HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-07-02 TranscriptionPage 1
Council Present: Cole, Mims, Teague, Taylor, Thomas, Throgmorton
Council Absent: Salih
Staff Present: Fruin, Monroe, Andrew, Dilkes, Fruebling, Nations, Nagle -Gamin,
Knoche, Sovers, Sitzman, Jordan, Fleagle, Whitmore, Seydell-Johnson,
Berg, Fossum
Update on climate action activities, including a review of emission data post Mid American
and UI investments and state law limitations on certain actions 1IP31 lIP41:
Throgmorton/ All right, so we are now in a position to begin the Iowa City City Council work
session for Tuesday, July the 2nd, 2019. For the information of people watchin' on TV or
people present in the room, I need to report that Mazahir Salih.... once again will not be
present. She's still in Sudan. We've had some communications with her, but they've been
fitful. We don't really know what her situation is right at this very moment, but ... she will
not be participating, uh, you know, via the telecommunication system tonight. Uh, we
certainly hope that she is well. Okay, so our first topic for tonight's work session is an
update on climate action activities, including a review of emission data post -Mid
American and UI, University of Iowa, investments, and State law limitations on certain
actions. So we've received some information that appears in our information packet, the
most recent one that we received on Thursday. But the staff is going to begin, I think
Brenda's going to start by making a presentation, a PowerPoint presentation, about....
what our emission situation is, what's been done so far, what's currently scheduled, and
that kinda thing, and then I'll ask Eleanor to brief us on the, um, State energy code and
how it relates to new buildings and what our authority is and is not. After that we'll open
things up for questions to the staff and dive more deeply into the whole topic. So,
Brenda! Good evening!
Nations/ Good evening. Brenda Nations, Sustainability Coordinator. Um, I've been asked to
give a brief, uh, presentation about some of our most recent climate data that we've been
working on and an update on what the City's been doing in order to give you more
detailed information, uh, so you can have your discussion tonight. Um .... so Iowa City's
been working on climate action and sustainability for quite some time, but we really
stepped it up, uh, when the Mayor signed the, uh, U.S. Compact of Mayors Agreement
back in 2016, and we've been, um, coordinating our efforts more intensely sinc... since
that time over the last three years. Uh, we also got a four-star rating with the STAR
Community rating system that showed that we needed, uh, we scored very well but we
needed, uh, to work on our climate actions, and then in December of 2016, uh, the City
Council set targets, uh, carbon, uh, emissions targets for us, which kicked off, uh,
creating the plan to get to those targets. Uh, that took a year and a half and it was
completed in September of 2018. Um, the plan, uh, was intended to be updated about
every five years. Uh, we have tracking tools to give an annual update. It's been nine
months since we completed the plan and we hope to be giving a, um, update, uh, that will
be available to the public in about three months to show what we've done in the last, uh,
year. We also have, uh, community toolkit that's online so people can, um, look at best
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practices on how they can reduce energy in their home and at their work, and we also
have some, uh, back data on how to track some calculations and scientific, um, efforts on
how to calculate these so we know how to get to the goals. Um, the plan had, um,
community input. We had a community steering committee that was created to help, uh,
create the plan. We had stakeholder engagement before we started. We had two, uh,
public meetings that had about a hundred people each and we had a survey that included
over 800 responses. So we had roughly about a thousand people give input on the plan
because we wanted to be, uh, relevant to what we could do in Iowa City. So as far as the,
uh, target goes, um, Iowa City adopted the Paris Agreement targets. I'm sure, uh, the
Mayor remembers the agreement and discussed what some options would be with Dr.
Jerry Schnoor and at the time, um, he recommended and it was best recommended by the
IC .... IPCC, um, the agreement set by our country at the time, which is 25 to 28% by
2025 and 80% by 2050, and that's from 2005 levels. So through.... so we adopted our
plan in September of 2000, um, just last year, nine months ago and then three months
later the IPCC came out with a new recommendation, a 45, um, percent by 2030 and
100% by 2050. So that happened just three weeks after we completed our plan. So, um,
so .... the, uh, idea of getting to 100% in 31 years is gonna take transformative change. I
mean if you think about giving up all the fossil fuels in .... in 31 years, we're talkin' about,
um, major change, not by just the City but by everybody in the community. So this is the
data that we've been working with. We, uh, calculate our greenhouse gas inventory in-
house. We use the, um, most up-to-date global protocol standard, um, that's recent.
We've back -calculated all our .... our, uh, prior years so that it's, uh, comparable to the new
standard, and so we have 11 consecutive years of data to look at our greenhouse, uh,
gases. So we can, uh, we've been monitoring them, although you monitor .... you can
monitor the data. It's no guarantee about, uh, what you do, but you can make better
decisions on, uh, where your emissions are and what to do about'em. Uh, you can see
the top red line is the baseline emissions from 2005, and the next dashed yellow line is
the .... 20, uh, the 2025 target that was in the plan, and then the darker line is the, urn ... uh,
projected 45% reduction should you choose to do that. Um, and then the lower line is the
80% reduction. Um, you can see that we're ahead of schedule and we are currently at
21% reduction from our 2005 levels. Um, the .... the last year, um, that we have
calculated, it takes about, um, it takes six months after a calendar year to get all the data
to calculate and you can see that we had a little, uh, blip up in 2018. Uh, the reason for
that is that we had, um, some, uh, climate extremes. We had colder, uh, colder winters
and warmer summers, and we'll probably, uh, with the work we've been doing, that we
are expected to see more of those. So, um, you can see that they do vary through the
years, but it's .... it's going to get hotter and we'll require more electricity and it'll get
colder too, so we'll require more heating. So we also, um, conduct, uh.... urn, comm .... uh
our citywide or City operations greenhouse gas emissions. So we wanna know what our,
uh, operations, uh, have to do with this too, and so our City operations, so that includes
our landfill, waste water, all of the things that we own and control are 4.5% of the
community -wide emissions. So while it's important for us to track that and we have a
responsibility for that, 95.5% of our emissions are community -wide, so from other
people. So we're gonna need, uh, community involvement to, uh, to attack those 95% of
the emissions and that's what the plan was meant to address. So in our municipal
emissions, um, this is from 2015. We don't do these as often, but you can see that our
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landfill methane, um, from the landfill that we own and operate, that accepts waste from
the entire county is over half of our, uh, municipal emissions, and so, uh, we are currently
working on a methane, uh, study to look at those. Um, waste water is our largest facility,
uh, emissions at 15% and water .... at the water plant is 5.7. So for, uh, water use in the
city to, uh, clean and the water it takes, uh, those are our largest emissions for our
facilities. Our other buildings are about 12%. Um, so we track, we, um, track our energy
data for all of our facilities. So we have about 300, um, accounts for natural gas and
electricity, and um, this is a lot of information in this slide, but it shows that, uh, we are,
uh, we're constantly looking at the amount of natural gas and electricity in our own
buildings, and we spend about over $2 million on, uh, utility costs in our facilities. Um,
note that the landfill while it's the methanes are at their largest .... the methane emissions
are the largest, uh, emitter, uh, that's in the production of methane from the waste, not the
buildings, and so the facility itself hardly uses, uh, any compared to other buildings. So
these are our top 10, uh, facilities and the amount of natural gas and energy use that they
use. Um, we have done improvements and we continue to do improvements on all of
these. Uh, we are looking into, uh, the Senior Center, doing improvements on those, um,
but we have been working on continuing to improve the efficiency of our own buildings.
We have a new software, uh, that makes it easier to use this .... to look at these and we're
hoping to share it with our facility managers as well. So for our community emissions
overview, um, we have two charts here. Um, the ... the first one on the left shows the
source, and so the sources of our .... in 2018 our most current year, the source of our
emissions, the majority comes from electricity. So 46% of all of our emissions within our
city limits come from electricity, while 29% come from natural gas. Um, 7% comes from
the, just the coal from the power plant, and then, uh, transportation is 16%, with waste for
Iowa City residents, uh, being 2%. So that's where our emissions are com.... come from.
So the .... the City can't regulate, um .... uh, electricity and natural gas. That, uh, it's up to
the Iowa Utility Board to do that and we also can't regulate the University of Iowa power
plant. So ... but we can have some impact on some of those things. So the.... the chart on
the right is, uh, the .... by sector, and so you can see that most of our .... most of our
emissions comes from our buildings, and so we have, um, industrial, commercial, uh,
residential, uh, the University of Iowa power plant, and transportation, and so.... (clears
throat) um, we have a limited ability to regulate consumption and efficiency, but we need
to get community action for those areas for, uh, businesses, industries, and uh, residential.
