HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-07-16 Bd Comm minutesi
CITY OE IOWA CITY
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July 16, 2019
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Description
Library Board of Trustees: May 23
Item Number: 4.a.
4 IOWA CITY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
123 S. Linn St. • Iowa City, IA 52240
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting FINAL APPROVED
May 23, 2019
Members Present: Diane Baker, Wesley Beary, John Beasley (in at 5:12 pm) Janet Freeman, Carol Kirsch,
Robin Paetzold, Jay Semel, Monique Washington (in at 5:26 pm).
Members Absent: Kellee Forkenbrock.
Staff Present: Elsworth Carman, Kara Logsden, Elyse Miller, Angela Pilkington.
Guests Present: Eric Goers.
Call Meeting to Order. President Paetzold called the meeting to order at 5:03 pm.
Public Discussion. None.
Approval of Minutes.
The minutes of the April 25, 2019 Regular Meeting of the Library Board of Trustees were reviewed. A motion
to approve the Regular Minutes was made by Freeman and seconded by Semel. Motion carried 6/0.
Items for Discussion/Action.
Policy Review: 101: Bylaws. Paetzold invited Eric Goers, Assistant City Attorney, to assist with the Bylaws
discussion. Beasley, Washington and Semel comprised the Bylaws Committee. One specific change is to
correct an error in Article IX, Section 2 as there is no annual meeting anymore. The most important items for
discussion should center on the composition of the Director Search committee, the election of officers, and
the appointment of committees. Paetzold asked if these are recommendations; Semel said they are points of
discussion.
Changes to the Bylaws must be made in writing at least 10 days in advance of a Board meeting. Goers said
this should be in the packet, and they are required to go to the Board. Carman asked if we would satisfy the
ten day requirement. Changes will be posted ten days to the public.
Article 4 section 4 regarding appointments. Paetzold said she is comfortable with committees that can
evolve as we get more information and is comfortable with the current language. It has been challenging
getting people to volunteer to serve on committees. She feels more structure would be difficult on a
practical level. Carman said he talked with the State Library about this and typically public libraries handle
the makeup of the committee as we currently do. Goers said he understands that the Chair appoints
committee membership and does not know about any controversies.
Beary said his experience the makeup of committees is different than the director search committee makeup,
in which case the Board should bring the makeup of committee members to the whole Board. Semel asked if
the group wanted to separate the Director Search committee from other committees. Baker and Kirsch both
said they did. Goers said this can be done.
Beasley said the President can, under the current bylaws, form a new committee and identify its members
and thinks the Board should have a say in whether a committee is necessary or not. He does not want
unilateral authority of the president to decide whether to have a committee or not. Beasley thinks the Board
needs to have the authority to seat a committee and its membership. Freeman asked what would happen if
she wished to create a committee. Kirsch gave the example retirement gifts, or the holiday treats the Board
provides to staff, as not rising to the level of committee being appointed by the whole Board. Beary asked if
Beasley had a particular committee in mind as an example of a problem.
Paetzold asked if there is action the committee wishes to have to move this forward. Goers said Section 5,
article 6 is another place where the change might be made. Beasley asked if the group wishes to amend the
bylaws to provide that the necessity or creation of a committee needs Board approval, and do we want a
specific rule tailored to a search committee for the director's position and the composition of the search
committee. Paetzold asked if members wished to make changes to the formation of committees. The
majority of Board members want no change to the current bylaws regarding formation of committees and
their membership.
Beasley wants a Director Search committee to have more structure in its membership. Paetzold said it is hard
to predict what the needs will be the next time we hire a new director and is reluctant to be specific about
the makeup of the committee. Kirsch said she would prefer the Board President recommend a search
committee subject to Board approval. Semel approves limiting the President's powers in just the director
search committee process. Beasley has no problem with the President making a recommendation for who
sits on the committee but wants the Board to have a say. Paetzold asked if there is a recommendation for
new language and if the Bylaws Committee proposes new language Eric Goers will be able to take a look at
it.
Carman said he checked with the State Library and most library boards have six year terms. Goers said six
years is codified in the Iowa City code, which would be difficult to change. Paetzold asked if the committee is
satisfied with the discussion. After discussion, no Board member advocated for changing the method
currently used for electing new officers. Beary asked how common it is for someone to have a repeat term. A
motion was made by Semel and seconded by Kirsch to revisit the policy next month.
Staff Reports.
Director's Report. Carman said the City Council appointed three new trustees on Tuesday at their meeting:
Hannah Schultz, Derek Johnk, and Tom Rocklin. Carman will send out an email with this information. We are
working on closing out the FY19 Strategic Plan which will be formally presented to the Board next month.
The planning stage for our next strategic plan is underway. Snacks for youth will be available in the
Children's Room and Teen space every weekday at 3:00 pm. Hot lunches will be provided on
Monday/Wednesday and cold lunch on Friday at the Senior Center. There will be cold lunches at Parks &
Recreation every day at Mercer Park. The Pedestrian Mall construction is going well. The library will be open
until 10 pm for this year's block party. Carman has been asked to serve on School of Library and Information
Science Library panel and the Downtown District Board and he will accept both invitations to serve.
Departmental Reports:
Adult Services. No comments.
Community & Access Services. Kirsch asked about the literary kiosk. Logsden said she received a call out of
the blue about a kiosk coming to the library. City of Literature youth writing competitions include a
disclaimer that children's work might be included in the kiosk. Pilkington said the University is actively
searching for content for the kiosks. In response to a question from Kirsch, we are not responsible for finding
content. 600 children have registered so far for the Summer Reading Program, in response to a question
from Paetzold.
k
Development Office. Kirsch asked about the Looking Forward fundraiser. Beary said the event was successful
and feels it has set us up to do better in the future. Carman said the demographics were different; younger
people attended, and a wider demographic was noted. Semel asked how successful the financial tiers
worked this year. Beary said the top price point was the same as in the past and fewer people attended at
that rate. However, the other price points were up because we had not offered them in the past. Carman said
the Friends Foundation volunteers who were there were exceptional. Carman said the name recognition of
the guests was a draw.
Volunteer Recognition. Logsden said this was a nice event and thanked everyone who attended. Carman said
it is a great reminder of all the hard work our volunteers do. Paetzold asked if we have nominated Nancy
Sereduck for the governor's volunteer award. Logsden said we have not done this.
Spotlight on the Collection. No comments.
Miscellaneous. No comments.
President's Report. Paetzold said Looking Forward was wonderful. She very much appreciates the work the
Friends Foundation Board members did to make this event so successful. There is a mural walk on Tuesday,
May 28, 2019.
Announcements from Members. Carman will speak at Oaknoll on June 13 at 7:30 pm. Beasley said the
history of the Pedestrian Mall presentation by library staff at Big Grove was fantastic.
Committee Reports.
Foundation Members. No meeting.
Transition Committee. Kirsch said things are going well. She appreciated these conversation because staff
are open to making suggestions and Carman is receptive to them. Discussion continues about moving
forward and the best way to get to know everyone. The Committee will continue for a little while. Things
with the City are going well and Carman believes his work in Marion is helpful. Carman said we are working
on scheduling meetings with staff.
Communications. None.
Disbursements.
