HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-01-19 TranscriptionJanuary 19, 2010
January 19, 2010
Council Present:
UISG Rep:
Staff:
Budget:
City Council Page 1
City Council Budget Work Session 7:20 P.M.
Bailey, Champion, Dickens, Hayek, Mims, Wilburn, Wright
Shipley
Helling, Karr, Dilkes, Fosse, Davidson, Moran, Craig, Severson, O'Malley
Hayek/ There's a memo in our packet from Dale...from late last week. Dale, you want to take it
from there?
Helling/ Sure. You have, uh, handout that looks...two pages, like this. Basically what this is, is
just the same thing that's in the memo that I sent to you. The first part talking about the
capital improvement program. Um, first of all I guess I should... in the first paragraph, I
suggested that we do the CIP first and then the operating budget, and then to the
allocations for agencies and uh (mumbled) and the reason...was hoping that we could,
that our staff here for the CIP would only have to be here one night for (mumbled) I don't
know how far we'll get tonight so...I hope that works for you. Uh, if it doesn't, we can
shift gears and do something else. (several responding) Okay, um, what we did was we
took the...the items that you had asked us to include in the CIP, um...funded years, and
we talked about putting...what numbers we might put in. Northside Market Place
streetscape, uh, you wanted that in FY11, and that's probably about a half million dollars,
you know, this has not been refined but looks like about a half million dollar project to do
what we would, uh, would want to do up there in terms of...of streetscape improvements.
Uh, the Riverfront Crossing, talking about the next level of planning for FY11, and that's
probably about $200,000, and if you have questions, ask me now, and Jeff s here
and...and Kevin, Rick, and Mike Moran's here some place...Mike's here, um...so...if
you have any questions about what that entails or anything, feel free to ask that.
Towncrest redevelopment is a...a little less certain, and that's a large area, and we don't
exactly how it might develop, but uh, there certainly would be some land acquisition
costs, uh, particularly if you want to...to go over to First Avenue. There's some, uh,
private residences along First Avenue that...that you probably would...maybe look at
acquiring as they come up, as the property comes up for sale. Uh, we're not talking
about, uh, any condemnation or anything like that. Um, and over FY 11 and 12 we put in
$400,000, $600,000. There's some other issues out there, uh, the land is privately owned,
we don't know who might come forth first and...and be interested in doing something,
but it's about putting the plan together and then having some money at least to...to
acquire the land, if the opportunity arises. So...is that pretty much...um...
Davidson/ I can elaborate if...Council has any questions.
Helling/ We also need to talk about Moss Green Village, uh, we left that in the unfunded,
with...with the knowledge that, um, it's always been understood that there wouldn't be
any out-of-pocket funding for that, uh, that's something that might be done with a TIF,
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the costs for the road, and up-fronting the infrastructure with some...from the developer
and that's something they've been in agreement with, as well. Um, and then...yeah, the
Animal Shelter, um...what we're finding with that is we probably won't be able to replace
the...the Animal Shelter that was destroyed, um, at the same capacity, meeting current
standards, building codes and other standards for animal shelters so whenever we settle
up with FEMA on, and what they will pay, we'll probably need additional funding in
order to...to, uh, construct to current standards, and so we're proposing that $700,000 be,
uh, placed in the...for GO bonds in FY11 as well. And we have some timeframes using
FEMA money to rebuild, so we will need to move ahead on that as quickly as we can.
Wright/ That extra $700,000 would be in addition to bring up to the current standards there
would be additional capacity?
Helling/ Uh, we don't know at this point because we don't have a design. $700,000 is the
maximum we could put in there without a...without a bond issue. And so that's what
we're putting in. I don't know if we need all that or not. Uh, but we probably will know
more by the time...hopefully by the time we go out to sell the bonds in the spring.
Champion/ They don't have any indication from FEMA when that's going to be...taken care of?
No, you would have told us that there was.
Helling/ Well, we have to have...we have to come to a final site location, and then we have to do
the engineering and then the environmental studies and so forth, uh, so I'm guessing we
probably won't have that finalized until...
Animal Shelter:
Davidson/ We're down to two sites, and the staff committee is working on resolving looking a
little close...more closely at those two sites and so we're...we're pretty close to having a
site selected.
25% Policy:
Helling/ We sell our bonds in April, and (mumbled) the issue together in March, so it's going to
be pretty close. Okay? Um, as you know you have a policy that, um, for the most part
you've adhered to that says your debt service levy will be no more than 25% of your total
tax levy in any given year, and adding these in, we then had to remove some things from
the CIP and shift them around in order to get to the 25%. Um, keep in mind, we sell
bonds for our...we sell bonds at the end of...toward the end of the fiscal year. Um, and
we use that money, uh, for the CIP, uh, projects that are in that year. Jump in if I'm
saying it wrong.
O'Malley/ That's correct.
Helling/ Okay. Um, for FY11, we won't...we won't start collecting money on the...the uh, or we
won't start paying on the bonds that we've sold until the beginning of FY 11. So in order
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to bring the FY11 levy down, we had to go to the current FY10 CIP, because that's what
we're actually funding with the money that we start paying in FYl 1. Okay? So, there are
some things that we...you'll see that were removed from...from FY10, some things that
were moved around, um...and on the second page, about the middle...you'll see some
things that we...we either moved or took out altogether, uh, and again, if you have
questions of why this occurred or whatever, you know, we're here to answer that. Uh,
City Park trail lighting, uh, the Burlington Street median, Gilbert to Madison, so that's not
the piece from Madison back to the river...to the bridge, um, to the Burlington Street
bridge. It's only the piece east of Madison, to Burlington Street, and that was moved
from FY13 to the unfunded. Uh, the Scanlon Gym elevated walk/run track, $880,000,
that was in 12. We moved that out to the unfunded. Keep in mind, if we just shift these
back a year, we get caught in the same thing because each year is at about 25% already.
So...um, the left-turn lanes, Mormon Trek left-turn lanes, uh, to the unfunded. Rocky
Shore/Peninsula bridge, basically what we did there is...it's still in the CIP, but it will be
contingent upon getting an 80% grant, and we don't have anything identified that I'm
aware at this point, or where that might come from.
Davidson/ We certainly know what some of the possibilities are. Uh, JCCOG has just gone
through an allocation process. That would be a perfect example, either STP or
transportation enhancements could be used for that. Could look for some special earmark
funds, could look for some state...state-level grant funds, so there's a lot of possibilities
out there.
Champion/ I'd like to see that done. It'd be nice to have that.
Scott Park Development & Trail:
Helling/ Yeah, and as you know, that's the Parks and Recreation position, or Commission's
talked about, that's their top priority, and it's something that I think it's...we've always
seen as a good project. Um...so that...that's, and...I'm not sure, um, is that still in FY12?
Or...yeah, okay, so it'd stay where it is, it would just be contingent upon 80% funding.
The rest would be a placeholder there. Um, the soccer park pond, from FY14 to
unfunded. There's some dynamics going on there that, the reason that the...the main
reason that they wanted to build that facility or that amenity in the first place was because
there was some concern about watering with the efforts from the south waste water
treatment plant, and so this would have been a, I guess a fresh water pond, and then
pumped out of there to do the watering at the soccer fields, but as I understand it, there's
now...there's been some changes in the quality of the affluence that's coming out of the
plant, such that that concern has been alleviated, so while the pond would still be an
amenity in terms of, you know, a...for, you know, the environment, uh, you know, the
environment of the park, it's not needed at this point. So that's been pushed out. Um,
soccer park development and trail, and this I believe is the area east of Scott Boulevard.
Yeah. Um, and...we've received a grant that the general fund portion of that was
$416,000, I understand, and we've received a grant to cover that amount. Is that correct?
Moran/ (mumbled) a state IDO'I' grant, that we just received word of in the last week and a half.
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Helling/ Um, and then the...the, uh...
Champion/ Can I just ask a quick question? When you get those grants, do they...does the
money come right away or do we bond for it and then it comes...how does that work?
Moran/ We apply to the State after we fill out the grant applications and we can ask for up to so
much, and in this particular case, we could only ask up to 50% of it at certain times, and
then we have to fill out progress reports, so it comes as we fill out the reports for 'em.
Lower Muscatine Avenue:
Helling/ Okay? Um, the last two projects, just...they were changed just to better reflect when
they'll actually be constructed. The First Avenue, uh, Iowa Interstate rail crossing, or
grade separation, uh, you can see how that's been allocated through FY10, 11, and 12,
um, and incidentally, that's one of the, uh, one of the projects we're taking on the
(mumbled). Um, and then Lower Muscatine Avenue, that's a project that's...that's
underway and being designed, and um, that's split out over four years (mumbled).
Hayek/ For those modifications for the railroad crossing and Lower Muscatine are not...are not
changes in anticipated execution, but rather better numbers than we had recently?
Fosse/ Right, it reflects the schedule, and also the other thing to keep in mind is...is these
numbers and the memo reflect only the GO debt portion of the projects. There's
additional costs from other sources, but our focus tonight is on the GO portion of it.
That's what we need to make work for the ratio.
East Side Recycling:
Bailey/ I have a couple of questions. Um, first of all, the Burlington Street median, just the
Gilbert to Madison. Now, I've become a reluctant supporter of this project, just given the
pedestrian, um, concerns that we have, especially as we go south of Burlington Street,
um, moving it to unfunded, I mean, given the recent plans of the University, with the
Music School south of Burlington Street, I think that that's potentially problematic. So I
think that that's something we should discuss. Um, I'm a little reluctant to move it to
unfunded. Um, I find myself surprised to say that, but I am. There's another project in
10 that I'm curious about, and I don't really know how I feel about it. Um, is the East
Side Recycling Center. Um, if...we'll be bonding in FY10 $2 million, um, FY11 $2.6
million, it's already gone out for bids and bids came in high, right?
O'Malley/ Yes, but we don't bond for that.
Bailey/ It's Landfill, oh, I guess it is Landfill. I guess that's right. Despite that, I'm wondering if
this is the time to build something like that, despite the fact that it's not bonding. I mean,
just in the...I mean, if we look at priorities of what we're doing in our CIP as economic
development, flood...addressing flood issues, flood mitigation, and then um...and
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perhaps this would fit in, but I'm not sure. Um, projects that can leverage additional
funds from outside the area, earmarks, grants, those kinds of things, what...what Mike
just talked about -getting that grant for the trail. Makes a lot of sense. Is this something
that we want to pursue at this time, especially given that the bids have been problematic.
So, that was just another thought, as I was culling through this. I think it's a great project.
It's a project I see a lot of these kinds of things across the state, mostly from conservation
boards, who are building education centers like this. I'm just questioning the appearance
of building such a...um, you know, what's the purpose now in this time. What does it do
for us as a community, insofar as economic development or leveraging outside dollars?
And if we can talk about that, I think it's great, but I was just looking through this whole
list of...very ambitious projects and...and that, so I think we need to talk to the
University about this median, because they've been very supportive of it and I think it's
very critical to our vision of moving downtown south of Burlington, despite some of the
challenges we've heard I think pedestrian, it doesn't...it does great things channelizing
pedestrians.
Champion/ Well, we are doing from Madison to the river, right?
Baileyf Well, can we break it down more maybe is my question. Can we do it...well, this is
Gilbert to Madison. That's...that's quite a few blocks. I mean, could we...you know,
stick another block in a funded year. I don't know. Um, see what the plans are...I don't
know what the construction plans for the University, given the Hancher announcement, I
don't know what their timeline is at all. But that seems critical. (several talking)
Davidson/ There's obviously a lot of uncertainty about that Clinton/Burlington intersection right
now. Um, but in the next six months we should really know a lot more about what's
going to happen there. We've been kind of waiting for the Hieronymus Square project
and the project and...and now involving the Hancher decision, um, to kind of come
together before we finalized what we were going to do there. We've also got some
geometric improvements to that intersection, which is still in the CIP. Um, so I think
giving ourselves a little bit of time, pushing that out, giving ourselves some time to really
think about what's going to happen at that intersection. You know, from there it's
basically two, three blocks in either...in either direction. Um, so I think from staffs
perspective, taking a little more time and thinking that through is...
Bailey/ But pushing it to unfunded? Do you think that that makes sense?
Davidson/ Well, unfunded means the project still exists, it's just up (both talking)
Bailey/ Right, barely.
Davidson/ ...the seven of you to bring it back into a funded year when you're ready to do it.
Wright/ Yeah, I'm actually fine with that. If the... if the plan goes through to have the music
building (mumbled) location the University approved, which is an 'if right now all by
itself.
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Bailey/ Right.
Wright/ If that goes through, if they broke land tomorrow, we'd still have a good few years
before that building would be operational.
Bailey/ Right, but our plans of moving downtown south of Burlington aren't going away, I mean,
they're not going away, so I think we need to figure out...
Champion/ We can always bring it to a funded year. It's...even our moving downtown across
Burlington is not going to happen overnight.
Bailey/ Right.
Champion/ It's going to depend on a lot of things.
Wright/ It's going to take a long time.
Champion/ Right....take a long time, and that's something we can always bring forward,
and...and move around. It doesn't...it's still on the sheet. And I'm not in any hurry to
finish that, especially...
Bailey/ I'm not in a hurry. I just...I see that as...as linked to the economic development
discussion that we had, especially with the Hieronymus Square, but...and I understand all
these construction projects would take time, but...of all of those...
Champion/ I wouldn't think we'd want to do anything with Burlington, if Hieronymus Square is
going to be done. Let's wait till it's done.
Bailey/ Right. We want to wait till the construction right adjacent to Burlington is done, but you
know, of all of those, that would be the most concerning to me, to move too far out.
Helling/ Before you...and I...apologize for interrupting, and this is a good discussion, but before
you go, I'd like to give you one more piece of information, a point to it, because I think it
is important as you...as you take this into consideration, if you'll look above the listings,
right above where we show the percentages for FY11, 12 and 13...with, this is on the
second page. (several talking) Those are the percentages of the debt levy ratio to your
total levy for these years, given these changes (mumbled) and it's right at 25% for FYl 1,
uh, and in FY12 it jumps to 26%, and then back down to 25.23% in FY13. Um, did
you... you came up with a number.. .
O'Malley/ Yes, if you wanted to get FY12 down to 25%, we would have to look at projects in
FY 11 totaling about $6.7 million that you'd have to take off.
Mims/ Dale, are these percentages based on the emergency fund levy being at zero?