So our plan is made up of five different sections, um, and the first one is buildings. So
buildings, uh, take up a lot, uh, the majority of our emissions. They are responsible for a
majority of our emissions. Um, what the City has done .... I'm just gonna go over brief
overview of all the five sections about some of the activities that we have, uh, done since
the creation of the plan or in the last few years. Um, we have had, uh, City rehab, uh,
energy audits on City rehab projects. Um, we have a Mid American team; it's our third
year, and they're working on energy audits around the city. We have energy efficiency
grants, uh, we've helped, uh, tried to support funding for the Johnson Clean Energy
District, um, which is an offshoot of some members of our steering committee that have
gotten together with some other members of the community and they're gonna be
working on energy efficiency in residential to start with and .... and get the word out on
that. Uh, we have some other grants, uh, including Air Source heat pump grants to, um,
Habitat for Humanity, and Air Source heat pumps are a way to offset natural gas and
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they're gonna, uh, report back to us on how those work in our climate. We're also
installing solar arrays at the new Public Works facility. Um, we're .... we've been talking
with MidAmerican Energy about community solar, and we've done improvements on our
buildings, including, uh, converting, um, bulbs to LEDs and our street lights to LEDs, uh,
I mentioned our energy tracking software, um, with our street lights converting to LEDs,
because um, MidAmerican knew that we are committed to reducing, um, our greenhouse
gas emissions, we were the first city in Iowa for them to start working with the ones that
they own to convert, uh, to convert those. Um, our staff is also tracking the progress on
the State Energy Code and, um, we're following the new, uh, what's gonna be required for
us moving forward. Um, and our current inspections require verifications, but we're also
looking into, um, up .... upgrading that in the future if, um, if necessary. Let's see .... for
transportation, which is the second category in the plan, um, the City has a goal of
double.... doubling our ridership in our transit buses, and uh, we have a pending grant for
four electric buses. Um, we also have been changing out our own fleet to electric
vehicles and .... uh, hybrids. Uh, yesterday we just found out a grant, I'm very excited
about this, we just found out that we're receiving a grant, uh, from the Iowa Economic
Development Authority, um, Iowa Energy Office to work with, um, other cities in eastern
Iowa on creating an EV -readiness plan and so that includes Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids,
Dubuque, Waterloo, and us, and so we're working with the MPOs in the other cities, um,
to get baseline in how to move forward as a regional group, um, to promote electric
vehicles. We have many bicycle initiatives, um, installing bike lanes, bike share
program. We've supported projects for immigrant and low-income populations, as well
as seniors, and we have educational series on biking. Um, we're also monitoring our own
City fuel by, um, revising our routes and also, um, we just passed an idling policy. The
third category is waste. We've done a lot in this category. We just rolled out new
recycling carts, multi -family recycling, um, and an increased.... and started our curbside
recycling. Um, the chart here on the right shows that we've had an increase of recycling
already this year, and our curbside composting has gone up as well. Uh, we have new
positions in refuse and landfill for staffing, more staffing needs in this area. Um, we've
issued a few grants. We've done a consumption -based inventory. Um, we've done
several things, uh, other things, including our .... our cardboard ban has been really
successful. Um, we have, um, and we're, as I said earlier, we're conducting the study on
methane. So, um, working a lot in the waste category as well. For climate adaptation,
um, we, uh, are fortunate to be one of the seven cities across the country to receive an
Urban Sustainability Directors Network grant to .... to get an equity fellow to work with
us this summer, and she's workin' with us on climate adaptation and those that are
affected the most, because, uh, due to climate changes. Um, and she's gonna be having a
report that's.... that's due at....at the end of the summer. Um, we've also done, been
workin' with the, um, the County Emergency Management mitigation plan. We've just,
uh, approved that, and we have staffing in this area too with storm water and, uh,
assistant park superintendent. Uh, natural areas management, we're working on which is
an important aspect of adaptation because of, uh, storm water, invasive species, and trees,
other things like that, and we've received grants and completed a plan. Uh, we're
working on invasive species removal, and we're in, uh, our....we're working with other
cities on soil protection program, and uh, we also have been planting in the last three
years, trees on our .... on our property. Uh, sustainable lifestyle is the last section, uh, in
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this section .... oh, I meant to mention that the numbers that are at the end in parentheses
are... correlate to the numbers in the plan. Um, we've .... so these .... these are the, um,
actions that we've taken according to the numbers that.... according to the actions in the
plan. So the .... we've created, uh, garden plots. We have the grant to the food hub. We
have grants .... we have, uh, several different grants, our climate grants, that have gone to
local foods and encouraging those within, uh, the community. Uh, we've, uh, we're
workin' on a communications effort. Um .... uh, we're working with the Climate Advisory
Board, of course, and they also have communication plan, and we're workin' on a
sustainability recognition program, um, to help businesses try and get to, um, to more
sustainable business, especially related to energy and we're hoping to release that by the
end of 2019. So we have been working with University partners to get to the .... to .... to
create a climate festival that we hope to hold, uh, for the community in 2020. So, the
numbers. Um .... so if you'll recall that 95% of the community -wide, that's the important
part and that's what we're gonna need to get to. So we've already gotten this 21 %
reduction, and so, um, if we look at our baseline from 2005, um, and we've gotten to, uh,
21...% reduction already, uh, we only need 2% a year to get 45% reduction. So we
created a scenario that's not, um, it's just a hypothetical scenario, a reasonable plan of
attack, um, to see if we could get to there. Um, MidAmerican has, uh, proposed that they
will be getting to 100% renewable electricity for Iowa customers, uh, by the end of next
year. So in a year and a half, uh, we'll know what .... what amount that they reduce, and
so, um, just to be conservative we added 85%, uh, to see what that added up, in case it's
slower than, uh, suggested or that it .... they don't go to 100%. Uh, if the University of
Iowa, they made a formal commitment to get off coal at the power plant, um, 100% by
2025, um, we don't know at this point whether they're going to be, uh, replacing coal with
natural gas, um, but if they reduce their coal emissions by 50%, um, by .... we added that
as a part of the reduction in this scenario. So for building retrofits and electrification that
would replace natural gas, uh, if you recall natural gas is 29% of our total emissions, but
if we were able to reduce just 20% of that, um, that is the number 58,000 and these
numbers are in metric tons and CO2e. So if we were able to get to that amount, um, in
natural gas, uh, which is pretty conservative and .... and, um.....uh, the numbers on the
right are the numbers that would remain after those reductions. So if we in .... if we
increased, uh, transit ridership and reduced our transportation emissions by 10%, um
....uh, in this scenario, and then also reduced mis.... our methane emissions at the landfill
by just 50%, uh, if we add up all those totals for .... for that scenario, we would get to well
over 45%, and so, um, assuming that our partners in MidAmerican and, um, the
University were able to do some, we would still need to do some of these things, um,
in .... to .... to focus on these three main areas. Um, our existing building stock, um, our
existing building stock is, um, our most efficient way to look at our emissions for natural
gas and for energy efficiency, so we need to look at natural gas replacement and electric,
uh, vehicle adoption. So the City, as I have said, has budgeted some additional staff in
some of those categories. Um, we're gonna continue to work on our own building
efficiency and performance; transportation, uh, with a focus on equity; and in the future
we, um, could look at more detailed energy code inspections and building incet...
incentives. Um, as you know a city can't do it by...by ourselves. We're just 4.5% of the
emissions, and so the community, um, we need to work, um, we need to work with the
private sector and we need to work with, um, a wide array of partnerships, um, to get
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there. We work with the Climate Action Advisory Board and their, um, recommendation
is that we work, uh, externally as well and to connec... connect with, uh, external partners,
um, and they would .... are thinking about a possible shift to a formal commission. Um,
and the climate strikers have requested three different things, uh, emergency declaration,
revising the plan targets, and additional staff. So it's clear that we need to do more,
especially if we're going to get to, uh, higher targets, and to work with the community is
one of the ways that we could do that. Uh, this word cloud is from, uh, an example of 40
different community partners that we would need to work with and .... and focus on. So
with the plan, it's .... it's a framework. There's no finite end. IPCC targets are gonna
change probably often and vary. Our own emissions are gonna change and vary, and so
the plan is very adaptable. It's the numbers that we have are to get to 80% reduction, and
the .... the main point is that we need to strengthen our partnerships to get there and to
work on those, uh, key things. Uh, we hope to plant seeds, uh, plant grant funds to help
seed working with the community, and um, it's just really partnerships to get to that
transformative change. Thank you.
Throgmorton/ Thank you, Brenda. We'll have questions for ya in a few minutes but, uh, before
asking Eleanor to talk about new buildings, I want to acknowledge the presence of at
least six members of our Climate Action Advisory Board. I wanna thank them for their
past work, uh, when they .... most of you were on the Steering Committee, if not all of
you, and thank you for coming here tonight too. Eleanor, can you bring us up to date on
whether we can .... adopt more stringent energy standards than the State's.
Dilkes/ Um (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ...new buildings.
Dilkes/ Just to summarize, uh, quickly, when I initially looked at the, uh, provisions in the State
Code, I saw fairly, um .... uh.....strong preemption statements in the State Code. Um, and
I can go through that analysis if you want me to, um, it's all in the memo. Um, as there
was discussion about it and we saw that both Dubuque and Des Moines had adopted
energy codes, or international energy codes that were later additions than had been
adopted by the State. The State has adopted the 2012 and they have adopted the 2015,
um, to the extent that they're more stringent than the 2012 code. Um, it made us question
that conclusion. Um, and so we were communicating ... or other staff was communicating
with the State anyway and was, um, about what their plans are for adoption of the 2018,
um, International Energy Code and I asked them to inquire about what the State, or at
least their contacts at the State, thought about the preemption issue and the original take
we got on it was, well, they thought we could do it, um, we could adopt more strict
requirements, but, um .... they would get an opinion from their attorney. Subsequent to
that, I communicated as their.... stated in the memo with general counsel for the, um,
Department of Public Safety, um, and she looked at the provisions and also
communicated with the Building Code Commissioner and they were both of the opinion
that we were, um, that we were preempted. Now I would not typically reply on a State
actor to tell me (mumbled) or rely on the opinion for preemption from a State actor, but
my hope had been when we got that initial feedback that perhaps they knew something I
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didn't, um, if they saw it differently than... and the State wasn't going to give us trouble,
then, um, we could .... rely on that. That did not turn out to be the case. Um, just
generally there is a provision in the State Code that says, um, cities can adopt standards
and requirements that are, um, more stringent than those adopted by the State, but not that
are less stringent, which is I think maybe where that thinking was coming from, um, but
that is as long as, um, another law doesn't provide otherwise, and I think the provisions
of, uh, Chapter 103A, first the provision that deals with single-family housing, single-
family, two-family construction, and then the other provision that deals with, um, all new
construction, um, are such other provisions, particularly when you look at the legislative
history of those provisions, how they were amended, the language that they replaced,
which, um, did what we would hope. Urn .... and, um, then I .... finally I gave you the
provision that .... the bill that was proposed in 2018, um.....that would of allowed us to
adopt more stringent requirements, that was not passed.
Throgmorton/ Okay, so I'm gonna read one sentence out of the .... email from.....um, the .... the
Department of Public Safety's general counsel's office, Attorney Catherine M. Lucas. It's
a very short paragraph, but the ... it ends, "The City of Iowa City cannot legally adopt
anything other than the State Energy Code." So, I mean, it just repeats what you told us,
but it's a very concise way of repeating it. So that's important for us to know, and it's
important for the public to know. Now, what I'm thinkin' is that we've .... we've gotten
a .... a very valuable presentation from Brenda, and I think we need to have an opportunity
to ask Brenda and Eleanor and Geoff, whoever, questions about what we have done, what
we are planning to do. When I say'we' I mean the City. What we have done, what we
were planning to do. Just ask questions about that, uh, without making claims about what
we oughts be doing differently in the future. We can get to that in a few minutes, but let's
just start with questions. So, why don't we start with you, Rockne, and just kinda work
our way down.
