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Home My WebLink About2018-02-20 CorrespondenceState of the City Speech Mayor Jim Throgmorton February 20, 2018 Fellow Council members and fellow residents of Iowa City, it is my great honor to present to you this year's State of the City address. Let me begin by thanking you, the people of Iowa City, for participating in the democratic life of our city, and for keeping your elected representatives' feet to the fire. Thanks go as well to the hundred or more local residents who currently serve on the City's 19 boards and commissions. Their work is important and greatly appreciated. I also want to thank my fellow Council members for their dedicated service. To be a good Council member requires committing time away from one's family, frequently attending long nighttime meetings, and finding a way to fairly represent the diverse opinions of our engaged residents. Last, I want to thank the hundreds of City staff members — police officers, firefighters, librarians, bus drivers, street cleaning and parks maintenance crews, and everyone else — who keep our City running day in and day out. Due largely to all of you, and to the efforts of local businesses and employees, our city is very strong and healthy. Here are just a few indicators: The city's population grew to a little over 74,000 people in 2017. At slightly over 2%, our unemployment rate is the fourth lowest in the country. And, as can be seen in the physical landscape, a tremendous amount of new construction took place over the past year: the annual average dollar value of new construction in 2016 and 2017 almost doubled that of the average from 2012 through 2015. Occasionally the objects of intense public debate, prominent markers of this changing physical landscape include the new Hilton Garden Inn, The Chauncey, The Rise at Linn and Court, Augusta Place, and several new multi -family residential structures in Riverfront Crossings and other parts of the city. Moreover, the University opened its new Stead Family Children's Hospital and Catlett Residence Hall, and it announced plans to construct a new Art Museum and a new Psychology and Brain Sciences Building. The School District opened New Hoover Elementary, it's building a major addition to Longfellow, and it's preparing to build similar additions to Lincoln, Mann, and other schools. As is true for any good local government, your Council and staff have been focused primarily on providing routine city services effectively, efficiently, and in a fiscally sound manner. But your City government has also been engaged in a huge amount of public works construction. Here are just a few examples. Most important, we made great progress in elevating N. Dubuque St. and building the new Park Rd. Bridge. This Gateway project, which will greatly reduce damage from future floods, should be completed by November. We also completed work on the I" Avenue railroad underpass, which greatly increases accessibility for businesses and residents in the southeast side of the city. And we completed a major renovation of Washington St. downtown. The public's overall assessment of the city's current condition is clear. In a recent survey of 1,400 residents regarding the livability of Iowa City, 87% of respondents rated the quality of life here as excellent or good, and 90% rated the city as an excellent or good place to live. For these and related reasons, national rating services routinely recognize our city as being a great place to live, to work, and to raise a family. But these accolades do not tell the whole story. Not everyone shares equitably in our prosperity. Our city does have a very low unemployment rate, but we recently learned that Proctor and Gamble will be eliminating roughly 500 jobs from its beauty care facility two years from now. Over 37% of the School District's students participate in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, and there are vast differences (from 11 to 78%) among schools. Sixty-six percent of renting households pay more than 30% of their income on housing, and respondents to the survey I just mentioned give the city a low rating with regard to the affordability of housing. Some Iowa Citians feel threatened because of their race, ethnicity, or faith, and many of us are very fearful about flyers and social media posts that promote white supremacy and racial hatred, and about what might happen when we are stopped or searched or just observed by the police. Some of us find it very difficult to travel by public transit from home to work and to other important destinations. Although the overall incidence of violent crime in our city decreased by 11 percent, there were four highly -publicized murders in 2017. And there is compelling evidence that our way of life (especially our reliance on carbon - intensive fossil fuels) risks undermining our grandchildren's future prospects. For these reasons, while we are committed to providing normal city services effectively and efficiently, we focused a considerable amount of attention in 2017 on fostering a more inclusive, just, and sustainable city, especially with regard to improving racial equity; providing more affordable housing for low -to -moderate income households; producing a more vibrant and walkable urban core; and preparing a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. While we still have quite a way to go, I am very pleased with what we have accomplished so far. I won't bore you with a long litany of work we have been doing. Instead, let me highlight just a few key actions: • We adopted the State's most ambitious Affordable Housing Action Plan in September 2016. Since then, we have allocated more than $1.65M into an affordable housing fund. We also contributed $600K to an affordable housing project in Towncrest, which leveraged millions in outside dollars for the $7.4 million project. And we have taken many regulatory and financial actions designed to increase the supply of housing for cost -burdened low -to -moderate income households. Moreover, by the end of next year, several new multi -family residential and mixed-use structures intended primarily for students will have increased the supply of high-quality rental housing by more than 4,000 bedrooms since 2015. This should put downward pressure on rents; • We have taken major steps toward improving racial equity in our city. Under the direction of our outstanding new Police Chief, Jody Matherly, the Police Department is committed to reducing disproportionate minority contact involving discretionary charges in non -traffic related incidents, and to reducing disproportionality identified in the St. Ambrose traffic study regarding traffic stops, searches, and arrests; • We adopted a new Master Parks Plan and a new Bicycle Master Plan, both of which will help us build a more vibrant and walkable urban core, and foster healthy neighborhoods throughout the city; • Working in concert with other cities around the world, we established carbon emission reduction goals, hired