HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-02 Info Packet®ICITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET
CITY OF IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org February 2, 2017
IN Council Tentative Meeting Schedule
FEBRUARY 7 WORK SESSION
IP2 Work Session Agenda
Memorandum from Council Member Cole: Budget Request for Municipal Broadband
Feasibility Study [Distributed as late handout 2/6/17.1
Memorandum from Council Member Cole: Proposed Modifications to Budget [Distributed
as late handout 2/6/17.]
MISCELLANEOUS
IP3 City Council Pending Work Session Topics
IN Article from City Manager: Historic Preservation Treating the Symptom instead of the
cause:
IP5 Memorandum for Sustainability Coordinator & Parks & Recreation Dir.: Local food projects
update
IP6 Memo from Deputy City Clerk: KXIC Radio Show
IP7 Copy of responses to Jacob Simpson from Public Works Dir.: Lighting Concerns
IPS Copy of response from Mauro Heck to City Manager: Please fix street potholes
IP9 Joint Entities Meeting Minutes: January 30
IP10 Copy of Press Release: Apply to serve on the Climate Action Steering Committee
Copy of email from Hojjat Majidi to Equity Director: Rally Against Immigration Ban [Staff
response included; distributed at Late Handout 2/7.]
Flyer: Standing in Solidarity; A call for Fair Policing & Justice Reform , Feb. 4
[Distributed as Late Handout 2/7.)
DRAFT MINUTES
IP11 Public Art Advisory Committee: January 5
A 3 1
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET
CITY OF IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org February 2, 2017
IN Council Tentative Meeting Schedule
I \ FEBRUARY 7 WORK SESSION / I
I132 Work Session Agenda
CELLANEOUS
I133 City Council Pending Work Session opics
IP4 Article from City Manager: Historic Pre ervation
cause:
IP5 Memorandum for Sustainability Coordinator & rks
update
IP6 Memo from Deputy City Clerk: KXIC Radio how
IP7 Copy of responses to Jacob Simpson from ublic We
IP8 Copy of response from Mauro Heck to ' y Manager:
I139 Joint Entities Meeting Minutes: Janua 30
the Symptom instead of the
& Recreation Dir.: Local food projects
Lighting Concerns
kfix street potholes
I1310 Copy of Press Release: Apply to s rve on the Climate Action
MINUTES
IP11 Public Art Advisory Comnifttee: January 5
Committee
CITY OF IOWA CITY
Date
City Council Tentative Meeting Schedule IP1
Subject to change
February 2, 2017
Time Meeting Location
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
5:00 PM
Iowa City Conference Board Mtg.
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Work Session
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Monday, April 17, 2017
TBA
Joint Entities Meeting
North Liberty
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
5:00 PM
Work Session
Emma J. Harvat Hall
7:00 PM
Formal Meeting
CITY OF IOWA CITY
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City. Iowa 52240-1826
(3 19) 356-5000
(319) 356-5009 FAX
www.icgov.org
City Council Work Session Agenda
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Emma J. Harvat Hall - City Hall
5:00 P.M.
• Discuss proposed FY18 Budget
• Clarification of Agenda Items
• Information Packet Discussion [January 19, 26, February 2]
Late Handouts Distributed P
0
To: Council
From: Rockne Cole (Date)
Re: Budget Request for Municipal Broadband Feasibility Stu F—,
Date: February 3, 2017 --'
Councilor Botchway and I would like to seek authorization for a feasibility
study for municipal broadband. We have been receiving multiple complaints about
quality and cost the level of service currently being provided, and believe now is
the time to evaluate whether municipal broadband could provide the solution that
we need. This should not be construed as a comment on any particular provider.
Some provide great service at a high cost. Others provide great service at
reasonable cost. Others provide bad service at high cost. We understand that there
is a healthy debate as to whether a municipal service is the solution, or whether we
should continue on with the current path. We do not believe that is possible to
resolve that debate without a study to evaluate the feasibility of municipal
broadband; its potential cost, and as well as its potential benefits. If the study
ultimately determines that municipal broadband as not feasible, perhaps that could
also lead to a constructive discussion about the way to improve service and cost of
providing the service in the private sector.
I am attaching a research paper by students at the University of Iowa Legal
Clinic in abridged form. The full 10 page paper is available upon request. It
contains a compelling case for municipal broadband as well as a candid discussion
about the potential drawbacks. We would both like to thank the University of Iowa
Legal Clinic, and its students Deanna Steinbach and Sebastian Rouanet for this
well researched paper. I have also attached a summary of costs and services
provided by Paul Betke, a local Iowa City resident who prepared a research paper
on this topic. I also would like to thank Mr. Betke for letting us use part of his
research paper.
Following our January Budget Session, I asked Geoff Fruin for his initial
thoughts about this, and he gave me this Reply.
"No study has been completed. I believe there is sufficient private
completion building in the market that will improve service levels,
cost and ultimately customer choice. If Council wants to proceed with
a study you will need to be clear in the scope of the study you are
seeking. The council should also be cognizant of the impact that a
study might have on those companies improving their network or
planning to expand their network in the near future. I would guess
you will need $50-100k for a study and you should expect a required
city investment to build such a network in the tens of millions if not
$100 million plus. I believe any study should project out how
technology is changing as I think there is a good chance this industry
will be significantly disrupted by new technology in the next decade."
We understand that this may be a subject worthy of a full separate work session,
but wanted to raise this during budget review process to ensure adequate funding
for the feasibility study if we obtain final authorization for the study.
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I. Overview of Broadband Technologies -`:7r- r —1i
Before jumping into the positive aspects of municipal networks we %Wl iddisss some of
the common terms used in discussing broadband intemet. Broadband is delivered iq-*ee
primary ways: DSL, Cable and Fiber. "DSL" refers to a network utilizing pre-existing copper
telephone wires to transmit data.' "Cable" refers to using the "coaxial cables" also used to
transmit cable programming. "Fiber" is the newest and most advanced method, which uses light
to transmit data, usually faster than the previous two methods.3 Many newer broadband projects
"Fiber to the Premises" networks, which is fiber optic cable to that transmits the data to
individual consumers
II. Benefits
A municipal broadband network can provide many important benefits for Iowa City.
Municipal broadband networks have provided positive economic benefits to other communities
through consumer cost savings, job creation and business relocation. Municipal broadband
projects have also benefitted schools through cost savings and providing high-speed broadband
connectivity, which has the potential to improve the educational tools available to schools. Iowa
City has the potential to achieve these benefits through a municipal broadband network.
Consumer and Community Savings
The costs of broadband intemet access are often a barrier for lower-income persons.' In
2010, 36% of households without home broadband connection "pointed to expense as the major
barrier."6 When a municipality implements a successful broadband network the community
benefits, through customer and community savings.
One way for municipal broadband networks to lower consumer costs is to stimulate
market competition among intemet service providers (ISPs).s For example, municipalities can
invest in building network infrastructure in order to lower costs for alternative ISPs to enter the
market or for local governments to provide their own broadband intemet services.9 This means
that the government can take an active role in creating consumer savings by helping to create the
conditions for fair competition among broadband providers.1) In this option Iowa City would use
its capital to help build infrastructure that would make the market more accessible to a new
private provider.
Another way that municipal broadband networks have lowered consumer broadband
costs is through publically owned networks competing with private broadband providers. For
example, Lafayette, LA was able to offer prices twenty percent below that of their private
competitor by creating a fiber optic network run as a wholly public utility under a retail model."
This also drove down the cost charged by the main ?rivate provider in the area and saved the
customers of the private provider about $4 million.' The decrease in the price of municipal
broadband likely increased availability of high-speed intemet, which would have allowed lower-
income households greater access to the internet.13 An additional benefit that comes from
competitiveness in the market is that it incentivizes private companies to increase the quality of
their product. 14 This was the case in Lafayette when its private competitor, Cox, decided that this
competitive community should be the first to receive SOMbps speed from the private provider.15
The increase market competition created by the introduction of a municipal network can drive
both public and private prices for the services down and increase the availability of this vital
resource to low-income households.
Benefits to Schools
Schools benefit from municipal broadband networks in several ways. Municipal networks
have lowered intemet costs for schools in other communities. There is also evidence showing
that high-speed broadband access for schools can improve educational experiences for students.
Through a municipal network, Iowa City could improve its school system by providing better
quality intemet at faster speeds, and increasing educational outcomes all while saving money.
Municipal broadband lowers prices for individual customers in addition to lowering
intemet costs for schools. 16 Both Lafayette and Santa Monica experienced these benefits because
of their implementation of a municipal broadband network and they are not the only cities. 17
Some two additional examples are Martinsville and The City of Greenacres. 18
Santa Monica, Martinsville, and The City of Greenacres all experienced savings while
securing high-speed intemet for their schools through their implementation of municipal
networks.' Santa Monica, CA operates a public-private model whereby they operate the network
that serves their municipal buildings in conjunction with the local school district and college. 20
By providing for their own broadband needs "instead of purchasing commercial services, within
a few years of operation the three local partners were saving a combined $500,000 annually on
their telecommunication service budgets.i21 Additionally, "Martinsville, VA saves
approximately $140,000 on telephone services alone by self -provisioning services."22 Lastly, the
City of Greenacres, FL, "saves over $24,000 a year," while increasing speeds six times by
switching to their own county -owned broadband network 23
Just as a municipal network can help to lower costs and increase accessibility for low-
income individuals, municipal networks can also act to help connect low-income and
underserved schools through offering lower prices24 Increasing this access is important for a
student's education because children without access to intemet at home and at school will not
learn essential computer skills and fall behind in technological and computer literacy compared
to their more wealthy counterparts. 5
Municipal broadband networks can also help provide better educational tools for schools.
Broadband connectivity for schools has the potential to develop more interactive tools to engage
students as well as provide for more individualized learning experiences. 6 Specifically,
municipal broadband networks have given students these benefits. Cedar Falls' fiber municiP,al
network is wired to its school districts giving schools high-speed broadband intemet access.
Iowa City could increase the quality of intemet their schools receive and cease relying on private
providers to provide for their students' education. a
Economic Benefits and Growth " tlLJ
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Municipal broadband projects have resulted in several types of economic benefits. One
type of community benefit is the potential for added community jobs, through construction and
customer service jobs, as well as infrastructure maintenance and repair .28 The community also
benefits because the money that they are paying for their intemet service stays in the community
to pay for local jobs and is not paid to a private provider which generally has a lesser number of
local employees. 29 Iowa City could be missing out on these economic opportunities by not
exploring the option of a municipal broadband network.
Bristol, Virginia, a city of over 17,000 people, experienced many of these benefits after
creating their broadband network. Bristol began planning a fiber optic ring in 1999, and began
connecting municipal buildings such as schools in 2000 and the infrastructure to connect
businesses and homes in 2002 30 Implementing a public utility structured as a retail entity saved
their community an estimated total of $2 million on the cost of intemet and a total savings across
cable, phone, and intemet services of "just under $10 million."31 Additionally, a 2007 report
stated that at that time the Bristol Virginia Utility's (BVU) investments had created 1,220 jobs,
which BVU later updated to over 2,000 jobs in following years. 2
Additionally, in 2001, Lake County, Florida began offering private businesses access to
its municipal broadband network, which had fiber connections to hospitals, schools, and other
businesses. 33 An econometric study of Lake County's municipal broadband system found that
economic growth in Lake County doubled in relation to peer counties since offering network
access to other entities. 4 These results indicate that opening a publicly owned municipal
broadband network to private entities can spur significant economic growth in the community.
There is also evidence showing that municipal broadband networks encourage economic
development through attracting businesses to relocate to the local municipality. For example,
there is evidence that municipal "Fiber to the Home" (FTTH) systems, which means providing
broadband service directly to the home through fiber) attract new businesses. 35This attraction
occurs because these businesses believe that they can do business online more efficiently as well
as increasing the ease of employees working from home. 6 Iowa City could save money and
generate new businesses and jobs for its community through municipal broadband adoption.
Financial Obstacles
Municipal broadband projects can be expensive to create and manage, and some critics
point to specific projects to demonstrate failures in public fiscal responsibility. For example,
critics argue that Lafayette's fiber program is 30% short of its revenue projection and $160
million in debt 37 However, proponents argue that Lafayette's market entry to provide broadband
services helped keep private ISP rates stable and create cost savings for consumers .38 Moreover,
significant financial challenges exist when municipalities use the retail model and compete with
private providers. In the retail model, market penetration and competition against well-
established incumbent private providers (ISP) are significant challenges. 39
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However, there is a wealth of resources, both private and governmental, available for
municipalities looking to start broadband projects to use in order to overcome financial hurdles.