Cole/ I .... I think the first question I have relates to Dubuque and Des Moines. So is the DPS
commissioner or the chief counsel going to sue them? I mean I don't understand how
they were able to adopt a more stringent standard.
Dilkes/ I can't answer that question. Urn .... and I don't think you should assume that when they
did so that they got a legal opinion.
Cole/ Okay!
Dilkes/ Urn .... as far as I know, the Dubuque and Des Moines' city attorneys have not provided a
formal legal opinion. Um, in fact when I .... in my informal discussions with them, when
I originally starting looking at this issue, they were of the same mind that I was. Um, so I
can't tell you what .... I mean when I asked, um, Miss Lucas about that and she said....
They can't do that.' What they're.... what they're gonna do about that, if anything, I don't
know. My guess is nothing, since the State is getting ready to adopt the 2018, um, code
and.....they'll be in compliance.
Cole/ That was my primary question.
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Throgmorton/ Okay. John, do you have any specific questions you wanna ask?
Thomas/ Well I .... I did .... this question of what would be allowed under the, um, if. ... if the State
were to adopt the 2018.... addition of the International Energy Conservation Code,
is.....would that get us where we want to go? I'm not familiar with what that code.....
would allow.
Dilkes/ I can't speak to the technical requirements of the 2018 code, um .... I can ..... I, Tim
Hennes did ask kind of generally what, urn .... what they thought the difference was
between the 2015 and the 2018, if you're gonna move on for a minute I can find out what
that was. It was 6%, something in that ... in that range.
Throgmorton/ I can follow up on that just a little bit. I'm no expert on that either. Um, I
understand from talkin' with Martha off and on over the years that each succeeding
revision to the code is stricter with regard to energy efficiency, stricter with regard to
carbon emissions, and so on. So if it's not true, shake your head that way (laughs) but I
understand that's true. There.... they do it every three years. So the next one's gonna
come out in 2021. And I .... I should tell you that, uh, I was asked by people at the U.S.
Conference of Mayors whether I would be willing to co-sign, not co-sign, co-sponsor the,
uh, a .... a really aggressive version of what would be adopted in 2021, because there are
ways of trying to influence, uh.... those standards. I talked with Geoff about it some.
Talked with Eleanor about it by email anyhow, and .... they said, 'Sure, there's no reason
why you shouldn't co-sponsor that.' So I did, uh, I ... I presume it will be considerably
more stringent.... well, not considerably. More stringent than the 2018 version, which is
more stringent than the 2015, which is more stringent than the 2012, and so on. Will it
get us where we warm go? It's a track.
Thomas/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ It's not an end point.
Dilkes/ So, urn .... what Kim was told by his contact at the, at DPS is Dave Ruffcom,
Construction Energy Engineer, is that residential would be 6%, plus or minus more
restrictive than the 2012 code, and commercial would be 8% more restrictive than the
2012 code.
Throgmorton/ That .... you're talkin' about 2018 relative to the (both talking)
Dilkes/ 2018 relative to 2012.
Throgmorton/ Okay! Do you have other questions, John?
Thomas/ No.
Throgmorton/ Susan?
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Mims/ Nope.
Throgmorton/ Pauline?
Taylor/ Just to clear it up, Eleanor, um .... is it possible to like encourage or suggest without
crossing the line of requiring the stricter codes, like with new developments, I mean
maybe not goin' so far (mumbled) to putting it into CZA but, uh, at least encouraging
them, like when we're discussing it with them for rezonings or .... or developments, can
we at least suggest or encourage stronger, stricter standards?\
Dilkes/ You can suggest and encourage all you want, but you have the ability .... but when it
comes to the regulations that the City can enforce, obviously thafs.....whatever energy
code is applicable.
Cole/ Along those lines, is there any way that we could do citywide tax abatement for people that
wanted to do adaptation, like solar infrastructure on commercial buildings? Or for
residential? Could that be a citywide program for tax abatement?
Dilkes/ I think that has possibilities. I mean I .... the incentives are a whole different issue than
regulation.
Cole/ Okay (both talking)
Dilkes/ I mean it ... yeah (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ....yeah, I'm thinkin' we can get into that more deeply after we just ask these
preliminary questions.
Cole/ Yeah!
Throgmorton/ Yeah (both talking)
Teague/ All right! This, um, I guess from your report and .... and definitely the .... the Mayor's
readin' of the .... the one line from the State, um, it seemed a little contra.... contradictory
to me. Um, whereas of course as, um, Rockne pointed out, Des Moines and Dubuque,
they were able to do the 2015 and the 2018 is of course, uh, present now, um ...... but I
thought I heard you say at one point that we can ... have a more stringent requirements. Is
that correct?
Dilkes/ Um, I was quoting a provision of the Home Rule sections of the State Code, which
there's a general provision that says, um, cities caret .... do something less restrictive, but
they can do something more restrictive, but there's a provision in there that says, 'Unless
another law provides otherwise,' and that's what you have here.
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Teague/ Okay. And I think that'll be a little difficult to navigate with other laws because I don't
know how we would figure out what other laws could be in opposition, cause there's a lot
of laws, um, if we were to create somethin'.
Dilkes/ No, these.... these, what they mean by 'other laws of the State,' that would prohibit us
even from doing something stricter, and in this case we have other laws of the State that
prohibit us from doing something stricter.
Teague/ Okay! Awesome. Um.....and then I know that, uh, we received..... kind of a projection
from Brenda with, you know, how can we meet the 45% reduction goal by 2030, and I
think, um, when I look at this, I know one of the, um, observations is that we've been
relyin' on Mid American Energy as a part of our reduction, um, and so even though this
exceeds 45%.....I do wonder about what happens, you know, towards 2050, because
between 2030 and 2050, that's only gonna be 20 years and I'm assumin that there's gonna
be more requirements set on the community, and so.....on one level I .... I think this is
great, but I .... I kinda like to begin with an end in mind, what that looks like for 2050, um,
because if there's more community involvement, I think I would like to see what that....
how can we incorporate some of those things now, um, so that it's not so overwhelming in
20 years for individuals. Um, so I think that was my .... you know, questions or
observations there.
Throgmorton/ Okay. I'd like to ask, draw attention to one chart, and then ask questions about
another chart. So could you go back, Brenda, and .... and pull up the community
emissions overview of the two pie charts. Yeah, starting with the one on the left. I just
wanna make sure people understand the ... what I'm gonna .... what that chart tells us. So
the 46% on the right, which you label 'electricity,' that means electricity generated
primarily by Mid American at its plants .... all around its, uh, service area. Is that correct?
Nations/ Yes, and the .... the way that we calculate the Mid American electricity, well I should just
point out, we have a small, very small amount from another, uh, provider, but it's like
.5%, so that's why we're not addressing them. They also have some, uh, renewable
energy. But the 46% is from, um, Iowa City users in all of our buildings, uh, from Mid
American Energy and the way that we calculate it is the, uh, conversion factor that we
use from the, that we get from the .... what they're counting is that the energy provider to
Iowa customers.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I'll get to that in a second. So the light and the air conditioning that we're
feeling right now in this room is being generated by Mid American, somewhere at....at its
plants, wind turbines, coal plants, whatever.
Nations/ Right!
Throgmorton/ Right, and the same's true for all our residential buildings or .... and commercial
buildings and all that kind of stuff.
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Nations/ Yes. The only exception would be the University in some of their buildings are from
their power plant and coal generation, and they get some electricity from that.
Throgmorton/ Okay. The next is the 29% havin' to do with natural gas.
Nations/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ Uh, that's primarily natural gas used to heat buildings.
Nations/ Correct!
Throgmorton/ Residential, commercial.....institutional.....
Nations/ Yes.
Throgmorton/ So it's (both talking) and it comes from Mid American, is that correct?
Nations/ Also comes from Mid American.
Throgmorton/ Yeah. Thank you. And .... yeah, those are ... I think those are really crucial points to
understand because.... because of some things that have been written and said. Uh, yeah,
so there's that. And the .... a crucial deduction one can derive from that is that.... there's
no way on earth we're gonna achieve our carbon emission reduction goals, even the ones
that .... the ones we've already adopted, unless Mid American..... changes the way it
generates electricity, and unless we somehow reduce our use of natural gas. 'We'
meaning the people of Iowa City and businesses, and unless the University of Iowa .... uh,
reduces its use of coal, and hopefully gets away from natural gas too (laughs) But we
cannot (both talking) unless those things happen. Okay, so can you turn to .... back now
several slides to the .... the one about 'recent annual emission trends.' Cause this troubles
me a lot. I've talked with Geoff about it, several times, and we've had email exchanges
about it and everything. So the first thing that troubles me is the drop between 2014 and
2015. It's completely inexplicable just by looking at the graph. I'm not, you know, and
then there's stuff, there's background information. You, I think you've referred to .... how
Mid American has made a decision about ..... um, I think it's 'reserving' uh, our renewable
energy credits (both talking)
Nations/ Right.
Throgmorton/ ...for its Iowa customers.
Nations/ Right. Um, before 2015, they were able to sell RECS, or renewable energy credits to
other people outside the state, and in 2015 they weren't able to do that anymore. So when
they, we were receiving some, uh, wind energy before that, but we couldn't claim it
because other people were paying for those RECS and they were claiming it elsewhere.
And so even though we may have been getting, um, wind energy or renewable electricity,
other people were buying it to claim it and we could not. Um, the Iowa Utility Board
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made that, uh, a pass on .... in 2015 that they couldn't do that anymore. So the electricity
that we're getting, uh, for the last four years have been the renewable energy that's created
within Iowa, that is .... can't be purchased (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Okay so the big reduction between 2014 and 2015 is the result of, uh.... a legal or
administrative decision. It's not the result of a dramatic reduction in their carbon
emissions.
Nations/ It's ... it's mainly due from the added wind energy that they .... that, in the past few years
they've purchased wind turbines, and it's their source of. ... of, but it's from their wind
energy (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I mean I .... (both talking) don't mean to be criticizing Mid American,
because they have made a big shift to wind. I'm not (laughs) I'm not denying that! It's
important. I'm really pleased that they've done that. But I am .... what I am drawing
attention to is the fact that they didn't .... not make a sudden reduction in carbon emissions
between 2014 and 2015.
