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2. Student Leadership Awards - Lucas and Twain Elementary
Throgmorton: Yeah,how many are from Lucas or Twain Elementary? Yeah! Look at that!
(applause) All right! Very good! Which brings us to Item 2, Student Leadership
Awards for Lucas and Twain Elementary. So we're gonna begin with the two
kids from Twain Elementary, Iyanna Simpson and Lil...Lily Waite. I wonder if
you two could come up and...I'll meet you in front of this podium. (mumbled)
Okay,just stand still. (laughter) Perfect! Right like that. Okay! So, uh, boy I
met both of ya out front and I've already forgotten your names. Who's who?
(unable to hear response) Lily, okay. So let's see who's first here. All right.
Your Student Leadership Award is right here! So,before we celebrate these two
awards, I wanna say I had the pleasure of watching a great video about Twain
Elementary just a few days ago. It shows your terrific Principal, I guess, some
guy moving from classroom to classroom and introducing the....the camera
person to all these kids in the classes. It was great to watch and made Twain seem
like such a terrific place, a terrific school to attend. So I'm betting some of you
have seen that video, and I know some of you kids were in the video, is that right?
Were you...were you there? No? Okay, well it was a terrific video. (laughter)
All right, so here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna ask you, Lily,to read your
speech first and then I'm gonna ask you to read your speech, and then I'll read
your Student Leadership Award and....and they'll be the same thing for both of
you,just usin' different names, okay? All right, so you're first, Lily.
Waite: Thank you so much for giving me an award. I feel honored. The reason why I
think I'm able to (mumbled) because I care a lot about my school. Whenever
there's something I can do for teachers or classmates I try to help. For example,
when my school said that we could go to the homeless shelter to serve them food,
I signed up as fast as I could. I wanted to help my school and community as
much as possible. My teachers nominated me because I have stood up for people
when they needed support. I've written a letter to President Trump, telling him
why I respectfully disagree with his treatment of undocumented immigrants and I
have stood up for the LGBTQ+ society. When I'm older I plan to do more than I
can right now. (applause)
Throgmorton: All right(applause continues) Well done, Lily! Okay, so now we'll turn
to...Ivan...Ivanna Simpson. So...uh? Oh, I'm sorry, Iyanna Simpson, excuse me!
Would you please, uh, read your speech too?
Simpson: First off I want to thank the City Council for their award. I really appreciate it.
But mostly I want to thank the Mark Twain staff. They helped me achieve things
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that I thought I couldn't achieve. They helped me with(mumbled) mindset. I
was given this award because I helped other kids make sure our class is on point
and I'm a great role model to other people. I enjoy helping out and hope to
volunteer and keep our community, uh....(mumbled) Thank you so much for the
award. (applause)
Throgmorton: Beautifully done! All right, so let me read the....the award statements, and what
I'm gonna read is identical for both of you, but I'll just, you know, insert your
own name, right? So (reads Student Leadership Award) So, lyanna! Here's
yours.
Simpson: Thank you.
Throgmorton: Lily, yours. So, help me celebrate(applause)these two great students (applause
continues) All right, that was pretty fun, huh? (laughs) (mumbled) three students
from Lucas Elementary, Asia Garrett and.....(noises on mic).....and Keira James
and Aedan Thomas. All right, well you know the gig cause we just did it
(laughter) All right, so, um, tell me your name again please. (unable to hear
response) Asia Garrett. Okay, Asia, would you please read your statement, your
speech.
Garrett: Hello, my name is Asia Garrett. Thank you for choosing me for this award. I'm
honored that you saw the qualities in me that are responsible, caring, and hard-
working. I feel like my attitude has changed a lot since coming to Lucas and I'm
so glad that others can see it too. (mumbled)me being a good citizen is that...is
when others need help I will try to help them the best I can. Another example is
when I'm in a group and they're off task. I will try to help them get back on task.
I'm also on the Lewis....Lucas student council. Thank you again for nominating
me for this award. (applause)
Throgmorton: All right(applause continues) Beautifully done, Asia. Okay, and Keira, you're
next. Do you have your speech handy? Yeah, I know you do.
James: Hi, my name is Keira James. I'm a sixth grader at Lucas Elementary. The
reasons I think I was chosen for this award are because I'm helpful and always do
my best. I also try when other people stop—I keep going. I'm not afraid to ask
for help. I also participate in many activities outside of the school day. These
include student council, club,band, a triathlon team, Little Hawks volleyball
club, and a youth group. I'm thankful to receive this award. (applause)
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Throgmorton: All right! (applause continues) All right, and our last honoree is Aedan Thomas.
I gotta tell ya, I like your outfit there. It....I really wish I had a....a bright red tie,
because I...I've got a couple shirts a red (laughs) tie would look good on. Okay,
so you're next(mumbled)
Thomas: Yeah,thank you, Mr. Mayor. Anyway,uh,hello (laughs)my name is Aedan
Thomas. Now first I would like to thank my school for nominating me for this
award and I want to thank....wait,uh, and I want to (laughs)thank my family for
supporting me with school. I also want to thank the orchestra and band teachers,
and(mumbled) forget my friends for helping me on this journey of mine too.
Being a good leader is important to me. I help my classmates with math and other
schoolwork, and I try to help them make good decisions so they don't get in
trouble. I manage my time with outside activities. I'm responsible for my
schoolwork. I try to be kind and considerate to others in my community and to
always be a good citizen. Thank you again for this award, Mr. Mayor.
Throgmorton: Brilliantly done (applause) (mumbled) Okay, so I'm gonna read your awards
too, and uh, again, they're identical,just name's different. (reads Student
Leadership Award) So, here's yours, Aedan....and here's yours,Asia....and
here's yours, Keira! So,let's celebrate these two, these three terrific (applause)
students (applause continues) So I know there are proud parents out there.
Parents! Hands! All right, well done. You're doin' a great job! (applause)
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9. Community Comment (items not on the agenda)
Throgmorton: This is,uh, a time for anybody who wants to discuss any item that is not listed on
the formal meeting agenda. It's time to come up, take not more than five minutes
to,uh, say whatever's on your mind. Please feel, uh, please, uh,remember to
state your name first and then take not more than five minutes. So, Paul, I guess
you're first.
Greenough: I messed that up, sorry! My name is,uh,Paul Greenough. I'm a retired professor
in the University. I live south of Iowa City on Oak Crest Hill Road,which is not
in the city limits, but it's in the city, uh,buffer zone, and I wanted to draw your
attention to what I think is potentially a serious issue for, not just for those of us
who live in the surrounding areas,but for Iowa City proper itself. Uh, 10 years
ago a neighbor directly across the street from us, half a mile away, put in a factory
farm, a 2,500....unit animal confinement,hog confinement, and as a consequence,
uh, our....uh, experience has been of, uh, frequent and repeated,uh....uh,
annoyances of a nauseating,uh, smell that drifts across our property and our
neighbors, and as a consequence we organized ourselves along Oak Crest Hill
Road into a group to protest to this, uh....uh,this person. His name is Randy
Lackender and, uh, we attempted to negotiate with him that he would take all
mitigating steps to try to prevent this odor from,uh, from annoying us.
Um.....this,uh....negotiation didn't work out well. He was not cooperative. He
was not neighborly. Uh, lawyers got involved and it was a standoff. Ten years
went by and then this last summer, 2018,he put in another one of these units,
doubling the size of the...of the confinement(mumbled) a fence which troubles us
very much. So we have entered into another period of struggle with Randy
Lackender,it, and our neighborhood group has joined with the 100 Grannies,
which I think is an organization you probably know about, which is a civic group.