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Helling/ That raised this number, because the larger number is smaller.
Mims/ I would like for us to have a discussion on that policy, um, I mean, I think the intent was
probably really good when it was really... originally done in terms of keeping the amount
of debt we have, you know, down to a certain amount, but when you take out a certain
levy, you know, all of a sudden...what was the emergency levy? It was...
O'Malley/ It was 25-cents.
Mims/ It was 25-cents, so you take that out and now, like Dale says, your total is much smaller,
so now your debt levy is a higher percentage of it. And when you look at part of the
package in terms of what the State limitations are, I mean, we are way, way, way, way
below State limits, which I'm glad of and I'd like us to stay there, but I think it almost
puts us in a false sense of having too big of a debt levy, when it's bumping up against
those percentages simply because we took out another part of the tax levy. I'd like to
have a discussion on that, and maybe entertain some ideas from staff or whatever on how
we might redo that and looking at where it's been in the past, maybe relating it to a
percentage of what the State allows, for example. We've been below 50% typically,
haven't we (mumbled) allowed?
Helling/ If you look at page 28 and 29 in your budget draft, those are the...several graphic
depictions of...of...
Mims/ Because it seems to me that with having taken that, uh, emergency levy out, we're
almost... artificially constraining ourselves to a lower limit than we need to, and yet still
being fiscally responsible for the City.
Champion/ Well, we can have a discussion sometime at a work session. I think one of the
reasons that it's important to me that it's kept at 25% is our taxes are already really high,
and so for every percentage we raise, it increases people's property taxes, and I think
that's one of the reasons I like it so it's...stabilizes that part of the tax...property tax.
Fosse/ I was going to point out one other dynamic that's changed over time, is how we use Road
Use Tax money. Uh, in the past a portion of that was used for capital projects, and now
it's used primarily for operations, and that means that we borrow more to do the same
things that we used to do with the Road Use Tax when it was healthier, and that pushes
us up against that 25%...faster.
Helling/ And we also bond now for certain things that we used to pay cash for out of General
Fund, like uh, pump fire engines, pumpers, um, that's probably (mumbled) but there are
other things too that we...we actually now bond for, things that have a useful life of
longer than the ten years, uh, life of the bonds, um, that we used to be able to set aside
reserves for, pay cash out of it, but over the years in order to maintain operations, those
things have been shifted, and so um, that's...that's adynamic that's certainly worth, you
know, works against, you know, the policy as well. And I'm not saying it's a bad policy
either, I'm just saying that it does...it does restrict you and the more you can save on your
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tax levy, on general tax levy, the more that pushes down the amount that you can borrow,
as well. So they work together.
Hayek/ Your point's well taken, um, on...with respect to the Road Use Tax, I know there's a lot
in flux right now, but has there been any forecasting as to, you know, the double
whammy effect of pulling $50 million out of that fund to fund the Highway Patrol?
Champion/ Seventy-five!
Hayek/ ...and, or more, and uh, maybe the more dangerous trend, which is just a lower road use
tax revenues to the State, due to better fuel efficiency and etc., um, what the impact on a
municipality like Iowa City is forecasted to be? Cause that's...if we start having to pass
more GO debt to cover that gap...that compounds the problem.
Fosse/ We do have projections on the $50 million, if that's diverted to the Highway Patrol and
the impact on Iowa City will be about $265,000 annually, uh, what that means for us
immediately in FY 11 is it puts that fund about $140,000 in the red, right out of the shoot,
and then it's downhill from there in subsequent years. Is that accurate, Kevin?
O'Malley/ That's correct. It's an accumulating effect. I think it's time to look at your debt
policies, um, and your tax policies, in relation to that. I understand your comment about
not wanting...using that as a leverage, but I think you can use a total levy and just say I
want a certain percent of growth and that's it. Come out of your debt service (mumbled)
Champion/ Well, the State's really good at taking money that we could have. They're really good
at that!
O'Malley/ That's true! (laughter)
Helling/ Well, we're sort of getting into some things (coughing) operating budget, but it's, uh,
you know, the Governor has said cutting another half a billion to a billion dollars out of
the budget, um, I just remember what happened about five or six years ago when that
happened. That was after we had the budget put together and actually certified, uh, some
decisions were made and we had to go back and... and make some significant cuts after
that... after the budget was certified and you know, I don't want to be a purveyor of gloom
and doom, but the stage is set. Uh, the thing is that a lot of the things that...as...as we
projected at the time, everything that was taken away, nothing was ever restored. So, it's
not something we got back and now we're losing it again. But we do have still some
money from the State that we're getting for Transit assistance, and certainly Road Use
Tax. Um, so we're vulnerable there, even after we get this budget certified (mumbled)
address some of those kinds of issues. I hope not, but it's possible!
Hayek/ We were last above the 25% threshold in 2004. Was that Library related?
Champion/ Library.
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O'Malley/ That's correct.
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Hayek/ And, uh, I assume the understanding at the time was that was a temporary uptick, but we
were confident we'd drop back below that. Uh, was...did we have the same policy in
effect (both talking) and did the Council...
O'Malley/ ...they discussed it and. (both talking)
Hayek/ Grin and bear it for a year or two and then (both talking)
O'Malley/ ...voter approved. So it was more or less the voter approved going over the 25%.
Champion/ Then we did make adjustments over the next couple of years to bring it back down.
Bailey/ How long have we had this policy?
O'Malley/ (mumbled) I've been here.
Bailey/ Okay.
O'Malley/ (several talking) we had, um, four more levies than we have too, currently.
Hayek/ I don't think it's good practice for us to maintain a policy and consistently violate it, even
if only slightly. I mean, I...a temporary uptick that's for a finite purpose, I...I can
understand some discomfort with that too, but I would rather have us modify policy to be
consistent with our...our bonding practice.
Champion/ Well, could we...
Hayek/ Or not, and stick to, you know, stick to the...
Champion/ The problem with that philosophy is, and that's why I think we should (mumbled) a
work session sometime, is okay, so now let's say we're going to go to 27%. So then we
come to another year where it goes .3 over, that's going to last for a year or two, so now
you're going to jump to 29% so your expenses rise to meet. Your levy rises to meet your,
not your interest in building more things. That's the problem with that.
Wilburn/ When we had this conversation before, what we had discussed was...looking at a
different type of measurement, or a different metric that perhaps other cities use that
make more sense to observe, given current practices. Uh, if we were in some other field
or some other profession, you might change an instrument that you use to measure...um,
temperature, that makes more sense, given what you're doing in practice. Um, or
whatever the...whatever the, uh, measurement in a given field, um, to look at, and um, I
thought there was, uh, support, or at least take a look at what some other cities might be
doing to...to measure, you want to measure something that's going to make sense, given
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the time that you're in. There's some things that aren't going to change over time, uh, but
there may be some things, uh, given how you...how you're handling them, um...
Mims/ And I think that's a key point, because you know, as Kevin just said, at the time that
policy was put in place, you know, or some time in the past there were four more levies,
tax levies, than what we have now, and part of the reason we're running up against 25%
limit is because we're taking the emergency levy to zero. So it's not because all of a
sudden we're trying to do a whole lot more debt than we've ever done in the past.
(mumbled) the percentage is higher because we've taken the other levy to zero. And so I
would agree with Ross. I think that the metric that we're using is maybe outdated, and we
need to...have a policy that keeps us, you know, with some restrictions, so we just don't
go out there and go crazy on debt, but at the same time is maybe more reflective of the
current, and hopefully future situation we find ourselves in.
Wright/ Yeah, I agree with you, given how much, just the environment that we're dealing with
and the financial sense has changed in the 25-plus years that this policy's been in place.
It's at least time to have a conversation about it.
Mims/ We could throw the emergency levy back in and we're okay. (several talking) ...which
would raise everybody's property taxes back up.
Bailey/ It would not address Connie's problem, so we could...Connie, we could address this
problem, but I don't think. you would be very happy. If that's (several talking)
Wilburn/ Well, and a parallel is, uh, just the principle behind the rollback. You know, the State
continues to use that and that's based on another time, another place, another set of
circumstances, and...and many other states don't use rollback. Some have never used
rollback.
Champion/ Well, anyway...
Hayek/ We have to reach resolution on that policy. The question is what is the timing of that. Is
it in connection with...with this process, or is it a separate work session? What's the way
to go?
Champion/ I think it's a separate work session item. (several talking)
Helling/ Yeah, if it's something you want to talk about, sooner rather than later, so that you can
decide...the thing is, if you want to maintain your current policy, then there's some work
to be done in the capital improvement program.
Hayek/ $6.7 million out of FY1 l (both talking)
Helling/ ... a lot of work, yeah.
Bailey/ Quite a lot!
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Champion/ I don't object to the slight overreach that we have. I think that's fine. It goes back
down. Um, it's...it's not, I think we need to do the 25% as a line. It's a line. But it's like
any line. It's flexible. It can go over and under. Sometimes it's under 25%. But I think
you need to have a line you're going to try to stick to it, I mean, we have gone over it, uh,
the Library was a perfect example. Uh, but we went back down shortly afterwards,
maybe three years, uh, and...but I, you know, I don't think this is the time and place to
discuss it cause I think you also need some public input and (mumbled)
Helling/ Well, that certainly would...mention the third option that, you know, you could make
the exception...actually you're not making exception for...for FY11, but you would be
for FY12 because if you...if you want to ratchet that down, you have to tell us now
because the FY11 projects will proceed and we'll be, you know, working on them.
Champion/ No, I don't have any problems (both talking)
Helling/ ...but it depends on the time frame. If...if you want to discuss it after March 15th, then
we'll need to, you know, have the Council approval...you'll be passing a budget that
basically is, uh, slightly in violation of your policy...for that one year, which is with the
understanding that you'll, uh, work on it the future years. An example, um, we were able
to keep, even though for, uh, fire and police personnel we include their...those employee
benefits in the employee benefits levy. For the 15 new people we were able to cover that
without raising the employee benefit levy. Um, if we have...if we do that for FY12 and
13, for instance, that adds $300,000 to that top number. That's going to have an effect
on...it's just, again, by doing that without doing anything to the CIP itself.
Champion/ It's going to have an effect on property taxes, but not...
Helling/ Yes it would.
Champion/ Oh sure, definitely!
Helling/ It'll change the ration too.
Champion/ Right! That's another big problem that needs to be dealt with.
Hayek/ But, Connie, I mean the way I understand it is that unlike in 2004 when we knew that
going above the 25% would be a temporary occurrence, there is not confidence that we
can consistently be at 25`% going forward without seriously (both talking)
Champion/ It's going down...it's going down on FY13.
Hayek/ But I think the long term. trend is...is the other way.
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Champion/ Well, I think (mumbled) discussion. I mean, employee levy's going to go up by
$300,000? I mean, people are going to be taxed out of their houses. They really are!
That's a levy that has no limit.
Mims/ I'd be willing to...entertain the idea that we leave the policy the way it is for right now,
knowing that we would probably be in violation next year, with the understanding that
we're going to take the...get the budget done, but then after that have a work session
devoted to the policy and what kind of adjustments we may...if people think they do
want to make adjustments to the matrix. I mean, if there's enough of us that think we
need to make some changes to it, given the changes in levies over time. Otherwise we've
got some real serious issues next year. (several talking)
Champion/ The new police we're going to hire too, that also will raise that benefit levy.
Helling/ Yeah, that...
Champion/ And that benefit levy's almost as much as the General Fund now.
Helling/ Uh, no.
Champion/ No?
O'Malley/ It's $10 million.
Champion/ It's $10 million?
Helling/ And of course these are fifteen new positions and the most expensive retirement system
we have, which is the municipal police and fire.
Wright/ In terms of Susan's suggestion, I would support...a temporary violation of our policy.
Champion/ I don't have any problems with...
Wright/ Uh, with, uh, knowing that we're going to have to have some conversations at a work
session devoted to it.
Hayek/ (mumbled) for that? (several talking)
Champion/ For that work session, I would like to know, um, what the benefit levy is going to do
with the new police and firemen.
Helling/ Right now it's...it's covered, without going to the benefit levy.
Champion/ Oh, okay.
Helling/ So it'd just be if we added (both talking)
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Mims/ I think you're saying Connie if we did put them in the benefit levy. I mean, that obviously
frees up that money to use it for something else or to reduce the General Fund levy, I
mean.. .
Helling/ Right.
Dickens/ That's for all fifteen?
Helling/ Yes. Yeah. Um, I think probably what... what we'd want to get you for that discussion,
you'd want to look at other measures that are being used, and maybe look in... in the state
and out of the state, look at...if...if, uh, the other triple-A bond rated, uh, communities or
counties have specific policies and if so what are they, and get you something to compare
to, and see what's...what's kind of going on out there in the world. (mumbled)
O'Malley/ That's correct. Got most of that already.
Hayek/ So you got your direction on...on that issue.
Helling/ And I would hope, you know, very soon after...after the budget's put to bed that...that
we'll try to get that...in other words, not delay it, not push it back.
Hayek/ Okay, back to the other items.
Helling/ And I didn't mean to interrupt. You still can talk about items, you know, in your CIP
and...and how you...you want to move things around or whatever. That's fine. I don't
know if you were finished with that.
Hayek/ Well, Regenia had raised a couple of items, um, I share some of your hesitations about
the recycling center and...
Bailey/ I mean, even if it's not a bonded, it's sort of thing I was...it kept hitting me when I was
looking at the CIP, that...I don't know. Timing.
Hayek/ And I don't want us to veer into a...a landfill fund discussion necessarily, but I...I'd be
interested to know, cause we...we opted not to pursue asingle-stream recycling or
otherwise expand our recycling, um, quite yet because of costs, and I can't recall if that's
due to...where those costs would come from, uh, and if the...if the Eastside Recycling
project further delays that, because I view that as quite frankly the best way for us to
make an impact fast environmentally.
Bailey/ Single-stream? Yeah.
Fosse/ I don't...I don't think those two objectives are competing with each other for funds. The,
uh, the refuse connection and the recycling collection is purely funded by fees, user fees,
and uh, the goal that you gave us is to come back to you with a plan (mumbled)
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discussion, and since then what we've done is...is we've had, uh, three recycling trucks
come up for replacement. We've delayed that replacement until we understand how we're
going to deal with this long-term, so that we have the right equipment in our fleet to deal
with it, and we're working toward that goal of coming back to you with a plan (mumbled)
ultimately without a rate increase. That's going to depend a lot on the markets for the, the
commodities that we collect, as one of the (mumbled)
Hayek/ But those vehicles are purchased with fees. Refuse and recycling...
