HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-04 Bd Comm minutesItem Number: 5.a.
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Economic Development Committee: October 28
®a7 CITY OF IOWA CITY
M
®��MEMORANDUM
Date: January 29, 2020
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Wendy Ford, City Council Economic Development Committee
Re: Recommendation from City Council Economic Development Committee Board
At their October 28, 2019 meeting the City Council Economic Development Committee made
the following recommendation to the City Council:
Cole moved to recommend funding for FY21 for $25,000 in assistance for Entrepreneurial
Development Center, Inc. in Cedar Rapids. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
Cole moved to recommend funding for FY21 financial assistance for Film Scene and the
new Refocus Film Festival. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
Additional action (check one)
x No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
Agenda item will be was prepared by staff for Council action
S:RECform.doc
EDC October 28, 2019 1
APPROVED
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 28, 2019
EMMA HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL, 4:00 P.M.
Members Present: Rockne Cole, Susan Mims, Jim Throgmorton
Staff Present: Wendy Ford, Simon Andrew, Ashley Monroe, Eleanor Dilkes
Others Present: Curt Nelson (EDC Inc.); Andrew Sherburne (Film Scene)
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
Cole moved to recommend funding for FY21 for $25,000 in assistance for Entrepreneurial
Development Center, Inc. in Cedar Rapids. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
Cole moved to recommend funding for FY21 financial assistance for Film Scene and the
new Refocus Film Festival. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 4:01 P.M. Chairperson Mims then asked those present to
introduce themselves.
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 28, 2019 ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING:
Throgmorton moved to approve the minutes from the August 28, 2019 meeting as
presented. Cole seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
Update and consider request for funding for FY21 for $25,000 in assistance for
Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc. in Cedar Rapids:
Ford introduced Curt Nelson, President and CEO of the EDC, Inc. in Cedar Rapids. She noted
that for the past six years he has been coming to the City with a request for assistance. Ford
explained EDC, Inc. helps businesses in various stages, from start-up to established reach the
next level in their businesses. Ford noted that Iowa City supports the entrepreneurial community
in several ways — assisting the Iowa City Area Development Group with the Co -Lab initially and
continuing with MERGE. She added that in working with EDC Inc., they can help to build those
much-needed connections to resources for success.
Curt Nelson provided some history of EDC Inc., noting that they just completed their 16th year of
service. He stated that they work across the state with businesses, but that their focus is on the
'creative corridor.' Continuing, Nelson described EDC's reach and the number of businesses for
whom they have been able to provide support over the past 16 years. EDC Inc.'s primary focus,
EDC October 28, 2019 2
APPROVED
is on interstate commerce and high impact scalable businesses. He shared with Members
stories of some of the businesses that they have been able to provide support to over the years.
Mims then spoke to Nelson regarding EDC Inc.'s expertise and how they have been able to help
businesses achieve success. She stated that she believes this to be a good investment for the
City. Throgmorton spoke to the City's recently passed climate crisis resolution and how there is a
need for entrepreneurs to create ways to reduce carbon emissions. He stated that his appeal to
EDC Inc. would be to help entrepreneurs accomplish this, which in turn would help cities reduce
overall carbon emissions. Cole spoke to the many entrepreneurs in Iowa City within the
Sudanese community. He asked how people can connect with and find out about EDC Inc.'s
services, noting that under -served populations should be a target. Throgmorton added that the
Congolese population may also benefit from EDC's services. Nelson responded, stating that
they no longer spend money on outreach because they remain at capacity by referrals. He
stated that entrepreneurs come to them through many channels, adding that they would be glad
to come to any planned meetings with these communities, to talk about their services.
Cole moved to recommend funding for FY21 for $25,000 in assistance for Entrepreneurial
Development Center, Inc. in Cedar Rapids. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
Annual report and consider request for FY21 financial assistance for Film Scene and new
Refocus Film Festival:
Ford gave some background information to Members, noting that Film Scene has just expanded
operations with the opening of their new location in the Chauncey. They have doubled the
number of employees with the addition of staff for the new location at The Chauncey. Their
request for $25,000 is the same as last year and includes a request to increase the amount over
the coming two fiscal years.
A second part of the request includes $7,000 for a new film festival called the Refocus Film
Festival. The inaugural year would be next September, with a planned $80,000 budget. The
$7,000 request also comes with a request for an increase in the coming two fiscal years.
Ford noted that staff is recommending the requested amounts of $25,000 and $7,000, however,
cannot recommend including the intent to budget increases over the coming two fiscal years, due
to nature of everything being so new. Rather, staff recommends revisiting the request for an
increase in funding next year with more financial information on the first year of operations at the
Chauncey and after the inaugural year of the Refocus Film Festival.
Ford then introduced Andrew Sherburne of Film Scene. He addressed Members, stating that it
has been a busy year for them. Looking back over the past five years, he noted a steady growth
of the organization, in terms of both size of their operation and their economic impact. They
currently have four screens between two locations, with a fifth screen opening soon. Sherburne
then spoke to their financial status over those five years, noting that last year they were able to
start an operating reserve. He stated that their current operating budget is around $900,000.