I have a colleague(person responding from audience, laughter)here who will be
addressing that to you as soon as I am,uh, finished. The spreading of manure on
fields, it's collected,the manure and the urine from these, uh, confined animals is,
uh, concentrated into a pit under the,it, factory unit and then spread out, uh, over
the fields in a,uh, a constant and nauseating activity. We saw it as an annoyance
at first but when I began to look in it more,it, carefully, I found that there are
serious threats to,uh, health and, uh, property values and to water and air quality,
uh, all of which comes to a threat. The reason I say this is a threat is that the
number of these,it, animal confinements increases every year in Johnson
County, uh, two or three more units are added. Currently there are between 40
and 50 units. It's a little uncertain the exact number. The State DNR keeps track
of it but their maps are not entirely current. What this means is that moving from
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a south and westerly direction, these CAFO units are slowly, uh, surrounding
Johnson County and surrounding Iowa City, and they're moving into the, uh, the
buffer area, over which the City Council does have a degree of,uh, interest and
even,urn, a formal understanding with the County. Uh, it is a County issue, I
understand that, and we are...have approached and are in a,urn,reckoning
relationship with the Board of Supervisors,but we want to draw your attention to
this, as a problem which,uh, is bad for the City. Uh, the quality of life is very
much affected by the drifting of, uh.....uh, animal waste, uh, odor drifting across
the, uh, drifting across the land....landscape. However, it's not just an aesthetic
matter, as I say. The air....aerosols involved, uh, have a potential for serious
health, uh, effects. Urn....uh, the contamination of the air with these, uh, of....of
fecal particulate matters includes, um, among a number of other hazards, um....
uh.....a so-called MRSA bacteria. These are, MRSA bacteria are the bacteria, uh,
strains of staph aureus, which can,uh, infect people, especially,uh, elderly
people, uh, children, and those who have co....uh, compromised or limited
immune response,uh, and they are non-susceptible to antibiotic treatment. In
other words, there is an actual hazard, a danger. The extent of this is not entirely
demonstrated, uh,by,uh, scientific studies,but we have in our own department
of,uh, geography a medical geographer here in the University, Margaret Carrel,
who's done a careful study of admissions of veterans to the Veterans
Administration Hospital and Margaret has been able to show that veterans who
live in close proximity to these CAFO factory farms have a two or three time, uh,
higher load of MRSA bacteria, which therefore endangers them, in case they are
subject to infection or immune compromise. So we have potentially a serious
health problem for the most,uh,vulnerable among us. The fact that Iowa City is
now only three miles away,uh, from CAFO units and more being built, uh, every
year, uh, is something I think we need to reckon. Water quality also is, uh,
subject to, uh, pollution and distress, both surface water. The....the spreading of
this manure on fields, uh, gets into,uh,water streams and surface water bodies,
but it also, uh, in,urn,many instances can penetrate the water table and therefore
get into the pumped water systems that goes into people's homes. Those of us
who live on the periphery of Iowa City generally have our own....our own wells
and,uh, we are pumping water out of the ground, uh, which may be contaminated
with MRSA bacteria, and other pollutants, which come from these factory farms.
The fact is factory farms are not sustainable. They're not environmentally
sustainable. They make money for farmers. Uh,there're very, very large, uh,
capital and financial interests involved in the pork industry in Iowa, which has
strangled environmental regulations and taken entirely out of the hands of cities
and counties. It's concentrated in Des Moines in a fairly toothless Department of
Natural Resources, the DNR has had its, uh, claws pulled back and there's
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virtually no inspection, uh, in the, uh, in the state. So even if these CAFOs are not
meeting their, uh....uh, statutory responsibilities to meet environmental, uh,
standards, uh, inspections will never catch up with them. This is something which
is increasingly closing in on Johnson County. There are other counties in Iowa
which have hundreds of these CAFOs. As I say, farmers have an interest in this.
It does put a stream of money into their pocket. Our group, and certainly the
people on my street, are not anti-farm. We like farmers. We believe in farming,
real farming, natural farming, family farming, organic farming—of course!
Wonderful! That's in the heritage of Iowa. But for, uh,to....to call animal
confinements, uh, fanning is a bit of a misnomer. It's an industrial process to
produce units of meat, which are sold through very, very large corporations. The
profits are accruing mostly outside of the state. So we're drawing your attention
to this. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Great! Thank you, Paul. Hi, Kathleen.
Nicholson: Hi, I'm Kath....I'm Katharine Nicholson. I'm a member of the activism
committee of 100 Grannies. There are so many urgent direct and indirect
environmental and health problems related to CAFOs, factory farms,that we
don't have time here to delve into any of them in detail. We will leave a resource
sheet with you for reference, or you may contact the activism committee of 100
Grannies, or ICAW. ICAW is an acronym for `clean air and water,' Iowa Clean
Air and Water,which is Paul's organization, for further information. We are also
very willing to meet with you in closed session to discuss this serious issue.
Here's a brief outline of many of the severe problems and Paul Greenough of
has presented some others. The scale of the problem—there are already
24 million hogs in Iowa. We have a population, humans,just over three million.
That's one person for every eight pigs. And the pork industry intends to triple the
number of CAFOs in the state over the next few years, from 15,000 CAFOs to
45,000. Hogs produce 10 times...produce seven times more waste than humans.
That is more manure than can possibly be accommodated. Our waterways are
seriously compromised. In Iowa the currently impaired waterways class...the
waterways classified as impaired, 750. Animal waste is a large factor,
contributing E. coli, algae blooms, and fish kills. The health threats are mind
boggling,but because of increasing financial difficulties,many farmers are
willing to make their land available for factory farming. Most often the animals
are owned by an outside corporation. There are currently 46 CAFOs in Johnson
County. Mostly in the more remote, rural areas. Our immediate concern is the
relentless CAFO encroachment from the south and west into Johnson County.
Two to four new CAFOs are being added every year. The useless master matrix—
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this is an old 2004 legal guideline of regulation that the DNR uses for establishing
approvals for construction of a new CAFO. It is a....it is complex and obsolete.
Only a 50% score is required to secure a permit from among the requirements. A
failing grade in any other context. It is not protec... it is not protecting our
waterways, our communities, or neighbors of CAFOs. Regulatory problems—
while most CAFOs are legal in the sense that producers meet existing albeit
inadequate DNR code requirements,DN....(clears throat)these requirements have
been tailored to suit the pork industry by the Farm Bureau in Des Moines. The
CAFOs are protected by pork lobbyists. Local control has been snatched away
from cities, counties, and people living nearby suffering the consequences.
Additionally,the EPA under the current administration is trying to exempt
CAFOs from having to report their toxic air emissions, pointing to the possibility
of increased health hazards. This is not any farmer. We favor responsible family
farming and supplies to the farmers markets. But CAFOs are heavily capitalized
industrial operations that are inherently cruel to animals,polluting to the
environment, and inconsistent with Iowa's agricultural family farm traditions.
CAFOs significantly reduce the value of people's homes. A Colorado State
University study found that the values of Iowa residences near CAFOs were
reduces by as much as 40%. What we want from Iowa City City Council is this—
number one, continue to familiarize yourself with the issues. Number two, the
City should join the County Board of Supervisors in demanding a moratorium on
further CAFO construction in the county. Number three, examine the City's
buffer zone to see whether more stringent prohibition is possible. Number four,
align yourself with other cities in Iowa that are struggling with this egregious
CAFO problem. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Katharine. Good evening, Brandon.
Ross: Good evening. That's a really important issue. I hope people think about that.
Um, I'm just here because,uh, I go to the Rec Center. Uh, I know that all the
Councilors go to the Rec Center, workin' out in there, gettin' in shape as you do.
Uh,but maybe you've noticed something new that's in the Rec Center. I noticed
something new, which uh....which disturbed me and confused me, and that is,uh,
they have,uh, two new signs, which are on,uh, either door,uh, entranceway,
which says 'no loitering.' And.....you know, in my mind, I mean a public space,
uh....a public, uh,place should not have a 'no loitering' sign. Parks don't have
`no loitering' signs. When I was a kid and I went to the Y, uh,we didn't have any
'no loitering' signs. And,uh,what does loitering mean? You know, I'm thinking
what does it really mean. Is it standing outside,uh,breathing,uh, doing
something like that? Uh,how long do you have to be there in order to be
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"loitering?" What kind of message is this sign sending to people who are going in
to recreate, uh, go to the gym, go to the workout, go to play games—what
message are we sending? And what is loitering all about? If people...it's a....a
law apparently that can be applied. A person can be arrested for loitering. It
gives the police, uh.....full range to decide who, you know, who to pick up and
who to not pick up. It's kind of an arbitrary thing. Uh, if you've read Michelle
Alexander's, uh, The New Jim Crow, we have a history of loitering laws,uh, in
this country. Most,uh, I think most poignant is, uh, what we had in the Jim Crow
south,uh, which was after slavery was, uh, eliminated. Uh, the Southerners,
they...they put these loitering signs in so they could pick up anybody they wanted.
In fact so they pick up minorities and they stick 'em in jail, and then they take `em
out and put `em on the work farm to do slave labor, without slavery. It's the same
thing. Now, um, I think the signs are....you know, I don't think that anybody on
the Council will be picked up for loitering. That might be cynical. Perhaps, you
know, who are they thinking about? Someone standing around there,uh,maybe
there's so many of those, uh,hogs out there, eight to one, maybe there's a few
large animals that can't move out of the way, but what is it really that they're
saying about this....about this loitering and standing around and breathing air?
And,uh, I think it's profiling. And, uh, I know that sounds ugly,but I think it is.
And you think, well, what's this...it's just a little sign! That's all. It's just a...no
loitering,that's all. Just a little sign! It's only about 15-inches by 15-inches, with
black background with white let...lettering on either door. So the first thing you
see is `no loitering,' right? So, what is this...what could this really actually mean?
