Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-01-30 TranscriptionPage I Council Present: Botchway, Cole, Mims, Salih, Taylor, Thomas, Throgmorton Staff Present: Fruin, Monroe, Andrew, Dilkes, Fruebling Others Present: Courtney Smock Strategic Planning Discussion: Throgmorton/ All right, so I wanna call to order, what is this? The 291i9 301'? (several responding) ...of the, uh, Iowa City City Council meeting of January 301' focusing on a strategic plan for the.....for the, uh, 2018 and 2019. Uh, we don't need to take roll call.... officially, right? Can you hear us? Yeah. Okay, I don't think we need to take roll call but I see every Council Member's here. Geoff Fruin's here, Kellie Fruehling's here, uh..... Simon Andrew. Smock/ Courtney Smock! Throgmorton/ Courtney.....? Smock/ Smock! Throgmorton/ Smock. Yeah. Welcome! Smock/ Thank you! Throgmorton/ Yeah. I'm sure you'll say more about (mumbled) in a second. Uh, before we get in I want to note that Maz tells me she needs to leave at 3:00 due to, uh, an appointment that's really quite important for her, so we're just gonna have to deal with that, and I think it would be fair to make sure we consider her strategic plan suggestions early on, within that first two hour period so that she has a chance to fully engage in the conversation and so on. So, take that into account as we're proceeding. Okay. I guess I'd like to say a couple other things. You probably remember that I sent you an email, City Council Members that is, an email over the weekend. I think I sent it on Saturday. Which indicates .... I... A think the.... sorry, the initial question we need to answer is should we continue the intent and set a .... set of priorities contained in the 2016/17 strategic plan. The intent being to foster a more inclusive, just, and sustainable Iowa City. I strongly believe we should, but we need to go over that a little first. And if you agree to both of those components, that we gotta focus next on the specific actions that we want to include in this, um, this, uh, newest strategic plan will be developed, and Courtney, I know we talked on the phone a little bit about this, along with Geoff, and what I emphasized at least is that we ..... need to get all the topics out on the table, combine as much as we can, winnow ones that we don't want to include, be as precise as we can so that staff really understands what we're asking them to do. With that we'll tum things over to Geoff. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 2 Fruin/ Thank you. Uh, I just have a couple of introductory comments and then, uh, as staff we'll kind of sit back and be quiet and chime in when you need us to. Um, you do have a packet in front of you. Uh, the packet includes a .... a memo that I, uh, put together. Uh, there's nothing new in terms of....uh, items on there. I just took that working budget memo that we have.....we have been, uh, using for the last few weeks and I organized it into the strategic plan objectives. Uh, and then I laid out what I think the steps are, uh, today. So we'll use that as kind of the guide through this process. Uh, Ashley's gonna be workin', uh, the projector, and we'll be able to .... to make some live updates and hopefully we can, uh, track along and of course we'll report back and refine as needed after today's over. Uh, but I warm start, uh, just with some introductory comments. So we started our strategic planning efforts in 2012 and now have, uh, adopted and closed the books on three, uh, strategic plans. And I would say with each one of these three plans there's been a stronger emphasis placed on it by staff, Council, and the public. So as staff, um, some of you have heard me say this, we discuss it regularly. We use it in our performance reviews for our supervisory staff, and frankly the City Manager's office expectations are that any initiatives that come from our operating departments are framed in your strategic plan, um, goal areas. As a Council you've relied on the plan more and more to guide your discussions at the Council table. You've pushed for improvements in reporting, uh, you've pushed for metrics, and uh, you've certainly, um, pushed for, uh, enhanced communication of the .... of the plan, and.....and letting the community know what we're doing in each of these areas. And I think we've done, uh, some good things there. We still have a long way to go, uh, particularly when it comes to the metrics piece of it and we hope to, uh, nail that down with this plan. And finally I'd say the public is increasingly aware of the power of the plan. More and more you all are hearing arguments made by the public and organizations that are framed in your strategic plan goal, and I think that's very positive. All these are very positive signs that strategic planning is now firmly entrenched in our organizational culture. So, what we're talking about today and what we'll continue to talk about for the next, uh, month or two is an incredibly important, uh, document that, um .... really the whole community and your staff (unable to hear) forward. It's been an extremely busy couple of years. Um, hope you would agree that there's been some great progress on critical strategic initiatives, capital projects, and enhancements to our services. Uh, this is despite the fact that we've had some kind of unprecedented turnover in our .... in our staff during this period of time. And we're not really here to talk about successes, but I did .... I do hope that you, uh, have a chance to look at some of the department notes that were submitted to you, a couple of weeks ago in the information packet. That list of accomplishments is something that we're really proud of, uh, we hope, uh, that you are too, and I think as we plan ahead, it's also important to realize how far we've come. So I have four, urn .... four thoughts as we get started on drafting the fourth strategic plan, and this is my perspective, um, heading into this, uh, and hopefully gives you, um ..... uh, some ...... some context, um, to .... to where, uh, where I sit and .... and where the staff is. So (mumbled) with our strategic plan is we put two .... two year dates on them, 2018, 2019 for this plan, but I don't think you should limit your thinking to .... to two year projects in terms of what we can get done in those two years. Many of the most impactful, uh, ideas and solutions to problems take several years to develop, and by stating them in your plan, knowing that we may not get to the end goal in two years, you're really giving staff the permission and the freedom to This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 3 explore some of these things. So, again, don't limit yourself to that two year window when it comes to iden.... identifying your strategic plan objectives. I think this particularly true when you look at some of the tricky land use issues that.... that..... that we have or some of the ambitious, um, thoughts that have been talked about in terms of the Iowa River, uh, the .... the federal parking lot in Riverfront Crossings, the Crandic rail line. If you're interested in any of these things, just know that those are .... those are beyond two years. And, uh, I .... if they're a priority, let's state `em in the plan. Second point is .... uh, trust your staff. Um, we will work towards your strategic goals. Uh, even without specific actions, and hopefully we've proven that to you. Um, we have a hard- working, creative team here and we .... we've done a lot of work to ingrain the strategic plan in our operations. So, uh, don't feel like you have to add action items just to demonstrate, um, an appearance that you're putting proper emphasis in a particular strategic goal area. We will help you, uh, cultivate ideas and implement those. Uh, you know, if you look back at the last couple years, I just flipped through our last status report, there's things that I know everybody's proud of. The .... the So You Want to Start a Business series, the Merge development, the Summer Teen Dynamics program, um, data -driven justice, the STAR program, and I could keep going on and on. Those are things that really grew out of some of our .... our staff s initiative that aligned really well with your strategic plan objectives. Point three, two more to go. Thanks for bearing with me here. Um.....greater focus will produce more meaningful results. Uh, a .... a staff that is stretched to accomplish 30 different tasks will do that, we'll check a box of 30 different tasks. Uh, the greater the focus the Council has, I think the more strategic mindset approach that staff can have to some of these problems, um, so .... keep that in mind, uh, as you move forward. Then lastly, consider the (mumbled) context of the organization itself, the City organization, and the community. I have a couple points here. For the organization context, we have certain departments that are stretched pretty thin, uh, at the moment and we'll struggle to move quickly on new initiatives. Uh, Planning, Public Works, Parks, uh.....it's, you probably picked that up when you read their notes in the packet. Um, that doesn't mean we can't, and we shouldn't, put new initiatives on their plate. We all just need to know that that .... where they're at and some of the challenges, uh, that some.....in some of those operating areas where we'll have, uh, you know to move initiatives forward. Also I want to let you know one of, um, my top priorities for the City Manager's office going forward is that we can, uh, continue to shift from more of a, uh, reactive team that's just moving from issue to issue, fire to fire, if you will, to a more, um, strategic, uh, team that is out there in front of issues and really, uh, moving things forward. Um, I'll be frank, it's hard to do that right now. We are, um, we are just moving from issue to issue and that's partly because of all the staff turnover we've had. It's partly because we're all new in our area, but as a City Manager's office, we really have to....to become a more strategic operating team and I'm hoping that, um, we can use this strategic plan as the launching pad for that. The community context, um, sometimes stars align really well in the community, and .... and you have to take advantage of those, uh, in my view. So, you know, couple of examples, uh, there's been for years there's been talks about engaging our river and yet there hasn't seemed to be the push to actually do that. Now you have the University that's made that a top priority. Now you have the Convention and Visitors Bureau that's.... that's recently made that one of their top priorities. You have to.....I just use that as an illustrative example, but you have This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 4 (coughing, unable to hear speaker) where you have support beyond the City organization, cause you could really make a lot of progress in those areas when you can align certain stakeholders. On the flip side of that, I would caution you not to kick up dust on items that don't have, uh, wide support, unless you are confident that collectively you all have the political will, uh, to push those through. Sometimes that's necessary. Sometimes it's.... you.... you have to have that political will, you have to move somethin' through, and if you believe in it that's great, but understand that those types of issues and discussions, they suck a lot of energy out .... out of, uh, out of an organization. So use this time in your strategic planning process to really think critically as you adopt items where you have that broad community support and where you don't, and where you don't, just make sure that the seven of ya have some sort of understanding of the political will that'll be needed to .... to move, uh, issues forward. So thank you for entertaining my .... my thoughts, uh, coming into this. Um .... we are going to be working off this top memo here, so I'd encourage ya to .... to have that handy. Um, and with that, I'm gonna have, uh, Ashley, um, introduce our facilitator! Monroe/ Okay! Throgmorton/ Before you do that, Ashley (both talking) Monroe/ Sure! Throgmorton/ ...clarify one point. Does this include what Geoff .... what Kingsley submitted, what I submitted? Fruin/ It does. Throgmorton/ It does? Fruin/ Yes, so it has, urn ..... uh, what was in the budget memo plus Mayor's, plus, uh, Kingsley's comments. (mumbled) Throgmorton/ Okay. Good! Ashley! Monroe/ Okay! Um, so I'll start off by, uh, just saying that Courtney Smock is going to be our facilitator today. Um, she was recommended by another community that had worked with her and appreciated, uh, the process they went through and the services that were provided, so we looked into things a little bit. Um, Kirkwood Community College actually facilitated the connection, um, so we worked directly with Kirkwood to .... to get Courtney Isere and I'll tell you a little bit about her first so you know who you're working with through the process, and we'll go from there! So Courtney Smock is the owner of Each Strong LLC and works full time as a Senior Organizational Development Specialist at Rockwell Collins. In her career, Courtney has gained valuable business experience (unable to understand) business experience, uh, leading organizational change. Change management has allowed her to hone her ability to quickly assess business needs confidently and appropriately challenge business leaders, and (unable to understand) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 5 actions for teams working on complex prob.... programs. Courtney began her career in training and process facilitation where her facilitation skills are characterized by a unique combination of high energy and deep subject matter expertise. Um, just our brief introduction we found she's very confident, direct, and funny. Um, assets, she excels at creating a safe space for the exchange of ideas, helping teams plan, manage her work, and create accountability for real change, and Courtney has a Master's of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa. Uh, she received her coaching certification through the IPEC organization. She's also a certified trainer of Linkages Change Management courses, TMUC's Simply Strengths program, and the Matrix Management Institutes Collaborative Project Management courses. So she has quite a bit of experience in, uh, facilitating groups, including, uh, local governments and .... want to welcome you to ... to the stage, I guess. Smock/ That was embarrassing! (laughter) I wrote that! (laughs) And I wrote that a long time ago! Thank you for that! Thank you for that! Um, thank you for having me here. I have one job, which is to help you guys get clear about your objectives, and I like .... I like what I wrote —just create a space (mumbled) can talk to each other, ask questions, get what you need, and leave here with a list of stuff you're gonna get done, and .... I've spent quite a bit of time going through your materials and your packets and a day in the life of a City Council member (laughs) (mumbled) Urn.... and you have a really strong foundation with the list you started. So I think my job here's pretty straight forward, is to get you through the afternoon, get you through this work, and make sure you have a chance to leave with a list of what you need to do. Okay? Um, so I think we should start at the beginning. How bout that? And I think to the Mayor's point, um, let's start with your `a more inclusive, just, and sustainable Iowa City.' And I'm just going to open the room for conversation about that (mumbled) going to start at the very first step, uh, how are you guys feeling about that? Um, what comments do you have? Are we good to say, are you still there? Has something changed since you wrote it two years ago? Who wants to go first? (mumbled) Move forward? You good? (several responding) Agree? Okay, good! All right, so that one's....is that the easy one? Okay. Then you have seven objectives and then there's an `8. Miscellaneous' category. And what I want to do is move through those, um, we're just gonna peel a layer at a time, and we might have to go a little bit low and come high, and then low and come high again. So let's just start, um, everyone peak at the seven and what I warm do is.....let's take them at the .... at the seven level first. And we'll do them one at a time and go in order, keep this very simple, and if it helps to look at the sub -tasks to make sure we agree on the first one, um, we'll start there, okay? So let's start with number one. Um, promote a strong and resilient local economy. Is that still .... good? (several responding) Good with that? Okay. Um, encourage a vibrant and walkable urban core. (several responding) On board, okay! Mims/ I would just say, and.....and just to give you a little background, I voted against our strategic plan two years ago. Smock/ Okay! Mims/ I was the only one. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 6 Smock/ Okay! Mims/ My concern with the strategic plan was not the content of it. It was how big it was. Smock/ Okay. Mims/ And the inability to (both talking) and so .... I think we .... I think we have, while I ... while it's not that I don't think this is important, I think we're doing a good job and I think to try and get more focused, I would take that one out. Not that we wouldn't still do things that are related to it, but I wouldn't still have it on. Smock/ Okay. So this is that idea of, um ..... can you do seven things really well or is it better to do five things really well and what is your sweet spot for the right number of things (mumbled) So you agree it's the right thing to do, and that's .... I appreciate you bringing up that comment, and let's just do that. Let's have a dialogue around each one of these. Any comments or response to that? Throgmorton/ I think we're fully capable of doing all seven. The question becomes really the ... the details within each of the seven. If we have too many or they're not focused well enough, then we create problems for the City staff, and if there are too many of `em we're not going to be able to accomplish all of `em. I think we have 32 specific measures in our last strategic plan, so (mumbled) that, that'd be great. But I .... I think, uh, this, uh, the second item, the encourage vibrant, walkable urban core, is certainly crucial from my perspective. The rest of you will have to speak for yourselves. Botchway/ I'm comfortable with the second as well. I mean I know that you wanted to go through each one. I feel very comfortable with moving forward, and I would agree that it's really more ... kind of from the conversation upcoming where we need to really focus on the details and how (mumbled) how we're going to .... give staff the opportunity to focus a little more and how they're going to support (mumbled) Thomas/ I .... I would say on number two specifically, uh, I would .... I would like to keep that, uh, partly because I think our downtown (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) core neighborhoods, it's .... what.....what the urban core exactly is is ... is a little bit permeable, um, but it's one of Iowa City's great assets. It's .... it's one thing that makes Iowa City unique. I don't believe any other community in Johnson County has the qualities that I associate with downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. So I do think it's important. It's something that makes Iowa City distinctive, special. Cole/ And I think from a public policy perspective, I think it does actually (mumbled) in the sense of what are your speed limits, what are the width of your streets, what sort of infrastructure do you have, so I want to keep it in. The only thought I have is that we also have concerns about developments on the outer edge in terms of how wide the streets are. Um, I want to maintain a focus on the urban core, but do we want to say a walkable community or is that diluting that too much? Cause I think we've had quite frankly This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 7 issues on the outer core as well and maybe this is something we can address in terms of the (mumbled) walkable community. Thomas/ I hear you on that. It's the one thing that ... and I don't want to add another bullet point but, um, transportation kind of.....there isn't any specific .... of the, we have seven things and transportation isn't really clearly articulated, in my view, in any of those seven. Um.... Cole/ But that's the big picture for two, that'd be the topic. Thomas/ Right, but the ... but the, yeah, um, the downtown is unique though so I (both talking) Cole/ Okay! Okay, I don't feel super strongly about that, but I (mumbled) Taylor/ (mumbled) street's action plan is included in that healthy neighborhoods section. Thomas/ Right. Taylor/ That is very important. (both talking) And then the first bullet point talks again, as we just mentioned, about the, uh, use of the Iowa River corridor (mumbled) Salih/ I mean I'm comfortable (unable to understand) Smock/ Okay. So let's go through.....this is good. Let's go through and have all the discussion. Then we'll come back to the top and see how it all ends up, okay? All right, so the comment about .... is it just the core, is it the (mumbled), and do we have enough addressing transportation somewhere. The two things we're capturing so far. Okay. What about number three, what are your thoughts around foster healthy neighborhoods throughout the city? (several responding) Good? Uh, maintain a solid financial foundation. (several responding) Enhance community engagement and inter- governmental relations. (several responding) Yes. Promote environmental sustainability. It's gonna sunset? I'm gonna give folks a minute to look at the sub -tasks on that one. Taylor/ I think that one's going to involve (several talking) Smock/ Okay. (several talking) Throgmorton/ True enough, but there (several talking) issues (several talking) Smock/ Hold on, I'm gonna .... two conversations so I'm gonna start here. Finish this one, that's okay! So she's saying the Committee for Climate.....say that one again? Taylor/ The Climate Action (both talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 8 Smock/ The Climate Action Steering Committee will drive a lot of that first bullet point. Okay. And what were you guys talkin' about, sorry? Salih/ Uh, I was just talking about, uh, I .... I don't (unable to understand) transportation (unable to understand) affordable housing (unable to understand) make sure cause I really .... this is something new to me (unable to understand) I want to make sure they are there. Smock/ Okay. So let's talk one at a time. So what was the first one? Salih/ Transportation. Smock/ Transportation, okay. So where... when we look at our .... um.... Fruin/ So I could offer since I .... I slotted these, and understand, some of these initiatives you could argue could go in any number of `em, so .... you my want to choose to move `em, but the emphasis on public transportation on our bus routes and Sunday service, I placed that in a strong and resilient local economy. You could certainly argue it could go in another category, but that's in there. Uh, for the affordable housing piece, uh, I focused that in the healthy neighborhoods section, uh, because there's really no geographic, uh, focused areas. It's the entire community. Um, but again that could be .... that could be in any number of other categories too. Throgmorton/ The crucial thing, from your point of view, I think, Maz, is to have the specific element contained in the overall plan. Salih/ Exactly! Yeah. Smock/ Add an action for it, okay. All right. Okay, anything else on.....environmental sustainability? Lots of questions on that one. Throgmorton/ Well, I would say we've done a lot with our recycling, a lot with regard to water quality, and everything our Public Works' staff does basically has effects on the environmental sustainability. So I think that Pauline's correct in saying maybe the emphasis in this year will be more along that climate action plan.... Steering Committee, when it comes up with, uh, there's all this other stuff that matters a lot too. Smock/ Yeah. And one of the things that sort of stands out to me is you're talking about that you.....you're gonna make the transition from what's your strat plan, right, what's your big idea, what's your direction, and when do things become business as usual and they're just expected. So your point, if we're .... if we're doing that (mumbled) look at the line maintain a financial, um, foundation, is that strategy or is that just business as usual? Just as an example, right? What city in the country doesn't say that's core to what we do. If we don't do that, we can't have a strategy, right, and the same thing of when you talk about, um, environmental sustainability. If we're starting to get this operationalized, it's how we do business. It works. Then it sort of falls off your strat plan and becomes business as usual. You have to hold people accountable to do it. Right, but is it strategic, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 9 is it pushing you, is it changing something, is it bringing something new to you, or is it just cost of entry at this point, and at some point, all of your strat plans, hopefully if you did `em correctly, flip to business as usual, right, but you gotta.....that's what this ...... this is kind of what this opportunity and conversation is, to say our strat plan is guiding us somewhere to change things. It should be just a list of changes, big things. And then there's a whole other place where you commit what is our commitment to our community. To keep the lights on (laughs) literally! I say keep the lights on in corporate and it's a figure of speech. When I do it with cities, it's literally. You guys have to keep the lights on here, right? It's different. That make sense? So food for thought as you're thinking about what strategy, what's important, um, what is the optics of what you put out, cause you .... if you remove something, even if it's not strategic, the optics of removing it will have a ripple as well. So, you have to think about that stuff. Okay, advance social justice and racial equality. Conversation around that one. Throgmorton/ We're committed to that. Smock/ Committed to that. Absolutely. Okay. All right. So ..... what I think we need to do is take each one of these apart. So sometimes you have to start like the hamburger, the bun, and then come back. This is.....we're assuming, let's .... let's go through the detailed review of the actions, assuming the seven are right, and knowing where we have maybe some push or wiggle room. Let's go through `em and then as .... as a last thing we would do, come back and say did any of our discussion change the wording, change the phrase, change the intent, and get back to the umbrella and say is it still right. Cause if we wiggle the bottom parts, it's possible it's gonna create a change we have to make at the top. Are you guys okay with that? So intentionally it'll get us to talk about the details when we gotta come back. Does that make sense? Botchway/ Wiggle and change! Smock/ Wiggle and change! That's..... write that down (mumbled) Okay! So, um, one thing, we do not have to go in numeric order. Right, and I don't know enough about the sensitivities, the preferences, the hotter topics. I think based on two things, one, time, and two, energy, um, I would like to talk about the stickiest, most complicated, needing the most clarification areas first, unless anyone has a different idea, because..... quite frankly, y'all are gonna have a different level of energy at 4:35 than you have right now, and I'd rather you.... you bring all that. Not that.....sounds like this is a lively group and I'm not gonna have to worry about energy, but.... I do think about that. So .... or if you ... if you much prefer, like let's just take `em in order, we're good to go, we can do that, but I'm gonna kind of leave it with you (both talking) Cole/ Along with what Jim had said, I guess my preference would be that we take .... do you have to leave early Mazahir? Could we go over some of the initiatives that she wanted to, address those, and then.....