This will almost double next year with the Chauncey location opening. He added that Film Scene
EDC October 28, 2019 3
APPROVED
has about a $1.3 million impact on the local economy, beyond Film Scene itself. This impact is
also expected to grow substantially, with expectations coming in around $2.3 million. Continuing,
Sherburne spoke to some of the partnerships they hope to gain this coming year as they expand
their programming. One would be with the Summer of the Arts, in their movie series at the
Chauncey Swan Park. He gave several other examples of outreach that Film Scene does within
the community.
Sherburne then talked about the new Refocus Film Festival, noting that this is something they
have been discussing for a number of years. He stated that they want to capitalize on what they
believe Iowa City is best known for — Literature and looking at how the written word translates to
the big screen. This festival is planned for September of next year, with a budget expected
around $80,000 for the first year. They hope to grow this fairly quickly over the ensuing years.
Mims stated that she thinks Film Scene's growth is phenomenal for such a short period of time.
She added that this is a testament to the leadership of the organization and the people who work
at Film Scene. She stated that she is more than pleased to continue the support for Film Scene.
Cole spoke to whether there has been a multiplier analysis done in terms of every public dollar
that goes in, what type of return is there. He also asked about goals in terms of outreach to
certain areas of the community that may have problems getting downtown. Sherburne stated
that they do plan to expand their outreach in the next year, but added that their new location
does sit on a bus line, making accessibility much easier. He also spoke to some of the
organizations they have reached out to, such as the Center for Worker Justice, the United Action
for Youth, the Dream Center, and many other organizations within the community. Cole stated
that he is also supportive of the request.
Throgmorton agreed with Cole's comments, adding that to the extent they can, he does not want
to see Film Scene get the reputation of being an 'elite institution,' to which people from various
under -served communities don't feel welcome or can't figure out how to access Film Scene's
programming. He said he feels the Greatest Small City for the Arts campaign is more a
campaign for the Englert and Film Scene than a campaign for all of the arts in the community.
He believes they need to provide equivalent assistance for the diverse arts -related organization
in Iowa City, so that all arts can thrive. Sherburne spoke to Throgmorton's concerns, noting that
this has been going for about three years now, being about six months into the 'public phase.'
He stated that a goal for the campaign is for it to be aspirational, leading to increased
collaboration and cooperation among the arts organizations. Members continued to discuss the
importance of arts in Iowa City.
Cole moved to recommend funding for FY21 financial assistance for Film Scene and the
new Refocus Film Festival. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
The motion carried 3-0.
STAFF REPORT:
Ford stated that she had hoped to have the financials for the Tail Winds project, but they are still
waiting.
EDC October 28, 2019 4
APPROVED
COMMITTEE TIME:
None.
OTHER BUSINESS:
None.
ADJOURNMENT:
Cole moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:58 P.M. Throgmorton seconded the motion.
Motion carried 3-0.
EDC October 28, 2019 5
APPROVED
Council Economic Development Committee
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2017-2019
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
TERM
°
N
co
NAME
EXP.
N
s
N
o
v
N"
o
0o
o
w
ao
N
w
-1
V
V
V
OD
t0
t0
t0
w
Rockne Cole
01/02/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Susan Mims
01/02/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Jim Throgmorton
01/02/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
Item Number: 5.b.
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Library Board of Trustees: December 19
��(10\NA CITY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
�L 123 S. Linn St. • Iowa City, IA 52240
319-356-5200 • icpl.org
Mouas: Mon-Thurs 10-9, Fri 10-8, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
December 19, 2019
FINAL APPROVED
Members Present: Wesley Beary, John Beasley (in at 5:06 pm), Carol Kirsch, Robin Paetzold,
Tom Rocklin, Hannah Shultz, Monique Washington.
Members Absent: Kellee Forkenbrock.
Staff Present: Terri Byers, Elsworth Carman, Maeve Clark, Kara Logsden, Anne Mangano, Patty
McCarthy, Elyse Miller, Brent Palmer, Jason Paulios, Angela Pilkington.
Guests Present: Brandon Ross.
Call Meeting to Order. President Beary called the meeting to order at 5:02 pm.
Public Discussion. Mr. Ross wanted to discuss a couple of issues regarding materials and logarithms.
He has noticed a change in the kinds of films we offer in the collection. Ross said they seem to be "most
used" rather than classic and foreign films. He feels we should have classic movies in the collection like
we have classic literature in books. His second concern was about the Teen Center. Ross feels the library
is a place of integration where people learn how to be with each other. He thinks teens should be
accepted in all parts of the library. He thinks the room is not set up for teens to succeed and wondered
if access could be provided in a different way. Mr. Ross said he loves the library and feels all staff
deserve a raise. President Beary said we would address his concerns and get back to him. Paetzold
asked how we will handle this. Rocklin suggested putting these comments on the January agenda.
Clark wanted the Board to know how much she appreciates them and the work they do for us.
Items for Discussion/Action.
Policy Review: 702: Library Programming. Carman postponed this policy review. The policy was
misstated as Collection Development on the agenda, although correct in the packet.