a consultant, and created a steering committee to help us develop an ambitious Climate Action and Adaption Plan; • We collaborated with the School Board in manner that ultimately resulted in passage of a bond referendum that will fund improvements to all of our public schools; • And after 15+ months of extensive public and stakeholder participation, we embedded our values concerning affordable housing, climate action, historic preservation, and social justice into an amended policy regarding the City's use of Tax Increment Financing. Just today, the Council identified a set of strategic priorities for the next two years. To highlight just a few, we intend to: • Expand upon and strengthen our response to the affordable housing challenge; • Work with Proctor & Gamble, local economic development organizations, and labor unions to respond effectively to the company's intention to terminate its local production of beauty care products; • Initiate a study of public transit routes and hours of operation, possibly in collaboration with neighboring cities and the University; • Adopt an effective Climate Action and Adaptation Plan; • And embed the "Missing Middle" concept into the City's land development practices by devising a Form Based Code for the neighborhood near Alexander Elementary; Our Capital Improvements Plan for 2018 and 2019 also includes substantial amounts of money for completion of the Gateway Project, further development of Riverfront Crossings Park, construction of the proposed Behavioral Health Access Center, reconstruction of the Pedestrian Mall downtown, street pavement rehabilitation, improvements to key intersections on Burlington Street downtown, and extension of McCollister Blvd. from S. Gilbert to Sycamore. I feel very good about reporting all these actions to you. But I must also speak frankly about other factors that are largely out of our control. A year ago, I reported that 2016 had been filled with good news and great progress but ended with an array of traumatic challenges stemming from the November 2016 election. Quoting Charles Dickens, I indicated, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times .... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way". The past year emphatically elaborated upon that theme. Yes, Iowa City has continued to blossom, but that blossoming has taken place in a context marked by a tidal wave of presidential executive orders and federal and state policies and laws that are undermining the values that make Iowa City such a great place to live, especially its openness, diversity, inclusivity, and spirit of democratic engagement. It often seemed as though we were inhabiting two parallel worlds throughout 2017. No doubt there will be more executive orders and legislation that run directly counter to our values. Consequently, we are being challenged to adjust — at least temporarily — to new realities without losing our moral compass. These are not normal times. This is no time for fighting among ourselves. Yes, we should passionately debate about local issues, but the moment we are living through demands moral clarity, courage, and an ability to strengthen bonds of community across racial, ethnic, religious, and political divides. This is a time for us to love one another, to care for one another, to help one another. It is a time to stand strong together — men and women, blacks and whites, gays and straights, disabled and abled, Latinos and Asians, union laborers and scholars, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others — stand together in solidarity with everyone who is at risk. Standing strong together, we can take our cue from the Oakdale Prison Community Choir and its recent performance in this room. Let us "lead with love" and, by leading with love, help build the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "beloved community" right here in Iowa City. Acting together and leading with love, we can—and we will—survive, recover, and ensure that our city will continue to thrive long into the future. Thank you. Previously distributed at 2/6 meeting From: Cheryl <cherylcruise@aol.com> Sent: Friday, February 02, 2018 2:09 PM To: Council Subject: Avoid making poor decisions with poor data Council, Why it is not a good idea to use 5 year CHAS to judge success of policy: * The data in tables of City Steps is 7-11 years old. The newest it will ever be is 3-8 years old. CHAS 2011-2015 will be out this summer. * CHAS is a rolling 5 year average of ACS. It is not an actual count of households but mathematically imputed and derived from about 400 actual households who are surveyed in Iowa City at some time during each year. Different people every year. Half are renters... about 200 or so. * ACS has wide margins of error which must be accounted for to judge quality of data. Nothing in ACS is precise. There are many sources of error. * Half of ACS surveys may be done at the door mid year, looking back the previous 12 months. It may be answered by a 15 year old for the family. Census Bureau says people misremember, guess, or lie about income. Income does not include housing vouchers, food stamps, student loans, or parent gifts. * In 2007-2011 people in dorms and nursing homes were not included. Now they are. ( Talk about cost burdened!) * Census Bureau cautions that any sub -population data for less than 100,000 people will be less accurate. * In Iowa City with an unemployment rate of 2%, high numbers of people report not working. This could lower their reported income. * "ACS are annual updates of period estimates, not annual data." (Dr. David Peters, ISU, in "Census Data in the 21st Century; Changes and Challenges", 2014.) However, from the data it appears that the conclusion of City Steps 2015-2020 is spot-on: By far the biggest problem with housing in Iowa City is cost burdened students who live near the University. ACS and CHAS can be used to look for trends across time but should not be used as a basis for deciding policy or measuring the success of policy. Cheryl Cruise Iowa City, IA From: Martha Norbeck <martha_norbeck@hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2018 4:20 PM To: Council Subject: Municipal solar and Burlington, VT Attachments: Burlington VT.pdf Dear Council Members, It was rewarding to hear Geoff Fruin talk about the work to move towards solar installations at city facilities during the Budget Basics webcast. Thank you for moving ahead with the study and I look forward to seeing solar at city facilities. Thank you city staff for organizing the Budget Basics webcast. It can be tough to find time to attend meetings in person. This was a nice way to catch up without having to bundle up on a cold January night. Attached is an inspiring article about Burlington; Vermont. The population of Burlington, VT is 42,260. The city consumes less electricity today than it did in 1989 and now sources 100% of its electricity from renewable energy. This includes a 500 kW solar array at their municipal airport. The article discusses an assertive campaign to improve