(unable to hear) take `em. Throgmorton/ Well one of `em is at the very top of the strong and resilient local economy, and uh, another one .... uh, is at the top of foster healthy neighborhoods. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 10 Smock/ Okay! (several talking) Fruin/ Uh, social justice and racial equity had the, uh.....policy on vendors and the, uh, $15 minimum wage. So I think that's those three categories, one, three, and seven. Smock/ Okay (several talking) Throgmorton/ Yeah, so let's do (both talking) Smock/ So let's go one, three, seven, and then we'll go in numeric order after that. Does that (several talking) Salih/ I just receive a message (unable to understand) (several talking) Throgmorton/ We can have a break at 3:00 (several talking) Smock/ Okay, so let's start with number one, either way we'll start with number one! All right, I'm gonna give you a second to read through them. We'll do the same thing. Urn .... as you're reading through, I wanna make sure you have space to ask questions, like make sure that you're understanding when you read it. It's very difficult, as complex as your work is, to write seven or eleven words that fully encompass what is meant, so if you're not sure, you have some assumptions about that, let's get them out, cause I don't want you making decisions where someone thinks it meant apples and this person thought it meant oranges, and this person thought they were gettin' bananas. Okay? Make sure an apple's an apple and then have a conversation about it. So if you have assumptions.... from a change in management perspective, I always say there's no cure for assumptions. Okay, you can't communicate, you can't coach .... your way out of assumptions. So ask if you're not sure, get examples and context so that we're talking about the same things. Okay? So..... Fruin/ Can I offer one (both talking) Smock/ Yeah, please! Fruin/ (both talking) ....in this memo, you're seeing this for the first time so if you see an asterisk next to the item, that just means we don't really think it's strategic plan material, but it's something that came up in your budget deliberations and I didn't want to lose sight of it. Um, and two, you can see we did a high, medium, and low. That's the LH, uh, LMH. Uh, that is not meant to give .... to convey a staff priority on those items. We were simply trying to give you, based on our understanding of what's involved, the level of difficulty of implementation, something that's really easy for us to do or .... or something that's medium or high, and that could be for different reasons. It could be for financial reasons. It could be for staff capacity and .... and where we're short on staff, uh, it could be any number of things. So if you need us to comment on those we .... we can. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page I I Smock/ Regulatory..... (both talking) Fruin/ Right, it's not meant to express priority for us. Smock/ Yeah, cause it makes a difference, like if someone said I want it, and they're like but it's really, really hard, how bad do you want it. It just helps you figure that out, right? Cole/ Cause that was actually my assumption, that that looked like a staff preference and (several talking) Fruin/ Glad I explained (both talking) Cole/ Yep. Smock/ Okay, so as you're cruising through let's take the first one, undertake a public transportation route and hours of operation analysis. Mims/ I would say yes and I think we've had discussion as we were going through budget, I would be shocked if anybody said no (mumbled) (laughs) (mumbled) ....in conjunction with that cause I think they tie together, urn .... I would say no on .... on Sunday public bus transit service. I'm not saying no, that we don't do it. I'm saying no it shouldn't be in the strategic plan. I think what we do or don't do related to Sunday bus service comes out of that operation analysis. I think we have to wait for that analysis and figure out what changes we can do and how we can or can't implement additional service and change our routes. So to me that.... doesn't, shouldn't be part of the strategic plan. We have to look at (mumbled) analysis is and then I know there's the desire I think from all of us to increase service and particularly do something on Sundays, but it doesn't make sense to me to put that in as a strategic goal. Taylor/ I had that as a very high priority item, um, but I worded it a little differently. Instead of, uh, working with a consultant as we have agreed to hire a consultant to .... to assess it, uh, work with the consultant to assess the current public transit system to assure that the system provides transportation needs of the entire community. So if it falls out that you need Sunday services and this is how you can do it then we'll go for it (both talking) Salih/ I think this is .... have to be in the strategic plan. I think, you know, Sunday transportation is really priority for the community. (unable to understand) start campaigning, I just spoke to a lot people (unable to understand) transportation for workers. You know, and the study would take long time, af.... you know, after they ask (unable to understand) take long time. (unable to understand) so we can improve the whole route after that, but for Sunday I think this is really high priority. Throgmorton/ So I propose a very slight modification to the first two elements here, to A and B that is. In other words, I'd propose this. Undertake a public transportation route and hours of operation analysis, to include considering the possibility of adding Sunday public transit (mumbled) Sunday service. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 12 Botchway/ I'll be honest with ya, I mean, Jim, I appreciate that because I think it was kind of along the lines of what I was thinking (unable to understand) kind of strategic plan point, taking out the consultant, cause I think that there's the potential that we may need to communicate with other entities as well and they may not necessarily be on board with a consultant, but I .... I really liked your language. I think (mumbled) and taking out the consultant piece, I think, encompasses the Sunday transit service and the other things that we're thinking about as well. Cole/ Here's where I would disagree with that, and I would agree with Jim, and to Susan's point, I think if the consultant knows that it's a strategic plan priority to add Sunday bus service, I think that .... it may be a different type of study than, um, than if there's no mention of it at all. Um, and so that .... so I think to indicate that that's our priority, and I think that that is what I want to do. Um, I agree with Mazahir that I .... or Mazahir that I think we should consider this. Only difference is I do want to wait until we get the study first before we consider, or before we add it, cause I wanna make sure that we are maximizing our resources for.... presumably the study would include a projected ridership for Sundays and before making a financial commitment I want to make sure that we have peer- reviewed data to support that. Botchway/ So, Rockne, my issue with that is around the Sunday bus service, so in talking to the community as well, there's also, um, we want to increase the, um, number of routes on different, uh, on different times of day. We want to ensure that, um, we have it for longer number of hours, um, maybe we have a Sunday .... we have a Saturday service that matches the weekday service, why are we only highlighting Sunday service? And that's where I feel like if we want, I mean, if we want to make sure that the consultant gets our message, I think that we need to, I mean, tell Geoff and City staff to make sure they come back (unable to understand) priorities. I just have an issue with just saying Sunday service because it was Sunday service, it was increase routes, it was increase times, and there was a lot of different steps in there. I want to .... for me it's more generic as far as how this is gonna lay out for people reading.... instead of just (mumbled) Sunday service. That's my only .... issue. Salih/ I just want to ask like if we really gonna have (unable to understand) study, that means for sure that's gonna require a (unable to understand) come out and we need to have some Sunday transportation. (unable to understand) if we know that? We gonna have Sunday transportation, at the end of this study. Then at least we can (unable to understand) while the study is conducted. Throgmorton/ I don't think we can include a commitment to Sunday service. I think what we can do is find out what's possible, what it costs, what the routes might be, what the schedule might be. Salih/ That what I meant. Throgmorton/ Cause we have to take into account (both talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 13 Salih/ ....like we need to hire (unable to understand) how much it cost, you know (unable to understand) Smock/ So one of the things that..... um, I hear us talking around is what is the difference between what's our federal requirements, like what are the needs that need met, and what's the solution. Okay, and .... and as much as possible, when you write a strat plan, you guys wanna be clear about committing to the requirements, providing access to the right people at the right time. That's what you want built. Now the solution, whether or not it includes Sunday, whether or not it includes alternate route, whether it has more hours, you're gonna go through a process to figure that out, and to your point, if you put the solution in the requirement, like you say it has to be Sunday, well what happens if it comes back and you find out that people don't want it, you can't afford it, and you're not gonna do it. All right? It's better to write a strategic plan (mumbled) that says we are going to analyze the transportation needs, meet the needs of the community, increase.... whatever words you wanna use for that, and then you gotta trust that there's a separate process you're gonna have to go through to state the requirements to your consultant, like what does our community need, bring us a solution that does these things, tell us what it's going to cost, and then we come up with a solution from there. If you ... if you write the end in the beginning you're gonna limit what you get back, potentially. Does that .... am I making sense? (several responding) Yeah? So, I don't want you to lose fact of what you're .... what you want, but .... but.....but try, and this is very hard to do, try to separate yourself from `it has to look like this' to meet the need and get really focused on `it'll be great when.' Right? It'll be great when our transportation system, people can get to work, that people feel like they can get whatever, right, that they feel safe on our trans... like that's the stuff you wanna write in your strat plan, and the fact that you're gonna invite a consultant to help you or these other things can go in there. How you're gonna get there can go in there. Be careful not to write like we're gonna get a, you know, we're gonna buy a semi and it's gonna have these components and it has to have other seats, because maybe you can't afford that or maybe that's not what ends up, once you do the analysis, the best thing to do. Am I making sense? Okay. So, noodle on that, um, what Ashley's trying to do is capture, um, wordsmith. We're not gonna wordsmith, but we have to have the words close enough (laughs) so that we don't forget what we said later. Cause we will do that, cause we have other things going on. Do we want to take intent maybe with .... with Pauline's version or something else at, um, writing.....a..... a statement around this transportation one. Mims/ Can you reread your, please, Pauline? Taylor/ Sure. Work with a consultant to assess the current public transit system to assure that the system provides the transportation needs of the entire community. Smock/ That's pretty good! (several talking) Mims/ I like it .... I like it all except the fact.... there's..... there's no consideration of the dollar amounts when you get to the end, and so when you say assure that it commits (mumbled) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 14 you know (several talking) We may not be able financially to meet the needs of all, and what does that mean in terms of. .... a route that maybe is needed, highly needed by a few people, but then when it comes to a financial standpoint you're running a route that's almost empty. Do .... do we .... I really like it except the very last part. Smock/ Is there a place we can stick .... (both talking) financial responsible plan, right, in there. Thomas/ Susan, I think that's one of those things that I would say infuses everything. You know (laughs) you know the cost of whatever we do, I ... at least I feel that's something I'm always cognizant of, is ... is, you know, what.... what's, how are we going to pay for this? Mims/ Right, but .... that wording is very definitive at the end, to me, that says `meets the needs.' Thomas/ Yeah. Mims/ And .... you know, with the goal of ...(several talking) Botchway/ (several talking in background continues; difficult to hear speaker) ....to me it's.... to me it, again, from (unable to hear) because I think we need to have more encompassing conversations with all of the entities, irrespective of the consultant, but I think (unable to hear) as far as, you know, kind of we want to make sure that whatever we put forth (unable to hear) Are there going to be gaps in any type of system? Yes. But I would .... I would want us to strive to ensure that, I mean, I think we're going to semantics, cause I can go in and think about what I'd like to change and make sure that we particularly put marginalized populations within the strategic plan to ensure that it's incorporated, but again, I think that's a conversation we have with the consultant. (mumbled) ...conversation around budgetary constraints with the consultant (mumbled) comes back. Fruin/ Maybe offer it as maximize the benefits to the community, somethin' like that. Maximize (mumbled) optimal. Thomas/ I mean I do tend to .... I .... I've always intended to do these strategic plans with the two- year timeframe, although Geoff mentioned some take more than two years, but L.I think, I always.... especially when you bring up something big like our pubic transit system as the first year is a planning phase. So we .... we do optimize the value of the system, um, because in my mind, public transportation may not be simply buses. It could be transportation network companies. It could be walk.... improving walking. Improving bicycling. Mobility, it's a mobility issue, and so there are a lot of components to that. Certainly public transit's a big one, um, but I ... I am I think sort of drawn to the idea that we .... we look at this comprehensively with, as we said, with certain things highlighted as extremely important in terns of addressing gaps in service. Throgmorton/ So I'm concerned about tryin' to wordsmith this too much, cause we have a lot of items to go through. What I hear is a concern about financial or fiscal capacity basically, but also ..... try to emphasize our concern about equity, namely to ensure that the transit system ad .... adequately meets the needs of lower-income residents to have access to... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 15 home, school, work, etc., that type of thing. So the value, I think, is clear. But the wordsmithing, you know (mumbled) not getting into that too much right now. (several talking) Cole/ So I would support Pauline's version. Botchway/ (mumbled) we have the value (mumbled) Mims/ ....let staff maybe (unable to understand) Smock/ Okay? All right. Any other comments? (mumbled) We are going to the next one. I was just making sure that anyone was still on that one. Okay, so any asterisk means, uh, that it's being worked, it's not part of the strategic plan, but do we want to talk about all those, Geoff? Fruin/ No ... not unless there's disagreement with our recommendation. Botchway/ (unable to understand) recommendation is to remove it from the strategic plan. Fruin/ Yeah. Botchway/ Yes. Okay. Mims/ We'll see it as we're going through, either with a consultant and a study of what (both talking) Fruin/ ......you guys are gonna have a lot of time to comment on the .... the scope of the plan before we hire a consultant, so this'll be (mumbled) Smock/ Okay. And then, uh, letter C, provide examples of recent transit studies. That's just something staff 11 do. (several talking) And then ..... D, support a local food incubator project downtown. Botchway/ Um, so I think that was my initiative, uh, based on a conversation (unable to hear) Cole/ Do you think this is a budget issue? Botchway/ I did .... I did ....... I brought it up as a budget issue initially when we talked (unable to understand) strategic plan issue to move the conversation forward, but ultimately I think Geoff .... we did two things. One we increased the, uh, amount we were looking for, um, local foods, and we, um.....and Geoff (coughing, unable to hear) have a proposal, come to him. He has a .... an amount of money in the discretionary budget to have this conversation so .... I feel comfortable (unable to understand) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 16 Throgmorton/ So it ... a related item might appear later on, the overall (unable to understand) but it seems to me that, uh, as a strategic plan value we could say something like this: we want to effectively market and grow the local food economy. Cole/ Yes. Throgmorton/ And then there are particular ways (unable to hear) accomplished, and I'm (unable to hear) the basic value of (unable to hear) Botchway/ I would agree with that. (mumbled) Mims/ Are we writing values or are we writing a strategic plan? And I don't mean to be critical (several talking) I'm just (both talking) Throgmorton/ If there are action items, it would appear under that or be associated with it (mumbled) That's what I have in mine, but as a value itself it's meaningless. So I take your point. But ... but we need the value to be backed up by specific actions. Botchway/ Yeah, and I think to my point or the reason why I was interested (unable to understand) is because this was .... this was focused on a particular project. To your point, Jim, there's many other projects that are I think encompassing within that (unable to understand) be interested in keeping that one (mumbled) and taking this language out. Cole/ I would agree with Kingsley, because one of the things when staff evaluates a request for anything like an incubator is how does it fit in with our strategic plan and I think it's good to have a little bit more detail than strong and resilient economy. This would say `oh, this is part of a local food initiative.' We can refer to the strategic plan, have (unable to understand) support and then allow those details to sort of fill in as the projects come in, sol....I would support Jim's version. Smock/ So the recommendation would be to keep a D, and maybe change the wording of it to... um.....so right now it doesn't have a verb. All right, so what's the verb we're looking (both talking) Throgmorton/ Well market is ..... marketed growth (unable to understand) Smock/ Okay. Market.... okay. Oh, yeah, there you go. (unable to understand) Okay, so market and grow a local food economy, and now you can have your project under it and you can do all the other things. Is that working for you? (several responding) Okay, so (unable to understand) D. All right. E, just information. You guys can read through that. Cole/ Can we comment on that or are we going to go to F? Smock/ Um, you can comment. (both talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 17 Cole/ This was mine. Um, and I think we can do at least consider and assess whether we should expand our economic development to include worker -owned enterprise. Um, among other things consider (unable to understand) as a five-year strategic plan for cooperatively -owned enterprises, and so I would like us to at least consider that, because it seems like right now, the micro -loan entrepreneurship is focused on sole proprietorship, uh, but I do think we need to consider expanding that (unable to understand) and that would be sort of two or more people, uh, engaged in enterprise. Um .... and with cooperative enterprise as a (unable to understand) we should consider including, um, in our economic development. Fruin/ So our micro -loan program is a loan guarantee program. So essentially what we do is we guarantee to the bank that we will financially support the loan that they're.... that they otherwise would not issue, at least at that same rate. So if a cooperative could go to a bank and get a loan as an organization, then our guarantee would stay the same. So my answer to .... to E is that, yes, they could.....they could already participate in our micro - loan program. The first step though, as with anybody, sole proprietor or not, is that they have to go to a bank and work through that bank to get the loan terms. So the bank would say, yeah, we'll give you a 5% loan or a 4% loan, but only if the City guarantees it. So as long as the cooperative could do that, it's not a problem. Mims/ And I don't think we need anything more than the staff s....