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2016-12-06 Correspondence
From: Carol deProsse <lonetreefox@mac.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 6:55 PM To: Council; Geoff Fruin Subject: Chief of Police I've had this on Facebook all day and I hope someone asks you tonight about it: This is probably the most important question that we should have an answer to from our three finalists for Police Chief. Trump is vowing to start deporting 3 million or more people as soon as he sits on the throne. Please show up tonight and express your concern about this. Remember the pastor deported in the last year, leaving wife and children behind. He lived in Iowa City. In your opinion, should local police take part in immigration enforcement? Why or why not? JCA11C November 15, 2016 To the City Council of Iowa City, Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition 205 Black Springs Circle, Iowa City, IA 52246 icaffordablehousink@jzmail.com www.icaffordablehomes.com At the September 20 City Council work session, the Council and staff discussed the proposed Affordable Housing Action Plan. In a memorandum sent on 9/14/16, the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition expressed strong support for the plan, with a particular emphasis on three priority action areas: (1) acquiring land for affordable housing, (2) integrating affordable and market -rate housing, and (3) preserving existing affordable housing and protecting tenants. We remain strongly in support of the plan. However, we are concerned that the plan, as adopted, may not generate enough funding to achieve the first priority, acquiring land for affordable housing. In the 9/14/16 memo, we recommended aiming for $1 million a year dedicated to affordable housing, and allocating 40% of that total to land banking. We recognized that it could take several years to accumulate the funds necessary to result in a significant project, and we encouraged City staff to identify mechanisms that could utilize land banking funds to leverage other dollars, so that the City can purchase meaningful amounts of land sooner rather than later. In the 9/20/16 work session, the Council committed to at least $500,000 a year for affordable housing, and determined that 30% of the total will be allocated to land banking. At this point it looks like the City will be allocating about $150,000 a year to land banking. This is a relatively small amount given the cost of land in Iowa City. We continue to encourage City Council to aim for a higher overall amount of funding for affordable housing, and City staff to find ways to use the funds allocated for land banking, to leverage other dollars. For example, the City could borrow money to purchase land, and use affordable housing funds to service the debt. This would enable the City to make major land purchases sooner rather than later, and to generate affordable units on that land. We appreciate the time, effort and resources that the Iowa City Council and staff are dedicating to affordable housing. We look forward to working with you on the Affordable Housing Action Plan's implementation this year and next. Sin erel , Mark Signs, Board President Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition Cc: Doug goothroy Tracy Hightshoe Kris Ackerson John Yapp Bob Miklo M.. C O 4f(2) 4f(3) Marian Karr From: Hoffman, Eric <eric-hoffman@uiowa.edu> Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2016 12:24 PM To: Council Subject: IC should stand to protect our friends and neighbors I am sure that you have already had similar suggestions, but with the growing fear of Trump's determination to deport undocumented people from mexico, establish muslim registries, etc, it would seem time for Iowa City to establish itself as a safe zone, protecting (as best we can) our neighbors and friends from such actions. We should put ourselves on the map for taking such action early and serve as an example for other cities. Regards, Eric A. Hoffman, PhD Notice: This UI Health Care e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2521 and is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete or destroy all copies of the original message and attachments thereto. Email sent to or from UI Health Care may be retained as required by law or regulation. Thank you. From: Laura Routh <lauridi@hotmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2016 7:53 AM To: Geoff Fruin Cc: Council; Bill Campbell Subject: Re: Failure of the police department to act Thank you for your prompt response, Mr. Fruin. I appreciate your consideration. Laura Routh Sent from my iPhone On Nov 16, 2016, at 7:34 AM, Geoff Fruin <Geoff-Fruin(a Iowa-citv.org> wrote: Ms. Routh, Thank you for your email. I can appreciate and understand your frustration with the City's response to this incident. As our Police Chief has publicly indicated, the response was unacceptable and not reflective the City of Iowa