First, the federal government has many grant programs that fund broadband'projecis that
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accomplish specific policy purposes ranging from increasing rural access to the internet,
increasing economic development, and improving school and library facilities. 40 Next, technical
assistance such as workshops, guides and publications are available from both the federal
government and non-governmental organizations. These resources discuss funding methods,
potential challenges and roadblocks, and general strategies for implementing a municipal
broadband system. 41 While there will always be financial risks in pursuing municipal broadband
projects, there are numerous avenues of support for municipalities looking to overcome this
hurdle.
1 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 15 (2014).
2 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 16 (2014).
3 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 18-9 (2014).
4 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 18-9 (2014).
5 See SPEED MATTERS: BENEFITS OF BROADBAND, COMMUNICATION WORKERS OF AMERICA 5, 10
2010).
See COMMUNITY-BASED BROADBAND SOLUTIONS, supra note 1, at 9.
7 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE COMMUNITIES
BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 11 (2012).
8 See COMMUNITY-BASED BROADBAND SOLUTIONS: THE BENEFITS OF COMPETITION AND CHOICE
FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND HIGHSPEED INTERNET ACCESS, THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF
THE PRESIDENT, 11 (2015).
9 See COMMUNITY-BASED BROADBAND SOLUTIONS, supra note 1, at 13.
10 See COMMUNITY-BASED BROADBAND SOLUTIONS: THE BENEFITS OF COMPETITION AND
CHOICE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND HIGHSPEED INTERNET ACCESS, THE EXECUTIVE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, 11 (2015).
11 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 26-7 (2012).
12 CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE COMMUNITIES
BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 27 (2012).
13 SEE CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILDNEXT-GENERATION NETWORKS 27 (2012).
14 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 29 (2012).
15 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 29 (2012).
16 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 27 (2014).
17 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 27 (2014); CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SSD OF
LIGHT: HOW THREE COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 26-7120121;",
C--) -C.
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18 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 27 (2014).
19 See THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW
AMERICAN FOUNDATION 27 (2014).
20 See LAMPLAND AND MITCHELL, supra note 23, at 7-8, 15, 17.
21 THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW AMERICAN
FOUNDATION 27 (2014).
22 THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW AMERICAN
FOUNDATION 27 (2014).
23 THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW AMERICAN
FOUNDATION 27 (2014).
24 See SPEED MATTERS: BENEFITS OF BROADBAND, COMMUNICATION WORKERS OF AMERICA 5
(2010).
25 See SPEED MATTERS: BENEFITS OF BROADBAND, COMMUNICATION WORKERS OF AMERICA 10
(2010).
26 See generally CHARLES M. DAVIDSON AND MICHAEL J. SANTORELLI, THE IMPACT OF
BROADBAND ON EDUCATION, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (2010).
27 See DORIS J. KELLEY, A STUDY OF THE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF CEDAR
FALLS, IOWA'S MUNICIPAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK (2004).
28 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 11 (2012).
29 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 11,12 (2012).
30 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 2, 3 (2012).
31 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 11 (2012) (reporting savings across cable,
phone, and intemet to be almost $10 million.)
2 See CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL, BROADBAND AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT: HOW THREE
COMMUNITIES BUILD NEXT -GENERATION NETWORKS 14 (2012).
33 See GEORGE S. FORD & THOMAS M. KOUTSKY, BROADBAND AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A
MUNICIPAL CASE STUDY FROM FLORIDA (2005).
34 See Id. at 15.
35 See MUNICIPAL FIBER TO THE HOME DEPLOYMENTS: NEXT GENERATION BROADBAND AS A
MUNICIPAL UTILITY, FIBER TO THE HOME COUNCIL NORTH AMERICA, (2009) at 3-4.
36 See MUNICIPAL FIBER TO THE HOME DEPLOYMENTS: NEXT GENERATION BROADBAND AS A
MUNICIPAL UTILITY, FIBER TO THE HOME COUNCIL NORTH AMERICA, (2009) at 3-4.
37 STEVEN TITCH, LESSONS IN MUNICIPAL BROADBAND FROM LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, REASON
FOUNDATION 1-2 (2013).
38 See LEONARD G. KRUGER AND ANGELE A. GILROY, MUNICIPAL BROADBAND: BACKGROUND
AND POLICY DEBATE, CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE 3-4 (2015).
39 THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE: AN OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC BROADBAND OPTIONS, NEW ANWVCAN
FOUNDATION 26 (2014). E'
40 See generally BROADBANDUSA: GUIDE TO FEDERAL FUNDING OR BROADBAND PROJATS =s
(2015). '
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41 See generally BLAIR LEVIN AND DENISE LINN, THE NEXT GENERATION NETWORK
CONNECTIVITY HANDBOOK, GIG.0 AND THE BENTON FOUNDATION (2015); Institute for Local
Self -Reliance, hgRs:Hiisr.or content:VMs/resource-archive/?initiative=broadband;
BroadbandUSA, National Telecommunications & Information Administration,
hqp://www2.ntia.doc. eov.
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Late Handouts Distributed
To: Council � 1 i
From: Rockne Cole (Date)
Date: February 3, 2017
Re: Proposed Modifications to Budget
I was very pleased with the budget presented by our professional staff. It lived up to the highest
standards that we have come to expect with our yearly budgets. That said, there a few areas that I
would like to explore during our upcoming work session. During our budget review process last year, we
added the racial justice equity grant program as well as local foods initiatives, which have been very well
received throughout the community. I believe that we may be able to make similar contributions to our
budget review process this year. Consequently, during our work session, I would like to explore four
possible modifications:
1. 1 believe the time is ripe for extensive renovation and reimagining of the Robert A Lee
Recreational Center. In my view, it is time that facility meets the standards that we have come
to expect with other municipal facilities. I would like to obtain consultant services to identify and
evaluate a complete reenvisioning of this as a recreational/educational facility. I think the entire
thing needs to be gutted, and remodeled. I would envision exploring the possible additions for
the consultant to review: a STEAM facility, creatives arts space, possible open office use for
startups, and possibly commissary kitchen. I, of course, will also want to maintain its core
recreational facilities such as the pool, and the basketball court. Geoff has advised that the cost
of a consultant would be approximately $25,000-$50,000.00
2. The UniverCity Program is underfunded. I will seek authorization for funding up to 5
houses from the recommended three. This program has been absolutely critical to strengthening
our core neighborhoods. I also believe that council should write to the Board of Regents to
reconsider their lack of participation in this important program. That program is critical for
providing reasonably priced housing for income challenged families. This would add
approximately $100,000 to the budget.
3. 1 would like us to evaluate a community based participatory budgeting pilot. I would like
our residents to get more actively involved in our budgeting process. I am seeking $25,000.00
for this. I would envision that we would identify five areas of the city: North, East, West, South
and Downtown. Each area would have a committee of between 5-7 residents selected by
council. Residents from each area would be responsible for identifying community based
projects that would improve the quality of life in their area. They would develop the criteria and
identify the project that they would work on. Final approval would be done by staff, with the
expectation that the resident based proposal would be authorized as long as it complies with
City funding requirements.
4. Finally, I believe that we remove the parking expansion for Terry Trueblood Recreational
Area. We are currently in the process of trying to reduce carbon emission. That being the case,
I believe it sends the wrong message to support expanded parking in. an area with already ample
parking. Parking lots should not be designed around peak usage, but rather the average daily
use.
! 02-U2-1 I
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CITY OF IOWA CITY
UNESCOC OFMMMRE
PENDING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION TOPICS
January 31, 2017
February 21, 2017
1. Review the Equity Report and discuss strategic plan goals relating to disproportionate minority contact
Strategic Plan / Budget Related Topics:
1. Provide timely and appropriate input on the ICCSD's planned 2017 bond referendum
2. Significantly improve the Council and staff s ability to engage with diverse populations on complex or
controversial topics
3. Identify and implement an achievable goal to reduce disproportionality in arrests
4. Identify a substantive and achievable goal for the provision of affordable housing in Iowa City and
implement strategies to achieve this goal
5. Determine scope of Council identified housing market analysis of core neighborhoods
6. Determine scope of Council identified complete streets study
7. Discuss expectations for working with the ICCSD, Kirkwood Community College, Iowa Works, labor
organizations, and others to explore the feasibility of an industrial arts/crafts facility in Iowa City
Other Topics:
1. Review the Child Data Snapshot (IP2 2/18) and discuss related strategies with local stakeholders
2. Discuss creation of an ad-hoc committee on social justice and racial equity
3. Annual Update from ICAD (tentatively scheduled for March 21)
Historic Preservation - Treating the Symptom Instead of the Cause — Strong Towns Page 1 47
1 02-02-17
From City Manager
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STRoNG
TOWNS MISSION TOPICS PODCAST CONTEST EVENTS MEMBERSHIP
There are two kinds of historic preservation - the kind archaeologists
care about where you are preserving the artifacts of an earlier
civilization, and the kind the city council is interested in at the local level.
We'll be discussing the latter here. (you can read about my earlier
thoughts on historic preservation in The Case Against Historical
Districts.)
The primary motivation of historic preservation is to prevent something
from being replaced by something worse. "Worse" is subjective, and
depending on the contest could mean replacing a beautiful ornate
building with a glass tower, replacing a simple two story brick building
with a parking lot, or the modernization of an entire city district.
HOLLOWING OUT
Cities and neighborhoods are not always in a state of continuous
growth. When a city grows and the number of residents and businesses
in the city increases, the number of housing units and floorspace for
offices, retail, industry, and other uses must increase to accommodate
the additional demand.
When the population decreases, it contracts. There are many ways the contraction can play out but it could look something like this: property owners
can't find enough tenants, so the upper floors are abandoned. Eventually, rents fall so low that that the owner is collecting less revenue than what it
costs to do basic maintenance on the building so they want to get rid of the building. To stop losing money, the owner either abandons the building or
sells it. If the building is sold, the new owner might think Mink that it is worth more to them as a parking lot than a vacant building not bringing in any
money. If the building is abandoned, it deteriorates beyond repair and is eventually bulldozed. Regardless of how this scenario plays out, the net
result is that it shanks the supply of unneeded floor space in the city. This can either happen at the neighborhood level (everyone flees a former
bustling neighborhood to the newly built suburbs) or even at the city level.
Historically, when the wealthiest people live in the middle of a city (often the place that has the concentration of wealth to sustain the best services,
amenities, and convenience) and the poor live on the outskirts - often in a shanty town - a shrinking city would contract at its borders. Falling rent -
due to falling demand but a stable supply of housing - would cause prices to decrease, so residents can afford a place that used to be only affordable
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for folks one step higher along the income -chain, and the crudely built shacks on the edge of town would be the first to be abandoned as the
residents gravitated inwards.
Unfortunately, in the conventional American pattern of the late 20th century, where the wealthiest live on the outskirts in the shiny and new suburbs
- and anyone who could afford to flee the inner city for the shiny and new stuff often did - the first stuff to be abandoned was the inner
neighborhoods. There is very little you can do to stop the hollowing out of cities that are shrinking. The default reaction of city councils is to label the
area a `Historic District" in a desperate attempt to slow down the decline. We can not always prevent a city from shrinking but I think cities under
these circumstances should focus on ways to bring the remaining people back into the center of town rather than pushing them to the edge, so that
the city contracts and the remaining wealth concentrates together, instead of hollowing out.
ONWARD AND UPWARD
On the other hand, even without a shrinking population, some places are no longer relevant because of changing circumstances. Railway stations are
typically custom built for their purpose - they have a ticketing office, a waiting room, and platforms for boarding the train. This can make them
difficult to repurpose if, say, the town loses train service.
Typically when something is demolished land it is not abandoned or has been sitting vacant and losing money), this demolition is done in order to
replace the building with something that is better. When Grand Central Terminal was built, several blocks of buildings had to be demolished to make
space for R. The same thing occurred when the Rockefeller Center was built. We consider Grand Central Terminal and the Rockefeller Center national
landmarks today.
nld raw hooses and o[aer buildings sitting where the Rockefeller Center site is In 1934. ISourm
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Racpefeller center site in 2011. ISwaeJ
It didn't seem to bother us back then, and I suspect half the reason was that, for every row house we were knocking down at the start of the 20th
century to replace with something else, several dozen row houses were popping up in a newly built neighborhoods elsewhere. Collectively, we felt we
were not losing anything by knocking things down as more would be built The story is much different today, as we're no longer steamrolling out new
quality urban places to replace the few buildings we lose from a single redevelopment.
A TASTE OF MODERNITY
The other half of why we seem to care much more about preserving a city today is modernity. First there are the failed experiments of modem city
planning. The towers in a par urban renewal stuff.