(several talking) Cole/ ....say you want to start your own business, I would like that sort of focus for starting a cooperatively -owned enterprise. Um (unable to understand) traditional enterprise, and so some type of language I think we should have it is consider expanding economic development opportunities to include cooperative, you know, cooperatively -run enterprises. Um .... and then we .... we could have staff sort of figure out the details on that, but (unable to understand) enterprise that is different than the ordinary business. You know, where you have a sole proprietorship. Dilkes/ I think that's going to be largely dependent on what other (unable to understand) recognizes as a legal entity. Cole/ Yeah! Dilkes/ And I have not researched that, and so I don't know, maybe they are in Wisconsin, um, but the bank, what Geoff was saying, the bank isn't going to give a loan to an entity that isn't exist.... doesn't exist under Iowa law. So as long as it exists, I think (unable to understand) Smock/ So are we .... am I hearing that the need that Rockne's brought up is .... would be covered in what the staff s already thinking about from a micro -loan standpoint or it's something different? Fruin/ Well it .... what we're commenting on is that .... if they're a legal entity and they can get a loan, we would support them. We don't need to change anything to do that. I think what This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 18 Rockne's saying is maybe there's a broader objective here. We do some ..... the How You, um, How to Start a Business program or So You Want to Start a Business program. We don't necessarily focus the educational components on how to structure a cooperative. We are more focused on the .... the single entrepreneur, the sole proprietor. So, we could broaden that out. We could do some community education on cooperatives and things like that .... if Council felt that was (mumbled) Cole/ That's exactly what I'm talking about. Mims/ I don' t see that it rises to the level of the strategic plan, personally. I ... I think the fact that they can already apply if they're a legal entity, and we can certainly make that clear in our documentation, um, and if we run the You Want to Start Your Business again, talking about, you know, the difference in co-ops and the fact that, you know, on loans find out what (mumbled) I guess when I look ...... I haven't counted how many we've got on here yet (laughs) To me that does not rise to the level of strategic plan. Not that we can't work on new stuff (unable to understand) Botchway/ Yeah I try.....I'm differentiating here between priority and strategic plan. I mean I guess I shouldn't use the word priority.... because I think we talked about it before. To me this is something that .... I actually (unable to understand) encapsulated in F. I was thinking about how that could be moved under #F, cause I have #F and (unable to under) or How to Build a Business as a part of my #F, and so I just think that's again how we can articulate what steps we're going to take as it pertains to the strategic plan priorities. Throgmorton/ (several talking) I would agree. Cole/ Okay! (several talking) Smock/ Okay, so should we talk about F or thought we just talked about F (laughs) Botchway/ (unable to understand) ...there could be some wordsmithing. It's just it's my own language and I'm terrible at that but I have increasing opportunities for marginalized groups to participate and contributing economic development opportunities. So I'm gonna try to be as brief as possible, based on, you know, Jim's prior email, um, this is adequately funding, um, the building basics, and um, initiative and create opportunities, um, such as pop -ups, to allow marginalized groups to (unable to understand) entrepreneurial ideas. I think (unable to understand) diverse, um, opportunity, or diverse collective or cooperative groups underneath that is another, um, piece. Um... A also, sorry, I'm reading from my notes. I also, urn .... see this as potential opportunity to address what I think is, um, a lack of, um, available training in regards to different, um, different jobs, and so (unable to understand) how do you provide training opportunities for at least entry-level positions — secretaries, para -educators, clerks, seasonal opportunities, so (mumbled) diverse community can participate. A consistent theme I hear all the time is, well, this person doesn't have the experience. So how we provide training opportunities to individuals (unable to understand) at least those .... I'm saying at least entry-level positions. Um ...... the second thing (coughing) excuse me! The third This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 19 thing is actually G as well, because I'm interested in kind of taking that out of the wording of the strategic plan and encapsulating that (coughing) under #F, and I have it more.... specifically focused as create ad hoc committee.... for two reasons. And this is the memo with the (mumbled) program. So there's two things, um, if you had a chance to read the memo (unable to understand) actually one thing in regards to new programming (unable to understand) So (unable to understand) program, what it does is they set up a committee... they set up a committee to, um, basically look at how they can have policies in which developers say and a developer was going to build, um, this particular location. They would .... they have a policy, a city policy, that says that 20% of the, um, the workfo.... work labor needs to go to apprenticeship programs and so it spurs that apprenticeship, um (mumbled) narrative, labor development, so we can push more people into these opportunities. So I mean I think these are conversations to have with multiple people (unable to understand) So I think there's a large number of conversations at the school level. I'm saying that there needs to be a conversation at the City level, as far as one, looking at a policy in regards to ensuring that developers are incorporating that within their, um .... um, contracts (unable to understand) positions, and then secondly, I think it goes back to what my initial point was, was with the (unable to understand) program also introduces is training opportunities for additional apprenticeship programs. And so .... I don't want to get into the details of that right now, and I don't necessarily think that's a part of the strategic plan, but I do think it's a part of increasing opportunities for marginalized groups to participate and contribute in economic development opportunities. Smock/ Comments or thoughts? (several talking) Taylor/ I think that's very important when you have lengthy discussions about this, uh (unable to understand) cause how do we tend to (clears throat) excuse me, recent School Board meetings and Phil Hemingway, uh (unable to understand) the need for that and it was alarming to hear because we toured the Kirkwood facility a while back and it's a beautiful facility up there (unable to understand) It's huge and cost a lot of money. It's beautiful, but the .... he gave the numbers, but only six students are enrolled in the automotive program. That just signals to me that perhaps something's wrong in the Iowa City Community School District (unable to understand) work with them and the apprenticeship programs, uh, and other.... whatever is out there to provide a path for jobs and future careers for .... for high school students. Cause not everybody's cut out to have plans to go to college for four years or six years (unable to understand) go to college, but these kinds of training programs (unable to understand) He gave numbers that back in 06, 07 there were 84 students at the high school were in the auto mechanics program and in 10 and 11 there were 68 and now this year (unable to understand) only six, and that's just .... that's really sad. And that speaks to the apprenticeship programs also, I mean there's excellent programs. My husband went to the plumber and pipefitter (mumbled) Cedar Rapids (unable to under) very good career out of that. We have to be able to be encouraging these students at the high school level to go into those trades, cause you're hearing from the trades, building trades, that they're just not getting people into the apprenticeship programs. So how can we as a Council encourage that? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 20 Botchway/ And I agree and I think that ... that's where I'm saying.... saying I'm differentiating in a sense where I feel like, yes, there a (mumbled) but I also think there's just a general workforce element for individuals that may not necessarily have gone through a K-12 system, um, that are coming into our community and just need opportunities. Throgmorton/ So I had some language I'd like to suggest, and it may be language that appears in the current strategic plan, or at least in part, so ..... anyhow, let me just say this, and I'll elaborate just a little bit. So work closely with the School District, Kirkwood Community College, labor organizations, Iowa Works, and others to improve pathways to good jobs for lower-income students. So it could be lower-income people. (several talking) Uh, and then beyond that, one thing I wonder now is .... who would do this? Work closely with ... so would we be delegating this assignment to the staff, and if so, who would ... on staff would do it? Geoff would have to answer that. And if not, who would do it? But beyond that I think there's lots of particular elements could easily appear underneath that category, but.....that's what I would argue for, is kind of language I just put out there. Thomas/ So I (unable to understand) in fact before you mentioned that, Jim, I .... one of our previous items was bringing to my mind what do we have on our current strategic plan (laughs) as we may be duplicating or .... pretty close, you know, some of these things may overlap to some degree. So .... I think .... I don't know (mumbled) Throgmorton/ It's pretty hard to look through it (laughs) (both talking) Thomas/ But anyway I .... I liked that .... it's finding that sweet spot between.....you know, something which does open up the potential, you know, you're identifying an idea and maximizing the potential ways in which to deal with something, without.... jumping ahead to any particular op .... option. Cole/ I like Jim's language, and to your point, Jim, about whether staff or one of the non -profits should do that, um, I think we give that decision to staff, you know, in terms of whether (mumbled) creativity, and I like the word low-income. I'd use the word marginalized (unable to understand) for some reason that strikes me, I don't know .... I don't know if I would want to refer to myself as marginalized. Um, it's not really a pejorative word, but I prefer low-income. Um.....so like.....so I think you talked about low-income as opposed to marginalized. Botchway/ Well two points, because I actually agree with (both talking) Cole/ (mumbled) Botchway/ Yeah, two points, cause I agree with Jim's language as well. I think that when I .... what I'm .... what I did not, was not being clearly articulated (unable to hear) mentioning our, um, kind of the cooperative piece that Rockne was mentioning, and then also, um.....also kind of the.....the building basics that we already currently (unable to understand) funding, and so I'm okay with how that, and maybe wordsmithing, maybe not necessarily particularly identifying, um, different groups or organizations and saying This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 21 working with a diverse stakeho .... working with diverse stakeholders, whatever you just said, and then .... the only reason .... I'm okay with the low-income as well, but the only reason I said marginalized is because when I was thinking about writing it, I was not just focusing on race and ethnicity. I was also focused on women, ensuring that we have all these different topics. So I'm ... I mean we could wordsmith the word, I don't care about that. Um, because to me it's still opening up opportunities for .... women who may not be low-income or individuals, um, with disabilities who may not be low-income, and so I want to make sure that we provide a range of opportunities (coughing, unable to hear speaker) Throgmorton/ So it could be low-income and disadvantaged. Botchway/ It could be, yeah. Whatever... whatever that.... Mims/ I guess I would ask this question. How many of you are familiar with Regional Workforce Development Board? Botchway/ As far as like familiar, yeah. I mean as far as you know their day to day, no. Mims/ We have a Regional Workforce Development Board. This is set up by the State of Iowa. It's run through Kirkwood Community College. Um, there's a chief elected officers part of it and then there's the Regional Workforce Development Board that works on a lot of these things. I would be the first to agree that they .... don't have all the solutions. They haven't solved all the problems. But you're talking about what's already in place is a lot of resources with a lot of people for whom this is their career, this is their expertise on job training, job retraining, uh, transportation for people to get to that training, all of those aspects. I quite .... I feel like this is such and complicated issue, and I .... and I support the intent of what everybody is saying. But I do not believe that this is an issue .... that as a Council, even in trying to talk with the School Board and a few others, that we can .... on our own, have much of an impact on. I think before we start making this a major .... you know especially creating a Council -appointed committee and all this kind of stuff, I think what makes more sense is for the Mayor and Pauline, or whatever, two or three people to set up a meeting with the people at Kirkwood that really run this, find out what they're doing, how can we get more involved, how can we help, are there.....we're gonna sit.... I'm sorry, folks, we're gonna sit here and try and reinvent the wheel on what is an incredibly, incredibly complex almost unsolvable problem. And there's already resources in place with expertise in place that .... I think we should use and try to connect with.... before we do this. Throgmorton/ I agree with you about regional. Of course as you know I was on the CEO board for four years. So that's why I put in this language, work with the District, Kirkwood, labor organizations, Iowa Works, which is the other term for the (mumbled) clearly we cannot do this alone and we have to collaborate. I think we can contribute. That's the main thing I was trying to get at, was work with these other organizations to try to improve pathways. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 22 Mims/ I think we need to start out by finding out what they're doing. And I don't .... I will fully admit, I don't (mumbled) it's been a while since I've been on the board and so .... I think that's a starting point is to find out what their resources are and what they're doing, and then how.....can.....can we bring any resources, maybe, to the table to advance the areas that we are most concerned about. Cole/ But isn't that a particular of the strategic plan objective, I mean so you're identifying the objective. That would be a particular in that. (unable to understand) I don't think we're trying to say that we're the alpha omega of the entire problem. It is a very complicated issue, but as I view from a municipal standpoint, there could be opportunities that (unable to understand) community that these are the things that we want. Um, we may all of a sudden get some requests for developments that may incorporated a maker space or an educational component to it. So we're at least keepin' our eyes open for that. So I .... I guess I'd like to leave it in. Throgmorton/ Several days ago I got a phone call from a man who appeared by voice at least to be a Central African immigrant and he wanted to know how he could find a good job. Said he was callin' the Mayor to get an answer for that question. I .... I didn't have a good answer. My bad, but I didn't. I didn't know who to phone. I didn't know who, you know, who could actually help. But if he's a resident, that person's a resident of the city, we need to have ... find some way to help residents like that find (mumbled) which doesn't mean we create the pathways. (mumbled) maybe create something (mumbled) Smock/ Well and what a great discussion to have with some of your non -profits to say what are you doing, what are your constraints, and how can we help. Right? Cause there may be some things from a.....from a city standpoint that they're.... they get stuck because they're (mumbled) and you guys can partner together and make more things happen together. So that .... (both talking) Thomas/ I'm seeing that .... in some of these reflect that. The ... the way of solving these difficult problems are through networking, and so in that sense I think we're obligated to be part of that network. What role we precisely play would be determined, but to at least articulate the fact that we are part of the solution and we need to work with these other entities at .... arriving at it, but we are part of (mumbled) Smock/ So I think we have a version of some wordsmithing, and we started this discussion, um, Kingsley, you (mumbled) very specific like your vision of the components and (mumbled) context, right? Botchway/ Yeah, it was to provide justification for why I (both talking) Smock/ ....support that, but I .... but I think that, I think in this one, when you look at ... if you just read F, and I think I heard G can sort of roll up into F because the intention and purpose are sort of the same. Maybe it's kinda one thing. Um.....before we leave this one, how much.....back to that what's the vision and what are the .... what are your requirements, and separating those two discussions. Um, how much detail do you need to put in this? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 23 Is it okay to say we're gonna find partnerships and we're gonna do the best we can so that I know who to ... to have, you know, my friend that just .... my friend that I met yesterday calls I know what to do with them. Is the verb to create networks when we're doing things or are there some things you want to put in the plan that are a little more specific so that you know you got there. Um, where .... where are you at with this? Throgmorton/ If we wanted to we could end that sentence about, the one that I tossed out. Smock/ Uh huh. Throgmorton/ We could end it and (mumbled, laughs) and then say this might include... and list two, three, four very precise, short.....indicators about what might be considered. I mean that's one way to (both talking) Smock/ Yeah. What do you .... what are your thoughts about that? Botchway/ I'm comfortable with this language, I mean for me, the ... the buzz words are provide access, low-income (both talking) Smock/ Disadvantaged. Botchway/ I mean, we're gonna I mean I think there's some wordsmith .... wordsmithing that can happen, but also (mumbled) that's the spirit of what I was tryin' to get at. I just used different language and so.... Smock. So and then as a litmus test, fast forward two years, staff brings your list of here's everything we've accomplished, and there's eight things on there that accomplish that, you guys are good? (several responding) Yep? Okay. You were gonna say something? (several talking) Okay. If you twitch around here, I'm gonna call on you (laughter) You might buy yourself a broken down microwave. It's the second time I've sold one today. Somebody twitched in a presentation I was doing this morning and I'm like `sold!' (laughter) (unable to hear) great auctioneer! Okay! Um .... we made it to the bottom of number one. For what's documented. Um .... I think, Ashley, I'm gonna come back to you (mumbled) look at the full version. Is there anything that .... this is always the most nervous part, cause I'm gonna open the floor for what are we missing, cause I know we're trying to make the list short. But I also don't wanna.....stop, right? Cole/ I'm wondering if we can get through all seven first. Smock/ And then come back? Cole/ (both talking) Smock/ Perfect! I love that idea actually. I think that would work. Great suggestion! Okay. Um, what was the other thing I wanted to say about this? So that's seven. We're not gonna add until the end, I love that. Um ...... okay. So we're gonna go to ..... number This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 24 three. Foster healthy neighborhoods throughout the city. Number three has a lot of letters under it. We're gonna go one, three, seven, is that okay? One, three, seven, and I think three's, um, a good .... I'm just gonna check in with you on time. Do you guys .... it's 2:18. Need a .... let's try to get through three and then we'll see if we take a break at 3:00. That'll be the goal, okay? All right. So foster healthy neighborhoods throughout the city, improve the affordable housing action plan by identifying ways in which we can improve the affordability of rental housing in Iowa City. (mumbled) rental housing and affordability, affordable housing (both talking) Salih/ I just want to pass this around for everyone. Frain/ As that's comin' around, I tried to group the like items together, so really A through E are dealing with (noises, difficult to hear speaker) affordable housing. Smock/ Okay. So we have persuade citywide inclusionary zoning, accelerate our affordable housing action plan, address the housing needs of students — thank you — pursue the use of land banking funds. Those are all sort of in that bucket of affordable housing. What are the comments or thoughts? Mims/ I could start out .... with I think it was in our last info packet, we had the results of the housing study, and there's lots of suggestions, possibilities in there from public, private, hybrid opportunities and .... I think until we see the reaction to that, um, from the University and .... cause they were a part of that (mumbled) recall Coralville, Iowa City, and the University were part of that study, um, that study, you know, delineates some... some options for the University that we don't know exactly how they're gonna respond to that and what they might do. Um ..... their response could have a (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) potentially have a huge impact on a lot of these things, and so.....1 think we just, I guess I would just say I think we need to really keep that in mind as.....as we think about what some of these items are and how we might want to start before we know what their response is going to be. Throgmorton/ I would agree completely with that, Susan. When I first saw the .... when I saw the first draft of that housing plan, I thought, `Wow! If the University does (unable to understand) that could greatly increase the supply of housing, have a dramatic effect on rental housing market in Iowa City, and therefore, when we think on rents and therefore on the overall affordability of rental housing in Iowa City. So I think that's crucial. So that's the main reason I .... I came up with this specific language for this first item anyhow. And that's why .... but I think there are elements that should be included with that or attached to it, and one really has to do with cost burdened households, which is what our affordable housing action plan currently focuses on, for good reason. Uh, but I just wanted to affirm a lot of what you said, Susan. Botchway/ Jim, I'm confused. Which one are you (mumbled) (several talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 25 Throgmorton/ I'm sorry! Yeah, it...it says (several talking) improve our affordable housing action plan by identifying ways in which we (unable to understand) (several talking) rental housing in Iowa City (several talking) Botchway/ So kind of to Jim and .... maybe even Susan's point, I would agree, you know, the information (unable to understand) at least, um, and I .... I think I added here accelerate affordable housing action plan and identify metrics. To me I .... I do think, when I think of the, I mean, I think about the word `improve' disencapsulates what I'm .... what I'm focused on as far as acceleration. There's some other, uh, things that I have listed out here (mumbled) regards to our (mumbled) policy, our tax abatement, I think all come under that, and so.....I'm actually comfortable with A through E being that. Smock/ Being A, being (both talking) Botchway/ Being just A. I mean I don't want to speak for everybody else cause I know everybody else has theirs, but my point is is that.... there's some details that I have articulated in my current plan, even the increase the affordable housing that Mazahir .... Mazahir had mentioned at the last, um, the last meeting for budget considerations that I'll be bringin' up later on, but for me I just .... from a broad sense I think that incorporates what Jim was just talking about also the additional points. Smock/ Do you want to share any context for the document you handed around (both talking) Salih/ You know sometime I really feel like I'm confused. I don't know when I should talk or not or (several talking) yeah, and uh.....(several talking and laughing) No, no, I mean just like, uh, I know that I said I want to (unable to understand) time to talk about it. If not I really don't understand it, you know? Because I don't (both talking) Throgmorton /I think this would be the appropriate time, for that (both talking) which is about increasing the current budget, from 650 to.... Salih/ One million. Throgmorton/ Your suggestion was to one million? Yeah, so, uh, so that makes ..... that would be, I don't know, A through F, plus your suggestion. Salih/ Yes. I really have two suggestion on that. First we (unable to understand) fund to one million, and the second one, to set a clear goal for our affordable housing, um, you know (unable to understand) and achievable goal for the provision of affordable housing in Iowa City (unable to understand) I'm just like proposing some language (unable to understand) Fruin/ I think just so everybody's on the same page and so I can explain why that million dollar proposal's not in here. This is .... I had that slated for the budget deci.... for the discussion, not the strategic planning. It's okay to talk about it here, but that's why it This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 26 doesn't show up here. It's still on the table for budget and then this language, I think you're referring, uh, it's says `from,' that's the current strategic plan language. Salih/ Uh huh. Fruin/ So you're not gonna see that (unable to understand) you're not gonna find that in the memo. Salih/ Uh huh. Fruin/ Just so everybody's (both talking) Salih/ Okay, yeah, I (unable to understand) Smock/ It's good! Bring it up! (several talking) Salih/ (unable to understand) That's my suggestion (unable to understand) because I, you know (unable to understand) I know there is .... this is (unable to understand) and I think we really need to have, um, you know, more (unable to understand) rental assistant or anything (unable to understand) Smock/ So when you talk about those (both talking) those things, is it .... so one of the things that makes these discussions so tough (unable to understand) exactly where you're supposed to be is you have to go between very specific details back to higher strategies. So when you think about things you just listed, is it ... would they be .... if there was a strategy that said we are going to improve upon the affordable housing action plan, and identify ways in which we can improve the affordability of rental housing. That's an umbrella statement. Would the things you're talking about be covered under that? Like would.... is that at high level what you're trying to accomplish with the things you just listed? If we did that and we came back in two years and we had accomplished your things, would you feel like we've done what we committed to do in the strat plan, high level vision of where we wanna go. Those are examples of things we do or not. Salih/ I really don't know. Smock/ You really don't know? Okay. Sometimes (several talking) think.... Cole/ Along those lines, um, I gotta tell you I am really impressed with the proposal that we got from the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, which contains a lot of detail and it was an email from Sara Barron. And I'm not saying we should put all this in the afforda...or in our strategic plan. Smock/ Right! Cole/ Um .... but I like language that would be.....consider and review whether we should implement the recommendations of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 27 So we're not saying which ones we would adopt today, um .... but to me that gives us a framework for the staff, you know, tomorrow if we're able to get this adopted, would be able to meet with the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, and then start going through those recommendations and then making recommendations back to us as to what they feel is feasible and what's not, because.....as I look at this proposal, it seems sort of like a very vetted proposal. Um, that would be my thoughts. We get the detail plus the overarching strategic plan goal. Smock/ Okay. Botchway/ Here's.... here's what I was thinking in regards to not only that .... not only Mazahir's proposal but also some additional (mumbled) to that proposal is that I think this is a work session item for me, to clearly articulate (mumbled) staff to carry out (mumbled) affordable action plan. Um, you know, ultimately we need to improve it, um, I like the word `identify' because it speaks to the measurable piece that I think is discussed in... this, um, recommended change from Mazahir, but you know.... there's like six different, I mean, pursue city-wide inclusionary zoning, address housing needs of students, pursue use of land banking funds with the goal of creating (mumbled) units. All those are, I'm very supportive of and want to be introduced into the plan. I just don't necessarily know if that's a strategic plan item. Including all the things that were brought up from the Johnson County Housing Coalition. Throgmorton/ I can say I haven't seen this until just now, literally. So .... I don't know what's in it. Yeah, so .... beyond that, I'm sure there's lots of good stuff in it but I haven't had a chance to read it. But to get .... another, couple ideas into the mix, the first thing we need to do, I believe, is complete the remaining strategies in our current affordable housing action plan. I think there are three actions (unable to understand) one has to do with, uh, inclusionary zoning for voluntary annexations, and there are a couple others. (several talking) Yeah, so .... let's complete them, and the second is, in my view anyhow is that... the point about identifying ways to improve the overall affordability of housing, and that gets to in large part increasing the supply of. ... of good rental housing. And then I would think, well ... and then .... and then there are lots of other detail items. May .... maybe there ....they can be put into a one category called something like `consider' or `examine carefully' the possibility of, I mean, language kind of like that. (several talking) Uh, so maybe that could apply to what the Coalition has provided us with. And I .... I'd be happy to do that. I wouldn't want to say right now `do what the Affordable Housing Coalition,' .....