Fosse/ Yes, yes, that's...that's...
Bailey/ We are scheduled for a fee increase in this budget.
Fosse/ Yes, and we've done that fairly regularly, uh, for the refuse cause we're bumping right
against the bottom of what we can collect there, and...and still meet all of our
obligations.
Bailey/ Have we talked about, um...I get this call all the time, it's sort of user-based, I mean,
with the new...with the new, uh, trash...trash collection...
Fosse/ Volume based...
Bailey/ Volume-based, thanks, um, have we talked about that, because I get a call about that all
the time, I mean, with those new trash receptacles, you don't need to put them out every
week, especially in the winter, I mean.. .
Fosse/ Uh, we have volume-based rates in the sense that you can put out the container, and if you
put out addition of that it costs you per bag.
Bailey/ Right, but I mean... if you don't stop at my house, I still get charged.
Fosse/ That's right. That's right, we've not taken it to that degree.
Bailey/ I think we could at this point. I mean, if our recycling, I mean...yeah, maybe not in the
summer, but I don't know.
Helling/ The point that...that, to keep in mind with that is...it costs us almost the same amount
of money...
Bailey/ Sure.
Helling/ ...we drive that truck past your house, all it does is stop and throw that...
Bailey/ But it's...it's an incentive, I mean, volume-based incents recycling. I mean, volume-
based garbage collection incents recycling. It's...
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Champion/ We have that now basically, only you're allowed two bags. That forces people to
recycle.
Bailey/ I would have to have like 70 children to fill that thing though! (laughter)
Wright/ At least in our neighborhood that policy is violated every blooming day!
Bailey/ Oh, with the not...no tags for the extra bags?
Wright/ Yeah.
Bailey/ Uh...another discussion for another time, I suppose.
Hayek/ Yeah, I mean, these are important things, but we have to decide GO issues tonight.
Champion/ I have one more question since that topic come up, uh, how are we doing on getting
those trash cans around town? I mean, how many more are left? I don't have one.
Fosse/ Oh! I think we're at about 50 to 60%.
Champion/ That's good!
Fosse/ In the last two fiscal years we have doubled the amount that we spend on new cans
(mumbled) very popular.
Wright/ Is the plan to get that to 1.00%, or just...
Champion/ I would think so!
Wright/ ...closer?
Fosse/ It's feasible. The hard part is, where we have parking along the sides of the streets all the
time, the...the fully automated truck just can't get there, uh, we've talked with our
colleagues in Des Moines that do the Drake neighborhood, and they say we can do it.
Come on over and watch! And so, that's one of the field trips that we have (mumbled) is
to see how they do accomplish that in the Drake neighborhood and see if those
techniques can be used here.
Champion/ And then if we went to recycle, I mean, where you dumped everything, would it be
one of those cans and there'd be another truck that would dump that whole can then?
Fosse/ Yes.
Champion/ Okay. Great, okay. (mumbled)
Fosse/ Single-stream.
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Mims/ Back to the Eastside Recycling, um, what are the restrictions, I mean, if we...with the
idea that Regenia has brought forth, if we slowed down on that, what are the options or
where, what are the possibilities of using landfill fees, what...what can we use them for,
what can't we use them for?
O'Malley/ Well, you can use the fees for any landfill purchase or purpose, I should say, um, and
we are fully funded. We are, every year we do an actuarial report on the tonnage at the
current landfill, and we have to set aside so much money in our closure and post-closure
accounts, and those are fully funded, or they're not fully funded. They're...they're funded
to the actuary's, um, numbers.
Mims/ I guess then my question becomes to what... if we're talking about GO bond limits, is
there a benefit in terms of slowing down the Eastside Recycling Center?
O'Malley/ There's no financial relationship.
Mims/ Okay.
Helling/ I don't know... if we didn't do that altogether, I don't know if that would translate into
either a slower, uh, rate of increase in the fees perhaps, uh...
Fosse/ (away from mic)
Helling/ ...landfill fees.
Fosse/ ...rather than the refuse fees.
Helling/ Yeah.
Fosse/ Couple comments on...on the Recycling Center is that, um, when that was bid, and we
got the one bid, that was just moments before that bubble burst in 2008, when (mumbled)
at their highest, uh, the bidding climate is much better now, uh, but even with a better
bidding climate one of the things that we discussed early on in this project is if you look
at it purely as a cost benefit ratio, this project will not cut it. It will not save $4 million in
landfill space. It's simply that we're moving into the next realm of the recycling world,
and to do that, is...if you do it purely on acost-benefit ratio, you won't get there.
Mims/ But it doesn't help us in terms of balancing the CIP? Okay. That's what I wanted to get
at.
Wilburn/ I guess my question would be, how aggressively were we planning on pursuing the
education component...associated with that? If it was...um, you know, moderate to
pretty aggressively, then are we starting to impair our, you know, that...that benefit of
educating people about recycling and, you know, bringing...uh, groups out to observe
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and participate, etc., etc., uh, or not to determine whether or not...if you're getting into
just the image of having...
Bailey/ Right, but if you talk about...getting acaptive population who's already educated who
has limited opportunities for recycling when they get here, that is the multi-family
student, I mean, I mean...we can go back and forth about the better cost benefit. I mean,
my question was that...just timing and appearance, and is this the best way for us to
spend, you know, any resources at this time? And...I don't know. I just wanted to put it
out there.
Wilburn/ And I was just throwing out the hypothetical question about, you know, the (both
talking)
Bailey/ I mean, I know we're committed to that, I mean, the eco-Iowa City project at the
Library's been very successful, but...it was just something that kept rattling around in my
head as I went through this is this the best time.
Wright/ And just related to that, I'll just...we do have a successful eco-Iowa City project. I was
just thinking about the fact that...that is a, uh, an education program and we're doing it
quite well without that education facility.
Bailey/ $4 million of education facility. Actually we're on our...yeah.
Hayek/ Well, I think the spirit of that comment was, uh, initially was to see whether postponing
that project would free up monies that we could use to avoid some GO debt for the
projects we're talking about this evening. I think the answer to that is "no." It's still a
worthy, uh, point of consideration, and we ought to take it up, but maybe we ought to get
back to the GO issues.
Bailey/ I do have some GO questions. I mean, in...in going, I use criteria to rate the projects I
think we should be moving ahead on, just also with...in consideration of hitting our debt
ceiling. Um, and economic development was my first one and then bringing in outside
dollars, so grant, um, things that have...if we're using for matching funds or those sorts of
things, and then of course the things that we're required to do, basically flood, you know,
addressing some flood damage. And, you know, we have some great projects in here, but
once again I have to ask is the timing...is the time, is it good timing, and those are the
restrooms in our parks, and believe me, I want a restroom in Hickory Hill Park in the
worst way, but is the timing (laughter) right, and then we have three...maybe three
others, Court Hill, Kiwanis, and Mercer, I think, and just wanted to put that out for
consideration. I think they are great projects -don't get me wrong - and I think our parks
are great amenities, but...they didn't meet my economic development, flood, or we're not
bringing in extra dollars, although I know we're applying for a haz-mat grant for one of
them.
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Champion/ Well, I think restrooms at Hickory Hill Park are almost essential. There's a lot of
(mumbled) and a lot of gatherings and...(both talking). I mean, if you don't have a
restroom, people are going to use something else and...
Wright/ We (several talking) tippy-toe, uh, into this conversation a couple weeks ago
and...restrooms are very, very nice...but...is this the time we want to make for them.
Champion/ Well, you're a main. You could probably care less! (laughter) I do care! (laughter)
I don't want to sit in the poison ivy! (laughter)
Hayek/ Yeah, I built a lot of outhouses in the Peace Corps. I could probably figure out a way to
(several talking) this...manage us through this and (both talking)
Champion/ Can we send you out to these parks?
Hayek/ Yeah!
Wright/ Heck, that's probably against some zoning code! (laughter)
Champion/ I mean, a lot of kids use that park, a lot of school groups use it...lot of families.
Bailey/ I would love a restroom in Hickory Hill Park. What I'm asking, I mean, when I applied
my own sort of criteria, it didn't make the list, and so that's what I'm putting out, L ..I
think it's a great idea. I just don't know if this is the year, especially...I mean, it doesn't
get to our $6.7 million of cuts for FYl 1, but...
Hayek/ Half a million! (laughter)
Bailey/ Yeah. So...but if there's no interest in, you know...pursuing that.
Mims/ Well, I mean, I've got others that I'd like to throw out too, and I mean, maybe that's just
what we do and then look at them all. I've got a question on, and it's for FY12, but it's the
Park Road third lane improvement, and I guess I'd be interested...
Bailey/ I had a question about that too.
Mims/ ...with, assuming that the Regents go ahead and approve the University's
recommendation of keeping Hancher over there on the left side, and with all the
construction that's going to be going on, and all the wear and tear on that road, does...and
they're talking five years till this thing would open. Would this still make sense to do, to
put that kind of money into that road before they're done with the construction of
Hancher?
Bailey/ I had the same question. I think that's really a valid point.
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Fosse/ That is...that is a good question, and...and now that we have a better answer on where
Rancher's going and perhaps the timing brings that into focus. The...probably not a good
idea to...to, uh, have the road complete prior to construction, and a good example of what
we've seen on Melrose Avenue, for instance, that stretch past the University there, by
Kinnick. There's been a lot of construction that's gone on in the 18 years or so since
(mumbled). It's showing wear and tear from that, from all the University projects there.
Um, if we're able to...to time it so that they're both done about the same time, that is the
best situation. To do that, we may need to do an asphalt overlay in the interim, spend
some money to get it through that...that next three to five years.
Mims/ Well that's what I was wondering, doing something like that, or even with
asphalt...widening, so that you could get a turn lane from the standpoint you're going to
have a ton of construction trucks coming through there. It might be nice to have a turn
lane, but can we do it "really cheap and temporary," so to speak, while they're doing all
the construction, and then really do the good work when they're done.
Fosse/ That I don't believe we can do, just because of the geometrics of the cross-section of the
roadway out there, you know, there's not room to sneak one in, without significant
grading.
Mims/ Okay. Even down...to the east, that east entrance, east of Levitt Center?
Fosse/ East of there it opens up a little bit. Maybe something there, but um...we would need to
alter the curb lines, sewer (noise on mic)
Mims/ Okay.
Bailey/ But shouldn't we consider moving this into a farther out year? I mean...
Mims/ That's what I was wondering. It's in FY 12. If we can move that out. (both talking)
Bailey/ I mean, granted we need to know the plans down there, but it seems silly to keep it in 12.
And that's really premature.
Mims/ Does that, I mean, does that make sense to you, Rick, from a construction... okay.
Fosse/ Yes, yes. We'll want to work with the University though, that...try and time it so they're
done about the same time, cause worst case is they open Rancher and we tear up the road.
(laughter) I'd rather have the road done a year early than a year late.
Helling/ So...we're talking about moving that to FY13, is that...
Mims/ At least!
Karr/ I'm sorry. Could you speak up just a little bit more so it projects a little bit more. We just
can't hear it up...up here at all.
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Mims/ Okay.
Wilburn/ I'm sorry, what year is the, um, what year is the bridge?
Fosse/ The bridge is, uh, around FY12, or calendar year 12, 13. We're waiting to get our funding
sources in place, uh...
Wilburn/ Right.
Bailey/ So if we moved it to 13, it's taking construction (mumbled) cause I know we had talked
about combining them, but...
Wilburn/ Sure.
Bailey/ ...it's all swirly.
Wilburn/ Yeah.
Hayek/ Is there a consensus to move, uh, the Park Road widening to FY13?
Champion/ Uh-huh.
Wright/ Sure. (several responding)
Mims/ I'd say at least to 13. (laughter)
Wright/ And, just in case anybody's interested, I just ran...the park restrooms total about
$340,000. For what it's worth.
Hayek/ Why don't we, uh, if there are other specific suggestions, maybe get them on the table so
we can see where we are, and then...do the horse trading.
Mims/ I was really interested in looking at the Miller Orchard, Orchard Miller neighborhood,
cause really it sounds likes done a lot of work, had a lot of cooperation from people, from
University's urban planning department or whatever, really trying to do some things, and
I would like to see if we can find some way to maybe start working on some projects that
they would feel like they're just not being absolutely, totally ignored, uh...by the City.
Champion/ If we move the Park Road out, that would free up some money.
Mims/ The ones...we had gotten a letter or at least I'd gotten an email from somebody, and the
projects were...in the unfunded list were numbers 28, 38, 41, and 42.
Davidson/ What were those again, Susan?
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Mims/ 28, 38 (several talking) 41 and 42.
Davidson/ Yeah, those would be the projects that they...
Mims/ And 28 is the Riverside streetscape, which is over $2 million, which is putting utilities
underground, combining driveways, etc., which I'm assuming that's probably not a
project that can be broken up much, um...one that I wondered if maybe could be was
number 38 is the sidewalk along Highway 1 from, I think from Riverside all the way to
Mormon Trek. Maybe even looking, if we staged that going like from Riverside to say to
Sunset in one phase.
Davidson/ You could easily do those two phases.
Mims/ Okay, and then.. .
Davidson/ You always just want to make sure when you get done with a phase that it terminates
somewhere where you can still go somewhere.
Mims/ That's why I said Sunset, yeah, there's sidewalks on Sunset. And the other two were
trails, um, around the City Carton area, and that was a pretty small amount, $121,000, but
I wasn't sure if this is the right time with that, with not, I mean as we're looking at
Riverfront Crossing and what might happen with City Carton, did it make any sense to do
that one now?
Davidson/ Yeah, that...that's one we definitely would want to rethink, Susan. That...a lot of that
project was motivated by City Carton maintaining their operation, and the fact that the
trail goes in front of their production facility, and basically that the trucks interfere with
and occasionally they have stuff parked in the...in the right-of--way. Um, now that the
long-range plan seems to be to try and get City Carton out of there, it still is to put the
trail along the river, but I think if we do it in conjunction with the Riverfront Crossings
initiative, and the timing of it, part of that, um, I think that's one we wouldn't want to be
in too big of a hurry on and...