efficiency of its building stock. While Burlington, VT has the advantage of a municipal utility, I don't see why - with a little ingenuity and a lot of community engagement -that we can't achieve the same. Thank you for your good work on behalf of Iowa City. Sincerely, Martha Norbeck, AIA, LEED AP 906 S. 7th Ave. Iowa City, IA 52240 GreenMountainCitv Burlington, Vermont, is comoletely powered by renewable energy and on track to become a net -zero city. WRITTEN BY JEFF HARDER *ENGAGE here's a duality to the greening of Burlington, the most populous city in Vermont. It's at once the result of decades of incremental, forward - thinking decisions, as well as a headlong dive into sustainability on this side of the 21st century. Its homes and buildings are reaping the rewards of energy efficiency efforts that date back three decades, and yet sourcing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy—something Burlington achieved three years ago—happened inside of 10 years. The city consumes less electricity today than it did in 1989. Now, there are initiatives underway to put thousands of electric cars on the streets, rewrite zoning laws to encourage Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard redevelopment downtown, and develop a Burlington 2030 district. Burlington is also taking aim at becoming a net -zero city within 15 years—no pipe dream, given its history. And to hear its leaders tell it, the secrets of weaving sustainability into the fabric of this community of 42,000 aren't secrets at all. "There were two big reasons for our success: political will and deciding to make progress in a given area, then resourcing the effort with skilled professionals," says Miro Weinberger, who was elected Burlington's mayor in 2012. "1 think just about any community that commits to making an effort, sustains that political will, and resources with a skilled team will see progress." Located on the edge of Lake Champlain about 45 miles from the Canadian border, Burlington is the urban center for a rural landscape of Green Mountains and black diamond slopes. Tourism and snow -related recreation contribute billions to the state's economy, and both industries face significant threats from climate change. Preserving the breathtaking beauty of northern Vermont has helped residents find common ground across the partisan divide. In 1970, under a Republican governor, the state legislature passed the Land Use and Development Act, a piece of legislation aimed at balancing development with environmental welfare. "We love our natural environment, we want to keep it as beautiful as it's been, and that's an ethic that cuts Previous spread, left: Miro Weinberger is the mayor of Burlington, Vermont Previous spread, right: The Burlington Electric Department 124 -kW rooftop solar array at its Pine Street headquarters facility. Right top: Neale Lunderville, general manager of Burlington Electric Department The wood chip piles at McNeil are limited in size and are monitored to ensure they do not reach the early stages of decomposition. Right bottom: At full load, the plant generates 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity, about enough for the needs of Burlington. Photos: Adam Prelim across generations and political parties," says Neale Lunderville, general manager of Burlington Electric Department, the municipally -owned power utility. "...I'm a Republican. I work for a Democratic mayor in a progressive city, home of Bernie Sanders. There's something we all agree on about renewable energy." In the late 1970s, Burlington Electric decided to swap a coal-fired power plant with the McNeil Generating Station, a 50 -MW biomass plant on the Winooski River that generates electricity with wood chips from sustainably harvested forests—the first major step toward the city's renewable energy achievements. (Today, the McNeil station accounts for half of the city's electricity.) In 1989, five years after the plant came online, Burlington Electric started offering energy efficiency incentives. "If you looked inside many of the homes around the city, you'd see good air sealing around the windows, high-quality insulation in older buildings, compact fluorescents and LEDs—the evidence of more than three decades of energy efficiency efforts," says Weinberger. By 2004, the city was deriving a quarter of its electricity from renewable sources. Around the same time, city leaders decided to stop purchasing power from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. "The city needed to make a proactive, intentional decision: If we're not going to buy nuclear energy, what are we going to buy?" Weinberger says. That, he said, sparked its move toward 100 percent renewable electricity. After developing a portfolio based around the wind—from Burlington's highest points you can see the four -turbine, 10 -MW wind farm on Georgia Mountain— solar, and the wood -fired McNeil station, nearly 80 percent of voters approved a $12 million bond to buy Winooski One, a 7.4 -MW hydroelectric dam on the Winooski River, in 2014. That same year, the facility made Burlington the first American city to derive its entire electricity portfolio from renewable energy. Whatever opposition to the city's all -in approach to renewable power that might have existed has been muted by the bottom line. By converting the energy 28 USGBCG I SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2017 PLUS USGBCORG EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS AT PLUS.USGBC.ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 I USGBC* 29 Below: Jennifer Green, sustainability coordinator for the city of Burlington, Vermont Photo: Adam Frahm Right: The Winooski One Hydro Plant averages an annual net output of 30 million kWh, which is fed directly into the Burlington Electric Department's distribution system. Following page, left: The energy produced by Georgie Mountain Community Wind is meeting the needs of 3,368 average Vermont households. Following page, right: Jenna Antonino DiMare, executive director of the Vermont Green Building Network Photo: Adam Frehm it produces into high-value renewable energy credits, selling them to other utilities, buying lower-cost credits to cover their portfolio, and using the revenue to offset what they charge customers, Burlington Electric hasn't raised its electric rates since 2009. "This is where the conventional wisdom of renewables gets turned on its head: Everybody thinks renewables are going to cost more money and that if you want to be 100 percent renewable you have to pay more. We're here to tell you that you don't," Lunderville says. "You have to be creative—and we are creative—but there are ways to do this without breaking the bank." When the city drew international attention for its renewable energy achievements—news crews from Paris to South Korea descended on the city—it put a spotlight on a culture of sustainability that had already taken shape inside Burlington. The Intervale Center, a 29 -year-old, 350 -acre, nonprofit urban farm along the Winooski River