Lower east side of Ma atfanin 1924. ISvuocJ
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The same location in 2012, ,nu can see a large part has been huillowM out for the Sluwesaut Town -Peter Corner Village housing development ($gySee,
r9292
I
TWO YIEWSt TO THE SAME SCALE
AND SEEN FROM THE SAME
ANGLE: ONE OF MANHATTAN AND
THE OTHER THE CENTRE OF "A
CONTEMPORARY CITY"
Tb, mtraP/ !J .0arlh V9.
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That redwv lupnent boles Tike something straght out of LeCorbusier's The City of rouronow oM 18 Plonrune.
Second - I believe historic preservation is largely the result of modern architecture. There is certainly some nice modem architecture, but a lot of it is
junk. I could go on with my criticism of modern architecture - it looks like the same generic building regardless of if its in France, the United States, or
China. When done at a large scale, modern architecture - with its laree-scale features and blank surfaces - is just exhausting to walk past.
Did San Juan, Puerto R.
San Juan is a beautiful city. Cities such as San Juan, recognizing that
they have something great, tend to lock down the oldest part of their
city from changing under the label of historic preservation. I do not
disagree that Old San Juan is great. But, what is unsettling to me is that
when cities like San Juan and others around the world attempt to
'presewe'the city by preventing all development and change, they are
basically choosing some arbitrary date - such as 1930 - at which the
city was perfect and must be preserved as is forevermore, and after
which all development is bad and is destroying the character of the city.
A LIVING, EVOLVING ENTITY
An area In San Juan autude of Old San luau. that could W anywhere USA. (Source)
A city is a living, evolving entity. If we were in the habit of lacking down
cities to preserve them centuries ago, many of our cities would not have
progressed past the shacks that the pioneers lived in. But, we understand that incremental progress - the replacement of the older with the newer -
was good and built these places into the cities that they are now. Given the last three quarters of a century of modern architecture and city planning,
it is easy to see how people can be suspicious of change - where development is now synonymous with taking the old and ornate and replacing it
with the new and generic. Thus, motivating the case to want to'preserve' Old San Juan.
You see, if modern architecture and city planning were rejected by the Puerto Rican people and Old San Juan was the default development pattern the
island, they would have continued building in this pattern, and there would be no need to take action to historically protect it, and we would not have
a limited supply of these pockets of beautiful urbanism where only the wealthy can afford to live.
I believe there is a time and a place for historic preservation. When a particular site plays a role in history or is such a recognizable landmark, and a
developer wants to tear it down or abandon it, then we have a justifiable case for preserving it. But in most cases I believe that historic preservation
is a pill for treating a symptom rather than curing the cause. We have a shortage of high quality urban places not just in the United States, but
globally, and I think modernity (which includes suburbanization, modern city planning, and modern architecture) plays huge role in this shortage.
Because there is a shortage, we so desperately hold on to the places that remain. But instead, I think we should focus our efforts on tackling the
underlying problem. if we were building more lovable, fine-grain human-scaleto aces to replace those that were lost or redeveloped, there would be
very little reason to focus so much effort an historic preservation.
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/11301historical-preservation?utincontent=buffer... 2/1/2017
r
���I_,;.®,� CITY O F IOWA C I T Y IP5
',tea 1VIEMORANDUM
Date: February 1, 2017
To: Geoff Fruin, City Manager
From: Brenda Nations, Sustainability Coordinator
Juli Seydell Johnson, Parks & Recreation Director
Re: Local food projects update
In the FY2017 budget, the City Council allocated $25,000 for local foods projects, with direction to staff
work in collaboration with Johnson County. These funds supported three projects: Iowa City's first Farm
to Street Dinner, a pilot for Double Up Food Bucks at the Iowa City Farmers Market, and the upcoming
Garden Program scheduled to begin this spring. All programs have been in coordination with the
Johnson County Local Foods and Planning Specialist as well City staff in Parks & Recreation and
Sustainability.
The Farm to Street Dinner was held in August and tickets sold out quickly. A total of $5,000 of the funds
were used to pay for rentals used at the dinner and also to pay for the food stipends for the six
restaurants involved. The event was intended to raise funds for local benefit. Field to Family was the
first non-profit to receive benefit from the event and is using the profit from the event ($10,000) to
supply local food in schools. The planning committee has already begun meeting to plan the next Farm
to Street dinner, including additional events involving taking the concept out to neighborhoods. An
additional $2,000 will go towards neighborhood events for a total of $7,000 for all dinner events this
fiscal year.
The Double Up Food Bucks is a statewide healthy food initiative which matches the value of federal
nutrition benefits spent at participating farmers markets. For instance, if a family spends $10 in SNAP
benefits, they received an additional $10 to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables. The pilot
began in July this year and $2,000 of the local foods funding was used for this program.
The remaining $16,000 will go towards a third program, which is in the planning stages and is a
collaborative effort with Johnson County to create a pilot program to assist community members in
learning more about gardening and getting access to the supplies they need to plant their first garden.
The goals of this program would be to provide assistance to gardeners to assure success in their garden
as well as to have neighborhoods gain more ownership in their community garden.
A new program is proposed that would involve technical assistance to potential gardeners in locations:
Wetherby Park, Reno Street Park, Kiwanis Park and potentially the Poor Farm. A class will be taught to
offer the essentials of gardening, targeting (but not limited to) those with limited resources. For those
successfully completing the class, vouchers for seeds, plants and gardening supplies will be provided.
The newly hired Recreation Program Supervisor (who works with Special and Underserved Populations)
will coordinate the program and lead outreach efforts in the neighborhoods surrounding each garden.
February 1, 2017
Page 2
The Program Supervisor will be responsible for advertising the program, reserving class space, and
supervise the garden program instructor.
Funds from the local foods funding will support the pilot project by supporting a seasonal garden
instructor position. This position would be in located within Recreation, and will require an individual
with gardening experience. The budget would cover seven months of a part-time employee working 20
hours a week. The remaining $5,000 would go towards vouchers or mini grants for seeds, starts, and
gardening equipment.
The Parks & Recreation Department is interested in creating a longer term program, but this pilot will
focus on these four sites and help individuals gain ownership of these community gardens in hopes to
identify a neighborhood leaders and organizers for future years. The garden instructor will be
responsible for creating class content, teaching the class and providing ongoing technical support to
students throughout the growing season.
The Recreation Supervisor will write the job description and hire the garden instructor, with input from
the County, if desired. Assistance with the work plan may also be provided, which would include
recruiting gardeners, developing gardening curriculum, etc. The Parks & Recreation Department would
like to continue the program in future years to the broader community, but the local foods funds could
fund a pilot this growing season, specifically for identified neighborhoods. The position would start in
March, so advertising and curriculum development can begin as soon as possible.
CC: Doug Boothroy, Neighborhood and Development Services Director
,r
-m�' ► K
CITY OF IOWA CITY iP6
MEMORANDUM
Date:
February 2, 2016
To:
Mayor and City Council
From:
Julie Voparil, Deputy City Clerk
Re:
KXIC Radio Show
KXIC offers a City show at 8:00 AM every Wednesday morning. In the past Council has
volunteered for dates, and staff filled in as necessary. Please take a look at your calendars and
come prepared to help fill in the schedule at your work session on February 7.
Wednesday
February 8 — Dickens
February 15 —
February 22 —
March 1 —
March 8 —
March 15 —
March 22 —
March 29 —
April 5 —
In addition we areadding a 7:15 — 7:45 AM the first and third Friday of each month:
Friday
February 3 — Mims
February 17 —
March 3 —
March 17 —
April 7 —
*' Please remember that KXIC is very flexible with taping the Wednesday sessions ahead
of the show. It is the intent of the Friday interviews to be live.
S:CIk/Council KXIC Radio Schedule/radioshowasking.doc
Julie
Original on 1/17 Consent Calendar
[4f(4)]
From: Ron Knoche 1P7
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2017 3:32 PM
To: 'Simpson, Jacob D'
Cc: Council; Jason Havel; Kent Ralston; Jon Resler; Emily Bothell; Melissa Clow
Subject: Follow-up on Lighting Concerns
Jacob:
I wanted to follow-up with you on our evaluation of the lighting concerns presented by the Safety Committee. Staff will be
working with Mid -American to address the concerns identified. Staff is reviewing the Gateway Project to identify issues in the
Dubuque Street corridor and this will be ongoing as the project progresses to completion in 2018.
The following list is the observations that were made in the field and the recommendations/requests that will be passed on to
Mid -American.
Summary
Washington Street
Washington Street from S Van Buren Street to S Lucas Street is very well illuminated by the existing street lights. There
is a midblock street light on every block and a street light at every street intersection.
--> That being said we recommend replacing the HPS street light on the SE corner of S Johnson Street and
Washington Street if it has not been changed to date. This light flickers on/off, turns off for extended periods
of time, and when on is well past its useful life.
Corner of N Clinton Street & Church Street
• We recommend replacing the HPS light at the corner of N Clinton Street and Church Street to LED as the light is past its
useful life and does not illuminate the entirety of the street intersection.
Fairchild Street
Fairchild Street between N Clinton Street and N Gilbert Street is well illuminated. There is a midblock street light on
every block and a street light at every street intersection.
—� We recommend replacing the midblock light (HPS) on Fairchild Street between N Dubuque Street and N Linn
Street as the light is very dim and past its useful life.
—> We also recommend replacing the HPS light on the SE corner of Fairchild Street and N Gilbert Street as the
light is very dim and past its useful life.
Davenport Street
• Davenport Street between N Clinton Street and N Gilbert Street is well illuminated. There is a street light at every
street intersection.
We recommend installing a midblock light on Davenport Street between N Dubuque Street and N Linn Street.
This would be consistent with the street light pattern for the neighborhood as there is a midblock street light
on every block of Fairchild, Davenport, and Bloomington between N Clinton Street and N Gilbert Street.
E Bloomington Street
• E Bloomington Street between N Clinton Street and N Gilbert Street is well illuminated. There is a street light at every
street intersection and pedestrian scale lights at the intersection with N Lucas Street.
With that being said, we recommend replacing the midblock street light on Bloomington Street between N
Dubuque Street and N Lucas Street as this light is flickering, turns on/off, and when on is very dim.
Additionally, we recommend changing out the HPS light on the SE Corner of N Clinton Street and E
Bloomington Street as it is dim and does not illuminate the entire street intersection. We also recommend, if
possible, shifting the light from a perpendicular angle to a 45 degree angle so it shines over the entire
intersection.
S Clinton Street and E Prentiss Street
• S Clinton Street (between E Court Street and Benton Street) and E Prentiss Street (between Capitol Street and Gilbert
Street) are well illuminated.
—> We recommend replacing the HPS street light on the NW corner of S Clinton Street and E Prentiss Street as it is
not functioning properly.
Dubuque Street
• Dubuque Street between Church Street and the Mayflower dorm is currently under construction. As such, the street
light placement and light output will vary depending on the phase of construction.
We do appreciate the Safety Committee bringing these areas of concern to our attention. We are more than happy to respond
to these concerns. In the future if the issue is just a maintenance issue (ie. Flickering light or light not on), any community
member has the ability to request a streetlight repair. Mid -American has a toll free number (888)427-5632 and also has an
online form at https://www.midamericanenergy.com/streetlight-outage-request.aspx.
Please pass this information on to the Safety Committee. Thanks again!
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.or¢
Phone: (319) 356-5138
Cell: (319) 430-3625
Fax: (319) 356-5007
UNESCO CITY OF UIERATURE
Website: www.icgov.org
Original on 1/17 Consent Calendar [4f(4)]
Staff response below.
Julie Voparil
From: Ron Knoche
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2017 5:00 PM
To: jacob-simpson@uiowa.edu'
Cc: Council; Jason Havel; Kent Ralston; Jon Resler
Subject: RE: Lighting Concerns
Jacob,
Your email has been forwarded to me for response. Please pass this response onto Ben.
Mid American Energy operates the roadway lighting in a majority of our community. There are some areas of lighting that is
owned and operated by the City. We will review the areas and pass on to the appropriate group.
If you would like to discuss areas of concern where lighting does not exist, please let me know and we can set up a time.
Thank you for identifying these areas.
Sincerely,
Ron
Ronald R. Knoche, PE
Public Works Director
City of Iowa City
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa
Email: ron-knoche@iowa-city.ora
Phone: (319) 356-5138
Cell: (319) 430-3625
Fax: (319) 356-5007
From: Simpson, Jacob D [mailto:jacob-simpson@uiowa.edu]
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2017 3:06 PM
To: Council
Cc: Nelson, Benjamin C
Subject: Lighting Concerns
Dear City Council,
To create the safest possible Iowa City, its streets and sidewalks must be well -lit during the night. The University of
Iowa Student Government Safety Committee recently identified streets near campus where street lights fail to
adequately light the area (see the highlighted streets in the attached document). Sometimes the lights flicker on and
off and other times they are off for extended periods of time. We wish for the City to review the identified areas,
and ensure that the lights are in appropriate working order. We appreciate your effort to keep students and other
residents of Iowa City safe.