But you know we know that things take place in increments, in little steps. If I
look at the Rec Center, first....first they turn the recreation room into a fitness
room. Then...they took out the chairs,uh, and tables next to the snack machines
in front of the television. Urn,people like, uh,people would sit around and talk,
and some homeless people would talk there, and I was told by somebody who
worked there that the person who was in charge didn't want the homeless people
so they got rid of the...they got rid of the chairs. And then people come in and
play basketball. And,uh, you know, young men come in and play basketball,
and they have,uh, well they have two, three, four courts. One was full-court,
going the long way. Well they tore out the long way baskets. Now who is really
taking advantage of the full-court baskets? Well the generally young men. And
the majority actually in this recreation space....young men of color. Now why is
that? You know, well because...the rest is pay-for,you know, like if you....you
have to pay, and the people of color, you know, Latinos, the black people, you
know, this is a free space. Not...not discluding white people too. I...I play there!
I brought my daughter up playing there. My daughter played basketball in that
gymnasium. That's what people who are working class, it just, you know, they
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can't own a gymnasium. They can't, you know, they can't belong to, uh, a Dodge
Club Fitness Center. They can't do that! You know, so they tore those baskets
out. And now you have the 'no loitering' signs. Cynically, these signs are up,
right next to the Chauncey Swan tower, which will be filled with a lot of nice,
rich, wealthy people. Uh, what are we actually saying here? I think that the 'no
loitering' sign is arbitrary and it's profiling, and that in Iowa City you should not
have any 'no loitering' signs on any space,that maybe you should have a sign that
says 'safe place, come in.' Maybe you should have a sign at worse that says
`please do not obstruct the doorway,' you know, with a smiley face, you know,
like `don't obstruct the doorway, maybe handicap people might be coming in.'
Okay? But...if it's a....if it's a public space, you should not criminalize it. Mr.
Mayor, and City Council people, I kindly and pointedly ask you take off those
signs!
Throgmorton: Thanks, Brandon. Anyone else? Hi, Thomas. Oop, hi, Crissy!
Canganelli: Good evening. My name's Crissy Canganelli. I'm Executive Director of Shelter
House and a resident of Iowa City, a community in which I've raised my family, a
community I've called home for nearly 35 years. There's been a fair amount of
media coverage and local debate during the past few weeks on the subject of the
installation of new benches on the ped mall, and the concern that the design
prevents people from lying in a prone position, which some have said will have a
negative impact on people experiencing homelessness in our community. City
staff and Council Members have been the object of substantial criticism. I've
been hesitant to comment for a couple of reasons. The current narrative is
entirely driven by criticism and negative speculations. There seems to be no
interest or room for discussions focused on solutions to the real issue at hand, the
real crisis—homelessness. As a result we're not engaging as a community at the
level in which we have demonstrated both capacity and desire. I'm here this
evening to appeal to our better angels, to please stop this negative spiral. The
time, energy, and resources being spent on defending the right of those
experiencing homelessness to sleep on benches is better directed to the hard and
important work of ending homelessness and defending the right for all people to
be housed. In reframing the conversation through this lens, I'd like to take just a
moment to summarize some of the actual work, the hard work, that has happened
and the progress made, worch...working with the Ci...in which the City has taken
initiative and demonstrated leadership in addressing homelessness in our
community by increasing our capacity to respond to the emergent need and crisis
of homelessness through emergency shelter and through investment in creating a
permanent solution, building our community's capacity to provide permanent,
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supportive housing, an intervention proven to end homelessness for the hardest to
house, the chronically homeless, an intervention proven to save both lives and
money. During the spring of 2014, it was City staff and the Iowa City Police
Department who initiated conversations with the local homeless coordinating
board to explore the feasibility of a low-barrier winter shelter. These
conversations resulted in the implementation of the low-barrier winter emergency
shelter, which has opened each winter since January of 2015. Anywhere from
150 to 175 people acr...have been served each winter, people who would have
otherwise have had nowhere but the streets to turn. As a result, vagrancy calls to
the police are down precipitously, emergency room and ambulance services are
down, and there has been no loss of life during the winter months due to exposure
for individuals experiencing homelessness in our community. Less visible is the
fact that each winter the City issues a temporary use permit and allows Shelter
House to increase its capacity throughout the winter months at the Southgate
Avenue facility, adding an additional 20 to 30 shelter beds to our existing 70.
Through these efforts combined, anyone seeking shelter in our community during
the winter months is assured a warm, safe place to sleep. With respect to the
longer term and more permanent solution, during the spring of 2016, City staff
initiated conversations with local homeless service providers to better understand
the challenges and barriers to developing permanent housing,permanent
supportive housing, for our community's hardest to house—the chronically
homeless. As a result of these discussions, a new housing type was recommended
for amendment to the zoning code, and with the unanimous approval of the
Planning and Zoning Commission, and the City Council, the zoning code was
amended in July of 2016. For Shelter House this meant that land that was
purchased, sold to us by a private developer in October of 2016,would be
developed as a matter of legal right, as the use conformed to the amended code.
And furthermore we were able to maximize the residential capacity of the housing
we intended to develop. Next month Cross Park Place will open, 24 one-bedroom
apartments will be made available for the chronically homeless of our community.
These are permanent homes for people. Further demonstrating the City's'
commitment to ending homelessness is the fact that this fall the Iowa City Public
Housing Authority, with the Council's unanimous approval, dedicated Housing
Choice vouchers to Cross Park Place. I know of no other community in our state
that has dedicated resources in this way. And finally, the City has, simply put,
radically increased its financial investment in affordable housing. For all these
efforts the City of Iowa City was recognized this past fall by the Iowa Finance
Authority as a leader in our state for the creation and implementation of aff...an
affordable housing action plan and for their leadership in advancing affordable
housing development with an innovation award. Homelessness is a complex
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issue. About that there is no debate. But what I find so heartening and motivating
is that we in this community, through partnerships across both the public and
private sectors, are demonstrating ever increasing political will to address the
challenge head on,by realigning resources,through systems change, and making
a paradigm shift. Our work today is establishing the road map and foundation for
ending chronic homelessness in our community. This is the real conversation.
This is the hard work, and this is where the real impact is. It is in recognition of
your leadership and partnership that I am here tonight and with the hope of
reframing this conversation as we move forward in the year to come. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you so much, Crissy. Thank you. Hi, Thomas.
Agran: Hi. Evening, everybody. Um, my name is Thomas Agran. I'm a Northside
resident. Uh, I teach art at the University and I also manage public art projects
with the Iowa City Downtown District. I'm here tonight to talk to you because I
can't be here for your January budget talks, and so I'm using this opportunity to
speak to you,um, as well as the,uh, community at large about,uh, funding for
public art in Iowa City. I have a lot I wanna say and I'm gonna go really, really,
really fast so just bear with me! Um, I outlined during our....the October 16th,uh,
City Council meeting that we've seen an 87% drop in per capita spending on art
in Iowa City over the last 20 years, uh, as well the State's percent for art program
was recently cut, and indeed Iowa City ranks 41s`,uh,per ca...in per capita
spending on art,which is significantly lower than all of our neighbors. Uh, this
was not, of course, always the norm and even in the 1934 comprehensive plan for
Iowa City,uh,which was the same year that the federal government adopted a
percent for art policy. Iowa City is described as a community known and
promoted for its arts and culture. We can be a leader and model again in this
arena,but it'll take a paradigm shift, uh, in how we think about public art and
artists and how our city supports them, and that's what I wanna talk about tonight.
Um, I work managing public art projects downtown and the requirement to spend
my budget in a very narrow geographic area has made me think a lot about where
and how arts investments are made in our community. If you make a heat map of
spending on public art and cultural events, as well as the distribution of, um, PA
City grants, PAC grants, um, you'll see that the dollars are tightly concentrated
downtown. So don't get me wrong, public art is a core contributor to the vitality
of downtown, um, but there's a reason that I think at the municipal level,public
art is housed under Neighborhood Services. All members of our community
should live in neighborhoods enriched with art and we should be thinking of
public art as a decentralized and powerful infrastructure investment, rather than a
soft benefit. Uh, couple weeks ago or last week during, uh, Think Iowa City's
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annual meeting,uh, the CVB outlined the dramatic increase in hotel capacity and
the distinct lack of growth in demand to fill those empty rooms. Iowa City needs
to think outside of the normal ways that we use the hotel/motel taxes, to help
make Iowa City a distinctive place that people wanna live and visit and a
memorable one that they will share and wanna come back to. So as you vet the
upcoming budget, um, I urge you an overdue reallocation of the FY19 hotel/motel
tax. Uh, Iowa law requires that 50%...though only 50%, um, of funds be used to
promote tourism and currently it's divided amongst the CVB, the Police, and the
Parks Department, who use the money, um, Juli told me, for ball fields. Uh, I
suggested we think about why people might wanna come to Iowa City more
broadly than ball fields and badges, and,um, you know, we sell our city as a hub
for arts and culture. So the hotel/motel tax revenue, I believe, should reflect and
support those values. Uh, an idea that I wish I could claim as my own,but on the
contrary, it's the verbatim recommendation from your 2013 comp plan, which
instructs the City to "explore new funding resources for arts and culture projects
and programs such as hotel/motel tax revenue or a percent for art ordinance, um,
and I want to talk about that hotel/motel tax tonight and I will keep on goin' here.