Mims/ That was kind of my thought, and then the other one, um, is taking it south from there and
then a pedestrian bike bridge across the river, and that's another $2 million, so that was
one that, to me, would stay on the back burner for right now, but I don't know, I kind of
thought if we could break up the sidewalk one, which is a $1.6 million project.
Champion/ What number is that, Susan?
Mims/ Number 38.
Champion/ Okay.
Mims/ Um, it's $1.6, taking it all the way out to Mormon Trek and if we could maybe stage it
and get it at least down to Sunset to start with, and get it on...the funded list in some
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year, so at least people down there who are doing a lot of work trying to improve that
neighborhood feel like we are listening to them and we are trying to get some things in
place, in the foreseeable future.
Davidson/ Yeah, I attended a couple of the, two or three of the neighborhood meetings when we
were developing that plan and...and this project was one that, I mean, I wouldn't want to
speak for the neighborhood and say it was the highest priority, but it came up many,
many times in terms of them being able to circulate by foot and by, to...what they
consider a commercial area in their neighborhood.
Mims/ Well, and I think as the new Wal-Mart goes in, and possibly more development down
there, it just makes that much more sense to have a good trail, pedestrian, bike, uh,
possibilities, cause you've got plenty of lights there that they can get across. I'm
assuming the sidewalk would go on the north side, or not, or...
Davidson/ Yes, I mean, eventually you'd like to have sidewalks on both sides, but yeah, probably
initially on the side where the Lodge is, on the north side.
Mims/ Okay.
Bailey/ Well, I'd like...
Wilburn/ Councils past have discussed that project, uh, there's never been...there's only been a
few of us interested at any one time to do that, so...
Mims/ Well, I'm throwing it out to see if we can move it up a little bit!
Bailey/ Well, and I'd like to jump on what you said about 28, I mean, I know it's an expensive
project, but as we think about Riverfront Crossings, it looks over the Riverside Drive and
I think we need to think of both sides of the river and I've always been very interested in
that streetscape and some redevelopment, commercial redevelopment along there. I think
once again it goes into the economic development sort of realm, but it also feeds into
what we're thinking about river-wise.
Mims/ ...ugly entrance to the city.
Bailey/ It's very ugly!
Mims/ And, I mean, I think you see that in the Airport stuff too, they talk about, you know,
making things look nicer, you know, from the Airport up through and that's not...a very
pretty place down there.
Bailey/ Well, even if we thought about that for, I mean, maybe it's...for 14, I mean, it would be
nice to see that it's hopeful and out there.
Mims/ I would agree.
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Dickens/ I had one other project that I just look at (mumbled) Foster Road to Prairie du Chen. I
have a packet (mumbled) willing to donate...dirt to be moved down (mumbled) Dubuque
Street, as part of this project, and talking to (mumbled) in tax revenue, once this street is
put in (mumbled) something that could be coordinated with Dubuque Street raising, but
looking at all the other streets, this is probably the only one that I can see (mumbled) tax
dollars.
Hayek/ Well, what's our practice in terms of the developer footing that versus the City sharing in
the cost?
Fosee/ Well, if you look at, uh, extending Court Street east is...is perhaps the last example, uh,
that was a combination of both. The City did a project from about one block east of Scott
Boulevard out, another quarter mile or so, and then the developer took it from there out,
and we paid the oversizing. So that was a hybrid. That was both.
Hayek/ We paid the first stretch and then paid the overage farther east.
Fosse/ Yes, cause really what we needed to do was...was to get past an area that was not going
to develop in the near term, and get it to the edge of an area that was developing.
Davidson/ At that time the property owner of Lindemann Hills was not ready to go, and so the
City had to get it out past there, and in terms of your...your public policy, Matt, um,
there's kind of a couple scenarios. You know, basically the development community
waits for the decisions that you all make and...and you create the areas...you can, by
your policies, encourage development in one part of the city or the other, um, the case of
First and Rochester, the developer got tired of waiting and paid for 100% of extending
First Avenue down, across the creek, and then into Hickory Trail in order to get the First
and Rochester development going. Paid 100% because Council was not willing to go
ahead with that. Rick gave an example of one where the developer was able to convince
the City Council to make a public improvement to enable, uh, the Windsor Ridge
development to go forward. So, um, it's a matter of you guiding development, if...if the
project that was proposed that...that, uh, was referred to here, it was something you were
interested in, you could accelerate that project basically by, uh, deciding to go ahead.
Otherwise, we've been waiting for developers to come to us and say we're ready to go on
this project, we'll pay the equivalent of a local street width. City pay the overwidth, uh,
and...and thus far nothing's happened.
Champion/ I don't like to bear the whole brunt of a road for a residential property, um...it doesn't
really pay very well. (laughter) I mean, but it's something, no, people come...if they
came to us, there are ways we can do things, work with them.
Helling/Atypical, uh, typically...the notion is that residential property doesn't...doesn't pay for
itself in terms of the taxes versus the services, um...if it's in-fill, like we're talking about
there, it's a little better than it is if it's, you know...
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Champion/ Out, in the cornfields.
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Helling/ Yeah, uh, but...yeah, and it's different in different places. We haven't come up with a
number, but it's, you know, you have to go pretty decent sized homes, with pretty....uh,
fairly costly in order to...to fully recover your costs.
Hayek/ I guess two...I have mixed feelings about...about the public incurring those fees, uh,
however, on...on this example my understanding is that we've done most of the
subterranean work anyway, uh, and I wonder whether there's a benefit in... if we actually
get to the Dubuque Street raising, whether having another route to get around helps us.
But I don't know that.
Dickens/ Doesn't the long-range plan (mumbled) completely from Dubuque Street all the
(mumbled)
Davidson/ Actually the JCCOG arterial street one, Terry, which is the authority on this one, that
shows the street being extended from Dubuque to uh, Prairie du Chen. Uh, right now
because of some sewer issues in the Bristol Drive area, basically areas that we cannot
sewer, uh, the arterial street plan does not call for taking it beyond Prairie du Chen over
to Scott.
Fosse/ The chances of pulling that together to have it built prior to Dubuque Street, uh, as a
detour I think would be slim, uh...we could try it, but...
Hayek/ We need to take a pause...Ross? (laughter) That looks like a very high-tech solution.
(several talking and laughing) Okay, so Rick, I didn't quite catch that, but I think you
said that the benefit in terms of raising Dubuque to having abuilt-through between
Dubuque and (mumbled) is limited or...
Fosse/ Well, there's a lot of things tugging at each other, in the dynamics of that project there.
It's, and it's kind of what we just talked about on Park Road. If we build the road first,
and...and we use it as a detour, uh, but...but we also use it as a way of transporting all
the soil down from that development up there onto Dubuque Street, then we're mixing the
construction traffic with our detour traffic, and we're also putting all that...all that traffic,
all the trucks, on a brand new road. Uh, so there's...a lot of dynamics at work there that
we need to pull together and...and then there's the whole aspect of what...what soil up
there can we harvest, if you will, for the road project, because we've got the sensitive
areas ordinance and there's a lot of those areas up there, I believe, are wooded, slopes...
Davidson/ Deep slopes and uh, wooded areas, yeah, those would...and the developer knows that
they would be affected by the sensitive areas ordinance.
Hayek/ What other items do we want to throw out on the table?
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Champion/ Well, I just want to ask a question about, um, this sidewalk, uh, Highway 1. If we
move out the Park Road expansion, does that give us enough money to do some of that
sidewalk, on the trail for that neighborhood?
Mims/ I think we're going to give Kevin a puzzle to put together after we get done (laughter)
Bailey/ (several talking) yeah, 1.14.
Helling/ Park Road would go from 12 to 13.
Mims/ I mean, I have a couple others in 12 that I'd be willing to move out, and that's the, I don't
know if I'm pronouncing it right, the Frauenholz-Miller Park, which I think is out, near
the new St. Pat's Church. I could see delaying that, I mean...I guess part of me is saying
I'd rather give some priority at this point to an older neighborhood who really needs some
help, and has really been trying to work on things, rather than necessarily jumping right
on something that is pretty new. I mean, we want to do that, but at this point, given
limited money, I'd rather try and do something there, and then the second one in that
same year, 2012, is the Lower City Park secondary access. I'd be willing to move that
out a little bit, I mean, theoretically in an emergency situation you can get into City Park
from Parkview Terrace, right? There used to be that little parking area. We always
parked down there when our kids were playing ball.
Moran/ Yeah, it was an old trail. And so we left the bed of the trail there, but we haven't done
anything, you know, to make it any better. Theoretically you probably could and people
have probably done that anyway that we don't even know about (laughter) but it wasn't
designed for that.
Mims/ No, I understand. It's not designed for that, but I mean in an emergency...
Moran/ Yeah, well, it depends on where Parkview Terrace goes too.
Mims/ Right.
Moran/ And I think that the, tearing down the homes and the rebuilding of that neighborhood, if
that's going to take longer than what we think, we tried to time it with that so that when
we went in and did some renovation to that area after all the houses came down that that
would make logical sense to do that at that time. So that's tied in to another project of the
City's as well. And, Frauenholz-Miller, um, got moved back last year as well, uh, just to
give you some history with that. In the course of development with the Church and all
those areas out there, have speeded that up a little bit, but there's some anxious people
looking for that. So, that's just an FYI.
Mims/ I'm sure. Start printing the money! (laughter)
Hayek/ What else?
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Mims/ Well, I'm willing to throw Sand Lake out further too. And that's $2 million. Don't mean
to keep hitting on you, Mike, but...(laughter)
Moran/ Well, I'll just remind you that that's also a Vision Iowa grant possibility, and...and...
Mims/ Okay.
Moran/ ...the further that we delay that out, then the less likely of us obtaining any Vision Iowa
grant funding is slim to none.
Mims/ Okay.
Bailey/ But we will have to bond for it, because Vision Iowa is a reimbursement.
Moran/ Right. Right.
Bailey/ So it will have a bonding impact.
Champion/ I know we need to keep that (mumbled) for that very reason. We can get other funds.
Bailey/ Well, maybe we should apply sooner than later and find out, and then we can move some
things around...while there's still funds left.
Wright/ Back to that City Park, Lower City Park secondary access road. That's something I'd be
willing to consider pushing back.
Champion/ That's the one she was just talking about.
Wright/ Yeah. We...we strayed on to something else there just real quick.
Bailey/ How much is that? Where is that? What page are you on?
Wright/ (several responding) It's $270,000.
Wilburn/ C-7.
Bailey/ Thanks. Well, then I'd be willing...I think your point about attending to older
neighborhoods before newer neighborhoods, um, I'd be willing to move the Frauenholz-
Miller Park out to 13 as well, but...I don't know if there's interest.
Helling/ Keep in mind, 13 is pretty loaded up too. (laughter) Um...14 has some capacity in it,
so you know...move things from 12 to 14, or 13...if you move it to 13, then something
from 13 will need to go back to 14, uh... (several talking)
Bailey/ We won't even touch l l ...right now.
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Wilburn/ Maybe we could move, uh, Lower City Park secondary access to 14 then.
Mims/ That would be fine with me.
Bailey/ That'd be fine.
Dickens/ How does that coincide with, uh...
Moran/ I think that'll be an ongoing process, Parkview Terrace. Rick and Jeff can probably
answer that better than I could, but uh, I think, you know, given the status of the
neighborhood down there, it's going to take them a while to recover anyway after
everything gets torn down. and...and gets put back to some sort of normalcy.
Davidson/ We haven't started any of the demolitions for the CDBG, the non-FEMA buyouts, so I
would anticipate demolitions for at least another year, maybe even getting into the second
year.
Hayek/ Was the proposal to move that to 13 or 14?
Wilburn/ 14.
Hayek/ 14. And is there sufficient interest in that; I think I heard...okay.
Mims/ Rick, do you think we're going too far if we pushed Park Road out to 14 instead of 13?
Or is that too early to tell not knowing what the University's timeframe really is going to
be?
Fosse/ I think at a minimum will need some design funds prior to that, and if it's in 14, that
would... we could conceivably begin construction in... in, uh, 13. We're meeting with the
University on Tuesday to discuss a variety of flood recovery projects, and this will be one
of'em. We'll have a little better information after that meeting.
Bailey/ But we could...from what you just said, even potentially split it up. (several talking) 13,
14, half/half.
Mims/ Some design dollars in 13 and construction 14, is that...
Fosse/ Maybe as soon as 12, for getting that design going.
Bailey/ Too soon! (several talking) Too soon for the money! Too soon for the money, you want
the money too soon! (laughter)
Champion/ Well, I agree with Susan. I was going to bring up that Miller Orchard neighborhood.
I would like to do something there and probably the best thing to start would be the
sidewalks.
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Wright/ Given what Jeff has said, there's a lot of interest in the neighborhood, I think that would
be a very good choice (several talking)
Davidson/ Just...just one cautionary thing. That...that number...the unfunded years, the...the
cost estimates tend to be pretty soft, so we will have to do more detailed exploration of
that, hopefully we're not too far off.
Hayek/ But that is a project that could be stacked.
Champion/ Right!
Mims/ So we wouldn't be looking at $1.6 million, hopefully, I mean, per... if we're only going to
go to Sunset in this first phase.
Hayek/ Unless they're way off! (laughter and several talking)
Davidson/ The...Rick, you may recall, the...the, when we did the, a similar type project between
Gilbert Street and Broadway, it ended up being way more expensive than we ever
thought it would be. I mean, there's, it involves putting a storm sewer in and some pretty
substantial...it's more than just building the trail. Basically the ditch...ditches get filled
in and a storm sewer gets put in, trail over the top, so it's a lot more expensive than you
might think. Is the storm water utility able to provide any funding for that, Rick?
Fosse/ Possibly, depending on what else we're spending it on. (mumbled) the other thing we
found, especially on that project, is real estate along...along those types of corridors is
(mumbled) right-of--ways where necessary costs a lot of money.
Moran/ I would be remiss too if I didn't remind you that for every sidewalk you put up,
somebody has to clean it, and that would be us, and that whole issue comes to roost
again, depending on the amount of trails and miles that you do with us, as well.
Mims? So in what areas do you do the trails, where it's along a road like that, versus...the
property owner, the homeowner or the business or whatever is required? How is that
differentiated?
Moran/ Mostly, excuse me, mostly between right-of--ways, uh, we do all the trail movement
on...on right-of--ways, uh, versus personal property.