Best,
Jacob and Ben
Jacob Simpson (he/him/his)
University of Iowa Undergraduate I Economics
City Council Liaison I University of Iowa Student Government
Co -President I University of Iowa Gardeners
iacob-simoson@uiowa.edu 1 (563)503-9681
Original on 1/17 Consent Calendar(4f(2)
Mr. Heck's response below.E..WA.RWTW.9
Julie
From:
Mauro Heck <majohe59@gmail.com>
Sent:
Friday, January 13, 2017 1:15 PM
To:
Geoff Fruin
Cc:
Council; John Sobaski; Toni Davis; Jon Resler; Ron Knoche
Subject:
Re: Please fix street potholes
Mr. Fruin,
W
Thank you for your time and efforts in communicating with me regarding the pothole repairs. I hope you and your staff
continue in the efforts to make our city a better cycling community. As far as Iowa City and the City Council trying to achieve
the title of Gold certified bicycle -friendly community, I am all in support. That is, if the merit is justifiably deserved. In the case
of Iowa City, I strongly believe we have a long ways to go before we can even be considered for such a goal. I even have serious
reservations about whether the Silver certification was trully deserved.
As many in this community do, I commute to work everyday. In the last 10-12 years, most of the efforts made to improve
cycling in this town have been made by organizations such as the Bike Library ( which I am a volunteer), Iowa Bicycle Coalition,
Think Bicycles and others. In my view, the city itself, deserves a small portion of that credit. In short, I think that until we see
concrete changes with true bike lanes (such as in cities as Madison,Wl and St. Paul, Mn), we do not deserve the gold status.
Sure, painting chards on main streets helps, but we need more, a lot more that that.
Back to the potholes, I see the ones on Southgate Ave have finally been fixed. Then the question lingers: why were they not
fixed right away in Oct, 18/2016 (almost 3 months) when I first submitted the request. At that time, the comment made on my
request was that one of the potholes did not exist on that location. But now, somehow it is fixed. I do not think we should have
to contact City Council members to get these things completed, the system should work more smoothly. The same with a spot
on the corner of College and Fairview Ave. I submitted 3 requests on the GoRequest app before it was repaired. That process
took 5 weeks.
I have to say I am thankful for the other repairs I have submitted, but given that we have the resources and staff, I would like
to see much quicker responses in the future.
Thank you for your time and devotion to this issue.
Sincerely, Mauro Heck
On Tue, Jan 10, 2017 at 11:20 AM, Geoff Fruin <Geoff-Fruinna,io3ykgity,o wrote:
Mr. Heck,
Thank you again for your email and follow-up correspondence with me as I researched your past work request submittals. As
you may know, the City Council has pushed to make Iowa City a Gold certified bicycle -friendly community. If we are able to
achieve this goal, Iowa City will become the first in the State of Iowa to do so. In an effort to meet this goal there are a number
of initiatives underway, including expanding and improving on -street bicycle infrastructure. With this in mind, the
maintenance of roadways and bike lanes is an increasing focus of our operations.
When we receive requests related to street repairs, our staff evaluates those on-site within 24 hours with very few
exceptions. In many cases, the pothole can be repaired immediately. However, standard pothole repair may not always be an
effective repair for certain pavement conditions. In some cases, full panels of concrete need to be replaced or specialized
equipment and/or fill material that are only available in warmer months are needed. In these cases, the submittals are flagged
and work is completed later in the year. When looking into your specific requests, I do believe that either immediate action
was taken or that subsequent repairs have been added to our prioritized list for future work requiring specialized
methods. We will strive to make this more apparent in our responses to work requests we receive from anonymous submittals
such as what you have been submitting through our mobile app.
Over the last several years the City Council has dedicated a substantial amount of additional financial resources to road repair
and maintenance. In the proposed budget they are currently considering, our annual street resurfacing program continues to
increase in each of the next five years. The Council is also considering the addition of new staff for the Streets Division, which
will continue to help us be responsive to requests for maintenance. Based on past comments from the City Council prioritizing
road maintenance, I fully expect these additional resources to be approved.
Again, I appreciate your active use of our mobile app and can assure you each of your requests are getting prompt attention,
even if in some cases the repairs are not handled immediately. If you would like to discuss this in more detail I would be happy
to talk over the phone or in person.
Best,
Geoff Fruin
City Manager I City of Iowa City
P: 319.356.5013
From: Mauro Heck [mailto:maiohe59Calgmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2017 6:13 PM
To: Council; John Sobaski; Toni Davis; Kingsley Botchway; Rockne Cole; Terry Dickens; Susan Mims; Pauline Taylor; John
Thomas; Jim Throgmorton
Subject: Please fix street potholes
Dear Mr. Jon Resler and City Council members,
I bike twice a day everyday from my house on 1 Joyfield Lane, on the East side of IC to Durham School buses on S.
Gilbert by the railroad tracks.
Before I go begging, I would like to mention that in the past, many if not most of my use of the GORequest app
requests have been taken care of, however that has not been the case lately.
I do not recall ever seeing so many large cracks and potholes in my 34 years as a resident of this great community of
ours.
For instance, two large series of wide cracks on and around 547 Southgate Ave, have forced me to use a new route.
At 6:30 in the morning, when it's pitch dark, you can't see that well using a bike light. I have placed at least three
GoRequests on that spot alone, but they haven't been addressed. I could go on with a list for Keokuk, College and
many other streets.
This community will only be truly great when we do the best to accommodate for the basic transportation of all
residents of Iowa City. I feel like the Street Department is not doing that now, at least from the point of view of a
cyclist.
I sincerely hope that more will and resources are placed toward fixing potholes in our great Iowa City.
Thank you for all the hard work you do.
Sincerely,
Mauro and Carmen Heck
1 Joyfield Lane, IC 52245
319-594-4871
MINUTES OF THE JOINT ENTITIES MEETING BETWEEN JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS — IOWA
CITY, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD, CLEAR CREEK AMANA
COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD, AND THE FOLLOWING CITIES: CORALVILLE, HILLS, IOWA CITY, LONE
TREE, NORTH LIBERTY, OXFORD, SHUEYVILLE, SOLON, SWISHER, TIFFIN, AND UNIVERRITY HEIGHTS
MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2017
IOWA CITY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
PENN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL — LIBRARY
230 N. DUBUQUE ST.
NORTH LIBERTY, IOWA 52317
Call to Order
Chris Lynch called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm.
Welcome and Introductions
Lynch welcomed everyone to Penn Elementary noting the additions and renovations they have benefited from
the Facilities Master Plan.
Elected Officials introduced themselves as follows: Iowa City City Council Members: Mayor Jim Throgmorton,
Susan Mims; North Liberty City Council Members: Chris Hoffman, Brian Wayson, Terry Donahue; Coralville City
Council Members: Mayor John Lundell, Jill Dodds, Mitch Gross, Laurie Goodrich; Iowa City Community School
District: LaTasha DeLoach, Chris Lynch, Brian Kirschling; Johnson County Board of Supervisors: Rod Sullivan,
Kurt Friese, Mike Carberry, Lisa Green -Douglass; Hills: Mayor Tim Kemp, Cathy Knebel; Swisher: Mayor Chris
Taylor
Discussion/Update
Legislative
Local legislative priorities (City of Iowa City)
Simon Andrews reported on a resolution establishing the City of Iowa City's 2017 Legislative priorities, which
was adopted on December 6, 2016. The legislative priorities include:
• Ensure the continued funding of commercial & industrial property tax replacement payments
• Protection of public sector employee collective bargaining rights
• Protect Home Rule authority for local governments
• Advocate for additional water and wastewater infrastructure funding
• Support the continued excellence of the State's primary, secondary, and higher education institutions
and advocate for additional education funding
• Support the legislative efforts of the Iowa League of Cities and the Metro Coalition
Throgmorton stated that many Republican controlled State legislatures are trying to take Home Rule authority
away from city governments and what is happening in Iowa is consistent with several other states.
2017 Legislative issues and updates affecting local governments (Board of Supervisors)
Carberry reported the County legislative priorities are almost identical to the City priorities. He stated backfill is
very important and what they have been told is the Governor is taking backfill off the table for this year. This is the
third year of ten years they promised to backfill so there are seven more years to fight for that backfill. He stated
Home Rule is so important to Johnson County, especially when it comes to minimum wage. He stated collective
bargaining is important and water quality is very important. He stated he sits on a water quality committee for
the Iowa State Association of Counties and they were not happy last year when they were trying to tie the SAVE
extension to water quality. The Urban County Collation and the Iowa State Association of Counties signed on to
the three eights cent Iowa Coalition which puts at the next sales tax increase, three eights of a cent guaranteed to
go to funding for natural resources and about two thirds of that is water quality. He stated that one of the most
important things for the county is mental health and disabilities services funding. They are in a region and the levy
is capped. The cap needs to go away as it is hurting the county so much that they are $1,000,000 short of the
money they are going to be able to put into the region. A brochure of Johnson County's 2017 legislative priorities
and issue was distributed.
Legislative priorities (Iowa City Community School District)
Lynch reviewed the Iowa City Community School District's legislative priorities, which included:
Supplemental State Aid: Provide adequate and timely funding as the State's first priority in order to allow
responsible budgeting by school districts. There is no greater economic investment than a highly educated
workforce.
Pay or Postpone Unfunded Mandates: Pay or postpone any unfunded mandates such as Early Literacy
Implementation and Smarter Balanced Assessments. These initiatives directly draw dollars away from the
classroom.
Extend SAVE Funding: Extend SAVE funding and ensure the whole penny goes to education. SAVE funding
allows districts to responsibly plan for infrastructure needs and Iowans in all 99 counties approved the
penny tax for that purpose. Let's keep it that way.
Facilities Master Plan/GO Bond (Iowa City Community School District)
Lynch stated that the intent of the Facilities Master Plan is to transform the learning environment. The ICCSD
Board of Directors recently held three listening posts to receive further input from the public regarding the
Facilities Master Plan. Feedback was initially gathered through Thought Exchange where approximately 1,700
people participated and HVAC was overwhelmingly the largest theme. Lynch presented an overview of the
timeline of the FMP planning process, historical progress on air conditioning in buildings, progress of building
projects, and projects that are G.O. Bond dependent He stated that SAVE is so important as if it were extended
to 2049, in theory, ICCSD could do the back half of the plan with zero tax impact.
Throgmorton inquired if Lynch were aware of any discussion at the State level regarding SAVE. Lynch stated
there has been discussion however, he is not aware of any bill yet. He stated the hope is that if you could
resolve water quality you could quickly find a way to approve SAVE. Carberry stated that the House passed a
bill last year on water quality and that seems to be what they are going to do again. He stated it does not use
any existing fund; it rearranges funds from rural water and a few other things. If that goes through, and they
get that water quality piece, the Governor's option on tying it to SAVE becomes a moot point and then the
focus is just on SAVE.
Lynch reported that feedback received from the listening post and recently from the community is to stick to
the plan for the full amount of the G.O. Bond. He reviewed when bonds would be issued and the incremental
impact of the G.O. bond series. He presented a tax rate comparison to other districts in the state noting we are
the lowest and taxes have actually gone down. He reported that the ICCSD Board of Directors would need to
make a decision tomorrow regarding the G.O. Bond.
Throgmorton inquired how detailed the referendum language need to be. Lynch stated you have to identify the
projects and then only those projects can be done. You can choose not to do a project, but you cannot add any.
Carberry stated the County would be getting tax dollars back from TIF districts and inquired if the school district
would get any additional funds back from TIF districts. Lynch stated they would get the valuation and that Craig
Hansel, Chief Financial Officer, has all of that in his model.
Gross inquired if new developments are factored into the model. Lynch stated only those developments that
were platted.
The interest rate on the bond is stepped in and incremental based on economic projection. Lynch stated the
revenue purpose statement is written in a way that SAVE could be used to pay down debt.
Local immigration policies (City of Iowa City)
Throgmorton reported that becoming a sanctuary city was a topic at a January work session. The City decided
not to become a sanctuary city but went ahead with a resolution reaffirming the public safety function of local
law enforcement. He indicated that feedback from those outside of Iowa City was hostile and threatening
regarding the discussion of looking at becoming a sanctuary city and that most of the feedback was provided
prior to the decision vs. after. Lundell stated he felt the City did a nice job of describing what the resolution was
and was not.