The MasterCard expenditures for April, 2019 were reviewed. A motion to approve the disbursements for
April, 2019 was made by Kirsch and seconded by Washington. Motion carried 8/0.
Set Agenda Order for June Meeting.
Bylaws.
Board photo.
Circulation Policy, Student Access to Information and Materials (AIM) card.
Adjournment. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Baker and seconded by Washington. Motion
carried 8/0. President Paetzold closed the meeting at 6:37 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Elyse Miller
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Item Number: 4.b.
i
CITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
July 16, 2019
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Housing & Community Development Commission: May 16
MINUTES
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
MAY 16, 2019 — 6:30 PM
SENIOR CENTER, ROOM 202
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mitch Brouse, Charlie Eastham, Vanessa Fixmer-Oraiz, Christine
Harms, John McKinstry, Peter Nkumu, and Maria Padron
MEMBERS ABSENT: Megan Alter, Paula Vaughan
STAFF PRESENT: Kirk Lehmann, Erika Kubly, Tracy Hightshoe, Steve Rackis
FINAL
OTHERS PRESENT: Peggy Aguilar, Laura Bergus, Mark Sertterh, Sara Barron, Cady Gerlach
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends City Council approve the Iowa City Housing Authority 2019
Annual Report.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
Fixmer-Oraiz called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM.
APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 18 & APRIL 24 2019 MINUTES:
Eastham moved to approve the minutes of April 18 and April 24, 2019. Brouse seconded. A vote was
taken and the motion passed 6-0.
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
PRESENTATION ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOCATION MODEL (AHLM):
Tracy Hightshoe (Director of Neighborhood and Development Services) came to present background
information on the AHLM and answer questions from the Commission. She stated the City has used the
current AHLM since 2011, it has been modified since that time, but the reason behind the model is that
when the City provides assistance to affordable housing in certain areas, especially multifamily and rental
housing, there has been neighborhood concern or outright opposition to place any more. The City, this
Commission, and Council have always struggled to find the right balance of where to allow, encourage,
and subsidize affordable housing. Hightshoe stated for a while they had a model based on census data,
that only certain census tracts could add affordable housing, but it was modified over the years. In 2010,
the Iowa City School District held a symposium regarding barriers to education and one of the main
barriers was concentrations of lower income students in certain parts of Iowa City and the School Board
asked Council to look at placing affordable housing in areas that did not already have concentrated areas
of lower income students. Hightshoe noted at the same time there was also a controversial situation
where the Commission awarded HOME funds to an applicant to build a multifamily building but the funds
were denied when that went to Council due to the neighborhood opposition of an already high poverty
area. This prompted the creation of a task force to decide what areas in the City should be encouraged to
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 2 of 13
add affordable housing. The Council developed three goals, which have been consistent since 2010.
1. To not further burden neighborhoods and elementary schools that already had issues related to a
concentration of poverty.
2. To have diverse neighborhoods in terms of income.
3. Determine the views of the School District on the issue of affordable housing.
The School District recommended not putting any additional affordable housing in elementary school
areas that already had high free and reduced lunch or high mobility rates. Based on those goals,
Hightshoe stated the City met with HCDC, Council, and staff to develop seven criteria for an AHLM.
1. Distance to existing assisted housing, 400 feet or approximately one city block from existing
subsidized housing.
2. The elementary school mobility rate, how often are children moving in and out of that school.
3. Median household income.
4. Change in residential sales price.
5. Crime density.
6. Elementary school performance.
7. Elementary free and reduced lunch rates.
Hightshoe noted this was not to say affordable housing was a trigger to crime, but rather that the City
wanted to place affordable housing in neighborhoods with low crime to benefit the families placed in
assisted housing. That being said, only two areas of the City light up when looking at the 95 percentile of
crime, and the biggest is downtown where there is not much assisted housing because it is so expensive.
Based on those seven criteria the City came up with a "score" for each area of Iowa City and based on
the score (over or under a certain threshold) it either encouraged or discouraged new affordable housing.
Hightshoe showed the map and noted this only applied to new rental construction or new rental permits
for families. This model does not apply to rental rehab, housing for seniors or persons with disabilities, or
homeownership. Since this model has been in effect, the City has continued to invest in areas that don't
allow new development, including around $1.2 million in the South District between HACAPs transitional
housing on Broadway and Southgate's Orchard Place which renovated over 100 units.
In 2017 the City modified the AHLM per a recommendation of their Analysis of Impediments to Fair
Housing, and as some of the data made no significant difference in the model. So they looked at the data
to see what was meeting the Council's 3 goals. The model was updated to only prohibit new rentals in
areas that feed into elementary schools with free and reduced lunch rates of over 50%, areas within 400
feet of two or more subsidized units (original model was just one unit), and areas with crime densities in
the 95th percentile (which is just two areas, downtown and a small area by Town & Campus apartments;
to be updated every three years). All the exceptions listed in the original model still apply.
In 2018 HCDC voiced an interest in reviewing and perhaps revamping the AHLM and that request went to
the City Manager, the City Manager noted staff was working on the Fair Housing Study and the new City
Steps Plan so there was not staff capacity to undertake this project at this time. Council agreed with the
City Manager. Therefore, this is the AHLM used today.
Eastham asked if the AHLM has been subjected to a racial equity analysis. Hightshoe acknowledged it
has not noting at the time of creation and updates to the AHLM they did not have that toolkit.
Padron wondered if this model is the right way to disperse the affordable housing because if people want
to live close together this may deter that. Hightshoe stated that if people choose to live close together it is
not a problem, but it may become an issue if they have to live close in certain areas because there is no
other location that is affordable.
Eastham stated the AHLM method does not include factors indicating where lower priced housing is
located in the community, as to where people have options to move if they want to. Hightshoe noted
Council is aware of the cost difference of land prices in certain areas of the City.
Fixmer-Oraiz questioned if the new school on the south side, Alexander, which was built to attract new
housing and families was given any type of overlay to allow affordable housing because at this point it
can't happen in that area but it is an emerging area. Hightshoe noted one of Council's goals of not
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 3of13
placing additional affordable housing in areas where elementary schools already have high free and
reduced lunch rates was the main concern so unless Council changes that goal it will not change the
map. She also noted the City does not have control over where the School District sets their attendance
areas and over time with new housing the rates at Alexander may change to allow for more affordable
housing in the area. The AHLM map is updated every school year with the free and reduced lunch data.
Eastham stated Council could adopt a policy to say they will avoid placing more affordable housing in an
area with a high free and reduced lunch rate unless it causes a racial disparity. He also noted most of the
people of color in Iowa City live south of Highway 6 and do not live in publicly assisted housing, it is just a
more affordable area.
Lehmann added there are HUD standards for HOME rental new construction, if it is an area of "minority
concentration" they must meet standards to not negatively impact neighborhoods. They City's standard is
more restrictive in that it also affects new rental acquisitions.
Eastham noted the director of the largest nonprofit affordable housing in Iowa City despises this model.
Also Council has never followed through on the commitment to provide additional rental subsidy dollars
for projects that can be located in non -embargoed areas. Hightshoe noted Council created the Affordable
Housing Fund and committed $1 million to that fund with 50% going to the Housing Trust Fund. Eastham
said in his view there has been no systematic effort to maintain a comparable rate of affordable units in
the non -embargoed areas.