(both talking) Cole/ Yeah, no (both talking) but I think they look good to start. Taylor/ Do .... do we have to limit it to .... to just (mumbled) single-family homes (several talking) that perhaps would like to have the value of owning a home (several talking) Smock/ So .... go ahead! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 28 Mims/ I was just gonna .... I think the idea of combining a bunch of these into A with that general language gives us that opportunity, one, to have (unable to understand) how quickly, or not, the University's gonna respond to that housing study, cause that could have huge impact on decisions that we might make. Um, gives us the opportunity to try and finish the stuff, as you mentioned, Jim, that we haven't done yet. Uh, time to actually consider what's in the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition's document. I'm .... personally extremely concerned about disparity between the request of Iowa City and Coralville and nothing from North Liberty. Um, but we can look at that and consider it. As .... as I've indicated before, I, you know, I'm not ready to go with the million dollars and I've explained that oft.... explained again at budget, when we were talking budget, but I think back .... again, back to .... to Courtney's comment about a lot of these are very detailed and some of Maz's suggestions are very detailed, and trying to bring this back to .... a little higher level strategic statement where a lot of these things, um, we can ... we certainly can and will I'm sure talk about in more detail later on in terms of how do we wanna.... how do we warm successfully complete these items within the strategic plan. Fruin/ If I could take one quick second and just remind folks how .... how the first plan came about and the process that we used there. So two years ago when this conversation was happening, it came out of it that we were going to create an affordable, uh, housing action plan, and there was a lot of input from people at the time on what should be in there, what shouldn't be in there. Staff worked to put together a list of a dozen or so strategies, uh, we .... we presented that to Council at a work session. Um, there was feedback, uh, a lot of support, but there was a lot of, well what about this and what about that. Did you consider this? Did you consider that? And so I think we presented to Council in June of that particular year, and the Council didn't actually adopt that plan till maybe September of 2016, I believe it was, and .... and during that time we had a, you know, public meeting, uh, that people could attend. We met with the, uh, Affordable Homes Coalition. We met with other stakeholders. We tweaked our plan a little bit. There were some things that those, um, organizations advocated for that ultimately staff didn't agree with and we had to stand before the Council and the public and say this is why we don't agree with this. Um, but it was a pretty good process that.... created a first plan. Now, I .... I would tell you it's time to probably redo that (unable to understand) remaining items and two of those items, the tax abatement committee and the annexation policy, are .... are ready to go, uh, really. I think the tax abatement committee, excuse me, needs to meet one more time. The annexation policy, urn .... uh, is .... is ready to be scheduled for a work session. Um, I've got a final review on .... on my desk but Eleanor and other staff have put that together. So, we're pretty close. The regulatory piece is still hangin' out there, uh, so I would suggest to just follow that same .... same process. We'll gladly meet with the Affordable Homes Coalition while we're drafting that to discuss some of these things. We present `em to you. We get public feedback, and we'll do, uh, you know an affordable housing action plan 2.0. Cole/ Yeah (mumbled) just say complete existing plan as approved, affordable housing action plan. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 29 Throgmorton/ Pretty much what we wanna do. Botchway/ Yes, so I would agree with that change in language, but I also wanna. ... highlight Pauline's point (mumbled) something that adds to not only rental housing but other housing as well. Smock/ So A says affordable housing action plan. It doesn't just say rentals. So does that meet the need if it just says affordable housing? Botchway/ Oh, sorry! I keep looking (several talking) Cole/ There was the rental, affordability of rental (both talking) Smock/ There are some sub -bullets that talk about rental, I think. That A just says affordable housing action plan. (several talking) ....doesn't say rental in that A. (several talking) Oh! You guys are saying the first part, improve the affordable housing action plan using complete and approve. Cole/ Yeah (several talking) Smock/ And then.....you want the word rental removed from housing in the bottom part? (several talking) Cole/ Including rental and owner -occupied (several talking) Botchway/ Affordability of housing in Iowa City. Smock/ It's redundant. But yep. Okay. Isn't it so hard not to wordsmith? Cause you don't wanna (several talking) So .... from A to .... did we go to E? Or F? Throgmorton/ E. (several responding) Smock/ E? Throgmorton/ So I .... before we jump off the affordable housing point, I'd like to emphasize (mumbled) In our past .... in our past strategic plan, the affordable housing piece appeared as one element in the social justice and racial equity part, and it was kind of down the bottom of the list. It almost disappeared, literally, to anybody who would read the document. I think we want to put a lot more weight on it. So.....as.... as a matter of sort of, uh, strategic prioriti .... prioritization, I'd think we'd want to have this at the top, just to be clear, at the top of the list, uh, under this category. Mims/ I guess my only comment to that, Jim, would be maybe in reading the strategic plan it fell off, but certainly in terms of the effort and activity we've done (both talking) Throgmorton/ Yeah, absolutely (both talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 30 Mims/ ...not fallen off. Throgmorton/ (both talking) Monroe/ To clarify, it'll say in the healthy neighborhoods category or in the social justice.... initiative? Throgmorton/ I think it's a more a matter of social justice myself. I, but I, like Geoff said earlier on, I don't think it matters too much, as long as it's there (mumbled) Mims/ Do organizations ever put that same kind of a bullet under two high level categories, because it....I mean (several talking) Smock/ I mean.... Mims/ It really affects our neighborhood but it really is social justice and racial equity, and to drive that point home, I mean .... I mean (both talking) Smock/ From a (mumbled) standpoint, I can't answer that without saying like what your (mumbled) and I don't want to do that to you, but .... they're separate things, right? You need to plan, and I think you guys are being very awesome about saying we don't care where it goes from a planning standpoint. It's a separate discussion. Decide how you communicate it, and I think there you'd want to highlight, cause when you do the communication you're not just gonna put the list of your strat plan. You're gonna share your stories about that. And those should be everywhere you can tell those stories, right, so you can demonstrate you're doing what you're doing, absolutely should repeat. There's only so much truth. Does that answer your question? Salih/ I guess what I'm say I really, you know (unable to understand) I would really like to see that affordable housing not under (unable to understand) like a section by itself, like (unable to understand) and you know (unable to understand) because.... so we can do like a lot of like (unable to understand) and we can add the (unable to understand) you know (unable to understand) Smock/ Speaks to Geoff's point a little bit too like if it's a headline piece for you guys .... so .... so let's keep that sort of noodling, right, as we get through this and you come back and say is it seven, did something change, um.... Thomas/ I think what you were saying can we communicate this, if we're not changing the structure of it, which is dif.... it does make it difficult to .... I.....I'm really interested in transportation. As I said there's no obvious category for that, but I do think how do we now communicate what we prioritized in the .... in the strategic plan can be another project, right, I mean if...where we talk about specifically affordable housing, as a separate communication. Does that make sense? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 31 Smock/ And you should ... you should engineer your communication, right? So you have a plan that's.... that's linear and it's numbered and it's whatever. When you do your communicating, you wanna start thinking about who needs to hear a message where and reverse engineer it back to your strat plan. So you will .... if you have a transportation discussion, you wanna do the planning to say, okay, someone asked me about transportation, what's my story? (unable to understand) back to the strat plan in a way that makes sense. If they have a question about housing, what's my .... and it should be very clear from.....you guys are doing.....three-dimensional work in the list. Does that make sense? So you have to know like these are the pieces and how do they fit, and if it's not clear to you guys how things fit, we need to work on the strat plan. All right, if you can't find a really simple connection to the work that you're bein' asked about the most, then we need to work on this, right? It shouldn't be a plinko board (mumbled) should be pretty clear. Doesn't mean you have to ... it doesn't have to be so simple that you have a line for everything and therefore it's there, but it....it shouldn't be so complicated you can't work your way back to what you're trying to find either, and that's the sweet spot we're trying to find, and it's not a perfect science to get there. Okay? Cole/ To Geoff and Kingsley's point, I mean, as I view this process, we'll have these goals. Staff will develop a set of details. Bring it to us in a work session. Hopefully we'll be able to add some of those additional details. So I think to your concern, Mazahir, that's my concern too, is we wanna make sure that we have enough clarity that we know what we're going to get at the end of two years. Salih/ Exactly! Cole/ So hopefully we can get that at a work session. Salih/ Yep. Smock/ And I think that.....and I think for today, some of those extra comments or keeping the asterisks (mumbled) I think that's important, because if we lose that context, you may get to a place and say well we agreed to this high level thing and the movie playing in my head and the movie playing in your.... they're all different things and everybody's mad cause nobody thinks they got what they wanted. We don't want that either. All right, so we just have to keep talking about it and using those examples. Okay, so to summarize where we are on that, you're gonna keep A. We're going to take B, C, D, E, and F not away but maybe .... maybe (mumbled) different thing, but maybe they kind of become asterisks like they're things we're considering that staff should be thinking about. Um, and then there's a work session to get into the details and agree to the requirements of what goes in that plan. Is that what I'm hearing? Mims/ Yeah, I think it's more even complicated .... I.....I would say it's more than just a work session. It's staff really putting together action.... affordable housing action plan 2.0 with a lot of public input, probably multiple, uh, Council work sessions. We have a 15 -point affordable housing action plan, um, that we're working our way through and a couple of these .... the inclusionary zoning, B, is already in the current one, right? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 32 Botchway/ Yeah, so it would be more (both talking) Mims/ So it's .... I think it's gonna be staff working on updating that affordable action..... affordable housing action plan (laughs) as to how these, uh, B through E kind of get ....implemented or a work.... folded in there. Does that make sense to everybody else? Salih/ It doesn't make sense tome really. I just would like (unable to understand) don't understand anything. That's why I always keep asking questions. That, you know that the (unable to understand) Smock/ Uh huh. Salih/ Is that just like now you have .... this is like (unable to understand) after that, everything that (unable to understand) Botchway/ Yes. Salih/ How (several responding) you know because I don't feel .... I don't wanna feel like I .... I didn't get including on this, uh, discussion, and this is gonna be a work session (unable to understand) or .... (several talking) Smock/ Geoff, do you want to explain (several talking) Fruin/ So our goal today is if we can get through all of these seven topics, that's good and we start to narrow the focus and just continue down the process. And then we'll have a work session in which we review that and .... and you'll be able to wordsmith, add to, subtract. We'll do as many of those as you all want. Our hope is then that you adopt the plan by resolution, sometime in March, but it could go as long as you need it to, until you're comfortable with the plan, and then one thing I'd like to do that we didn't do last, uh, with the last three strategic plans is maybe a .... a month or two after you adopt that plan, staff would come back to you with this is how we're gonna implement it. This is the timeline for each of the items you set out. This is the role that Council needs to play, in terms of setting policy, providing direction, uh, giving budget authority, and this is the role that staff needs to play. Hire a consultant, developing the recommendations, whatever it.....creating the rehab program, whatever it is, and it would be very clear to the Council and to the public that this is the anticipated timeline. That then becomes part of our update. We let you know as we're goin' down the update process, are we still on track with this timeline? Are we ahead of schedule? Are we behind schedule? Here's why we're behind schedule. So I think that clarity, uh, will come. For today I think we're highlighting those big, broad based areas. So for example, since we got through item one already, promote a strong, resilient economy, it's tra... it's public transportation, it's local foods, and it's disadvantaged populations. Now everyone fostered healthy neighborhoods. It's affordable housing. It's complete neighborhoods with strong parks, and it's .... safe streets. You know, the.... obviously getting ahead of myself, but that's I This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 33 think the level we're at today. And then it gets refined a couple of times before it's adopted. Salih/ (unable to understand) Botchway/ The details help because I think it provides information for Geoff and everyone else, kind of (several talking) how we're gonna move forward. So I think you need to bring it up, and I think it's important that you shared this information. I'm just saying (both talking) Salih/ (unable to understand) (several talking) (unable to understand) ...timeframe now. Smock/ So I think ... and this is the part we're gonna have to vacillate to the details and back up. So if you take it completely out of what you all are trying to do, like if you were gonna build a house, right, you'd come to somebody and say I want to build a house. That's.... that's the only level. We need a house, but the fact that in the early conversations we know that you have four children and you want to have a two -stall garage, like some of that stuff, we're gonna have to come back and actually build you a blueprint that shows you ... to get your house, but to understand even at the beginning some of your ideas about that house is gonna look like help, right, so if we just said it's just a house and we didn't have any of the details brought up, they might bring you a .... a blueprint for a .... a one - bedroom. And you'd be like, well why, you know, so we'll get into it. We'll get it right. They're taking all these different inputs to come back with a blueprint (laughs) we hope works, knowing that y'all are going to say, no, I was expecting a bay window and give me a pool or whatever, right? But it's just .... we gotta wiggle our way there, bouncing back and forth between the high and the low. You're fine! Don't... it's good! Cole/ A lot of the things that Susan had brought up two years ago is that I think frankly we did the same thing in terms of wanting the details in the strategic plan, and then we did that and we had a lot of details, but the question is at the strategic plan level, if we have so many of the details, do we lose the focus. So it's not that the details won't happen. It's just where do they happen, and so I think like Geoffs saying, it's at the implementation stage that we have the details. (several talking) Smock/ Ironically if you (both talking) Cole/ We did the same thing. Smock/ Yeah. Cole/ And I think Susan brought up some valid points about having too many. Smock/ Ironically if you try to get it .... it's counterintuitive, but if you get too detailed too early, you're gonna constrain yourself, to get the best things to happen. Right? So if you say it has to include whatever, Sunday bus, and that becomes a requirement, now you gotta (mumbled) around that. Or if you pull that back, pull it off (mumbled) everything that's This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 34 here, what's possible, and they can bring you that. Right? It's counterintuitive but that's how it works. Thomas/ One .... one thing, Maza, I wanted to say about, you know, raising the fund from 650 to a million, was it ... what it raised in my mind was we need a secure funding source. You know right now it's .... there isn't anything really to my knowledge earmarked, where we know that we're going to have whatever we want that number to be, you know, year in and year out. So .... so that was a question in my mind is ... you know, identify `em. How do we securely fund on an annual basis whatever level of funding we want to achieve. Salih/ I said last time, you know, I go to the City Manager and he said we can very comfortably from the reserve, and after that I said this could be a trial for the first year and it is really working and we need to secure the fund for next time, we will look into other resources to find out how we can secure this. But I (unable to understand) first year for that and (unable to understand) from the (unable to understand) Smock/ And this is a budget discussion (several talking) previous Council meeting? Yeah. Thomas/ So that bigger question, which Geoff spoke to, you know, how .... how can we more securely fund without drawing on our reserves. Salih/ Well (unable to understand) even when I propose the idea he says to take it from the reserve. Thomas/ Yeah. Salih/ I give him an option for something else, but he is the one who come and said (unable to understand) because you know our position is okay, you know, we can do that. Smock/ So that's a budg.... that's a budget discussion, right, that will follow (both talking) Tbrogmorton/ Yeah, we will talk about that. Botchway/ Well again just to (unable to understand) I think that the problem with this is (unable to understand) but I also think that again, kind of to your point, Mazahir, if we didn't think that improving... or improving the affordable action plan was important to incorporate all the items (mumbled) have a list of items here that I'm interested in making sure (mumbled) as well. Then I think that it does change the conversation later on down the road, and so if it was just complete the rest of the affordable housing action plan, then I wouldn't say that it incorporates your points or some of the other things, and so I do think it's important that you bring your points up, in thinking about how we (mumbled) it's just, again, complete strategic ... or affordable action plan, without the thought of approving some of the elements that you brought forth, some of the elements that I'm interested in bringing forth, then we're not really articulating that in (unable to understand) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 35 Salih/ Yes, I (unable to understand) that this is (unable to understand) sometime I don't understand exactly what you guys mean. (unable to understand) Throgmorton/ Maz.... my recollection is during that work session discussion we said that with regard to the .... the question of increasing the amount of money that would go into the affordable housing action plan, we said we would discuss that in the budget session. You know, later on we would decide that as a part of the budget, but with regard to the idea of, uh, doing.... increasing the, uh, the minimum wage for temporary employees, that (mumbled) I think we explicitly said it's something we would bring up during our strategic plan discussion. Salih/ (unable to understand) does not have to be now (unable to understand) Throgmorton/ From the affordable housing funding? Salih/ Uh huh. Throgmorton/ Yeah, that.....that's part of our budget discussion. Fruin/ That'll be February 6a', a week from today you all will pick up your budget discussion. That's the 4:30 meeting. Throgmorton/ Yeah, so your proposal with regard to the budget is still on the table. You're proposing increasing to a million dollars. Yeah, and so we will make that decision when we have that next budget discussion. (both talking) ...with regard to minimum wage, we'll (both talking) Salih/ ...because I start talking about it now (unable to understand) no one talk about, nobody (unable to understand) I saying something here and no one respond to it. Thomas/ It's confusing. (several talking and laughing) Smock/ Certain conversations for certain meetings, right? Okay. Okay, so.....there is a budget component that's going to be talked about February Oh. We are good with A being the summary line for A through E, and we're ready to talk about .... is it, is there another bucket of things here, Geoff (both talking) Throgmorton/ F and G (several talking) Smock/ F and G go together? Okay. What do we think about F and.....letter G? Taylor/ I had .... one of my priorities is missing middle, or encouraging missing middle development so, uh (unable to hear) do whatever we can and we brought a consultant in. He spoke (unable to hear) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 36 Throgmorton/ With regard to F, let me be clear about what that is saying. Uh, y'all know that we've had a consultant, uh, do a preliminary analysis for the form based code concerning two separate neighborhoods in the city. We've learned that will be .... very expensive, and that same consultant tried to produce a code for both of those neighborhoods in one fiscal year. Very expensive. So what I was tryin' to do with this language is just say we want to adopt .... my ..... my suggestion language is we want to adopt form based code for at least one, at least one of those neighborhoods in the next two years, preferably two. But it's kinda, you know, implicitly acknowledging there's this budgetary (both talking) Smock/ Constraint, uh huh. Thomas/ That's probably the right level (mumbled) for this. I mean G, which is one I put in there as sort of a sub -set under F, um, but I .... I, you know, in hearing about budget concerns, you know, the idea of looking elsewhere, and certainly, you know, Opticos is expensive, uh, but they're .... one thought I had was .... uh, could we do a .... a form based code light is the way I put it. You know, there may, you know, the Northside, what ... what are the, what's the potential for the Northside in terms of form based code? Is there a way we can.....approach it in a way where it isn't quite as fully fledged as a full form based code but.... it's, you're teaching in terms of, um, addressing some of the opportunities that arise, such as the empty lot on Van Buren. I'd love to see that developed and the house that we purchased on, um, Ronalds. You know, there are a couple of opportunities where at a minimum I would hope we could build a duplex, or at least have that as an option, which we don't have right now. Um, so if there's some way we can try to .... to, uh, optimize our funds with both I think, you know, that's what I would like to see, and I think that's kind of implicit in a way in which you're ... what you said. Cole/ (unable to hear) Thomas/ Yeah. G is .... as we, I think we're finding (mumbled) I sometimes view the strategic plan as a way of saying things that I've been thinking about. It's really not, um, at the level of strategic planning, but it is sort of an action item that would fall under strategic planning and maybe an opportunity to tie the two together. Smock/ Yeah, and helpful context I think (mumbled) It's a way of saying what you mean and making sure it's getting heard by everyone. Good. Okay, so the .... any suggested changes to F, with .... with Jim's additional context. Is that a yes? Is that a no? Is that a maybe with some edits? Where we at with F? Botchway/ I mean I feel comfortable. I think the only thing I was thinking of was actually what you just mentioned, John, around if we did do a form based code light, could there be the possibility that it would indeed ... or I guess it's at least one. Never mind. (mumbled) Smock/ Okay. And then we would take G out, but keep the context for... detail. Okay? So just like, go ahead! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 37 Botchway/ (both talking) I was going to probably say whatever you're about to say after.... Smock/ I was about to say that just like in real life, um, codes are easier than affordable housing. (several talking and laughing) What were you going to say? (laughs) Botchway/ I was going to make a suggestion, if we had a .... if everybody's had an opportunity to go through H through.....L, and I just had, you know, and this is kind of doing it on the fly, something about making meaningful progress on bike and park master plan, with ensuring something about equity. Smock/ Hmm. So you're suggesting we write a new A, like the summarizing goal for ... he's saying H through K. You guys wanna kind of skim through those. Throgmorton/ I ... I would agree with that, Kingsley. Yeah. Mims/ Didn't the Parks master plan already in their implementation try, I mean, address the equity in terms of the (several talking) Thomas/ It does but it's not in our .... if you look at the Park master plan, which lays out, you know, over the next X number of years, um, it's ... it's not clear to me that it's been... some of these issues have been integrated into that implementation. (several talking) Mims/ I'd have to go (both talking) Botchway/ ...so I'm kind of saying yes and no, cause I think that that was articulated but I think John brought it up in that conversation that there were additional items that he wanted to talk about in relation to kind of ...what's on here, equitable distribution of parks and other things. That's why I wanted to tie it into (several talking) just to make sure (several talking) Thomas/ ....again, that's a very detailed thing, but it actually became a very charged issue in the schools, and uh, so it seemed to me one compromised approach toward providing rubberized surfacing, which is I would say a better .... it's more accessible than what we typically do. Uh, a compromised approach would be identifying locations where that could be done, without going (both talking) Mims/ Yeah, I mean to me before I even would agree to that language and consider a plan for it, I .... I want more detail, because one thing I recall at the Council meeting was the huge cost differential in (both talking) and so I don't care if we didn't have any financial constraints, is that surface that much better and that much safer than it is worth spending that extra money? I'm not saying it is, I'm not saying it isn't. But ... I want more of that information before I would agree to a statement that basically says, `This is what we think we should do. We've got to find a plan to do it.' (several talking) Cole/ ....seems like we're jumping ahead. Were we at H or do we want to (several talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 38 Smock/ H, I, J, and K (several talking) Cole/ ....facilitator lead where we go. Smock/ Yep! So I think that .... so back to the first one, H, I, J, and K are ones ... like they're in order on purpose together because they are about bicycles, parks, um .... (several talking) sorry, and L. Okay? So we can talk about them individually, the recommendation is .... how about I'll read them. The recommendation is that can we find a summarizing higher level strategic summary statement that would allow us that direction, on what we want out of bicycles and parks and it sounds like access, right, equal access. Um.... Throgmorton/ I think H and J can be combined to accomplish what Kingsley was suggesting. Smock/ Okay. Throgmorton/ Which I would support. Smock/ Okay, so ensure the next two budget contains sufficient funds to make meaningful progress and achieving the goals of the plan, and J, I'll just go to that one, review the equity gaps (mumbled) Parks plan and discuss options to address. Cole/ That sounds good to me. Frain/ (several talking) Can I clarify one point? John, on the ... on the equity issue in the Parks master plan are you talking about the, uh, acquisition of land, to serve under -served parts of the community? Or are you talking about equity in a different context? Thomas/ The .... the equity gaps in the plan were in three areas. Pheasant Ridge, uh, Miller Orchard, and what's quite to clear to me from the map, roughly Twain, Twain neighborhood. Frain/ So ... but .... but just where people are maybe outside of a distance to walk, being able to walk (both talking) Thomas/ ...no parkland within easy access. Frain /Correct. Thomas/ ....and, um, you know, the plan called for .... they recommended (mumbled) options, not all of `em required land acquisition. So.... Smock/ Okay. So the .... the recommendation, wordsmithing later (mumbled) combine H and J. Okay? And then .... K, equitable distribution of destination parks in easy and safe distance. (mumbled) residents we were just talking about, John? Thomas/ Uh huh. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 39 Smock/ Okay. So is that a detailed sublet of the combined H and J? Thomas/ That could fall under J. Smock/ Under J. Okay. Anybody have a concern with that? Thomas/ As can L really. Smock/ And L, consider a plan, and to your point, Susan, maybe that's pretty specific right now. So, okay. What I'm hearing .... I don't know, what I'm hearing is we can combine, um, H and J into one, and then asterisk K and L. So we keep the context but we don't put `em in the strat plan. Is everybody there? Okay. All right, let's look at M, consider the adoption of a safe streets action plan. Comments or questions about that one? Thomas/ Well that was one that I .... I proposed, and you know you've heard from me on that one, um, and (mumbled) the Blue Zones report from four years ago and the resolution spoke about .... the City developing a streets... guidelines, manual, and pedestrian plan, number of things, uh, which didn't materialize, and at this point, in a way maybe it's good that they didn't materialize, because I'm beginning to feel as we are seeing, we're developing action plans for climate or our bike and parks master plan. So in some ways the ... this plan, which would call for making our streets safer, um, by way of an action plan, seems to be from .... from what I can tell, the most cost effective and, um, effective way of addressing our safe streets, which I'm seeing as .... as Rockne said, they're, it's an issue all over town. Kind of filters into our conversations, uh, land use as well as other things, um ..... whether it needs to be reworded so it's a little bit more generic, um, but ... is a question, but I think.... you know, if it doesn't include a safe streets action plan, uh, I .... I don't know what the remedy would be. So.... Cole/ One remedy that I would see. I look at the M versus the L, and it seems like staff thinks N is, um, much easier, um, to implement. M means it's medium level to implement and although this would be at the budget discussion, I remember a price tag of 100,000 bucks they were looking at for that. So I guess I would prefer giving the staff, since it's easy to implement, easier, that we strike now and focus on N, develop a policy for a 20 -mile -an - hour slow streets initiative in select neighborhoods. Staff thinks that's doable. Once that's done we could expand (unable to understand) neighborhoods. Fruin/ I think naturally if you did M, N would.... the.... the 20 -mile -per -hour recommendation would likely be a part of whatever the study produced. So you will get .... the action plan would be much more comprehensive, in terms of how it evaluates safety, and again, N would be a very specific action that (mumbled) targeted in certain (mumbled) Thomas/ M .... M is looking at the main thoroughfares. N is looking at within a neighborhood. Calming the .... managing traffic (mumbled) kind of complementary. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 40 Smock/ And there's more things involved in making your streets safe than how fast people are going, right? So.... Thomas/ One of the, uh, in terms of process, what .... what really appeals to me, and again as I think reflected in our climate, parks, and uh, bike master plans, it's a network. It's bringing.... bringing to the process, uh, a whole range of people who are affected by whatever the issue is. Uh, and I .... I do think we need a public conversation about safe streets. I'm just running into that, um, living ... what seems like increasing frequency. So I think it's an opportunity for the community as a whole, represented by this group, to, um, participate and... and coming up with a plan to address it. Mims/ I'm with Rockne on this. I ... I feel like we're talkin' strategic plan, not budget, but when we were talking about it, there was some... probably that $100,000, uh, price tag for a consultant. That, along with .... the long list from staff of what they've not only done but are in the middle of doing and, um, new Transit director and Transportation, that issue, urn .... and just the overloading of staff, I .... I really think this is something that we need to, I think we need to do, but I'm not ready to do it yet. I think we need to put it off a year or two. A good combination of the money and the staff capacity (mumbled) concerning to me. Throgmorton/ (mumbled) two years, uh, I see no reason why we couldn't, if we chose to, I don't (mumbled) couldn't initiate a safe streets action plan a year from now and get that process underway. Cause if not then we're really talkin' about three years from now probably. So .... you know, I .... I think there's merit to putting it into the .... into our strategic plan. Mainly because it has, uh, a key word — consider — you know, which doesn't mean we'll do it, cause we don't know enough or whether we want to do it or not. But I see merit in putting it in the strategic plan. Salih/ I agree (unable to hear) Frain/ The way that I would recommend that we would proceed on this, and I'm .... I'm okay with that ... that language, if that's what Council wants. Uh, but I would not go from where we're at to hiring a consultant right away. I ... I think we do have a wealth of data that we don't do a great job analyzing and talking about, and in the MPO we've seen maybe some of their reports where they list top 10 intersections and those sorts (coughing, unable to hear speaker) I think, urn, if we could spend a little bit more time analyzing the data, um, visualizing the data on maps and maybe allowing Council to have a .... a conversation, there may be a .... a few things like N that (mumbled) a few solutions that naturally surface, without having to go to a consultant. Um, and ... and you could kind of ease.....ease your way into this without feelin' like you have to write a $100,000 check to the effect that this is one where I don't know that you need to jump right into the consultant. I think we could, in this first year, spend some time analyzing the data, listen to them talk about it, and then you can make that consultant decision or .... you know, give staff (mumbled) ideas (mumbled) to improve. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 41 Cole/ Cause that changes my mind, cause I had sticker shock in terms of the consultant. So if (mumbled) support that. Froin/ Well I would say we have the existing expertise to analyze the data and help facilitate a discussion about it. (several talking) It depends on how aggressive you want to be, uh, in .... in moving forward, after we look at that data. Smock/ Any concerns with that? Additional (mumbled) Susan, you okay with that? Mims/ Well, I just .... I don't know, I guess, until we get all the pieces pulled together. Smock/ Okay. So we'll leave it for now, and then we'll look at it in (mumbled) Okay! All right, so that gets us through number 3. Okay? Um, we're gonna take a 10 -minute break just for energy. Only for Jim. The rest of you (several talking and laughing) Take a 10 - minute break, um.....and...... (mumbled) Number 7 when we get back, just in case you want to peek ahead. LE Smock/ Okay, so while you guys are finishing that, we have been through 1, we have been through 3, and we're movin' on to number 7! Phew! Number 7, advance social justice and racial equality. So we're gonna go right down the list. Is there any bucketing in this one or is it kinda one by one? Frain/ Line by line. Smock/ Line by line, okay. Identify specific ways in which we can increase lower-income residents access to good jobs. Throgmorton/ We already addressed that in another, under another category, with very similar language. Smock/ Yeah, in the community one .... no, in, uh.....(several talking) Yeah, we're at 7a. And we're looking at .... are we looking at 1f? Ish? (several talking) Monroe/ (difficult to hear, several talking in background) Smock/ So canwe look at If, g that we combined. So....increase opportunities for marginalized groups who participate and contribute to the economic development opportunities. Um, this one says identify specific ways in which you could increase lower-income residents access to good jobs. Do we feel like this one's redundant now? Have we captured or lost anything? Throgmorton/ It'd be nice if we wanted to duplicate it, as Susan suggested (difficult to hear) you know, have it here and .... in item, uh (mumbled) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 42 Smock/ So.... Throgmorton/ Priority 1 (mumbled) Smock/ ....for your strat plan ..... I might suggest you pick and stick, versus getting confused, cause every strat plan item's gonna have a bunch of actions under it, and doesn't have to be perfect, but you have to agree to it. I wouldn't .... I wouldn't duplicate it in the strat plan. I would duplicate it in your com plans. Okay? So if you .... if you like it better under equality, that's the .... and go back to what your purpose is, right? Why is it here? What does it stand for? What's it about? What's your why? If your why's .... in one more than the other, put it there. I don't know if you have a strong opinion about that. Throgmorton/ I think it's both, but I think it belongs more here than in .... there. (several talking) Yeah. Smock/ Social justice. Botchway/ The only reason I'll disagree actually.... kind of agree, the only reason I disagree in part is because (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) having it within the economic development strategic plan objective highlights it in a different way than it would be highlighted, um, with the advancing of social justice and racial equity piece. Um ... but I'm not .... I'm not gonna sit here and fight it. Smock/ Yeah. So when you guys think about, um, your strat plan are the high level actions you are taking to accomplish whatever bigger mission or purpose that this team has assembled to solve, right? So which one, and I think your point, Kingsley, is .... you know, it probably.... where's the head of the snake and maybe it's kinds hard to tell, you know, what ... what's driving what. Um ... but if it .... if it's an economic action, it should go under economy. If it's a ... if it's both, you might wanna, um, asterisk it or do something else, right, so it .... you expect the one action to make meaningful impact in two different areas. I think your story around `ems different, right? Botchway/ Well and to Jim's point, I'm actually.... actually think it's both, if you're asking me to choose, that was my comment, and I think (mumbled) asterisk standpoint, we could asterisk both or put `em in both and (both talking) Smock/ But it's one action. Right? Okay! Is that ... is that what you guys are most comfortable with is .... is having one action, but it's duplicated both places? (several responding) Okay. And .... so, um.....and are you guys good with the wording? Do you want the wording that's in 7a, or do you want the wording that we put on, uh, 1 f, is one better than the other? Botchway/ (unable to hear) Throgmorton/ (mumbled) .....we can read that? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 43 Monroe/ Yes (unable to hear) making a final note here. (several talking) Yeah. (several talking) Throgmorton/ Both of `em talk about access to good jobs (mumbled) Smock/ There's not a strong opinion either way? You want us just to wordsmith it later and keep `em together for now? (several responding) Okay. So, this software's really cool. She can just put the two notes together and (laughs) best words out of each and we'll show you a version of that later. Okay. All right, ready to go to B? Ensure staff safely and skillfully assist people in crisis, fulfill Iowa City's commitments to the CIT, Housing First, Behavioral Access Center relationships. Throgmorton/ (mumbled) (several talking and laughing) Taylor/ And all those are important. I .... I have it as a real high priority (unable to understand) and, uh (unable to understand) close with the County and the immigrant communities, uh, to ensure that if it becomes a reality (unable to understand) uh, all those things are important (mumbled) Throgmorton/ You know, given what, uh, what you said earlier about how we really ought to be focusing on strategic initiatives. Yeah, well this is a .... Behavioral Health Access is certainly something we are committed to and want to proceed with, and I know Susan's been serving on the, uh, advisory committee for it. So that's probably (mumbled) focused on. The staffs been doing a great job with the CIT training, makin' good progress I think on Housing First. So, yeah, so probably (both talking) Cole/ I'm just thinking of the exact same thing. This strikes me as one of those things that (mumbled) completely embedded and normalized, near universal consensus. So for (unable to understand) we could improve. I would just .... I would rather strike it. Smock/ And call it (unable to understand) as usual? Cole/ Yeah, I think it's business as usual, isn't it? Botchway/ Well.... Cole/ Seems like it (both talking) Botchway/ ....there's a part of me, and (mumbled) Pauline. Taylor/ Okay! Botchway/ ...that wants to.....you know, whose language is this? Jim, is this yours? It reads, Jim (laughter and several talking) (unable to understand) (laughter and several talking) Smock/ He's just gonna keep diggin' his hole! (laughter and several talking) Okay, we're listening, Kingsly, we're listening! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 44 Botchway/ I almost want to focus on this assisting people in crisis, um, because I think that it encapsulates the Behavioral Access Center, the Housing First, CIT, Invest Health, and so, you know, how do we articulate that, because that to me is a.....an indi.... that's more to me a strategic (mumbled) So, we will .... we will develop and.....ensure.... meaningful work related to assisting people in crisis. I mean, that's a terrible sentence, but something along those lines, to ensure that we keep all of what Jim's talking about, but also ... um, what Pauline was .... your work in Invest Health as well. (both talking) Smock/ ...or anything (both talking) Botchway/ ....articulating that signals to the community that this is an area of need and concern for City Council, um, separate than articulating (unable to understand) Throgmorton/ Especially the `assist people in crisis part,' right? Smock/ I was cuing in on those words as well, the assist people in crisis. Um, I think that you'd want to put some ... some more words around that, so people know what you mean. Whether it's (mumbled) like assist people in crisis on its own probably doesn't stand as a strategic item (mumbled) context, but I agree with you, maybe not the initiatives that are business as usual, and it opens you up for what's the thing behind the next one you do, right, to that point, if it's two years, but it .... you can reach a little beyond. So.... Fruin/ I would....I would just keep in mind, uh, how to say this, uh, correct way, but this isn't... this isn't kind of our core service area (mumbled) staff that are really focused on this. Yes, we have staff that are working on the Behavioral Access Center, but we're not leading that. Um, the Invest Health, we're definitely part of it, but when it comes to serving people in crisis, we're not Johnson County Human Services. We're not Shelter House. We're not non-profit. So in that case we're more aging, you know, you're just signaling that we want to do more to support those organizations, unless you are talkin' about creatin' a new type of service level at the City. Botchway/ So I mean I'm .... engaging may be the word that I didn't think of. Smock/ With those other groups? Throgmorton/ Well, let me explain why I ended up with this bad sentence. I was thinking about what I just read, uh, concerning (mumbled) the Police Department's, uh, write-up with regard to the (mumbled) CIT training and about police officers safely intervening when they encounter people in crisis, and then doing the CIT to Behavioral Access Center kind of thing, so I was thinking about them both simultaneously, making sure that the public safety officers were being safe in what they were doing, but also for helping people in crisis by getting them where (unable to understand) Smock/ Yeah. And that seems like an important thing to signal to the community. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 45 Thomas/ I have been, uh, dwelling quite a bit over the last .... period of time, I'm not quite sure how long, but the notion of trauma, you know, and all the various ways in which we as... as individuals and as community.... community -experienced trauma. It was kind of triggered by the, uh, discussion about early childhood, urn .... what's it called, ACE, uh, adverse childhood experiences. So, you know, that .... you have too many of `em when you're young, it can have permanent impacts in terms of your .... even your brain function. Uh.... so trauma to me is something and I don't know how we .... how it fits into this particular, um, you know, this strategic plan, but I do think it's something that has.... it .... it's a concern and I, you know, how we, for me, and I ..... how it translates into a strategic plan I'm not quite sure, um ..... but it is .... it is people experience a lot of trauma, not, you know (laughs) There are levels of trauma and (mumbled) many respects but, um, in other respects we're not (mumbled) So .... anyway, just trying to expand on the idea. It's not just crisis. It's .... it's this sort of ongoing, um, social isolation, so on and so forth. Salih/ And even that, to me, that we are assisting people in crisis, this is really (unable to understand) and I .... I think if you become like more specific on this. I know that (unable to understand) cause that's (unable to understand) cause crisis could be anything (unable to understand) and this could be crisis too. We just want to make sure what crisis (mumbled) really mean. Botchway/ (unable to understand) I think for me (mumbled) Salih/ No (unable to understand) kind of crisis is that (unable to understand) specific because we don't want to (unable to understand) Botchway/ (unable to understand) I think we need to think about any mental health concerns or whatever that may be in a crisis standpoint, in order to ensure everyone's touching on each of these issues. I'm gonna go back and kind of change what I said previously, because Geoff s point kind of weighs heavily on me. While I want to articulate that need, seeing this as an area of concern that's articulated in our strategic plan, I do not want it then simultaneously signal that somebody can say, `Well, (mumbled) doing this cause it's in your strategic plan,' and so like we need to provide `em a service. That's what I mean, because of the strategic plan, and so .... you know I'm hoping that the .... the wordsmith and (unable to understand) I think maybe you (unable to understand) whatever.... whatever that does can kind of. ... meet what I'm trying to say. I just don't .... I agree! I want to signal that as a priority, that mental health is an issue in our community and that we're trying to either engage or collaborate (several talking) stakeholders, to ensure that we're doing something, but I also don't want to say we're going to be providing X, Y, and Z services in relation to that, cause I think (several talking) Cole/ ...like that too. Mims/ (several talking) ....directing it towards our partnerships (several talking) with other people. We'll end up, hopefully, with a contract with the County on the Access Center. (several talking) ...continuing to do training, uh, you know, the County .... but I think This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 46 certainly in conjunction with our Police Department is kind of running the CIT training (mumbled) Um, certainly we've been instrumental in our code changes for the Housing First, etc. So ... somehow wordsmithing that to .... to reflect our concern that .... you know, our staff, you know, where appropriate can assist people, um, to find .... the services that ....the appropriate services, with the various entities in the community and our continued partnership with .... with them. (mumbled) hodgepodge of words (mumbled) (several talking) Smock/ Ashley, do you feel like (mumbled) wordsmith (unable to understand) (several talking) Okay. Any other comments or concerns about that one? Throgmorton/ Maybe I blanked out for a second, but with regard to Maz's point about people in crisis, uh, some language, we could insert in parentheses would be "with mental health needs and substance ta ... substance abuse challenges." Cause that's really what (several talking) Mims/ And I would even do "and/or" on that. Throgmorton/ Yeah. (several responding) Smock/ (mumbled) Good recommendation, Jim. Thank you! Okay, C, consider a policy to limit City business to vendors that pay all employees a wage of $10.10 or higher. Letter C. Salih/ That's my proposer and I really think (unable to understand) I know Geoff told me this could be (unable to understand) uh, but I feel like as simple as buying like some, uh, cookies, soda, you know, for .... for the City, or like some (unable to understand) make sure when we buy, we buy `em from, you know, business that pay livable wage (unable to understand) Smock/ Yeah. Thoughts or actions (mumbled) Mims/ Well philosophically I really agree. I'm really concerned about the practicality of the implementation. I'd be interested to hear what staff has to say. I mean I don't know how you're gonna verify with all the different (mumbled) Fruin/ We'd have to ... if you're interested in this, we'd have to do some work to tell ya how that could be done, because we .... we do work with thousands of vendors, uh, every year, thousands of different vendors every year. So we'd need to understand the legal framework first and then where we do have some flexibility (coughing, unable to hear speaker) I'd have to .... we'd have to run some numbers on our vendor relationships and then, uh, look at potential policies that maybe other communities have adopted and see how (unable to understand) It's a daunting thing for .... to think about in terms of how, logistically how we would go through that and the types of verification process, but I don't think it's.. A imagine it's been done in other communities, and we just would need to dive into it and report back to ya on it. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 47 Throgmorton/ Seems to me this could be combined with item F, consider elevating our own staff wages. This is the minimum wage recommendation that .... that Maz came up with a couple weeks ago. Mims/ No, I would not agree. I think they're very separate. Cole/ Yeah, cause we have the authority to do the 15, but I'm supportive of C, to evaluate and consider this proposal, or higher. I'm supportive of that. Obviously that would always be subject to our Home Rule authority to do that, but to the extent that we have the Home Rule authority, I would like to consider that. Throgmorton/ Yeah, I'm completely open to considering that. Taylor/ (mumbled) clarify what (mumbled) RFP you have to (mumbled) consider them reasonable. Fruin/ (several talking) legally we could do it, um, it would be a condition of the RFP. You'd have to certify that, you know, that we do that with the (mumbled) other things. So... Dilkes/ I think if we say (unable to understand) (several talking) Throgmorton/ ....which, to be clear, does not commit us to (several talking) ...think about it and decide. Botchway/ (several talking) I was thinking about the University (mumbled) so that'd be an interesting conversation. Throgmorton/ I thought (several talking) all their TAs and RAs are paid over 10.10. Botchway/ Right, but I mean the University (unable to hear) It depends on how you .... how you view vendor or how you (several talking) Dilkes/ (several talking) (unable to hear) Botchway/ So I guess I (several talking) I guess in a sense I'm thinking of, from (mumbled) approach, sense of, you know, this to me is signaling that the City is only ..... the City believes that paying above a minimum wage is so important that it....it means we may or may not do business with you. I don't necessarily know that it doesn't speak to our partners. I think that that would signal a message clearly that as a city we are .... we are very focused on ensuring that everybody in our jurisdiction is (mumbled) but I mean I'm cool with the limited notion of it. I just, the ile.... idealistic approach of it makes me think differently. I see you smilin' at me, Jim. Fruin/ Well there's just so many avenues we need to explore. I mean we don't just do vendors with people here in Johnson .... we don't just do business with vendors in Johnson This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 48 County. We do vendors with .... we do business with vendors and people all across the country. Um, how deep you.... how.... how deep do you go? It .... the.....the easy thing to do is when there is an RFP, or when you have to get, uh, hard quotes, because that forces some of the .... it's actually the lower the dollar amount, the trickier it is. (mumbled) need to stop and ... and provide food for a public meeting, I gotta call the restaurant and .... and talk with the manager and .... and is a voice verification okay, do we need something written, do we have to do vendor registration so that people .... I don't know, and then you need to think about if we're limiting our pool of vendors, you might be driving up costs (mumbled) just a sacrifice that you make by expressing this value, and those are the types of things (mumbled) some time to think about and .... and report back to you on. Botchway/ And the other thing .... so, to add to that, the only thing that I was also thinking, um, cause I don't necessarily agree that, um, C and F are similar, but I wanted to introduce D into the conversation a little bit, review the .... under miscellaneous, cause actually thought it was going to be under .... not saying anything problem with you, Jim (mumbled) under this particular strategy, because what I was thinking of was, and this is kinda off the cusp, how do we .... it's almost like stating.... evaluating and considering.... I don't know, cause I don't warm (mumbled) I'll come back to that. Cole/ (mumbled) (laughter) Smock/ You're processing it (laughter and several talking) So .... so from, just to recap for C, we're good with evaluate and consider. Cole/ Yep! Smock/ Knowing that we may adopt partial, not adopt, whatever comes back, right? And then, um, since we're in this pay/wage thing, can we go to F? I know it's a different kind of wage thing but your heads are at paying wage. So let's talk about considering evaluating hourly staff wages to $15 ....or more, within two years. Throgmorton/ This is for all staff. (several talking) Smock/ ...hourly. Salih/ (unable to understand) ....seasonal employees to be considered paying $15 an hour, within the next two years. Frain/ Seasonal and hourly can interchange. Salih/ Oh! (unable to understand) Frain/ Full time's already above (several talking) Anybody that's part of our .... our, uh, un.... three union contracts or administration and confidential, uh, plan, the .... the lowest, uh, come January, or July I", is like $17.52 per hour (mumbled) custodian (mumbled) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 49 couple others that fall in that category. We're really talking about the hourly employees, which are the seasonal ones. It's just a different (both talking) Smock/ Are you talkin' about like lifeguards at the pool? (several talking) Salih/ Uh huh. Fruin/ Yes. That'd be an example. Smock/ So they're .... so the recommendation is lifeguard at the pool, minimum of $15 ... okay. Salih/ In two year. Smock/ Over two years. Okay. Throgmorton/ I'd support the idea of considering that. Smock/ Considering it. Cole/ I would too. Taylor/ I would consider it. Mims/ I don't. We've seen the numbers from staff already. I mean, 6 to $700,000 a year without addressing wage compression; $900,000 to a million dollars a year, um, if you do address wage compression. You're talking about people who are .... umping softball and baseball games, reffing soccer games, lifeguarding. I do not see that those positions, um, with the qualifications that are necessary, um, nor the fact that they are part-time, temporary. Were ever thought of or designed to be qualifying for or needing a living wage salary. So I .... I personally think we're .... I could never support this for .... for Iowa City taxpayers to foot a bill like this for such low skill positions and what that does, I think, even to our permanent staff and the wage compression with permanent staff. How do you ... how do you sit there and say to somebody who's permanent full-time, who's going to be making 17.52 an hour that the person .... reffing a .... a soccer game for two hours on Saturday is almost making as much as they are (laughs) um, not with benefits, and so I just don't think it's worth staff time to delve into it more deeply. I just .... I just (mumbled) make sense. Salih/ (unable to understand) for me I don't look at it like that. You know (unable to understand) get benefit, get sick leave, get other good stuff from the City, insurance, everything, but seasonal employees could be (unable to understand) students, but you never know. I know a lot of the students who work at the University, like Sudanese students, were really (unable to understand) think about (mumbled) because they are students or because maybe they work all the seasonal, or because we (unable to understand) $15 hour and we would like to take the lead as a .... city of Iowa, city doing something like this. That what This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 50 I really think we have to think about it. (unable to understand) taxpayer more than happy to know that their money going for city that pay livable wage. Mims/ I .... I just think, just quickly, I think when you look at the skill level for the different positions, those kinds of positions do not warrant, um, a $15 an hour, and quite frankly I think you'd have a lot of taxpayers who would not agree. Cole/ (mumbled) Taylor/ I was just going to say that I .... I appreciate your thoughts on this, Mazahir. You know I'm part of organized labor and .... and fought for a living wage, but on this aspect, um, salary's a major part of the City's budget, and we're talking some things, like increasing transit, which could be an increase in employees for the bus drivers, etc., supervisors, and I would like to see the money towards that effort rather than, uh, to these folks, and also for us to continue our .... our, uh, putting our energy toward (mumbled) employees that are (mumbled) as we did, what was that two years ago, when we (mumbled) to extend their contracts. We need to continue to be there (unable to hear) because they're going to be in for a fight to keep (unable to hear) disappoint them and what the union gets them for salaries. Salih/ (unable to understand) (several talking) Cole/ I'd support to consider it, this .... the reason why I didn't support it two weeks ago, um, is this would be a major public policy shift. I mean, I think in terms of this is no small thing. Um, you know, Geoff had brought up the question of wage compression. I think that's a legitimate issue. I think Susan brings up a lot of taxpayers who don't feel ... that it's too high, um, and I .... I understand just the process of considering this will take staff (mumbled) That said, I do think this is the type of a community conversation that I want to have with, you know, taxpayers, or unions, or non -unionized, and to see what sort of consensus we get. I .... I think part of the problem is is that a lot of times we say well let's not even start the conversation and this will take some (mumbled) from us, but I think to Mazahir's, um, point, um, there are a lot of people that rely on .... it's not just .... it's not just spending money. It's.... it's living money and they may find themselves that they need that. So, I'm not saying I'd commit to it and say for sure I would support that, but I want to go through the process of having a community -wide conversation about that, with all the different stakeholders and I .... um, I would like to keep it a part of the strategic plan. Thomas/ Yeah, I'd like to keep it part of the conversation. I .... I certainly think it's worth considering. Uh.... and I don't know if I would say within two years (laughs) I mean that's sort of again leaping maybe too far forward, but uh.... I .... I think it deserves more conversation. I was, you know, at the ... the assessment, very preliminary, uh, ballpark assessment by staff, I think, some.... some temporaries are paid $13 now. You know, there are (both talking) Salih/ (mumbled) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 51 Thomas/ Pardon me? Salih/ (unable to understand) Thomas/ Yeah, so I mean it's .... it's not from 10 to 15. There are many people who are in between, so I .... I think in terms of the ... the cost of this, I think needs further analysis basically. Smock/ Kingsley! Botchway/ So I .... I guess couple of things (mumbled) about. One, I think it initially makes me (mumbled) collectively for an agreement that this proposal. This is, I think, big enough, based on some of the numbers that staff shared (mumbled) with Susan's comments, that there's gonna be a .... I think we all (mumbled) the political will that we as a Council.... will be taking on as we move through this conversation. Cole/ Yeah! Botchway/ And I think that .... that's a .... agreeing at that strategic level right now or maybe in the future that we need to be clear on. I also am interested in .... this, I've got tons of questions. Um (mumbled) Pauline's points, and some from John's points, as far as the years and everything else. My other question is, you know, think about considering elevating hourly staff wages to $15 an hour, why are we saying $15 an hour? Should it be livable .... a livable wage? If that was .... livable wage is more than $15 an hour, should we .... should we account for it being more? I mean living in our community, $15 an hour may not be enough, and so .... that's, I mean, I was thinking through what that meant, cause I....there's a lot of research around 10. 10, and I even think there's some research around the $15 number, but you know .... I don't know. I'm interested in having a .... a, by putting $15 an hour, we're set on $15 an hour, in the strategic plan. By putting livable wage, I'm not necessarily disagreeing that we shouldn't go up to 15 cause I'm actually in favor of that, but should it be more? I mean that's.... that's where .... (noises in background, difficult to hear) Salih/ $15 an hour after, you know, from my experience of talking, like uh (unable to understand) livable wage, talking to Iowa Policy Project (unable to understand) I get it from. Those would be the kind of people who really would like (unable to understand) Throgmorton/ Yeah, I'm willing to consider 15. We'll need to consider some .... some other number, whatever that number might be for the `livable wage.' I understand the principle but (mumbled) Botchway/ (mumbled) be clear that that's what it signals then we're talking to the community, it's a focus on 15,1 mean and not anything less. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 52 Throgmorton/ Yeah, but .... but be clear about this too, it's about .... for the strategic plan it's about considering. That if you consider it it doesn't necessarily commit you to adopting a $15 an hour .... uh, salary or wage for .... for seasonal employees. It does open up the possibility of some other number or some other scheduling of increasing wage. It .... it opens up possibilities. Salih/ (unable to understand) I agree with you, we need to (unable to understand) the real numbers of (unable to understand) How many people get like more than that, so we can understand like (unable to understand) Thomas/ And there are steps, so I mean it may be it starts at .... more than 10.10 but, you know, with three steps up to 15 .... you know. There are lots of nuances I think (mumbled) Salih/ ...consider this so we can work on the details later (unable to understand) Smock/ So, Geoff, this one is .... you guys have an H on this from a staff perspective? Is the evaluation an H, like to get some of the data they're talking about, to start the conversation, is ... is that an H or .... is it an H if those recommendations are adopted and .... (both talking) Fruin/ It's a couple things. The evaluation is tricky, particularly if you want us to (coughing, unable to hear speaker) wage compression. We'll do wage compression analysis. That's ....that's a tricky thing to get into, and it's one thing to do wage compression within the temporary employees, or the hourly employees, which is that 900 to a million dollar, uh, number that we gave you. That does not factor in any type of compression issues with our ... our three unions and our administrative and confidential employees. So that 17.52 per hour custodian union, you know, what .... what do we do with that position and everything else around it. Um, that just looked at the temporary, uh, compression. Um, it's high because the analysis is .... is tricky. Um, it will take us some time to .... to get more detailed. I .... I'd wanna know other than what we gave you, how deep do you want us to dive into this. You have to understand, the .... the employees that fall in this category, they .... they change consistently with the seasons. So the numbers that, you know, the big numbers, the .... the 600,000, the million, that's based on our annual temporary payroll. When I broke those positions down for you in the memo, uh, a couple weeks ago, that's who's on payroll right now. If I were to give you that same type of analysis in the middle of summer, there'd be three more pages to that, that, uh, that document, uh, because we have a lot more hourly employees in the summer. So that's tricky. Um, I think the ... the hardest thing for me to understand, uh, with this is how do you pay for it? You're talkin' a million dollars of money that is .... is not there now. Um, you've heard me talk about the budget before, you know, when we ... um, have to look at either a new revenue stream, so you're gonna .... are you gonna have the political will to .... to increase taxes or .... or fees, um, to .... to do that. Um, or are you going to need to cut back somewhere else, and if you're cuttin' back somewhere else you're probably impacting positions. You're probably cuttin' positions. So I have a hard time thinkin' about how to ... how to fund this, and once you fund it, you take away capacity to grow down the ... down the road. So, it's a lot harder to add more police officers or add more This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 53 park staff, um, it's already hard to do that, but if we .... if we prioritize this in the budget now, even three, four, five budgets down the road, you're gonna make it harder to expand some of those other operations, and those are all policy decisions that you need to make. Um, so .... long .... long way of saying H is for the analysis and probably more the cost (both talking) Throgmorton/ Sure. Frain/ ...organization how we ... how we handle that. Salih/ Uh, I don't understand that (unable to understand) but also like think of...(unable to understand) think about (unable to understand) supporting this (unable to understand) $15 an hour, what the City (unable to understand) If you think about it that way, just you know, you just (unable to understand) you have implemented (unable to understand) Frain /Right. Salih/ (unable to understand) do this and it should be (unable to understand) the City have (unable to understand) Frain/ You're absolutely (both talking) Salih/ Then why you doing this, I know it's challenge but (unable to understand) Throgmorton/ Well it seems to be clear .... that we've already identified most of the factors that would need to be considered, when they do this, and ... and that we're not committing ourselves to doing anything more than considering it and .... exploring the stuff (mumbled) details necessary in making the decision. Smock/ All right, so this one feels (mumbled) gonna ask, go around the room, if you're keeping it or not. So is that okay on this one? John? Pauline, good? No. (several talking) Cole/ Yes. Botchway/ Yes. Mims/ No. Smock/ Okay, so it stays. Right? (mumbled) So it stays, and thank you. I'm not going to record the votes, so I just want to make sure I know where everyone was at. For considering and evaluating. Okay. So we're gonna go back to D now, consider changing the City Manager's roundtable to a Council -appointed committee charged with applying the equity toolkit to key Council decisions. This is the first one I've read and I don't know what it means. (several talking) Good (laughs) someone, I don't have to know what it means. Someone wanna speak to it? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 54 Botchway/ So, yeah, this is mine. So this is more .... this to me is an .... well, it depends on how you feel .... feel about it. Ultimately what I'm .... what I'm asking for is, um, further incorporation of the.....socioeconomic and equity review toolkit into more departments, um, and to, and into other committees. Um, that would encapsulate not only our .... our continual work with identifying other departments in relation to the, uh, review toolkit, but also talking about change in the City Manager's roundtable to a Council -appointed committee to review key Council decisions. And so what this means is basically when we have a decision (mumbled) around minimum wage, that we are going to be, uh, discussing for a resolution, I would like the City Manager's roundtable to change in a sense where they would provide additional analysis, um, towards that end. So it could be just basically based on some of the conversations (mumbled) departments we had prior, it's adding a .... a number of questions that would happen on the front end, to ensure that we are incorporating marginalized group and sure.... groups, ensure that we are incorporating diverse stakeholders at the front end of these Council decisions, instead of thinking about, oh well, we didn't think about it but this is how it's going to change in order to incorporate it from that standpoint. And so..... Smock/ He's doing change management but he doesn't know it (whispering loudly) Throgmorton/ To me, Kingsley, you're proposing two separate things. One is to embed the racial equity toolkit, uh, into City operations. The second is to give, uh, the City Manager's roundtable a new mission. Botchway/ Right. Throgmorton /Yeah. So maybe they need a new mission but .... I don't know that it should be only a racial equity toolkit. So, but anyhow, that's what I hear is two separate things that you're putting out there. Botchway/ Well, and the reason why I tried to put the separate thing out there is that, you know, some of the items I think we talked about are somewhat specific, so I'm trying to think a little more broadly for the strategic plan objective, in order to incorporate some of the great work that staff s already (mumbled) I think it's led to many of the different changes from the department level, um, that (mumbled) important for, I mean I think from the budgetary standpoint we talk about having a racial impact statement, related to any contracts. I'm looking at you, Geoff, to make sure I'm (mumbled) ...was related to increasing, um, our, uh, outreach for minority and women owned businesses when looking at putting out RFPs, and so I don't wanna lose what we've done there. I want to make sure that's a part of it as well. So that's why I was trying to bring the bro.... broad ... the broad kind of idea in that first point, and then the second point, trying to bring that under that umbrella. Thomas/ Who was on, can I ask who is on the roundtable now? (several talking) Fruin/ Probably 20, 25 people (several talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 55 Throgmorton/ ....City staff. Fruin/ Uh, yeah, there's a lot of City staff that go to it. I .... I would guess we still have 20 constant staff (several talking) and we often get different representatives from the various groups, but it's a big .... about the size of this table, and that's what the meetings look like. Thomas/ Cause I agree with Jim's .... your comment, Jim, in the sense that, um, you know depending on what the issue may be, I could see (mumbled) question for Geoff, do you feel that that group of 20 accurately represents, covers all the bases with respect to all the issues that might be brought up at those roundtable (both talking) Fruin/ ....cover everything we've been through but .... urn, yeah..... Salih/ I just wanna say like why .... why (unable to understand) roundtable meeting (unable to understand) to be that committee. Can we (unable to understand) like you give them (unable to understand) ...leaders from the community, they come and attend and City staff will present something that they (unable to understand) and you know we have .... the leader of the community give input to the staff (unable to understand) really love it. (unable to understand) ....past three years or so. I like it because we will receive information that otherwise never gonna know about it from the staff and have input. Sometimes (unable to understand) but this is completely new role and the .... the community leader who attended, they (unable to understand) lunch time. They would like to know information about (unable to understand) sit down and discuss like Council decision. This is really need more than one hour and it could be a separate committee (unable to understand) Botchway/ I appreciate you bringing that up, cause (mumbled) particularly because I wanted to make sure that this point wasn't something that I was just kind of thinking of, that they were supportive as well, and I think when you're thinking about, uh, racial equity toolkit, I'll take out the socioeconomic for right now, just to make sure (mumbled) you know, this is all (mumbled) and this is all about input, for me, at the Council level, and so while I greatly appreciate some of the conversations that are happening within staff, my .... my role or my thinking of it is .... from a legacy standpoint, I want to ensure that that input .... is codified in the Council -appointed committee, and it happens regardless of whether or not (mumbled) or this is a all -white Council, all -white young Council, and this happens every time, especially in relation to key Council decisions. I think about, you know, the time that we as Councilors have in order to provide the input that I think is necessary in some pretty tough issues, and to have a committee that can provide, um, a different level of questioning that sometimes I think about, 1 sometimes I don't, um, into the conversation. I think provides a.....again, as a Council, uh, a level of deliberation and information that we don't currently have, or at least I'll speak for myself (mumbled) and so, you know, from a .... if I can ensure that we have representation from the student community, the Asian community, um, the .... um, the community (mumbled) civilities and encapsulate that in a ... in a particular, um, committee that can provide relevance and efficient information to Council, when I say efficient I mean time -sensitive information, to Council in relation to big items. I think it would greatly enhance my .... my role as a This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 56 Council.... or my role as a Council Member, and greatly enhance our collective understanding of issues happening in our community at the entire Council level. So would I be interested in doing a separate total committee, sure! Am I trying to think of staff implications and also implications of just creating another committee, instead of thinking about how we could change (mumbled) That's why (mumbled) but if you're asking me as far as a zero-sum game, whether or not I want to do this at all, and I'd say take out the City Manager's roundtable and I'd be more