Iowa City Climate Mitigation Plan (City of Iowa City)
Throgmorton reported that the City has adopted a resolution authorizing creation of a Climate Action Steering
Committee. The City Council established a greenhouse gas emissions target of 26-28% from 2005 levels by 2025
and 80% by 2050, and seeks to create its first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to develop strategies to
achieve these targets. They will solicit applications to fill the positions and the goals pertain to all activities
responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. RFP proposals are being reviewed now and the committee
application will be on line soon.
Implementation of crisis intervention training, programs and facilities (Board of Supervisors)
Jessica Peckover presented an overview of Access Center, centers or campuses to provide a more appropriate
solution for individuals in behavioral health crisis or experiencing other psychosocial issues. She stated they
would be meeting with councils and boards individually to provide an in depth overview but provided highlights
for the sake of time. She reviewed members of the Steering Committee, partnership opportunities, and the
request. The request was by March 1 identify a decision-making representative to join the Steering Committee.
Hiring of a Mobility Manager to assist residents with transit related needs (Board of Supervisors)
Carberry reported that last summer it was identified that there was some money from the Iowa Department of
Transportation for mobility managers that had not been used and was going away. A mobility manager is a like a
transit or transportation social worker who helps those in need negotiate transportation throughout the county. The
County has met with Iowa City Transit and Johnson County SEATS and came up with a plan. There is an 85% match for
two years on this grant. The money is split three ways with Johnson County taking the vast majority and Iowa City
and Coralville graciously chipping in as well. It will be a part time job housed in the Social Services Department.
Applications for the position close tomorrow with interviews to follow shortly after and the desire to have someone
in place by the end of February.
Other business
There was none.
Schedule next meeting
North Liberty will host the next meeting on April 17, 2017. Iowa City will host the meeting following that.
Discussion from the public
There was none.
Adiournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:25 pm.
t'3o111
Johnson JOHNSON COUNTY'S MISSION
bounty To enhance the quality of life for
the people of Johnson County by
providing exceptional public
services in a collaborative,
responsive and fiscally
accountable manner.
Johnson County Board of Supervisors
319-356-6000
Mike Carberry
mcarberry@co.johnson.ia.us
Kurt Fries
kfriese@co.johnson.ia.us
Lisa Green -Douglass
Igreendouglass@co.johnson.ia.us
Janelle Rettig
jrettig@co.johnson.ia.us
Rod Sullivan
rsullivan@co.johnson.ia.us
2017 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
AND ISSUES
2017 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND ISSUES
I. Funding for crisis intervention training and facilities -Page 3
H. Fully fund backfill of commercial and residential cuts and various
credits—Page 4
III. Increase the minimum wage—Page 4
IV. Funding for courthouse security, maintenance and improvements—
Page 5
V. Other issues —Page 6
A) Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
B) County home rule, spending and local governance
C) Decategorization programs
D) Disclosure of sales prices of real estate included in sale of LLCs
E) Distracted driving
F) Early Childhood Iowa
G) Emergency medical services
H) Independent boards operating under county authority
1) Local Public Health Services Grant (LPHSG)
J) Marijuana reform
I'7 Medical Examiner
L) Mental health
M) Recreation and Conservation
N) Renewable energy
O) Roads and infrastructure funding
P) Veterans
As elected officials of Johnson County, the Board of Supervisors
believe that we are best able to represent the interests of our
constituents regarding matters of local concern. We are accountable
for the use of property taxes, for the efficiency of our services and the
effectiveness of our programs. We urge legislators to honor Iowa's
long history of "home rule" and keep decision-making at the local
level whenever possible.
In addition, the Board of Supervisors wants legislators to know that
cuts to state funding and programming that assist our most
vulnerable residents ultimately strain local budgets and result in
higher property taxes because services of last resort - law
enforcement, jails, hospitals and emergency service providers - deal
with people in crisis.
PRIORITY I: Funding for crisis intervention training=_ and
facilities.
Johnson County is currently in the process of working with area partners, including
Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, the University of Iowa, and mental health and
substance abuse providers, to train law enforcement and service providers in crisis
intervention techniques. We are also exploring how to provide facilities and programs
that help people with mental illness and substance abuse issues to obtain treatment and
avoid spending time in jail or in the emergency room. This is a unique, collaborative
effort that has a great deal of community support.
The county is taking the lead in spearheading this regional effort. Communities that
have implemented similar programs have seen reductions in the number of jail inmates
over time as well as a reduction in emergency room visits. While long term cost
savings may be realized, these efforts require initial resources to develop facilities and
programs. Johnson County is working to identify the most efficient means of funding
this important effort.
The means by which counties may generate revenue, whether by property taxes or user
fees, is strictly controlled by state statute. Once we have completed the process of
evaluating our funding_ options, we may need amendments to Iowa Code that would
allow us to generate the needed funds without unnecessarily affecting our ability to
provide other, necessary services.
PRIORITY II: Fully fund backfill of commercial and residential
cuts and various credits
Johnson County joins many other counties and cities with deep concerns about the overall
impact of commercial property tax reform adopted in the 2013 Legislative session. We
do not yet fully know the impacts on local government programs and services that will
result because of the commercial property tax reforms that will not be backfilled from the
State. While we are very concerned about the rollbacks that will not be reimbursed to
counties and cities, we also remain very concerned that the State will eventually not
backfill the parts of the legislation that were promised. Local government programs and
services are vital to the people of Johnson County. Johnson County is a partner with the
State in many services, but our ability to fund these buildings, programs, and services will
be severely impacted by commercial property tax reform.
We urge the Legislature to do no more harm to local government, keep their promises on
reimbursements, and reconsider the 10 -year plan of rollbacks. Over the last several years
a largeeD rcentage of property taxes has been shifted to residential proRrty owners as a
result of State action and this will continue and be compounded if the State fails to honor
prior commitments.
PRIORITY III: Increase the minimum wage
Iowa's minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour. The state minimum wage has not
been increased since 2008. In the meantime, five of the six states bordering Iowa have
raised their minimum wage. Johnson County is among the most expensive places to live
in Iowa, where a single person would have to earn $13.04 per hour just to afford
necessary expenses of life. Low-wage workers have to work multiple jobs, live in
substandard housing and rely on public assistance to survive.
In 2015, Johnson County enacted a minimum wage ordinance to address these issues in
our area. Pursuant to that ordinance, the minimum wage in Johnson County will be
$10.10 per hour starting on January 1, 2017. In 2016 three other counties have also
enacted their own ordinances.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors wants to see the Legislature address the needs
of low-income workers in Iowa while also respecting the authority of local officials to
address local conditions. Johnson County urges legislators to:
Raise the statewide minimum wage to $10.10.
Provide some means of indexing so that future increases are not dependent on
legislative action.
Oppose any effort to preempt local action and instead preserve the authority of
local governments to raise the minimum wage in response to local economic
conditions and constituent demands.
PRIORITY IV• Funding for courthouse security, maintenance
and improvements
The State requires counties to furnish and maintain a facility that serves the justice system
and provide a workplace for the State employees who work for the courts. Legislators are
well aware of the steps that the Board of Supervisors has taken to address the fact that the
County's 114 -year-old courthouse is woefully inadequate to meet the current needs of
Johnson County. While additional space is a serious need, the Board is faced with an
even more critical dilemma in just making the building secure for all who use it, including
the State and County employees who work there every day. State law provides
significant limitations on the options available to the Board to address these needs. There
are several things the Legislature could do to address these issues:
Under current law, bonds issued for public buildings are authorized as "essential
county purpose" bonds if the cost of the building project does not exceed dollar
amounts specified in the Iowa Code; for Johnson County the amount is $1.2
million. This amount is inadequate to address the significant space, security and
safety needs of many of Iowa's historic courthouses. At a minimum, the statute
should be amended so that the maximum bonding amount is not also the cost of the
project, allowing counties to bond for a portion of more expensive projects. A
Bonding projects or any upgrade project that exceeds $1.2 million must be approved
by referendum with 60% voter approval. Johnson County voters have had the
opportunity to vote on three different proposals designed to address the current
deficiencies of the courthouse (two proposals included new jail space as well).
Each referendum was supported by a comfortable majority but did not meet the
60% threshold. Most of the space in Johnson County's courthouse is devoted to
providing space for the State -mandated court functions. Despite this, a minority of
local voters can prevent the County from adequately fulfilling our State mandate.
Requiring the approval of a simple majority would continue to require local
officials to put forth quality plans and educate the public on the needs while
eliminating a nearly insurmountable barrier.
4 5
Johnson County would like the Legislature to classify the costs of courthouse
maintenance and upgrades as an "essential county purpose." allowing counties to
tax for the costs within the General Supplemental Fund of the budget. This small
step would just provide counties a bit more flexibility within our capped General
Fund.
Finally, we hope that the Legislature will continue to work with counties to explore
and allow other options to meet the State mandate. One option would be to provide
for additional court costs that could be devoted to courthouse maintenance and
upgrades.
OTHER ISSUES AFFECTING JOHNSON COUNTY
Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
In 2015, Johnson County has received Manure Management Plans for two newly -
proposed Animal Feeding facilities. In both instances, the proposed facilities are less than
1,500 feet from existing facilities that appear to be owned and operated by family
members of the applicants. Each facility will have up to 996 animal units, bringing them
just under the threshold for County comment in conjunction with the mostly ineffective
Master Matrix process.
These requests illustrate a very disturbing trend in confinement development not just in
Johnson County, but across the state—producers are capitalizing on legal ambiguity to
site multiple non -permitted buildings within the minimum separation distance without
being subject to more stringent separation and design standards, County review, or public
comment. The impacts of Animal Feeding Operations are highly localized, and we
believe approval of these facilities is a local issue that should be approved at the local
level.
As Animal Confinement operations continue to proliferate, and to aid in future
confinement construction proposal review, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors
supports the following legislative changes:
Reduce the 1000 animal -unit threshold for permitted facilities to allow Counties to have
input and more local control on a broader range of applications; and
6
In addition to clarifying what is required for facilities to be considered separate,
increase the minimum separation distance required for all structures (not just
County Home Rule, Spending and Local Governance
Johnson County seeks to preserve local decision-making authority, encourages state
assistance of funding of state services and opposes state initiatives that limit a county's
ability to make governance and spending decisions at the local level.
*Unfunded mandates — The State sets many requirements for services to be provided
without a means of compensation. We encourage the Legislature to periodically
review these requirements and determine if there are requirements that are outdated or
could be taken over by the State rather than funded by local taxpayers. Two examples
include:
*Publishing costs — Local governments are required to spend thousands of
dollars to publish notices and minutes despite the fact that all of the
information is available online. We suggest the Legislature amend Iowa Code
to allow local governments to publish meeting and legal notices online and
EMU—Ire only a summary to be published in local print outlets. Additionally,
allow counties to Rublish in only one newspaper.
•Housing state offices at local taxpayer expense — Currently some counties
are forced to house a variety of state agencies (DHS and the Courts, for
example) and receive little or no reimbursement from the State. In addition,
the counties are forced to pay for expenses such as postage and office
supplies at local taxpayers' expense. We request that the State no longer
*Underfunded mandates — Currently the fee structure for many user -based services,
such as the fees for food inspection services, and the issuance of licenses and permits
on behalf of the State, does not cover the cost for providing the service. As a result,
these fees have been subsidized by property taxes for many years. Examples include:
*Marriage license fees — According to a study by the Iowa County Recorders
Association, the actual costs to counties to provide a marriage license is
slightly over $13. Currently, $4 of the $35 fee is retained by counties and the
remainder is returned to the State. The Association has proposed a $10 fee
increase to be kept by counties so that the cost of the service is not shifted to
property taxes. The proposed $45 fee is less costly than in most contiguous
7
states and substantially lower than many other states. Johnson County
supports the recommendation of the Iowa County Recorders Association to
increase the marriage application fee to $45, an increase of $10
•Food inspection fees — Food licensing fees have only been raised twice in 37
years and are inadequate to cover the cost of operating the program. Because
of the low fees, many counties have returned the food program to the
Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA). In 2009 DIA inspected 23
counties and now inspects 52 counties, but due to the low fees, DIA has only
been able to inspect two times in the past three years. Inadequate and
irregular license fee increases are starving Iowa's food safety system and
have the potential to put health and lives of the consuming public at risk.
inspection program and ensure it is not subsidized by property taxes
*Sheriff duties — Duties of the Sheriff in the Iowa Code are extensive. One area
that is often overlooked is the section relating to service of civil procedure.