Brouse noted the purpose of the AHLM was to put affordable housing in the non -embargoed areas.
Eastham said the purpose of the AHLM was to decrease the rate of affordable housing in the embargoed
areas only. Hightshoe noted since the model has been in place they have a new project going up on
Dubuque Street and 36 units gong up on Rochester Street. Eastham acknowledged affordable housing
units have been built, but their prices are too high. Brouse understands that a lot of the more affordable
lots for new construction are in embargoed areas, so to build new affordable housing in areas where the
City wants to increase available affordable housing to create more diverse neighborhoods may require
additional positive incentives, such as more funds, etc. Eastham stated the data does not support that the
land costs in the areas embargoed are significantly lower than land costs in other areas of the City.
Hightshoe stated Council is aware of the cost differences in areas of the City and it would cost more to
subsidize housing in certain areas but that was a choice they made at that time.
Eastham reiterated the major problem with this model's approach is it disproportionately impacts black
and Hispanic families. Lehmann noted that based on the information.he has seen it doesn't seem to
negatively impact the amount of Hispanic or non-white housing households that are getting affordable
housing in Iowa City, those households are still getting benefits. Eastham said that is true if they want to
relocate. Lehmann said it only affects them if they want to move to a newly constructed house or
apartment in a neighborhood where that is not allowed, not for rehab. Eastham stated that is an issue.
Hightshoe added that the City has contracted with Opticos to do a form -based code in the Alexander
Elementary area, which is different than what a standard subdivision looks like, it will address the missing
middle and not create all single family homes in one subdivision. A subdivision can only have a certain
percentage of single family and a certain percentage has to be multifamily so there is a mix of options and
diversity of housing types. Riverfront Crossings is also a form -based code area but that is producing
mostly multifamily high-rise and commercial properties because of its location. Eastham asked if an
implementation of a form -based code works in the Alexander area it would be nice if affordable housing
providers could build there using public dollars to produce very low priced rental housing.
Fixmer-Oraiz noted her take on the AHLM is it is one approach and her concern is not just housing but
also quality of life and the South District in terms of walkability, connectivity, parks and accessibility to
things like grocery stores is more concerning. Hightshoe stated the City did a survey of the Broadway
area and most people reported they were happy where they lived. Fixmer-Oraiz stated in graduate school
they did a survey of the area and knocked on doors and the response to how they like the area was met
with "this is my neighborhood".
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 4 of 13
Padron asked if there was data showing if people could choose, where they would want to live. Would
they go somewhere else because they want to be in a more diverse area or do they want to stay in their
current neighborhood? What she heard from the Forest View neighborhood was one of a strong
community that did not want to move away from each other. Eastham agreed, people definitely form
communities and neighborhoods no matter what their incomes and don't want to leave it. But if they want
better housing they will have to leave. Padron stated as a Latina she would want to be close to other
Latinos but that may not be true for all people.
Eastham said the Housing Choice Voucher program offers a glimpse into where people are choosing to
live and he did an analysis of the data provided from that program of where participants from different
racial groups were actually living, noting there are limitations on the Housing Choice Voucher program,
but it showed people are definitely choosing to live in specific areas, including the southeast side. He
acknowledge the City could invest in a survey to see if that is true. Lehmann added the Housing Choice
Voucher program allows people to live housing that is not publicly assisted.
Sara Barron (Affordable Housing Collation) noted Eastham raised issues that the AHLM measures the
incomes of families based on participation in school free and reduced lunch rates but doesn't measure
the number of units available at specific price points. Barron stated it is difficult to collect rental
information for units throughout the City and this is really a question of opportunity across spaces and
places. If a family has $500 a month to pay in rent can they afford to choose any neighborhood in Iowa
City as the place that feels like the right fit for them? Barron raised this same question with the School
District and said if they feel economic segregation is a problem, then there are two categories of
neighborhoods that are segregated. One is areas that contain higher percentages of low income families
and the other is neighborhood that contain a high percentage of high income families, both would be
considered economic segregation. So when the City is thinking about where to incentivize building new
affordable rental units, and looking at the Coalition's value (Opportunity Across Spaces) then a family with
a low income could choose to live in this neighborhood if it felt like the right fit for their family and
incentivizing the opportunity to create housing in neighborhoods that are economically segregated toward
wealthier families is ultimately where you would want to see that goal met. Barron stated there is some
deficit thinking to say "not in this area because there is already too much", it can cause some natural
resistance to the City's policy even if that is not the intention of the policy. Barron reiterated it should be
about opportunity of choices and if a family wanted to live in a certain location, could they, and that is
what the policy should address.
Eastham noted that language is important and when this approach was being developed, the two or three
years preceding this model there were Council members, including Connie Champion, who referred to the
southeast Iowa City as a ghetto.
McKinstry stated economic and racial segregation in Iowa City and Ames, because of the large
universities, has actually been increasing rather than decreasing over the last 40 years. Because of the
universities there is a more diverse population and due to the pressure on housing economic segregation
happens and because race and ethnicity in our culture are so closely tied to economics they cannot be
separated. For that reason there is also an increase in racial and ethnical segregation.
Fixmer-Oraiz agreed and noted institutionalized racism is at the heart of this and asks whoever is doing
the City's GIS to visualize the areas of high incomes and low incomes on the map. Lehmann said just
looking at the free and reduced lunch rate maps will show that data.
Hightshoe noted because of the Fair Housing Study and Consolidated Plan they just don't have the staff
time to work on the AHLM and staff was instructed by Council in October to not revisit this for a while and
to focus on other things. She added all communities struggle with this topic.
Fixmer-Oraiz agreed she does not want to overburden staff but perhaps just having a map so this
committee could see the concentration areas would help in future discussions. Lehmann said that data
could be pulled from census data and a map could be created.
Eastham is interested in working with Council members to persuade them to revisit the goals. Fixmer
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 5 of 13
Oraiz agreed and having a map to show the economic segregations would help. Hightshoe said the
Council is looking at affordable housing action steps and staff is recommending to Council to change the
HOME owner -occupied group to include HOME rental rehab instead of having nonprofits or private
landlords having to wait for just once a year to apply for funds, they could apply throughout the year and
have the same financial incentive as homeowners. This would especially help in one of the targeted
rehab neighborhoods to give them 50% grants. This is important because it is found that most low-
income housing folks live in existing homes and not new construction due to costs. This would allow the
ability to improve where people are living now.
REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON APPROVAL OF IOWA CITY
HOUSING AUTHORITY 2019 ANNUAL REPORT:
Rackis noted this is a HUD required document and an annual report showing the data of who the Housing
Authority serves, reports on funding, reports on programs, demographics, etc.
Eastham noted there was no changes in participation rules so he assumes there will be no changes this
year. Rackis said this is just a demographic report, there will be another plan created following the
Consolidated Plan, a five-year plan, that will be substantially equivalent and matches the goals of the
Consolidated Plan. The Housing Authority will partner with Community Development during the
development of the Consolidated Plan to set goals. They also have an Admissions and Continued
Occupancy which is the plan that states how they will operate their public housing program and also the
housing choice voucher program. At this time there are no changes to either one of those documents.
McKinstry acknowledged it is a very well run operation.