that also leases land to organic growers, supplies $1.4 million of locally grown food and other goods to the area each year. Eco -conscious brands like Seventh Generation are headquartered in Burlington. The University of Vermont, an early adopter of green building practices, now requires all new construction and major renovations to achieve LEED Silver at minimum. PLUS.USGBC.ORG In 2000, the city developed the Burlington Legacy Plan, an early document describing the city's interconnected approach to sustainability. "It was novel at the time to have all of these people sitting around a table, talking about how the city could meet the needs of current residents while honoring the demands and needs of future generations," says Jennifer Green, sustainability coordinator for the City of Burlington. Around the same time, the city created the first iteration of its Climate Action Plan, a blueprint of key strategies for reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions. More recently, Burlington became one of 17 North American cities to establish a 2030 District. The public–private partnership aims to reduce energy consumption, water use, and transportation emissions in existing buildings by 50 percent—and make new and larger construction projects carbon neutral—by 2030. Since launching the 2030 District in April, 2.2 million square feet of building space in Burlington have been committed to those ambitions. "By establishing the economic case for these reductions, the District helps property owners increase asset value, reduce operating costs, and create a healthier community," says Jenna Antonino DiMare, director of the Burlington 2030 District and executive director of the Vermont Green Building Network, which is affiliated with USGBC. This fall, the city is aiming to issue new zoning guidelines that, as drafted at press time, would require all new buildings above 25,000 square feet to achieve LEED Gold certification or better. Then there's Burlington Town Center, a five -acre, three -block redevelopment project expected to break ground this fall—and aiming for LEED Gold—that reimagines the downtown mall as a mixed-use neighborhood with some 270 apartments, offices, and retail spaces. The redevelopment is a key part of a proposed district energy heating system that would help reduce the city's overall greenhouse gas footprint by 20 percent, in part by capturing waste heat from the McNeil station and using it to heat the downtown area and institutional buildings. It would be a springboard to Burlington's latest grand ambition: the city recently decided to go net zero across electricity, thermal, and ground transportation. "We're a long way from that now," Weinberger admits. Vermont's existing housing stock is one of the oldest in the country, a complicating factor in enhancing the energy efficiency of Burlington's buildings, and nine in ten homes use natural gas. And at the same time EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS AT PLUS.USGBC.ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 1 USGBC- 31 :O• that the city has made its renewable energy strides, transportation -related emissions have risen, accounting for roughly half of Burlington's carbon footprint. Still, those challenges haven't paralyzed Burlington's leadership or its residents. There are plans to nearly quadruple the miles of bike routes within the city while creating a safe, wide transportation network that encourages walking and cycling. Burlington Electric recently began offering $1,200 rebates to purchase or lease electric vehicles; and the city is home to CarShare Vermont, the first nonprofit car -sharing service in the country. And electricity isn't a settled issue: The number of solar installations has bloomed from 25 to 150 during Weinberger's five years as mayor; in 2015, Burlington International Airport installed a 2,000 -panel, 500 -kW solar array on the roof of its parking garage. With the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, individual communities have taken on an outsized role in curbing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. And while Burlington is an eager participant in that effort, some residents hesitate at their home being cast as a bastion of EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS AT PLUS.USGBC.ORG For left: Burlington International Airport's 500 -kWh solar array on the roof of its parking garage is expected to generate $3.5 million in savings over 30 years. Photo Courtesy of Encore Renewable Energy. Left: Artist rendering of the new Burlington Town Center at the corner of Cherry and Pine streets. Photo courtesy of Devonwood. Far left, bottom: The wood chips at McNeil mostly come from within 60 miles of the station. Ninety-five percent comes from logging residue and cull material created when harvesting higher value wood products. Photo: Adam Frahm city -scale sustainability. "My hesitation is this sense that Burlington has everything figured out, because we haven't," says Green, the city's sustainability coordinator. "Sustainability is very elusive. You want the best quality of life for every resident—regardless of where they come from, what they do for a living, what their sexual orientation is—not only the folks who are here today but for those who will be here in generations to come. What that will mean and how that will look is hard to articulate. We're on the right track, but there's still more work to do." Still, Burlington remains a case study for what can happen when a community marshals support for sustainability and backs it up with action. "It was only a decade from when we went from 25 percent to 100 percent of our energy from renewable sources," Weinberger says. "There's no doubt that there's power in incremental, accumulated impact. At the same time, I think the Burlington story shows that change can happen relatively quickly." However fast or slow, this much is true: A city on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain is a beacon of possibility. rb SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 I USGBC+ 33 02-20-18 Kellie Fruehling 4f(3) From: Kevin Guhl <kevguhl@juno.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2018 10:03 AM To: Council Subject: Dennis Jones stage To whom it may concern: Dennis Jones was an integral part of making the concerts on the ped -mall fan-tastic. Please consider honoring him by placing his name on the stage. Kevin Guhl Iowa City resident 1976-1982;1998-2005 Sent from my iPhone Doctors Shocked She Used This To Erase Her Wrinkles healthzoneworldwide.com http: //thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/5a7b232fe2279232e35egstoivue Kellie Fruehling From: SCOTT COCHRAN <cscott5189@msn.