburbs. They are typically underrepresented minorities, first -generation students, and from backgrounds of low socioeconomic status. This loss of opportunity is surely on the University to solve, but it cannot be solved solely by the University—Iowa City must recognize its role in the bigger picture. The 25% need help. To restate... restate my previous point, the City Code must accommodate and encourage housing development for students. Concern for students must be in housing policy discussions alongside all other concerns. There is no way to serve the citizens of Iowa City better. I appre.... I appreciate your attention to these issues. Throgmorton: Thank you, Jake, uh, no, we don't get into a back and forth but I would like to say I'd be happy to meet with you, Jake, and talk about, uh, your concerns in detail, and if any other City Council Member would like to join me, that would be, uh, pleasing. Botchway: No back and forth, I just wondered if we can get the speech, what you just read. (several talking) Yeah. Throgmorton: Okay, um, anybody else care to speak, uh, during this public discussion period? Uh, seeing no one I'm going to turn to Item 5, Planning and Zoning Matters. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 7 ITEM 6. AMENDING FY2017 BUDGET - RESOLUTION AMENDING THE FY2017 OPERATING BUDGET a. PUBLIC HEARING Throgmorton: I'm going to open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Uh.... Dennis, did you plan to speak or .... think it's not necessary? I ... I .... would you come up? I think I want to ask you one question, just for the record. I see that our revenue balance, our revenue balance decreases from basically $129 million in the adopted budget to basically $72 million in the amended one. Is there anything in this decrease that should bother us? Bockenstedt: That's primarily a carry forward of capital project funds from one year to the next. So a lot of it is a spin -down of bond proceeds, uh, and other funds that already... been appropriated for use that weren't spent prior to the year end. So there... there's no increases in taxes, there's no, uh, decrease in fund balance, beyond what our reservations require. Tbrogmorton: Okay, good deal. Thank you. Would anybody else like to ask any questions of Dennis? (several talking) Yeah. Okay, thank you. Anybody else care to address this topic? If not I'm going to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 8 ITEM 8. HUMAN RIGHTS AMENDMENT - ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 2 OF THE CITY CODE, ENTITLED "HUMAN RIGHTS," TO REMOVE THE REFERENCES TO "HOUSING ACCOMMODATION," UPDATE REFERENCES TO "MEN AND WOMEN," AND CLARIFY TIME PERIODS. (FIRST CONSIDERATION) Mims: Move first consideration. Botchway: Second. Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Botchway. Discussion? Uh, is Stefanie here? Stefanie, did you, uh.... intend to address this ... at all? Yeah, I think it's .... we don't really need, uh (mumbled) it's pretty straight forward, right? Okay, thanks. All right, so.....anybody else want to address the topic (laughs) as briefly as Stefanie did? Okay. Roll call. Motion carries 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 9 ITEM 9. UNDER 21 EXCEPTION CERTIFICATE REVOCATIONS - ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 4, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, CHAPTER 5, PROHIBITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS, SECTION 8, PERSONS UNDER THE LEGAL AGE IN LICENSED OR PERMITTED ESTABLISHMENTS, SUBSECTION B, PARAGRAPH B, REFERENCING THE CITY'S UNDER 21 LAW, TO SHORTEN THE REVIEW AND REVOCATION PERIODS FOR COMPLIANCE CHECK FAILURES FOR HOLDERS OF EXCEPTION CERTIFICATES. (SECOND CONSIDERATION) Mims: Move second consideration. Botchway: Second. Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Botchway. Discussion? Fruin: Just as a reminder to the Council, the, uh, next Partnership for Alcohol Safety meeting is this Thursday and I'll be reviewing, uh, this ordinance with that group, and I'll report back to you with any feedback that they share. Cole: I guess I'd just like to know, I haven't heard any, um, concerns from any constituences .... constituencies. Um, have you heard any feedback in terms of this, uh, this particular ordinance? It seems relatively quiet, given this issue, is... is my impression. Fruin: The only feedback I have are from businesses with an interest in the change. So those that have been impacted by the existing regulations and .... as you'd expect, they support the change. Cole: Okay. Botchway: I will say .... I mean, since you asked the question, I was going to state, um, somewhat mum on the topic. I have received some feedback. It was a parent actually that, um, in some relation to this as far as them being, um, very upset, asking for the Mayor, and I tried to tell them that I was not and so I was trying to get your (laughs) (mumbled) quickly as possible — I'm just joking, but urn .... urn, but uh, spent some time with them, talking to them during a conference I was at, urn .... they were, uh, they were very congratulatory of our Police Department, um, and the work that they did to stop their daughter from potentially, urn .... uh, you know, she was driving under the influence, but stop her from getting on the highway cause, um, the individual was from Coe College, um, but were very .... was very upset, um, I wouldn't say necessarily at our current reg ... or, at our regulations, but wanted to know more answers about the regulations, why, you know, um, she, um, was, um, given so much alcohol and allowed to leave and allowed to drive and some of those other things, um, takes full responsibility from his daughter's standpoint, um, which was clear, but really, you know, urn ... wanted to know what Council was doing to address some of the situations. Again, I don't This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 10 necessarily know that it speaks directly to this because I know we talked ... I mean the.