Nations/ As it (both talking)
Throgmorton/ (both talking) they use (both talking)
Nations/ ...as a company, all of the states that they have energy, you're saying.
Throgmorton/ I'm saying as a physical fact, between 2014 and 2015, they did not reduce their
carbon emissions by that amount. (laughs) ....cause there's.....
Fruin/ Mayor (both talking)
Nations/ I think it's confusing because Mid American owns and operates a lot of, um, energy in a
lot of different states, not just Iowa. In Iowa they have focused on putting more wind
turbines, and it doesn't mean that they don't have coal fire plants in other states. They....
they do have coal fire plants in .... in other states, but they've focused their wind energy in
Iowa, and they're committing to 100% of wind energy for electricity for the Iowa
customers in the state of Iowa. That's what we do our greenhouse gas inventory on. And
so what they do outside the state, and.... doesn't affect the electricity that we get in Iowa
City. While they do have coal outside of Iowa City.
Throgmorton/ Okay, um....
Nations/ So I think that the .... the emissions factor that we use to calculate our, to get this, is from
the electricity that we get in the state of Iowa, for Iowa customers. That's why it went
down.
Throgmorton/ I think it deserves more careful analysis, but I hear your point. The ... but the other,
the next thing I wanna draw attention to is the..... increase in total emissions, from 2016
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to 2018. There's been a, just a steady, very small but steady increase, and I know there's
fluctuation in the past. There'll probably be fluctuation in the future, but the downward
trend is what we need, not a slow increase. So that worries me, and you know, I'm....
doin' my job up here. It just worries me we're saying that we're already.... we've already
reduced carbon emissions by 21 % and therefore we're very close to achieving our 2025
goal. I'm not persuaded that we're gonna get there!
Nations/ So you can see in the other years between say 2009 and 2010, we went up, but then
went down again. A lot of that has to do with temperature variations, and we will see, to
your point, we will see more extreme temperatures and we'll need more heating and we'll
need more cooling. So we'll need more. We also have a growing population. So those
points are well taken. And .... but it will vary. Our emissions will vary, um, in time, and it
hasn't, um, our.... at the University, we do get the numbers from them as well, and they
have been reducing their coal, and so those numbers are real as well. So the numbers
included in the dip, uh, the University of Iowa power plant, um, does have ... provide their
numbers of how much coal did they use, and there has been a duc ... reduction in that as
well. (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ...great to hear (both talking)
Nations/ ....things together.
Throgmorton/ Yeah. I'm very pleased to hear that. Okay, so I .... there's no need to elaborate on
the points. I .... those are concerns I have and I wanted to make sure they were
articulated. Okay, so .... thanks for the presentation for sure, Brenda, and for responding
to the questions.
Mims/ You brought up an interesting point though, Jim, I mean when we .... when we look at the
reductions and you have the baseline, from what you said, Brenda, then there is no....
there's no adjustment in terms of population shifts to what the goals are for a community.
I mean, once you've set that baseline, I mean if you get a .... over that period of time, if
your population grows by 50% or 100% or over all those years, there still .... like with the
IPCC, there's really no adjustment in your goals or (both talking)
Nations/ Correct, and the Iowa City has grown and we've taken the population growth into
account and projected that into 2050 in our plan.
Mims/ Okay.
Nations/ So ... and we also calculate per capita to see how much our emissions are per person, to
see how that's doing. So....
Mims/ Thank you!
Throgmorton/ Okay, so now we (both talking)
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Cole/ ....one question for Brenda.
Throgmorton/ Oh sure! Go ahead.
Cole/ Do you know how many municipalities, um, both in the state of Iowa, as well as
throughout the United States, have adopted the IPCC standard?
Nations/ Um, since it just came out a few months ago, I know a lot of cities already have plans,
but I think that some cities are adopting, uh, more strict standards, but it would all be
within the last few months, and so, um, I know Columbia, Missouri, just, um, finished
their plan and I'm not sure if they did, but it would only be anybody that's created or
finished a plan, uh, within the past, uh, few months, although it's possible, obviously, to
go to stricter target emissions, even after you've adopted a plan. So I don't .... I don't
know, I can't tell you off hand, but I think some, uh, cities are more stringent than .... than
before it calve out, and some cities may already have, um, higher reduction targets even
before that happened. Like I think Ft. Collins for example.
Throgmorton/ Okay, I'd like to suggest, if. ... if this is all right with you, I mean we're a council so
you tell me if it's okay. Uh, I'd like to suggest we ask a couple broader questions that we
need to answer, that nobody else can answer —just us. Like..... and the first one would
be, it comes from our climate strikers, should we declare a climate emergency? So I'm
wondering what y'all think about that.
Thomas/ Well my .... my response to that is that there's clearly, in my view .... a need to declare
something, and what we call it I think is one of the questions, and you know I sent all of
you a .... a draft of, if we were to consider a resolution with .... with respect to this
declaration, that, uh.... my suggestion would be calling a declaration over a climate crisis,
rather than a crisis emergency, and I ... it's not something in my mind that's .... I .... I think
it's important insofar as to me it has a .... a better.....it better reflects, I think, what we're
attempting to do, and what it is we're responding to. Um .... I don't think it's the most
critical thing (laughs) we'll be talking about tonight, but it....it was something that I'm
seeing.... there is an acknowledgment that we need to describe climate change as
something, uh, clearer in terms of its urgency, and climate crisis seems to be the phrase
that has been identified or as being used, uh, as we move forward on these questions of
how to respond to this situation. So.....personally I prefer the idea of calling, if we were
to make a declaration, a declaration of climate crisis.
Cole/ I .... I think we should declare a climate emergency, and here's why. Um, Jim, I think we're
all concerned about what happens if our rhetoric gets too far out ahead from our actual
ability to implement that, right? Do we have a, I hate to use this term, but a credibility
gap, uh, if we make this sort of declaratory statement. You had mentioned the definition,
the textbook definition of emergency — floods, tornadoes. Well I think we are seeing
precisely that throughout the state of Iowa, um, which is directly a result of this
accelerating crisis. One of the reasons why we're talking about the IPCC, and .... and
there is I think some debate in terms of how urgent it is, but the question is what is the
actual timeframe? Are we looking at 50 years, or are we looking at six .... six years before
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we have a significant climate impact.... climate impact that is going to impact our state in
ways that we could hardly imagine. On the other side of the state, we are seeing flooding
that has never been seen before. Whole communities sub.... submerged. A friend of my's
father was totally displaced and they were, um, I think 20 miles from the Missouri River,
and this is climate -related. The other thing is is that the, um, the rhetoric I think is
important because I think it will precipitate action. Um, I think we should also encourage
every, uh, city in the state of Iowa, as well as our legislature .... legislators to unshackle us
to be able to, um, do more significant energy efficiency, uh.... you know, requirements
within our local municipality. Now whether we want to get into whether it's a climate
crisis or climate emergency, I .... I would want to look more closely in terms of the IPCC,
in terms of the language they use, in terms of the .... the, uh, language, but I think it is
important, um, and I think we are seeing something that we have not seen before. So I
think we should. Um, we have the expertise here, I think, to make that happen, and I
think frankly, um, I have felt a lack of urgency in what we've done so far has not worked,
it has not been sufficient, and I .... I think we need to move forward with that declaratory
statement. Finally, a lot of the great crises, social.... crises throughout history usually
once it's recognized it does take time to actually implement it, but it's usually the people
that make those declaratory statements early on that are the visionaries (mumbled) the
ones that make it happen. Um, the worst that could happen would be that we would fail,
um, and not meet these standards, but I .... I don't think we can have that sort of attitude at
this point.
Taylor/ Um, with all due respect, Rockne, um, I believe that if we as a city declare a climate
emergency, it....it will have little effect on .... on the actual crisis itself, that is indeed very
real and a real threat to the health and well-being of our cities, but even the article we
received, uh, from Huffington Post about New York City said declaring an emergency
was largely symbolic and that's what I would see it is, it's just a word, merely making a
declaration, uh, does not solve the problem. Uh, as Brenda Nations, uh, stated, this must
be a community -wide endeavor and what that means is educating everyone, and that
means everyone, on what all members of the community can and need to do to .... to cut
carbon emissions.
Throgmorton/ What do the rest think?
Teague/ Yeah, I think, urn .... we are definitely (laughs) we need to move with urgency, and I
think, Rockne, you bring up, you know, the crisis versus the emergency, the rhetoric. It is
important. But I hear what Pauline is sayin' as well, because we can declare.... in
emergency I think our ability, it .... it, you know, to really get there, it could be a little
symbolic. And so we .... I definitely don't want, you know, just to have somethin' that's
declared as an emergency and then we don't have all the tools in place to get there. Um,
the reason I asked about the 2050 plan is because I really believe beginnin' with the end
in mind is where we need to be, so that we can really, um, try to figure out .... since there
is a huge component of it, of the community to be a part of this, um, figure out how can
we really space this out. So I know that we need to move with urgency. Uh, crisis versus
an emergency, um, I can .... I can go either way. I think crisis, for me, is probably more of
the appropriate term, right now in our ability to say that this is our plan forward. Um....
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because a lot of this does not have a lot to do with the 2025 or the 2030, um, that doesn't
have a lot to do with the community members. Um, and so I think if we were to really
look at a 2050, you know, really incorporate a 2050 plan with a lot of the community
members in there, then I think yes, it needs to be seen as an emergency, because we're
gonna have to really involve the community and that rhetoric can go far. If we have the
rhetoric now and we don't have, um .... we're not really pullin' in the community and
really gonna make an impact, I feel like we can be....it can be very symbolic and then in
2030, when we really need the, you know the community to be pulled in, we've said, you
know, climate emergency for, you know, forever, and now it's gonna be, um, it won't have
any .... any.....any teeth to it. So....
Cole/ So you wold lean more towards the crisis then?
Teague/ I think right now, because of where we are.
Cole/ I can take that.