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2018 11:09 AM To: Council Subject: Dennis Jones Hello. As a local musician and lifelong member of this community, I greatly support the naming of the downtown stage area after the late Dennis Jones. -tf-24-e(3 ) Kellie Fruehling l AfP {�anrinuM P I�kibaeed� From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Members of the City Council, laurie haag <lauriehaag@yahoo.com> Monday, February 19, 2018 4:32 PM Council Fw: Dennis Jones memorial Z - z -O -/Q (Date) I have heard rumors that there is a grassroots movement to ask the city to name the new Pedestrian Mall stage after the late Dennis Jones, soundman to the Iowa City community for decades. I am submitting this letter in support of that movement. To me, Dennis will forever remain a presence in cultural events that happen in downtown Iowa City, and this would be an excellent way to honor that legacy. For many years he sat behind the sound board at the Friday Night concert series, one of the defining traditions of summer in Iowa City. As a musician myself, I am well aware that almost every musician in town was always happy and a little relieved to see him there, as we knew that we were in capable hands. His equipment may not have been as new and shiny as some of his competitors in the sound business, but he made it sound great and treated us well in the process. He was a pro and you could always count on him to be totally there for you, worried as much about your monitor mix as the mix going out to the listening crowd. In addition to his regular presence at the Friday Night Concerts, Dennis was the go -to guy for countless community events. As someone who was frequently in a position to hire him for events and festivals, I know that he was rarely paid what he was worth, but he kept his prices low for those community organizations like mine that operated on a limited budget. Once when he wasn't available when I asked him to do sound for the Iowa City Pride Festival, he gave me with some of his equipment so I could do it myself and didn't charge us because he felt bad that he already had a gig. That was the kind of guy Dennis was van with an event that he had no real affiliation with, he felt a responsibility to help. He was a great cheerleader for the Iowa Women's Music Festival, an event that I founded. Many of the performers at the Iowa Women's Music Festival had had negative experiences with sound men in their careers, as many women have, often not taken seriously or listened to, treated as if they didn't know what they were doing and didn't deserve to be on stage. Our festival was an exception because of Dennis. He treated our performers as the professionals they were, and that didn't go unnoticed. Many of them voiced their appreciation for that expedence. I'm not sure he really understood what that meant to these performers, but I did. He treated us all with respect, and, sadly, that wasn't something most of us were used to getting from sound guys. Dennis was a community staple for the entire time I have played music Iowa City. He was solid, the foundation of the public sound of Iowa City. He made us sound good. He made it possible for our voices to be heard, from musicians to community leaders to activists. Folks like Greg Brown or Dave Zollo may be what people think of when they think of music in Iowa City, but it is guys like Dennis that make it possible for us to hear Greg and Dave and all the others who make up the vital Iowa City music community. I don't think we actively appreciated the contributions that he made to our music community while he was here and that is a shame. But it isn't too late. I know that naming things after people these days usually means that they or their wealthy friends write a big check for that honor. But Dennis paid his dues to the community behind the scenes with his talent and skills at the board, and by the frequent donation of his skills to fundraising and community events. He made the music possible for many years, and that is priceless. Folks like Dennis don't manage to save a bunch of money, and neither do a lot of the people who understand why he was so important to the music community. But that shouldn't be the deciding factor. Dennis always donated what he had to give when asked, as those of us who are musicians often do as well, and that was was his unique and valuable contribution. A couple of years ago I was really impressed and inspired by the way the Hancher Auditorium staff very consciously and publicly honored the workers who built the original building as well as those who were creating the new auditorium, honoring them in all of the opening ceremonies and rituals, making sure their contributions weren't invisible to history. To me it communicated that we are all a part of Hancher, not just the big name performers or big money donors. This tribute would serve a similar purpose. Folks like Dennis never get recognition for what they do for us and for our community. He was the foundation that was so solid no one even realized he was there. I hope that you will consider recognizing Dennis Jones, and, with him, all the nameless foundational workers who play such an important role in making the magic happen, by naming the Ped Mall stage in his memory. Sincerely, Laurie Haag Iowa City musician 02-20-18 Kellie Fruehling 4f(4) From: JOHN MCKINSTRY <Adisciple0040@msn.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2018 12:33 PM To: Council Subject: Affordable Housing Budget Disussion Dear Councilors, Once again you are moving forward on the issue of affordable housing by finding a possible way to increase the budget amount available to $1,000,000.00. 1 realize that there are many budgetary contingencies and later revisions may be necessary but I do appreciate your intentions. Peace John McKinstry 308 Ronalds Street LIT(4) Kellie Fruehlin From: Nicholas Theisen <uahsenaa@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2018 8:43 AM Late Handouts Distributed To: Council Subject: affordable housing planning recommendations Attachments: housing rec 2-20-2018.docx; Vacancy by Rental Rate.pdf \],�o \'�K- (Date) Please see attached a letter regarding near term planning recommendations for affordable housing as well as a related addendum to the Cook Appraisal multi -residential housing survey that breaks vacancy down by rental cost. Nicholas Theisen Dear City Council, Before the FY2019 budget is fully locked in, my colleagues and I working on plans for public housing production in Iowa City would like to propose the following suggestions, so as to lay the proper groundwork for such a plan to go forward smoothly. 1. The Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition has recommended the city use funds allocated for land -banking to service debt on a bond issue so that substantive tracts of land might be purchased now with a larger total sum than would otherwise be possible just with the yearly allocation. It is important that people within city government be empowered to look for land aggressively now, making offers to buyout rather than just seeing what comes up, since any public housing construction will require substantial plots of land located in proximity to other city services (e.g. buses, schools) and amenities (e.g. shopping, green space/parks). 