Policy Review: 703: Cable TV Channel Programming. It was noted that Policy 703.6 says that the Board
does not approve/disapprove of programs. This language should also be included in Policy 702 when it
is revisited. Johnk asked if the City Cable office is informed of changes to our policy. Clark said we do
not inform them of policy changes. A motion to approve the policy as amended by staff was made by
Johnk and seconded by Washington. Motion carried 8/0.
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Elyse Miller,
Iowa City Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or elyse-millerC@kpl.orq. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow
sufficient time to meet your access needs.
1
Staff Reports.
Director's Report. Carman reiterated the positive impact of Maureen Sullivan's visit and her work with
us. Rocklin asked about a metric for delayed return, that is, the number of days an item is checked out.
Carman said we will assess whether this might be possible. Logsden explained our billing process. Johnk
asked if children's materials go missing more often than other materials. Logsden said they are often
"lost" but then found at home and returned. Logsden said it can be difficult to quantify the effect of
removing a barrier but it is often positive. It was noted that the number of blocked cards is significantly
lower since we went fine -free. Paetzold would like an update on the number of libraries within an hour's
drive that have changed their fine -free policies for both children and adult materials since we began
doing so in June. Paetzold would also like to hear what staff think about how fine -free is going.
Departmental Reports:
Children's Services. Pilkington said the student AIM card launched. All 15,000 Iowa City Community
School District (ICCSD) students received the card. Students may check out three items at the
participating libraries and no fines will be charged. DVD and equipment may not be checked out. The
AIM card does not replace a school library card or a library card. It is supplemental to both and the
purpose is to encourage library use when school is out of session.
Collection Services. No comments.
IT Services. Palmer said that the analysis of options for virtualization is difficult due to the complexity of
options that are available. We are looking for a scenario that maintains flexibility but is also less
expensive. One option is to have the City provide this service; connectivity and networking would be
easier since we are so close physically. Paetzold asked for a future update
Development Office. McCarthy thanked Paetzold and Kirsch for volunteering at the Arts & Crafts Bazaar.
More than $7,000 was raised at the event which included more than 400 community -donated items.
McCarthy encouraged Board members to attend Maeve Clark's retirement reception tomorrow.
McCarthy is hoping 100% Board support from both Boards for the library. The annual appeal is going
well. In response to a question from Kirsch, large print children's materials will be interfiled with the
other children's materials.
Spotlight on the Collection. No comments.
Miscellaneous. No comments.
President's Report. President Beary mentioned the survey being used for the director evaluation. One
more Board member still needs to complete the survey and then there will be 100% Board participation.
Announcements from Members. Beasley thinks this year, calendar year 2019 has been a pretty decent
year.
Committee Reports.
Friends Foundation. No meeting.
if you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Elyse Miller,
Iowa City Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or elyse-miller@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow
sufficient time to meet your access needs.
2
Communications. None.
Consent Agenda.
A. Approve Regular Minutes of the Library Board of Trustees November 21, 2019 meeting.
B. Approve Disbursements for November, 2019.
A motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Johnk and seconded by Kirsch. Motion
carried 8/0.
Set Agenda Order for January Meeting.
Policy reviews.
6 -month strategic planning update.
6 -month financials.
Director evaluation.
Fine -free update.
Response to public comment from Ross.
Adjournment. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Beary and seconded by Johnk. Motion
carried 8/0. President Beary closed the meeting at 5:42 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Elyse Miller
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Elyse Miller,
Iowa City Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or elvse-miller@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow
sufficient time to meet your access needs.
3
Board or Commission: ICPL Board of Trustees
ATTENDANCE RECORD
12 Month
KEY:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting
Me ing Date
Term
Expiration
2/28/19
3 /28/19
4/25/19
5/23/19
6/27/19
7/2
1 11/21/19
12/19/19
1/23/20Name
Diane Baker
6/30/19
O
x
X
x
O/E
Off Board
Wesley Beary
6/30/21
x
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
x
X
X
X
John Beasley
6/30/21
x
o
x
X
x
x
O
x
x
X
X
x
Kellee
Forkenbrock
6/30/23
x
x
x
O/E
x
X
O/E
x
X
x
O/E
x
Janet Freeman
6/30/19
O/E
X
X
X
X
Off Board
Derek Johnk
6/30/25
Not on Board
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
Carol Kirsch
6/30/23
X
X
x
X
x
O/E
x
O/E
x
x
x
x
Robin Paetzold
6/30/23
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
Tom Rocklin
6/30/25
Not on Board
X
O
X
O/E
X
X
X
Hannah Shultz
6/30/25
Not on Board
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
Jay Semel
6/30/19
x
x
x
x
X
Off Board
Monique
Washington
6/30/21
x
O/E
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
X
KEY:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting
Item Number: 5.c.
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Public Art Advisory Committee: December 5
FINAL
MINUTES
PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE
DECEMBER 5, 2019 — 3:30 PM
LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM — CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Vero Rose Smith, Wendy Brown, Juli Seydell Johnson, Ron Knoche,
Andrea Truitt, Eddie Boyken, Steve Miller
STAFF PRESENT: Marcia Bollinger, Camille Soleil, Wendy Ford
CALL TO ORDER
Rose Smith called the meeting to order at 3:33 p.m.