The demands on Sheriffs' Offices have increased over the years, but the fees
allowed in the Code have not kept pace with the demand for service by civil
duties, resulting in unfunded mandates that in accumulation eventually eet
passed on to local property taxpayers. For fiscal year 2013, the total cost of
service of civil papers was $492,958.45, while the fees received were
$207,982.11, at a net cost to taxpayers of $284,976.34.
Decategorization programs
Funding for the Decat Boards is appropriated via 1) Legislative Allocation 2) Transfer of
Child Welfare funds from the DHS Service Area Manager 3) Transfer of funds from the
Chief Juvenile Court Officer. In FY16 the Decat Boards did not receive the roughly $5
million Transfer of DHS Child Welfare funds. This resulted in a nearly 80% decrease in
funding for some Decat Boards and the elimination of many critical programs that help
prevent children and family involvement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
allow for improved fiscal planning.
Disclosure of sales prices of real estate included in sale of LLCs
Investors have begun transferring ownership interest in real estate without disclosure of
the sale details to the public through the use of Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs).
The investor places ownership of the property in the LLC's name and sells the LLC and
its assets. No ownership change to the real estate occurs.
Iowa's Assessors believe that in virtually all instances, the only assets of the specific LLC
is the real estate being sold. This lack of transparency affects other buyers, sellers and
lenders in the marketplace, as well as the general public, who have no way of knowing
what is actually occurring in the real estate market. The State should require the sale of
an LLC to disclose the value of the real estate included in the transaction
Distracted Driving
In 2014, 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes
involving distracted drivers in the United States, according to distraction.gov. While there
are multiple distractions for drivers, using a hand-held device is the most alarming
distraction because it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver.
The distraction of having a phone in the driver's hand is not limited only to texting.
Drivers are just as distracted when manipulating their phones to search for contacts, select
music, type addresses or even play games while driving. Unfortunately, under current
Iowa law, those actions are completely legal. Johnson County believes that taking the
phone out of a driver's hand eliminates confusion for law enforcement, reduces
distractions for the driver, and greatly improves the safety of other drivers.
Fourteen states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit drivers of
all ages from using handheld cell phones while driving.
Johnson County supports the position of the Iowa State Sheriffs' & Deputies' Association
(ISSDA) to prohibit hand-held electronic communication devices while operating a motor
vehicle, requiring them to be used in hands-free mode and making violation of the hands-
free communication law a primary offense in Iowa
Early Childhood Iowa
Johnson County urges the Legislature to enhance effectiveness of Early Childhood Iowa
funds by removing the categorical restrictions on their use allowing ECI Governance
Boards to address the unique local needs of at -risk families as documented in their
Community Plans.
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services, along with police and fire, should be an essential service
provided by all levels of local government. Public safety is a core function of
government. In order to ensure that all Iowans get the es
p titton they need, Johnson
ount es and townshros
must ro—� vide ElvIS rotection to their citizens.
Independent boards operating under county authority
Pursuant to Iowa Code, there are three independent boards that operate under the auspices
of county government. They are the Conservation Board, Board of Health and the
Veterans Affairs Commission. The Board of Supervisors approves the budgets for these
departments and appoints the citizen representatives to these boards. Thereafter, ehree
boards have the autonomy to set policy, hire their respective directors, approve contracts
and oversee spending. Though these departments utilize county resources and are
represented in the community as an arm of county government, boards of supervisors
have very little authority over the actions of the staff and the volunteer representatives
that serve on those boards.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is concerned that the current Code provisions
creates potential liability issues for counties. The specialized experience that board
members bring to their duties, such as the medical knowledge of members of the Board of
Health, is invaluable in assisting the respective departments. However, the volunteer
board members are unelected and are entrusted with the oversight of property tax funds
and hiring and evaluation of staff employed by the county. Being unelected, they are
unaccountable to taxpayers. The time commitment to their positions may be limited to a
monthly board meeting and they may not have the financial or management experience
required for oversight of their respective departments. For example, the budget for the
Johnson County Public Health Department is nearly $4 million, consisting of hundreds of
budget lines. Approximately 40 employees work for the department.
ne Ii ence or mtenuonailmalloaa �• _ __
We believe there is a basis for the Le 'slature to a oint an interim committee to examine
the governance structure of these indenendent boards and the related risks to county
oyennnent of their activities.
Local Public Health Services Grant (LPHSG)
LPHSG funds are directed by the local Board of Health to address community needs that
can range from skilled nursing or home care aide services to communicable disease
1[9
follow-up and environmental investigations of health threats. Programs supported by the
grants have a priority to serve vulnerable populations. Since 2006, state funding for the
LPHSG has decreased from $10.64 million to $8.461 million in FY 2016, a 20.3%
decrease, while the needs continue to increase as the population increases and ages and
chronic diseases put a strain on our health care systems. ,
The Local Public Health Services Grant should be restored to at least $13.06 million, the
funding approved in 2007, adjusted for inflation.
Marijuana Reform
The Board of Supervisors supports the following reforms:
Industrial hemp has many uses and was grown in this country until the 1950s.
Industrial hemp is not a drug crop. There are significant economic development
opportunities and agricultural producers should be able to produce this crop.
Iowa should allow medical cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids, such as THC, to
be allowed as medical therapy to treat disease or alleviate symptoms.
Johnson County supports decriminalization of possession of small amounts of
marijuana.
Sufficient evidence exists to demonstrate that cannabis/marijuana may have various
medicinal properties. However, insufficient controlled research has been carried out
in order to exploit the plant's potential for medical use. The Johnson County Board
of Supervisors, therefore, supports efforts to reclassify cannabis/marijuana from
Schedule I to Schedule II with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical
research and development of cannabinoid -based medicines and alternate delivery
methods following scientifically -established protocols.
Medical Examiner
The fee for cremation permits is set by Iowa Code in Section 331.805(3)(b). The fee was
last increased in 2002. The Johnson County Medical Examiner Department has seen a
nearly 60% increase in the demand for cremation permits from 2011 to 2016. The
Department issued 962 permits in 2016. This rapidly increasing demand for cremation
permits is one of the driving factors requiring the Department to maintain 24/7 staffing.
The Leeislature should amend Iowa Code Section 331.805(3)(b) to increase the cremation
permit from $75 to $100.
Mental Health
Beginning in 1996, the State entered into an agreement with counties to share the
11
financial burden for providing mental health services to our state's most vulnerable
citizens. Over time, the 1996 formula used to provide state funds actually caused a
disparity in services across the state. With the adoption of redesign the state provided
funding to counties, like Johnson County, for equalization of services in the region. With
the prospect of not receiving equalization funds in the future, counties and regions are
trying to determine the best way to fund the necessary services while also addressing the
funding inequity that developed over nearly twenty years. It is a complex and divisive
issue. Our Board of Supervisors is divided about how to fix the problem while still
protecting local taxpayers from having to correct the inequity in one year. We do agree
that there are two areas where the Legislature can directly impact the availability of
services for mental health clients:
Lack of medication prescribers: Patients often have to wait a month or more
for an appointment with a psychiatrist or other professional for a prescription of
medication for mental illness. Telehealth is being tested in some locations but is
not feasible in all locations or for all patients. The Legislature should explore
incentives that would encourage qualified medical personnel to practice in Iowa
and be em loved in practices that accept Medicaid.
Waiting list for Medicaid Waivers for people with intellectual disabilities
(ID): People on the waiting list either do not receive services or apply for
funding through their MHDS region. As of 11/10/16, the ID Waiver list included
2,146 people statewide. The regions are often funding services for these clients
who should be on Medicaid. The Legislature should fund additional Waiver
openings and request an increase in the number of Waiver openings from CMS
Recreation and Conservation
Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Funding: The REAP program is
authorized to be funded at $25 million. The last several years it has been funded at
$16 million. This program is used by Johnson County for environmental education,
natural resource enhancement, water quality related projects, trails, and acquisition
and protection of the best remaining examples of our natural history. The Legislature
should provide $25 million of funding for REAP.
Recreational Trails Funding: Across Iowa and the nation, trails are becoming
an increasingly important aspect of the economic and social fabric of our
communities. Johnson County has identified approximately 25 miles of trails that
need to be constructed to connect existing trails with communities and other trail
systems in eastern Iowa. The estimated current cost to complete the network is at
least $20 million. Johnson County will continue to dedicate funding to trails, but
increased State fundingwill ill help complete our projects and spur the development of
trails statewide.
Lake restoration: Strong funding and support for the IDNR Lake Restoration
should continue. The Johnson County Conservation Board is in the process of
restoring F.W. Kent Park Lake, which is listed on the IDNR 303(d) Impaired Waters
List. The lake restoration effort is estimated to cost $3.5 million over a two-year time
period and the county is dependent upon cost share funds for the project. Phase I
begins this winter and is focused on work within the watershed. Phase 2 is scheduled
to begin next summer and will extend through the following year. The lake has been
closed to public access several times during the summer in each of the last two years,
due to poor water quality and high levels of microcystin.
River Restoration Program: The IDNR Rivers Program currently receives
funding on an annual basis for water trails and dam safety. River restoration is a key
component of dam safety and water trails and a River Restoration program should be
established by IDNR. Recognizing the program legislatively will help maintain the
functional value of rivers and streams as an integral part of our natural resource
system. The Legislature should include language specifically authorizing river
restoration as part of the Water Trails and Dam Safety Program.
Renewable Energy
Johnson County is actively pursuing the use of solar power for County facilities. Solar
arrays have been installed at the County's West Campus, the roof of the Health and
Human Service Building and the lawn of the Administration Building. Johnson County
supports legislative efforts to support the development and implementation of renewable
energy. Specific policy proposals include:
Tax Incentives: Iowa has used tax policy to help grow its solar market.
Iowa established an Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in 2012 that matches 50% of
the federal ITC (or 15% of the upfront cost of a solar project). There are
currently project specific caps and an annual aggregate cap of funds available
for the tax credits of $5 million. Iowa regularly has a waiting list for this
program. We recommend increasing the annual program cap to $10 million.
Iowa has offered a $0.015/kWh Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind and a
variety of other renewables since 2005, with caps on capacity eligible for
different renewable energy resources. In 2015, the Iowa legislature added 10
MW as a set-aside for solar, with additional solar projects accessing
unrestricted capacity. The 10 MW is primarily supporting rural electric
cooperative and municipal utility projects (community and utility -scale). This
12 13
additional capacity has already been used. We recommend adding an additional
30 MW of capacity as a set-aside for solar.
Net Metering: The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has led a wide-ranging
inquiry on Distributed Generation (DG) for several years and recently issued an
order for the investor-owned utilities to establish a pilot on net metering that
preserves the existing framework and provides a limited expansion of net
metering. Several features of the pilot include increasing the net metering
project cap from 500 kW to 1 MW and requiring that net metering credits are
limited to 100% of a customer's load, with a cash out for excess generation. All
customers are eligible for the pilot tariff, which means that third party financed
systems will be eligible to net meter resolving past disputes on that issue with
the utilities. Utilities and stakeholders are working to implement the pilot,
which is expected to launch January 1, 2017. The pilot tariff will apply for
three years, and any projects on the pilot tariff will be grandfathered in for any
future changes. We recommend that the Legislature refrain from making any
changes to net metering while the pilot tariffs are in place in order to allow the
NB to collect data on the impacts of the pilot tariffs and net metering.
Interconnection Standards: One focus of the IUB DG inquiry has been
interconnection standards. Iowa previously adopted Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) standards and has been a leading state on interconnection
standards. As part of the NB's DG docket, the state has reviewed the updated
FERC standards and has initiated a rulemaking that will significantly improve
the interconnection process for distributed solar by incorporating critical
updates from FERC and other leading states. We recommend the Board move
forward with the rulemaking, and we encourage Rural Electrical Cooperatives
and municipal utilities to adopt the same interconnection standards so best
practices are applied throughout Iowa.
Roads and infrastructure funding
The Board of Supervisors thanks legislators for their support and leadership to increase
the fuel tax to fund improvements to roads and bridges. Johnson County immediately
used the increased funding to upgrade Sutliff Road and we are including additional
projects in our five-year road plan as a result of the additional funding. We are also
grateful that the Legislature did not sacrifice the county's ability to bond for road projects
in exchange for the fuel tax increase.
The gas tax, however, is only one part of the solution. Johnson County receives
14
approximately $1.1 million additional revenue as a result of the ten cent increase. While
all additional revenue is appreciated, it is insufficient to meet our infrastructure needs.
For instance, the widening and resurfacing of 4.4 miles of Sutliff Road cost $1.33 million.
The ten cent increase essentially allows Johnson County to add one additional project per
year.
Therefore it is critical that other means of infrastructure funding including bonding, be
protected and new resources identified.