—the bar in question is not necessarily, um, along those same lines, but, you know, again, it does give me pause as I was thinking about this and mentioning this particular ordinance coming, um, before us today and, you know, obviously talking about it going before the review council at the University and then coming back before us for a third consideration. Um, that, you know, it...it is important, I mean, and we might not hear some of the things, um ... uh, from, uh, from people dealing with different issues in relation to, um, you know, urn .... I would say abuse of alcohol or whatever the case may be from a DUI perspective, but ... you know, I don't know whether or not people would really have this on their radar from a public standpoint. Um, but it's just something that made me think or gave me pause, and again, I'm still not necessarily reserving my vote, but still wanting to hear exactly what.....from the, that review council has to say in regards to this particular ordinance, but .... again, it wasn't in particular about, um, establishments that I think are speaking to this ordinance, but I just wanted to say there was some feedback and, you know, urn .... cause for concern. Throgmorton: Anyone else? Hearing none, roll call. Motion carries 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 11 ITEM 13. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION Throgmorton: Why don't we start with Rockne. Cole: I went to the City High, West football game, uh, last Friday night and I just want to commend all the student athletes that .... that played. I was very impressed with the level of competition. Um ... uh, I was just very pleased and very proud to be part of a community where there is such a well played, uh, game, so it was quite an experience. So .... that's all I have! Dickens: Uh, I was lucky enough to attend the pre -concert at Hancher this last .... uh, Friday night with Preservation Jazz Band and Trombone Shorty. If you were able to get there, there was between 3 and 5,000 people. Uh, we walked across the bridge with a family from .... drove down from north of Davenport just to see this concert and the fact that it was free shows Hancher is back! Throgmorton: It is definitely back! Botchway: Well .... Jim and I participated in the 30, um, that we discussed at the prior Council meeting. Um, it wasn't heavily attended at first, but I thought we had a good conversation with the community. Um, I did not necessarily participate in the rest of the 30 hours that was a part of it, um, that went all night and some of the other things, but I thought it was a .... a good step in the right direction, and as far as some other things coming up, obviously the cyclocross event that I'll leave to you to bring up and then also, um, Brew Fest, which I normally see Terry at. So, I'll be interested to see some of the Councilors at as well. Again, I see Terry from afar. I'm not necessarily participating in the activities, but .... (laughter) it was good. It was good! So, good time (several talking and laughing) Mims: Um, couple things. Kingsley and I both participated in the United Way food packaging, um, event. It was United Way's kind of kick off for the year, was an absolutely great event. They bad such a huge response for their call for volunteers. It was supposed to be a two hour, um, event. We were packaging, uh, oatmeal breakfast. It had oatmeal and .... and apples and soy protein powder in it as well as I think seasonings. We had very specific, uh, techniques of putting all this stuff together and making sure it was all done right. And of course Kingsley made sure he got his picture taken (laughter) um.....but they.....(several talking) the minimum .... the minimum that they can do is 20,000 meals with this company and so they didn't want to, you know, kind of bite off more than they thought they could chew the first time so they did 20,000. We were done in an hour and 15 minutes. By the time the second shift came, some of the employers had a lot of employees volunteering and so they were sending them in two shifts. There were .... a group was coming in at 9:00 and another group was coming at 10:00. By the time the employees for the 10:00 shift got there, we were shutting lines down because we were running out of either oatmeal or the soy powder or whatever. So, I think they are really looking at maybe doing more than the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 12 20,000 next year, but it was a great event. Every single one of those meal packets will be used at one of the food pantries within Johnson or Washington County. So it was a great event and just thank you to United Way for organizing it and for all the volunteers that came out. It was a lot of fun. It was hot as could be, hot and humid in that warehouse down at the Fairgrounds, but still .... it was a great event. Um, last week had the opportunity to participate in some of the UI, um, Inspiration