INTRODUCTION OF WENDY FORD, IOWA CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
COORDINATOR
Rose Smith introduced Wendy Ford, City of Iowa City Economic Development Coordinator to
the committee.
Bollinger explained that The Public Art Program will be transitioning from the Neighborhood
Services Department to the City Manager's office over the coming months. During this
transition, Bollinger will be working with Ford, who will attend PAAC meetings and get to know
the committee. Bollinger pointed out that the timing of this process is good considering the long-
range planning now taking place.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA
There was none.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 11, 2019 MEETING
Brown had one change, asking that the first name "Wim" be added before last name "Murray" in
the section Public Discussion. Seydell Johnson motioned to approve the minutes with this one
change. Knoche seconded the motion. Meeting minutes were approved.
DISCUSSION OF DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN
Rose Smith asked for discussion on the Management Plan draft.
Bollinger explained that much work had been done on the draft since last meeting, and thanked
Brown and Truitt for their help in going through the documents and their editing expertise.
Rose Smith asked if those who had spent more time with the draft had any sections they would
like to discuss.
Bollinger asked to walk through the draft section by section. She pointed out that the index page
had been updated, and that all the highlighted sections in the index were sections that had been
addressed and were open to review.
Seydell Johnson commented that she appreciated the writing of Section 2, the Mission and
Vision, and thought that Section 3 supported that well.
Bollinger asked to the committee to hold off with review of the Executive Summary at this time,
as it was still coming together. She remarked that Section 4.0, Public Art Policy and Procedures,
needed to be rethought as to how it flows into whole context of the management plan.
There was discussion as to how to place the information defining the Public Art Advisory
Committee, its role and its structure, into an earlier part of the management plan.
Truitt suggested rearranging the sections so that the management plan flowed from the mission
and vision to the various roles of the PAAC and how that plays out, and then into the details of
acquisition policy, and Brown agreed on this general reordering. Bollinger said she would work
with that. Seydell Johnson asked if this was a restating of the public ordinance, and Bollinger
said she would look at that and assure that this was consistent.
Rose Smith asked if the committee could make the review and feedback of this Management
Plan an action item for the January meeting. She asked the committee to thoroughly read
through this draft and make suggestions and recommendations as to the flow and arrangement
of information in this document before the next meeting. Bollinger asked that comments about
the flow of the document overall be submitted to her by January 8.
Truitt asked that the committee makes sure that the management plan be consistent with the
Strategic Plan's goals and objectives, especially around the goals of performance and
temporary art. Rose Smith asked that be the case with commissioning procedures as well,
especially the inclusion of performative -based works.
Rose Smith agreed to send information to Bollinger about public art maintenance policies and
standards.
Bollinger stated that areas that still need to be addressed in the Management Plan include how
to perform the kinds of outreach, and how to reach the goals, stated in the Strategic Plan. She
also noted that since the community -initiated public art process was established 15 or so years
ago, there needed t6 be some guidelines for funding. Rose Smith shared that during the
discussions around the strategic plan, one of the thoughts was that there would be a set pool of
money in the budget every year dedicated towards these types of adhoc applications, once
these applications were codified a bit more. The committee has quarterly review dates for
handling applications as they come in.
REVIEW OF REVISED PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE BY-LAWS
Rose Smith opened the discussion about a geographic representation system on the Public Art
Committee. She reminded stated that a major goal in the Strategic Plan was moving these
resources for public art to neighborhoods and making sure that there is equitable distribution
across the city.
There was discussion of this concept, and Bollinger suggested a neighborhood representative
on PARC. There was general consensus to make one the "at large" representatives on PAAC a
Neighborhood Council liaison seat, perhaps a member of the Neighborhood Council.
Bollinger suggested a timeline of having the Management Plan go to council for approval in
March or April, so that recruitment for new seats could start in order to have them filled by July.
Such timing, she pointed out, would help balance the vacancies that usually occur in January,
and help the committee to run uninterrupted.
Knoche suggested that in Section 7, resignations be sent to City Manager's office, as the
program would be transitioning from Neighborhood Services. Seydell Johnson suggested that
wording be changed to ask that resignations be sent the City Clerk.
Rose Smith wondered if applications for PAAC candidates could include a section for disclosure
of any conflicts of interest. Bollinger said that question is already included in the application for
boards and commissions.
There was discussion on the issues of quorum in Article V section 10, and Article IX. Bollinger
said she would get clarification from the City Clerk as to what those amended numbers would
need to be based on 9 members rather than 7.
COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR COMMITTEE REPORTS
Rose Smith presented Wendy Brown with a certificate of appreciation for her service, as this is
her last PAAC meeting. There were many thanks and much appreciation of her service to the
committee throughout her term.
STAFF REPORTS
Seydell Johnson reported that Snelson relocation was coming along quickly, the concrete had
just been poured and sealed, and it is looking good. Her department has been getting great
feedback on it. Bollinger said she would send a press release to Dick and Joyce Summerwill,
who had pushed to have it relocated.