City's values and service standards. In this particular incident we failed, but I can assure you every City Department, including our Police Department, is deeply committed to serving all of our residents with equal respect. N The circumstances surrounding our response to the incident are being reviewed and any steps that we feel need to be taken to ensure that this type of response will not repeat itself will be taken. Thank you again for expressing your concern. Geoff Fruin City Manager I City of Iowa City P: 319.356.5013 Web I Facebook JTwitter From: Laura Routh 1mailto:lauridi(ZDhotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 7:32 PM To: Council; Geoff Fruin Subject: Failure of the polio department to act Dear Councilors, I am deeply disturbed to learn that the ICPD failed to take serious and appropriate action and investigate racial harassment of a Sudanese family who received a threatening letter this past week. It is this sort of malfeasance/nonfeasance by members of the police department that creates a lack of public trust in our police department. I am shocked that our community's law enforcement officials could be so cavalier in the face of obvious racism, harrassment and hate speech. I implore the City Council and City Manager's office to hold the Police Department accountable, and to reprimand and re-train any officer who does not understand the severity of this incident and its context. We, as a community, have every right to expect and demand better from our police department. Further, it is my fervent hope that the new police chief, once chosen, will not allow this sort of professional negligence to stand. I would appreciate a response to this letter, and an explanation of how the City intends to address this matter and prevent its recurrence. Thank you. Laura Routh 828 Dearborn Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 ' 4z, NOV 19,2017 TO PRESIDENT TRUMPP... HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA and so on.. WHILE YOUR ENJOYING YOUR SELF,REMEMBER ALL OF US VETERAN'S.. RIGHT NOW THERE ARE NOT AS MANY VETERAN'S IN IOWA,BUT..WE ARE BEING MISTREATED AS I WAS BY THE PROPERTY OWNER'S AND APARTMENT PEOPLE LIKE NO -CLASS CITIZEN'S. I FOR ONE WAS KICK OUT OF MY H.U.D. APARTMENT FOR TELLING SOME THIRD PEOPLE FROM "SAMOLIA,AFRICA" TO GO HOME.. I AM "BLACK" MY SELF,BUT I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN A SLUM LIKE H.U.D. HAS BUILD IN IOWA OR IOWA CITY,JOHNSON COUNTY.THESE PARISITES ARE LIVING BETTER THAN —US AMERICAN VETERANS AND CONTRIBUTED NOTHING TO AMERICA EXCEPT TERRORISM.. I FOR ONE WORK MY WAY UP FROM JANITOR,BUS-BOY,DISHWASHER TO UNION JOUNEYMAN CARPENTER..TRADE SCHOOL. IN L.A.CAL.. THESE WELFARE PARISITES ARE DRIVING NICE CARS,FREE-RE NT, INSURANCE,INTERNET,ETC.. I AM NOW LIVING AT THE HOMELESS SHELTER IN IOWA CITY AND BEING HARRASSED AND ASSULTED BY THESE WELFARE "BLACKS FROM "OBAMA LAND —CHICAGO DAILY..ARM-ROBBERS ARE DOING DAMAGE TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE..AS I WRITE TO YOU..CUT WELFARE AND FREE HOUSING AND MOVE THIS GARBAGE BACK TO WHERE I CAN FROM ,THE SLUM'S.. NONE OF THE OTHER VETERAN'S ARE IN THE POSITION I AM IN "BLACK AND UNFRAID" 213 -840 -2960 -cell 1a CV <_, �r 0 put,VtT1ta?, I 4 (,' From: Marian Karr Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 5:10 PM To: 'anthonywyatt610@gmail.com'; Council Subject: FW: citizen Activities Dear Mr. Wyatt, Thank you for your recent inquiry for information on contacting Council Members. The City Council is made up of 7 individuals, three represent geographic districts and 4 are at -large representatives. All seven are elected by the City as a whole. You are encouraged to contact any of them with your concerns. The link below will provide you with a list of Council Members and contact information: httos://www.icaov.ora/staff-directorv?term node tid depth=247 Please let me know if you have additional questions. Marian Jllanhut 3f. Nan, A Me City Clerk I City of Iowa City P. 319-356-5041 F.319-356-5497 Population 67,862 Proud Home of the Iowa Hawkeyes! From: Anthony Wyatt [mailto:anthonywyatt6l0@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 12:32 PM To: Council Subject: citizen Activities Hello, My name is "ANTHONY LATEE'S WYATT". I am sending you this e-mail to request that i be provided my alderman e-mail address and phone number. My address is "2122 Taylor dr. Apt.I ,Iowa City,IA.52240. Respectfully Submitted, ANTHONY LATEE'S WYATT 4f(7) ` k -YZ tx �Dlsr�l� ©�! %1?t1rU��,vD SClE/IJ�E+ be 82,0&r17 7a�z ,�sl�CE3G� o-�7 cfee �v av�l.ge�=e C—�� � � ' K � t �-exIs7/�, Ge, Lo�l � �9R READ /9 Boar fix/ IN 9#11ptfD MZlbeRAr- _ tl-orcl of 6 lt,0,4rif Seg - W6 e �� �(� � � �ifiesT `off A�r•�Y aSy�k� �b��Y 4-11 dSpeZ�s 4,V5 A(AeL bt-r- hasAn13tec 1/y -- 6 lFEo�o� 1Af Ci�/US�6�� cen>> C'11l l � S d iq s5 U20� �� ✓� Gr�CJ reed1"-Ae,�Y� �ape_, ,s-t�y.��s ani- (x,$44 oti/ `uS uucleS54R %�eccuSc C,4a!l ���o�ij eL2c`fRl�i� f� ��r!