Rackis noted there was this notion in the general public that the housing choice voucher program was
driving free and reduced lunch numbers, but as seen on page 9 of this report he has captured what the
School District is reporting. They report all the kids they determine are eligible for reduced lunch and
lower. This year the School District had 5184 kids that qualified for free and reduced lunch, when he
matched the incomes of the families in the housing choice voucher program against the guidelines of the
free and reduced lunch program, they can only account for a little over 1000. Also with The Housing
Fellowship, they have about 170 units and at any given point and time 60% of those units contain voucher
holding families. Pheasant Ridge has 240 units and even with those kids, plus the other 40% from The
Housing Fellowship does not add up to the other 4000 kids. So there are a lot of families eligible for the
free and reduced lunch that are not receiving assistance from anywhere. The School District published a
map a few years ago that showed a large concentration of free and reduced lunch are contained in the
mobile home parks that are in Johnson County, not necessarily in the city limits of Iowa City, nor in the
South District, but predominately mobile home parks. Rackis added this is also important to show why
there is a need for more affordable housing knowing there are 4000 kids in the free and reduced lunch
program that could also benefit from more stabilized housing.
Eastham noted it was perfectly clear before the City adopted this AHLM that the concentration of free and
reduced lunch students in different elementary schools was not be driven by location of assisted housing
or number of housing choice vouchers.
McKinstry agreed noting the population served by vouchers is a lot older, whiter and more employed than
the presumed recipient. Rackis agreed, those benefiting from affordable housing are elderly, disabled and
working families.
Eastham added the School District has never tried to study whether or not students whose families
participate in housing choice vouchers, publicly owned housing or other publicly assisted housing have
more or less academic proficiency than other students.
Rackis noted there is a snapshot in the report on what the public housing looked like at that particular
point and time, but there are other documents that will have different numbers. HUD processes on a
fiscal year budget and other documents are on a calendar year basis. So it looks like they went from a
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 6 of 13
99% occupancy rate in public housing down to 94%, and the difference is based on a point in time versus
what the calendar year utilization is or fiscal year.
Brouse moved to recommend to City Council approval of the Iowa City Housing Authority 2019
Annual Report. Eastham seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0.
PERIOD FOR COMMENT ON THE FY20 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN — AVAILABLE AT
www.icqov.or-q/action plan:
Lehmann updated the Plan based on comments from the last meeting and added the rents to appendix
and also updated the numbers for The Housing Fellowship with the increased funding to be used to rehab
two units.
Eastham appreciated the including of rent information and noted the rents in the $499-$599 range are
mostly group home rates, not a single family home. Lehmann agreed and said to break down the number
of units assisted versus the number of people assisted can be tricky because SRO units inflate the unit
counts.
DISCUSS MODIFICATIONS TO THE AID TO AGENCIES PROCESS:
Fixmer-Oraiz noted after reading the discussion at the last meeting she put together a draft survey to get
a sense of what agencies feel about the process. She outlined the changes of extending the deadline to
apply, eliminating redundant questions on the application, inviting agencies to respond only if their
applications had gaps or questions arose, changing method of allocating funds based on priorities, and
creating a separate emerging agencies grant for newer agencies or those that had not received funding in
the past. Fixmer-Oraiz would like to know if the others felt those were good changes and if there was
feedback on the survey before sending it out to agencies.
Padron would like to know if the agencies feel the process is objective and if there are suggestions for
improvements. Fixmer-Oraiz agreed and hopes that will come from the survey. Lehmann stated he talked
with the City of Duluth and they use what seems like an objective ranking system where it shows
instructions for what the points mean for each ranking criterion. This would help to understand the reason
for the ranking. He can send the Duluth application out to the Commission for review if interested, it
appears to be a good model. The Commission could modify it for our needs.
Fixmer-Oraiz noted another issue is the tenure of the Commission, since the membership changes
whomever comes next needs guidance on rankings and why.
McKinstry stated the agencies may feel the Commission doesn't have all the knowledge to make
informed decisions and likes the survey Fixmer-Oraiz created, especially the open-ended questions.
Padron noted some of the questions are not applicable to all agencies and it is hard to rank or put a
number on those questions and the agency shouldn't be punished for not being able to supply
information. Perhaps certain questions should be eliminated for some agencies. McKinstry agreed,
certain agencies do not collect certain information about their clientele because to do so would be a
violation of the relationship whereas some other agency could collect such information easily. Brouse
agreed and stated the Commission is trying to allocate money to agencies that all do different things so it
is hard to have a perfectly objective grading system and you can't compare providing food, providing
shelter, and assisting battered families. The Duluth system is more project based so the applications are
probably more similar. He feels they could do better, but it will never be perfect. Fixmer-Oraiz agreed the
collecting of data is important but does question if it should be a ranking criterion. The data is helpful and
important but should be more as a tool and not a ranking point.
Lehmann noted it is an undertaking for an agency to do the joint application process so he is curious if
there is a way to get together with Coralville, United Way and Johnson County to see what data they use
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 7 of 13
when making their decisions and possibly cut back some of it. Fixmer-Oraiz agreed that would be helpful
and those municipalities may be facing similar questions as this Commission. Eastham would support
having a combined application. Lehmann agreed but is interest in condensing the application so agencies
aren't asked for information no one uses. Brouse agreed and feels that would help with the objectiveness.
Fixmer-Oraiz returned to the survey, which asked if the ranking was inadequate or an improvement and
asked why. She also asked if there were additional information to help with the application process what
they would prefer, grant workshops, etc., what is one thing they would change about the process and one
thing they would change about the application. She hoped to get comments from both those statements
separately. She also wanted to know what they like about the new application process and finally asked
for any additional feedback. She tried to cover a broad array of things in the survey with some specificity.
Eastham asked if there would be a question asking specifically if the HCDC is an appropriate way to go
about this process. Fixmer-Oraiz will add the question of if HCDC is the appropriate avenue for
recommending these allocations to City Council.
Padron liked the positive question on what the agencies like about the application process and maybe
add if there is anything they would not want to change about the process. Lehmann said to word it as
what is one thing you like about the application process and would want to keep the same.
Fixmer-Oraiz will amend the survey with suggestions made this evening and send out to the agencies
next week.
Eastham called three agency directors this week and had an informative discussion with each regarding
how to come up with a change of the amount of money the City is allocating to the Aid to Agencies
budget and their view of the current City process. Regarding the funds part, as he understands it the City
Manager has held one or more meetings over the last few weeks with one or two groups of agency
directors to identify changes to the current process for developing an Aid to Agencies budget. One thing
being considered is inviting agencies into the process earlier than the HCDC process and treating it like
he does when developing department budgets. Eastham feels that is an encouraging change and
suggests this Commission encourages that change in the process. He also feels the recommendation of
how much money the City awards to the Aid to Agencies fund should be made from the agencies. He is
not clear on how those conversations are progressing and when decisions will be made.