Bollinger reported that Mutable Sequences, Jason Snell's installation, is still in place. This
motion -activated, sound and light installation is located in the parking stairwell at Capitol and
Burlington. There will be a closing ceremony event on Friday, December 13. Bollinger will send
out an email with details.
Bollinger reported that Soleil was helping to get the 18th Annual Poetry in Public campaign going
and looking for more opportunities for hosting the poetry and getting it out to the public. She
shared that Summer of the Arts has committed to getting some of the poems projected at the
summer movies. There was some discussion of other possible hosts.
ADJOURNMENT
Brown made her final motion to adjourn at 4:25pm. Knoche, second the motion.
The meeting adjourned 4:25pm.
Public Art Advisory Committee
Attendance Record
2018-2019
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Term
Name
Expires
12/6/18
1/10/19
3/7/19
4/4119
5/2/19
6/6/19
7/11/19
8/1/19
9/5/19
11/7/19
12/5/19
Wendy
1/1/2020
O/E
O/E
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Brown
Erin
1/1/2020
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
Fitzgerald
Ron
x
x
x
Knoche
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Juli
x
x
Seydell-
x
x
O/E
x
x
x
x
x
x
Johnson
Vero
x
x
x
Rose
1/1/2021
x
x
x
O/E
x
x
x
x
Smith
Steve
2/1/2021
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Miller
Andrea
1/1/2022
x
x
x
x
x
x
--
x
x
x
x
Eddie
1/1/2022
--
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
O
x
Bo ken
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Senior Center Commission: August 15
Item Number: 5.d.
Approved Minutes
August 15, 2019
MINUTES
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
AUGUST 15, 2019
ROOM 205, IOWA CITY/JOHNSON COUNTY SENIOR CENTER
Members Present: Kenn Bowen, Cheryll Clamon, Lorraine Dorfman, Scott
Finlayson, Zach Goldsmith, Angela McConville
Members Absent: Hiram Webber
Staff Present: LaTasha DeLoach, Kristin Kromray
Others Present: Hal Schrott
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Bowen at 4:00 PM.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE JULY 18, 2019 MEETING:
Motion: To accept the minutes from the July 18, 2019 as amended. Motion
carried on a vote of 6/0. Clamon/Dorfman
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
None.
COMMISSION ASSIGNMENTS:
Dorfman will attend an upcoming City Council meeting.
OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW:
The kitchen memo was submitted to the City Council. The memo gave two
options. One option is to move forward more quickly on making the kitchen
functional, and would cost $40,000 to $80,000. The second option is to have a
comprehensive plan of the space and receive feedback from Senior Center
members, community members, and staff to create a plan for the kitchen to fully
encompass the best way to utilize the space and meet the needs of most groups.
Currently there are capital improvement funds available in FY2021 for a total
kitchen remodel.
Approved Minutes
August 15, 2019
DeLoach announced a program with the College of Nursing to College to create
emergency preparedness kits. This event will occur on Halloween and have a
"Zombie Apocalypse" theme.
Staff has been working on a new vision statement. It is: To end social isolation
for people over the age of 50. Commissioners discussed the new vision
statement. Clamon suggested that while she agreed with the sentiment, she
would like the statement to be turned into a positive instead of a negative
statement. DeLoach will bring the feedback back to staff to discuss.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Bowen reported he and Commissioner McConville gave a presentation to the
Board of Supervisors about the Senior Center. Both thought that the presentation
was well received. They stated that the Board seemed most interested in
intergenerational programming, the free summer lunch program, and
programming outside of the Senior Center building.
Future agenda items include a Homecoming event and a staff appreciation day.
Motion: To Adjourn. Motion carried on a vote of 610. Golds mith/Clamon
2
Approved Minutes
August 15, 2019
Senior Center Commission
Attendance Record
Name
Term Expires
9/20/18
10/18/18
11/15/18
12/13/18
1/24/18
2/21/19
3/21/19
4/25/19
5/16/19
6/20/19
7/18/19
8/15/19
Kenn Bowen
12/31/20
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
Cheryll Clamon
12/31/18
NM
X
X
NM
O/E
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
Lorraine Dorfman
12/31/19
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
O/E
X
NM
O/E
X
Robert (Scott)
Finlayson
12/31/20
NM
X
O/E
NM
X
O/E
NM
X
O/E
NM
O/E
X
Zach Goldsmith
12/31/21
--
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
Angela McConville
12/31/21
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
X
X
NM
X
X
Margaret Reese
12/31/17
NM
X
X
NM
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
Hiram (Rick)
Webber
12/31/20
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
O/E
Key: X=
Present
O=
Absent
O/E =
Absent/Excused
NM =
No meeting
-- =
Not a member
Item Number: 5.e.