Fosse/ Let me build on that a little bit, in that typically if it doubles as a sidewalk, our 8-foot
walks around town, the property owner is required to clear that, and the one exception
that we have that is the, uh, the corridor, the Highway 6 corridor in front of the K-Mart
area, and that's one that...that seems more trail-like than sidewalk-like. So that's...that's
one where the Parks' crews clear that, uh, for a number of years Parks cleared Scott
Boulevard, and that was a difficult thing to wean property owners from us doing that, but
that...that transition is complete. How it works out on the Highway 1 corridor, I don't
know yet.
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Mims/ Okay.
Hayek/ Well, given the softness of those numbers and the reality that this increases work
for...potentially it increases work for Parks and Rec, uh, is...is number 38 on the
unfunded list (mumbled) Orchard Miller project.
Mims/ It is to me.
Champion/ Yes (mumbled)
Bailey/ I'd still rather do 28 before 38, but 38's fine.
Hayek/ There's a considerable price difference there (several talking) half a mill.
Bailey/ But I think it makes (mumbled) (several talking and laughing)
Hayek/ What's the proposal, uh, for that project?
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Champion/ (several talking) move some things out. I guess it would depend on how much
money we've moved out (several talking) um, and whether we...when we get some hard
numbers. So...let's say we have, um, a million dollars. How far can we get the sidewalk
for a million dollars? Not very far probably.
Hayek/ Well Jeff made the good point to me...pushing Park Road back to 13 from 12 frees up
over a million in 12 money, so that could be a place for the Miller Orchard project, or at
least a portion of it.
Bailey/ Yeah, put a million there and put the other 639 soft (mumbled) in 13.
Mims/ Well, and we've also agreed to move out, if we have -- I'm not sure -- the Lower City Park
access and secondary access, and the Frauenholz-Miller, there's about another 500,000,
between those two projects.
Hayek/ Yeah.
Mims/ If we move those from 12 to 14. I don't...I think I heard agreement on the secondary
access. I'm not sure if we have on the Frauenholz-Miller.
Champion/ Yeah, you have my agreement on that too, and that would free up enough money that
you could get some (mumbled)
Wright/ Then we could put the sidewalk in on 12.
Bailey/ Oh, yeah!
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Champion/ Good job!
Hayek/ Okay, uh...
Karr/ What happened to the Faurenholz-Miller, 14 or 13?
Mims/ I think 14 we're talking, aren't we?
Hayek/ Yeah. Four for that?
Bailey/ Yes.
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Hayek/ One, two, three, four...okay. So we're moving, uh, City Park secondary access to 14,
Frauenholz-Miller to 14...Park Road from 12 to 13...
Champion/ Park Road...
Hayek/ The widening (both talking)
Champion/ ...moving it further out than that.
Wright/ No, we said 13 I thought.
Champion/ Oh, I thought you said 12...13.
Hayek/ 12 to 13.
Champion/ 12 to 13, design money, but we wouldn't do that Park Road until Hancher was...you
don't want to do it before Hancher started.
Fosse/ We'll want to build them concurrently.
Champion/ Yeah, but Hancher's not going to start in two years. It might?
Mims/ I think they were talking starting in two years, being done in five.
Davidson/ Yeah, that's what I heard too.
Mims/ Uh-huh. (several talking j
Champion/ Well, that's fine. Then we'll just leave it where it's at until we find out what's going
to happen.
Hayek/ Except FY13's pretty jammed up right now so...uh...if it's not realistic that Hancher
would be in a place where we could come in with our road widening, at that point in time.
Maybe we move it out, but reserve enough funding for the design work.
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Champion/ Right.
Bailey/ Uh-huh.
Fosse/ Design in 13, construction 14?
Hayek/ (several responding) uh-huh.
Champion/ The design needs to be done so it's ready to go.
Hayek/ What do you think of that, Rick?
Fosse/ Sounds good!
Hayek/ Are we in agreement then on Orchard Miller to, uh, to 12?
Champion/ Uh-huh.
Bailey/ Uh-huh.
Hayek/ Okay.
Karr/ Only number 38 of that one, correct? (several responding)
Hayek/ Thanks for the clarification.
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Mims/ The other one that...I can't remember, somebody had mentioned just wanting maybe
some more information or discussion on was, um, the GIS software, and that's in 13, and
that's upward of $900,000. And...I mean, I guess, not saying I don't want to do it, but I
guess again it's one I'd be interested in kind of knowing more about and...and talking
with other cities in the county and seeing if there is any way of doing things
cooperatively that could save any of us money.
Bailey/ I mentioned talking about that in JCCOG.
Mims/ Okay.
Bailey/ I mean, maybe that becomes a JCCOG project, I don't know. I think that that's worth
discussing. That's a million dollars!
Mims/ Right!
Wright/ Yeah. I think JCCOG is the place for that to...to be discussed.
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Bailey/ Well, and...and I think...well, it just seems to make sense. GIS, we would benefit, if it
were used regionally, even if we only needed occasionally portions, um...
Mims/ Yeah, I mean, I agree we want to make sure we get out of it what we need.
Bailey/ Absolutely!
Mims/ But...is there a way of doing it cooperatively that would cost us less than the $927,000?
That's what I'm interested in.
Bailey/ Or is there a way to spend. $927,000 that makes it a more robust system regionally, and
so the information that we get out of it is even better?
Mims/ True.
Fosse/ Yeah, I don't think there...it was ever anticipated to build astand-alone duplicate system
to what the County's already doing. There's got to be some interaction there.
Bailey /Right.
Fosse/ (mumbled)
Bailey/ And I think we need to have that conversation about what the best approach is.
Hayek/ How did we reach that estimate, 927?
Fosse/ That's an old estimate that had been bumped up for inflation. That's why it's got kind of
an odd (mumbled) odd dollar amount to it.
Hayek/ Well, Susan, are you proposing something in specific with the GIS?
Mims/ No, I'm just throwing it out on the table to see what other people think.
Champion/ Maybe we should bring it up at JCCOG and see if it's something they're willing to
tackle. I don't think we're going to save money doing it that way, but I think it'd be a
better project.
Wright/ Why don't we leave it where it is for now?
Bailey/ The 13?
Wright/ Yeah.
Bailey/ I think that makes sense. But...(mumbled)
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Hayek/ Uh, there's a pending proposal regarding park bathrooms, and I think the number there is
350 and 500.
Wright/ It was about 340.
Bailey/ 340 for those three, but what... did you add in Hickory Hill too?
Champion/ (mumbled)
Bailey/ Did you add in Hickory Hill?
Wright/ Um, there was Hickory Hill... (several talking)
Bailey/ Oh, that's true!
Moran/ A $150,000 for the bridge and the restroom, and then $95,000 for one in Kiwanis Park
and $95,000 for one in Court Hill.
Wright/ Yeah. Those two...I failed to remember the bridge was in there, so...
Bailey/ Well, I was willing to move the whole miscellaneous parks improvement, 365 out into an
out year. A farther out year from fiscal 11. I mean, all of those are great, great projects,
but once again, didn't meet the criteria I was using.
Champion/ Want to keep the bathrooms in...
Wright/ I could push it out.
Hayek/ I'm okay pushing them out.
Mims/ How much do we need to push out? I guess that's where I'm at, given...well, let me back
up from that. Are we all in agreement with the recommendations that came from staff?
And if so, with the changes we've suggested tonight, I guess what I need to help me make
a decision is how much more do we need to move out of FY11?
Champion/ I don't think we need to.
Bailey/ They didn't tell us we needed to, but I was suggesting that in FY11, given some of the
discussions that we've had and some of the discussions in the community, it made sense
to use some very strict criteria in how we were spending our money.
Mims/ So are you talking about that in referring...in reference to then reducing how much we're
bonding for FY 11 ?
Bailey/ Because it'll impact FY12, I mean, you know, it just kind of all dominos in, so it makes
sense...to leave some space, um, especially if other opportunities, I don't know, if we had
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some space other opportunities of some matching funds or some additional flood, uh,
addressing some flood issues may come up. We're still really close to that event. So it
just made sense from the way I was thinking about it to do that.
Champion/ Well...can we (mumbled) Hickory Hill Park. (laughter) I mean, a lot of people use
(both talking)
Bailey/ I guess, I agree! This...
Dickens/ (mumbled) (laughter and several talking)
Bailey/ I have stopped at friends' houses in that neighborhood actually. Kind of embarrassing
(several talking and laughing)
Hayek/ Well, another way...is there interest in displacing the recommended, uh, cuts from Dale's
memo with other items?
Champion/ No (several talking)
Wright/ No, I like those proposals in Dale's memo.
Champion/ I don't have any...I think they're good recommendations.
Hayek/ So if we go with those, we can stop. We've accomplished our...our objective on, in
terms of what we've added and we've made up for it with what we're moving back. The
rest of these projects we've talked about would be in addition to those changes. Not
required, but just in addition.
Bailey/ And I think they're good projects. I just don't think that this is the year. I might
compromise on the Hickory Hill bathrooms, Connie. Vested interest! (laughter)
Wright/ Good chance for a contribution there, Connie.
Bailey/ Yeah. Well, that's another...opportunity that I see with some of the Parks' projects is
they become leverage or fundraising. There's Friends of Hickory Hill Park, I mean, I
know we put a lot on those kinds of things, but there's opportunity there that I think we
often overlook...but if there's not four (mumbled) shut up.
Hayek/ Clearly there doesn't seem to be four on the, uh, Hickory Hill's bathroom (laughter).
How about the rest of your proposal? (several talking) back off on bathrooms is another
Parks'.. .
Wright/ The Kiwanis and, um...
Hayek/ Court Hill.
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Wright/ Court Hill.
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Bailey/ I was ready to cut, on C-8, the whole, the miscellaneous and just move those out. The
Court Hill, the College Green Park light replacement, the Mercer... Fairmeadows Park
sidewalk, but...
Champion/ Yeah, I...I could move those out. I just...I don't like the fact that we have...big
parks without bathrooms. I think that's ridiculous.
Bailey/ It's been that way for a long time.
Champion/ I know...no, no! Um, there...there was a bathroom at, uh, Hickory Hill, for a long
time.
Hayek/ Okay, there's a proposal to move, uh, the miscellaneous Park improvements on C-8 from
FY11 back in the future.
Shipley/ I just have one question, I mean, is...what's the status of the lighting on College Green
Park? Is that problematic or is that, I mean, need to be replaced immediately, cause I'd
hate to have that...
Moran/ It's just an ongoing maintenance cost, uh, vandalism and...and maintaining, replacing the
glass globes or the plastic globes and...
Shipley/ So it'll stay lit for...
Moran/ Yeah, it'll stay lit. It just is an ongoing maintenance cost. (several talking)
Wilburn/ ...not the issue with the, uh, fiberglass poles being...pulled or shook out of place and...
Moran/ Right, right.
Hayek/ Okay, as I recall, the concern was that it's really lit, uh, it's not a safety issue. You gotta
wear your sunglasses (laughing and several talking) Exactly! Okay, so that's the
proposal, to move it somewhere. It's in FY11 now. What's the proposal? Move it 12,
13...
Bailey/ Did we just load up 12? Well, I'd move it to...12, I don't...not being able to see...how
we've moved things around, I'd just move it out.
Champion/ But the problem with moving the light replacement on College Green Park is it's
already a major maintenance issue for the Parks and Recs.
Mims/ Yeah, I'd like to keep that one (several talking)
Bailey/ So keep the 90,000 in there and...okay.
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Champion/ Because they have enough to do without maintaining this, constantly (mumbling)
Bailey/ You know and...it's not against these projects. I was just trying to hone in...
Champion/ Oh, no, I know that.
Bailey/ I love our parks! Now that we have a restroom in Hickory Hill, I (laughter)
Mims/ Well, but I agree with what you're saying too, of trying to leverage some funds from
friends of the park so whether it's Friends of Hickory Hill or others, um, maybe helping
offset some of these costs.
Bailey/ And I liked the idea of designing, making one design and using it consistently
throughout. That made a lot of sense...from acost-saving and...and just a
standardization measure.
Hayek/ Okay, so it now seems like we're narrowing down to Court Hill Park and Kiwanis Park
restrooms, backing off from College Green Park. In other words, leaving it as is?
Bailey/ Well, and you know, it's a small amount. If we want to go ahead that's fine, but it just
seemed to make sense.
Helling/ Where's Mercer Park...Fairtneadows sidewalk and that, that's part of (mumbled)
Hayek/ That's the last of those four items.
Helling/ Right, that's including moving that out?
Mims/ I guess if we don't have to, I don't want to move out too much of it. I guess maybe...
Bailey/ Then give Connie her bathrooms! (laughter) Give the woman her bathrooms! (laughter)
Hayek/ Well, how do we want to look at this? This...this has four...this item has four
components. Do we want to leave it as is?
Bailey/ If we can afford it...
Champion/ We can leave it as is.
Bailey/ ...leave it as is. It just didn't meet my criteria.
Wright/ We're going to talk this in circles.
Mims/ Let's keep it, yeah, let's keep (mumbled)
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Helling/ Okay. You're not doing anything with it.
Mims/ Right. (several talking)
Wright/ So cross out that whole page of notes that you wrote (several talking)
Hayek/ And Hickory Hill similarly is staying put...or going forward. Okay.
Champion/ I don't use Court Hill Park. (laughter)
Bailey/ Oh, so now she's willing to put it on the table! (laughter)
Hayek/ Okay, that leaves, uh, the Foster Road project (mumbled)
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Champion/ I think we leave it on the table and see if some developer comes willing to help get
that done.
Wright/ Yeah, the developer that's interested has not offered to do that yet, so...
Fosee/ You want us to keep our ear to the ground for opportunities (mumbled)
Hayek/ Okay. Then we have that, uh, Terry Trueblood, uh, FY12 project, and FY13, uh, and the
GIS.
Wright/ I think...didn't we decide to leave the GIS in place? We'll be discussing that at JCCOG,
right?
Hayek/ Okay, but leave it in FY13 for now, not tweak it, okay?
Champion/ And I think the (mumbled) road project will depend if we get some money. Or Sand
Park, Sand...
Mims/ Sand Lake (several talking)
Hayek/ Terry Trueblood. Yeah, I have some concerns about impacting our ability to go for the
state grants, without having this in as a placeholder. Okay, so that stays.
Champion/ Are we done with this now?
Wright/ Almost!
Hayek/ We've exhausted the list of items that currently are on the table for discussion.