Also when talking with these three agency directors, Eastham heard their thoughts on the current and
past processes and the feedback is not positive. A fundamental question to him is if HCDC as appointed
by Council is an adequate body to do these kinds of review. One agency commented that some reviews
have been done by program officers, which is an entirely different level and amount of expertise, and
Eastham feels it is possible for staff to do the review the Commission is currently doing and making
estimations. Other Commissions such as Planning and Zoning have the staff review the application, make
a recommendation to the Commission and the Commission can choose to follow the staff
recommendation, make changes to it, or deny it. Eastham feels there is a question among agency
directors of whether the City has a review process with expertise. Lehmann agreed he has heard some of
this same feedback in informal conversations with agencies. Fixmer-Oraiz feels that is a surprising
reaction given the level of commitment the Commission made to Council on behalf of the agencies this
year and may have not been received by Council if by staff. Eastham believes it could have happened in
previous years if staff had been more involved in asking about funding and asking for increases.
Eastham stated they also talked about improving the process by doing what United Way does in
assigning each committee review member three agencies to visit and become familiar with and then
advocate for or against their agencies. This allows the review members to have more knowledge of the
agencies and why they need the money. He suggested members of this Commission go ahead and reach
out to agency directors to learn more about all the agencies.
Kubly noted that historically Aid to Agencies was allocated by staff and there was just a limited number of
agencies that applied, it wasn't open to all different agencies. Eastman said one method is for staff to
make a set of recommendations and for the Commission to look at the recommendations and make a
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 8 of 13
choice about what the staff recommends.
Eastham also was told by one agency director they should drop the minimum allocation requirement
because there are situations where they actually need less for an important purpose. Fixmer-Oraiz noted
the minimum was set due to staff time. Lehmann added the idea was it takes the same amount of staff
time to administer a $1,000 award as it does a $15,000 award.
Personally Eastham is looking forward to some significant changes the Commission can agree upon by
the end of the summer and feels the City should at least double if not more the allocation they give to Aid
to Agencies.
Mark Sertterh (Shelter House) noted he was not one of the people Eastham spoke to but would echo
what they told Eastham and wanted to stress it is not that agencies don't think the Commission is doing a
great job, it is just hard for an agency because the membership on the Commission changes all the time
and therefore can add some subjectivity in the process. Two years ago Shelter House could have gotten
a lot of money from HCDC based on the members then and then membership changes and the new
group has other funding priorities. Also while there are high, medium and low priorities set by the City,
most requests fall into the high category. As such, it is important to talk about the Consolidated Plan
which is a good opportunity for the Commission and City to lay out what they want to fund and what
should be classified as high, medium and low. If everything is a high priority, it is virtually impossible to
read the applications and score them objectively.
Eastham asked if Sertterh and other agencies would take a firm role in working on the Consolidated Plan.
Sertterh said he knows his agency will give input and feels others will too. Lehmann agreed knowing
there needs to be better communication, cooperation and coming together of the agencies and the City to
figure out priorities for the Plan. He also noted based on the conversations the City has had with the
consultant so far they are encouraging agency participation. The consultants will come to the next HCDC
meeting as well to talk to the Commissioners.
Lehmann noted Eastham also attended the Human Rights Commission meeting to discuss overlapping
funds. Eastham attended their work session and one of the issues they are working on is whether or not
the social justice grant process should be focusing on new, previously un -city funded organizations. It
occurs to Eastham that HCDC is also working on the same thing with the Aid to Agencies funding so he
tried to suggest to the staff on the Human Rights Commission to get together with staff on HCDC to make
some recommendations on a new organization receiving some social justice funding and then some more
permanent Aid to Agencies funding. Because it is two different commissions, perhaps there needs to be
some coordination so the agency has an easier time going from one commission to the other. Fixmer-
Oraiz asked if that's what came out of the meeting. Eastham indicated it was not and that he wasn't sure
what the HRC Commission thinks about that approach.
DISCUSS REQUESTING RENTS FOR RENTAL PERMITS:
Lehmann added this to the agenda to give an update and included in the packet the formal request from
the Affordable Housing Coalition for Iowa City to include a field that will include the unit price at the time
of permit application or renewal. Also included in the agenda packet was the City Manager's response to
the request. First the City had concerns about legal standing to require such data on the application,
because there must be a clear connection between the information requested and required to do a rental
permit versus what is in the application. Secondly, staff would not have the ability to verify data that is
submitted because rents are subject to change and many rental permits are on a two year cycle. Finally it
is difficult to account for unique offerings that may influence rental amounts such as utilities, parking, size
of rooms, etc. The City Manager noted that as they design and customize new permit software they can
look at its functionality and see what types of inputs could be offered. Lehmann added it will be some
time before this new permit software is online. Kubly added this request came at a good time as they are
working on the software, next week they will be looking at demos from the software company, but they
are about 18 months out from full implementation and to start collecting this information.
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 9 of 13
Eastham asked if the software will not be able to capture the rent amounts could the City do a survey.
Lehmann said the City has done informal surveys to inform staff, they do not share these results with the
public because it is an informal survey. Eastham feels data on rent prices city-wide would be a great help
in deciding where to site rental assisted projects as well as the overall approach. Lehmann recently
discovered the Comprehensive Housing Assessment Strategy (CHAS) data shows the amount of units
affordable to individuals at different income levels and what family types are at different income levels.
This information will be in the Fair Housing study and may be of interest to the Commission. There is also
the American Community Survey which has an average over five years, so it is more current but less
accurate than a census count.
Eastham asked if the Commission is willing to recommend to the City Manager to see if a survey
approach to gather rental amounts could be done. McKinstry asked if that would mean they don't want to
pursue having rental amounts collected at the time of rental permits. Kubly noted the software they would
collect that data with won't be implemented for another 18 months and due to the rental cycles of one or
two years it would be several years before all information was collected. She added it would be
voluntary, the City cannot force a landlord to provide accurate information. Eastham noted a survey
would have the same issue of accuracy of information, if provided at all. McKinstry is in favor of doing a
survey as an interim process until the software can be used to gather this data.
Sara Barron (Affordable Housing Coalition) thanks the Commission for the support of an idea of a survey
if the software isn't available. She noted they are exploring a third option to use the Assessor's Office to
collect data. The City Attorney has been asked by Council to inform them of their legal opinion about how
far the Assessor's Office can go in requiring rental information, rental prices per unit specifically. One of
the three methods Assessor's use to determine the value of a property is how much income it generates.
Barron noted the Iowa Code may grant Assessors the right to ask questions that will help them fairly
determine the value of a property. The Johnson County Assessor's Office cites that Code in the letter
they send to landlords and they get a much higher response with that specific information on the rents
charged. The Iowa City Assessor's Office as advised by the City Attorney has a slightly different read.
Barron believes the City Attorney will provide Council an update on this and the reasoning for limiting the
City Assessor's ability to request that information. Before a survey is considered, the Coalition would like
to explore the two ideas of collecting the data at rental permitting or from the City Assessor further.
McKinstry stated it makes sense if this data can be collected as part of a general process that has to be
done anyway rather than a special survey. He noted this data needs to be collected continuously and
consistently to see trends and the best way it through the City. Fixmer-Oraiz agreed, a survey would be
just a snapshot of that one point in time. Brouse stated the Assessor data would be particularly helpful
noting they already collect lots of data. Lehmann agreed noting it would likely be more accurate than
what may be provided on a rental permit.
Eastham asked for the City Manager to give an update on his action plan for this topic within the next
meeting or two. The Commission agreed.