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Senior Center Commission: December 19
Approved Minutes
December 19, 2019
MINUTES
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
DECEMBER 19, 2019
ROOM 205, IOWA CITY/JOHNSON COUNTY SENIOR CENTER
Members Present: Kenn Bowen, Lorraine Dorfman, Scott Finlayson, Zach
Goldsmith, Angela McConville
Members Absent: Hiram Webber
Staff Present: LaTasha DeLoach
Others Present: None
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Bowen at 4:00 PM.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 15. 2019 MEETING:
Motion: To accept the minutes from the August 15, 2019 as amended.
Motion carried on a vote of 5/0. Finlayson/Dorfman
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
None.
COMMISSION ASSIGNMENTS:
None.
OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW:
The spring program guide is now available and the first day of registration was on
December 13tH
The Senior Center's new vision statement is: To continue social involvement and
end social isolation to people 50 plus.
Approved Minutes
December 19, 2019
Staff met with Parks and Rec employees to find ways to collaborate and
potentially share space. A new partnership with Film Scene was recently
launched for Senior Center members for a $5 movie twice a month.
The Senior Center is partnering with the University of Iowa Public Policy Center
to survey members in our community who are age 50 plus who are not involved
in the Senior Center. The Senior Center received a grant from Johnson County
Community Foundation to help support the survey. Data
DeLoach is going to start a coffee with the Coordinator in the spring.
The Commission discussed the alcohol policy and how it will function for rentals.
Motion: To accept the Alcohol Policy. Motion carried on a vote of 5/0.
Goldsmith/Dorfman.
Motion: To accept the Art Exhibit Policy. Motion carried on a vote of 5/0.
Dorfman/Goldsmith.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Dorfman attended a City Council member in September.
Bowen would like to discuss in the future increasing the half time development
specialist position to a full-time position.
DeLoach would like to discuss the Center Ambassadors program at the next
meeting.
Motion: To Adjourn. Motion carried on a vote of 510.
2
Approved Minutes
December 19, 2019
Senior Center Commission
Attendance Record
Name
Term Expires
1/24/18
2/21/19
3/21/19
4/25/19
5/16/19
6/20/19
7/18/19
8/15/19
9/19/19
10/17/19
11/21/19
12/19/19
Kenn Bowen
12/31/19
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
NM
NM
X
Cheryll Clamon
12/31/19
O/E
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
--
--
--
--
Lorraine Dorfinan
12/31/21
X
X
NM
O/E
X
NM
O/E
X
NM
NM
NM
X
Robert (Scott)
Finlayson
12/31/20
X
O/E
NM
X
O/E
NM
O/E
X
NM
NM
NM
X
Zach Goldsmith
12/31/21
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
NM
NM
X
Angela McConville
12/31/21
--
--
--
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
NM
NM
X
Hiram (Rick)
Webber
12/31/19
X
X
NM
X
X
NM
X
O/E
NM
NM
NM
O/E
Key: X =
Present
O =
Absent
O/E =
Absent/Excused
NM =
No meeting
-- =
Not a member
Item Number: 5.f.
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Telecommunication Commission: November 25
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
11/25/2019 Meeting Minutes
Page 1 of 3
Minutes
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
November 25, 2019 — 5:30 P.M.
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, Level 3A
Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 5:32 P.M.
Members Present: Adam Stockman, Gina Reyes, Matthew Brenton
Members Absent: Andrew Austin, Kyla Paterson
Staff Present: Ty Coleman
Others Present:
Recommendations to Council: None
Approval of minutes:
Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the October 28, 2019 minutes as presented.
The motion passed unanimously.
Announcements of Commissioners:
None.
Short public announcements:
None.
Municipal broadband research:
Stockman said he was unsuccessful in finding a comprehensive list of municipal broadband systems in
Iowa. He said he had recently sent an inquiry to the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) and
would hope they could provide a list and contacts.
Reyes said the research she had been conducting focused on identifying how Internet service providers
(ISPs) access the Internet, looking into the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), and investigating
opportunities for grant funding. She said there are tier one networks that can have peer sharing or transit
agreements and that local service providers pay the companies who own the networks to access the
Internet and offer it to subscribers. She said companies such as AT&T, CenturyLink, and Verizon provide
the infrastructure and service providers such as Mediacom and ImOn are distributors.
Reyes said the ICN system is a 100 Gigabit system that is upgradeable to 200 Gigabits/second. She said
it was started in 1989 as a way to connect entities such as schools, libraries, telemedicine, and the
National Guard. She said the ICN hub in Camp Dodge, Iowa is spread out to all 99 counties. She noted
that the ICN doesn't provide commercial services.
Reyes said the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has a grants page on
its website. She said the State of Iowa's Chief Information Officer administers broadband programs
designed to help underserved populations. She said that five million dollars were given out in the last
year to help with infrastructure. She said there were grants available at the federal level as well. Reyes
said she would continue to do research grant opportunities.
Brenton said he knows the University of Iowa is on the ICN system and that he could ask questions about
it to people he knows there that work with it, such as what is or isn't allowed on the network. He said that
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
1112512019 Meeting Minutes
Page 2 of 3
municipal broadband would not likely be able to run on the ICN.
Brenton noted that Commission member Austin had been researching wireless mesh networking.