Champion/ I hope somebody has this all written down.
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Mims/Kevin, do you know, as you've been listening to this discussion and we've bumped things
out, have we really overloaded a year in the future (several talking)
Bailey/ It would be helpful to see the matrix.
O'Malley/ So far, um, you haven't impacted FY11, which would be...
Mims/ But which is okay, right? With the recommendations that you brought back to us?
O'Malley/ It's, uh...
Mims/ Or is it still too tight?
O'Malley/ It's not okay if you...if you keep your 25% policy.
Mims/ Okay.
O'Malley/ If you leave your 25% policy, I mean, if you amend your 25% policy...
Mims/ Cause that would put us at about the 26% in 12. Okay.
Champion/ I'm fine with that 26% in 12. (several talking)
O'Malley/ Then the others are fine.
Mims/ Then the others are fine, okay. But I would agree. It would be nice to see the matrix
when this is done, of what we had (both talking)
Bailey/ Of what we just did to ourselves.
Mims/ And how much!
Wright/ Preferably in the form of a jigsaw puzzle that we all have to put together (laughter)
Helling/ We'll try and make these amendments and see if we can get back to you tomorrow.
Champion/ Oh, thafd be great!
Helling/ We'll try!
Hayek/ This isn't really apropos -the GO conversation, uh, exactly, but...there are recurring
projects that we pay for with Road Use Tax dollars. Brick streets, bridge maintenance,
overwidth paving, a number of other things. And as we get onto thinner and thinner ice
with the Road Use Tax, that makes GO debt more likely as our source for payment. But
we have to at some point have a conversation about that.
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Helling/ And I would anticipate...we may be having that discussion yet this winter or spring,
depending on what happens at the State level.
Fosse/ If...if you look at what's been proposed for this year, uh, we've already made that
transition for, uh, bicycle and pedestrian trails, uh, FY10. It's the last year to use Road
Use Tax (mumbled) GO debt; curb ramps, we've moved over to GO debt; sidewalk in-
fill, moved to GO debt; and (mumbled) traffic signals, but there are some that still remain
that are worthy of discussion.
Hayek/ And that list is on C-20 if you're not there, Council, um, and from time-to-time there are
proposals to modify those line items, at least some of them.
Bailey/ Uh-huh.
Champion/ (mumbled) bids all come back really low.
Fosse/ That would be good!
Hayek/ What did you say, Connie?
Champion/ Maybe our bids will all come back really low. Shelter House is...they came back a
half a million dollars under what we planned.
Hayek/ I'll make my annual pitch, uh, for a modest increase to the brick street repair fund, which
has been $20,000 a year for a long time, and uh, we don't get anywhere on that, and say
what you will about brick streets. They are part of historic neighborhoods. I think they
fit in with the Univer-City projects we're pursuing, um, I personally think it's money well
spent because of the duration of those, uh, streets, but even a modest increase to forty
grand or something like that would be a step in the right direction.
Champion/ You know what I'd like to see done with brick streets? (laughter)
Hayek/ No, but I bet you're going to tell us (laughter)
Champion/ I...I think we ought to get a project of...of, what do you call it when you start...an
agenda? Not an agenda, um...a process where when you do repairs on a brick street you
do the whole block instead of this piece-mealing. And then it's done for another 20 years
or 30 years, instead of...cause right now we just do little areas, and then the next year the
part next to it is...whatever they do.
Dickens/ What does it cost per block?
Champion/ Well, I don't know, but that's why I'd like to see the City kind of look at what
it...how that would work over an extended period of time.
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Fosse/ It's...it's in the $300,000 range, and there's, you know, what you're saying is right -that is
the best way to approach it, and...and we did the block in front of the President's home of
Church Street. What is that... Clinton and Dubuque. This summer we'll be doing, uh, a
block of Bowery Street between Clark and Summit, and uh, so we'll have a good price on
that this summer and we'll know better about what it...what a standard block costs. The
other block was...was a little higher than normal because it had a lot of curb repair in it
and some other... other features there.
Davidson/ And at one point we had actually developed a project, exactly what you're saying,
Connie, saying if we're going to commit to brick streets, then let's budget doing one block
a year, somewhere, and in the course of 20 years then you...you just about (mumbled)
and...and we took it out just because it just didn't seem like the time for a project like that
right now.
Champion/ It just seems that we're piece-mealing those streets, we're wasting a lot of manpower
and money, because we're just going back next year for another part of the street. I mean,
I may be all wrong, but it just seems to me that if you're going to repair them and we're
going to keep them, let's do it in some fashion that makes it cost effective also.
Bailey/ So are you proposing to increase this and move Road Use Tax around or increase with
GO?
Hayek/ Well, I...I don't know, because, you know, we haven't had the Road Use Tax discussion
and that...
Bailey/ Right, right...
Hayek/ ...that source is in considerable flux, but...
Bailey/ I think (mumbled)
Hayek/ Yeah. I don't have a...I'd like to see that line item increase modestly, uh, mindful of, you
know, the fact that it might not come from that source. It might come from another
source, and I...and I think the idea of saving up and doing a street at a time...even if it
takes us 30 years to do it, uh, makes sense.
Bailey/ Yeah, I agree if we're committed to brick streets let's do it right, and then, I mean,
Connie's saying sort of an efficient and effective way, rather than...kind of patching it.
Wright/ I think tat's probably the best solution long-term. When did you folks prepare that, uh,
study?
Davidson/ It was a couple of years go, and... and once we did the street that Rick referred to on
Church Street we had a much better notion of what it would cost to do a block.
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Hayek/ You know, if you look at it, I mean, we're committing funds, we're moving funds way up
to the north, to support the Northside Market Place streetscape. You...a lot of people
don't even drive on Linn Street from Ronald, or Brown south, because it is almost
impassible. Uh, so...
Wright/ It becomes asphalt again at, uh, Bloomington, I believe.
Champion/ If we did it right, you know, and we could take up that asphalt. It's probably brick
underneath it. Um...but I mean...
Hayek/ If there's interest we can do something (several talking)
Champion/ Yeah, I'm interested in doing something, uh...
Bailey/ I'm interested in doing something.
Wright/ Yeah. I...I'd like to see that study dusted off and see what...
Bailey/ Yeah, I'd like to see that, and see what the impact would be.
Wright/ ... in the future.
Champion/ I mean, some people don't want brick streets (mumbled) noisy, but the ones that are
there need to be (mumbled). At least they're not cobblestone, you can actually
(mumbled)
Bailey/ Well, they're traffic calming right there.
Wright/Nobody speeds on them! I will say that! (both talking)
Hayek/ Okay, so are there four in support of that? (several responding) We've been going at this
for, uh, for two hours.
Helling/What are we doing? Four in support of...
Champion/ Looking at that study.
Helling/ (several talking) you don't want to make any changes here at this point.
Champion/ There's just got to be a more efficient way to do it. We have a very efficient way of
how we handle streets. Well, those are streets too, they're just not...
Bailey/ Wait till we talk about alleys as well.
Hayek/ Do we...we're going to need to take a break here, uh...are we at the end of the CIP
(several talking) okay. Why don't we take a break and come back and see what else we
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can accomplish. Five minutes. (BREAK) Okay, let's start up again. I think what we're
going to do is take up the Aid to Agencies list. Linda's here (several talking). Dale's
handing around atwo-page, uh, handout, and the second page is a loose copy of, uh, the
recommendations from our committee. You want to walk us through this.
Champion/ (mumbled)
Wright/ Okay, well, uh, Connie and I sat down to go through this. One of the things that,
uh...we decided we wanted to have some kind of contingency to assist in things that
might pop up mid-year. I know there's been call for that in the past. Um, so we do have
some funds remaining for that. The biggest change you'll see on this is the funding for
MECCA, which had been, last year was actually $27,000. They requested $29,920. We
took that down to $10,000, largely on the basis of this, where a fraction of a percent of
MECCA's funding, and we just felt, well, we had some needs elsewhere. We had, uh, a
new request, for example, from Compeer.
Champion/ And one reason we wanted to fund that is its...it's a fairly new organization. I don't
know if you're familiar with it, but they provide (mumbled) for people who are, um,
have...missing some skills. It could be mental skills or physical skills and very difficult
for these...
Karr/ Connie, do you have your microphone on?
Champion/ Oh, I'm sorry! (mumbled) (laughter) And I...I kind of view it as a one, they need
kind of a little jump start, and I kind of viewed this as...can you hear me now? As
possibly, just maybe aone-time, um, gift, to just give them...get them going.
Wright/ Yeah, they're just trying to get started in the community, and there isn't really another
agency that does what they do, with folks with this particular type of need.
Champion/ Okay, then the Consortium, we left at 14. Uh, we thought if they come up with a
good project, that's one reason we wanted (mumbled) left, so we can continue.
Bailey/ I think it looks good. I was curious about Compeer; you explained it. Yeah.
Champion/ The other thing that I'd like to see happen, and we've been doing it kind of the past,
oh, ten years is some of these agencies that get a lot of money from us compared to the
other agencies, and I'm not saying they're not valid, is that some of these agencies have
been on this list since we started giving money, and they got increases, regular increases,
and so there was great disparity between what agencies are getting and what they needed.
So, um, if you have any other questions, I'd be glad to answer them.
Hayek/ Regenia, did you have a question or was...
Bailey/ No, that Compeer was my question, I mean, it was a new request and I just
wondered...um, you know, what was compelling about it and they explained it.
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Champion/ I think we need to, um, include in that, whenever...however we tell them that we're
giving them money that it might not happen next year. We just want to help them get a
jump start.
Wright/ I think we need to tell that to everybody, that they're not assured of getting this money
every year.
Hayek/ Questions? Comments? Come on up, Linda, if you want to talk.
Severson/ Just in terms of the agencies, they really appreciate the funding and one of the real, uh,
values of local funding is that they're able to identify what the need is. Lots of times
money that they get coming in is...is specified for a certain thing, for instance, free
medical clinic gets a lot ofd medication donations. They get lab tests done, um, but they
may have a challenge finding money to pay the utilities. And so you can't really provide
a service if your utilities aren't on. Um, other agencies use it to match, uh, if they have a
grant application, sometimes there's a local match, so they can use it for that and so I
think they really appreciate the flexibility of local funding. Thank you.
Hayek/ Thank you, Linda. Well, if there are no suggested changes to this, I think we can, uh,
adopt it as presented.
Mims/ Thank Connie and Mike for reviewing it! (several talking)
Wright/ You're welcome!
Hayek/ Okay. Uh, I think now we jump back to the general operational side of the budget.
Helling/ I'll put my mic back on. Okay, um, if you look at the last page of...of the handout...or,
I'm sorry, of the memo that I sent to you. Do we have...yeah...(several talking) yes.
(several talking) Um, we needed to...to, basically we took a 1% out of the franchise fee,
which is about $840,000, and, you know, we plugged in some...some, looked for ways
to...to replace that. The first...the first number, the $416,000, um, most of that is what
showed up in your original budget proposal on, uh...I think it's page 21. And what we're
giving you is a new page 21, uh, it was put together showing these changes. The...as I
said, the first one was really the difference between the revenues and expenditures that
was projected for FY11 in...in the, uh, original budget document, the budget proposal,
and we discovered also that there were a couple of positions that are, uh, that are, in the
Planning Department, those temporary positions that we have for several years, uh, for
doing the flood relief things, uh, those had been moved to the General Fund, and that's
not where they're supposed to be. They're supposed to be funded by the projects, and uh,
FEMA, CDBG money. Um, and so that raised that to $416,000. That was...that was the
amount that your revenues exceed...would exceed expenditures for FY11, so in...in
starting to balance the budget, that obviously was...was one thing that would help, uh,
your budget. In fact, it takes about half of the $400, or the $840,000. Uh, and we had
indicated we could reduce the operating contingency, uh, because that is three-quarters of
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1 % of expenditures, and transfers out, and there's a lot of transfers out, uh, a lot of funds
for transfers out in the FY11 budget because the, uh, I think it's the local option sales tax,
and shows transfers through there. So, didn't really make sense to include that, so we
backed that out, and did this three-quarters of 1% and came up with, uh, about $55,000
less. Um, and then there...you, uh, approved Parks and Recreation fees recently, uh,
increases in Parks and Recreation fees. That goes from the General Fund, as well, um,
and the amount there is...that we came up with is about...about $23,000. Then, Kevin
can probably explain this better than I can, uh, so maybe...do you want to do it? Or give
it a shot?
O'Malley/ Sure. We have a line item there called, uh, "intra-city charges" and essentially that's
the, uh, enterprise funds, uh, received services from the General Fund. They received
payroll, accounting services, uh, collection services, (mumbled) services, the attorney
services, and uh, others, and we do a calculation, a simplified calculation, and...which is
our, the general fund budget versus the enterprise fund budget, and then that total, we
take a percentage of that, times their...their expenditures, and prior to, uh, January when
we had the 2% franchise fee in there, we already saw that we were $300,000 over, so we
didn't take the time to go in and review, uh, revenues like Mike had done on his...on his
charges, so on review of that, we saw that it increased about $300,000, and we see that in
the first two years, and I didn't show a dropping off in the third year, but..that's basically
because of the major projects that the enterprise funds are doing, uh, waste water's doing
a $42 million project, and Landfill's doing about $10 million in projects. So that's
increased from, uh, 2,000, or $2, 593,000 to $2,916,000 which is roughly $324,000.
Helling/ And so...plugging that in, we came up with a total of $818,000, um, again, we need an
estimate of $840,000. That's what we estimate the, uh, MidAmerican estimated what
1% would be, um...beyond that, we...I think we can...we could very effectively manage
the budget to...to, uh, to find, um, the additional $20...um, $22,000. Uh, for example,
um, you're going to talk about a City Manager search, uh, if somebody isn't on board until
the first of September, for instance, of next year, you'll have a savings equivalent to, um,
probably that much, that $22,000 just there alone for next year. Uh, there are some other
things that we're looking at in terms of, um, not layoffs, but there may be some...some
positions that we'll look at, we anticipate retirements, so we're looking at attrition and
see...and a number of other things we can do, holding positions open and so forth,
to...but to make up $22,000 is not significant. I think the fact that we come up with this
$818,000 allows us to put the budget in balance. (several talking)
Wilburn/ Was that the, uh, intra-city charges then?
O'Malley/ That's correct.