DISCUSS MOBILE HOME PARK RENT INCREASES:
Lehmann added this to the agenda as it was brought up at the last meeting and is a topic of interest. The
history of this is outside investment firms have bought a couple of mobile home parks in Johnson County
and have increased lot rent prices steeply. This impacts quite a few folks and the Affordable Housing
Coalition put out some information about Habitat trying to help residents move to other mobile home
parks where these predatory practices are not present and there are ongoing discussions about what the
City can do. The Affordable Housing Coalition is currently creating a task force to address.
Sara Barron (Affordable Housing Coalition) stated the idea to form a task force to discuss mobile home
parks came from Councilors Salih and Cole and the discussion is what they can do to prevent this from
happening to other mobile home parks in the future. There can also be discussion on what possible
mitigating things can be done for the current parks undergoing these rate hikes. The goal is to find a way
to make sure mobile home parks are stable housing for the residents that live there. There are about
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 10 of 13
3000 households in Johnson County that live in mobile home parks and probably one of the biggest
naturally occurring affordable housing options in Johnson County. During the Council work session they
discussed the idea of a task force and asked if the Affordable Housing Coalition would be willing to
convene the task force and they agreed. There will be two Iowa City Councilors that will serve on the
task force and a member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, and are also hoping Coralville and
North Liberty want representation as well and finally they identified some other stakeholders such as
mobile home residents or mobile home park owners. Barron is welcome to suggestions and feedback
from the Commission. Once the group is complete they will finalize a schedule to meet and want the end
goal to be a set of strategies, big and small goals, short, medium and long-term actions on what the
communities can do with the leverage and resources available to stabilize mobile home parks and keep
these predatory investors from disrupting housing.
Padron is interested in knowing when the task force is meeting to be able to listen to the conversations.
Lehmann asked if the task force meetings would be open to the public. Barron replied it hasn't been
determined yet, they won't have a majority of any of the public bodies present so they won't have to follow
the public open meeting rules, but they want to make sure all voices are heard on this topic. She
imagines the task force will discuss how to get more public input on this topic for recommendations.
Eastham is interested in this topic and strategies particularly the one Salih and Cole emphasized which is
alternative ownership.
Nkumu asked if this is similar to what happened to tenants at Lakeside Apartments (Rose Oak) and if the
Coalition will assist residents. Barron said there are some similarities, there are different tenant rights for
people who live in multifamily housing versus tenants in mobile homes. There are actually fewer rights for
people who live in mobile homes. However the City of Iowa City is better positioned as it has the history
and capacity to address large scale displacement because of what happened at Rose Oaks and is
probably ahead of the game compared to the other municipalities in Johnson County who haven't looked
at displacement on this scale before and need to figure out what resources they have available. With
Rose Oaks the Iowa City was able to fund some relocation through Shelter House and other community
services and also gave a direct relocation stipend to families who were impacted by the move. Barron
also noted the Forest View residents are another example of how potential displacement catalyzed a
stronger neighborhood. Eastham added that Golfview and Sunrise Village residents are not literally being
forced out of their homes, but they are certainly being priced to a point where it may be hard for some of
them remain there. McKinstry agreed but there is speculation that some of the out of state investors that
buy mobile home parks raise the rent to make money in short run but to also hold onto properties so they
can later sell the land for redevelopment. Eastham said if they want to redevelop they would have to
rezone and meet a variety of conditions. McKinstry agreed noting that is why there needs to be in place
strategies of inclusive zoning, relocation plans, etc. Brouse noted that most of the mobile home parks
outside of the City are actually zoned commercial and may not need to be rezoned for development.
McKinstry noted some of this may need to be addressed at the State level with legislature too.
Lehmann will keep the Commission posted on the task force.
STAFF/COMMISSION COMMENT:
Lehmann said they originally had a break with no meeting in June scheduled however since the
consultants will be in town in June and will attend this Commission's meeting. The summer break will
likely be pushed back to August so we have the July meeting for new commissioners and orientation.
Lehmann gave an update on some CDBG/HOME projects. Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County
siding project is now complete, Successful Living purchased its final home, Mayor's Youth purchased its
final home and The Housing Fellowships housing rehab from FY17 is now complete.
Lehmann noted the rental permit moratorium that the City has in effect because the rental permit cap that
existed for neighborhoods near downtown capped rental permits for single family and duplex rental
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 11 of 13
permits at 30% and new ones would not be issued above that percentage. The cap did not apply to
multifamily. The State overturned the ability of cities to create rental permit caps, the City will have a third
reading to pass a rental permit moratorium for new single family and duplex permits for those areas
where rental permits are at or above 30%. The moratorium would be in effect for 10 months so staff has
time to research and recommend ways to approach the situation.
Lehmann noted they are starting on the form -based code project for the South District. The first hearing
of the Forest View rezoning passed, second hearing will be at the next meeting.
With other news, Lehmann announced the Aging in Place forums. The Johnson County Affordable Living
Communities look at Aging in Place in Johnson County and will hold monthly forums over the summer
and he included a flyer in the Commission packet. The next forum is June 12.
Eastham noted in the current Council work session packet there is a memo from Kubly about the South
District home investment program where staff proposed in the FY19 CDBG/HOME funding round buying
two duplexes on Taylor and Davis Streets After Council guidance to look for rentals where the tenants
were interested in becoming homeowners, staff only found four or five duplex owners willing to sell and
none of the current occupants were interested in home ownership. So staff is proposing to modify the
program and will present it to Council at the next work session with three different options, the third one is
the one Eastham supports which is to discontinue the program. The other two options involve displacing
tenants, which he feels the Commission is adamant they don't want tenants displaced under any
program. The second option is to increase the price of the units they will buy which would then make it so
a low income resident would not be able to afford. Eastham is upset that staff is considering displacing
tenants in favor of homeownership in an area where the residents are heavily from underrepresented
communities. Kubly noted the City was not able to continue with the program under the current
parameters, none of the tenants were interested in homeownership so this would allow the City to look at
properties that are currently for sale and they would prioritize properties that are vacant to not displace
any tenants. Eastham stated in this area of town the numbers indicate this type of program would
disproportionately displace residents and the proposal also doesn't say where the homeowners would
come from, if solely within the project area or from anywhere. Kubly said it would be the same
parameters from the initial program. Eastham is not in favor of this modification of this program. Kubly
noted the properties that are for sale, the tenants will be displaced either way and by the City purchasing
the property the tenants will get the relocation benefits. Eastham stated if the property is sold in the
private market they may not be displaced.
Lehmann read the recommendations as they are listed in the memo to Council for the work session:
1) The City considers duplex properties with a rental permit listed for sale in the larger neighborhood
as identified in the equity analysis as seen below. The City would not consider listed properties
that have long term tenants (those in the unit for five or more years). If tenants will be impacted,
staff would provide financial counseling to either or both tenants interested in purchasing their unit
or provide the federally required relocation benefits to ease their transition to a comparable unit.
2) The City expands the program to include single-family homes with rental permits that are listed
for sale under $165,000 within the larger neighborhood as identified in the equity analysis. This
option will increase the number of homes available, but has the disadvantage that the home's
selling price, compared to a duplex unit, will be higher and we may not be able to offer
homeownership opportunities to those at much lower incomes. The rehabilitation costs for single
family homes will likely be higher as well.
3) Discontinue the program and re -allocate the funds to other eligible housing projects. The City
would need to conduct a mid -year funding round to solicit applications for eligible housing
projects that could proceed quickly.