2. We would like to add to JCAHC's recommendation, though, that any land purchased in this manner be specifically earmarked for public housing projects. The city has an unfortunate history of selling off publicly owned land to private developers while extracting from such sales only token concessions to affordable housing, none of which could be considered genuinely affordable for those on the lowest rungs of the income ladder. There needs to be some concrete assurance that some future constituency on council will not simply sell off this land to private developers before public use can properly be made of it. 3. Any public housing would, at this point, be roughly five years out until tenants could actually move in. In the meantime, rents continue to grow while wages stagnate. Every household making 30% of AMI or less who are currently housing burdened could have their rents subsidized for only a modest increase to the average property tax payer in the city. This subsidy is key to stabilizing conditions for the neediest now, so that they will not be expected to bear an ever increasing squeeze on their finances until public housing becomes available. 4. Moreover, to prevent these funds from simply becoming a subsidy to an already unfair housing market, we also recommend the city impose fines or additional tax levies on those rental units charging more than 10% above the median for units of that type (IBR, 2BR, etc.) as well as additional fines on units in that category that have remained vacant for more than 6 months. Disaggregated numbers I have requested from Cook Appraisal show clearly that units on the higher end of the current rental market have much higher vacancy rates than the average, while those falling within the city's own affordable housing range (i.e. >$800/m) have a much lower vacancy rate than the average (see attached). This is worrying, because the vast preponderance of units currently being built are on the higher end and are likely to exacerbate an already oversaturated market. Incentives are not enough to curb this behavior, so the city needs to impose penalties on those developers and landlords actively making an already terrible situation worse. If city government is serious about tackling the housing crisis in Iowa City, it is imperative they act now and with clear intent, lest its commitment to affordable housing be written off as so much talk with little to no follow through. Sincerely, Nicholas Theisen Vacancy B Rental Rate - All Zones Rent Rate Units Vacancies Vacancy Rate <$600 290 7 2.4% $600-$799 1858 58 3.1% $800-$999 1481 74 5.0% $100041199 875 33 3.8% $1200-$1399 990 58 5.9% $1400-$1599 370 19 5.1% $1600-$1799 143 12 8.4% $1800-$1999 98 7 7.1% $2000-$2199 183 21 11.5% $2200-$2399 56 1 1.8% $2400-$2599 62 5 8.1% $2600-$2799 28 1 3.6% $2800-$2999 37 1 2.7% >=$3000 20 0 0.0% Total 6491 297 4.6% Vacancy by Rental Rate - Zone 1 Rent Rate Units Vacancies Vacancy Rate <$600 107 1 0.9% $600-$799 685 42 6.1% $800-$999 711 58 8.2% $100041199 326 29 8.9% $1200-$1399 414 38 9.2% $1400-$1599 262 16 6.1% $1600-$1799 76 5 6.6% $1800-$1999 87 6 6.9% $2000-$2199 172 21 12.2% $2200-$2399 54 1 1.9% $2400-$2599 62 5 8.1% $2600-$2799 28 1 3.6% $2800-$2999 37 1 2.7% >=$3000 20 0 0.0% Total 3041 224 7.4% L02-20-18 4f(5)i Kellie Fruehling From: Eleanor M. Dilkes Sent: Monday, February 12, 2018 3:54 PM To: 'Arianna A'; Council Cc: Stefanie Bowers; Sue Dulek Subject: RE: Complaint Ms. Aron, Thank you for your email. I appreciate the opportunity to provide clarification. Assistant City Attorney Sue Dulek represents the Human Rights Coordinator (Stefanie Bowers) and the Human Rights Commission. As you know, at the Commission's meeting on January 9, 2018, the Commission discussed the Grant Process and Evaluation Rubric for the FY18 Social Justice and Racial Equity Grants. The minutes of that meeting reflect that 5 commission members reported potential conflicts of interest, and that staff was to check with the City Attorney's office. You reported that you were a board member of Fas Trac. After the January 9 meeting, Stefanie provided the information to Sue and Sue gave the following opinions as to whether the members who had disclosed potential conflicts had an actual conflict (information from Stefanie in regular type; Sue's answer in bold): 1) Arianna Aron is on the Fas Trac board and Fas Trac applied for funding. YES 2) Jeff Falk will be volunteering for two organizations that applied for funding. NO (BUT I SUGGEST THAT HE DISCLOSE THIS TO HIS FELLOW COMMISSIONERS) 3) Jonathon Munoz used to work for Iowa Legal Aid and Iowa Legal Aid applied for funding. NO (BUT I SUGGEST THAT HE DISCLOSE THIS TO HIS FELLOW COMMISSIONERS) 4) Adil Adams used to work for Center for Worker Justice and the Center applied for funding. NO (BUT I SUGGEST THAT HE DISCLOSE THIS TO HIS FELLOW COMMISSIONERS) 5) Cathy McGinnis is a PO and has work affiliations with some of the organizations who applied for funding via her clients. NO On January 23, the Commission voted to adopt its funding recommendations to the City Council. On February 1 you contacted Stefanie with questions about the process, which she referred to Sue. It is my understanding that when you and Sue talked by phone she explained that being a Board member presented a conflict because you have a duty of loyalty to FasTrac as a Board member and as a commission member you have an obligation to the public. This advice is the same advice that my office has given for many years with respect to board members of an applicant for funding. I understand that during your phone conversation you told Sue that you were not a board member, but rather, an unpaid volunteer. Unfortunately, that was not the information on which Sue's advice was based and the Board's recommendations had already been made. In the future should you have questions about conflicts of interest I urge you to contact us before the decision at issue is made. We are always happy to consider additional information. The second paragraph of your complaint addresses your concerns with the funding recommendations made by the Commission and your sense that some organizations are overlooked. I note that FasTrac (Ko Nec) has received support from the City on a number of occasions, including $17,500 in funding since 2013. The Commission's decisions are recommendations and you should feel free to communicate with Council if you believe certain organizations are more deserving of funding or that the criteria for funding should be changed. The Council is tentatively scheduled to discuss the Commission's recommendations at their March 20, 2018 meeting. If that changes Stefanie will let the Commission know. Unfortunately there were funding requests in the amount of $232,390.00 with only $25,000 to be allocated. The Council does plan to increase that amount for FY2019. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions or concerns. Eleanor M. Dilkes City Attorney City Hall 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 319-356-5030 319-356-5008 Fax eleanor-dilkes@iowa-city.org Notice: Since e-mail messages sent between you and the City Attorney's Office and its employees are transmitted over the internet, the City Attorney's Office cannot assure that such messages are secure. You should be careful in transmitting information to the City Attorney's Office that you consider confidential. If you are uncomfortable with such risks, you may decide not to use e-mail to communicate with the City Attorney's Office. Without written notification that you do not wish to communicate with the City Attorney's Office via e-mail communication, the City Attorney's Office will assume you assent to such communication. This message is covered by the Electronic Communication Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. Sections 2510-2515, is intended only for the use of the person to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is confidential and subject to the attorney-client privilege. It should not be forwarded to anyone else without consultation with the originating attorney. If you received this message and are not the addressee, you have received this message in error. Please notify the person sending the message and destroy your copy. Thank you. From: Arianna A[mailto:arianna.aronl4@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 201810:15 AM To: Council <Council@iowa-city.org> Subject: Complaint Hello, My name is Arianna Aron, I am contacting you all today with a complaint. I was hesitant at first to submit this, but thats not how changes are made. With that being said, I have included the complaint on this email. I would appreciate if you all read the complaint and assisted me with the next steps of the process. Any further questions, please feel free to contact me either via email or phone. Cell: (319) 383-5614 Best, Arianna Aron February 7, 2018 To Whom It May Concern: I would like to make a written complaint about the process in witch conflict of interest plays a role in rather or not a member is recused from certain things. I recused myself from participating in the Human Rights Commission meeting, pertaining to the Social Justice Grant process. I am affiliated with one of the programs requesting money. I however was never paid for the work I do, I volunteer my time to the program. I still saw that as a conflict of interest, and went ahead and recused myself from the process. Among the members, there were several others who had conflicts of interest with programs applying for grants. Some HRC members had volunteered in the past or planned to in the future, some even directly worked with some of the applicants. It was made aware that no one else on the HRC had to recuse him or herself from the process. I feel that is wrong, and upon talking with the City Attorney was told she didn't feel the others had conflicts of interest. I am confused and disappointed in the way things have played out to say the least. I also am not happy with the chosen applicants that will receive the assistance. What is Social Justice? Why does Iowa City keep funding multi million dollar organizations, which in turn keeps assistance from grass root programs? When money is given to the district, why cant they write their needs into their budget versus dipping into another pot of money that underprivileged organizations could use? I didn't feel that the City Attorney fairly, or adequately answered my questions and I would like answers. The way in witch the process of recusing works needs a deeper look, or needs to be explained by someone in depth so there is a clear process for everyone. I am an Iowa City Native; I can say that many of the programs that get funded are the same every year. I also feel that there are few organizations that are actually doing the work, but repeatedly looked over. I am making a complaint not only as a HRC member, but also as a concerned citizen in this community. Best, Arianna Aron 02-20-18 4f(6) Kellie Fruehling From: Joe Murphy <murphysoundic@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, February 09, 2018 11:08 AM To: Council; Geoff Fruin Subject: Fwd: Pedestrian Mall Stage and Canopy Attachments: HRC Obama Murphy by Adam Schultz jpg this is just to put structural recommendations into the public record for the ped mall stage. (The Dennis Jones Stage) I have learned from the last time the ped mall was renovated that it needs to be in writing to be remembered. These are things that need to be done for the stage to be functional for the next 25 years. thank you. Joe Murphy ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Joe Murphy <murphysoundic@Rmail.com> Date: Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 4:17 PM Subject: Re: Pedestrian Mall Stage and Canopy To: Scott Savers <Scott-Sovers@iowa-citv.ore> lighting professionals used 2" pipe as a standard. that is why I recommend that diameter. your user group that said that they would never fly a speaker has NEVER flown a speaker. A stage 6 to 8 inches off of the ground is a curb... a stage requires height to work. I thought that this was to be a stage to be used for the next 20-30 years.. thanks for at least listening to me. Joe Murphy oh, the picture attached is from a little event I was part of last November On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 2:53 PM, Scott Savers <Scott-Sovers@iowa-city.org> wrote: Hi Joel Thank you for the comments you had forwarded Geoff last month. I have included responses to your comments within your original email in blue italic text: From: Joe Murphy [mailto:murphvsoundic@amail.com] Sent: Monday, August 7, 2017 5:38 PM To: Geoff Fruin <Geoff-Fruin@iowa-citv.org> Subject: ped mall stage area after our wonderful discussion about the ped mall and there being no chart or description of utilities for the stage area I thought I would throw in a few needs. 1. 200 amps of three phase power terminating at a breaker box with: a three phase Camlock break out box. see photo two 50 amp 4 wire outlets eight 20 amp edison outlets each on a separate breaker We are providing a 200 amp company switch. It will be a lex products or the ETC equivalent: http://www.lexproducts.com/products/entertainment/powergate-power-switches/200-amp-company- switches . We believe this style company switch is a safer option, as this style of switch prevents the user from making the connections while the switch is turned on. In addition we have dedicated 120v and 3phase 208v receptacles adjacent to the stage. stage roof construction to have flypoints on each side of the front/downstage location with a capacity of 2000 lbs. his sounds like a lot but it is an industry standard. it would not be a bad idea to provide the same flypoints on the rear of the stage so that lighting/video can be supported from the rear of the structure. bars measuring 2" in diameter running across the front and rear of the stage so that lighting and banners etc can be easily flown for events. We currently have 1.5" ID schedule 40 pipes for lighting at the front and rear of the stage. We also have rigging specifically designed to support banners. With the user group we advocated for the need for speaker and truss points and they indicated that they did not want those. They specifically said they would never fly a speaker. If lighting is to be installed have it be DMX controllable. manufacturer specific control will be a waste of money and just irritate anybody using it --example any product Crestron makes. Ask your consultant how much the kickback their company gets from them is..