Mims/ I would as well. Um, and while people wee talking I just out of curiosity, I mean I think
all of us know what an emergency is, but when you look up the definition of crisis,
Merriam -Webster has Was the turning point for better or worse,' they talk about in an
acute disease or fever, but I think you could talk about it in terms of the situation that we
find ourselves, um, 'a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger;' uh, 'decisive point,
turning point,' and I .... I think .... I think using the word emergency, again .... not to
diminish the importance of this and .... and moving more expeditiously to make changes,
but I .... I do think if you use the word emergency, people think, well, it's five years later,
nothing's really happened. Yeah, the weather's a little bit worse. Why'd they call it an
emergency? But I think if. ... if we have that, um, methodical approach that this is a crisis
and it is getting worse and we need to have that long-term plan. Like you're saying,
Bruce, we have to find ways to engage the public and the community, sooner rather than
waiting till 2030 or whatever. Um, I think that .... that makes sense, and I think as we just
keep talking about the flooding and wind storms, I .... I just came back from vacation in
New England and I will tell you in the variation in weather was amazing. In one day we
had three significant thunder storms, and in between, the sun was blue and sun was
shining, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, I mean it was just beautiful. It was like
you're getting these weird really short but significant heavy rains, high winds, and then
they're gone. So totally different, and all my family members were talking about it, and
so like you said, Rockne, the flooding etc. So, but I think the crisis, um, I think (several
talking) message that better with people and really start getting them on board that .... this
isn't over tomorrow, but it's a long-term thing but we really gotta start moving on it.
Throgmorton/ I think that's the key thing. We have to demonstrate we're gonna do more because
things seem to have shifted. It (mumbled) I wouldn't say that we have a .... we're now in
the middle of a particular inflection point where suddenly things shifted, but .... but, uh,
we definitely face collectively a severe and negative future for human beings and for
other living creatures, if we collectively don't get a grip (laughs) and actually take
effective actions to reduce emissions. And .... and to reduce 'em at a pretty aggressive
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rate. So, I .... I personally am not a fan of using the word, the phrase 'climate emergency'
right now. I think that's a symbolic phrase that has resonance, but .... what really matters
is the action. So I think we need to do more than what we have done so far and we need
to be as clear as we can to the staff about what 'more' means, and.... and.... for us.
Cole/ So you agree with crisis then?
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I'm okay with crisis. Yeah. So, the next question I would ask is whether
the, basically 45, uh, whether we should adopt more stringent emission reduction goals,
in accord with what's being recommended to us by the climate strikers and apparently by
the .... the 2018 report .... from the IPCCC (laughs) or is it IPCC (laughs) get my letters
confused! In other words should we redu.... call for reducing our emissions by 45%, as
of the year 2030, and to zero by the year 2050? I think we should. Just get that out there,
uh, I think.... Brenda has said there is a pathway (laughs) and that was, you know, a
scenario, a hypothetical pathway, but it's possible that we could do that. We have to
count on Mid American, we have to count on the University, but we also need to focus on
what ... more on what we can do here, and I don't mean City government ordering City
government activities as such and managing City -owned buildings differently. That's
important, but it's not enough. We have to have more community engagement, it seems
to me. Uh, and so.....but I don't wanna monopolize that discussion. The question is
should we adopt a more ... um, a more aggressive emission reduction goal.
Cole/ I .... I would agree, Jim, and again getting back to .... I don't wanna give short thrift to
symbolism. Were gonna talk about action. But if we do this, I think we will be the first
community in the state of Iowa to adopt this standard. Correct me if I'm wrong. Um, and
again, what I want to do is I wanna project this to every city in the state of Iowa to do the
same, and have the collective action and the signal that we all are in this together. We're
all on this great big plant earth together and, you know, I would only say without
identifying the specific social movements, they all start and they all seem impossible, but
it's small groups of people collectively declaring that they're going to do something about
it, and then other people become inspired by those groups, and so I think we can do that.
We have an enormous platform, and so I think we should, and as Brenda points out, it is a
feasible solution, I mean we can do it. It is .... it is a possibility. So I think we should.
Taylor/ I think we're .... we're already, as you pointed out, uh, on our way to that 2025 goal,
and .... and that seems to be achievable. Uh, back in my day when I worked with
employees and had to, um, establish goals, we had what we called RUMBA, r -u -m -b -a.
Goals should be realistic, understandable, measurable, believable, and achievable. And
I.....am having trouble seeing that 2050 of 100% as achievable. Uh, I would say it's
more ambitious. The A would be ambitious, and it's so dependent on a lot of people that I
think that that 100% figure might be just a little high. Even though that's what's been
recommended.
Teague/ I think again we need to see what the, you know, the 2050, um, would be for our
community specifically. How to achieve that, and you know the timeframes of how we're
gonna really throw the 95.5% of our (laughs) community between now and that 2050.
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Um, I think RUMBA is a good, you know, example of, um .... how one can achieve a
goal. But I also think that the basic is understanding, um, what does that mean for
individuals. So climate change for me (laughs) I can tell you for .... before I took on
Council, I heard the term (laughs) I kinda knew a little bit about it, but um .... I didn't
know much about it, and what does that mean for my house? You know, what ... what do I
need to do inside my house to, you know, achieve climate change when you're talkin' new
furnaces, new water heaters, all that type stuff. What does that mean for business
owners? You know, what can they do? Um, these things come at a cost, and so I do
think, you know, layin' it out so that people, um, one have information about what does
that mean for them personally, um, but also, you know, doin' that RUMBA so that, you
know, from R to A, um, everything is laid out. So, I guess for me I do think that .... I can't
stress it enough — need to figure out what is that 2050? How do we get to that 100%, and
I think that needs to be figured out now!
Thomas/ My .... my understanding, and the little bit of looking into this that I've done since....
since this issue has come up, is that we .... we have two, urn .... two tasks that we're
looking at. One is .... is the .... the question of the declaration, which I think we .... sounds
like we agree we need to make that declaration, uh, as an ordinance. And what I've seen
in, um, other cities that have made such declarations is they don't necessarily give
percentages. I mean they .... they will refer to the, um, 1.5 degree Celsius that we cannot
exceed, uh, but in the .... in the declaration itself they don't necessarily speak about, 'We
shall reach 45% by a certain date and 100% by 2050.' What .... what they have done is
say, uh, in making this declaration, we would like staff to prepare a technical report in
response to this declaration and in that response will be the information that you're
talking about, you know, that in certain sectors we shall achieve X percentage of CO2
reduction, you know, for all the various sectors that .... that were included in Brenda's
presentation. So .... the .... the path to not exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius is revealed in the
technical report. I don't know that it needs to be revealed now, um, I guess is what I'm
trying to say.
Cole/ How do we get there then, John? I mean (both talking)
Thomas/ We get there through the .... through the technical report. The technical report is the
pathway.
Cole/ Yeah (both talking)
Thomas/ ...the resolution is saying we have a crisis, we shall not exceed, you know, in my draft
that I prepared it talked about ... you know, what .... what some of the issues are .... are that
need to be acknowledged now, that kind of lay the groundwork for, um, basically our
response, this accelerated response which is then articulated in much more detail, uh, by
the staff report, which will get into.... questions we've been asking, and that Jim mentions
— do .... do we have a coordinator? That should be a .... you know, we can express tonight
whether we think that's a good idea or not, but I think ultimately it would end up in this
technical report, along with a much more detailed, uh.....expression of what that path
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shall be, specific to Iowa City. And the ways in which we need to .... to meet the IPCC's
....recommendations.
Throgmorton/ What do you think, Susan?
Mims/ Well .... I ...... I guess (sighs) with due respect, John, I think we have to have a goal if we're
gonna lay out a path. I .... I don't see how you .... I mean if you're gonna tell people, you
know, to .... to reduce your emissions in your house, you know, by X percent you should,
you know, you should, you know, turn your thermostat down so .... so many degrees, or
whatever. I mean I think you have to give the individual and the individual homeowner
really concrete ideas and information about how certain actions will make a difference.
Otherwise I think it's hard for people to know, you know, how .... what do I need to do to
do my part if I'm, you know, if I'm willing to. So I think we need to set that goal. I think
it makes sense to go with the IPCC's new recommended targets. Um, at least as a starting
point. And then I would agree with what you've talked about, Bruce, and .... and kind of
what you're referring to John. I think what we need is a more definitive road, you know,
plan here in terms of the steps, um, at the City level, what can individuals do, um, you
know, how much we're hoping to increase bus ridership, um, how many, you know, miles
per capita we'd like to decrease, you know, the use of cars, you know, those different
kinds of things, you know, what does that mean in terms of, um, like we said buildings
are the biggest part of this. What does that mean to the individual, you know, like I say, if
they set their thermostat in their home, you know, in terms of how much natural gas they
use. Um, you know, programs about turning off lights, using, you know, more efficient
light bulbs, you know, all those different kinds of things. I think we can certainly talk
about, as you asked the question earlier, Rockne, do we get to that point of incentives?
Cole/Uh huh.
Mims/ You know, um, or programs like that where either tax abatements or other kinds of
incentives for helping people, you know, make their homes more efficient. We're doing
some of it, but is there a way of. ... of, you know, doing that even more. But I think to....
to lay out those steps, to help us really get there we need to know where we're going, and
so from that I would .... if we don't make it....at least we've tried. We're further along than
we are now, uh, but I think what we've gotta try and do is .... is set that target and then we
have got to try to find steps that are as quite frankly as easy for people as possible. I hate
to say that, but I think that's the reality of where people in this country are now. If it's too
much work, they're not gonna do it! So the more we can get those steps laid out now and
try to show people with incremental change how they can do their part, then we have the
best chance of success. Keep in mind that ... you know, Mid American is not providing
natural gas or electricity that we aren't using. So while we say a lot of it is on them, yes it
is in terms of the way they generate their electricity, but it is the demand .... that is driving
that. So ... I would ... I would support, uh, changing our rec... recommended targets.
Throgmorton/ (clears throat) Has everybody spoken? I guess you have, right? So I ... I would
too. I think, uh, it, to me, John, again with due respect, I don't think it makes sense to, uh,
ask the staff to put together a technical report without giving them some guidance about
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what we expect that technical report will achieve. So I personally would favor adopting
the stricter goals, of 45% and zero, and .... and for 2030 I think the gap's not that big. It's
pretty big when you get on farther down. Uh, beyond that, the .... the crucial question
then becomes, okay, so we .... we'd have to make assumptions about what Mid American's
gonna achieve, assumptions about what the University of Iowa's gonna achieve. What's
left? It's the ... what's left? Which of. ... of what's left, what can we influence? What can
we control? And so, you know, my mind starts goin' to the Climate Action Advisory
Board and if. ... if we directed them to focus attention on that, in collaboration with the
City staff, we could come up with the equivalent of a technical report. So along those
lines, I wanna toss out an idea, cause I don't know if it would be legal, and I'm curious!