= 201E VnV I , Xty lea. /f 4// 13/s///> 'yep SuUf�fri 4,1fl /5e/A- i�us� 7Q G� Vor665: (°i4�x� wat/E 14 -Vo a, Alf5 benawee AL -------------- ---- A I-- - --- r I $l/L c T5 Atn� les7�Sa14ED tr, 9 5 a5_ k, Awr 6 d iv � 7 0� tv eve S t� lees �S�L ,�ceRr,�lrtiu2�e�� s - 6�7� - �- ResIPe�T��c�7Y JWPAMWdCW - - Z,w Julie Subject: FW: Protesters blocking 1-80 From: Bill Campbell Sent: Monday, November 28, 2016 10:12 PM To: 'Brent Millis' Cc: Council; Geoff Fruin Subject: RE: Protesters blocking I-80 Mr. Millis, Good evening. Thank you for your email. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. In no way does the Iowa City Police Department support or condone the blockage or closure of the interstate to make a political statement. We are well aware of the dangers that such actions pose to the public; both those involved in the protest activities and motorists on the roadway. The Police Department will work to prevent future closures through a variety of efforts, including proactive communication with protest organizers, public education on the hazards involved and enforcement activities. In reviewing the events that occurred earlier this month, we have looked at the particulars of that evening as well as response to any such events in the future. I have had discussions with the supervisors and officers from our department who were working the night of the protest, talked with other senior command staff with our department and other agencies in the area, and discussed the incident and issues involved with the other law enforcement agency executives in Johnson County. Those discussions have yielded several observations surrounding this type of protest event. I have listed a few of them below. 1.) Any strategy to handle an event such as the one earlier this month must be flexible enough to account for the constantly changing circumstances and dynamics of such an event. To suggest there is a simple or "one size fits all" approach to handle each circumstance is unwise. There are at least a couple dozen variables that can affect how an incident like this might unfold and effect response options. 2.) Removing this group of nonviolent protesters from the interstate through arrest would have likely resulted in the interstate being closed for a significantly longer period of time. Given the size of the crowd, the number of people on the interstate, the location of the event, the necessary time to bring resources to the location to address the issue and the time needed to actually remove the protesters from the roadway, a reasonable estimate is at least a couple of hours. In this instance, the process of convincing the protesters to leave the roadway took approximately 20 minutes. 3.) Any plan to address such an event has to look realistically at the resources available to address the problem. When I say resources, I'm primarily talking about officers. How many officers do we have available to respond to the incident. That is not a simple question. When this event occurred, there were approximately 10 officers and two supervisors working in Iowa City. If every officer working would have responded to that location, it would have been significantly insufficient to redirect, let alone arrest, a crowd of at least a hundred people. A request for assistance from all the surrounding agencies might have produced enough officers to attempt redirecting the crowd. In discussing this possibility with other agency executives, they are skeptical that a significant mutual aid response from all the surrounding agencies would have produced enough officers to have an impact on the crowds behavior. But once again, we have to be realistic about what that means. It means that there will be no officers available for any calls that occur in the entire County during the event. That of course is unrealistic and unacceptable. I would not expect the other agencies to give us all of their officers nor can I devote all of our people to the event. Emergency calls for service in other parts of town are still coming in and officers have to be available to handle those calls. Additionally, this event occurs during rush hour. So Dubuque Street is packed with stopped cars. Getting police vehicles up to the interstate was extremely difficult. Officers had to take routes through other parts of town to get to the north side of the backed up traffic. That of course takes time. Calling in officers is also an option. Again, realistically it would take an hour or more to get significant resources called in and up to the interstate. The list of these logistics issues goes on and on. All of them must be factored into any response that we have. I haven't tried to articulate all the issues or options involved. A major aspect of this that I'm not even going into is the communication that we had with the apparent leaders within the crowd. We made contact with those leaders while they were marching