Week activities. Went to the open house out at the driving simulator. If you've never been out there, uh, give `em a call. They do tours all the time. It is absolutely incredible what this University has here that is world known and used for research. Uh, it was really interesting standing up on the platform, the main platform where they do this, and they've got the 360 basically visual and you would swear that the platform is moving but you were stand ..... it was not. It was .... it was very interesting. Uh, so got to see that. Uh, Rockne and I participated in the Neighborhood Council meeting about a week ago. Uh, also Geoff was there, thank goodness! Uh, some technical questions, um, that were....as, Rockne, you mentioned in your email back to Geoff, was very nice to have a staff member.... oh, Marcia Bollinger was there as well, but just lots of good questions from kind of leaders of some of our neighborhood, um, organizations, asking questions about what we're doing, uh, suggestions of things they would like to .... to have us do or consider, um, so it was a great event. Cole: Maybe along those lines very quickly, the issue of short-term rentals came up. Um, and I think maybe it'd be good just to remind the public that you do need a bed and breakfast permit, correct? Um, so without getting into all the technical details, just to remind the public that you do have to have that in order to do the short term rentals and participate in the (both talking) Mims: Thanks.... thanks, Rockne. And just .... as I had mentioned, urn .... briefly earlier with the .... the proclamation on the Constitution, had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Washington, D.C., and .... if people get the chance to go there, and I think some of it hit me really because of where we're at in the political spectrum this year, but to go to a lot of those memorials and read a lot of the quotes from people like .... John F. Kennedy, uh, we actually went to a show at the Kennedy Center which was great. Saw Second City. So if you've ever seen them, great comedy act. They are fantastic. Um .... but .... quotes from John F. Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, you know, at the various memorials, etc., um, was .... was, one was very moving, and, um, very inspirational, and to me just really.....I mean, really drew a line in the sand when you look at your.....our national politics and what a lot of these people stood for and commented on, um, and the importance of people working together, uh, social justice showed up in a number of the various quotes, um, but very .... very interesting, very moving time to look at a lot of those memorials, um, and I have to say thank you to our National Park Service and our previous Presidents, etc., that made sure, uh, and Congress, that we've done some of these things and really recognize and, uh, support the history, and so it's, uh, a great time. So I would encourage people, if they ever have the opportunity, to go see those things. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 13 Thomas: Well Jim and I went to Des Moines (laughter and several talking) I guess on some level but, um.....we.... we attended the Iowa League of Cities for, uh, an overnight, and um, it was really quite interesting. It was, you know, getting a sense of the landscape of Iowa in terms of meeting with representatives from cities across the state. Uh, you know, as these things always go, it was.... educational sessions. Went to some on budget, financing, and TIF. Uh, repressed my desire to go to the park planning sessions (laughter) and attend those instead. Um, and then the .... the networking, which was really, I think.....I think most people when all was said and done, it's the networking that takes place at these events that's the most important, and um, had an opportunity with Jim to have lunch with Frank Cownie, which was, uh, really enjoyed our conversation. Throgmorton: You mean the Mayor of Des Moines. Thomas: The Mayor of Des Moines, uh, since 2003, I ... I believe. (both talking) Yeah, he's ... he's been Mayor there for some time now. But what I .... what I kind of loved about the experience, also had lunch with Pam Thiele from the, um, the Mayor of Dysart, if I'm pronouncing it correctly (several responding) Dysart, population 1,379. So, um, it's south of Waterloo. So there's that spectrum, you know, and the conference kind of represents that you're seeing people from large cities for Iowa and the very small towns. Uh, so I had a great time walking around Des Moines, you know, if you haven't been to Des Moines recently, there's a lot of activity in the .... the downtown area, including, uh, hotel and construction near the event center, which I think sounds like a good idea because Jim and I were in a hotel downtown and it's not the most convenient location actually. I mean not that it's.....that far away, but to have something close by would be useful. And then the outdoor concert at Hancher. I think that really is, um, Han ... Hancher has .... now that it's back in place, changing the landscape of downtown Iowa City, I think, in interesting ways. Throgmorton: John, could I follow up briefly on what you said about the League of Cities? Thomas: I left you a space, Jim (laughter) Throgmorton: Well, uh, I .... I, uh, I enjoyed meeting Mayor Quinton Hart from Waterloo and Quinton is recent.... recently elected African American mayor, uh, of. ... of Waterloo. So I've invited him to come down here for a visit and to go up there for a visit. I think he's eager to do it, but we'll find out. (several talking) Botchway: First African American mayor of Waterloo. Throgmorton: Yeah! So, we'll .... we'll see. If he is able to come down, I'll make sure you learn about that. Pauline. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 14 Taylor: Uh, reflecting on everyone's comments about Hancher, I had attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for that and that was just awesome. Probably many other folks did too, cause it was packed, and it was just such an awesome feeling to see how beautiful that building is and to realize that that is a true destination now, making Iowa City a true destination for folks from..... from all over, many, many miles away and .... and is something we can really be proud of and applaud the University for planning that. It took a number of years. I didn't realize it had been eight years until they were talking about 08 and 16, so that was pretty exciting. Uh, and next week I'm excited because our invest health group, uh, that I've talked about that, uh, Iowa City was honored to be one of 50 cities across the country to be selected to .... to look into the correlation between health and, um, lack of. ... of affordable housing, uh, and that's in Denver next week for four days and, uh, the Robert (mumbled) Johnson Foundation funds that and it's just been very interesting. We were in Philadelphia in June and just to see that there are.... there's just big sized cities, cities 50,000 or greater, so Iowa City's included in that, that have the similar needs that we do and similar issues, that we're not alone in some of these concerns for affordable housing and socioeconomic issues and health issues. Throgmorton: Oh, I wanted to mention two things. Um, somebody set me up just a minute ago maybe, uh, Kingsley, uh, the world cup cyclocross kickoff is going to take place at 5:30 P.M. on the 22nd at Trueblood Park, at the lodge, right, Geoff? That's the way I remember it anyhow. And the event will continue through the .... oh boy, that's wrong! Continue for the next couple days I guess. Uh, it's my understanding that there might be as many as 10 million people in Europe who will watch this world cup event. It's a pretty big deal, and uh, there're many thousands of people who are going to come here, just to witness that, and then there are all sorts of other activities associated with it, including Oktoberfest, which is going to take place, uh, on North Linn Street, and I bet some of you will be there! I don't know who, but some of you will be (laughs) so ... anyhow, it's going to be a .... a, the cyclocross world cup's gonna be a big deal. And I encourage people to go to it! The last thing I want to mention is that ... for anybody who's watching this on television, tonight in our work session we gave staff direction about how to proceed with our affordable housing action plan. I am extremely proud of the work our staff did in preparing that, uh, draft plan. Uh, I have tremendous admiration for the work that, uh, the, uh, Housing and Community Development Commissioners did in reviewing it and discussing it very, very thoroughly. I think that helped us, uh, render our own decisions. Uh, I .... I admire the work that the Affordable Housing Coalition did in reviewing the draft plan and providing their insights, and I think the overall combination of effort on the part of all those people has resulted, including the people sitting at this dais or whatever you call this big thing up here, this podium, uh... uh, it .... it, uh, the whole combination of effort is, uh, really quite admirable and I'm very, very pleased with the work that, uh, the product that we came up with. So, bravo to everybody who was involved in that. Okay! So ..... I guess that leads us to, uh, Item ... no, what is it? Item 14 .... City Manager. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016. Page 15 ITEM 14. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF. a) City Manager Fruin: Just a couple of specifics on the cyclocross, uh, world cup event. Thursday is the kickoff at Terry Trueblood, as the Mayor indicated. 5:30 is when it starts. Uh, the, uh, be a silent auction, um, and, uh, kind of an opening ceremonies, uh, type of event. There'll be a few remarks, uh, that'll wrap up around 7:30, and then there will be a .... a very nice firework show over the lake at....at Terry Trueblood. So I'd encourage anybody to come out. It's a free event, and then, uh, the activities do take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The UCI World Cup races are on Saturday, and those are the only ticketed, uh, races for the weekend, and the women's race is at 3:30 and the men's race follows that, uh, probably around 5:00, I believe. Um, so if you are looking for a specific time to come out, I'd.... I'd get there, um, you know, around 2:30 or 3:00 in preparation for the, uh... uh, the women's race on that Saturday. So, um, a big thank you to the Convention and Visitors Bureau and a whole host of, uh, community volunteers that .... that have come together to make this a reality. Um, there are still volunteer shifts available, so you can go to jinglecrossworldcup.com and sign up for, um, volunteer, um, slots throughout the weekend and if ya, uh, want to get involved. Throgmorton: Simon? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of September 20, 2016.