Um, really quickly, those numbers, FY18's about a million dollars that's divided
roughly 50% to the Police, and 25, 25 more or less to Park and Rec and the CVB.
Um, I'm suggesting, uh, tweaking those numbers to give 13.5%to, uh,public art
program. Uh, and um....I'll give more information about those numbers,but um,
the way that this basically impacts the FY19 budget is that for Public Safety it
would be a point, so 0.25%,uh,reduction in public, the overall Public Safety
budget. For Parks and Recreation it would mean a 1.1% drop in revenue. Uh, for
the public art budget,it would be a 565% increase in revenue. Um, that 13.5%
and that 565% increase is not an arbitrary number, um, and it's calibrated to
basically fully restore the 1999 public art,urn,budget, uh, as adjusted for inflation
and I think it also corrects for uneven spending across the City districts, which is
something that I talked with you guys about,urn, last time. Um, the Public Art
Advisory Commission is, um, submitting a jointly-authored memo that outlines
the nuts and bolts of that, as well as, um, a bunch of recommended contingencies
of that funding. Um, but....we all know that public art is more than simply a...a
tourist attraction for Iowa City. St. Paul is one of the country's best and most
thoroughly thought out public art programs, and so I'm gonna borrow from them
here,which is,um, and it's a long quote. "Citizens see public art as promoting
the city and individual neighborhoods, as desirable places to live,work, and visit,
improving attractiveness and pedestrian friendliness of city streetscapes. Planning
studies articulate the potential of public art for expressing neighborhood history,
identity, sense of place, and for fostering inter-cultural harmony, and
understanding in our increasingly diverse city,"which describes our own as well.
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They embrace public art as a partner in promoting the vitality of commercial
nodes. Along with that restoration of the budget, I really think that we need to re-
envision its civic purpose. Um, public art is not just a bronze statute of Irving
Weber or a piece of plop art in front of a student housing megaplex. Urn, I think
that the best public art can magnify or even catalyze the success of other civic
work. It should be nimble and tactical and happening all over our city. Public art
can re-envision the public engagement process as we saw up in St. Paul. It can
connect us as neighbors and give us voice to everyone in our city,particularly
those areas of our city that are under-served and under-resourced. Public art
should be valued not simply as a soft benefit, again,but a strategic tool of
neighborhood investment, invigoration, revitalization, and empowerment. Iowa
City should look to St. Paul,which sees its substantial public art funding as "a
powerful tool that places artists at the core of civic action in shaping the form and
experience of the city." I recommend using this funding primarily to vastly
increase the grant programs to the neighborhoods. Urn, discussing public art in
neighborhoods (unable to understand) Johnson, who's a contributor to Strong
Towns writes, "The haphazard and make-shift nature of a project marks it as truly
local. The more make-shift it is the less intimidating it becomes to mimic or
interact with the art. When it's clear that art has come from the people, it puts the
onus on the people to create more. It becomes a call and response kind of
interaction that fills a place with a human touch. In the top-down case, the public
become consumers of art projects that formal groups are then expected to deliver.
The city that she loves, uh, did not come prepackaged or designed by public
policy,but was built slowly by good neighbors going a little bit above and
beyond. The most successful public art is a result of community desires and
goals, not top-down planning." That's the end of her quote.
Throgmorton: Thomas, you've pretty much gone way beyond five (both talking)
Agran: ...can I just have like one minute?
Throgmorton: Okay.
Agran: The municipalities love to talk about creative place-making but expect it to come
out of thin air, and sure sometimes it can, but I believe in a city's obligation to
serve a catalytic effect in progress. I have no pers...personal interest in what a
glorified hood ornament a half million dollars buys for the ped mall,but I have a
lot of interest in what$52,000 grants spread all across our city every single year
would do. I'm almost done! The Council's adoption to this approach to funding
will borrow from the accounts of Parks and Rec and Public Safety,but I see it as a
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new strategy to achieve some of the same goals of these departments, and many
others at the City. I'd urge you to look at how the renovation of the Englert drove
the revitalization of downtown, how an artistic bus stop can encourage public
transit and walking, or how an after-school art program contributes to a reduction
in crime, or a few homemade benches can transform a residential right-of-way
into a pocket park, or a well-placed mural can change the entire perception of the
community. It's possible for the City to soften these budget impacts to the
general fund,but I also believe that the growth in hotel/motel tax revenue over
time will restore those numbers and the CVB agrees—we cannot expect growth to
come from the same playbook we've been running. So....as you recover from
your holiday meals, I hope you enter your new year FYI9 budget talks with a
resolution,both figuratively and literally, to act in a meaningful way on the 2013
comp plan. I think it's time to usher in a new era of public art in Iowa City,
where we see its job description change from urban embellishment to powerful
civic tool. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Great! Thank you, Thomas. Yes, sir!
Miller: Hi,my name's Steve Miller and I'm a Longfellow neighborhood resident and
architect in town and a member of the Public Art Advisory Committee. Um, and
we, and also a subcommittee of the Public Art Advisory Committee that has spec
....was formed specifically to look at funding. Um, and so we worked
collaboratively with Thomas to develop a memo that I can pass off to you after
this,um, and Thomas can borrow four of my five minutes here. I just wanna say
that,um....uh, I was inspired by Thomas' statement,um, at the October 16th City
Council meeting, and by your receptive action to that, urn, and Iowa City's public
art has made an impact on my life and my family's decision to move here, uh,
from watching my kids play in the `weather dance' fountain to seeing my wife
hug the tree sweaters and just sitting on the eclectic and beautifully painted
benches on the ped mall. All of these experiences make our community
memorable and ....contributed to our decision to move to Iowa City. Urn, I know
that I'm not unique in this. I know multiple people have quoted or cited the
`poetry in the sidewalk' as a fac...a contributing factor in making them choose
Iowa City. Um,joining the Public Art Advisory Committee has been an
enlightening experience. While I'm impressed with how much is done with such
a limited bug...budget, I'm disappointed that we don't have funds to buy new art
or even maintain the art that we do have. Um,but I am excited about the goals
and strategies identified in the Iowa City comprehensive plan, and I look forward
to working with City staff, our committee, and Council Members to develop a
strategic plan, um, for art in Iowa City that outlines ways we can increase
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visibility and awareness of the arts and culture programs that will attract visitors
to Iowa City. Restoring....the public art funding to the original levels will allow
us to follow through on the goals stated in the comprehensive plan and continue to
create a beautiful and memorable city. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Steve, and by the way, thank you for serving on the Public Arts
Advisory Committee. Anyone else? Oh oh! It's a fight(laughter)
Persson: Sorry! Uh.....my name is Dottie Persson and I have been,urn, a volunteer at
Shelter House since 2001 and I am here to,um, applaud and express my gratitude
to this community for its,urn, growing understanding of homelessness and its
support to resolve,urn,the issues that contribute to homelessness. I have
witnessed all the changes that have occurred from the Gilbert Street facility to the
move to Southgate Street. Um, I have seen the development of the Lodge system,
and now,uh, Cross Park Place. Um, also,um,my husband,um, and I have,uh,
volunteered, urn, first in the,um....low, uh, in the barrier, or....in the,um....the
church-supported,urn, overflow project when it was started, when we were still
on Gilbert Street. When Shelter House was still on Gilbert Street. And then we
have,uh,worked in the winter shelter. We worked there in 2016, 17, and 18.
And I have witnessed,um, the good that the police and the EMS,urn,have done,
urn,in helping the Shelter House staff and volunteers,uh, when individuals have
come,urn,to the winter shelter. Urn,many of them,urn, have needed assistance
and needed hospital care, and they,urn, have been wonderful. So as you discuss
with other constituents the issues with the benches on the ped mall, I hope that
you will remind people in this community of all the good that they have
accomplished to help Shelter House and people who find themselves homeless in
this community, and I hope that you will join me in expressing your gratitude, and
um, showing your appreciation for their support of your work and the work of the
police and the work of the EMS and the work of the Shelter House staff and the
other non-profits in this community, urn,who work with them on these issues.
Thank you very much.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Dottie. Good evening!
Smith: Good evening. My name is Vero Rose Smith and I'm also a member of the
Public Art Advisory Committee, as well as a member of the funding
subcommittee that Steve is on, and we consulted with Thomas on his proposal.
I'm here in support of his proposal. I think the strategies and goals outlined,both
in this proposal and in the Iowa City strategic plan aligned well with a more
comprehensive, collaborative, and better funded approach to public art. We are
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really fortunate in Iowa City to have so many incredible arts' organizations, like
Film Scene and the Englert and Hancher and Public Space One, ArtiFactory, and
the Stanley Museum of Art. And all of our efforts as organizations and
individuals who participate in the arts here in Iowa City will only be enhanced by
restoring public art funding to the levels it was at before. And I thank you for
your time!