in the streets. We thought we had actually arranged for the crowd not to go on the interstate . But the crowd had different thoughts than those leaders. I feel compelled to respond to one additional aspect of your initial email. I do not agree with your statement that we "allowed" protesters to block 1-80. That statement implies that we were able to prevent the protesters from doing so. I do not believe that was the case. What I do believe is the supervisors and officers working on that evening were faced with a very difficult set of circumstances which no one in our community saw coming. I believe that our officers responded extremely well in managing this difficult circumstance given the resources they had available to them. The City of Iowa City and the Iowa City Police Department is committed to public safety and will continue to strive to manage events such as these in the future. Sincerely Bill Campbell Interim Police Chief Iowa City Police Department From: Brent Millis [mailto:brentmillis@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 28, 2016 12:31 PM To: Council; Bill Campbell Subject: Re: Protesters blocking I-80 Folks ... I'm still waiting a response to my question. I'd appreciate it if you could please respond in a timely manner. thanks. From: Brent Millis <brentmillis@hotmail.com> Sent: Monday, November 14, 2016 9:17 AM To: council@iowa-city.org; bill-campbell@iowa-city.org Subject: Protesters blocking 1-80 Hello, I am very concerned that the Iowa City Police Department allowed protesters to block I-80 during a recent demonstration. Not only is it extremely dangerous but motorists were prevented from traveling freely. What if one of those motorists were in a dire situation? i.e. they need to get to the hospital... Please explain why this was allowed to happen. thank you, Brent Millis 4f(9) Marian Karr From: Think Bicycles Johnson County <thinkbicycles@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 7:18 PM To: Ron Knoche; Council Cc: richard-walton@uiowa.edu; annem.duggan@gmail.com Subject: Bicycle Pedestrian access on Stephen Atkins Drive Attachments: Stephen Akins Drive.pdf Mr. Knoche, Dr. Richard E. Walton, a member of Think Bicycles of Johnson County, earlier this fall had a telephone conversation with Kevin Slutts, Water Plant Superintendent, concerning the closed gate across Stephen Atkins Dr. Mr. Slutts was ased to change the way the gate locks by partially opening it to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to pass and blocking cars and trucks. We are suggesting access similar to the gates at the soccer and softball fields on Napoleon Street SE. Mr. Slutts voiced concerns with safety and security and promised to discuss Dr. Walton's proposal with his supervisor. We have not heard from your office. Stephen Atkins Dr. would provide a safe route from Linder Rd. NE, a popular road to cycle on, to the trails at Waterworks Park. The locked gate provides little security; there is no security fencing near the gate so cyclists and pedestrians simply walk around it. This simple change in the way the gate is locked will solve the problem and allow cyclists and pedestrians a safe access to Waterworks Park Trail. If you would like to discuss this, representatives of Think Bicycles would be happy to meet with you. We believe the enclosed PDF makes a case for this change. Regards, Larry Fitzpatrick Think Bicycles of Johnson County 319 330 5170 Stephen Atkins Drive 28 foot Roadway Connector Between Linder Road and Waterworks Prairie Park The Access The locked gate isn't stopping cyclists and pedestrians. It's only creating a hazard. ;�„;y Google Map View The path is well used Soccer Park Road • Bicycle Pedestrian access 24/7 • Allows access to Sycamore Multipurpose Path, Napoleon St. SE and Sand Road • Stops cars and trucks. 41 : The gate is locked at the far end. This chain is at the far end of the gate. Nothing is need, but a change in procedure. Marian Karr From: Ron Knoche Sent: Friday, December 02, 2016 8:21 AM Late Handouts Distributed To: Think Bicycles Johnson County; Council Cc: richard-walton@uiowa.edu; annem.duggan@gmail.com Subject: RE: Bicycle Pedestrian access on Stephen Atkins Drive \-1 \ '�Z-Wo Mr. Fitzpatrick: (Date) I appreciate your email and was not aware your organization was waiting for a response. The City will design and install a trail along Stephen Atkins Drive to the Water Plant. The trail will not only act as a secondary access to the trail system, but it will also provide primary access to the Water Plant Lobby for pedestrians and bicyclist. With the primary access to the Water Works Prairie Park already being provided by the recent extension of the Iowa River Trail System to the Butler Bridge, we will not provide access to the trails after hours via Stephen Atkins Drive. You have pointed to a similar situations which existed at the Kickers Soccer Park at the Soccer Park Road gate. Although the