Lehmann noted the Commission's recommendation to Council when they allocated the funds still stands.
When HCDC recommended the funding, it was for the application which stated the City would purchase,
rehabilitate, and sell two duplex properties on Taylor Drive or Davis Street as affordable, owner -occupied
homes. HCDC did not recommend additional parameters except for an equity analysis. After completing
the equity analysis and identifying policies to help prevent displacement, Council asked for the additional
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 12 of 13
program modifications. Therefore, the program remains the same as recommended by HCDC and it is up
to Council to decide what they feel is the best course of action to proceed.
Fixmer-Oraiz asked if the three options in the memo are options or recommendations. Lehmann said
staff is looking to Council for guidance, so they are all options for Council. Staff is not looking to purposely
displace tenants as is being insinuated. Eastham noted the memo states that staff recommends Option 1.
Lehmann agreed.
Fixmer-Oraiz feels at this point it is not an agenda item for HCDC so they will have to revisit another time
and see what guidance Council gives.
Brouse noted he is moving away from Iowa City so this will be his last HCDC meeting.
ADJOURNMENT:
Fixmer-Oraiz moved to adjourn. Padron seconded. A vote was taken and passed 7-0.
Housing and Community Development Commission
May 16, 2019
Page 13 of 13
Housing and Community
Development Commission
Attendance Record
Name
Terms Exp.
7/10
9/20
10/11
11/15
12/20
1/17
2/21
3/14
4/18
4/24
5/16
Alter, Megan
6/30/21
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
Brouse, Mitch
6/30/21
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
Eastham, Charlie
6/30/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Fixmer-Oraiz, Vanessa
6/30/20
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
Harms, Christine
6/30/19
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Lamkins, Bob
6/30/19
O/E
O/E
X
O/E
O/E
I
M
.
McKinstry, John
6/30/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Nkumu, Peter
6/30/22
f
X
X
X
Padron, Maria
6/30/20
X
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Vaughan, Paula
6/30/19
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
• Resigned from Commission
Key:
X
= Present
O
= Absent
O/E
= Absent/Excused
---
= Vacant
Awl Q-
CITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
July 16, 2019
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Parks & Recreation Commission: May 8
Item Number: 4.c.
IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED
MINUTES MAY 8, 2019
RECREATION CENTER — MEETING ROOM B
Members Present: Suzanne Bentler, Steve Bird, Ben Russell, Angie Smith, Brianna Wills, Joe
Younker
Members Absent: Luke Foelsch, Cara Hamann, Jamie Venzon
Staff Present: Brad Barker, Zac Hall, Kumi Morris, Juli Seydell Johnson
Others Present: None
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Younker called the meeting to order at 4:49 p.m.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action):
None
OTHER FORMAL ACTION:
Moved by Smith seconded by Russell, to approve the April 10, 2019 minutes as written. Passed 7-0
(Foelsch & Venzon absent).
PUBLIC DISCUSSION
None
LANDSCAPE DESIGN BASICS PRESENTATION — TYLER BAIRD
Seydell Johnson introduced Tyler Baird and announced his recent promotion to Assistant Parks
Superintendent. Baird was asked to present insight on how plants and landscape materials are chosen for
the City.
Baird first introduced himself to the Commission reporting that he has worked in the Horticulture
Division of the Iowa City Parks Department for four years. Tyler shared his planting philosophy stating
that he tries to focus on native plants. Baird installed a gravel garden at the Parks Shop, noting that this is
one of only three in Iowa. In this instance, he spaced the plants closer to one another and focused on
colorful continuous blooming throughout the year.
Baird then addressed the plantings that are outside of City Hall. These gardens contain perennials which
require less maintenance and mowers and weed eaters can be used to cut from the top creating a natural
mulch. He mentioned that planting closer than instructed will help cut down on weeding and
maintenance. This style is influenced by Roy Diblik, a Midwest perennial plant expert and author, as well
as Piet Oudolf, a Dutch garden designer and author as well.
Baird reviewed tree history with the commission. He noted that the American Chestnut was the first tree
to be erased from the United States and now there are less than 1000 in the country. They have been
unable to sustain movement and the change in the environment. There are only a few American Elm
remaining in the United State as well due to disease. He reminded commission of the tree inventory that is
now available on the City website at htips://www.icgov.orp-/files/tree-inventML-0. This inventory sites
that approximately 12% of ash trees were used to replace elm trees. He said that while there is a high
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 8, 2019
Page 2 of 5
demand from property owners to plant maple trees, it is not recommended. He expressed the importance
of educating the public of the various options for tree planting.
Smith asked if staff have had any conversations with businesses that sell trees to the public. He explained
that as trends change, nurseries face a lag time to acquire the plants and they want to be assured that they
will sell what they have, therefore, encouraging certain trees is not efficient for them. Smith stated that as
a homeowner she did not know that.
The department is aiming for no more than 5% maple, oak, etc.; no more than 5% of one species and no
more than 10% of one genus. A lot of subdivisions are putting in one or two species. Staff is trying to
encourage diversity as pests affecting trees in the same family can float from tree to tree.
Hall reported that something they see in forestry across the United States is how disease comes into the
US from other countries through shipping. Trees that are in a genus without a natural defense system are
at higher risk for foreign disease.
Staff suggests that rather than maple trees, better selections include American Beech, American
Hophornbeam, American Hornbeam, Black Gum and Yellowwood. For a better fall color and general
shape, go with the Black Gum Trees. A Yellowwood is a medium sized tree with nice flowers in the
spring. Hall reported that one of the largest American Beech trees in the state is located on Iowa Avenue
near Woodland Avenue.
Staff suggested that shrubs to consider include Arrowood Viburnum, Bayberry, Common Witch Hazel,
which produces great fall flowers and color (there is one located at the Parks Shop). Ninebark is also a
good choice and comes in assorted colors.
Baird said that when the department receives a plan from a consultant, they take a hard look at what is
being proposed for plants and encourage choices those that require less maintenance. For example, staff
suggested using various species and native flowers, while reducing the spaces between them, for the
Willow Creek playground. For the downtown Ped Mall area and Washington Street, staff is looking at
various species that will thrive in those areas and be maintainable. Wills asked if staff can reuse the same
plans again. Baird said they can, however, collaborating with different firms and encouraging different
ideas with them can be tricky. Firms are getting to know us now and know what we want. In the end it
looks great and is great for their portfolios.
Seydell Johnson commended parks staff on their landscaping practices, further stating that it adds a sense
of place and community and makes one realize you are in Iowa City.
ROBERT A. LEE REMODEL UPDATE — KUMI MORRIS
Seydell Johnson introduced Kumi Morris, City Facilities Manager, to the Commission. Morris presented
updates on the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center renovations.
Morris reported that staff is currently working on Phase 2 of this project. This phase includes ADA
requirements, kitchen wants and needs, rental wants and needs. These ideas have been packaged and
presented to City Council. Two major items being reviewed are the racquetball court as it does not meet
ADA requirements, safety and space needs. The second item is to install a family shower like what has
been added to the pool area at Mercer.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 8, 2019
Page 3 of 5
Staff sent out RFP's and reached out to anyone that would be a good fit for the racquetball area including
nonprofit groups. Staff received two proposals; one from Public Speaks and the other from the Bike
Library. Those proposals have been sent to Council for review.