So we cannot.....adopt stricter energy standards for new buildings. This is the clear
opinion. Could we require that any new residential or mixed-use developments
requesting a rezoning must achieve a significantly higher energy efficiency than the State
Code currently requires? (mumbled) ambiguity, a couple points there, but you get the
general picture, right? Could we do that?
Dilkes/ You would have to do a.....I don't know. I don't know, I mean you'd....you'd have to as
we did .... I'll give you the example of, um.....you know the Riverfront Crossings
affordable housing requirements, where we actually tied the .... the, um, increase .... the
increase in the density that they were achieving to .... the affordable housing requirement.
I don't think you could just impose an energy conservation requirement on any rezoning.
Throgmorton/ So then as a ... twist on my question....I.....I found myself wondering could we
mandate that .... new rezonings in Riverfront Crossings District must include.... urn.... a.
achievement of more strict energy standards, which would have to be specified.
Dilkes/ Jim, I don't think you want me to give you that answer right now. (both talking) I mean
(laughs) if you want me to just off the cuff tell you what I think about that, I can do that
(both talking)
Throgmorton/ Fair enough!
Dilkes/ I don't think that's a wise way to give a legal opinion.
Throgmorton/ Fair enough! So I'm .... articulating a hypothetical! (laughs)
Dilkes/ I get it, but be careful what you ask for! (laughter)
Throgmorton/ Right! (laughs)
Cole/ Did we get support for four though, first of all to clarifying the IPCC?
Throgmorton/ I .... I think so.
Cole/ Did we? Okay.
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Throgmorton/ One, two, three (both talking)
Cole/ ...three, and then John, are you supportive (both talking)
Thomas/ I'm supportive of it. In fact I think the 1.5 Celsius, implicit in that is changing the
goals. You can't get there (both talking)
Cole/ So you support ... I just wanna make sure (both talking)
Thomas/ I'm fine with that. Yeah, again I'm just ... I feel that there needs to be much greater
articulation as we get into the technical report as to how we achieve that.
Fruin/ Can I jump in real quick on this .... on this idea of a technical report, because the .... the
plan provided that, and there's a lot of information available with the plan, but then the
staff, uh, has an exceptional amount of more detail. So we have the numbers on what's
needed to get to those 2025 and those 2050 targets as they were initially set. We can go
through each of the actions and say, okay for .... for alternative fuels or electric vehicles,
in order to meet our goal we need 2% of vehicle miles traveled by 2025 and then by 2050
that's gotta be 50% of vehicle miles traveled, and we can go through the various actions
and provide that. That's... that's what we're using to .... to guide ourselves as staff going
through. That level of detail's not always suitable for the public facing plan document,
but I wanna let you know that that's out there and that was part of the plan that you all,
you know, procured.
Throgmorton/ Geoff, I .... we ..... I take the point, and clearly it's true, but we also need to know
what specifically we .... staff will be doing (both talking)
Fruin/ I agree with that!
Throgmorton/ ...to make sure that those steps are .... are accomplished. It's not that we need to
reduce, I don't know, BMT by 2% or whatever it was you just said, in general, we need to
know how to do it, what we are going to do to accomplish it.
Fruin/ Sure!
Throgmorton/ And that's where I think the, uh, Climate, uh... uh, Advisory Board can help, and
just as a parenthetical here, the .... the commission I think is gonna recommend to us that
they be transformed into a .... an official commission, of, uh, of City government rather
than be, uh, an independent advisory board, and we'd have to specify what that
commission's role would be, but it could be tightly tied to this point, I think.
Cole/ Can I mention one action, that I would at least like to evaluate. This may also be harder
for staff to give us an off the cuff response. I certainly wouldn't want that, but I would
like to consider, um, and have staff further research, um, citywide tax abatement for solar
infrastructure on residential or in commercial, um .... construction. Uh, so at least I'd like
to evaluate that, or to see whether, um, if the increased cost by virtue of higher standards,
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if someone wanted to opt into that, so they wouldn't have to, but if they wanted to take
advantage of the incentive, they would have to apply the 2018 standard, or whatever. It's
hard to work out all the details today, but I would at least like to evaluate that, because
that strikes me as authority that we do have, um, and it would be citywide across the
board and everyone would be able to, um, participate on that.
Throgmorton/ So .... so I'm gonna set Geoff up here to actually, uh, push a point that he and I
have talked about. It's not really generating solar electricity.....
Cole/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ ....that we need. I mean I favor it. I'd like to see a lot more of it. But it's not what
we need. We need to replace natural gas. And the .... the way to replace nat... replace
natural gas is with heat pumps and .... I mean our staff could tell us more, but maybe that's
what we need tax abatement for, financial incentives for (both talking)
Cole/ They may come up with additional things that .... that would, that they would look at, but I
would see that as in incentive, whether it's solar or anything else. It does strike me
though in terms of where we are with time, we should also have another work session to
further flesh this stuff out. Um, but that would be something I'd like to evaluate.
Dilkes/ I mean I think it makes sense to look at what incentives generally, I mean the tax
abatement may not be the ... the right tool, cause of that requirement that you increase the
value by 15%.
Throgmorton/ Uh huh.
Cole/ Uh huh.
Dilkes/ I mean you only get the abatement on the 15% increase in value. So .... I .... I would look
at it more generally as types of incentives.
Taylor/ In your report, Brenda, you mentioned the, um, grant for a Fellow, uh, that is helping
with .... with this project, and it talked about engaging with community and students. Is
that something part of their role, what they're doing now? Or what .... what exactly are
they doing?
Nations/ Um, yes. Our equity Fellow is looking into the extremes that the different, uh, effects
of climate that are gonna have on our community, such as like, uh, increased heat,
increased pre.... precipitation, vector born diseases, and .... and things like that, eight
different things, and we're looking at what communities that's gonna impact the most, and
so for instance like for extreme heat, that's gonna effect people who have to pay, uh, more
for air conditioning. That might be burdensome, or might need a heat center if they're
homeless or something like that. So we're looking at both public health effects and other
effects because, um, I think most cities are seeing that it's those that are having the least
impact on climate that are having the most impacted lives from that, and so we're looking
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at, um, to get recommendations on what we can do for those in our community that are
most impacted from climate change.
Taylor/ What .... what I've been thinking is we really need someone who's responsible, uh, for
community engagement and outreach, whether that's a part-time person or perhaps there
are grants, other grants out there that, cause I know we've done the budget already. We'd
have to try to find funds to .... to fund that person, but I think that's important, I mean
Brenda has a job to do and she can't be out there talking to all 70,000 of our community
members. Uh, I .... I think it would be important to .... to consider that, think about hiring
somebody to do that.
Throgmorton/ What do the rest of you think about that?
Teague/ I think Pauline makes a good point as far as, um .... Brenda's ability to really reach the
masses (laughs) um, in a way, um, I do think that maybe we might consider just
earmarking, um, some funds for a staff, whether .... and I'm not sure if that staff 11 be, um
(laughs) in a year from now or two years from now, starting, but just earmark them while
the .... if the commission is formed officially as a City commission, um, that would
already be a part of our plan, to have a staff to do whatever is needed to reach the masses,
cause it's gonna be, I mean if we're gonna reach the community, we're gonna have to have
boots on the ground, so to say. So, um, I think that that is somethin' that we should just
contemplate, um, for a staff of some type, um, to be boots on the ground essentially.
Mims/ I would suggest that we wait. We've got .... I mean we're gonna do our first meeting on
budget, hard to believe, in August.
Teague/ Yes.
Mims/ Um, as we talk about, you know, issues that we, as a .... as a council feel that staff needs to
incorporate into next year's budget, um, I .... I know I've had a conversation with Geoff
and City Manager's office has been, you know, as they usually do in the spring and early
summer, meeting with, uh, employees across the City, and then is not department heads,
but boots on the ground employees.
Cole/ Uh huh.
Mims/ And one of the comments he mentioned was everybody is saying 'we need more staff,'
and these aren't, like I say, these aren't department heads. These are the people who are
saying 'we need more help dong our day-to-day job,' so I am very concerned that we sit
up here tonight, focused on one particular issue, no matter how important it is, and start
making a preliminary decision about another staff person for this one area. I think we
really need to wait until we're looking at the overall budget and all the needs across the
City, and figure out, you know, how all that works together and how we prioritize things.
Cole/ Along those lines, what about .... cause I'm sort of viewing what we're doing today, other
than the crisis and then the IPCC standard. That's sort of the decision that we've made.
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The rest of it in terms of action is a little bit for further investigation with staff. What
about for staff to evaluate and identify what a full-time position would look like, and then
to come back to us with a recommendation on that, cause I actually think you're right,
every staff .... you always talk about competing priorities, that's absolutely a valid point.
Everyone has priorities for additional staff people. Um, but I do think if we're going to
make this happen, and actually achieve these goals, we .... a Fellow, I love Fellows. They
sound a little bit internish to me, and I love interns, but I don't think they're gonna get the
job done. I think we do need to evaluate and explore a full-time position for .... for
implementing the plan. And we may decide that there are budget constrictions and
we .... and it's not feasible, um, but I would rather the staff come back and say, okay,
here's what a proposed thing would look like, and if you wanna do it, we would have to
figure out when it would become operative, and um, whether we wanna move forward
with that decision.
Mims/ I think you have to .... look though first even at the plan, I mean I think as Bruce said, if
we're gonna have a goal for 2050, and we wanna try and start getting those steps in place
now. So, you know, we don't hit 2040 and we're trying to do all this in 10 years, so if we
start having this plan of these steps that we're going to be taking, year by year and the
improvements we need to make, I think that plan is going to help inform what we do or
do not need for staff, and what can or cannot be done by staff that we already have. So
rather than going out and.... evaluating a staff person for this, I think you almost need to
have the plan first and see what kind of, um, staffing it's going to take to .... some of the
early parts of this may be Communication staff. I mean some of the first two or three
years of this might really be giving our Communication staff direction on working with
Brenda and other people in the Climate Action Committee about the messaging that is
going out. So may .... and I'm not saying that's what'll happen, but I think you need the
plan before you know if you really need a full-time person.