situation is similar that the gate was closed after hours, there was no alternate route available other than back tracking. We look forward to the construction of the trail along Stephen Atkins Drive in the Spring. Sincerely, Ron Ronald R. Knoche, PE Public Works Director City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa Email: ron-knoche@iowa-citv.ora Phone: (319) 356-5138 Cell: (319) 430-3625 Fax: (319) 356-5007 From: Think Bicycles Johnson County [mailto:thinkbicycles@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 7:19 PM To: Ron Knoche; Council Cc: richard-wagon@uiowa.edu; annem.duggan@gmail.com Subject: Bicycle Pedestrian access on Stephen Atkins Drive Mr. Knoche, Dr. Richard E. Walton, a member of Think Bicycles of Johnson County, earlier this fall had a telephone conversation with Kevin Slutts, Water Plant Superintendent, concerning the closed gate across Stephen Atkins Dr. Mr. Slutts was ased to change the way the gate locks by partially opening it to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to pass and blocking cars and trucks. We are suggesting access similar to the gates at the soccer and softball fields on Napoleon Street SE. Mr. Slutts voiced concerns with safety and security and promised to discuss Dr. Walton's proposal with his supervisor. We have not heard from your office. Stephen Atkins Dr. would provide a safe route from Linder Rd. NE, a popular road to cycle on, to the trails at Waterworks Park. The locked gate provides little security; there is no security fencing near the gate so cyclists and pedestrians simply walk around it. This simple change in the way the gate is locked will solve the problem and allow cyclists and pedestrians a safe access to Waterworks Park Trail. If you would like to discuss this, representatives of Think Bicycles would be happy to meet with you. We believe the enclosed PDF makes a case for this change. Regards, Larry Fitzpatrick Think Bicycles of Johnson County 319 330 5170 4+ - <Q0) Marian Karr From: Jason Everson <stellarfoods@hotmail.com> Late Handouts Distributed Sent: Friday, December 02, 2016 9:08 AM To: Council Subject: Stop the Next Minimum Wage Increase \ 1k S\ w Iowa City Council Members, (Date) My wife Tiffany and I own a couple of restaurants in Iowa City and are subject to the increase in minimum wage for Johnson County. As you know, the minimum wage has already been increased twice (Nov 2015/May 2016), and the third increase to $10.10/hr will go into effect in January. These increases have had a significant impact on our small business, costing us around $16,000/yr for each increase. So far, our payroll has gone up by $32,760 for the exact same number of employees/hours worked, and in just a few short weeks it will increase again. Our labor costs will have increased between October 31, 2015 and January 1, 2017 almost $49,000. We have tried to increase prices to offset these labor increases, but our customer counts are down significantly resulting in a decrease in sales of 20%. With these increases in labor expenses, we are no longer able to withstand a dip in sales of this magnitude. We are currently breaking even each month, but will soon be losing money if the last minimum wage increase goes into effect. I'd like to point out that we don't use any of the profits of this business personally. Both Tiffany and I work at,other jobs, and we bought these businesses as an investment. The increases in minimum wage have contributed significantly in eroding the small profit margins that we had in these restaurants. We will soon face a scenario where we have to take our own personal income and put it into the business to keep it solvent. Owning a small business has gone from being our dream to a nightmare. I am writing to you to request that you take action for Iowa City to stop this last increase scheduled in January. I need your help in this matter, as do my employees. If this goes into effect, we will have to start seriously considering closing our business, which would result in our current list of 17 employees losing their jobs. Please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I appreciate your time and consideration to this matter. Sincerely, Jason Everson President Stellar Foods, Inc CEMVR-PM-M DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS - ROCK ISLAND DISTRICT CLOCK TOWER BUILDING - PO BOX 2004 ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS 61204.2004 James A. Throgmorton, Mayor City of Iowa City, Iowa 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Mr. Throgmorton: November 30, 2016 Late Handouts Disuibuted o Z3 1 (V r Thank you for your letter dated October 27, 2016. In Fiscal Year 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District (District), began initial steps to look at updating the Coralville Lake Regulation Manual. We initiated this assessment in response to observed changes in physical and economic conditions related to