Throgmorton: Thank you, Vero Rose. Anyone else? All right, seeing no one else, thank you all
for sharing your views about those important topics.
Fruehling: Jim (both talking) correspondence(both talking)
Throgmorton: Could I have a motion to accept correspondence please?
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih. All in favor say aye. Opposed. Motion
carries.
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11. Building Change Incentive Program-Resolution approving an agreement
between the City of Iowa City, Iowa, and Hills Bank& Trust Company,
MidWestOne Bank, and the University of Iowa Community Credit Union for
the Building Change Loan Program
Throgmorton: Could I have a motion to approve please?
Salih: Move.
Thomas: Second.
Throgmorton: All right, moved by....uh,who was that? I got distracted. Moved by,uh, Salih,
seconded by Thomas. All right, um, Wendy!
Ford: Good evening, Council. I'm Wendy Ford,Economic Development Coordinator.
It has been about three years since the City had its last round of`Building
Change,' which is a two-part program designed to focus resources on two of your
strategic planning pri....priorities. Those being to ensure we have a vibrant,
walkable core and that we have healthy neighborhoods,um, in Iowa City. The
program is an incentive program designed to inspire businesses and property
owners in the Iowa City Downtown District to invest in facade renovations,
historic preservation, improvements to non-historic buildings, entryway
modifications, accessibility improvements, elevators, and uh,the like. Urn,
another goal of this would be to also inspire those property owners to invest in
rehabbing underutilized second floor spaces for either additional office space, less
expensive downtown office space, or residential units as well. Um, the two parts
of this program are a loan program and a grant program. Um, and your agenda
item today really only pertains to the loan program, and that is for a...a resolution
memorializing an agreement with the....the funders of the loan part of the
program. So I'll go over that a little bit and....and then I'll explain the grant part
too, for which you don't have any decisions tonight,but I wanted to put the whole
thing in....in context for you. Um, so our, uh,three of our local lending
institutions—Hills Bank and Trust,MidWestOne, and the University of Iowa
Community Credit Union,um,have come back together this year and said they
would be willing to,uh,provide funds for a loan program,if the City would
administer it. So much as we did in FY13 through 15, um,we convene,we get
applications for loan funds. We convene a committee of those,uh, lending
institutions. People from those lending institutions, and City staff. City staff will
then follow through on,um, getting any of the additional information,uh, from
loan applicants, including information about their product, project, or information
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about, urn,the security that they would have to bring in order to be able to get a...
a loan. Urn, the terms for the....the loan program are somewhat similar, although
the interest rate is a little bit higher than it was three or four years ago. Urn,the...
the banks would each contribute up to $150,000, or$50,000 each,uh, for loans
that would provide a 50%match for, uh, projects that cost a minimum of$10,000.
The banks would be willing to loan up to $30,000 for, uh, for any project. Urn, so
those are the basics of the loan program. The City's role in that would be
administrative. We would call the meetings with the loan committee. We would
do all the administrative work, uh, house the, uh.....track the,uh, the loan and
the...and the repayment from the, uh, recipient of the loan, through our in-house
software, and then once a year we would repay the lending institutions, um, the
....the funding that....that, uh, is due them. So, ours is an administrative role and
it's important to note too that, uh, the City would not be guaranteeing those loans,
and we would not incur any additional costs or expenses for, uh, for helping in the
manner we do. There'd be no risk to us, with the exception of the time that staff
spent in administering those loans. Uh, the grant program....
Salih: Can I ask a question on that, before you go to this?
Ford: Uh huh.
Salih: You know I really don't understand like the City...how the City administrate...
like what, is the loan gonna be paid by the...by the people who have the loan
or...or(both talking)
Ford: Yes.
Salih: Why the City's doing that?
Ford: Uh, we...we wanted to...we wanted to be able to provide both a grant program and
a loan program, and our local lending institutions,these banks, have been, uh,
willing to be able to provide those funds, so long as they didn't have to do the
work of the administering of the loan. They would provide us with a low-interest
rate. We would do the work, working with the loan applicants, service the loan,
and then make sure that the bank was paid back the money that the loan applicant
had been repaying the City all year.
Salih: You mean you evaluate the people who applying for the loan, to see if they are
qualify and you send 'em to the bank or what your role exactly? Because I feel
like, uh,you know, this loan is....is.....been asked by the business.
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Ford: Uh huh.
Salih: And the business, why the business not go to the bank direct and ask 'em for the
loan and they will be responsible for it, like why the City is....coming in this?
Ford: The banks are offering a lower interest rate, and so it's a better deal for the loan
applicant to come through the City in this program. It's an incentive program and
a promotion really, that is a partnership between the....the lending institutions and
the City, to (both talking) Right.
Salih: Like sort of like the City will be the guarantee for(both talking)
Ford: Nope, we're....(both talking) No, we're not guaranteeing at all. We're just
helping the banks, um, organize meetings to like pull their, uh...pull the
committee that decides whether or not a project is worthy of getting a loan. Some
projects may not. The banks, uh, this is where the banks' expertise will be.
They'll be able to know whether or not, um, depending on the security or the
collateral that a loan applicant would bring to the table, whether or not that was a
good risk for them to take, because they are the ones taking the risk. If they
decide that they do want to fund that particular project, then each of the three
banks contribute equally, one-third of the loan amount that would be going to that
recipient. That...that recip...the City would, uh, the....the banks would cut the
check to the City. The City would cut the check to the loan recipient. The loan
recipient would pay the City back on a monthly basis, and then once a year the
City would pay the banks back.
Salih: That means as if the bank give the money to the City.
Ford: Pardon me?
Salih: As if the bank give the money to the City.
Ford: Exactly, yes!
Salih: (both talking)
Mims: The City's just acting as a pass-through (both talking)
Salih: ...check from the bank has been written to the City.
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Ford: Correct.
Salih: And the City's distributing the money to whoever qualify, after you review their
application and everything,right?
Ford: Uh huh.
Salih: Isn't that means the City is the one who takin' the money from the bank? Like
the....
Ford: There...the bank is handing us the money, in three parts, enough to fund the one
loan, each one contributing one-third. Then the City will turn around and cut a
check to the loan recipient. They'll then have enough money for their project.
Does that make sense?
Salih: Yeah(both talking)
Ford: Then they'll repay....they'll repay the City, and the City will repay the banks.
Salih: Okay.
Ford: And these are funds that are made available at a lower interest rate than would
normally be available,because the banks also have an interest in seeing
downtown, uh, investment in Northside investment as well.
Froin: It's really the collaboration of the banks that make this unique. You know, if you
were an individual business owner and wanted to take advantage of these terms,
it'd be pretty burdensome to go to three different banks and qualify and...and get
that loan. So the banks are really partnering together on this program....
Salih: Uh huh.
Fruin: ....but because of the logistics of working in...in part because logistics of working
with three different lending institutions, who are all taking one-third of the loan,
it's easier for, uh,the money to come to the City and for us to be that pass-
through.
Salih: And this is, you said in total up to 150 a year?
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Ford: No. It's, uh, $150,000, up to $150,000 total,through June of....June 30 of 2020.
Salih: Okay. I....I think this is really good because you...you getting like lower interest,
you know, rate. So the business can benefit out of this. Urn, it'd be, as you said,
if they went direct to the bank, they would get highest interest rate...
Ford: Higher interest rates and they would have to ask one bank for more money and
that might be harder to achieve.
Salih: Yeah, I...yeah, I really,this is really sound good. Hopefully we can use it
somewhere else! In other programs. That's.....I just wanna lay out that.
Ford: Okay. Well let me continue and tell you a little bit about the grant program,
unless you had any more specifics with regards to how the whole loan program
works.
Mims: Wendy, I just have a quick question. On....on your bullets on the loan program,
the second from bottom bullet, is that supposed to be the maximum project costs
is 30,000? That was the way I read the memo. Was it the project costs were
anywhere from 10 to 30,000?
Ford: Uh, yes. Uh, I...I think I....I think that is a mistake. I think the minimum, and I
don't have my other notes here.....
Mims: The memo says the minimum is 10 (both talking)
Ford: 10,000 (both talking) I'm sorry for that!
Mims: Okay, I just wanted to verify, especially(both talking)
Ford: Thank you for pointing that out! Correct.
Mims: Thank you.