than happy to (mumbled) Cole/ If I could just jump in here, you know it's funny that we're in this particular room, because I remember my first conference that I went to was on a racial justice municipal conference, in this room, and it was (mumbled) I think she was from Seattle. John (several talking) yeah, and what I really remember from that was she brought up I think like, you know, not intentional racism, which of course exists, but the unintentional racism, the structural racism we may....we may not be aware of, and I think she brought up for example lights in neighborhoods. They were able to make some really surprising correlations. So this may be something.....I know we do the quarterly updates already with the equity, so it seems like there already is that, and I think to your point, Kingsley, and this may be really much easier said than done, so I admit that. When we get the reports, are we having equitable impact analysis, you know, in terms of our staff levels. I guess I don't see that as much and maybe that's just harder to do if you're just doin' a staff memo in terms of (mumbled) very complicated. Um, but so what I would say is consider.... something along the lines of consider strategies to ensure that we're implementing (mumbled) equitable toolkit principles (mumbled) I'm sure she has a report for us (mumbled) not necessarily seeing it always in the report. Um (both talking) Fruin/ We're doin' it at the staff level. Cole/ Yeah, okay. Fruin/ We're not, you know, analyzing.... you know, your Council reports don't have a, uh, equity statement (both talking) Cole/ ....quarterly updates already. Throgmorton/ I think we'd ask too much of ...uh, the individuals who go to the City Manager's roundtable for one hour every month (mumbled) every two months. Fruin/ Probably about eight or nine times a year. Throgmorton/ To .... to ask them to review major decisions being .... that are imminently to be made by the City Council or something like that. Think it's askin' too much of `em. But .... as an alternative, uh, I'd suggest possibly.....that this would have to be discussed more thoroughly, possibly creating a new commission that would have representatives from diverse parts of our community, like the Human Rights Commission, except it would focus on, if you will, social justice and racial equity. Before we talked .... two years ago we talked...... you don't know this Maza (mumbled) two years ago the This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 57 possibility of creating a social justice and racial equity committee of the City Council and decided not to do that for good reason. Uh, but we could create a .... a resident -based, uh, commission, kind of like the Human Rights Commission. The problems with that, one of which is staffing of it because they'd have to have some analysis really to be able to .... do the work well enough, but that's one possibility. Smock/ So is the, um, I'm gonna (mumbled) couple things here. Um .... you said several times we want to ensure we have input from these communities. I think you said that like three times, so is there .... is there just a different goal, the committee's the solution, but a different (mumbled) how do we know that the stuff we're doing's working (mumbled) people are getting feedback on it. It might be through a committee. It might be through other things, but .... how do you .... is that like, I'm gonna step you back and say what are you trying to .... what problem are you trying to solve, what are you trying to get? I think I'm hearing we're pushin' the information out there and we have some mechanisms for some people to review it, but how do we know that we're getting input from another, from enough of the right people, and I mean just to be totally honest, you can pick people from different communities. They can't represent a community. It's just....it doesn't work, I mean it's nice to think, okay, I'm gonna pick one of these and one of these and one of these and then I have representation. You don't! Right? So if you really want input from a community, you gotta think about how you'll get input from a community, and, um, it....it doesn't actually work like that. It seems like it should, but it doesn't, any more than you .... I could speak for every woman who's 5'6" and 44 -years -old, I can't... 5'5" but I'm wearing heels (laughter) So ... (several talking) what's the need, what's the need, what's the need, right? Botchway/ So this is .... and I appreciate that because to be more clear, this is about providing consistent and meaningful (mumbled) around racial equity, throughout City departments (both talking) Smock/ ...avenues for that, vehicles for that, whatever.... yeah. So that .... that's a very (mumbled) like you're saying we're puttin' this stuff out there, as .... strategically how do you know it's working, how do we getting feedback back, how do we know. Botchway/ You know I mean I think.... again, we have I don' t six or seven departments that have already gone through this analysis. So I'm trying to articulate that, that needs to continue to include all our departments, and ultimately that's what I .... that's .... that's a clear goal for me from that perspective. I'm also in the same sense trying to expand it to us as well. Smock/ Okay. Botchway/ I mean that's where....again, in doing this analysis, it makes .... I mean I appreciate you bringing up the (mumbled) Doing this analysis (mumbled) appreciate, um, the different level of thinking that at times we're not able .... I mean there are, we're not always able to do, especially when we (mumbled) or chairs, whatever the case may be, thinking about particular issues. So while I appreciate the department level, I think it's This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 58 important to continue that and do that and expand. I also think it has to happen at our level (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) I mean so we could (several talking) have to, we have to provide a different type of direction that I feel like can be, um, can be more focused and more inclusive using this toolkit. Smock/ Okay, big breath on that one. I want you guys to .... let this simmer a second. Mims/ Initially my response to the .... I would not, from what (mumbled) never attended the City Manager's roundtable. I would agree with others who've commented. I don't think that's the place to .... to try and do this. I think the people coming in to get information and to share information, I mean it started with the previous City Manager, just trying to get more information from a broader range of community who felt they weren't being heard, um, and so I think, you know, keeping that to that hour every month or two months or whatever, so there's a good exchange of information. We're talking about maybe if a major issue has happened, that seems to be what has been most important out of that group to really increase that two-way communication between the City Manager's office (coughing, difficult to hear speaker) and those individuals who .... who can have the time to come. So I don't see changing that. I'm very leery of adding another commission. Um, the time it takes for staff that is already spread really thin, um, if the goal is really to get all the rest of the departments to go through the equity toolkit and be using it on a regular basis for decisions, and to somehow get it into City Council realm, I think we talk about how to .... how do we do that, but not necessarily with an additional commission. Cole/ I'm wondering like you know we do listening posts. A Councilor will sort of type up a set of recommendations that they got from the residents, and maybe I'm wondering whether that'll be a relatively low -wattage solution here, is I don't think we get updates from the listening posts. So if there are policy concerns, maybe we could just get a memo from the roundtable. What do people think about that? Are ... are we get .... I don't think we get those now, do we? (several responding) Mims/ Well, we do a quick summary of the listening posts. Cole/ Yeah (several talking) use that same concept for staff (both talking) Mims/ Okay! Cole/ ....roundtable, so if the roundtable's saying, hey, we're gettin' a lot of concerns of potholes or something like that, that at least we receive them (several talking) much the same way that we report back to Council. (several talking) Salih/ (unable to understand) (several talking) Cole/ ....a lower -wattage (several talking) I think the commission is a lot of wattage. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 59 Botchway/ Let's do this, so I mean going back to your point, Rockne. How about in (mumbled) expand and.... strategically incorporate the racial and socioeconomic toolkit within City departments and Council. (several talking) The detail of it, I mean, we've already .... I'm looking at the introduction in the memo of where staff is already doing a wonderful job as far as incorporating the toolkit into some departments. So expanding it, while I do (mumbled) is possible, and I think provides amazing recommendations that I think staff has been able to propose and as we have kind of said, go forth .... go forward on. I think also when I think of, I'm stepping back just a little bit and I appreciate you bringing up the training, because .... one of the things I'm thinking about now is if we're not going to have a commission, and I'm trying to (unable to understand) Council level, then maybe we can think about how we can have a separate training as the board does for the School Board in a retreat or whatever fashion, on some of these issues, and so I know that some people won't even make it. Some people work. That could be a different way of handling this particular issue where maybe on a two-year strategic basis, or a four-year basis, whatever the case may be, we consistently get trained on how to have these ... put forth these questions ourselves and move the conversation forward. That's one way I'm thinking of off the top of my head, and so that language would provide a little more, I wouldn't say ambiguity, but general notion to our strategic plan and we can still work out some of the steps as far as how we actually (mumbled) Throgmorton/ (several talking) ...if I could, uh, with regard to racial equity toolkit, you need to be clear that what we did was test it in seven (noise in background, unable to hear speaker) (several talking) ...four or five departments, so there's nothing permanently embedded in our staff analysis that gets at racial equity (noise in background, difficult to hear speaker) So part of what we could do is simply say ..... uh, we could direct the staff to, uh..... uh.....uh...... I don't know what the right verb is. I'll say it (mumbled) explore ways to embed the racial equity toolkit analysis into all (mumbled) all major department activities. Cole/ I like that. Throgmorton/ Yeah. If that's the case, that we would automatically get, uh, racial equity impact assessment for stuff comin' our way. I ... I (several talking) yeah, cause (several talking) departments where it's probably irrelevant (several talking) Fruin/ So we did, we tested it in ... in four or five departments. We had them look at two existing policies and then one new policy that they were considering, or new program that they were considering. Um, now we spent a full year doin' it, so three policies for five departments. We spent a year doing that. Now we were being (unable to understand) kind of a team, and .... and progressing through it so it's not like we were workin' every day of the week on this, but, um....it.....it takes a lot of time, takes a lot of effort. Um, I don't know how we would do it to say that every decision staff makes has to go through this type of process. But .... I think what you do is you pick critical areas where you suspect that there might be some problems, and that's what those departments did and we're gonna kick it off again in February with four or five new departments, at least that's our plan. And I'd say, you know, what .... what do you think needs to be re - This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 60 examined or what might be on the horizon that I need to look at. That .... we continue to do that, we found great value in the .... the toolkit, and I think you saw some good outcomes from there. Um .... I just wanna temper expectations a little bit. This (unable to understand) she really, especially early on, spent a lot of time explaining this to departments and helping them do the analysis. Um, I don't know if we can do more than four or five.... departments at a time right now. Hopefully what .... what our hope is, like Finance is an example of one that went through that, now that they went through that process (mumbled) policies, as they think of other ones they'll naturally do that. (mumbled) more aware of it and you start to ask those same questions, but the analysis itself is (mumbled) fill out. It's a set up .... a dozen questions or somethin' that force you to .... to write out, uh, and think about those issues. So, it is a big extra step for departments to do. It's just .... more (unable to understand) So I'm..... Thomas/ Did you talk to Stefanie about this? Botchway/ Yes. Thomas/ One thought I was having (mumbled) if.....if we're to try to integrate what you're hoping to achieve into the Human Rights Commission, is that .... is that a possibility or (mumbled) Botchway/ Yeah, I mean.... ultimately, kind of going back to your point. I'm interested in it having (mumbled) and so the commission and the committee that I'm (mumbled) in the strategic plan packet has always been as an avenue to do (mumbled) in the same sense that Planning and Zoning (mumbled) does the work, at least initially, to give us information that we're going to deliberate at the Council meeting. I understand the implications from a staff standpoint, and so that's where .... I mean I appreciate, Jim, your point as far as exploring, um.....I still want to add at the City, major departments, and Council (mumbled) I think that it....it clearly articulates the emphasis that we're going to look at it ourselves, and look at it at the City department level and at the .... the Council level, and I ... I will go back to something Geoff said at the beginning of this entire process, I'm not necessarily pushing for this to happen in a year. I see this as a four.... four-year multi -conversation type of thing. So there's no time constraints that I'm .... I'm (mumbled) understand the level of work and detail that goes into doing some of this stuff. So, I would .... I would like the language to include major City departments and Council, but I'm not (mumbled) to happen this year. Cole/ Can I say one thing too about the staffing issue that's obviously a super -huge concern, um, but I also think for some of these proposals, I don't know that it would actually work out this way, it may not involve a new City led committee, and I think for example of this Transportation Committee that's out there, that as far as I can tell has no (mumbled) City affiliation, but yet I think has done some really good work. I think of the racial justice context, there could be also a lot of non -profits. I'm not saying we have to outsource that to non -profits, um, but I'm not convinced that every time we talk about doing one of these new initiatives (unable to understand) more staff (mumbled) Ultimately staff will consider the explore and assess language, and determine (mumbled) whether staff can do This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 61 more or maybe whether there could be some non -profits that could assist us in this process. Smock/ Okay, so this has been a very, very big discussion. Take a look at what Ashley has captured as one of the summary ..... (mumbled) version. Um, how are we feeling about explore and (unable to understand) equity toolkit and (mumbled) City departments on a policy level. Do you want .... do you want (unable to understand) Botchway/ Council's important to me and there's ... the reason why is the (mumbled) I mean this is focused on the (mumbled) I mean I feel like for me from a racial equity standpoint, I know that we're not Seattle, but I want to get to the level of detail (mumbled) work that they're doing at the Seattle level. So .... add Council (mumbled) Smock/ So thoughts and reactions to this (several talking) Throgmorton/ .....language. I .... I think I actually prefer .... and policy.....departmental and policy level, or departmental and Council level. Uh, but otherwise, yeah, I'm.....(both talking) Smock/ And does that, I mean we .... we covered a lot of ground in the last 15 minutes. So go back to when we started with the.... the.... what was it called? The.... chairman's board (laughs) meeting. Like we've been through it ... we've been around a few twists and turns, so if we .... like how this is stated, are you in agreement with adding this as a ..... as an objective, under.... social justice and racial equality? Throgmorton/ I would like to raise a question, which, uh, we don't really need to discuss right here now, I don't think, but racial equity, I mean.....I've felt some ambiguity about the word `racial' in this context. So .... you know, does this involve low-income people who may be white? Does it involve Hispanics.... which is not really about race? So often it's not about race anyhow. Instead it's about .... uh.... uh..... sorry (mumbled) (several talking) Yeah, so anyhow, for me there's some ambiguity about limiting it to racial (both talking) Botchway/ I mean I .... if you can put that in there, uh, Ashley, about, you know, discussion on how we can (unable to understand) with the (unable to understand) and I .... I mean I want to say I appreciate our deliberation on this, and this is something I'm very passionate about because to me .... and I think Mazahir actually gave a speech on it Saturday night, this to me is about clearly defining input from, um, our diverse stakeholders, um, at the onset. So we have a different outcome happening. So I ... I really appreciate this conversation. Cole/ Yep! I support it. And you're right (coughing, unable to hear speaker) (unable to understand) Taylor/ (unable to hear) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 62 Smock/ Okay. All right. What about (coughing, unable to hear speaker) create a racial equity newsletter. This was very (mumbled) but I'm .... let's have discussion (laughs) (several talking) Take it out? (several talking) And then that, we get to skip to G, which is consider communication strategy to ensure the bike master plan is well received by all Iowa City residents, especially people of color. Botchway/ Take it out! That's mine as well. This is why (both talking) Smock/ You vetoed yourself? (laughs) Botchway/ (several talking and laughing) Smock/ (unable to understand) Thomas/ (unable to understand) ...sort of one of those things that came to mind, um, based on a podcast I was listening to recently, um, but I ... it was something (unable to understand) consider and it....it revealed a bias on (unable to understand) I'm very strong advocate of increasing our bike networks and (unable to understand) podcast was how people of color are kind of offended by the idea of ...promoting bicycling. So, it .... maybe it's just something to keep in mind I guess is what I would say if ...as we roll this out, that, uh, you know, it's something that we frame properly. Mims/ Well, and I think the (mumbled) doing in the community with various bike programs, you know, the ones like that the police officers (both talking) Thomas/ ...doing is a great bridge (both talking) Mims/ Yeah .... yeah, so I think those are .... kind of build on some of those connections too so the minority communities (mumbled) in regards to biking. (unable to understand) Throgmorton/ I think there's a broader (mumbled) communication strategy, and this applies to the climate action plan as well, especially within the, you know, the climate change world (mumbled) people learned over time that you cannot simply distribute one message to the public, especially if it's based on science. You cannot do that and expect the public to respond in a way you want them to respond. Instead you have to know the diverse publics that you're trying to communicate with, start where they are and build on that. So I think the same thing, about the bike master plan. (mumbled) same thing about the climate action plan. We need to have a better sense of where the diverse publics are in Iowa City now .... learn what they're really thinking about and you know, build on that... to help make the bike master plan work in a way that's good for them and likewise for (unable to understand) climate action plan and so I think (both talking) Cole/ That's sort of embedded in Kingsley's social equity toolkit piece of it, so .... um, I think we should strike it. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 63 Taylor/ I think the communicate though is important because I (unable to understand) phone calls from people in the Iowa City community saying why isn't Iowa City doing more for the bicyclers and I was shocked to get that phone call because I thought we'd done (mumbled) haven't they seen the master plan. Well they were referring to the fact that they said they had come to (unable to understand) a while back and wanted us to build a cyclocross course and I said but we have that, that we do that, you know, it's worldwide, but then I thought well, Coralville actually built (unable to understand) so that's what they were referring to was that one little item that they thought, you know, we hadn't done enough, but we've done so much with the bike paths (unable to understand) I was just shocked. So I don't know how we can do that, but the communication (unable to understand) people know what .... what we're doing. Smock/ So .... one.....one thought is you have to have a budget and you have to communicate what you do, and it's .... is business as usual. If you wanted to tackle what Jim was talkin' about, about like we're gonna get serious about audience analysis. We're gonna pay the money to understand this group versus that group. That's an undertaking of the communication strategy that would be like strat planning level (mumbled) we're gonna invest in knowing our audiences. We're gonna work with a communication expert and (mumbled) make these messages land. If you're just doing like.....we gotta figure out how to communicate this stuff. That's kinda.... (laughs) you gotta communicate everything you're doing, right? So you gotta think about, if it helps, like (mumbled) what do you need, what do you want, and are you saying the things we've done to communicate to date aren't enough, I gotta think differently about our communication strategy. Now you're gettin' into the something has to change around communication, and that would put it in the strat bucket, versus .... we just have to make what we're doing work and ... and know that no matter how much we communicate, somebody's gonna call us and not have heard of it, cause that's the (mumbled) communication. Throwing stuff at you, I don't know if it helps or hurts but.... communication (mumbled) business as usual and....and you can take that a step of.....of stretching yourself in it that would put it in the strategy bucket. Botchway/ The essence of G, I was actually thinking it needs to go up to 5. So that's (several talking) Smock/ ....essence of G is to go under 5, enhance community (several talking) engagement. (several talking) Oh, yeah (several talking) Monroe/ (unable to understand) Botchway/ Yeah, I don't want to get ahead of ourselves though (both talking) Smock/ (mumbled) Yep! (mumbled) Thoughts or recommendations on what we do with G right now? Cole/ I'd like to strike it. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 64 Thomas/ I think it's okay to, you know, as you were saying....it.....it really should be under five anyway, um, but it's .... again, and as Jim emphasized, it's important that we, as we move forward to, uh, always be asking ourselves.... say with the bike, just using the bike master plan, which .... and maybe I'm wrong, but I .... I.....I wonder if people of color were strong advocates for the bike master plan. If they were, then there's a good chance, you know, this .... this isn't an issue. Um, but I don't know that, so I .... I guess it's just something we always should be asking ourselves (mumbled) back to what you were saying, Kingsley, has everyone been at the table as we .... and I know we make the best effort to try to bring people to the table, but sometimes.... they may not be .... they may not be there. Smock/ Yep. Thomas/ And it gets complex when you overlay, you know, there are multiple publics out there that's very difficult (mumbled) Smock/ Okay, so I've heard strike it and I've heard move it. Where are you guys at? Botchway/ Well I say .... yeah, strike it. (unable to understand) Smock/ Strike it? Throgmorton/ I'd say strike it and then we'll take a look at that communications (both talking) Smock/ ....section? Are you good with striking it? (several talking) Yeah? (several talking) All right (mumbled) Um, okay, so that puts us through.... number seven. Well done, you guys, good job! Okay, so it's 4:30. We're going to keep going and go as far as we possibly canto 5:00. So .... um, dig deep, folks, you're doin' great! Um, number two, unless anyone's like `oh no while we're here and we're in the mode I'd rather skip around.' I don't think.... there's a quick prioritization discussion, otherwise I'd recommend we go to .... (mumbled) okay? (several talking) Two, encourage a vibrant and walkable urban core. And our discussion in the very onset was is it just the (mumbled) so keep that in the back of your mind as we move through .... I am not going to read A. It's long. So read A. Collaborate with the University of Iowa. (several responding) Good! Okay B. Throgmorton/ So I'd like (mumbled) just so I'm fully on the same page. There .... there are really two parts to that. One of `em has to do with the possible construction of. ... uh, public/private partnership kind of housing, by the University, in the Riverfront Crossings District. (unable to understand) (laughs) Yeah (several talking) and the other part is this river initiative that I've mentioned before, and Geoff alluded to at the very start. (several talking) Yeah, so just tryin' to say that's what (mumbled) Smock/ Okay! Cole/ Keep it! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 65 Smock/ Keep it! All right. (several responding) B, preserve important parts of Iowa City's history. Then it says considering the designation of additional buildings as historic landmarks, considering the creation of a historic preservation district for the part .... for part of the downtown. Botchway/ Whose is this? Throgmorton/ (mumbled) Botchway/ (mumbled) Is this already .... (mumbled) Is this already a part of our strategic plan? Throgmorton/ You know, there's a tiny little element in our current plan about historic stuff, and my recollection is that it's .... really vague. Botchway/ Okay. Throgmorton/ So .... especially with regard to the downtown. This .... this is more precise, and yeah, to be clear, does not commit us to doing (mumbled) considering creating .... a historic preservation district (mumbled) part of downtown, but also (mumbled) knowledge that there's, uh, five or six (unable to understand) (several talking) Yeah, six or seven brick residential buildings that are .... date back to the mid -1800s that are gonna be coming our way from the Historic Preservation District, or Commission. So .... yeah. Fruin/ You ... you have, and this is (unable to understand) Historic Preservation has identified six or seven, uh, properties that they'd like to pursue (unable to understand) uh, that's workin' its way through the process. They're reachin' out to property owners and seein' who's on board, who's not, and, uh, then we have the downtown historic survey. Part of the scope of that survey is not only to identify potential landmarks that are not designated now, but also to imagine what a historic district (unable to understand) Historic Preservation will review that and then it'll get to you eventually, and then there's a small historic district that's bein' looked at by the Preser.... Preservation Commission in Riverfront Crossings area. That is (mumbled) So there's a lot ... that's coming at you. Whether you have this item or not, you're going to be doing this (laughter) Botchway/ To that point, Geoff, so I actually (mumbled) so I'm not really worried about this piece. I guess in thinking about some of the other pieces that (mumbled) going back to more strategic plan, is this .... do we need to .... specifically state .... do we have a historic preservation plan? A strategic.... like in the same sense that we have an affordable action plan (several talking) Do we need to ..... is this something that we need to just incorporate within .... in the same way? Or .... and just say..... going back to kind of affordable.... improve on our historic preservation plan, identifying (mumbled) Fruin/ I think (unable to understand) Cole/ Yeah. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 66 Smock/ Ashley, what's in the plan? Monroe/ (unable to understand) initiative was just support historic preservation efforts. Botchway/ I don't think that's enough. I think, I mean I like the ... the additional emphasis (unable to understand) I was just trying to figure out how to .... (unable to understand) Frain/ I think the .... I think what you need to consider is (mumbled) this is coming. You're going to have to have these conversations. Do you want to send a signal that .... you are ..... not committing, you are very strongly supportive of these historic preservation efforts, particularly of the downtown or core, however you want to state it. Um, because (mumbled) some of these come your way, we'll have property owners that object and you will have some (mumbled) requirements. This is kind of what I talked about, that some of these issues are going to be very difficult (mumbled) You need to make sure whatever you state here, you have the political (mumbled) carry this thing out, uh, so if...if the item is just consider it, I don't think you need to (mumbled) If you wanna signal that your pro -historic preservation, then (mumbled) Cole/ Are we .... we are currently, I mean, cause I was thinking on that last clause, might consider the creation of a historic preservation district downtown? Are we actually .... is that already in the works? Cause (mumbled) individual.... properties, and not the district. Frain/ Part of (unable to understand) scope is to sketch out ways historic district would look like, and that happened back in 2001 or 2, last time we did the survey, and the Council decided not to move forward with the .... (mumbled) but a new set of boundaries or at least confirmation that the old boundaries are still relevant will be presented to you (unable to understand) Botchway/ So to your point, Geoff, I mean I guess .... I mean (unable to understand) I guess I'm going back to kind of the strategic plan. I think it needs (unable to understand) and so even if we use the language `preserve important parts of Iowa City's history (coughing, unable to hear speaker) historic preservation efforts throughout the Iowa City community.' To me it's a general statement and it shows that we support, but it doesn't necessarily speak to (mumbled) Frain/ You just have to understand there's going to be people (mumbled) you say you're gonna support historic preservation, yet you're voting against it. As long as you're okay with that, if you're okay (unable to understand) be against something, uh, because property owners object to it or because a .... a, uh.....group of property owners object to it, whatever it may be, you just need to know that whatever could happen there is gonna be ammo for whatever (several talking) Cole/ I like leaving it in, personally, in terms of consider the creation of historic preservation district, cause I think it is important that we signal which direction we want to go, or at least .... we're only considering that, and to your point about the whole community, This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 67 Kingsley. Think that's an issue, but I think the downtown's probably the most (unable to understand) um .... so I think .... I think I like the language of this. Smock/ Other thoughts or comments? Throgmorton/ Well I wrote the language so I'm in love with it. (laughter) Goeff s point, uh, you know, is an important one. I think there's considerable value (unable to understand) that we think preserving.... key parts of Iowa City history are important, is important (mumbled) It does not mean it will over -rule everything (both talking) Smock/ Everything .... ri ght. Throgmorton/ Yeah. Smock/ Other thoughts? (mumbled) Okay, so ..... I think we're sayin' it stays (several talking) Okay. See, I told you your energy would wane (several talking and laughing) You guys are so predictable! Okay! Um (laughs) letter C, explore incentivizing housing renovations through tax rebates, low interest loans in historic neighborhoods, and established neighborhoods with below-average increases in property assessment. Who is that? Thomas/ That's mine. Smock/ Okay! You're up, John! Thomas/ Again, another..... another thought I've been having is .... is how can we, through.... through the means we have at our disposal, uh, promoting, you know, the .... the renovation and improvement of homes throughout Iowa City. Uh, in terms of affordable housing, I tended to view existing housing as always..... you know, the new .... new housing is expensive.... if you're trying to build affordable housing. So making sure our existing housing stock is in good repair is really probably dollar for dollar one of the most valuable ways we can .... pres... make sure that we have a good healthy stock of affordable housing. It's a little long, you know, maybe there's another way of putting it, um .... but I .... and .... and to some extent, Geoff, we may already have this in play, I don't know, I mean we do have these, what's it Home Funds I think, that program? Frain/ Yeah, the .... those are really lookin' at .... I mean we do have the (mumbled) program and ... and other rehab programs that are more targeted, uh, based on income levels of the .... of property owners, and not necessarily as a .... uh, neighborhood, uh, initiative. Uh, we don't do any type of tax abatement or rebates, uh, but we do do loans (mumbled) and we don't prioritize based on property assessments (mumbled) property assessments (mumbled) Andrew/ And the proposed budget does have the downtown historic grant (mumbled) Frain/ (unable to hear) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 68 Andrew/ The .... didn't we add that this year in the proposed budget, the downtown historic, uh, renovation grant? Fruin/ I don't ..... (mumbled) other than the Englert I don't (unable to hear) Andrew/ Yeah, I thought we .... I thought it was like a $40,000 grant program (several talking) Fruin/ We did the .... we did a building change, the 50,000 (mumbled) Smock/ .....thoughts about this one? Sorry, go ahead, Pauline! Taylor/ (unable to hear) I was thinking and I (unable to understand) (several talking) Is that something that ... I was thinking of it like provides lower income residents with assistance in, uh, rehab .... (mumbled) to ensure that they're healthy and safe places to live (unable to hear) talking more like renovating (unable to understand) Thomas/ It could be any number of things, uh..... Taylor/ (unable to understand) assistance for folks to make their home healthy too. Salih/ I just wanna make sure I understand what you are saying here. You mean like giving a loan, low income resident loan, to the people who own this house (unable to understand) because they are (unable to understand) Thomas/ (unable to understand) (several talking) Salih/ ....like a .... a loan, low interest loan. So they can (unable to understand) and when you (unable to understand) like income base loan like by income, or if you just have.... Thomas/ It could be, you know, I was looking at, um, basically established neighborhoods, which .... based on property assessments are kind of stagnant (both talking) Salih/ ....owner of the house is, give them the loan so they can (unable to understand) Thomas/ Yeah. Salih/ (unable to understand) Thomas/ Whether it's owner -occupied or rental. Throgmorton/ And this .... this could be residential neighborhoods in any part of the city? Thomas/ Right. I mean I .... I kind of viewed it as established because it takes a while before a house begins to need repair (mumbled) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 69 Salih/ Because you have historic here, neighborhood, is this just only for the (both talking) Thomas/ It could be just (mumbled) established residential neighborhoods, which would include historic. Throgmorton/ I ... I know I've walked through, uh, several neighborhoods that seem to be (mumbled) buildings constructed in the 60s or 70s, probably 60s (coughing, unable to hear speaker) pretty deteriorated. So .... but they're owned by somebody (laughs) so... would this initiative apply to those (both talking) Thomas/ Yeah, that's.... that's kind of what I had in mind. Cole/ Doesn't Dubuque have a very well defined tax abatement program in their residential neighborhoods? That might be a starting point. Fruin/ There's some that .... some that do, but under .... you know, typically with tax abatement programs in this type of setting, you.—your taxes are abated on whatever improvements you make. So if you're lookin' at things like replacing your water heater or your windows or your roof, you're not really increasing the taxable value (both talking) Cole/ Yeah..... Fruin/ (both talking) ....home, so a lot of those are .... are set up to establish.... or to help with, you know, additions to .... to ..... to homes or, um.....things of that nature that increase the taxable value, and then you abate the taxes for 10 years on that. I don't know that that's (several talking) Thomas/ ....could be both (mumbled) Fruin/ Could be both but understand if you're helpin' people with a new roof, a ..... abatement's not gonna be your (both talking) Thomas/ Right, but (both talking) Fruin/ Yeah (both talking) Thomas/ ...that would incentivize. Uh.... the best example I can think of is .... is the Northside and Linda McGuire who built.... basically renovated the house next to them. It was, you know, it was about to be demolished because .... it was in really bad shape, but they.....you know, heroically renovated this house with a lot of sweat equity in one residence and so forth. Uh, and they've.... they're gonna get hit, of course, with a major ....um (noise in background) tax increase because they dramatically increased the value of that house. So they did the right thing, and then immediately saw, you know, an increase in their property taxes. Uh, so to the degree we can incentivize .... what we want to see happen (several talking) which is reinvestment in our neighborhood, whether it's repair or renovation improvement. It's in a way .... it's a neighborhood approach for what This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 70 we often do in the downtown in a sense (mumbled) how do we on a small scale, try to incentivize property owners, uh, to improve their property? (several talking) Salih/ I really like the idea but I wish we could like really (unable to understand) not limit it, uh, and also (unable to understand) also can apply to this. You know I .... I need more information for this, like, urn .... say if I can just get a loan from somewhere, I'm able (unable to understand) or maybe ... like my house really old and (unable to understand) Smock/ Yeah, I think that .... I think you're kind of, like the explore part, there's a lot to explore. Oh, this is maybe a (mumbled) but I wonder if it doesn't go based on the discussion not in walkable urban core but .... healthy neighborhoods throughout the city? Does it, does that (several talking) it's a (mumbled) but I think .... I think you're a little bit away from your walkable core right now. Thomas/ Yeah. Smock/ Um..... Fruin/ One thing I would suggest, if..if there's an interest in going down this path, we're probably at a point where we need to press time-out and review all of our .... we have programs, because we have grant (mumbled) we do programs through Home and CDBG and UniverCity program. We have the Invest Health initiative. You know, I .... we've ....we just did the historic preservation grant program. Um .... there's a lot of things we've created and I think maybe we just need to say strategically here's all the resources we use. We dedicate half a million dollars towards these similar types of effort. How do we wanna.....uh, evaluate and maybe redeploy those resources to better align with where you all want to go. So, if. ... if we're gonna keep this in here, we might take one step back and just do a comprehensive evaluation of all of our .... uh, investments (mumbled) Smock/ Thoughts or reactions to that? (several talking) Botchway/ ...evaluate? (several talking) Um .... (several talking) Dilkes/ (unable to understand) (several talking and laughing) Smock/ ...watchin' ya struggle with that (several talking and laughing) You wanna go to D? We good with that? See, you made her blush, guys. Okay! Um, consider (laughs) consider steps towards creating a downtown form based code. Cole/ I actually wanna take it out, as much as I love the form based code. Smock/ Did you write it? Cole/ I didn't write it (unable to understand) Two reasons, one .... how much difficulty we had in terms of our existing form based code initiatives on the Northside and the Southside, coupled with the sticker shock that I think we all had, coupled with the fact that we are This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 71 (mumbled) historic preservation district, I think it'd be very hard to have two major downtown initiatives. I still think we (unable to understand) Mims/ I would agree with that. I think we wanna get to it, but .... I mean we (mumbled) community a year or so ago (mumbled) look at the Northside and the Alexander areas first, in terms of the form based code, and .... you're right, the sticker shock (unable to understand) Cole/ That's just on the Northside alone, I think, isn't it? So.... Throgmorton/ So I wanted to fulfill a commitment I made during our TIF (unable to understand) discussions, where I said I would bring this up at, you know, so that we ..... I would support the possibility of considering creation of a form based code or urban design (mumbled) downtown. That's what I committed to do. So, if y'all say no, then .... no's the answer (laughs) but I .... I wanted to fulfill my..... Thomas/ I think it makes sense (mumbled) you know, doing it, uh, if...if we do the historic survey. The certain focus and attention on the downtown that that brings, uh.... I mean my hope is that, and this .... and this is a two-year timeframe we're talking about too, so, you know, that's .... we have two years to try to a .... address all these form based code issues we have (mumbled) um.....so, I mean I would .... I would like to keep it in there. Um, in the hope that, you know, through some of the discussions we've had, I've mentioned that maybe the Northside. If. ... if staff looks at what we could, in the short- term especially, what we could accomplish in terms of regulatory changes to the code that might allow .... you know, the house .... the house that was torn down on Van Buren (mumbled) duplex, you know, that we may be able to .... you know, juggle our priorities with respect to form based code. Throgmorton/ Yeah, so ... John reminds me that I did not mean to be suggesting that we .... would literally initiate form based code for the downtown, or .... or allocate funding for a consultant or anything like that. I wanted us to identify the steps that needed to be taken and maybe take one or two initial steps, in that direction. But ... that does not mean (unable to understand) Botchway/ (unable to understand) supportive of your, the phrase (mumbled) John's (mumbled) I can't remember what it was. Throgmorton/ Uh, yeah, it was, uh.....sorry. Begin work on a form based code or urban design plan for downtown. (several talking) (unable to understand) Cole/ My only concern with that too is that even though we're all in the same room you sort of get the sense of, you know, maybe we could do a (mumbled) presentation or .... community gets this and (unable to understand) consider a form based code for the downtown. All of a sudden they start organizing and say .... writing us letters and .... I just think it's like, it creates a political process that I think we cannot necessarily .... (mumbled) can avoid and we can still take those steps, those sort of pre - This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 72 steps towards it. So that's my concern, is that we're sending the message that we are going to do it. Mims/ I would agree, Rockne (mumbled) when I looked at this, look at the age behind it, and again I ... look at all the stuff we're talking about and how many things were on this... one, two, three pages (several talking) and I'm (both talking) Botchway/ ....use the 10 -point font (laughter) Mims/ (both talking) I'm really concerned that we're gonna get to this final thing and I'm gonna feel the same way I did two years ago, that the scope of this, given .... how thinly stretched our staff is, that .... I'm going to have trouble supporting it, not because I don't believe in what's in it, but because of the scope of it, and this is something that I think we know we can't get to in the next two years. Uh, and I think, Rockne, you put it really well. I think it starts to set a public expectation of something much sooner than we have any chance of really making any concrete progress on. Taylor/ (unable to hear) Comprehensive Plan, does that not sort of include some of these or that would be totally different (unable to understand) Botchway/ (several talking) The only other thing (several talking) was whether or not this would be incorporated into .... item F (unable to hear) I have a different perspective on .... the downtown, I mean the Council does about major (coughing, unable to hear speaker) Could it be incorporated in (mumbled) spelled out as clearly as you have it in the urban core piece, or are you particularly wanting to highlight in the urban core (mumbled) Throgmorton/ (mumbled) downtown (mumbled) if you vote against it that's okay (unable to hear) Salib/ I think we can consider this a step towards (unable to understand) two years. Taylor/ (unable to hear) Throgmorton/ How bout preliminarily assess the steps (laughs) required.... something like that that's, you know, really vague and doesn't (unable to understand) memo about things (unable to understand) Mims/ I'm sorry, I think the strategic plan should be the things that we (both talking) firmly believe that we are going to put time and effort and emphasis on, either getting compelted or at least starting major steps (mumbled) (several talking) Cole/ (coughing, unable to hear speaker) (several talking and laughing) Fruin/ The things that I said from the outset (both talking) energy of a Council and a staff, and you have to really be committed to it. This is (both talking) consume a ton of organizational energy, just by puttin' it on here. So .... I would.... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 73 Thomas/ Well we do have the historic preservation piece. Cole/ Well that's my thing, is that that is the .... it's the (mumbled) Smock/ I .... so, is it stayin' or goin'? (several talking) Mims/ Well I just believe.....if.....it's high level in terms of staff time. Think that....I agree with Rockne that if we put it in, we're gonna really raise expectations for some serious action soon, and I don't believe we have the time (mumbled) started our form based code, uh, for the near Northside or (mumbled) Southside. So I just, I really don't see that we can feasibly get to this in the next two years, and I think it just raises all kinds of expectations from the community, and to me if you're gonna put it in the .... in the strategic plan, it should mean that we believe we have the time and energy to make concerted progress on it, and I don't believe that we do. Salih/ (unable to understand) ...after two years (unable to understand) since we cannot like (unable to understand) but we can consider (both talking) Mims/ Oh I would .... I would see us putting it on the next strategic plan. Salih/ (unable to understand) Mims/ I think by that point we'll be ready to really, hopefully if the other's further out of the way and be ready to move on this. Fruin/ I mean it's recommended in the master plan, that we do this form based code, so it's (clears throat) I .... my caution is not that we shouldn't do it. Uh, but if you prioritize the Northside and the Southside, um, first, it's not realistic to do all three. And (both talking) Salih/ (unable to understand) Throgmorton /I know I counted one, two ... three people who think we should defer this to some, to our next strategic. Do I see at least one more? Thomas/ (both talking) as far as I think (unable to understand) we are (mumbled) creation of a historic preservation district, looking at the downtown core (several talking and laughing) Smock/ Okay, so we're gonna defer that one. Still important (mumbled) the downtown. Okay, so I'm lookin' at you, should we go on to one more? Should we get people calibrated on how far we got? (several talking) Okay! Oh, good! (laughter) You wanna maintain a solid financial foundation. Cole/ Triple -A (unable to understand) right, even though that's (unable to understand) I think we should always have that. (several talking) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 74 Smock/ Do we want to ..... (several talking) You got two minutes. Do you want to do five? Six? (several talking) Do you wanna pause? Whatda.....all right. Fruin/ I would say, you know, you should be done at 5:00. We're not gonna get through everything, and then (unable to understand) Smock/ So let's .... let's take the time that we have to wrap up where we've been and where you're going next. Um, because I think that ... I .... I'd much rather we get through.... we're not rushed and (mumbled) overdo it. Um, you guys did get through, I think, some of the highest priority things, and you do have a shorter list. Um, I think the next steps are for us to get the wordsmithed, cleaned up version of this back to you so you can look at it, and Geoff s like (laughing) Um, and then .... and then you'll have to continue the discussion to get through the two or three that are left. Okay? Botchway/ (mumbled) add in our prior Council, um, objectives? Fruin/ You would 30 -some more items on here? Botchway/ (unable to hear) ...see it all at the same time. (coughing, unable to hear speaker) Throgmorton/ Kingsley needs (coughing, unable to hear speaker) (several talking) (unable to understand) Fruin/ We'll put it in a separate document (several talking) just a one -pager (mumbled) Smock/ Okay, comments or needs before you all disperse? (mumbled) Throgmorton/I'd like to say you've done a great job (several talking, applause) Smock/ Thank you, my pleasure! I take .... I just get a ton of energy from learning things about this stuff and meeting all of you. It's really cool, what you all do. I have .... a whole new level of respect for city council people and I don't know how you read all this stuff, cause it's amazing to me, so .... my pleasure! Do you have to adjourn a meeting or tap a gavel or.... Throgmorton/ Oh, yeah, we're adjourned! Mims/ I was gonna make just one comment because there was nothing in here under numnber four. I will submit to Geoff two or three things that I think need to be in there, I mean I think ... in number four, maintain our triple-A bond rating (unable to understand) about really paying attention to.....to implementation of the 2013 tax reform, um, and .... so anyway, I'll come up with two or three and submit to Jim just so you're not surprised when you see those next time. (several talking) Fruin/ So, um, your next work session is dedicated to the budget and form based code, so we're probably not going to have time on Tuesday to talk about it. I will go ahead and schedule This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018. Page 75 the second meeting (mumbledf) discussion and then you all in the meantime, between now and next Tuesday, you can think if that's enough or if you want to schedule a special.... another special session (mumbled) There is no hard deadline on the strategic (several talking) so there is a hard deadline on budget. We gotta get through that stuff on Tuesday. Smock/ Okay? (several talking) You're welcome. It was a pleasure meeting you! This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council strategic planning work session of January 30, 2018.