Wilburn/ And, um, that doesn't result in any, uh, increase in charges, um...\
O'Malley/ To the enterprise funds?
Wilburn/ Not to the fund, but to, um, usage fees.
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O'Malley/ Right, and I... (both talking)
Wilburn/ No, okay, or dipping into the enterprise reserves? Okay.
O'Malley/ The one I was concerned about the most is refuse, and actually it went down a little
(mumbled) the others, so...um...I got the impression that you didn't want to raise any
taxes, or any fees, and so I was looking around (mumbled) and...forgot about in
December we were kind of rushed, and I forgot about checking (mumbled)
Helling/ And, that budget includes no, uh (noise on mic) for your emergency levy, and then also,
as we talked before, that $300,000 for, um, benefits for the new employees will remain
funded through the General Fund and...and uh, through the franchise fee. And not levied
as, at least that's not (both talking) revisit that I'm sure next year again as we go through
that.
Champion/ That's great! I forgot about that could do that, that's right.
Helling/ Now, I want to reiterate one caution, well, a couple of cautions. Number one, Road Use
Tax, I don't know what's going to happen there. Number two, half a billion to a billion
dollars out of the State budget, it's going to be made up somewhere. I don't know how
that will affect us or not. I...doubt that we'll have that information or that'll be final
before we put this budget to rest, but, uh, just something to keep in the back of your
mind. We may not be finished yet.
Wilburn/ Well, and like you said, that...year that those cuts came it was after we certified the
budget and we had to go back and...(several talking) What's that?
Champion/ It was $900,000.
Wilburn/ Yeah, yeah. Leave a lump in your throat.
Hayek/ Yeah, I think there'll be some lumps there this year.
Champion/ This still keeps our reserve balance, um, pretty good.
Helling/ Yeah, in the 20s. (several responding) I think that's pretty...uh, and you see FY12 is
probably the one year, if you look at total receipts versus total expenditures, those bold
lines. FY 12 is probably the one where you have the biggest deficit, and again, keep in
mind that if we didn't have that million five for that extra payday for that year, uh, that
would look a lot better, and that's something that we just eat with the, uh, with the fund
balance, as much of that as we have to, every 12...11 or 12 years, whatever it is. Yeah,
we just try to have the fund balance in a position where we can...we can, uh, like I said,
eat that every (mumbled)
Wright/ Or we could just move to monthly payroll!
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Helling/ We could do that, but yeah (laughter) spread it out and it'll be even over, yeah...um...
Hayek/ Okay. Well, what do you all think?
Wright/ I'm very impressed with the...
Champion/ I'm very impressed!
Wright/ ...coming up (several talking)
Champion/ ...how many nights you stayed up doing this, but it's very impressive.
O'Malley/ I've got good staff! (laughter)
Dickens/ I think they're done with doing this kind of (mumbled)
Hayek/ I think this, uh, is a...this approach does a good job of expanding the...(mumbled) pay
for City services without adversely impacting businesses that would be most heavily hit.
(mumbled) at 1 %.
Helling/ The tax rate is down a little bit, uh (several talking) uh, the actual amount that...that a
resident will pay on a residential property for the same value, $100,000 whatever, will go
up a little bit, and that's because the rollback, they took it back up, so they're being taxed
on a little higher percent of the assessed value.
Hayek/ Good.
Bailey/ I don't think we need to monkey with this. (laughter and several talking) Don't touch it!
Helling/ You know, if you do your (mumbled) (several talking)
Hayek/ The last thing to take up tonight is community event planning.
Bailey/ Let's give it a shot!
Hayek/ If we can.. .
Champion/ We can do it, but I wanted to ask another question. Are we going to talk about
people who came to us for money, like commissions and things? Tonight?
Helling/ Oh...
Bailey/ You mean in addition to events, you mean...oh. (several talking)
Mims/ Yeah, I was going to ask where that fits in the budget.
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Hayek/ Yeah.
Bailey/ Well, that would be general operating.
Wright/ Yeah.
Mims/ Yeah, I just didn't know what was already in there, and what...wasn't.
Hayek/ I think we can push through and get...
Champion/ Yeah.
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Hayek/ ...I think we can potentially get everything done and avoid a meeting tomorrow night.
(several talking)
Helling/ Yeah, if there's anything you need to take up, uh, I don't want to speak out of scope,
there's probably...probably time to do that at your regular work session, uh, next week if
there's one or two little items that you...
Karr/ The regular work session is a combined one. Next week, just FYI.
Helling/ Well...
Bailey/ Well, let's see how far we can get.
Hayek/ See how we go! Do we want to, uh, talk about the event planning first, or the
commission requests?
Champion /Either one.
Community Events:
Bailey/ I bet the commissions I'll be shorter.
Hayek/ All right, well, let's do events, uh...which is the first page of the loose-leaf that was
handed out tonight. Uh, if I can get...as you can see, the budget for FY10 was $110,000
and some change. The projected budget for FY11 is the same amount, $110,162. We've
got funding requests of almost $164,000.
Wright/ Well, just...just as a place to start our conversation, I'd like to...start off with Summer of
the Arts, and that's one I'd like to see remain at its $60,000 level.
Champion/ Me too. (several talking)
Wright/ Huge, huge plus for Iowa City.
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Dickens/ I know Coralville's been (mumbled). It's an Iowa City (mumbled) of our arts and
culture landscape.
Wright/ Yeah, and plus...that has a return on investment.
Bailey/ Right.
Wright/ We...we take in a lot of money on the Summer of the Arts.
Bailey/ Well, and it's been really great to see the businesses downtown, I mean, even more
support from them, so I think it's really critical to remain at that level, and I'd like to pair
that up with the fireworks, because that's part... of Summer of the Art. (several talking)
Champion/ Oh, absolutely!
Bailey/ Cause it's been a nice change...
Karr/ But fireworks is not included in the $60,000. (several talking)
Wright/ It's the only thing that actually had its own entrance in the column.
Bailey/ It's the only thing that, yeah!
Hayek/ Already spent 80% of the funds. (laughter)
Mims/ Those are the biggest requests, I mean...
Champion/ Yeah, but is the...we'll keep the fireworks at 25,000, isn't that correct?
Bailey/ That would be my...recommendation.
Champion/ I'm just making sure!
Hayek/ And, informationally for our new Members, the Jaycees backed off running this in the
last couple of years and so we've picked it up as a City expense. As more of a City
expense (mumbled) (several talking and laughing)
Bailey/ Let's just....fund it at 25,000 and let's not talk about it!
Champion/ The, uh...the film people, Landlocked, they actually reduced the amount of funding
they asked for this year.
Mims/ And again, I think that's where we...they're really building and bringing a lot of people
into town and so...I'd like to see that one at $3,000.
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Dickens/ Yeah, I would agree with that.
Bailey/ Uh-huh.
Wright/ That's an up and coming event that's putting us on the map in a different place.
Hayek/ It also provides, as I recall, about a thousand worth of funding toward another non-profit,
the Englert (mumbled) double benefit from that (mumbled)
Bailey/ Well, we know that we're getting hotel/motel tax from that event because (mumbled)
(both talking) it's probably break-even.
Champion/ I'm willing to cross off the Iowa Children's Museum. I think it's really a nice thing,
but it is not in town. It's actually at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.
Bailey/ Well, I would like to take that a little bit farther and not do any new ones, which would
also cross off Backyard Abundance.
Champion/ Okay.
Wright/ I'm agreeable to that.
Hayek/ The impact of that would be, uh, Backyard Abundance, 88 kick off...Museum...Mayor's
Youth Empowerment Program, and the MBA Association Outreach event. Is there
support to not fund new applicants?
Bailey/ I don't consider (mumbled) because we've worked with them (both talking)
Hayek/ New applications, new...they have another one that (both talking)
Bailey/ New events.
Mims/ Yeah, I can live with that.
Karr/ I'm sorry, could you repeat the ones you took off.
Hayek/ Uh, there's been a proposal, we're gauging support for, to not fund any new applications,
new...new projects.
Karr/ Backyard Abundance, the Iowa Children's Museum...
Hayek/ The, uh...
Bailey/ Disability Awareness.
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Hayek/ The Disability Awareness Month Kick-off with Everett Connor. Uh, yeah, the Children's
Museum...Mayor's Youth Empowerment Program...and then the MBA Association
Outreach event. Are we missing any there?
Wright/ What was the last one, Matt, I'm sorry.
Hayek/ Toward the bottom, the U of I Tippie...
Karr/ The Tippie MBA.
Hayek/ Yeah.
Dickens/ Are you going to keep the increase for Riverside (mumbled)
Champion/ I don't think we can afford it!
Hayek/ Well, right...I think right now it's...new stuff, uh, take a pass on. (mumbled) the mic's
on there (laughter)
Karr/ Okay, so that's five.
Dickens/ Usually I project very well.
Hayek/ Okay, so there are five, uh, who support, uh, no funding for new applications. That
leaves existing ones that either request, uh, identical or increased amounts.
Bailey/ That said, I would like to increase the amounts, let's see...so it's...it's the Access to
Independence in Eastern Iowa, that's the ADA celebration for 1,400. They've stayed at
972 for years.
Champion/ What are you looking at?
Bailey/ Go up to Access to Independence, it's under Bike to Work Week. I'm comfortable
increasing theirs.
Wright/ I can go along with that.
Hayek/ 1,400.
Mims/ Yes. Is anybody tallying as we go along? (several talking)
Wilburn/ We have 45,7621eft, is that right, Kevin? Okay.
Wright/ How 'bout we keep the Local Food Alliance at 1,000? They requested 2,000.
Champion/ They didn't come to talk...
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Karr/ I'm sorry, which one?
Wright/ The Johnson County Local Food Alliance.
Hayek/ You know, how much (several talking)
Mims/ Well, and can I piggyback on that a second and ask a question?
Champion/ Yeah!
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Mims/ When I was looking at stuff, it said that we...request and/or require a final report, and
only about three of these gave final reports. And so I think that's something that, if we
don't... if we don't reflect that in our giving this year, I think we need to send a really
strong message that if they... if we are requiring final reports and they do not provide one,
they will not be considered for funding in the following year. Because... Shakespeare,
the Youth Strings...
Karr/ There were only three...three you got in a timely fashion, and two you got just last week.
One of those was Summer of the Arts.
Helling/ Some of those events may not have taken place (mumbled)
Bailey/ Irving Weber hasn't taken place in this fiscal year. Field to Family has.
Karr/ But, it's not the fiscal year, it's the one you have requested the funding for. So, Irving
Weber's funding last year did take place.
Bailey/ Okay.
Karr/ So it's kind of weird on that one because of the timing.
Bailey/ Well I agree that if...we should require a final report, and that final report needs to be in
place before you can, you know, or...or be reviewed for funding. I don't know how we
want to set it up, but I think that makes sense.
Wright/ Well, yeah, I think if we don't have the final report we don't review their application.
Bailey/ Right.
Champion/ Well, I'm willing to discontinue the Field to Family, because they didn't come to us
this year and...I don't know, I mean, that's a huge. I don't mind giving them $500
(mumbled)
Hayek/ Let me propose something here. By not funding anything new, we've taken in the
neighborhood of $55,000 in requests off the table, which is basically the gap between the
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requests and the budget. I mean, my question...I would ask if people with calculators...
already...potentially already there.
Wright/ Yeah, we're pretty close. (several responding)
O'Malley/ $4,000.
Wright/ We have $4,000 left?
Bailey/ We have to cut...
O'Malley/ No, I'm... yeah, I think you have $4,000 over.
Bailey/ Over.
Champion/ Well, I mean, I don't know, are we really willing to give Irving Weber Day that big
of a jump?
Bailey/ No. (several talking)
Wright/ Yeah, I was actually looking at just our last year figure of 7,790, which is close enough
to 8,000 (several talking) yeah.
Champion/ I mean, I think it's nice to see some continuance in this fund too for things that come
up.
Hayek/ I think that...I think the Irving Weber stuff is...has made great strides.
Bailey/ I think moving it downtown has made a lot of sense.
Hayekl Yeah.
Bailey/ But I think...
Hayek/ I'd be inclined to go with a little bit more, but...but something shy of 10,000 I could live
with.
Champion/ How'bout 8,500? (several talking and laughing)
Mims/ 8,500?
Hayek/ 8,500 going once, going twice... going three, four, five people (several talking and
laughing) There's support for 8,500. (several responding) Okay. Irving Weber at 8,500.
Bailey/ Are we there? No.
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Shipley/ I just have a quick question. One parameter I was focusing on when I listened to all
these applications was, I guess, the amount of money requested and then the amount of
estimated number of individuals expected to attend or benefit from this funding, I mean,
the Summer of the Arts, Riverside Theatre, Shakespeare Festival, uh, Landlocked, I
mean, those really low ratios of a half to one, or one-to-one, whereas Irving Weber they
want $10,000 for only a few thousand people, I mean...(several talking)
Champion/ But that's an event that's growing. Used to be less people than that.
Hayek/ It's a fair point though.
Champion/ Yeah, it is a very good point (several talking)
Mims/ And the other thing I think they have some real potential there in just doing some minimal
charges, I mean, as I recall from reading it, everything is free, and... so doing some
minimal fees (several talking) help them as well.
Dickens/ Another one I would make a pitch for is the Iowa Children's Museum.
Wright/ Yeah, and I'm not willing to consider them. They're not a...they're no more worthy than
the Hoover Presidential Museum, as far as I'm concerned.
Bailey/ I think they should talk to Rick about getting some equipment out there. That would be
(several talking)
Fosse/ It's just the matter of the overtime (mumbled)
Bailey/ Maybe I didn't mean that! (laughter)
Champion/ The only thing that I would (several talking) I would be willing to make (several
talking) yeah, we're not going to do that, but I'd be willing to make a donation to cover
Iowa City children who can't afford to go.
Wright/ Well, they've made...they have that contingency already built in though (several talking)
Champion/ I'm not willing to fund that. I'm really not.
Bailey/ And I like the Museum, and I like (several talking) I mean...
Champion/ ...personally given money from my business. I'm not willing to give (several
talking)
Dickens/ But will you be willing to pay the overtime for... equipment to be there?
Champion/ We can't afford it!
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Hayek/ So, uh (several talking) idea, uh, to contribute to the ability of children to attend that
event with...or donate City vehicles? (several talking)
Bailey/ Do we have an idea of how much overtime it would cost? I mean, if I had a dollar
amount it would be easier to discuss it.