Ford: Okay. The grant program then, um, will be derived from funds from the City of
Iowa City economic development opportunity fund line. Um, we have,uh, like
last time, we will, uh, be able to make available $150,000. We....are looking at a
50%match...gosh! I'm sorry about the typing here. That slide says 40%. It is
also 50%, to keep it simple. A 50%match,up to $50,000. Uh, and the minimum
project cost in this instance is 50,000 as well. Urn, this program will be a
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competitive program and, um, will have a deadline out in February,urn, for
applic...so that applicants will have time to organize a project,put their drawings
together, and then submit them by a deadline. Then the committee, comprised of,
uh, City staff and, the committee has not been determined yet,will evaluate those
applications based on the strength of those applications, the impact that the
projects would make on the downtown, etc., etc. Um, and make an...and make an
award,urn,to those projects. We're looking at the grant program as being, uh,
one that would, uh,help fund some of the larger projects where there are
renovations needed downtown, and we'll be,uh, heavily marketing this program
to, um, to all the businesses and all the property owners in the downtown area,
with hopes that, um, we get some of the interest that I think is out there for that
program. Both programs will be available for properties within the Iowa City
Downtown District, which I've shown here, which includes not only the Central
Business District, as you know,but the Northside, uh, Market Place area as well.
And finally I wanted to show you,uh, and remind you of some of the, uh, projects
that came through in our last round of building change. Um, the first is the former
Whitey's building which is now where the....the Moss Plant Shop is. You see
that here. This was actually one of the last `building change' loan recipients,um,
and that building underwent a lot of renovation, but the....the loan from the City
helped with one particular part of that. And I believe in this case it was fire
suppression. Is that right, Tracy? Do you remember that one? Moving on, the
Bo James building was another. You can see the 1950s or 60s area...uh, era
facade was removed and a....a brick facade that fits in with, uh, more
contextually downtown was replaced there. Pancheros changed,urn, into a more
interesting storefront as well. The Atlas Restaurant, um, changed from a....a blue
storefront with very few window openings to, urn, the white one that you see
there, with, uh, several window openings and now that it's St. Burch Tavern,
they've made a couple of more, urn, changes to the front,where they've added
a....a doorway that helps them service the patio,urn, the patio clients on the Iowa
Avenue side. And the last one I was gonna show you was the Coldstone building,
which,uh, has now changed to the Raygun building. The chief, uh, difference
being their,it, the,uh, cornice above and,uh, cleanup and tuckpointing of the
brickwork around. So, these are, as you know,key properties in downtown Iowa
City and....and we're hoping that we get some similar, uh, strong projects in this
round of`building change' loans and grants. Urn, but today you have before you
the, um, agreement with the three banks for, urn, the loan part of the `building
change' program. Would you have any other questions?
Throgmorton: I think I heard Mazahir basically asking a spatial question,uh, and you elaborate
if you want, Maz, but I....what I was understanding is, uh,the basic question is
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how come this money's only being spent in the downtown and....Market, uh,
North Market Place neighborhood, and not in other parts of the city. So, what's
your answer to that?
Ford: I think the answer to that would be this is just one of the programs available in the
city, and one that dove...dovetails beautifully with some of the programs that the
Iowa City Downtown District is doing with their funding that they...that they
already have. In fact, they are going to be running two concurrent smaller loan
programs with these as well, and there'll be a workshop in late January to go over
all of those different programs. Um,but there are other opportunities for
businesses throughout the community. Uh,the main one right now, which is, um,
the micro-loan program and that allows for not only building improvements, but
other business needs to be satisfied with a,urn, a micro-loan,up to $10,000, at,
uh.....5% interest for up to seven years and $10,000. That, um, is available to
people who....who are income qualified for that. I think you need to be at or
below 80%of median income and have a business to qualify for that micro loan.
That is a program that is also funded by, um, our friendly lending institutions,but
we do guarantee those loan funds. So...
Fruin: Can I....can I add to that,just to...to jump on. We have done targeted facade
investments in other parts of the community too. Uh, they generally result from,
uh,plans or initiatives that are...that are larger than just a facade program. So, uh,
for example Towncrest. We've done several loan programs in Towncrest. Those
came, uh, or I'm sorry, facade grants in Towncra...Towncrest, that came after that
plan was adopted. Uh, we've also done at least two that I can think of in the
Riverfront Crossings District after that, uh, master plan was adopted. I'm thinkin'
of the....a little bit of assistance that went to Little Village and then Big Grove,
uh, Brewery,uh, received some assistance from the City, and then finally I'd say
we...we've addressed, uh, some of the other commercial areas through TIF, uh, so
the Iowa City Market Place and a lot of the improvements that you've seen out
there to their facade, uh, were....were required as part of the TIF assistance that
we gave them. Uh, and then several years ago,uh, similar improvements at the
Pepperwood Plaza, uh....uh, were funded through a TIF agreement. So, um,
again they tend to....they tend to be the result of a planning effort and then, you
know, the building stock is identified as something that needs improvement and
we try to craft plans and funding sources to address those issues.
Salih: I really would be interesting in....if you and I can meet or...I don't know, however
you want it, or email it, to know all the programs for economic development.
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Ford: Uh huh.
Salih: And (unable to understand) and also for the micro loan, I would really be
interesting to see how many people get the micro loan in the past two years at
least.
Ford: Good! We'd be happy to provide (both talking)
Salih: Yeah! Thank you.
Teague: I think it's, you know, this is a great opportunity for people downtown, urn, and...
and the Northside Market Place. Urn, I am totally onboard with,urn, you know,
with the...with this project on some level. I think I, like Maz, would like to know
all the programs. Urn, the micro loan is up to $10,000 loan. Urn, it's targeted for
low to moderate-income individuals. Urn, and it is 3%, and that's a five-year
term, accordin' to a staff email. Urn, but(laughs) what I....the one thing, when
we're talkin' about low and moderate-income persons, the one thing that's missin'
from this is any type of a grant program. So....often what we do (laughs) um, I
think in general for low-income people, typically want to, you know, do a
repayment with very little grant. Um, there's very few, um.....programs designed
to, you know, potentially to really get people ahead and....and so I would like to
just navigate a little bit, urn, at some point. I don't know when is appropriate,
about some of the programs that we do for low-income individuals. Urn, as
business owners here, uh, that we're relatin' to. Urn, I know that, uh, there are
people throughout our community that would love this opportunity, urn, you
know, for(laughs) a grant, you know, that, you know, right now the grant, uh, for
the I think the grant portion is up to $50,000. Urn, you know, that they can be
givenSo when I look at, you know, different parts of our city, um, you look
over, uh, where, um....uh, Paul's is, urn, and that....like between Paul's and
Hudson's,there's a, you know, probably an area that needs developed, across the
street, uh, where Slager Appliances and some more places are over there.
Ford: You know, we...we are, excuse me for interrupting,but we are(both talking)
Teague: Please!
Ford: ...looking into the, um, a...into putting together tax abatement areas for the other
commercial areas,just like the ones you're describing along Highway 1 West and
all along Highway 6 there, and....and other commercial nodes, and the other
commercial nodes in town too. So, while that is still in a sort of research and
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development stage, urn, we look at that as something that we might be able to
present to you in the coming months.
Teague: Great! Thank you.
Throgmorton: Wendy, I wanna make sure I'm clear about one thing. The...the loan and grant
programs you've described for us, uh, involve physical...investment in physical
structures,right, improving the facades, improving whatever, uh, of the buildings
themselves.....
Ford: Right.
Throgmorton: ...not of, uh, sort of supporting the businesses as such as businesses,but instead
the buildings in which businesses are located. Right? That....that's a crucial
thing, it seems to me.
Ford: Yeah. It is. One of the....one of the most important, um, aspects of the
downtown and the Northside area is that business stock and....and, uh, if those
buildings are healthy and look good and fit in contextually then businesses are a
lot more likely to thrive in those as well.
Cole: And I totally understand that, but I think to Maz's point, if I'm a business right
outside that boundary, I'm not eligible to apply for the program, is that correct?
Ford: Correct. Those areas....fairly well follow commercial districts, however. So
outside those you may find more residential....and the concentration of
commercial within those boundaries. They're fairly studied boundaries.
Salih: I really I'm not (unable to understand) providing all this help to business in
downtown. Downtown is great, I love it. My kids love it. We need to do that,
but by the way, people start telling us we have too much attention to downtown. I
hear this from a lot of people. Even though I love it,but right now when I look at
all the things I kind of like....start thinking about it. You know, we wanna keep
giving downtown, but let us do the same thing somewhere else, so we can rise
together. (several talking)
Mims: I was just gonna say, I'm glad that Geoff mentioned some of the things that he
mentioned, cause most of those have happened I think in the last few years I've
been on Council, in the last nine years, but it's easy to forget those and I think
people who don't live in those areas don't necessarily know about them. Um, the
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City has put a lot of money into the Towncrest area, uh, a lot of planning, a lot of
money, um, and I....I'm really pleased to hear that the City staff is...is looking
into the tax abatement, um,possibility for some of these other commercial areas
where....it's like a grant in a way, but they're getting it over years. I mean
they're gonna have to put the money in, but then they're not gonna have to pay
the taxes or a certain percentage of the taxes or whatever, um, depending on how
it's structured. So....I think.....we've been doing a lot of those other things in
other areas, I mean we've, like Geoff said, we've given the old Sycamore Mall,
now Iowa City Market Place,two different TIFs, uh, we've done Pepperwood,
we've done a lot of Towncrest, and so....yeah, we focus a lot on....on downtown,
but downtown is where an awful lot of that economics goes, and it's also
incredibly important to, uh, the vitality of the University and their ability to
recruit both staff,professors, um, and students, and so I totally agree. We...we
have to take care of the whole city, but I think it's really easy for people to
overlook what we're doing in areas outside of downtown.