Throgmorton/ Susan, on that point, I think it's correct to say that the Advisory Board not only
intends to recommend that we revamp it as a commission, but also has pretty clear ideas
about the need for additional.....an additional staff person, and they have pretty clear
ideas about what that staff person could do. Uh, I'd really like to .... wait on the .... that
particular question till we get a specific recommendation, from the Advisory Board, uh,
and then that'll be.....the sooner the better, cause then it can be part of our budget
discussion. We can have it in mind at least when we're doin' our budget discussion, so I
hope y'all can.....get it to us, uh, lickety split, so to speak.
Teague/ I don't warm belabor the point, but, um, I hear what you're sayin', Susan. I think we all
get it (laughs) uh, you know, um, City staff can be increased in various areas. Since we
know that we're going to be doing something here, I think what I mentioned a second ago
was just earmarking some funds. It doesn't really have to be labeled for staffing, but it
would.... because if it's gonna be informational, you know, there's gonna be things that,
um, we just don't wanna be goin' to the general fund for, like just havin' some earmarked,
maybe a little increase, but again, I don't think we need to figure that out. I think if
there's four more that says, hey, Geoff, you kinda heard the conversation. Is that
somethin' y'all can present to us, as far as like .... earmarkin' some funds for climate
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action, or if we already have some, which I think we do, just doin' a small increase, so
that there are some funds just set aside for this specifically. Again, if we, you know, get
down the road and we need a staff, um, whether that's.....time to really create a new, uh,
position within the .... a budget, um, projected or we have to, you know, create somethin'
right in the moment. It'll give us a little money that's already earmarked, for what we
know will be, um, it's gonna be expensive..... to move forward with the climate action
plan from the City, I believe, so.....
Mims/ And I would just say I think the time to set aside those funds is when we do the
budgeting, starting in August.
Throgmorton/ (several talking) Bruce, my sense is that Geoff has heard this conversation pretty
(laughter) clearly and has a sense of where the Council's headed.
Teague/ Yes!
Throgmorton/ And we'll be able to share our thoughts (both talking)
Fruin/ I think one thing that's.... that's important, what I listen for in these conversations are ... are
where is your emphasis, and what I hear from you and from the, um, the community, the
Climate Action Board, is .... is a different approach than frankly I was taking with the
budget, and that's helpful for me to hear that, because when we went into this past budget,
again we adopted this plan kinda mid -way through staff compiling the budget, my focus
was on how do we .... move forward on that 4.5% of the slice, the City operations, and so
we looked at things like waste and landfill. Uh, we looked at storm water. We looked at
our facilities department, and that's where.... you.... you saw four new positions, and
that's.... that's a .... a lot of what guided those positions. I'm just hearin' a different focus
from you all, and from the community, um, and that's helpful, and that's your job and....
and that's why we have a Climate Action Board. So .... what I can do is I can, um, take
what you've talked about up here and provide you some options for how to move forward
in short-term and, uh, in the long-term. Uh, and .... and we could come back, uh, you
know, in the next month and .... and give you some of those options on how do we shift
that strategy to more of a community -focused approach to this, as opposed to what I
originally had set forth, which was very much a let's start with the internal, lefs.... let's
get our own house in order and then move out, and so I appreciate the input that we've
heard and I think we can .... I think we can readjust accordingly.
Throgmorton/ Does that sound reasonable to you folks? (several responding) Yeah. Okay!
Good, very.... excellent conversation! Uh, thanks, Brenda, for making the presentation.
Geoff and Eleanor for (both talking)
Dilkes/ Can I just ask one question?
Throgmorton/ Sure!
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Dilkes/ Do you want us to go ahead and do what we need to do to get, uh, the Board set up as
a .... a formal (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Well I.....you could begin preparations, cause we're gonna get a formal
recommendation from the Commission, right? I mean tell me if I'm wrong. (unable to
hear response from audience) Yeah so I .... I.....(both talking)
Dilkes/ ...wait till we get that recommendation and then (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, but you can be thinkin' about it, you know....
Dilkes/ Okay.
Fruin/ And then, Mayor, some....some clarity on what you'd like for staff, uh, going forward.
Urn .... you talked about a declaration of a climate crisis. Do you want us to draft that?
Do you want us to work off Councilman Thomas' draft? Do you all want to draft that
resolution I presume, and then in terms of the IPCC standards, will that be addressed
within that resolution, or would you like us to bring a separate, basically update your....
your 2015 targeted goals.
Cole/ I .... I would like to couple it with the IPCC, and then we could maybe work with John
Thomas' draft, but that's what I would like. Get .... we can get additional feedback (both
talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, probably we don't need some of the items near the bottom of that draft,
which we can't really discuss because we haven't had time to think about it, but .... but,
um, we could prepare a draft, I think, and spinning off of what you proposed tentatively.
Fruin/ Okay, so what I heard there is .... we can bring, at your next meeting we'll bring, uh,
forward a resolution adopting the IPCC standards. Sorry, extra C in there. Um, and then
separately the Council, some .... some group of you will work on a resolution for the
climate crisis declaration? Did I get that right?
Throgmorton/ I think (several talking) They should be together. Yeah.
Fruin/ Okay. All right!
Throgmorton/ So....
Teague/ And who's gonna work on (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah! John, maybe you could just .... what do you think, could you work with staff
on that, cause you've already got the .... the first whereases. I don't know, four or five of
'em seemed reasonable.
Taylor/ Those are good.
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Thomas/ Uh huh.
Mims/ I haven't had a chance to even look at that (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Mims/ When we get stuff dropped on Mondays I .... I (both talking)
Thomas/ Yeah, I did the best I could. I didn't (both talking)
Mims/ ...haven't even read it, so....
Throgmorton/ Yeah, it's just .... I think all that needs to be done is like part of it deleted and then
adding the .... the specific decision that we made with regard to, um (several talking)
strengthening our goal.
Fruin/ And you wanna see that at your work session, next meeting or just put it on the formal
meeting (both talking)
Cole/ Don't you think it'd be good for the work session, so we could just see it, and then maybe
give some additional editing advice?
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Frain/ Okay!
Throgmorton/ Okay! Good deal! Let's move on. We have, uh, oh! Look at that! Maybe 10
minutes we could spend. Clarification of Agenda Items.
Clarification of Agenda Items:
Thomas/ Well I .... I, uh, since there is a .... a letter from Fred Meyer under correspondence over
the, um....
Throgmorton/ Is this an agenda item, John?
Mims/ Correspondence.
Thomas/ It's under correspondence.
Throgmorton/ Okay.
Thomas/ Um .... I thought rather than wait any longer, I think there might be some people in the
audience who are interested in this, um, you know, I hope that we .... this is .... this is
regarding the question of what impacts the, um, bicycle parking might have on Robert A.
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Lee Recreation Center, and the, uh, community garden on the north side of that building.
And .... and my hope is that we have two really.... valuable, um, goals here, or programs
represented. We have our, uh, expanding and improving our .... our bicycle networks and
the .... the availability of bicycles in the downtown area, and we have an existing
community garden, which is valued by the community and conceivably could lose some
of its integrity if the .... the bicycle parking were to proceed where its currently proposed.
So my .... what I'm .... what I'm asking for support here is that, uh, we revisit where that
bicycle parking would go, so that we do not in the process in gaining bicycle parking, end
up, um, impacting the integrity of the community garden.
Teague/ Do we know if staff has any different responses or....
Mims/ Yeah, the .... good question. I'd .... I'd (both talking)
Fruin/ Obviously we are .... we already need to increase our bike parking downtown. That's been
a recognized need for several needs now, and then we have the bike share that we expect
to be launching in the next couple of months, so we start to look at where are the
opportunities, um, to increase bike parking, and of course you want them to be in spots
that will be usable for the bike community. Um, when you're in the very core of the
downtown, as you know, walkin' around downtown, there's not a whole lot of usable
sidewalk space in the core. So you .... you have to go out to the periphery to .... to see
what those expansion opportunities are, and this is one of the areas that we identified for
a .... an expansion. It's not gonna .... it's.....it's not a huge deal to.....to find an alternative
location, uh, so we can move on from this location if that's the consensus. It's just, um,
it's .... it can be a difficult task to .... to find the real estate in a congested downtown area
already to add a lot of bike parking. So, again, we do have other options, uh, and .... and,
if the Council wants to preserve the cherry tree that's there, that's fine! We can do that
and we'll move on.
Cole/ I ... I would support, John, um, you know obviously this is a, this is sort of a conflict of two
really good things that we all really care about. On the one hand we're enhancing the
bike infrastructure, which ... which we love. But on the other hand we have this incredibly
dynamic, educational growing space that is also very difficult to find in the downtown,
that we're losing more and more of, with a fruit tree that is literally bearing fruit, and it is
the product of all this great work that has been done. Yeah, it's (several talking) um, and
so let's save that and explore alternative locations. I think tonight we probably can't get
into what those locations would be, uh, but I think staff can come back with a
recommendation as to what that would be. Uh, and that would be my position!
Mims/ Yeah. I'd like to see what other options there might be.
Taylor/ I would agree. You said we had other options. I would hope so.
Fruin/ Um, do you really want us to come back and give you options on where to put bike racks?
I mean I can just take your cue and say, okay, we won't eat up any more green space, but
I'm not sure you wanna get into the process of approving (several talking) in town.
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Thomas/ I mean my suggestion was that, um, if possible staff meet with, uh, they ..they may not
need to meet with Fred if. ... if we agree that we're not gonna impact the community
garden, Backyard Abundance doesn't need to be involved. Um, but include the, um,
advisory committee or some representation of the bicycle community in the process. Uh,
was.... so it's kind of a process -oriented thing, if ....if the bicycle community had not
already been involved in this decision, include them.
Throgmorton/ Is there ... I think I'm hearing support for preserving, if you will, the cherry tree
(laughs) (several responding) And ... uh, looking for options and .... John's suggesting that
we .... that the staff include the Bicycle Advisory Committee in that process.
Fruin/ We're .... we're happy to do that. I just ... I just need to express though that as much as we
love that input, and we need that input, we make so many decisions on a day-to-day basis
on these types of things. It is really not practical for us to .... to stop what we're doing and
get input on every decision we make, and move at a, at the pace I think that you all are
wanting us to move at. So .... we ..... we, we hear it loud and clear not to get into the
edible garden, and I'll take that to expand any .... any green space that we have downtown
and that's a perfectly reasonable position. Uh, we're happy to update the Bicycle
Advisory Committee and share those things, but if. ... if their approval is contingent on
where we put bike racks, that bike share program's probably gonna take a little bit ... you k
now we've already been tryin' to launch this thing for four years, it's gonna take a little bit
longer. Um, we have to shift these things around on a regular basis.