Veterans
While the United States Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes the service of
commissioned officers of the Public Health Service, Environmental Science Services
Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Coast and
Geodetic Survey Administration, they are not considered veterans under Iowa Code and
do not receive the same benefits as veterans of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and
Coast Guard.
Johnson County supports amending the definition of "veteran" in Iowa Code Chapter 35
to include commissioned officers of the Public Health Service Environmental Science
Services Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. and Coast
and Geodetic Survey Administration.
15
COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND OFFICES
Ambulance, 356-6013
Steve Spenler, Director
sspenier@co.johnson.io.us
Auditor/Elections, 356-6004
Travis Weipert, County Auditor
tweipert@co. johnson. io. us
Assessor—County, 356-6078
Tom Van Buer, County Assessor
tvanbuer@co. johnson. ia. us
Emergency Management, 356-6761
Dave Wilson, Coordinator
dove. wilson@jecc-ema.org
Information Technology, 356-6080
Bill Horning, Director
bhorning@co.johnson.ia.us
MH/DS, 339-6169
Jan Shaw, Director
ishaw@co.johnson.ia.us
Public Health, 356-6040
Doug Beardsley, Director
d beardsley@co. johnson. ia. us
Recorder,356-6093
Kim Painter, County Recorder
kpainter@co.johnson.ia.us
Secondary Roads, 356-6046
Greg Parker, Director
gparker@co. johnson. io. us
Social Services, 356-6090
Lynette Jacoby, Coordinator
1jacoby@co.johnson.ia.us
Veteran Affairs, 356-6049
Gary Boseneiler, Director
gbosenei@co.johnson.ia.us
16
Attorney, 339-6100
Janet Lyness, County Attorney
jlyness@co.johnson.ia. us
Assessor—Iowa City, 356-6066
Brad Comer, City Assessor
bcomer@co. johnson. io. us
Conservation, 645-2315
Larry Gullett, Director
Igullett@co.johnson.ia.us
Finance, 688-8095
Dana Aschenbrenner, Director
d aschenb@co. johnson. ia. us
Human Resources, 356-6003
Lora Shramek, Director
lshramek@co.johnson.ia.us
Medical Examiner, 339-6197
Mike Hensch, Director
mhensch@co.johnson.ia. us
Planning, Dev. & Sus., 356-6083
Josh Busard, Director
jbusard@co.johnson.ia.us
Physical Plant, 356-6073
Eldon Slaughter, Director
eslaught@co.johnson.io.us
SEATS, 339-6128
Tom Brase, Director
tbrase@co.johnson.ia.us
Sheriff, 356-6020
Lonny Pulkrabek, County Sheriff
1 pulkrab@co. johnson. ia. us
Treasurer, 356-6091
Tom Kriz, County Treasurer
tkriz@co. johnson. ia. us
Access Center's
•Wo:tang Title
Steering Committee
• Jessica Peckover, Jail Alternatives
• Janet Lyness, County Attorney
• Jan Shaw, MHDS
• Ron Berg, Prelude
• Diane Brecht, AbbeHealth
• Stephen Trefz, AbbeHealth
• Becci Reedus, Crisis Center
• Crissy Canganelli, Shelter House
• Steve Dolezal, Sheriff's Office
• Dr. Rick Dobyns, University of Iowa/President's Office
• Dr. Michael Flaum, University of Iowa Psychiatry
• Lance Clemsen, UIHC Emergency Department
• Levi Kannedy, UIHC Emergency Department
1/30/2017
1
1/30/2017
Situation
• Law enforcement in Johnson County and surrounding
areas have seen an increase in behavioral health calls.
These calls can be time intense, taking officers away
from other calls/duties
There are two (costly) options for law enforcement:
• Jail
• Emergency Department
Both are overwhelmed by behavioral health needs
Other communities have developed "access centers" or
campuses to provide a more appropriate solution for
individuals either in behavioral health crisis or
experiencing other psychosocial issues
Background
• Johnson County jail is over -capacity and the county
is spending significant amounts to house inmates
out of county
• Emergency Departments have seen an increase in
the average Length of Stay (LOS) for behavioral
health patients, as options are often limited
• Many residents in behavioral health crisis end up
with mental health and substance use -related
criminal charges
• Neither jail or the emergency department are the
best environment to provide behavioral health
intervention or resources for these individuals
Background - Our Community
• Population
Ambulance Transport*
o Coralville - 20,608
o Coralville- 17.4%
o Iowa City -74,220
o Johnson County -34,492
o Iowa City -58.9%
o North Liberty -18,225
o Johnson County- 11.8%
o University Heights -1,125
o North Liberty -7.4%
o University of Iowa -31,387"
o University Heights -.3%
• Shelter House
o University— 1.4%
• Arrest by Agency*
o Other -2.8%
o CVPD-11.7%
o ICPD-56.8%
o JC50 - l0A%
o NLPD-6%
o UHPD-1.1%
o MPD -11.2%
o Other -2.8%
Background -Current
State
Emergency
• Law enforcement
• Peers Departments
• Students
• Home/ Housing
• Families
-Psychiatry Inpatient
• Self -referral
• Community services
• Shelter House
• Prelude
• Community agencies �al�
1/30/2017
3
Assessment
• It is believed that half of behavioral health patients
who present at local emergency departments
could be better served at an alternative location in
the community.
• Every law enforcement agency spends a great
deal of time and resources on behavioral health-
related calls.
• Community emergency services (i.e. Fire, EMS, LE)
spend time on behavioral health-related calls that
take away from their primary function.
1/30/2017
4
Future
State
Crisis
Stabilization
Low Barrier Shelter
Sobering
• Law enforcement
Unit
• Peers
• Students
• Home/Housing
• Families
• Emergency
• Self -referral
Behavioral &
DetoX
Department
• Emergency Departments
Medical
Unit
:1•
Psychiatry Inpatient
• Shelter House
Assessment
• Shelter House
• Mobile Crisis / Crisis
Prelude
Center
• Community services
• Prelude
Cri$is
• Community agencies
Observation
Unit
menr•i wrem•n.
Te4meAine BNoge,
semlry
Assessment
• It is believed that half of behavioral health patients
who present at local emergency departments
could be better served at an alternative location in
the community.
• Every law enforcement agency spends a great
deal of time and resources on behavioral health-
related calls.
• Community emergency services (i.e. Fire, EMS, LE)
spend time on behavioral health-related calls that
take away from their primary function.
1/30/2017
4
Proposal -Options
Our long-term vision for the Access Center includes the
following elements:
o Sobering Unit
o Detoxification
o Crisis Observation (-23 hours)
o Crisis Stabilization (-5 days)
o Low -barrier Shelter (year-round)
0 Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Coverage
o Medical Urgent Care
Due to funding, we could start with the following
0 IG -bed Sobering Unit
0 I 0 -bed Detoxification
0 I 0 -bed Crisis Observation (-23 hours)
0 5 -bed Crisis Stabilization (-5 days)
o Low -barrier shelter (winter only, 5pm-8am)
o Mobile Crisis Outreach at current capacity
o Medical assessment and first aid
1/30/2017
5
Future State -Phase 1
Crisis
Winter Wiveauier Shelter
Stabilization
(aperate at current
Wding/capacicy)
Sobering
• Law orcement
Unit
• Peers
Peers
• Students
• Home/Housing
• Families
• Emergency
• Self -referral
Behavioral ,&
DetoX
Department
• Emergency Departments
Medical
Psychiatry Inpatient
• Shelter House
Assessment
Unit
n
• Shelter House
• Mobile Crisis/Crisis
• Prelude
Center*
Communitysendces
• Prelude
CriSls
• Community agencies
Observation
Unit
medal olrenivn,
Telemeddnn Anbae,
Se[mily
1/30/2017
5
1/30/2017
Assessment
• Excluding the Low-Barrier_Shelter and Mobile Crisis
Outreach, this staffing model would be used
24/7/365 but could be modified based on volume:
Da
Evenin
Ni ht
RN
RN
RN
EMT
EMT
Ehar
Security
Security
Security
CADC
LISW
LISW
Care
Coordinator
Care
Coordinator
S20
PA/ARNP
$71,01
ralville•
Assessment - Initial Financials
Overhead 200 205 210
Ut1Rti® 93 95,3 97,
r...,,m.t. n I'Vo 11
Maintenanm/Re airs
Yearl
Year2
Year3
evenue
Growth
Total D mtin msec
25%
2,526222,589,3
ohmonCo=W
$15
$15
$15175
ow ate
S20
$20
$71,01
ralville•
$
$21Q
Orth Wb
$
oboe Cdi9"
$754
5260
$766,94
Wanthm
$26,
$266
$27 1
.tient Revenue
$1875,00
$U70,62
$1,917,391
Detox
$657,000
$673
$690,261
Crisis Obs
$657
$673,
$690,26
Cdsls Stabiltratlon
$511,
$523
8536
SobaHn,
so
$
$
Total Revenue
$2142586
$2,19615
tin neer
Persormd
25% UK606
Z136,
2,190,139
Food
25,00025,62
26,266
Overhead 200 205 210
Ut1Rti® 93 95,3 97,
r...,,m.t. n I'Vo 11
Maintenanm/Re airs
50
51
52,531
Total D mtin msec
2,464,60
2,526222,589,3
Nat]nmme
$322,020
$330W1
$338,322
'Municipality and PMlanh pyrevmua is aummt supportofWi Shelter•
"Mobile Crisis revenue is narzmt support of program at c=rzmt mpadty
1/30/2017
Assessment
(Initial Financials)
Capital Cost
o Projected capital costs: Up to $6 M
0 15,000-16,000 Square Feet
o Footprint remains the some for Phase 1 and Vision
Proforma - Phase 1
o Projected annual operating budget: $2.46 M
o Personnel salaries: $2.1 M
o Projected revenue [cur ni contributions+ projected health=mreimbursemenll:$2.1M
Proforma - Vision
o Projected annual operating budget: $3.7 M
o Personnel salaries: $2.8 M
o Projected revenue from health care reimbursement: $2.1 M
Partnership Opportunities
Explore budget revenue sources through creative
staffing, contracting, and in-kind contributions
o Security ($337K budgeted)
o Grounds Maintenance/Utilities ($155K budgeted)
o Overhead (IT, billing, EMR) ($200K budgeted)
o Care Coordination ($156K budgeted)
o Medical Services ($455K budgeted)
o Program Director ($100K budgeted)
• Direct financial contributions
FY 18 -Johnson County has earmarked $1 million. As plans
develop, contributions may be sought from participating entities.
FY 19 - As a plan is created, participating entities will be asked to
budget contributions toward capital needs and possibly toward
the ongoing operational costs.
Request
By March 1, identify a decision-making
representative to join Steering Committee
OThis individual would:
• Represent the interests of your jurisdiction on
the steering committee, and
• Keep staff and elected officials informed
regarding ongoing plans
• Once representatives are identified, frequency of
meeting attendance will be determined.
• Send your representative's contact information to:
Jessica Peckover, LISW, IAADC
Johnson County Jail Alternatives Coordinator
ir)eckove@co.iohnnson.ia.us
319-688-5819
1/30/2017
0
Apply to serve on the Climate Action Steering Committee Page 1 of 2
IP10
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Committee
City of Iowa City sent this bulletin at 01/31/2017 12:00 PM CST
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IOWACITY
;M:71s1,51=1•]►3I=1:I=14 =FM =�
Date: 1/31/17
Contact: Brenda Nations, Sustainability Coordinator
Phone: 319-887-6161
Apply to serve on the Climate Action Steering Committee
Are you passionate about the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions?
Consider applying to join the Iowa City Climate Action Steering Committee to help oversee the
development of a community -wide climate action plan. Up to five at -large vacancies are open for this
committee, which is expected to convene for one year, beginning in spring 2017.
Duties include:
• Actively participating in the development of a consensus -based Climate Action and Adaptation
Plan for the Iowa City community which will identify priority actions to be taken to reach the
City's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals
• Working on behalf of the community to identify programs and projects to reduce emissions that
are practical and achievable
• Educating and promoting these issues to the public and other interest groups to solicit their
input and get feedback on them
Those interested in the position must be at least 18 years old. Iowa City residency is preferred, but not
required. Applicants may hold a position on other City boards or commissions. Applications will be
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/IAIOWAibulletins/1841573 1/31/2017
Apply to serve on the Climate Action Steering Committee
Page 2 of 2
reviewed and members will be selected according to their expertise and knowledge by the Iowa City
City Council.
The City is in the process of hiring a consultant to assist in the facilitation of creating the Climate
Action Plan. Committee details, such as a start date, meeting times and responsibilities will be
determined after the Committee has been formed.