Teague: So...so we just did the,urn, historic preservation, um, study that we just received,
and so some of those, um, potential properties that might apply for this loan, they
could get the funds and they can do a facade that potentially, urn, we wouldn't
want done. I guess accordin' to the study, because we haven't done that now.
Can you speak to that?
Ford: Sure! There will be a design review process, uh, for every single project that....
that happens. So, urn, there will be people from NDS. There will be people from,
or a person from, our Historic Preservation staff. Um, City management and, uh,
and others actually who will ensure that the design intent is....what it should be.
Fruin: Yeah, I really see this as...I....I don't go into this sayin' let's try not to make a
mistake, because we....we know that that's going to be heavily scrutinized with
this grant program, if...if you give us the green light. I see it as an opportunity.
You know, that plan that...that was presented to you called for incentives for
investment, and if we can execute this right and we get the right applicants, these
can be some of the incentives that help preserve those buildings in the right way.
So it has not been the primary focus in our past rounds when we were doin' this
work five years ago, uh, but this round it will be, because that study's front and
center now.
Teague: The...the one....I think the 2% is phenomenal. Urn, that the banks would be
willin' to work with the City. Um, and I....and I think, when I think of like the
downtown buildin' owners, I'm not totally sure that they all need a grant. Um,
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es....especially when I look at some of the past recipients. I don't know their, you
know, I don't know their, urn, financials,urn, but that is somethin' that I think
when we're talkin' about grants, I think we oughta be a little careful as...as to, urn,
how the City distributes grants,uh, to those that potentially may not need it. Of
course we have big developers that get TIF money, and I get that, uh, to ensure
that we're gettin' stuff within our community that we really want. Urn, but again
I wanna look at, you know, maybe some more,urn, the big picture so that I can
understand big picture of what we're doin' for the greater community, um....yeah.
I....I totally support businesses and definitely the Downtown District, cause it is
the hub of our great city.
Ford: It's important to keep in mind that the property ownership is usually different than
the business ownership, and the business is usually the one who has come forward
to us and applied for either grant funds or loan funds. The business generally has
fewer resources to work with than the landlord, who may be sitting back and just
not have any motivation to invest any more money,but with a willing and, uh,
eager business tenant, might....uh,think twice about that. So...it's that business
moving that forward.
Throgmorton: So you gonna provide us with an update on the grant programs and loan programs
that are available?
Ford: Yes!
Throgmorton: Throughout the city, right? Great! Thank you, Wendy!
Ford: Thanks!
Throgmorton: Anyone else want to address this topic? I guess the answer's no. (laughter)
Council discussion? (laughter)
Fruin: Guess I just wanna be clear, because...uh,by the time we get the memo out, this
program'11 be out the door. So, are you comfortable with us proceeding with the
program,prior to discussing the forthcoming memo? (several responding)
Salih: We voted....we agreed.
Throgmorton: Yeah.
Salih: Definitely.
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Throgmorton: Okay. Any further Council discussion about this particular item?
Cole: I do have concerns about the boundary. Um, I don't think we should limit it just
to the downtown. I think it should be for throughout the city. Um, certainly
downtown businesses would be eligible to participate, but I see no reason why we
should, uh...allocate these funds in a limited area. We've done past economic
development efforts in other parts of the community, I understand that,urn, but I
would be willing to....so I'm actually not gonna support it until we have a new
proposal that does not have the boundary and any eligible business would be able
to apply, um, for this particular program.
Throgmorton: Okay.
Salih: Which one they talkin' about now? (several talking) ...or the....the loan that we
(several talking)
Throgmorton: (mumbled)
Froin: Only talkin' about the loan, and the...I think what we would have to check, and I
don't know if, Tracy or Wendy, if you know this, but the....the banks may be
participating through the Community Reinvestment Act,which is a....a federal
law that requires investments in qualified targeted areas. I....I'm not sure. We'd
have to talk with them to....to see if they could expand their boundaries, cause
sometimes that...the Community Reinvestment Act limits where they can do some
of these low-interest loans or below-market loans.
Mims: If we...if we didn't have programs and hadn't had programs and aren't looking at
more programs around the community, I would agree with you, Rockne,but I
think when you really look at 150,000, that's not a lot of money. And so I think
to use that in a concentrated area, you get kind of more bang for you buck, you
get the synergy of more buildings in a concentrated area that really are attractive
to people and helpful in terms of the way the businesses work and marketing. So,
again, if we weren't, if we hadn't been and weren't going to be doing more in
those other areas, I would totally agree with you, but in this case, I'm
comfortable, um, limiting(both talking)
Salih: Is this the first(both talking)
Mims: (mumbled)
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Taylor: I agree with Susan too,because...especially since it was brought up about how we
just recently heard about the historic downtown survey. Uh, there are(several
talking) buildings down there that could benefit from this and, uh, that's what
we'd like to see.
Throgmorton: Okay, we have a motion (both talking)
Salih: I'm sorry!
Throgmorton: Sure!
Salih: My question was like how...how long this program was and the City Manager just
told me three years, and three years being given to the downtown, I wish if we
could expand it this year, because three year we are doing it in the same place,
constantly.
Mims: But it's only $150....150,000 (both talking) It's gonna be gone (both talking)
Salih: ...give 150,000 of this we can...we can go and do it like other business place
where...I....I support Rockne idea that to expand it. (several talking) ...because
we have it for three year. So this is the first time. Maybe we can give it to the
downtown, that's fine,but this is for three years now.
Teague: 150,000, if it's $10,000 minimum, I mean, that could be 15....
Mims: Could be gone in six months!
Teague: Well, I mean, but it could be 15 individuals that would get the loan, and...um, if
the...I'm not exactly sure about the grant, urn, I don't know if that's minimum
50,000 for the grant. The project cost says minimum 50,000 for the grant, and
how much, um, would be allocated, minimum?
Fruin: (mumbled) It's...it's a 50% match.
Salih: 50%match.
Throgmorton: I wanna say I think this program's important for the downtown, and the
downtown is important for the city, for reasons that we all know. So I'm not
tellin' about anything new here. But it seems to me that it is important to get this
program re....reinstalled, I think that'd be a good verb, but I do wanna see, uh, t
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his report about other economic development programs, etc., that are available for
other parts of the city, and we need to know that, we need to have that information
in order to make other judgments in the future,but for right now, I....I strongly
support this particular program as it's presented to us.
Salih: Do you mean you're willing to work on other grant for another part of the town?
Throgmorton: Well I....I need to know what other programs (both talking)
Salih: Yeah, I mean if we don't have something like this, you know, I just...so we can go
for this right now. I can go for this if you are willing(both talking)
Throgmorton: ...fully prepared to talk about that, absolutely! But, you know, talk about it cause
we'd have to...this is a spatial program. It's focused on one particular area. If we
wanna do spatially-oriented programs in another part of the city, okay let's talk
through that, figure out which areas those would be. Or...it has nothin' to do with
space. It just has to do with buildings, you know, older buildings and facade
improvements on older buildings, but that's not what we're presented with
tonight. So....
Teague: And...and, Mayor, I think you said it, like we don't know all the other programs
and that's why it's a little difficult, urn, maybe to make a decision to fully support
this. Of course I think, um, oftentimes I have to just look at what's bein'
presented and what it's being presented for, make a decision on that, but...um, you
know, will this take away from other projects throughout the city? I don't know
that.
Salih: You don't know actually.
Throgmorton: No, I don't believe it'll take away from other parts (several talking)
Teague: Well I...I'm referring to (several talking)the programs that are already designed
for other businesses, outside of the downtown and Northside Market Place.
Mims: I don't see how this would affect any of those, because this isn't City money.
This is loan money, coming from the banks. We're simply ac...acting as an
administrator of that loan money, so that...so that people wanting it don't have to
go to three different institutions or ask for more money from one institution at a
higher interest rate, and the fact that the City's having to collect the monthly
payments, saves (noise on mic) the banks a lot of paperwork. I mean as Wendy
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said, it's running through our software system. We collect it. We send them the
check once a year. Urn, I...I don't have a problem...the other thing is, I'm not
sure....the way I'm reading this agreement, they are each of the....I guess the
banks are the recipients in this. They're providing up to $50,000....between
November 151 of 2018 and June 30th of 2020. So....it....it's gonna go out
basically a year and a half, if I'm reading that right, not three years, and...I
wouldn't be surprised if we've gone through the 150,000 sooner than that. I mean
it...it'll just depend upon what businesses and property owners come forward and
apply.