Taylor/ I'm thinking right across the street from here, hopefully very soon, that Chauncey Swan
Park is going to be open and available and that's going to provide a lot of space and ... and
I think that'll be a great opportunity to, uh, place bicycle space.
Fruin/ Sure!
Throgmorton/ Let's back off from having (several responding) the Bike Advisory Committee
review this particular (both talking)
Mims/ I agree!
Throgmorton/ ....decision. Let's get some options, have the staff develop some options, choose
which ones, uh, they wanna follow through on. I mean I take the point. I think, uh, we
can kinda.... get our hands too deeply into what staff is doin', and that can complicate
things.
Cole/ Is that the way everyone feels?
Thomas/ Yeah, I think we have set up a little bit of ground rules (laughs) as Geoff laid out, be
sensitive to, um, you know, the green spaces and move forward.
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Throgmorton/ Speaking of moving forward, it's 20 till. I think we're probably gonna have to
stop, unless somebody has any specific question about an agenda item that really matters
for the agenda. It's a really short, simple agenda, but .... anything like that? Okay, if not
let's, uh, let's adjourn our work session till after the formal meeting and we'll talk about
the information packets afterwards.
(BREAK FOR FORMAL MEETING)
(RECONVENE WORK SESSION)
Information Packet Discussion [June 20, June 271:
Throgmorton/ Uh.... we can pick up with the information packet discussion. I know at least one
person, maybe two of them, are waiting for us to discuss .... the trap, neuter.... sorry. Trap,
neuter, return community cats, pet shops and puppies memo (laughs) from .... from the
City Manager. So this is information packet item #3, and staff needs Council direction on
this.
Mims/ I am in support of the trap, neuter, return program.
Throgmorton/ Me too!
Thomas/ I am as well.
Taylor/ I definitely am!
Mims/ I just think there was so much good information, evidence that this works, so....
Taylor/ Yeah, other communities, and I read somewhere that, uh, cat lover there, that, uh.....a
feral cat might not show you love, but you .... you can still love them and you can see
how, uh, they, uh, appreciate like if you're feeding them or giving them shelter. So, uh,
they're good cats too.
Cole/ And you'll still have all the traditional tools as well. This just gives you more tools to be
humane to the population.
Taylor/ Exactly!
Cole/ So .... so I'm supportive.
Tbrogmorton/ Anybody feel a need to say anything else? I'm really sorry y'all had to wait!
(laughter)
Taylor/ Thank you for waiting!
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Throgmorton/ Luckily for you it's only 8:20 (laughs) (several talking and laughing) Could be
9:45 or something so .... so anyhow, there we go with that! Can we move to any other
item in that information packet?
Mims/ Well there's the pet shops and puppies as part of that (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Mims/ I'm really torn on this one. I am just super torn. Because everything I have read, the AG
Department does not do a good job of inspection, and when they do inspect, there's still a
lot of these places that are really .... are puppy mills. I .... don't know how their job, our
local pet store, is doing on vetting those places. I .... I can't pass judgment on that.
Cole/ Well, and Pauline and I have not gone up to Cedar Rapids yet either, so that's something
we need to have on our agenda. We were gonna report back to the Council, just to sort of
see where they were. I .... I share your (both talking)
Mims/ ...delay then (both talking)
Cole/ I .... I did not wanna do a Petland, you know, they'd obviously be the most affected by it, till
we get all of the facts, and I don't think we've done that yet.
Mims/ Okay.
Cole/ Um, so we'll have to (mumbled)
Throgmorton/ Is that problematic from a staff point of view?
Cole/ There's no rush, is there?
Dilkes/ I should just men .... I have been in contact with the, um, Cedar Rapids' City Attorney,
and I know he's having discussions with the, um ... the Humane Society folks. They have
pretty different opinions about the preemption issues, so .... um, it raises the whole issue
of House File 295, which was, um, passed if you remember last year, which basically said
cities, um .... can't, urn .... adopt ordinances that set standards or requirements regarding
the sale or marketing of commerchan ... consumer merchandise that's different than, um, or
in addition to State law, and clearly that was directed at plastic bags, but it is ... it's not how
the provision is written and .... and it really opens a whole can of worms. I have not done
a formal opinion yet, but.... that's.... that, uh, section makes it tough -
Teague/ I understand we're gonna get back to this, uh, topic, and I respect that, um, one thing I
will say is.....when I spoke to some people that were not in support, um, that were in
support of bans, um, a part of their rationale was, um, nationally, um, to ... the reviewers
of ... ofpuppy mills, they really cannot push, um, greater.... conditions, um, and so their
....so since they couldn't get anywhere with the national, they just thought just ban it, um,
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you know, locally, and so that brush where, you know, there can be no national, um....
um, movement to local individuals and business owners, I just find that that is not the
most appropriate tactic, although that tactic works for them, to bannin' in cities and not
tryin' to do it from a, um, more of a standard of, um .... for site visits. So that didn't sit so
well forme. The other thing was that, um, when you're talkin' about, um, bannin' in our
community then, and .... and I did go to the, uh, Animal Shelter here three times, um, three
weeks in a row. Uh, the first time I went there was only three dogs. The second time I
went there was no dogs. The third time I went there was one dog. Of all those three
times there was only one puppy about one years old and that dog was gone the next day.
Um .... so if, we're talkin' about, you know, bannin' in our community, but where are
people gonna get their animals if our Animal Shelter doesn't have enough, but even still,
um .... people are gonna have to go to other communities. I think it's ... it is .... it is true that
it is very beneficial for, uh, individuals to see where a puppy actually comes from and
that type stuff, but the reality is is that, um, I can be a puppy mill and I can show you
what I'm gonna show you, if you wanna come to my business and get a dog, so for me...
I've not changed my position on .... on, I'm not gonna support the puppy ban, the puppy
mill ban (laughs) um, but I do think that look at all of the things that do go into the
decision of bannin' puppies and .... in our community, so that's all I'll say for tonight and
we'll revisit this in the future!
Throgmorton/ Okay. Anything else on that information packet? June the 20th. How bout the
June 27th packet? I'm just gonna mention that we're .... in another 22 days, we're gonna
have that special joint work session with the Planning and Zoning Commission, and with
Opticos still ..... I guess they're still planning to come up, right?
Mims/ Just as an FYI, I probably will be doing that electronically. So...
Throgmorton/ I'll mention IP #8, which is an email from Judy Nyren and I already referred to her
just a few minutes ago, uh, but in, uh, in her communication she thanked us for what we
and others in the City have done, uh, to help their neighborhood and updating us on the
Lucas Farm neighborhood. She .... the, they're really doin' well on their (several talking)
Anything else on that packet?
Fruin/ Mayor, if I could just mention IP7, it's a .... a letter from Kirkwood Community College on
a program that they are initiating to increase, uh, ESL courses and tie them to
employment opportunities. This is something that will probably come before you at
some time, first to the EDC committee and then to the full Council. I do think it's a
program that, uh, staff would recommend supporting financially. So if you didn't get a
chance to look at that, uh, take a look at IP7, and if you'd like some additional
information, uh, I can get that to you in advance of this item coming before you.
Council updates on assigned board, commissions, and committees:
Throgmorton/ Yeah, looks to me like an excellent and much needed, uh.... um, effort. Okay, I
guess we can move on to updates about assigned boards, commissions, and committees.
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We can start with you, Bruce, then move to the (both talking) right, so that you can give it
to Rockne (several talking)
Teague/ And I have nothing to report!
Cole/ Um, nothing to report either.
Thomas/ Other than going to the same meeting that, uh, or stated the downtown (mumbled)
Mims/ Access Center has not met and I was out of town for the JECC meeting last Friday, so....
Throgmorton/ Okay. Pauline?
Taylor/ Nothing.
Throgmorton/ Wow! You people aren't doing anything (laughter) Yeah, so Pauline, you
mentioned that you and I will be meeting with Janet Godwin and Paul Roesler tomorrow,
in the afternoon. So .... 4:30, right? Yeah, and the only other thing I'd mention is the
Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, we met on ... June the 20th, talked about Frye Fest,
the use of the Iowa World Cup, the arena, the Eastside Sports Complex, and when we had
that discussion, Josh Schamberger, uh, kind of said .... he's actively working with other
people to advocate for.... progress on the Eastside Sports Complex. He also provided,
different topic, he also provided some more information about how much hotel/motel
capacity has increased over the past very few years. I don't have the numbers in front of
me, but it's like, you know, kinda movin' along and then (makes noise) (laughs) so he's
obviously concerned about that, as are owners and managers of existing hotels and
motels. But ... (both talking)
Mims/ I had a conversation with him about that recently too and .... for our benefit he didn't see
that increase hurting Iowa City as much because people want to be, want to stay
downtown.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, that's (both talking)
Mims/ I think we'll see higher rates ... higher utilization, more nights rented for, um, downtown
Iowa City than maybe some of the outlying areas.
Throgmorton/ Yeah. So I think I should mention one other thing, uh, which has nothing to do
with boards, commissions, etc. I think, uh, was it two weeks ago, in our meeting, in our
work session, I mentioned that I had received an inquiry from Mayor deBlasio from New
York City about coming here and I was gonna give him a walking tour of the downtown.
I got a phone call this afternoon asking if I could do that tomorrow afternoon. So
(laughs) we're scheduled to do it at 3:30, from 3:30 to 4:30 tomorrow afternoon we're
gonna meet here at the front of City Hall, and I wanna make sure y'all understand this.
I've been very clear with him about how my position is a non-partisan position, and that I
would be eager to guide any fellow mayor around our city, and to .... I'd do the same thing
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with regard to any presidential candidate from either.... either of the parties, or other
parties for that matter. We like to show our town offl Uh, I don't know if he'll be able to
get here, I mean (laughs) he had to cancel out last time, so maybe he will this time too.
We'll find out! But I wanted to make sure you knew. Okay! I think that's it. So we're
done for the night!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council work
session of July 2, 2019.