changes in flood frequencies, ongoing reservoir sedimentation, and changes in downstream land use. This initial assessment was intended to determine whether there is sufficient potential for improvements to the water control plans to warrant additional investment in a more comprehensive study. A comprehensive study involves expanded public involvement, NEPA and other regulatory compliance, and hydraulic and real estate analyses. We presented the results of the initial assessment at a meeting to local stakeholders on July 20, 2016. The District receives an annual appropriation to perform operation and maintenance activities at the Coralville Reservoir. However, these funds have not been sufficient to support the work required to update the regulation manual. Any further updates to the manual are subject to availability of funds. All current information, GIS data, and previous study information available to the State of Iowa will be used as part of the comprehensive study. Johnson County, the City of Iowa City, Iowa, and other local agencies have expressed interest in exploring cost-sharing opportunities to further the study. The District can accept funds for this type of work. In order to initiate the process for contributing funds, a single sponsor needs to be identified as well as a letter from the contributor stating the following: • interest in contributing funds for this study • the amount to be contributed • understanding that no repayment or credit for contributed funds is authorized • understanding that the acceptance of such funding will not constitute or imply commitment to budget or funding for the project in the future. -2 - The acceptance of contributed funds requires the notification of congressional committees. Once the committees have been notified and we have received approval from US Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, we will then need to execute a Memorandum of Agreement. The acceptance of contributed funds does not guarantee that the outcome of the study will result in significant changes to the water control plan or that the results will be in your favor. The District is committed to completing this study in a timely manner once funding is available. If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Mr. Jim Homann, Project Manager, (309) 794-5704, or email: james.d.homann@usace.army.mil. Sincerely, --IJ- Craig S. Baumgartner Colonel, Rock Island District Commander & District Engineer _ N O O rn r "i9 Marian Karr Late Handouts Distributeu From: dbvm <dbvm@fbcom.net> Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2016 4:08 PM Z `\ To: Council Subject: Shopping (Date) I am taking my wife Christmas shopping Monday and overnight, it was Iowa City or elsewhere. Country Inn, movie theater, shopping all suffer as you allow highway blocking and protesters. A friend of mine was stopped and your police did nothing to stop these illegal activities. So, destination is Princeton, it. Regards, Dave Von Muenster Sent from my U.S. Cellular® Smartphone (13) Late Handouts Distributed Marian Karr From: Robert Grandrath <grandrathr430@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2016 1:35 PM To: Council; Geoff Fruin; Jim Throgmorton //i�1����� Subject: City Clerk's office survey \+maw) To the Council: As a former Iowa Citian, I read with interest the other day of the upcoming retirement of the long -serving City Clerk in Iowa City. As a student of government operational and financial efficiency, I have been observing from a distance the recent efforts of City Manager Markus to streamline the administrative organization and reduce the "top heaviness" of management structure in Iowa City. I commend him for his efforts in this regard. I of course appreciate the long and capable service of the Clerk, but incumbency aside, I was stunned at the salary of this position, considering the relatively small population of Iowa City and, checking the website, observing the functions and size of the office in Iowa City. The newspaper article stated the position currently pays $111,000, supervising a staff of 3. Doing further research, I see that the Clerk's position since the 1960s has reported directly to the City Council, and the position is not part of the regular pay plan for administrative employees. Very often such arrangements result in high salaries for long tenured employees because of 1) the close, interdependent and oftentimes strong emotional relationship of Council and Clerk with no little to no outside influence on salary decisions; and 2) there being no "cap" or ceiling to the salary as opposed to other positions in the government structure. When not part of a professionally managed pay plan, individual positions like this can oftentimes gain overly disparate advantage over other positions salary -wise. Also, for "part-time" Council members and Mayor with no other staff or aides specifically allocated to assist them, their