Dickens/ (mumbled) 11 to 4, 5 or 6 (mumbled)
Fosse/ And I think they want some people there who are versed in the (mumbled) (several
talking and laughing)
Bailey/ Worth a shot!
Fosse/ I mean, we're just talking a few thousand dollars, something like that (mumbled) (several
talking)
Wilburn/ I also know how to blow up the Burlington Street bridge (laughter)
Fosse/ We're looking at about $700 (mumbled)
Mims/ I'm willing to do that.
Bailey/ That makes sense, and can we charge it from this fund? (mumbled)
Champion/ Yeah, we do have some.
Hayek/ It would be...but it would indirectly support a new application when we decided (several
talking)
Champion/ Right.
Hayek/ ...which is okay, but we need to recognize that difference.
Fosse/ We could look at it as an investment in future workforce (several talking and laughing)
Wright/ That particular little bit of funding maybe doesn't belong in this...
Bailey/ Yeah, I know.
Fosse/ Water and sewer, that's...we've got the room there. It's the Road Use Tax...street guys,
which would be a fraction of this, so...probably.
Wright/ Probably could cover?
Champion/ How about one piece of equipment and one person?
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Bailey/ That doesn't come from Road Use Tax.
Champion/ That doesn't come from the Road Use Tax (laughter)
Hayek/ Well, we can revisit our early decision to take new applications off the table. So, that
would be the way to do that. Okay.
Helling/ It looks, from our calculations, it looks like (mumbled), if Bike to Work Week is staying
at 15, and Extend a Dream Foundation at a thousand, Iowa City Community String, 400;
Johnson County Local Food Alliance, I don't know what you decided...
Champion/ We dropped them.
Bailey/ (mumbled) partner is on the Board, but...I mean, that's something...I think it's a good
event. I think it brings people to downtown, and to our local restaurants.
Dilkes/ Excuse me, I know it's getting late, but you're all starting to mumble (laughter). We can't
hear anything!
Bailey/ I would like to continue to fund Field to Family, because it does...once again it's...it
brings people downtown and it brings people to our locally owned businesses, or
restaurants, so...I mean, that's the pitch I'll make but...
Wright/ I'd like to fund them too, but how about if (several talking)
Bailey/ Yeah! That's what...
Wright/ A thousand, just like last year.
Helling/ Okay, and then... fireworks 25, Landlocked 3,000... Riverside, Shakespeare
5,000...60,000 for Summer of the Arts, and I think...that's about (mumbled)
Bailey/ Good! (mumbled) contingency with the rest.
Mims/ Sounds good.
Hayek/ Connie, you were...stopping short of saying something.
Champion/ Yeah, I don't usually stop short. I just wondering...I also, you know, I...the big...the
increase for Riverside every year, I...that kind of bothers me. I mean, they should be
able to, um... get a lot of their revenue through tickets, and we provide other services to
them, and um...I would like to keep them at 4,000, I mean, it would just be my thing,
but.. .
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Bailey/ I think their ticket revenue is...percentage-wise, is...standard...their industry, I mean,
I'm comfortable increasing. I think they've had some rough goes in the last couple of
years.
Champion/ I know they have. You're right (both talking) You're right, never mind! I...I take it
off the table.
Hayek/ So, Dale, if we go with 5, how much does that leave over? Leave...
Helling/ 5, 4... (both talking). Yeah. Looks like it puts you at 106,800... so $106,800, so you're
$3,000.
Wright/ Okay. (several talking)
Champion/ Good.
Hayek/ So that we would hold in, as a contingency (several talking)
Champion/ Yeah, you know, sometimes there's a big rain out on something we've sponsored and
they can't (mumbled) bills. They still bought all those things.
Hayek/ Okay.
Champion/ We helped somebody else with that one year.
Hayek/ Do...okay...
Karr/ Okay, can we just clarify then the Youth Advisory is going to be funded as part of the
Council operating in 2010? That's the note at the bottom. We just wanted to clarify that.
We had taken the Youth Advisory out last year and funded it with City Council money,
and that's where you'd like to fund it this year, the total request?
Champion/ No, we haven't funded it yet. We haven't done that group.
Hayek/ I don't know, I don't have enough history with that commission to know the pros and
cons of funding it that way...
Champion/ I don't have my list of the other people that came, like the Airport, the Library, um...
Wright/ So you're looking at it as part of the whole (mumbled) (several talking)
Hayek/ Okay.
Bailey/ And what was the request? How much is the request?
Karr/ 4,500 I believe.
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Champion/ Too much! Do I have that list? (several talking)
Bailey/ Youth Advisory.
Champion/ We're talking about the other list. I don't know if I...
Mims/ Well, I don't think there was a list.
Champion/ (several talking) a list of who came.
Karr/ Yeah, it was like all the other commissions (several talking)
Mims/ Cause we had the Airport, Senior Center...Parks and Rec, Library (several talking)
Commissions:
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Hayek/ Okay. Do you want us to go over the events list for clarification, or do you believe
you...
Karr/ No, I think we have it. Thank you.
Hayek/ ...and there's support for what we've talked about. Okay.
Champion/ Now the other list.
Mims/ So, I'm not sure I understand this yet. Where...where is the money coming from, or
where is it already budgeted, if at all, for these commission requests? Or are we messing
up the whole budget (several talking)
Wright/ The Airport, the...
Mims/ Airport, Senior Center, Parks and Rec.
O'Malley/ They're not in the budget.
Bailey/ We would be adding it to the budget.
Mims/ Okay, that's what I needed to understand. Okay.
Helling/ I think the Airport was talking about the charge-back for the economic development
coordinator (mumbled)
Champion/ I'm not giving them ghat. (laughter)
Helling/ Um... Senior Center was about 19% of a maintenance worker.
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Wright/ No.
Bailey/ Uh-huh.
Helling/ Um...Parks and Rec, just more maintenance workers, I mean, that's...
Champion/ I'd like to find some way to do that.
Helling/ Me too. Um, Library, talked about...for Park n' Ride, um...
Champion/ I have an idea for that.
Helling/ That was...that was a savings, so...anything you put back...
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Champion/ But you know I think that's really nice service, um, especially if people are bringing
kids to the Library, and... somehow I...I might be the only one that feels this way, but I
feel that they're giving out parking tickets and bringing the City in $27,000 a year, and
we're not paying the meter people to do what the Library's doing it. I would like to
somehow give them at least the amount of money from those parking fees to cover that
Read n' Shop. Just throwing it out there.
Bailey/ I would...
Hayek/ Park n' Read you mean?
Champion/ Yeah. (laughter and several talking) I mean, I think it's something we should
seriously think about. We did cut them the largest amount. (several talking)
Wright/ 6,800.
Helling/ 6,800 is the...
Bailey/ I think since we have seen a drop off of, um, bringing kids, whatever it is, to... story time,
thank you. I think we should reinstate that, if that's...if there's some relationship, but I
think that would be a good thing, 6,800.
Champion/ ...more parking tickets! (laughter) I mean, I really...I don't know where...the
money has to come out of something else, but it just seems like we cut them the most we
cut anybody last year.
Wright/ If we can figure out a way to restore the Park n' Ride, I think that would be good.
Champion/ That's what I'm talking about.
Helling/ Well, it'll come out of the General Fund (mumbled)
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Champion/ You know, it's...they are bringing in money, I mean, that also takes their personnel
to give those parking tickets. They just give them more (mumbled) so can we do that? I
love all of you tonight! (laughter) I won't yell at you tomorrow! (laughter)
Wright/ Especially if we don't meet!
Bailey/ Especially if (mumbled) yeah!
Champion/ Great, thank you!
Hayek/ Are there four... for that? (several responding) Okay.
Bailey/ Youth Advisory.
Helling/ Yeah, Youth Advisory...
Champion/ I'm not going to give them that much money. It's a small commission, but I think
is...
Wright/ What was it last year?
Bailey/ It's on page...it's in the stapled info packet, it was on page 53. (several talking)
Wilburn/ Is there a particular item, line item, that you would not want to...
Champion/ I don't have my list here. Oh, thank you. Oh, yeah. Well, I think it's important that
they have their web site, because that might be the only way they can really get moving.
I think they can have either the Youth Empowerment grant or the Recognition
Scholarship.
Hayek/ That's a four to one swing. Think they'd take the former.
Champion/ I mean, I think... it's a lot of money for a commission.
Wilburn/ Well, not really.
Champion/ No?
Wilburn/ Not really.
Wright/ It's not much money.
Wilburn/ You know, it...just...
Champion/ Well, Ross, you sit on it, so I mean, tell me what you think.
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Wilburn/ Uh, I'm also trying to...
Champion/ Wear both hats!
Wilburn/ Wear both hats, yeah! The...part of this is a learning opportunity, both for them and
for us in terms of trying to, um, engage some young people in some citizen-
type... citizenship-type activities, and youth input, and... and uh, there's been some
learning on their behalf, uh, as well as us in terms of giving them guidance on what they
can and can't do, uh...and getting them used to even just some of the open meetings
and...those type of activities. Question?
Bailey/ No, when we started this, the Youth Forum idea was...was sort of a key component of
something that was discussed when we started the Youth Advisory Commission (both
talking)
Wilburn/ Right, and they've gotten away from that in an effort to do some community event type
things to build that (both talking)
Bailey/ Right, but I would like to be able...I would like them to be able to do the forums, I mean
(both talking)
Wilburn/ ...particular group that...that was of interest for them, to be able to have the forums.
So, if anything at a minimum I would like to keep that component funded in there, cause
as Regenia said, it kind of gets back to what some of the things... some of us were hoping
to hear from that group. Um, some of the struggles, again, dealing with learning about
that structure, um...and...uh, whether they can fundraise along with the activities, um,
has presented some challenge, but they have not looked at, uh, wasting money
or...they're very careful with...with looking at that, so...I would like to keep them...I'd
like to honor their request at a minimum, um, their web page and uh, to...the opportunity
to get back to, um, the public forums, um, when they've taken the grant request, when
they've gotten the request. for the funding they've been very, uh, in some ways I think
they've asked, uh, some harder questions than we ask for some of the community event
(mumbled) and things like that, so...that's my two cents.
Champion/ What do we have in the budget for the Council?
Wright/ I was just there looking at it. (several talking)
Bailey/ 153,000.
Champion/ Oh! (mumbled) (laughter) Okay, I'll fund it.
Wilburn/ And again, they've not looked at...they've looked at their budget. They've not said, oh,
we've got this money, we have to spend it. They've tried to be careful about...what is it
we can do? What can we do? And...
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Wright/ Connie said that she personally would fund that. (several talking and laughing)
Champion/ I've already given all my money away!
Wilburn/ Well thank you, Connie.
Hayek/ Okay.
Champion/ Okay, what else do we have on that list? Is that it?
Hayek/ Is there...are there four to fund it? 4,500?
Champion/ They just seem to be :Floundering, to me, and...
Wilburn/ And I think this'll be a telling year, or...
Champion/ ...like Compeer, you just need to jump start them!
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Wilburn/ And we're going to revisit the bylaws and...this may be a telling year, so whether or
not it's going to succeed or not. Given the structure or another structure.
Hayek/ Okay. Support for 4,500,
Wilburn/ Thank you.
Champion/ Was there anybody else (mumbled)
Bailey/ No, I mean, the rest are the events.
Champion/ Great!
Mims/ Yeah, the other commissions were the Airport, Senior Center, Parks and Rec. (several
talking)
Hayek/ Okay.
Champion/ I mean, I'd like to give the Senior Center some more maintenance, but (mumbled)
frankly if I had money for maintenance, it's going to go to Parks and Rec. I can't believe
how they take care of (mumbled)
Hayek/ Yeah, that, uh, increase in park land and (several talking) flat personnel levels is just
staggering. Okay. Staff, what else would you have us accomplish tonight?
Karr/ Can I get one clarification? Following up on...uh, Susan's question about, and I know this
is something, uh, near and dear to a number of us, do you...is there a majority who wish
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to consider the proposal, if a final report is not received on a community events, the
following year they will not be considered for funding, because if that's...if that's the
case, then we'll want to start communicating that, um...you know, I don't need to know
tonight, if that is something that (several responding)
Bailey/ A lot of funders expect that.
Wilburn/ Well, we ask that of the Aid to Agencies.
Champion/ That's right (several talking)
Karr/ And what that means is that potentially, if we got a request and we did not receive a final
report, they would get some form letter that that request would not even be sent to the
City Council.
Champion/ Right.
Karr/ That automatic (several talking)
Champion/ Make sure they all understand it.
Hayek/ For next year.
Karr/ For next year, yes, but I think that's something.
Mims/ I think when they pick up applications, or when they're sent out (both talking) cover letter
with it, saying...
Karr/ We do.
Mims/ ...you know, if you submit this but you haven't submitted your final report, this will not
even get reviewed.
Champion/ I think it needs to go with the notification that they're getting this money.
Karr/ We will...we will do that, starting this year we will put it on the application itself; we'll
remind them as the applications come due next year. It will be a constant reminder, but I
just wanted to be sure (several talking)
Helling/ My understanding is we did notify people last year.
Karr/ We did.
Helling/ Yes.
Karr/ Yes.
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Helling/ So I think probably what we should do is follow up now to everybody who's funded for
an event in fiscal 11, so that they'll know that they don't have it in by the end of their
fiscal 11 event, which would be before July 1, that they won't be looked at in next (both
talking)
Karr/ And we will take into consideration those events that may not occur after the application
deadline, that we would take that... still though in time for consideration of 12. Like the
Irving Weber one (mumbled) example of that.
Mims/ Right, but if they've been funded year after year, we still should have a final report (both
talking)
Karr/ Yes, so it will be a consistent message, if that is what you wish to have done. (several
talking) Yes.
Wright/ Report, report, report.
Champion/ Because that's what we demand on the Aid to Agencies (several talking)
Hayek/ Is there anything else we need to accomplish tonight?
Champion/ We're done!
Helling/Not that I.. .
Hayek/ I don't think we need to meet tomorrow night. (several talking) Okay. So no meeting
tomorrow night; however, there's a 4:00 meeting in North Liberty. We now have a
venue, the North Liberty Recreation Center. This is the joint meeting. Uh, be there or be
square! And no meeting at 7:00 tomorrow night. Good work! We got it done! (several
talking)
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