(oops I wasn't supposed to know that) The control system is a ETC system. It will have a dedicated DMX network that a console can easily tie in to. We are not purchasing a console as part of this project but there will be some basic controls via a button station at the stage and the a touch screen in the control rack to adjust the lighting that is there. Stage design the floor of the stage needs to be at least 3' above the ground level in front of it. Stage of this height would require a permanent railing. The plan height is currently 6 to 8 -inches off of the ground the picture displayed had a rail in front... that needs to go away. The railing has been removed from the plans. If performances require railing, we are recommending to the hosts that they provide it. those are just a few of the ideas that will make the stage usable for many events far into the future with moderate upfront cost that will more than payoff over the life span of the ped mall. I still am not sure about the clear roof on the stage.... looks like it will be a lens that might warm up part of the floor area... I would be more than willing to meet with city staff to consult on the merits of my suggestions or what is wrong with them. I would ask that any plans or designs for this area be e-mailed me so i can know what is going on. As noted above, thank you for the comments. One thing that I did want to mention is that the current stage and canopy is designed for a production/performance similar to the Friday night concert series. The City has engaged and solicited feedback from organizations that utilize the existing stage. Because of the limited space, the City doesn't anticipate larger productions requiring some of the components that you are recommending above. Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Thanks again! Scott thanks Joe Murphy TCB Pool Hall attached are some photos of products that any professional would like to have installed Joe Murphy Murphy Sound 2050 North Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52245-1623 319-351-3719 319-430-3580 cell murphvsoundic@amail.com Scott Sovers, P.E. Senior Civil Engineer City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Phone: (319) 356-5142 Fax: (319) 356-5007 � r , -•ate_ CITY OF IOWA CITY UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE Joe Murphy Murphy Sound 2050 North Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52245-1623 319-351-3719 319-430-3580 cell murphysoundic@gmail.com Joe Murphy Murphy Sound 2050 North Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52245-1623 319-351-3719 319-430-3580 cell tee t ! r ,y A 00 ,`Ili I � I ♦ i N ��. a . i��iif 4 11�. �. o'y� _ �•� �y14Y1 Vii,►. , �; t`;'.••. •. - t , \T ' �: 1, " ••, rMi__I �^ vo I 1 'a y,a•6tia� ,t .a� •�. •. ♦ a . ��. ♦` �ia b l :i,t;T �•a: •� .. 41 T r3 JL - r M • 02-20-18 4f(7) Kellie Fruehling From: Chad Dyson Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 3:41 PM To: Ali Chuprevich; Juli Seydell Johnson; RaQuishia Harrington; clay-claussen@iowa-city.org; Council Subject: RE: Inclusive Recreation Services?? Hello Alanna, Thank you for taking the time to share with me your experience. The newly renovated larger restrooms may be the best solution at this time. The bathrooms are large, private, and for family use. If this seems like a good solution I would be happy to meet with you and show you how they can be used to accommodate you and your sons. I will speak with our lesson coordinator who is on site each night for lessons. She will be there to assist you with transitioning to the pool deck via pool deck door. We are in the process of making improvements to the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center to better accommodate the needs of our users. Recently we completed the renovation of the lower level restrooms to make them ADA compliant. We are working on plans to modify the restrooms on deck that you mention. These will be transitioned to larger family changing rooms and will be fully ADA compliant as well. We are in the preliminary planning phase for this renovation. My apologies for the inconvenience this has caused. I will address with our staff the importance of being sensitive to all of our user's needs. We want all of our patrons to feel welcomed and comfortable when visiting our building and using our services. I look forward to hearing from you. Chad Dyson, CPRP Superintendent of Recreation Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department 319-356-5100 www.icgov.org -----Original Message ----- From: Ali Chuprevich [mailto:achuprevich@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 20181:4'7 PM To: juliseydelljohnson@iowa-city.org; RaQuishia Harrington <RaQuishia-Harrington@iowa-city.org>; Chad Dyson <Chad-Dyson@iowa-city.org>; clay-claussen@iowa-city.org; Council <Council@iowa-city.org> Subject: Inclusive Recreation Services?? Hello All, I am very disappointed by how our family is treated while trying to receive accommodations for a family locker room. I have two boys, 5 and 6 years old, that have autism. Both are unable to dress or undress themselves and need a lot of assistance navigating through buildings. They take swim classes at Robert A. Lee Center. They boys do not like Mercer's pool much because the water seems colder. I do not know why but it is a problem for my family. I am their mother and have to take them in the Ladies Locker Room. My boys are totally unaware of their surrounding. But the girls that they go to school with and the girls that I teach are completely aware that my two boys are in the "ladies locker room". I know this because I heard it more than once said by the young ladies. This is a very uncomfortable situation and painful. I asked if there is a family locker room. We told that there is one in the pool area. That small room is a bathroom. I am unable to help my boys get dress with a toilet behind me in a stall that is designed for one person. If we dress out side of the bathroom stall people can see. Ironically I then am told that I need to leave through the lock room. I think my point is not understood. This week Monday (needing to be explain for the 3 time) someone allowed us to exit through the staff door instead of the locker room reluctantly and rolled her eyes. I am very flustered and hurt. Maybe the person does understand what it mean and feels like to have children or how a child feels that is neuroatypical. This is has been a problem for my family at the Robert Lee Center and City Park Pool. I feel that the employees need sensitivity and diversity training. In the mean time what should we do?! Thank you, Alanna Chuprevich 312-203-7o64