relationship to the Clerk can often become almost a dependent one. As a historical note, I can surmise that in the 1960s the Clerk most likely had a different role than currently, as Clerks in that era were very often the chief financial officer in addition to their recordkeeping duties. Separate Finance Departments were a later development I believe for many cities, including Iowa City. Trying to determine if this salary was consistent with similar sized cities, I did a bit of googling and came up with the attached chart. This is not intended to be exhaustive by any means as I just spent a couple hours on it, but does serve to give an idea of the innovative arrangements other cities have devised for this function. Other Iowa cities, operating under the same State Code, have this function tied into another City administrative function so efficiencies can be attained, or have given other functions for the Clerk to supervise such as communications, customer service, or financial responsibilities. Also I would like you to glance over the salaries of Clerk positions in much larger metro areas with much greater range of duties and responsibilities and their comparative salaries. I also read with some alarm on a KCJJ (a local radio station) press release that the Clerk appears to be in charge of the replacement process. I have never heard of a government employee appearing to be the decision maker on the process of obtaining her replacement. With the natural emotional stake she would have in the replacement and most likely wanting to keep the function in her image (status quo), from a personnel standpoint this is not a good situation in my opinion. In addition, the screening committee proposed was very insular to the City organization and had no membership outside City Hall to give perspective and input on the screening process. In any event, I just wanted to drop a note purely as an observer that the Council might take a bit of time to research and survey other cities to take advantage of this opportunity to perhaps achieve some organizational and financial efficiencies. If something is organized the same way it was in 1960, that's a "red flare" it should be at the least carefully examined and not just continued because it was always done that way. With a history of long tenure in your organization, it may be an opportunity that doesn't come around very often. Thank you for your time. Robert Grandrath cc: Mayor, City Manager City Population ExtraResponsibilities otes Salary part from Normal Code equired* es, IA 62,000 Supervise 9 staff of Info art of City Manager's Office. Title 59,832- -osk in City Hall + 5 in is "City Clerk & Records Manager" 88,573 max. Clerk's office; 14 total est Des 61,255 arking ticket appeals art of City Manager's Office 6,000 oines, IA r r 1(2014) Green Bay, WI 104,000 Collection of receipts and lCombined office of City Clerk & 72,000 evenues; also manages cash Treasurer. *Responsibilities beyond the usual Clerk recordkeeping responsibilities required by Code. 12/2016 and investments. Davenport, IA 102,157 Also acts as City Hearing Part of City Administrator's Office. 59,384 - Officer . Deputy City Clerk responsible for 77,923 duties mandated by State Code. (range) Offices of city clerk and treasurer eliminated and duties transferred to city administrator. Deputy City Clerk on -supervisory position. Champaign, IL 83,430 City Clerk & Records Mgt Part of Finance Dept. 79,777 [Division Sioux City, IA 82,517 City Clerk also serves as Part of Admin. Services Dept. 79,043 Customer Service Mgr. (utility sign up, pay parking tickets, utility bills, animal licenses, etc.) incoln, NE 68,738 art of Finance Dept. 183,448 Des Moines, IA 09,220Also collection of parking eports to City Council, Supervises 6 88,800 tickets, animal licensing staff Manhattan, KS 56,143 Iso serves as Cityivision of City Mgr's Office ID I 91,247 Communications Mgr. Dubuque, IA 58,253 Reports to City Council; receives 96,817 same annual increase as other non - bargaining unit employees. Supervises 3 staff 'Cedar 129,195 eports to Council; supervises 5 staff 97,011 Milwaukee, WI 600,000 Also supervises Historic Reports to City Council, supervises 98,472 Preservation, Document approx. 35 staff Services, Public Information, legislative research, Cable V, mail services, claims against city Omaha, NE 421,570 IClaims against city Supervises 7 staff 198,737 Madison, WI 1243,344[Administer all elec 199,660 Iowa City, IA 171,591 1 Pteports to Council; 3 staff 1111,924 Columbus, OH 850,000 ppointed by City Council. 112,536 Supervises 5. Minneapolis, 382,578 Oversees budget of $11.3 Appointed by Council for two-year $112,848 to MN million, 33 staff, 3 divisions: terms, no limit on terms $133,774. Elections & Voter Services, Records & Info Mgt., Ops. Administers elections (federal, state, local) *Responsibilities beyond the usual Clerk recordkeeping responsibilities required by Code. 12/2016