Morris explained that the restroom renovations will include an adult changing table, as well as providing
an ADA accessible shower will be constructed space in that location. Due to space limitations, however,
only one shower will be constructed. The cost for the restroom renovation is $60,000.
PARKS DOG WASTE, GARBAGE & RECYCLING DISCUSSION — ZAC HALL
Commission had asked for regular updates on waste and recycling in Parks. Hall reported that after
RAGBRAI, staff took out 172 trashcans from City Park alone, and three recycling containers. This was an
experiment to see if homeowner style trash and containers could be used out there; it worked well for
refuse. Staff decided to keep them in City Park and localize them to restrooms, concessions, and
entrances. Staff reduced trash containers from 172 to 40 trash and 40 recycling. One of the key
components is that Parks now has their own trash truck. This truck has a cart tipper on the back. This has
made for more efficiency when picking up garbage and it has lowered the amount of trash in the parks.
Seydell Johnson noted that a common theme found by staff is that when the City doesn't provide garbage
cans, we have less trash issues. We find the same to be true with dog waste bags. Whenever dog waste
bags are provided there are issues with trash or dog waste being left behind. It doesn't seem to make sense
and has been interesting to track. Making it more convenient doesn't always lead to compliance.
Wills asked why someone would put trash anywhere besides in a trash bin. Bentler mentioned that
perhaps those that are leaving the dog waste bags on the ground believe that since they are using
biodegradable bags that they will break down without leaving any toxins behind. She noted that when
staff moved the trash bins to the entrance at Thornberry Dog Park, dog users were still piling their waste
where the trash receptacle used to be.
Hall reported that one of the not so positive notes is that when it comes to recycling bins in City Park,
staff finds that they are almost always contaminated with diapers, food waste and other contaminants.
Staff will continue to monitor until the one-year mark. Hall stated that they will likely end up having the
recycling localized at the concession areas.
Hall shared that in 2017, parks staff logged 2,500 hours of trash and litter removal from parks; labor costs
equaled $72,000. He also reported that dog waste bags cost the City $8,000 annually while the contract
with Johnson County Refuse totals $4,000 and transient camp cleanups cost $5,000. Staff cleaned up 1.5
tons of trash along the Iowa River Trail and Riverfront Crossings Park. The total expense of these
combined is $90,000 annually which equals 5% of parks maintenance budget.
Bird asked if when someone rents a park shelter if trash bins are supposed to be taken to the site. He noted
that he was at an event recently and there was no bin provided. Hall reported that bins are provided on
request. The recycling coordinator is also rolling out a composting program and staff has been directing
people to her to coordinate getting composting bags for their events.
ATHLETIC FIELD UPDATE — BRAD BARKER:
Barker reported that numbers are adjusted to reflect a true representation of what the fields are used,
including those days that are likely to be impacted based on weather.
Barker shared that the soccer complex has remained steady. He explained that the ball diamonds are being
removed at the soccer complex and soccer fields put in their place. Smith noted that this is a nice
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 8, 2019
Page 4 of 5
alternative when other places are flooded. Barker agreed and said that there is a lot of use despite the
weather.
Barker reported that use of the fields has dropped approximately 300 hours at each complex since 2015.
The soccer fields vs the ball diamonds serve different purposes and when we do less tournaments than we
used to, the use will drop.
Smith asked if there was no tangible plan for the Eastside Sports Complex. Seydell Johnson noted that
while it is in the master plan, there are no funds to build now.
Wills noted that City Park has been an issue because of unpredictable flooding which is why a lot of the
use there has declined. She asked if any conversations have morphed into any sort of indoor complex.
Seydell Johnson reported that there is a space designated for an indoor facility but no design for a
building beyond that. Wills shared that she has heard that some high school teams are practicing as late as
10 or 11 p.m. because they must wait to get on a field as there aren't enough to facilitate the demand. She
noted that the conversation seems to include soccer and baseball/softball only. She is talking about all
other sports that can benefit from a 25 -acre spot. Seydell Johnson said that if the City were to move
forward on this, that would be the time to evaluate what the areas would be used for. She said that with
the Coralville arena, it's a constantly changing conversation. Wills asked if Iowa City kids were going to
have access to the Coralville Arena. Smith asked if there is a master plan in place for such a facility.
Seydell Johnson said that it has never been plugged into the CEP budget. Younker said his understanding
is that a complex would focus more on softball and baseball with different sizes based on what we already
have with some open space for other sports and a placeholder for an indoor complex. Seydell Johnson
said that staff will continue to evaluate.
REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF
Parks & Recreation Director — Juli Seydell Johnson:
• Alcohol at City -sponsored Events: Seydell Johnson announced that the City Council approved the
first reading for an ordinance change to allow alcohol to be sold with certain City -sponsored events
in city parks. That is the limit of what we can do this summer.
• City Park Playground: The City Park Playground project is now out for bid. The bids are due on
May 14.
• Creekside: This project is wrapping up.
• Willow Creek Park: The turf has been stripped and the playground removed. Demolition of other
structures will happen soon.
Recreation Division Superintendent — Brad Barker:
• Summer Registration: Barker announced that summer registration has begun.
• Staffin : The Recreation Supervisors are very busy hiring their summer staff.
• City Park Pool: City Park Pool will open on May 25. Staff has been working hard to get it
prepared and painted.
Parks Division Superintendent — Zac Hall
• Athletic Facilities: Staff is very busy getting ready for events to be scheduled at the athletic
facilities.
CHAIRS REPORT:
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 8, 2019
Page 5 of 5
Younker reported that the Parks and Recreation Foundation subcommittee met once and will continue
discussion later this month.
Younker commended staff for their presentations tonight.
1400 11111111110111
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Russell asked if staff knew what the plans are for the Forest View Development, specifically regarding
cutting and/or replacing trees. Hall reported that staff met with the firm working on that project and gave
them input regarding tree selection. He said that they are meeting the requirements as suggested. Seydell
Johnson also pointed out that Lot 1 was a proposed gas station but is now being given to the City as open
space.
Bentler asked if Commission will have a chance to revisit the plan for Chauncey Swan Park. Seydell
Johnson noted that the park design has not changed and should be complete this year. She will send plans
out to the Commission.
U]XII UVxU AVUN; IT�1
Moved by Russell, seconded by Bentler, to adjourn the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Motion passed 7-0
(Foelsch and Venzon absent).
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
May 8, 2019
Page 6 of 5
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
NAME
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
^,
�
o,
all
v,
TERM
EXPIRES
Suzanne
12/31/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
NM
X
O/E
X
Bender
Steve Bird
12/31/21
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
NM
X
X
X
Wayne Fett
12/31/18
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
Lucas
12/31/22
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
x
NM
X
X
O/E
Foelsch
Cara
12/31/19
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
NM
X
X
X
Hamann
Lucie
12/31/18
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
Laurian
Ben Russell
12/31/21
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
NM
X
X
X
Angie Smith
12/31/21
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
NM
X
X
X
Jamie
12/31/20
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
NM
X
O/E
O/E
Venzon
Brianna
12/31/22
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
O/E
NM
X
X
X
Wills
Joe Younker
12/31/19
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
NM
X
X
X
KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum
* = Not a member now