Applications are due, Tuesday, March 14, 2017 by 5 p.m. and can either be completed and submitted
online, or printed and delivered to the City Clerk's Office at City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa
City.
More information about the Climate Action Steering Committee can be found
at icgov.org/climatecommittee or by contacting Iowa City Sustainability Coordinator Brenda Nations at
319-887-6161.
rll'� �
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Julie Voparil
Subject: FW: Rally Against Immigration Ban
From: Stefanie Bowers
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2017 9:17 AM
To: 'Majidi, Seyyed Hojjat'
Cc: Geoff Fruin
Subject: RE: Rally Against Immigration Ban
Hojjat,
FILED
FEB 0 7 1016
a1', LA u 2 . Vv
City Clerk
Iowa City, Iowa
�V,
I am forwarding your request for City Council members to speak at the rally to the City Manager. I cc'd him
in this email. I also forwarded this email to the Human Rights Commission should one of them volunteer to
speak I will let you know.
Stefanie
From: Majidi, Seyyed Hojjat [mailto:seyyedhojjat-majidi@uiowa.edu]
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2017 4:31 PM
To: Stefanie Bowers
Subject: Rally Against Immigration Ban
Hi Ms. Bowers,
I am Hojjat Majidi from the Persian Student Organization at University of Iowa. On behalf of all of the
students and scholars affected by the "Immigration ban Executive Order', I would like to invite you to the
"Academics United — Resist the Immigration Ban" peaceful rally which will be held on: Thursday, Feb 9th.
According to the executive order, the citizens of seven countries, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya
and Somalia are banned from entering the United States. Among these citizens are students whom have
been abroad for a conference or visiting their family during the holidays. This certainly affects the life of
students and their families from these countries. The ban is displeasing and politics should never be
imposed on the academic community. We would be honored if you would accept this invitation to join us for
this rally. We are also looking for some speakers for this event from the city council of Iowa city. Would you
please let me know by tomorrow whether you could give a short speech in the rally. Thanks in advance.
Date and Time: Thursday 2/9/2017, 12- 1 PM
Location: Pentacrest, 21 North Clinton St, Iowa city
Details of the event can be found in the following link:
hftps://www.facebook.com/events/1 795865204010070/
Sincerely,
Hojjat Majidi
IN SOLIDARITY!
A Call for Fair Policing & Justice Reform
2 PM, Saturday February 4, 2017
Mt. Zion Baptist Church 16621 C Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA
AGENDA
• Welcome: Dr. Damian Miguel Epps, Mt. Zion Baptist Church FILED
• Statement & Moderator: Betty C. Andrews, Iowa -Nebraska NAACP FEB 0 7 2016
• Song: Lift Every Voice and Sing
• Mitchell Family Representative: Shalyse Johnson City Clerk
.a City, Iowa
• Mitchell Family Attorney: Larry Rogers, Jr., Power Rogers & Smith L.L.P.
• Elected Officials: State Rep. Liz Bennet & Linn County Sup. Stacey Walker
• Standing in Solidarity Roll Call
• 12 Steps to Addressing Justice: Dedric Doolin, Cedar Rapids NAACP
i & Anna Sheetz, First Presbyterian Church
�. • Motion to Endorse Platform: Mitchell Family Members
• Closing Prayer: Pastor Sam Massey, First Presbyterian Church
& Pastor Anthony Smith, New Creation International Church
• Song: We Shall Overcome
injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Rev. Dr. Martin
I
N
A �+
1. nor il�
Iowa Justice Alliance `ch n.oaymubn C i _— (JJ g (� e"6� .fG
ChUfCh Nraeal,� 7� AFHIG4N METHODIST EPISCAPAL
The Jerime Mitchell Family • Iowa Justice Alliance • Iowa Nebraska NAACP r Mt. Zion Baptist Church r First Presbyterian Church • SURJ
Cedar Rapids NAACP • Iowa City Coalition for Racial Justice • The Black Voices Project • The Center for Workers Justice • The Kingdom Center
Bethel Church r New Creation International Church • Concerned Citizens of Cedar Rapids & Across Iowa
515.288.7171 1 319.560.0482 #JusticeforDanky
IN SOLIDARITY!
A Call for Fair Policing &Justice Reform
s.
Mandate outside independent investigatorsfor ofrkc r nvolved!shooting$.
2.
Mandate special prosecutors for officer -involved shooting cases referred to a grand jury.
3.
Mandate that prosecutors present sworn testimony.from all available" victims, witnesses,
and'persons,involved in officer -involved shooting -cases, allowing recovery time for injured
parties before concluding the presentation of evidence to a grand jury.
4.
Institute a racial profiling policy that mirrors the Iowa NAACP proposed legislation and that
bans discriminatory pretextural stops.
5.
Implement a citizen -review board (modeled after, Iowa City).
6.
Require mandatory checks to confirm officers' audio and video recording equipment is
operable before a shift and a discipline any officer who fails to turn on his or her
equipment during traffic stops and other police detainment.
7.
Publish the agency's Use of Force Policy. and Racial Profiling Policy.
s.
Require yearly police officer training in diversity, implicit bias and the use of de-escalation
tactics.
9.
the county attorney and chief of police should personally meet with the Mitchell family to.
answer their questions about the November1 shooting and.the ensuing grand jury
process.,-
rocess..-10.
10.
Law enforcement professionals and city officials should work with members of the
community and representatives from the United States Department of Justice to develop
and implement a memorandum of understanding around community policing strategies.
i1.
Mandate the hiring of more diverse lava enforcement officers making assertive efforts to
promote open police department positions inAiverse;communities including churches and
social' organizations; and include guidance and supports for getting through the hiring,
process.
12.
Require law enforcement officers to live in the communities in which they police.
Qt=.fl;:—h
flMW etlrst Iwra r3,ma0Em sIowa Justice Alliane �`��' L C g t
AFRICAN MEfHO0I5T EPIS W PAL
The Jerime Mitchell Family • Iowa Justice Alliance - Iowa Nebraska NAACP • Mt. Zion Baptist Church • First Presbyterian Church • SURJ
Cedar Rapids NAACP • Iowa City Coalition for Racial Justice • The Black Voices Project • The Center for Workers Justice • The Kingdom Center
Bethel Church • New Creation International Church • Concerned Citizens of Cedar Rapids & Across Iowa
IP11
PRELIMINARY
MINUTES
PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE
JANUARY 5TH, 2016 — 3:30 PM
HELLING CONFERENCE ROOM — CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Sayuri Sasaki Hemann, John Engelbrecht, Ron Knoche, Juli Seydell-
Johnson, Tam Bryk
NOT PRESENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Marcia Bollinger
PUBLIC PRESENT: Kumi Morris, Hani Elkadi
CALL TO ORDER:
Sayuri Sasaki Hemann called Meeting to order at 3:32 pm.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
It was stated there were members of the public present who would later introduce themselves.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 3rd, 2016
Juli Seydell-Johnson moved to approve the November 3rd, 2016 minutes. John Engelbrecht
seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
ELECTION FOR OFFICERS FOR 2017
Bollinger stated the bylaws declared elections must take place in February and that copies of
the bylaws would be distributed during staff report.
ROBERT A LEE RECREATION CENTER STEAM WALL INSTALLATION— REVIEW OF
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Kum! Morris and Hani Elkadi introduced themselves. It was stated that Hani was present to take
part in the review process because of his original involvement in the 1993 mural which would be
replaced by the STEAM wall installation. It was discussed that photographs of specific details of
the murals would be taken to share with the families of deceased students who participated in
the mural.
Seydell stated hoped the installation would include a feeling of movement and activity and an
become an add amenity that would be a fun place for people to stop and see. She stated it
should be dynamic and easy to maintain so that it would last the expected 10-15 years. She
looked at functionality of each project and saw possibility in all of them. Her main hope was that
the art represented the rec center which meant play, fun, kids and families.
The committee introduced themselves to Morris and Elkadi. The committee decided to go
through each application one by one and that they would only judge the applicants for their past
experience, medium used and their vision of the project because they did not ask for anything
more. The committee decided to narrow down the selection and talk to the qualifying artists.
The committee reviewed Cara Brigg's application. Bryk stated she had a good skill set, would
do quality work, she loved the colors, and that it would hold up to the wear and tear of the rec
center. However, she believed it lacked interaction and movement but that the artist stated in
her proposal that she was willing to take that step. Elkadi stated Cara had a history of public art
experience but that her art was more advanced than the space could handle and was
concerned the wall could not physically support the weight of the steel. He concluded despite
his technical reservations she was among his top two choices. Seydell-Johnson concluded that
the idea was to teach a concept and that it needed more play.
The committee reviewed Meghan Bishop. Bryk stated her proposal was specific. Elkadi
expressed concern that about implementation of the proposal. Seydell-Johnson stated it fit the
space well but that it was not at the level of the others. Bollinger concluded it was related more
to sensory touch and not much more.
The committee reviewed Jo Myers Walker. Bollinger stated her primary medium was plexiglass
and that was her intended medium. She stated she was capable of'doing it and had an idea of
the cost. Elkadi stated Myers Walker impressed him and that she was the second person he
wanted to talk to. He stated she knew what interactivity was and that it would be durable.
Seydell-Johnson said she liked the substance but that it was boring to look at. Sasaki Hemann
inquired about collaboration among participants. Elkadi suggested Myers Walker could join any
group to actualize the work. Bryk stated Myers Walker did not proofread her proposal and that it
felt a bit thrown together. Bollinger stated that it was in an email and more informal than most.
Bryk asked if she didn't think she was doing a proposal. Bollinger stated she didn't know.
Engelbrecht stated he thought a proposal was her intent.
The committee reviewed the University of Iowa team. Bryk said it was more STEM than STEAM
and that she enjoyed it but it needed more of an art aspect. Seydell-Johnson said it hit the
teaching concepts but not from the art perspective and wondered if it could become more
colorful, whimsical and interactive. Elkadi said it had its place but not in the rec center. Bollinger
stated that the group had the skill to create the installation with minimal frustration which is an
admirable quality but that it needed to be brought down a level. Sasaki Hemann concluded that
it did not fit the space or the audience and that it was very scientific and dry.
The committee reviewed Allison Heady's proposal. Engelbrecht stated he was worried about the
longevity of it due to the upkeep of the sensors and the fans. Bryk and Elkadi agreed that it
seemed fragile. Bryk stated the artist said her longest installation was a week and that the rec
center shouldn't be her test run. Elkadi stated she was a good print maker and does things other
people don't do. Sasaki Hemann concluded that she went to a show of hers and it was
mesmerizing and interactive but that the space of the rec center would not fit it well.
The committee reviewed Doug Noland's submission. Marcia said she was unsure he had the
skill or background to create and everyone agreed.
Seydell Johnson suggested they narrow the applications to two. Bryk inquired as to why.
Seydell Johnson responded because they were asking for their time. Seydell Johnson asked if
they could use some of the public art fund to offer a $250 honorarium to ask for a sketch or
more details of what the artist would do. Bryk said they should decide who they are going to ask
and what they are going to ask them or vice versa. The committee decided to let the final
applicants know that they were still being considered and to provide more informaiton. The
committee decided to ask Cara Brigg's and Jo to describe more about how interactivity would
be incorporated and to provide a sketch. They agreed to ask the U of I team to incorporate
more of an art aspect and see if they are willing to work with an artist. The committee decided to
meet the first Thursday of February and invite the final three to present their ideas and
elaborate.
COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR COMMITTEE REPORTS
Engelbrecht mentioned Public Space One was doing a temporary group exhibition called "Near
Future' in the old Decorum space in January and February.
STAFF REPORTS
Bollinger asked the members to fill out the census demographic survey provided by the Human
Rights Office. She also discussed PAAC membership and passed out a document of the
bylaws. She stated the matching fund deadline was February 22ntl, asked the committee
members to put up/distribute posters as they can and passed out copies. She concluded the
meeting by asking committee members to keep encouraging acquaintances to consider applying
for the committee vacancies.
ADJOURNMENT:
Knoche moved to adjourn the meeting. Engelbrecht seconded. Meeting adjourned at 4:23 PM.
Public Art Advisory Committee
Attendance Record
2016-2017
Name
Term
Expires
2/4
3/3
5/5
8/4
9/15
11/3
1/5
Bodkin Bryk, Tam
01/01/19
x
O/E
x
x
O/E
x
x
Brown, Wend
01/01/20
-
--
-
--
En elbrecht, John
01/01/18
x
X
x
O/E
X
X
X
Hemann, Sa uri Sasaki
01/01/18
x
X
X
X
X
X
X
Knoche, Ronx
X
X
X
X
X
X
Se dell -Johnson, Juli
X
X
X
X
O/E
x
x
Key
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
— = Not a member