Brenton said that the higher the frequency used, the faster the speed, but there is increased susceptibility
to interference. Brenton said he would look into whether municipal broadband is able to get licenses to
utilize other frequencies beyond 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz.
Coleman asked if one of the next steps for the group was to get the contact information for Iowa
municipalities with their own broadband networks and to send them the survey that was discussed at the
October 28, 2019 meeting. Stockman said he would follow up with the IAMU if he has not heard from
them in a week.
Brenton asked if he and Reyes could form a subcommittee to work on further research between
meetings. All members present were in agreement.
Brenton noted that 5G technology is on the horizon, but is not yet in full swing. He wondered if when 5G
does roll out, would that result in a lesser interest in municipal WiFi. Brenton said that existing wireless
companies would deploy 5G, but that it is probable that other ISPs would also be offering 5G service.
Consumer issues:
Coleman noted that all of the issues found in the October 2019 Cable Complaints Report had been
resolved.
City Cable TV Office report:
Coleman said he received a letter from Mediacom to provide notification regarding the removal of MCPlay
channel 227 and MusicChoice channel 700 from the channel lineup. Coleman said he received another
letter from Mediacom's Lee Grassley, which acknowledged the local cable TV access channels that were
no longer cablecasting on the Iowa City Mediacom channel lineup, including Public Access channel 18,
The Library Channel, and the Iowa City School District's channel. Coleman said he had confirmed this
information with Grassley a while back and Grassley had indicated that Mediacom would be able to
reclaim the bandwidth occupied by these channels and use it to support Iowa City internet service
subscribers.
Coleman asked about the Commission's next meeting, noting that the next regularly -scheduled meeting
in December would fall on Monday, December 23. He asked if the Commission would want to meet
earlier in the month. The group agreed to change the meeting date to Monday, December 16.
Adjournment:
Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment was at 6:05 p.m.
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
1112512019 Meeting Minutes
Page 3 of 3
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
12 -MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD
(x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)
Gowder
Paterson
Brenton
Pierce
12/17/2018
x
o
x
vacant
x
01/22/2019
Meeting not held due
to inclement weather
and lack of quorum.
-
_
vacant
resignation
Stockman
02/25/2019
x
vacant
x
x
o/c
Reyes
03/25/2019
resignation
o/c
x
x
x
04/22/2019
vacant
x
x
x
o/c
06/03/2019
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant
_
_
_
_
06/24/2019
vacant
x
x
x
o
Andrews
07/22/2019
x
x
x
x
resignation
08/26/2019
o/c
x
x
x
vacant
Paterson
09/23/2019
x
x
x
x
o
10/28/2019
x
x
o/c
x
o
11125/2019
o/c
x
x
x
o
(x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)
Item Number: 5.g.
INCITY OE IOWA CITY
www.icgov.org
February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
Telecommunication Commission: December 16
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
92116/2019 Meeting Minutes
Page 1 of 4
Minutes
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
December 16, 2019 — 5:30 P.M.
City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, Level 3A
Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 5:30 P.M.
Members Present: Adam Stockman, Gina Reyes, Matthew Brenton
Members Absent: Andrew Austin, Kyla Paterson
Staff Present: Ty Coleman
Others Present:
Recommendations to Council: None
Approval of minutes:
Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the November 25, 2019 minutes as
presented. The motion passed unanimously.
Announcements of Commissioners:
Brenton noted that he had invited to someone he knew with networking experience to a
Telecommunications Commission meeting, to be a resource for the discussions on municipal broadband.
Brenton said he also extended an invitation to the community group known as the Community Internet
Project who had been researching options for providing greater access to broadband.
Short public announcements:
None.
Municipal broadband research:
Stockman reported he had connected with someone from the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities
(IAMU) and that his email thread was included in the meeting packet. Stockman said he spoke with
Curtis Dean, who is part of the IAMU, but who is also a consultant for municipalities that want to set up
broadband. Dean provided information about the municipalities in Iowa that have broadband utilities.
Stockman said a municipality needs to have greater than fifty percent voter support to proceed with
building a network. He said that if city funds are to be used for a municipal broadband project, sixty
percent voter support is needed. He said that if a vote fails, a municipality must wait three years before
holding another vote on the issue.
Stockman said some of the information he received from Dean, also found in the meeting packet,
included numbers of how many have voted yes and he felt the numbers were surprisingly high.
Stockman said that many of the cities listed are somewhat small, but that some larger cities, such as
Waterloo and Dubuque, are looking into municipal broadband. Stockman said that Dean would be able to
provide contacts for many of the municipalities listed.
Brenton said he reached out to someone who works in networking at the University of Iowa and asked
some questions about the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). He said he read more about the ICN
and permitted use cases and it seemed that it may not be suitable for municipal broadband projects, but
that he would verify it with someone from ICN. He said governmental entities allowed to use the ICN
included judicial branches and federal agencies with offices in Iowa. He said educational institutions were
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12116/2019 Meeting Minutes
Page 2 of 4
also on the list of those for which the ICN was intended
Brenton's contact also provided a contact at Cedar Falls Utilities, with whom he would be communicating
in the near future. Brenton said he reached out to someone he knew that had worked at Muscatine Water
and Power as another resource. He also reached out to the owner of a company he had worked for in the
past. He said the company had been able to purchase Internet access and then used wireless
point-to-point technology to distribute it. Brenton said he hoped to have more to report to the
Commission, after he received responses from those he contacted, by the next meeting.