Throgmorton: So, with regard to Maza's, Bruce's, and Rockne's points, I...I think...I hear clearly
that a significant number of our Council Members are curious about whether a
comparable program could be,uh, created for other parts of the city. Maybe
that's possible. We haven't done any staff work on that, as far as I know. So, but
I....but I hear that and I imagine Geoff and the rest of staff hears that too and will
be thinking about what might be possible, what might not be possible, what areas
might be applicable, which ones might not, I mean, you know, that kind of thing.
Mims: Well I think Wendy's comments about they're talking about, thinking about tax
abatement is right in line with that.
Throgmorton: Yeah. Okay, any further discussion? Hearing none, roll call please. Motion
carries 5-2.
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12. Council Appointments
12.a.Airport Zoning Commission
Throgmorton: We have one vacancy to fill an unexpired term upon appointment. Why did I read
that first thing? Upon appointment, uh, there's a female gender balance and we
have one application from a female, Christine Ogren, who used to serve on the
Airport Commission. Uh, is there any objection to appointing Chris Ogren to
that? (several responding) Okay, uh, so...could I have a motion to approve Chris
Ogren for the Airport Zoning Commission?
Cole: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Cole, seconded by Salih. All in favor say aye. Opposed. Motion
carries.
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15. City Council Information
Throgmorton: So, let's see, what was I gonna do here, urn.....uh.....what was I gonna do? I had
an idea in mind. Uh, I want to start with John and move to the right.
Thomas: I, uh,just wanted to report....I don't know how many of you have taken the 380-
Express to Cedar Rapids from Iowa City. Urn, but I just did, uh, with a friend,
Nancy, and uh, I had a wonderful time (laughs) It's, uh....(laughs) highly
recommend,urn, taking the trip on the bus. It....it's, especially for seniors. I
think it's $1.75 each way, so you just cannot beat the price. But....
Throgmorton: And it departs every half hour?
Thomas: I think at commute times it does and then maybe every hour at off-commute
times. It, you know, you can pick it up downtown, and then you end up basically
downtown in Cedar Rapids. There are stops at Kirkwood and in Coralville as
well, but it's about a 45-minute trip. Urn....but what, and it...it sort of drops you
off. We ended up spending most of our time in New Bo, urn, and just having one
conversation after another, which was what I hadn't kind of...hadn't anticipated
and I....I don't know if it was just unique to us or not, but....traveling by bus sort
of put us in a different frame of mind. It was as if we were on a...a longer trip
somewhere (laughs) you know(laughter) So when you got off the bus, you...
there was just this sense of....you were in a different place altogether(laughs) and
um....
Cole: You should be in the commercial, John!
Thomas: Yeah...well, and so I...I don't know. Maybe we were just, you know, resonating
these vibes that we were very open and receptive to whatever we encountered,but
um...uh,just had one....one conversation after another with people we
encountered and I don't know how many of you have been to the Cherry
Building,but that's a fascinating place. Uh, CSPS, they were in the midst of a
show preparation and so they were kind of in process and very open. Um, but
again I just,urn, if you've given it any thought, I would urge you to follow up on
it, and it is something that's.....you know, up to this point from what I gather kind
of been lacking in this region. You know, the ability to take transit, uh, over a
longer distance. It's pretty much just city-oriented transit service. And many
metro areas do have that opportunity. So...uh, I'd encourage you to take
advantage of it.
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Mims: Nothing!
Taylor: I think quite a few of us attended the,urn, ICAD...luncheon, uh, last week and that
was....that was a nice event. Good to see so many folks there and, uh, reiterate all
the great things that have been happening over the Iowa City area over the past
year. So that was good, and John, I appreciate your comments about the 380
Express cause I know being on the ECICOG, uh,they're concerned about that.
Last I heard they'd...were averaging about a hundred riders per day, which they
thought was good. They'd like to see it a lot better, so I hope your little ad can
....can help boost that, uh, ridership there. Otherwise nothing else!
Teague: I was at, urn, Think Iowa and that was great to see some of our, urn, individuals
that we recognize for the, uh, what is the name of the award?
Throgmorton: Bravo (several responding)
Teague: Bravo Award, that was a...a good,uh, thing to witness. Urn, I had my first KXIC
opportunity and (laughs) so that was, urn, a great opportunity,just to experience.
Um, I also had the opportunity to join the Mayor, urn, at the University of Iowa
faculty senate government, and I thought,urn, that was a great opportunity for the
City to engage with the University(coughing, unable to hear speaker) little bit
about some of their concerns and, urn, they had a lot of questions about what the
City is doing. Urn, so that was a great, urn, interaction there. I went to Iowa City
Hospice, urn, they had an open house and that was on the 13th of December. And
that was, uh, fascinating just to see the changes that's happened there. I used to
work for Iowa City Hospice, and so, urn, yes! It is great and I know that the City,
I believe,has helped with some projects, uh,with their buildin' at some point.
Urn,two other things, on Saturday I got to attend, uh, the University of Iowa
graduation which was held at Carver Hawkeye Arena, and uh, there was a 60....a
68-year-old, uh, Bernadine Franks that got her, urn....uh....uh, bachelor's degree
and so it was just great to witness and....such an inspiration, uh, to a lot of people
in the community. Urn, she's African American, and so for me that meant, um,
that was very special to be a part of that celebration day. Um, Saturday night I
went to the choir, uh, they had a, um....a `beautiful things' concert. It was at Zion
Lutheran Church and the choir is, uh, LGBTQ, um, choir that sings...and I
actually think that it's, uh, like the eastern part of Iowa, cause people are here
from Cedar Rapids and not just Iowa City area. So that was awesome to witness,
and that's all I have!
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Salih: I also went to the event. It was nice event and uh, I...I went to...on Wednesday,
last Wednesday, I had a tour at the Shelter House. It was amazing. Always I look
at the Shelter House from outside and I feel like this is really small place, and
when I went upstair it was like really amazing. They can fit there like 70 people,
and it was clean and nice. I really, you know...I was really amazing by that. And
from here I just wanna thank the people who are, uh,behind the scene, like
working hard to make the Shelter House like a better place for everyone, and uh,
that was really amazing experience for me! That's it.
Throgmorton: Good!
Cole: Follow up with what Maz had said. Just briefly just wanna thank everyone on this
bench issue that we've been talking about. It's a very difficult issue and I think
we all really care about, urn, some of our most vulnerable residents in the
community, and it really struck me with Crissy's comments about the better
angels of our nature. Um, certainly as public officials we welcome and encourage
criticism. That's an important part of public debate. And we hope we'll continue
to have that, like good constructive feedback,but by the same token I really
wanna recognize the work that our staff, our non-profits have done in particular.
You've done, Susan. Just the tremendous groundwork that we've done, and I
want the community to continue to push us and work hard to make sure we're
doing everything we can, but by the same token I do hope we heed her call to sort
of heed our better angels, try to stay positive, try to stay solution-oriented, and
really work together. So I hope we'll continue to follow up on that as an issue.
Um, the other thing I wanna do is I wanna call out our sister city Coralville. Urn,
a couple weeks ago we went to the Beauty and the Beast at the Center(mumbled)
the Center for the Arts in Coralville and if you haven't ever been to a show there,
it's fantastic. Uh, Coralville, we love ya. It's great to have such a great sister city
here in our region, and we hope that you'll come to Englert and Riverside Theater
and our great, fantastic attractions, including,urn, Le Mes that I went to last week
at Hancher,which is really fabulous. I think we're really blessed that we live in
such a....a tremendous area as far as that goes. So, and finally, I just...there's
about 20 minutes left till the polls end and we're not gonna comment on who we
support in terms of candidates,but I just wanna commend both Royceann and Phil
Hemingway for running a very positive, clean campaign. I think, again, heeding
to our better angels and I...and let the best person win, uh,based upon whoever
the voters decide. So if you haven't voted yet there's 20 minutes left. Urn,
get...get those votes in. So good luck to whoever is successful in that regard.
That's all I have and I hope everyone has a great holiday!
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Throgmorton: All right, good deal! Well I did a bunch of stuff. I won't mention any of it, so we
can move on to our work session (laughter)
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16. Report on Items from City Staff
a. City Manager
Throgmorton: Geoff?
Froin: Nothing.
Throgmorton: Ashley?
Monroe: I was just gonna mention that you will see the budget come out on Friday for
public and Council review. And on Saturday, January the 5s', we're having a...
the `breakfast on a budget' repeat event from last year. So people are welcome to
come for a light breakfast and chat with staff and Council Members, and um, stay
for the educational program.
Throgmorton: Very good. That was one of Kingsley's best ideas, for sure! Eleanor? Kellie?
All right, could I...I think (several talking)
Mims: Can I just make....
Throgmorton: Sure!
Mims: Ashley, will we have some, uh, pub....City publicity on that, um....
Monroe: Yes!
Mims: Okay.
Monroe: Yes, that's forthcoming, but I figured I'd plug it now.
Mims: Okay! Thank you.
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