Brenton said one of his contacts had brought up the 5G technology starting to be implemented by cellular
companies and said that some press coverage speculates that 5G will be a disruptor for the Internet
Service Provider (ISP) business. Brenton said he asked his contact for better resources for information
about 5G. He said 5G has come up in past discussions of the Telecommunications Commission about
municipal broadband and that it is something the group would need to be mindful of as it continues its
efforts. Reyes said she could get some information regarding 5G technical aspects. Brenton said any
concrete information about 5G would be useful.
Reyes reported she had looked further into the website for the Office of the Chief Information Officer that
offered information about helping rural infrastructure and the availability of grants. She said she found a
map that provided a Census overview of broadband coverage in Iowa. She said that while it looks like
most of Iowa City is covered, there were some pockets without access to broadband. Reyes said she
would be contacting someone to ask about the data and how it was obtained.
Reyes said she found that available grants tend to lean towards either building up infrastructure or
increasing access. She said there is money available for projects such as apartment builders putting in
wiring and equipment and also subsidies for things like reduced monthly payments. Reyes referred to
Mediacom's reduced rate program for cable TV service and said she found another program in the area
for Internet service and would look for contacts for such programs to learn more. She said that if Iowa City
developed new infrastructure, a plan would still need to address increased access for all residents.
Brenton said he looked at the coverage map and found that most of the areas marked as not having
broadband access were green spaces. He said, however, that he did notice a couple of mobile home
areas that did not appear to have access as of June 30, 2018. Coleman asked how broadband was
being defined for the map. Brenton said it was defined as download speeds of 25Mbps and upload
speeds of 3Mbps or greater. He said this makes one of these areas a targeted service area that is
eligible for state incentives.
Stockman said he felt that having some information ready to present to the City Council by sometime in
March was a realistic goal. Brenton suggested sending some communication to the Council to say the
Commission would be providing information soon.
Stockman said that before the next meeting, he hoped to obtain a list of email addresses for contacts
related to existing municipal broadband networks in Iowa. Brenton said that if Stockman is able to get a
list, he didn't see a reason not to send out the survey at that time.
Consumer issues:
Coleman said there was only one issue in the December 2019 cable complaints report. Brenton noted
that it was listed as unresolved and asked if there had been any changes. He said the issue dealt with a
property owner trying to get Mediacom service extended to his property. Coleman said that the status
was the same as listed in the report.
Brenton asked what governs whether a customer has to pay construction costs for extending service.
Coleman said that under Iowa City's former franchise agreement with Mediacom, Mediacom was required
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
12116/2019 Meeting Minutes
Page 3 of 4
to build out its infrastructure to areas that met a certain density threshold. Coleman said that with the
State of Iowa Utilities Board now overseeing cable franchises, he didn't believe that the requirements
were as strict. He said he had encountered some similar situations in the past where it was determined
the customer would need to pay for construction costs and it was expensive. Coleman said he had the
impression that the customer with the issue currently at hand was expecting that he may have to pay
some construction costs.
Brenton mentioned the rate increases announced by Mediacom in a letter that was included in the
meeting packet. He said it was interesting that the letter addressed the fact that people are moving away
from traditional methods of viewing TV programming and that the local broadcast stations and regional
sports networks were raising the costs to carry their channels on Mediacom's system.
City Cable TV Office report:
Coleman said he didn't have anything to add to the report submitted in the meeting packet. Stockman
referred to the upcoming holiday lights drone video the Cable TV Office planned to record. Coleman said
the Cable TV Office has two licensed drone pilots and that they have been doing really great work and
that drone video has been getting a good response on the City's social media channels. He said the
drone was purchased last year and was being put to good use. Coleman said his office also gets
requests from various City departments for aerial photos and video of particular areas or projects.
Adjournment:
Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment was at 6:03 p.m.
APPROVED
Iowa City Telecommunications Commission
92/16/2019 Meeting Minutes
Page 4 of 4
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
12 -MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD
(x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)
Gowder
Paterson
Brenton
Pierce
01/22/2019
Meeting not held due
to inclement weather
and lack of quorum.
vacant
resignation
Stockman
02/25/2019
x
vacant
x
x
o/c
Reyes
03/25/2019
resignation
o/c
x
x
x
04/22/2019
vacant
x
x
x
o/c
06/03/2019
Meeting not held due
to lack of quorum.
vacant
-
-
-
_
06/24/2019
vacant
x
x
x
o
Austin
07/22/2019
x
x
x
x
resignation
08/26/2019
o/c
x
x
x
vacant
Paterson
09/23/2019
x
x
x
x
o
10/28/2019
x
x
o/c
x
o
11/25/2019
o/c
x
x
x
o
12/16/2019
o/c
x
x
x
o
(x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)